The Alexanader County Board of Education met Tuesday evening. This report is courtesy of Public Information Director Renee Meade:
French exchange students welcomed
Twenty-five students and two instructors from Lycée Saint-Ouen in Pont Audemer, Normandy, France are visiting Alexander County as a part of a student exchange program. Alexander Central High School French Teacher Nancy Greiner is coordinating the visit. Madame Greiner introduced four students, Mathieu Bunel, Emma Delaunay, Chloé Hedde, and Alexandre Nuczkowski. Two instructors, Isabelle Brassy and Hélène Marquand are supervising the students. School administration and board members welcomed the guests and presented them with gift bags filled with items related to Alexander County and North Carolina.
The guests arrived in Charlotte on Saturday and are staying with host families. Each French student has an American student whom they attend classes with and spend social time together. The exchange students will visit New York City before returning home. This program provides an opportunity for Alexander Central High School students to interact with and host students from France. They experience the French language and culture through their shared experiences. They also gain a more global perspective and appreciation for different ideas and beliefs. The French students will use their skills in speaking English in an immersion setting. In the spring, Madame Greiner will accompany fifteen students and two chaperones to Paris and Normandy. They will be hosted by families of these same students that are currently visiting.
Adams serves as SRO at Hiddenite and Stony Point Elementary Schools
Deputy Lucas Adams is the new School Resource Officer (SRO) split between Hiddenite and Stony Point Elementary Schools.
As an SRO, Adams is assigned to work within the schools building positive relationships through daily interaction with the student population. He also has the jurisdiction to make arrests and conduct investigations when needed. Law enforcement officers within the school setting exercise a great deal of professional discretion and recognize the differences between school policy and state law.
Adams has been working at the Alexander County Sheriff’s Department since May 2018. He is a graduate of Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) from Wilkes Community College and a 2015 graduate of Alexander Central High School. Adams resides in the Bethlehem community.
This position was made possible through the School Safety Grant Program sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the partnership between Alexander County Sheriff’s Department and the school system.
West Alexander Middle School update
West Alexander Middle School Principal Dr. Chad Maynor presented the school update indicating he was pleased to report the school exceeded expected growth for four of the last five years. West Alexander Middle has the highest school growth index for middle school in Northwest North Carolina and is 35th in the state among middle schools (grades 6-8).
Dr. Maynor indicated West Alexander is the only school in Alexander County that exceeded expected growth in both Reading (+2.46) and Math (+3.86). The school has also had an 8.2% increased student enrollment in comparison to the 2017-2018 school year.
Accountability and Testing Results for 2017-2018
Associate Superintendent, Dr. Elizabeth Curry shared an accountability update for the year 2017-2018. The State Board of Education approved the results at their October meeting. Dr. Curry explained the difference between grade level proficiency (GLP) and the federal College and Career Ready Standards (CCR).
Schools are awarded a grade which is made up of an 80% proficiency and 20% growth composite. Dr. Curry went on to share research demonstrating that while proficiency is highly dependent upon poverty level; growth is highly dependent upon what happens as a result of educational practices rather than demographic factors. Although the General Assembly weights proficiency as more important, educators across the state acknowledge that growth is the factor over which schools and teachers have the most influence.
Alexander County School system has a goal of developing a strong core curriculum. A solid core is 80% proficiency, 80% or more of students achieving at least a year’s worth of growth or an overall growth composite of higher than 80%.
Dr. Curry stated that three schools exceeded growth expectations, Sugar Loaf Elementary, West Alexander Middle School, and Alexander Early College. Ellendale, Stony Point, Taylorsville Elementary Schools, and East Alexander Middle School all met expected growth standards. Alexander Central High School, Bethlehem Elementary, and Hiddenite Elementary did not meet growth expectations. As a whole, the district demonstrated slight increases in overall GLP and CCR proficiency.
Dr. Curry shared that the recent federally approved Every Student Succeeds Act has named six of Alexander County Schools as Targeted Schools of Improvement (TSI Schools). This designation means that one or more subgroups, defined as a minimum of 30 students, did not meet growth expectations. These schools are East and West Alexander Middle Schools, and Hiddenite, Stony Point, Sugar Loaf and Wittenburg Elementary Schools. Roughly 63% of NC Schools are TSI’s. Dr. Curry acknowledged that confusion could be expected because some schools with the highest proficiency and growth by state standards are also TSI schools.
Due to the quick turn-around and the need to spend additional time interpreting the data, comparisons to state and regional schools will be shared at the November Board of Education meeting.
