Superintendent's Blog

November 25, 2008

Over the last week or so, I have been asked about the hiring of a new Chief of Staff just prior to the announcement of budget reversions that the district will have to make. After due deliberation, I believe that the question is worthy of a thoughtful response. 

As you know, I firmly believe that it is important for Guilford County Schools (GCS) to have a strategic plan that is designed to make GCS one of the best in the nation. In order to have such a plan, I believe that it is important to have strong members of the senior leadership team that can develop and implement that plan. As a result, I have made three critical appointments to the senior leadership team in my first two months on the job. Those appointments include the new Chief Academic Officer—Dr. Beth Folger, the new Chief Administrative Officer—Dr. Eric Becoats, and the new Chief of Staff—Nora Carr. 

While there have been three appointments, only one of these positions has required finding additional money. Over the course of this fiscal year, there will be other appointments as I reorganize the leadership team. It is unfortunate that the timing of the appointments will not match up perfectly with the current budget situation. As I make appointments, I will analyze the impact on the budget and the short and long-term benefits that will come from the appointment. Because it is prudent to do so, I may delay or even forgo some appointments as a result of that analysis. Moreover, I will be striving to have a smaller number of positions on the senior leadership team by the start of the next fiscal year. While my efforts to do so are certainly influenced by the current budget conditions, it is not limited to that circumstance. Rather, it is influenced by my belief that this organization can be run most efficiently and effectively with fewer people on the senior leadership team and by my belief that we can and should put more resources in schools or in support of schools. 

As I evaluated the impact on the budget and the benefits of bringing on Ms. Carr, I determined that it is a sound decision to hire her. Some may question the value of adding Ms. Carr at this time. Simply put, I do not. Having worked with her for a number of years, I know how valuable she is as a school district administrator. As a result, I believe that Ms. Carr will be an asset to this school district. Ms. Carr’s extraordinary professional background includes change management, strategic communication, fundraising, organizational development and the development and implementation of strategic plans.

In short, I believe that Ms. Carr’s presence on our team will help ensure a smoother roll-out and implementation of the strategic plan. In addition, she has also helped raise funds for nonprofits and public agencies. We will benefit from her vast experience in these areas as we work diligently to handle the current budget situation while minimizing the impact it will have on the services we provide our children.

November 24, 2008

The Guilford County Board of Education and the Guilford County Board of Commissioners met together last week. The meeting focused on a significant issue:  the sale of bonds. County Commission staff presented a timeline that includes selling bonds in January 2009. Selling bonds at that time will allow Guilford County Schools to start and/or continue many projects approved by the voters earlier this year. The boards also discussed potential alternatives for continuing those projects, should the County not be able to sell bonds at that time. 

The meeting was also a good opportunity for me to continue to build relationships with the commissioners.


November 24, 2008

Research shows that the quality of teaching plays a key role in boosting student achievement. But we also know that enticing high quality teachers to come to some of our lower performing schools can be difficult.

At a special called board meeting last week, staff presented a program that identifies a district’s high-performing teachers and offers them large financial incentives for moving to or staying in low-performing schools for at least two years. Approximately six to eight schools and teachers would be able to participate in this program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. 

The board is scheduled to consider this program further at its regularly scheduled meeting on December 2, 2008. 

November 21, 2008: State Budget Reductions

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) recently informed us that the state’s school districts and charter schools will be required to return $58 million, or 0.75 percent, of their allotted state funds due to a decline in the state government’s revenue.

This reduction amounts to approximately $2.8 million for Guilford County Schools.

The amount does not include the adjustment(s) that will be made to our state allotments as a result of the fact that while our enrollment increased for the 2008-09 school year, we did not meet our student projection of 72,219. I expect that NCDPI will complete its student enrollment calculations by early December. Since our district is between 600 and 700 students under projection, I expect this adjustment to cost us an additional $2 million to $2.3 million. The combined total of adjustments would create a budget gap of approximately $5 million.

I am exploring a variety of options to plug this deficit. In the meantime, I have taken a few steps to give us more flexibility as we make decisions about which cuts to make. Specifically, I have instituted a hiring freeze, except for certain positions. In addition, I have not released 25 percent of instructional supply dollars that are generally allotted to schools.

I will keep you informed as decisions about the cuts are made. I know that the services provided to our students will be affected by these budget cuts; however, my team and I will try to minimize the impact. As we work to consider what cuts to make, please continue to focus on our main priority of providing a high quality education to all of our students.

November 17, 2008: Two key administrative appointments were made late last week

The Board of Education approved my appointment of Nora Carr, a highly regarded public relations practitioner and management and organizational development expert, as the district’s new Chief of Staff. Carr’s many responsibilities will include legislative affairs, expanding business partnerships, implementation of the district’s core values, facilitating change management, parental involvement, community relations, fundraising and overseeing the District Relations department. She will also play a key role in the rollout and implementation of the district’s strategic plan. She comes to GCS with extensive experience in change management, organizational development and fundraising for nonprofits.

The other key appointment is a name that will be familiar to many people in this county. Eric J. Becoats, who recently served GCS as co-interim superintendent and currently works as chief of staff, will become the Chief Administrative Officer. Both appointments will become effective on Monday, December 1. In his new role as Chief Administrative Officer, Becoats will oversee three major divisions (Human Resources, Information Technology, and Accountability & Research) with responsibilities for recruitment, retention, development, compensation, instructional and operational technology, testing accountability, research and formative assessment. He will also continue to lead the district’s efforts to develop and implement the district’s strategic plan.

