Superintendent's Blog

September 26, 2008: Update on TDAP

As of Friday morning, approximately 1100 of our sixth-graders had not received the TDAP (TDAP stands for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine as required by a new state law.  The law requires that all sixth-graders be inoculated before the start of the school day on Friday, show proof of a vaccination appointment or they will be excluded from school.

The vaccinations are available at no cost at the Guilford County Department of Public Health clinics in Greensboro and High Point. You can make an appointment at the department’s Greensboro office by calling 641-5563. Contact the High Point office at 845-7699.   Parents and guardians may also take their children to a pediatrician’s office or to a family care physician. A vaccination appointment card will keep the student from being kept out of school.

We continue to work diligently to ensure that all sixth-graders are in compliance. Our goal is that not one child misses school over this matter; however, we must also comply with the law.


September 26, 2008: Two Nights of Saluting Excellence

Teachers and principals are some of the greatest unsung heroes. Their many good deeds seldom make the evening news and they rarely get feted at big balls or receive ticker tape parades.  So I was thrilled when our business partners teamed up with Guilford County Schools on two occasions this week to honor several of our leading educators.

Monday night we honored two excellent educators, Dr. LaToy Kennedy, principal of Wiley Elementary and Rodney Morgan, Jr, a sixth-grade math teacher at Aycock Middle School, at the annual Wachovia Best in Class Awards. This Wachovia sponsored event salutes teachers and principals who have distinguished themselves and who have made a huge difference in the lives of our children. It acknowledges the hard work of these educators.

Each educator won $1500 after a lengthy selection process that involved a portfolio assessment and judging criteria that resulted in five finalists in each category.  Dr. Kennedy has been an educator for 14 years. Under her strong leadership, she has put the passion of learning back in children at Wiley Elementary School. Mr. Morgan has been a teacher for six years. He is a dynamic educator with a passion for helping young people learn.

Wednesday night, the Businesses for Excellence in Education honored 16 schools, 29 teachers and 32 students at a festive, spirit-filled event that featured a marching band from Page High School and cheerleaders from Southeast Middle School. The schools were honored for their improvement in AYP and ABC. The teachers were chosen by students as the ones they felt had the most influence on them. Each school received $8,000 and each teacher honored at the school got $1,000. Two students from each of the 16 schools, judged to be the most improved, were also honored. The 32 students each received certificates and a $50 American Express gift card.

Both events would not have been possible without the generous support of the area’s business community.  I am grateful to Wachovia for underwriting the Best in Class awards and to the Businesses for Excellence in Education, an organization of many large companies with an unwavering commitment to public education and GCS in particular.  I am equally grateful to them all.

September 19, 2008: Help Us Keep Students From Dropping Out

As you many of you know, Gov. Mike Easley and the State Board of Education proclaimed the week of September 7-13 Graduation Awareness Week. This is a subject that is very dear to our hearts.
One of our strategies for reducing the dropout rate is our graduation recovery program. We need your help in reaching the estimated 900 high school students who have not yet returned to school and their families.

We have made considerable progress in raising our graduation rate over the years, but we still
have a lot of work to do. Children who drop out of school are more likely to be unemployed, underemployed, have unstable family lives or end up in the penal system. Studies show that the average high school dropout makes $1million less in a lifetime than the average college graduate.

I believe that all our children have the capacity to be excellent. I believe that all our children can learn. I believe that all our students can graduate. Three of our high schools – the Early College at Guilford, Weaver Academy and Greensboro College Middle College – have already proven that. These three schools were among only eight schools statewide to achieve a 100 percent graduation rate.

With your help, every single one of our children can complete high school on time. You can start by helping us reach out to these approximately 900 children and steering them back to our schools. We have an array of options – from online courses to curricula designed to suit individual needs, from smaller learning communities to specialized or themed schools – to help make their high school experience relevant and productive.

For more information about our dropout recovery efforts, please contact Richard Tuck at
(336) 621-4027.

September 17, 2008: Saluting Board Member Dot Kearns

I was delighted to learn that Dot Kearns, an at-large member of the Guilford County Board of Education, received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine over the weekend. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is North Carolina’s highest civilian honor. It is bestowed on individuals with a proven record of extraordinary service to the state.

Based on my interactions with her, on what others have told me about her and on what I understand she has been doing for this community for years, I think she’s very deserving of the award.
 