Low performing school identification
Dr. Curry presented information regarding low performing schools (LPS). Low performing schools are defined by NC GS 115C-105.37 as schools receiving a “D” or an “F” letter grade and having met or not met expected growth. Hiddenite Elementary has been designated a low performing school by the state. Dr. Curry shared the corrective actions that must take place for schools in this category. Mr. Charles Draper is the new principal at HES and is not subjected to any administrative sanctions.
Low performing schools must also comply with developing an electronic school improvement plan called NC STAR. This plan must be submitted to the Alexander County Board of Education at the November meeting and shared with the community and parents. The school improvement team will consider input and recommendations from both meetings. After a period of two weeks from the November board meeting, the plan will be revised and presented for approval at the December board meeting.
Low performing schools are required to send a letter to parents notifying them of the LPS status, the requirements, and data specific to the school.
Dr. Curry and Dr. Alisha Cloer, Executive Director of Human Resources, met with the faculty at the school. Ms. Jessica Anderson, Director of Testing and Accountability and Dr. Curry have also visited the classrooms during the instructional day and noted the increased focus on standards and implementation of a research-based instructional model. Dr. Curry commented that the staff is to be commended for quick and intentional actions
Superintendent’s report
Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Hefner began her report announcing the upcoming North Carolina School Board Association Annual Conference for board member development scheduled for November 12 -14 at the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons.
She continued announcing these additional upcoming events. National School Lunch Week is next week, October 15 -19. The theme this year is School Lunch, Lots to Love. School Nutrition Director, Kathy Caudle, and site managers are working to increase milk consumption and will offer an incentive to students next Wednesday in honor of this special celebration.
The Taylorsville Apple Festival is scheduled for Saturday, October 20. Proceeds of this event are donated to Alexander County Schools’ benevolence funds.
Sports Hall of Fame tickets are for sale and can be purchased at the Board of Education for $20 each. This event is Monday, November 19, beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Alexander Central Auditorium. The Alexander County Public Education Foundation will host a reception that includes heavy hor’doerves. The following individuals will be inducted into the Class of 2018 Sports Hall of Fame: Efird Gwaltney, Jeff Isenhour, Jim St. Clair, Richard White, and Ronnie Williams. Coach White passed away last Friday. He will be inducted posthumously.
A visit to East Alexander Middle School is scheduled for Thursday, October 18 for school board members and district administrators. The school will be conducting rocket launches for Rocket Day. The rocket launches are scheduled to begin around 1:15 p.m.
The National Technical Honor Society’s Induction Ceremony is October 18 at 6:00 p.m. at the auditorium. All board members are invited to attend this special event.
“Please join me in recognizing and celebrating our wonderful principals as October is National Principals’ Appreciation Month,” stated Dr. Hefner.
Dr. Hefner also commended the schools for the largest Alexander County Schools’ canned food collection in the past 25 years. A total of 76,688 cans of food were collected at the elementary schools last week as part of the annual Fall Can Food Drive. The total collected last year was 45,217 cans.
School board policies approved
The school board approved the following policies:
Policy No. 7240 – Drug-Free and Alcohol-Free Workplace
Policy No. 8210 – Grants and Funding for Special Projects
Policy No. 8220 – Gifts and Bequests
Policy No. 8510 – School Finance Officer
Policy No. 9110 – Use and Selection of Architects, Engineers, Surveyors, and Construction Managers At Risk
Policy No. 9120 – Bidding for Construction Work
Policy No. 9400 – Sale, Disposal, and Lease of Board-Owned Real Property
All Alexander County Board Policies are available for review by the public at www.alexander.k12.nc.us or the Alexander County Board of Education Office on Liledoun Road, Taylorsville, NC.
School board policy revisions presented
Central Office Director Sharon Mehaffey presented the following school board policy revision on for the first reading. Policy revisions will be brought back next month for a second reading.
Policy No. 1710/4021/7230 – Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying
Policy No. 1720/4015/7225 – Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying Complaint Procedure
All Alexander County Board Policies are available for review by the public at www.alexander.k12.nc.us or the Alexander County Board of Education Office on Liledoun Road, Taylorsville, NC.
Alexander County Schools Budget for 2018-2018 Approved
The school board members approved the 2018-2019 Budget totaling $50,790,359 as presented by Chief Finance Officer Sharon Mehaffey during Tuesday night’s meeting.
The budget allocates 84% of expenditures for salaries and benefits leaving the remaining16% for operating costs. The majority of funding, 65%, is state funds and 15% is supplied by local funding. Other funding sources include Federal Funds 6%, Specific Revenues Fund 6%, Capital Outlay 2%, Child Nutrition 6%, and Child Care Services less than 1%.