Both Carr and Becoats are part of major changes to the district’s organizational structure. Under this new structure, Carr and Becoats will be two of four top administrators who report directly to the superintendent. These changes are a series of organizational structure adjustments designed to enhance operations, support schools and improve academic achievement.

November 12, 2008: Rebuilding of Eastern High School

We used our media briefing today as an opportunity to provide an update on the construction of the new Eastern Guilford High School building. I am impressed with the members of the Eastern high school community. They have persevered since their building burned down two years ago this month.

It was the largest school fire in the state’s history, and the recovery process has been long. Construction of the new Eastern building has been a top priority for the district.

I am thankful for the district’s employees who have worked tirelessly to expedite construction of the building. As a result of their hard work, Eastern students and staff will move into their new 270,000 square-foot home in April 2009.

The basic design of the new facility is similar to that of the recently completed Northern High School, and nearly twice the capacity of the former Eastern building.  Almost all the windows and doors have been installed. Fiberglass panels have been installed in the commons area, and the entire roof system is complete. Installation of the hardwood floors will soon begin in the two gymnasiums.  Painting of the building’s interior has commenced.

At the briefing, Dr. Travis Reeves, Eastern’s principal, unveiled the school’s new school seal. It symbolizes the school’s past and points to the future. Eastern will display the seal prominently in the commons area of the new school.

I am excited for the members of the Eastern community as they move into their new building,
and reap the benefits of a state-of-the-art facility.

November 12, 2008: Summerfield First Baptist Town Hall Meeting

One of my goals when I got here two months ago was to listen and learn. I am eager to have conversations with the residents of Guilford County.

I got yet another chance to do that Monday night at a town hall meeting hosted by Summerfield First Baptist Church. More than 80 parents, students and community members attended. We got a chance to talk about a wide variety of subjects, including advanced learning, overcrowding in schools, SMOD and new methods for raising funds for our schools.

I wish to thank Rev. Derrick Moody, an associate pastor at Summerfield First Baptist, for hosting the meeting.  We will be holding another meeting on Monday, November 24 at Pleasant Garden Baptist Church. I hope to see you there.

Let’s keep the conversations going.

November 10, 2008

We continue to review the suggestions sent in by thousands of you as we develop a strategic plan that would make GCS the nation’s leading public school system. The comments fall into a variety of categories, including academic achievement, parental and community involvement, superior customer care and orderly and safe environment. As promised, I will be sharing the comments with you through a variety of forums, including this blog, over the next couple of months.

Here are two samples of the comments:

Someone suggested that for GCS students to be global leaders, all students should be offered K-12 world language opportunities such as Spanish, French, German, Latin and Chinese. Each high school also needs a language-learning lab for speaking and listening practice.

Another writer praised our middle college program, which has been so successful Governor Mike Easley has chosen to replicate it around the state.

“Middle Colleges, as you probably know, are schools for students who have become disengaged or have been dissatisfied with traditional high school,” the writer said. “These schools are so incredibly beneficial to students. They are a second chance for all of us to prove ourselves as successful. I hope that more of these schools can be organized so that more kids who need second chances can have them.”

We welcome your comments to let us know how we are doing and what we can do better, particularly as we develop this strategic plan. Send me an e-mail at superintendent@gcsnc.com.

November 10, 2008

The EOG tests in reading released last week showed that few North Carolina districts, including GCS, demonstrated performance at the highest levels this year under the state’s school accountability program.

This was due primarily to the new standards introduced by the state in an effort to align North Carolina’s expectations with the National Report Card.

Still, it is important to put these new scores in context. Despite the dramatic drop in test scores statewide, the changes in the standards make it difficult to compare this year’s results with that of the previous years. So while reading proficiency scores declined by 31 percent in North Carolina’s districts under the new standard, under the old standard they only fell by one percentage point compared.

That said, we applaud the state for raising the bar. We now know what we have to do to meet these new standards. Our schools have done well and continue to make progress, but now that we have new standards it means we have to do more work. Even before these test results came in last week, we’d been putting programs in place designed to boost student achievement. They include a literacy program designed to enhance the reading skills of all students, particularly those who do not read at grade level. We’ve also invested heavily in Read 180, a literacy program that targets middle school students and better prepares them for the rigors of high school.

The bottom line: don’t let the test results fool you. Our students and teachers have been working hard and will now work harder than ever to meet and exceed the new standards.

November 1

We had some wonderful events at the board of education meeting on Thursday, October 30.

First, we recognized Betty Anne Chandler, the district’s executive director for exceptional children and psychological services.  Betty Anne, who has been with GCS over 30 years, was named North Carolina CASE (Council of Administrators for Special Education) 2008 Outstanding EC Director.

 Then we honored Rodney Morgan, our 2008-09 Teacher of the Year and the four finalists. They are all excellent examples of the dedicated teachers who steer our future leaders to success.  Morgan, a sixth-grade teacher at Aycock Middle School, received a 2009 Nissan Murano SUV for being selected as teacher of the year.  

Another big highlight of last night’s meeting was the naming of Dr. Beth Folger as Guilford County Schools’ new chief academic officer. Dr. Folger’s new role will include significantly expanded responsibilities. She will oversee all of the district’s 120 schools, curriculum and instruction, exceptional children and Student Services, which includes athletics.

Dr. Folger has tremendous experience in education, and as a superintendent with a non-traditional background, I will look to her for assistance and support as the district takes steps toward boosting student achievement, reducing the dropout rate and transforming GCS into one of the nation’s top public school systems.