Johnston County
Board
of Education report from March 12 session |
 |
Board members present: Chairman Mike Wooten, Teresa Grant, Ronald Johnson,
Terri Sessoms, Peggy Smith, Todd Sutton, Tracie Zukowski
Absent: None
School leaders urged to
employ more African-Americans in administrative jobs
The Johnston County Board of Education, during the "Public Comment" portion of its monthly meeting Tuesday, was urged to recruit and employ more African-Americans in administration of the county's schools.
Reginald (Reggie) Holley, representing the Johnston County Education Summit which he described as "a think tank focused on student development and education in Johnston County," issued "a statement of concern regarding the marginalization of African-American professionals in the Johnston County School Administration."
He said his group --- whose members include clergy, business and civic leaders, and former school board members --- is especially concerned about "the exclusion of African-American professionals among principals at high schools ... and a lack of diversity in the superintendent's cabinet."
School Board Chairman Mike Wooten said he and Superintendent of Schools Ross Renfrow have met with Mr. Holley's group to discuss the issue at hand. "We hear you," Mr. Wooten said. "We recognize that our leaders should represent the demographics" of the county's student population (which is about 57% white,16% African-American, and 23% Hispanic). Superintendent Renfrow added that his office is working "to change the landscape" of local school administration.
TEACHER ATTRITION HERE IS LOWER THAN ELSEWHERE
The board learned that the attrition rate among the county's public-school teachers is lower than the statewide average as well as recent rates recorded in all the counties adjacent to Johnston. For the measuring period from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018, Johnston's teacher-turnover rate was 6.3 percent, reported Brian Vetrano, the county school system's chief of human capital.
The majority of teachers who leave Johnston County each year have four or fewer years of employment here, Mr. Vetrano noted. Meanwhile, the hardest positions to fill just now are teachers in grades K-5, he said.
Board member Todd Sutton, whose wife is an elementary-school teacher, wasn't surprised to hear that. Because of increased requirements for student testing, he said, "elementary teachers work so much harder than middle-school or high-school teachers" these days.
Board member Terri Sessoms asked about efforts to recruit more African-American and Hispanic teachers. "We're seeing small increases," Mr. Vetrano said. "We visit all of our in-state universities, especially those with high enrollments of minority students." Johnston also advertises "in some national minority magazines," he added, and makes sure minorities are represented among the county's recruiters at college and university job fairs.
STUDENT SUSPENSIONS ON DOWNWARD TRACK
Deputy Superintendent Paula Coates reported to the board that disciplinary suspensions from Johnston's schools last year were down, especially among high-school students: 765 cases last year, down from 891 a year earlier. Dr. Coates said a big reason for the decline are the "Choice Hub" alternative programs in the high schools that remove struggling students from the standard classroom setting and place them where they "are getting person-to-person attention." Even so, she noted, Johnston's schools recently have seen "a significant number of social-media threats" that are undermining efforts to maintain discipline.
"CAPPED SCHOOLS" LIST IS THE SAME AS LAST YEAR'S
The board approved a list of "capped schools" that are off-limits to students wanting to transfer from another attendance district. Schools are "capped" when they are filled with students beyond their constructed capacity. This year's list is the same as last year's and includes the following schools: ELEMENTARY --- Benson, Cleveland, Cooper, Corinth-Holders, Dixon Road, Four Oaks, McGee's Crossroads, Polenta, River Dell, Riverwood, West Clayton, West View; MIDDLE --- Archer Lodge, Cleveland, Four Oaks, Riverwood; HIGH SCHOOLS --- Cleveland, Corinth-Holders, South Johnston.
LIONS CLUBS BOOST VISION TESTING AT SCHOOLS
The board thanked Johnston County's Lions Club for assisting school nurses with vision screening of students at South Smithfield and Selma elementary schools. Dr. Dickie Parrish, a former school board chairman, spoke in behalf of Johnston's five Lions clubs, which have joined forces to purchase their own portable diagnostic device to supplement what the school nurses have been using. Volunteers from the clubs have already screened 866 children, with 102 of them referred to eye specialists for further evaluation, Dr. Parrish reported. Club members plan to expand their service to additional elementary schools, he added. Johnston's Lions are affiliated with clubs at Smithfield, Selma, Pine Level, Princeton, and Benson.
BUSINESS ADVISORY BOARD MADE OFFICIAL
The school board made official the membership roster of the county's Career and Technical Education Council, which was actually established last spring and has met twice since then: Chair Dana Wooten of the Clayton Chamber of Commerce, April Phillips of Son Light Farms, parent Kristy Gardner, Dee Daughtry and David Johnson of Johnston Community College, Victor Baluis of Caterpillar, Kevin Williams of Studio TK, Shante Bell of ApprenticeshipNC, Chief Lee Barbee of the Clayton Fire Department, Robert Cupp of Johnston Health, Monica Meadows of Blue Line Aviation, Principal David Allen of Smithfield-Selma High School, school board member Terri Sessoms, Mayor Cheryl Oliver of Selma, Eman Zagyad of Innovation Council Meeting, and three school system administrators: Clint Eaves, CTE director; Brandon Garland, innovation officer; and Suzanne Lujan, executive director of career & college readiness.
SSS BLEACHER REPLACEMENT TO COST $223,192
The board awarded a $223,192 contract to Gates Concrete & Construction, Inc. of Smithfield to replace the visitors-side bleachers at Smithfield-Selma High's Charles T. Tucker Stadium. Gates was low bidder, even though the cost exceeds the $175,000 budgeted for the project. The contract calls for completion no later than May 24 but has a provision for "temporary seats" if the work is not finished in time for SSS graduation exercises May 31.
To see the complete agenda for Tuesday's meeting, including links to backup materials related to items considered, follow this link>
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