Board of Education members present: Chairman Todd Sutton, Lyn Andrews, Al Byrd, Kay Carroll, Ronald Johnson, Terri Sessoms, Mike Wooten County Commissioners present: Chairman Chad Stewart, Tony Braswell, Patrick Harris, Butch Lawter, Fred Smith, Larry Wood Absent: Ted Godwin EVEN WITH ALL STUDENTS ALLOWED BACK IN SCHOOL, ADMINISTRATORS PLANNING FOR A "VIRTUAL ACADEMY" Superintendent of Schools Eric Bracy led off the presentations with a report on the status of virtual learning by Johnston's public-school students. "Virtual learning will never replace face-to-face instruction," he declared, calling himself a defender of "old school" education. But online instruction is here to stay, he was quick to add --- as an enhancement to traditional classroom instruction. He displayed a chart showing the current status of face-to-face versus virtual instruction in Johnston's schools (totals added by the editor):
Even as Johnston's schools work toward bringing back all students to full-time classroom instruction, Dr. Bracy said administrators are working on plans for an ongoing "Virtual Academy" for students whose parents choose for them to learn entirely at home. He said a recent survey of parents produced a tally of 1,836 students "who want to go virtual" during the next school year. That will alleviate some of the overcrowding of Johnston's schools, he noted, but "we will still need to fund new buildings." Dr. Bracy also reported that 3,985 students in Johnston are now home-schooled --- reflecting a significant increase over the past year driven at least in part by the coronavirus-prompted shutdown of in-person learning in schools. That number, he said, is reducing state funding for Johnston's schools by about $25.1 million annually. The Virtual Academy option could entice some of those students to return to the public-school system, Dr. Bracy pointed out. The school board's Mike Wooten added that home-schoolers could be recruited back into the system through the Virtual Academy since that option would allow them to participate in extracurricular activities like sports and band. WHAT ABOUT OVERALL ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE? County Commissioners pressed school officials about efforts to raise academic achievement measurements that have trended downward in recent years. "The money's been going up; the test scores have been going down," said Commissioner Patrick Harris, referring to rising county appropriations for Johnston's schools, especially this past year when the system faced an alarming funding shortfall. "You're going to see improvement, I'm confident of that," said the school board's Kay Carroll. "A new day is coming," added the board's Lyn Andrews. The reason for their optimism? School board members pointed to Dr. Bracy's emphasis on academic performance and accountability, backed up by his success on that front in previous jobs as superintendent, particularly in neighboring Sampson County. A SCHOOL-BOND REFERENDUM IN 2022 RATHER THAN 2024? Brooks Moore, the schools' chief of facilities and construction, told the two boards he's "begging" for a bond issue in 2022 to be stretched over 5-6 years rather than waiting till 2024 to follow projects being funded with the bond issue approved by voters in 2018. He suggested $143 million --- an amount more than double the $61 million approved for public schools in 2018 --- yet he provided a list of new schools and additions to older ones that would require an estimated $164.5 million through 2028. Those projects, Mr. Moore noted, would add capacity for 5,850 students inside buildings and remove 143 of Johnston's current inventory of 201 mobile classrooms while reducing class sizes "to a more optimal learning environment." That's when Commissioner Fred Smith called for more: "I'm extremely disappointed in the report I just heard. It's totally inadequate for our needs." "This county has the money... to build the schools that we need," Mr. Smith continued. "Let's think big." Mr. Carroll, who served years ago on the school board (and was just elected to a new four-year term), was heartened by comments from Mr. Smith and other commissioners about fully addressing the school system's needs. "We've been conditioned to avoid sticker shock," he said. "I'm glad to hear this conversation; it's refreshing." Commissioners' Chairman Chad Stewart cautioned against large-scale funding commitments the voters might not accept, but he agreed that a series of sit-downs involving members of the two boards and their staffs ought to start soon. "Tell us what you need and we'll determine what we can afford," he concluded. Wrapping up the lengthy session, Chief of Financial Services Stephen Britt reviewed the status of the school's current finances, much of which has been reported in previous editions of the Weekly Sun. REVIEW the PowerPoint slides that accompanied Tuesday's presentations by the Superintendent, Mr. Moore, and Mr. Britt posted on the school system's website> WATCH the entire session in an archived video lasting three hours and 21 minutes on the school system's YouTube channel> |
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