Superintendent's Blog

December 20, 2008

I was deeply disturbed by the Klan-like hoods that were found at High Point Central High School early this week. This act does not reflect the spirit of High Point Central or our school district. 
As Superintendent, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: this kind of behavior, whether by children or adults, will not be tolerated in our school district. The consequences for such behavior will be swift and severe.

The young people in our schools today will join a global society that is increasingly diverse. We see that already in our own community. Knowing how to get along with people who do not look, sound, act, learn, believe or dress just like us is an incredibly important skill, one that gives our children a competitive advantage – not only in the workforce but in life.

But diversity is more than simply learning how to get along with, tolerate or accept differences. We are doing our children a disservice if that’s the sum total of our aspirations for them when it comes to diversity. We are better together than we are alone. We make better decisions when multiple perspectives are considered and valued. We will truly be making progress as a school district, a community and a nation when we start viewing our diversity as a strength – and not a challenge.

I want to thank the Chief Jim Fealy and the High Point Police Department for moving quickly on this incident. I also want to thank Principal Revonda Johnson, her team and her student leadership for their quick response and proactive actions on this issue.

December 19, 2008

Congratulations to the Dudley High School Panthers for making it two in a row.

Last Saturday, I joined thousands of spectators at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem to cheer on the Panthers to their second consecutive 3-AA championship. They defeated Kannapolis Brown 34-18.

The Panthers had a perfect season. They finished 16-0 for the first time in their school’s history.
I want to congratulate the players and their families and the coaching staff. Thanks to all of you for doing Dudley – and the entire Guilford County Schools district - proud.

December 19, 2008: Safe and Happy Holidays

As we all prepare for a well-deserved holiday break, I wanted to tell everyone how much I’ve enjoyed my first four months with GCS. It has been a pleasure meeting the people of Guilford County and getting to know this community, and I look forward to continuing my travels around the district.

This time of year seems to bring out the best in all of us. Thank you for all that you’ve done to bring the holiday spirit to those less fortunate.

From the many schools that have collected canned food for food banks or warm coats for the Salvation Army, to the businesses that have adopted families in need or collected school supplies for our Teacher Supply Warehouse, your acts of kindness help make Guilford County a wonderful place in which to live and work. I am proud to be a part of such a compassionate and dynamic community.

I wish everyone a safe and restful holiday.

December 18, 2008: Proposed budget cuts on board agenda

The Board of Education met Wednesday to discuss how we plan to address the approximately $3.8 million we must return to the state. The board is scheduled to make its final decision on the proposal at their regularly scheduled meeting today.

During these tough economic times, we want to keep our current employees working and preserve their jobs as much as possible. Our employees are key in helping students succeed, so we need to value their contributions over materials and supplies. I believe that laying off employees at this point would be too disruptive to our schools and would be detrimental to our effectiveness as an organization.

As we developed our proposal, we also tried to minimize the negative impact any cuts would have on the classroom and on our schools. Frankly, this has been a challenge. While 54 percent of the proposed reductions – or slightly more than $2 million – are coming from central administration, we are proposing taking 46 percent, or $1.7 million, from funding that typically is allocated to schools.

The reason for this is simple; the vast majority of our resources – nearly 79 percent – are already in our schools. This is as it should be. However, when it comes time to cut significant dollars from the budget, this also means that it is very hard to get all of those cuts from central administration and support services, and continue the type of effective organization we all want.

We simply can’t cut nearly $4 million and not feel it. We are going to feel some pain. I am confident that if we work together and support each other, we can make sure our students still receive the kind of education they need, and deserve.

For more information, about the proposed reductions, please visit http://www.gcsnc.com/superintendent/budget.htm.

December 12, 2008

One of the many things that has impressed me since becoming superintendent is the support the community provides for our students and teachers. A good example of this is the Teacher Supply Warehouse.

The warehouse opened in November 2007 serving all Title I schools.  Gradually, it grew to include all schools with a free or reduced lunch student population of 50 percent or more.

With the current economic situation forcing us to temporarily freeze our budget, we worked with our warehouse partners, Guilford Education Alliance, Welfare Reform Liaison Project and Leadership Greensboro, to open the doors of the Teacher Supply Warehouse to all GCS teachers, counselors and social workers.

The opportunity was well received. Yesterday afternoon, close to 100 teachers visited the warehouse and left with much needed supplies and some big smiles, all thanks to the many generous organizations and individuals who have made donations.

The Teacher Supply Warehouse takes donations of basic school supplies and new or used office supplies. It also accepts unusual items such as carpet samples, logoed specialty items and conference tote bags - anything our creative teachers can put to use in the classroom. Recently, one teacher took some donated address books and used them as a way for her students to alphabetize their vocabulary words. This is how items that may be of no use can find a new and valuable purpose in the classroom.

I hope that you will think of the Teacher Supply Warehouse before you discard useable items in your office or home. You can call Cecilia Adams, manager of community partnerships, at 370-8355 to make a donation. The Teacher Supply Warehouse will stay open as long as there are people in the community who make donations, and as I’ve discovered, this community knows the importance of supporting our students and teachers.


December 10, 2008: Congratulations to National Board Certified Teachers

Congratulations to the 46 teachers who received the prestigious National Board Certification this year. These teachers represent 46 of the 9,600 educators who achieved this certification nationwide.

A symbol of professional teaching excellence, the National Board Certification acknowledges that a teacher was judged by his or her peers as one who is accomplished, makes sound professional judgments about students’ best interests and acts effectively on those judgments.
A total of 517 teachers have achieved this certification in GCS. The district ranks third in the state and 11th among all school districts in the nation for its number of National Board Certified teachers. GCS is the 48th largest school district in the nation.

National Board Certification measures a teacher’s practice against high and rigorous standards through an extensive series of performance-based assessments, which includes teaching portfolios, student work samples, videotapes or DVDs and thorough analyses of the candidate’s teaching and the students’ learning.
Again, congratulations to these educators. The certification is a high standard to attain, and I know these teachers, as well as all of our staff members, will continue to do great things for our students. 

December 10, 2008: U.S. News Ranks Two GCS Schools among America’s Best

I learned late last week that U.S. News & World Report ranked The Early College at Guilford (ECG) as one of the nation’s top 100 high schools. The national magazine also recognized Weaver Academy with an honorable mention.

ECG ranked 17th on the list of America’s top 100 high schools and received U.S. News’ Gold Medal status. It is an honor for the district to have two of its schools recognized as some of the top high schools in the nation. I am proud of the students and staff for their hard work.

ECG was one of only two North Carolina high schools ranked in the top 100. The rankings are based in part on the magazine’s college readiness index, a measure of the degree to which students master some college-level materials. Earlier this year, Newsweek magazine also named ECG one of America’s best high schools.