Board members present: Chairman Todd Sutton, Lyn Andrews, Kay Carroll, Ronald Johnson, Terri Sessoms, Mike Wooten |
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A "CHANGING OF THE GUARD" IN SCHOOLS' "CABINET" Tuesday's board meeting was the last for two key administrators of Johnston County Public Schools. Deputy Superintendent Paula Coates is retiring after 28 years with Johnston's schools --- as a math teacher at Cleveland Middle and Clayton High schools, assistant principal at Clayton Middle, principal at Corinth-Holders Elementary, Archer Lodge Middle, and West Johnston High schools, executive director of federal programs for the school system, and deputy superintendent since 2018. Chief of Operations and Communication Dolores Gill is leaving to take a job as Clayton's assistant town manager after holding a variety of positions with Johnston's school system since 1997 --- as an assistant principal at several elementary schools, principal at Benson and West Clayton elementary schools, an elementary area supervisor, an area superintendent, and as the Central Office's chief of staff since 2017 and chief of operations and communication since 2019. (She worked as an elementary-school principal and assistant principal in Wake County in 2004-2008, and at Beaufort County Community College as an instructor and consultant in 1990-1996.) Nicholas King starts work next Monday as the new Chief Academic Officer for Johnston County Public Schools. Since 2015 he has worked as director of student services for Albemarle County Schools in Charlottesville, Virginia. Previously he served as principal of an elementary school in Charlottesville, chief academic officer for Northampton County Schools in this state, founding principal of Clement Early College High School at N.C. Central University, principal of a Durham elementary school, and assistant principal of another Charlottesville elementary school. He started out 27 years ago as a classroom teacher in Durham. Brooks Moore has been promoted to Chief of Facilities and Construction, a new position in a reorganization of the Superintendent Eric Bracy's "Cabinet" linked to Ms. Gill's departure. A graduate of Princeton High School who holds a B.S. degree in construction engineering and management from N.C. State and a master's of building construction from Auburn, Mr. Moore worked as a project engineer first with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and later with the S.T. Wooten Corporation before joining Johnston County Public Schools as construction officer in 2017. Dr. King's salary is $125,000; Mr. Moore's is $110,000. Other members of the school system's top administrative team are Chief of Financial Services Stephen Britt ($125,004), Chief of Equity, Information, and Student Services Crystal Roberts ($117,288),Chief of Human Resources Brian Vetrano ($117,288), and three Area Assistant Superintendents: Tonya Leathers ($125,000), David Pearce ($107,064), and Patty Whittington ($94,344). |
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REPORT ON STAFF VACANCIES & "ACCOMMODATIONS" Superintendent Bracy gave the board an update on staff vacancies throughout the school system: 54 positions open among "certified" staff including teachers; 146 openings among "classified" staff including 67 teacher-assistant, 48 nutrition, and 29 custodial positions. Meanwhile, a total of 261 employees have been granted "accommodations" to remain at home while working during the coronavirus pandemic, he reported. Most of those are teachers conducting classes online. STATE-REQUIRED REPORT ON FACILITY NEEDS Brooks Moore, in his new capacity as Chief of Facilities and Construction, presented a report required every five years by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction on Johnston County's projected need for new facilities to accommodate a rising number of students. He said the local report, prepared by his staff, projects enrollment in Johnston's schools to grow from 36,688 this past year to 40,212 by 2024-25 and 46,091 by 2029-30. (Obviously, that means more new schools will have to be built in the years just ahead.) In addition to new buildings, Johnston's system also needs to spend more on technology upgrades, Mr. Moore advised. For example, he noted, 10 of the county's schools continue to rely on MS-DOS computer systems with "floppy" disks to operate their mechanical systems. And 15 schools are still using Windows X-P systems that he termed "highly unreliable" as well as "highly dangerous" when it comes to potential hackers, he added. JOINT SESSION WITH COUNTY BOARD MARCH 16 In response to Mr. Moore's report, School Board Chairman Todd Sutton announced that a joint meeting of the full Board of Education and the Johnston County Board of Commissioners is scheduled for Thursday, March 16 to discuss future local funding of Johnston's school needs. Exact time and place of that meeting is yet to be determined, but it will likely be held in the evening, Mr. Sutton said. UPDATED LIST OF "CAPPED SCHOOLS" FOR ENROLLMENT The board approved the list of schools that "will not entertain requests for reassignments" in 2021-22 because their projected enrollments exceed capacity or those reassignments "would lead to a request of additional school staff." The only change from this year's "Capped Schools" list is removal of Selma Elementary. Remaining on the list: • Elementary (grades K-5) --- Benson, Cleveland, Cooper, Corinth-Holders, Dixon, East Clayton, Four Oaks, McGee's Crossroads, Pine Level, Polenta, River Dell, Riverwood, West View. • Middle (grades 6-8) --- Archer Lodge, Cleveland, Four Oaks, Riverwood. • High schools (9-12) --- Clayton, Cleveland, Corinth Holders, South Johnston. CURRICULUM MATERIALS FOR "ENGLISH LEARNERS" The board approved purchase of two curriculum programs targeting students identified as "English Learners" needing supplemental instruction. The Benchmark RIGOR Program is for those students in middle and high schools "who lack foundational literacy skills." Its cost is $120,763. "Into Reading" provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is for students in kindergarten through the fifth grade. First approved for use here in 2019, that program will cost $229,143.75 this year. Expenses for both programs will be covered by federal funds allocated to local school districts by the state. |
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