Johnston County Board
of Education

report from Dec. 10 meeting

Board members present:
Chairman Todd Sutton, Teresa Grant, Ronald Johnson, Terri Sessoms,
Peggy Smith, Mike Wooten, Tracie Zukowski
Absent: None

Johnston's high-school dropout rate rose

in 2018-19, but it's still down from the past


The board got the annual high-school dropout report for Johnston County's public schools that shows the percentage rose to 1.82 during the 2018-19 school year --- up from 1.19% the previous year. The number of dropouts countywide increased from 135 to 215.

Smithfield-Selma High School's 59 dropouts was the highest number among Johnston's public high schools last year.

Of the 215 dropouts countywide, 79 were whites, 68 Hispanics, and 50 blacks. Johnston's current school enrollment exceeds 37,000 students.

The biggest reasons given for students dropping out this past year were employment, unstable home life, and "lack of engagement," reported Amanda Allen, the school system's director of social and emotional learning.

Interim Superintendent of Schools Jim Causby put the recent numbers in perspective when he recalled that Johnston's dropout rates were 6 or 7% in the 1990s when he previously served as Johnston's superintendent. "So you've made tremendous progress," he told members of the staff in attendance.

Dr. Causby also noted that Johnston had the 10th-best graduation rate in North Carolina last year, and the best rate among the state's largest school systems.


SCHOOL STARTS AUGUST 24 WITH 2020-21 CALENDAR

The board adopted a 2020-21 calendar for Johnston's "traditional" public schools as recommended by a 56-member Calendar Committee taking into account 2,162 responses to a "stakeholder" survey involving parents, students, and staff. The school year will start August 12 for teachers, August 24 for students --- with the first semester shortened to end December 18 before two weeks off for Christmas and New Year's holidays. Spring break April 5-9 will follow a Good Friday holiday and Easter Sunday. The last day of school will be Thursday, June 3 with high-school graduations to follow on Friday, June 4. Calendars for Johnston's Early College and "Restart" schools will be considered by the board next month.


 NEW RULES FOR STUDENT TRANSFERS ADOPTED

The board adopted revised rules for voluntary reassignment of students to schools outside their high-school district of residence. Regarding the eligibility of transferring students to participate in athletics, the policy allows immediate participation for students entering the ninth grade from another district and permits eligibility "the next sports season" for students who transfer back to their original base school. "Following state guidelines, if that student wishes to transfer again, they may not participate in athletics for 365 calendar days," the revised policy states. At the insistence of board member Teresa Grant, the policy adopted Tuesday waives a $10 transfer-request fee for students who qualify for free and reduced-price school meals as well as children of full-time employees of Johnston County Public Schools who accompany a parent to an out-of-district school.


STUDENT REASSIGNMENTS APPROVED AND DENIED
As part of its "consent agenda" requiring no discussion, the board approved and denied numerous requests for reassignment of students to schools outside the attendance districts where they reside.... Most of those denied this month were students seeking transfers to "capped" schools deemed incapable of accommodating additional students.
View this month's list of APPROVALS>
View the list of DENIALS>


 PROPOSAL WOULD PUT A LIMIT ON HOMEWORK HOURS
The board received from its Policy Review Committee revised guidelines that keep existing time limits on nightly homework for specific courses of study in grades 6-12 but adds a new clause that homework should not exceed "2 hours total." Adoption of the proposal is scheduled for the board's January 14 meeting. Current homework guidelines are as follows: Kindergarten --- 15 to 30 minutes; Grades 1-2 --- 30 to 45 minutes; Grade 3 --- 45 to 60 minutes; Grades 4-5 --- 60 minutes; Grades 6-8 --- 30 minutes "in each of the core courses"; Grades 9-12 --- 30 minutes for standard courses, 45 minutes for honor courses, and 60 minutes for Advanced Placement courses.


IN-SCHOOL MENTAL-HEALTH SERVICES TO BE OFFERED
The board approved a plan to allow schools to make arrangements for contracted mental-health services in "confidential spaces" for students whose parents give consent. The service would come without cost to the school system since parents would be billed for the sessions, said Amanda Allen, the school system's director of social and emotional learning. Of 25 school principals contacted about the plan, 23 have expressed interest, she noted, adding that Smithfield-Selma High School has been offering the service to its students the past three years.


PRINCETON FOOTBALL FIELD TO GET ARTIFICIAL TURF
The board revised the school system's plan for funding provided by the recent county bond issue to allow Princeton Middle/High School to install artificial turf on its football field and also improve drainage there. Board members were impressed that community leaders have lined up pledges from organizations to help with the project's cost, including a plan to set aside funds each year to pay for the turf's replacement at the end of a 10-year warranty. The bond plan previously earmarked Princeton's share for improvements to tennis courts and bleachers. Dolores Gill, the school system's chief of staff, said the football field is used for "multiple recreational needs" including youth sports as well as interscholastic athletics --- activities that are ruining the field's natural turf.


 FEDERAL GRANT TO PROMOTE "DISTANCE LEARNING"
The board learned that Johnston County Public Schools will get $414,480 over three years from a Rural Utilities Service grant administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The funds are directed to rural communities for "distance learning" and "telemedical" technologies connecting local teachers and medical providers with experts in places "too far to access otherwise," notes a memo to the board. Johnston County applied for the grant with Halifax County Schools as a "partnering" district.


A PROPOSAL FOR SELECTING NEXT SUPERINTENDENT
Allison Schafer, general counsel and director of policy for the N.C. School Boards Association, offered the board a proposal for finding a new superintendent for Johnston County Public Schools by next July 1. The association, she said, has "a very robust recruiting process" that includes screening of applicants and scheduling of interviews. "We charge a flat fee," she said: $21,500 plus expenses. The final bill for Johnston's schools, she said, would "probably" be $25,000 to $27,000. Chairman Sutton scheduled a special meeting of the board at 5 p.m. Monday, January 6 to consider the association's proposal. Meanwhile, Interim Superintendent Causby has agreed to remain on the job until Johnston employs its next superintendent. He was hired following the resignation of Superintendent Ross Renfrow last August.
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