Her distinguished record of service to the community is evidenced by the many prestigious awards she has received over the years, including the High Point Citizen of the Year and the 2008 Jack and Marsha Slane Child Advocate of the Year from the United Way of Greater High Point’s Children’s Initiatives Committee.

Sadly, after 22 years on the Guilford County Board of Education, Dot has decided to step down at the end of this year.  Still, there is no question that Guilford County is a better place because of Dot’s commitment to public service – and to children.

September 17, 2008: Media Briefings - Another Vehicle for Reaching the Public

I believe that it is important to constantly communicate information about the school system and schools. As a public agency, I also believe that we have an obligation to be transparent.
That’s why the district launched a weekly media briefing on Wednesday, September 17. The briefings serve two purposes: one, they give GCS an opportunity to present and discuss current issues of critical importance to our children, such as our graduation recovery efforts; two, they help foster stronger relationships with news outlets throughout the region so they can provide more comprehensive information about the school district to our community.
 
The briefings will also give reporters an opportunity to ask questions about a variety of other matters relating to GCS and public education in general.

The first media briefing took place today at 9:30 a.m. The second one will take place next week Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. The subsequent ones will be held at 10:30 a.m. each Wednesday. The briefings will also be broadcast on GCSTV 2.

September 10, 2008: The First 48 Hours

I am beginning my third day as superintendent of Guilford County Schools (GCS). It’s been a remarkable 48 hours so far. My first day began at the crack of dawn at the GCS administrative office on Eugene Street, where I was sworn in as superintendent by Alan Duncan, chair of the Guilford County Board of Education.  Following the brief swearing-in ceremony, I embarked on a flurry of activities that took me to several schools throughout the county. I met parents, students, teachers, staff and administrators at Reedy Fork Elementary, Ferndale Middle, Dudley High and Eastern High. I visited with some ambitious students and energetic teachers at those schools. Then I drove over to a couple of administrative offices to meet some staff members who play a critical role in supporting our education efforts – maintenance workers and school officials who handle matters like student safety and discipline.

I made it back to the office around 4:30 p.m., but my day wasn’t over. About half an hour later, I went to the Grandover Resort to attend a reception in my honor sponsored by the Guilford Education Alliance. I was both flattered and humbled by the reception, which drew numerous attendees that varied from business leaders and elected officials to community organizers.

Tuesday was another exhilarating day. I took a break from a series of meetings to attend the launching of a $100,000 endowment fund for GCS schools located in High Point. The endowment is funded by an anonymous donor through the Community Foundation of High Point. Organizers hope to attract other donors and grow the fund to $1 million.

In the course of the last two days, I have also received scores of congratulatory phone calls and emails from GCS employees and members of the community. 

I am grateful to all of you – students, parents, employees, community and members of the public – for the hospitality you’ve shown me since I took office on Monday.  It is evident that Guilford County is a community with an exceedingly high passion for public education. I hope to harness that passion in going about my stated task of steering all our children and school district employees toward excellence.

September 8, 2008: My First Day at GCS

I officially became a member of the team early this morning when Alan Duncan, chair of the Guilford County Board of Education, swore me in as superintendent of Guilford County Schools (GCS).  It’s been an invigorating month-and-a-half since I was selected by the board in late July.  I have visited churches, schools and other locales. I have been a guest at some large community gatherings, and I have met a lot of interesting people.  I have also spent a lot of time at GCS facilities getting adjusted to my new surroundings and getting better acquainted with members of my team

 I have been genuinely touched by the warmth and hospitality extended to me by people from all walks of life in Guilford County.  It makes the transition to such a critically important position so much easier when complete strangers come up to you and tell you they are rooting for you and the school district to do well.

In the coming months, I’ll certainly be engaged in helping to manage and lead this organization. In addition, I’ll be doing a lot more of what I have tried to do these last few weeks – listening and learning. I will be travelling the length and breadth of the county, listening and talking with students, parents, teachers, staff and the community at large. I will be visiting your churches, schools, civic clubs, community centers and neighborhoods. If you happen to miss me at one of these many outings, call me at 370-8100 or shoot me an email at superintendent@gcsnc.com.

I want to hear your ideas and your concerns. I have no doubt that working together we can make our wonderful school system even better.