Tag Archive for: #VANCECoProud

17 Vance County Schools Teachers Honored Feb 12, 2018

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

February 14, 2018

There were 17 Vance County Schools teachers honored at the Vance County Board of Education meeting on February 12, for their students’ outstanding performances on state testing for the 2016-2017 school year.

Each of the teachers was presented a state bonus check for their outstanding efforts as part of an award program approved by the N.C. General Assembly.

The award program recognized the achievements of the teachers and their students in categories including third-grade reading, Career and Technical Education (CTE), high school advanced placement courses and grades 4-8 reading and math.

Those honored by the board included:

Susan Hughes, fifth-grade math teacher at Dabney Elementary School
Yolanda Pulliam, third-grade reading teacher at Dabney Elementary School
Susan Fletcher, third-grade reading teacher at Aycock Elementary School
Francis Brown, CTE teacher at Southern Vance High School
Dr. Lisa Webster, fourth-grade reading and math teacher at Zeb Vance Elementary School
Justin Wrenn, third-grade reading teacher at Dabney Elementary School
Hollie Powell, fifth-grade reading teacher at Aycock Elementary School
Iris Lacson, third-grade reading teacher at Clarke Elementary School
Bonita Williams, fourth-grade reading teacher at Clarke Elementary School
Debbie McCune Glanz, fourth-grade math teacher at E.O. Young, Jr. Elementary School
Adith Williams-White, sixth-grade math teacher at Henderson Middle School
Randy Scarboro, eighth-grade math teacher at Henderson Middle School
Kevon Grant, fifth-grade reading teacher at L.B. Yancey Elementary School
Alona Chiong, fifth-grade math teacher at L.B. Yancey Elementary School
Estelle Mangum, fourth-grade math teacher at L.B. Yancey Elementary School
Tammy Pulliam, fifth-math teacher at Zeb Vance Elementary School
Colleen Tyburski, fourth-grade reading teacher at Zeb Vance Elementary School


Among the local teachers recognized and receiving state bonus checks was Susan Hughes, who placed among the top two-percent of math teachers in the state with her students’ achievements in 2016-2017. Hughes is shown second from left in the photo and is joined by colleagues, Yolanda Pulliam, center, and Justin Wrenn, beside Pulliam, in being honored. Joining them are Dabney Principal Michael Putney, far left, and Board Chairwoman Darlynn Oxendine and Superintendent Anthony Jackson, at far right.

9 SVHS Students Earn Masonry/Carpentry Certifications

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Congratulations to nine Southern Vance High School students who recently earned masonry/carpentry certifications.

Each has earned his/her certification in Core Curriculum and Green Environment in masonry/carpentry under the direction of teacher Ben Arrington, according to a press release from Vance County Schools.

They are shown in the accompanying photo and include, seated from left, Cody Patton, David Vargas, Haudtavis Cordell and Jaylen Shearin. Others, standing from left, are Jhaiiheeim Wilkins, Miliak Hudson, Tremecia Smith and Logan Boyd. Jesse Gupton also received his certification in both areas, but was unavailable for the photo. Arrington is standing at far right.

They earned their certifications through the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER).

Applications for Special Learning Opportunities in Vance County Schools 2018-2019

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Applications for Special Learning Opportunities in Vance County Schools 2018-2019

— courtesy Vance County Schools

Applications for students to enroll in the Vance County Early College High School for the 2018-2019 school year are being accepted now, while applications for STEM Early High School and the STEAM Academy at E.M. Rollins Elementary School for 2018-2019 will be accepted beginning February 12.

The applications for Early College can be obtained from counselors at our middle schools, on the Early College website and at the school located on the third floor of Building 2 on the campus of Vance-Granville Community College. The deadline for receiving the applications is Friday, February 16.

Applications for STEM and E.M. Rollins will be accepted from February 12 to March 12. During the open window period, applications will be available on each schools’ website and at the schools.

Student applications for STEM and E.M. Rollins also will be available at the Innovative Schools Student Recruitment Expo scheduled for Thursday, February 22, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Vance County Schools Administrative Services Center at 1724 Graham Avenue.

Interested persons should call the schools with any questions regarding the application process.

Dr. Anthony Jackson’s School Consolidation Proposal

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— from Vance County Schools

As coverage continues of the Vance County Schools consolidation proposal, continued public input is wanted.  If you would like to see the PowerPoint presentation from Dr. Anthony Jackson on the school consolidation proposal, it is now posted on the school system’s website.

PowerPoint presentation from Dr. Anthony Jackson – click here

Vance County Schools homepage – click here

Vance County Schools Re-Consolidation: What the Public Is Saying As of Jan 31, 2018

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— by Jeff Jenkins, WIZS

Anyone in Vance County who has read the Daily Dispatch or listened to WIZS for the past three weeks already knows that the Vance County School Board is considering a proposal from Superintendent Anthony Jackson to consolidate the County’s two Middle Schools and two High Schools into one Middle School and one High School. When they received Dr. Jackson’s detailed proposal, the School Board immediately called for public reaction to the possible consolidation and set up a number of community gatherings for the public to express their support or opposition, questions and concerns.  In addition to these meetings, citizens have been encouraged to e-mail feedback directly to central office.

WIZS has been discussing this issue – on the air during Sports Mayhem with Kemp Collins and on Town Talk – ever since the news broke on January 9, and WIZS news staff have attended some of the meetings and corresponded with the VCS central office.  Some of what we found out is included in the posting on our website dated January 30 (click here); but what has the public been saying?  Here is a brief summary of what we at WIZS have seen, heard and been told over the past three weeks:

Transportation, or “busing” of students — At the public gatherings, the VCS staff members have pointed out that, because of the small size of our county, and the fact that the two middle schools and two high schools are already lie within about 3 miles of each other, no middle or high school student would have travel more than a mile or two farther than he or she already does.

Teachers or staff losing their jobs — Even people who favor the consolidation in general are concerned about staff cutbacks, which seems logical, if there are two schools instead of four.  But Dr. Jackson and his staff have made it clear that one of the reasons for recommending these big changes is that positions have been cut every year anyway, and that they have to recruit teachers every year to fill vacancies. They therefore expect that the 44 middle and high school positions to be cut as a result of consolidation would result in reassignment of duties, rather than layoffs of individual employees.

WHICH schools will be left vacant and which ones will house the “new” consolidated schools — VCS seems pretty far from deciding that.  Dr. Jackson has shown each of the public gatherings calculations based on all the possible options, and how much money would be saved in each scenario.  In terms of size, Henderson Middle School, with a room for 819 students, would come closest to accommodating the 826 estimated middle school students, without expansion of mobile classrooms, while Southern Vance’s 1475-student capacity could best handle the estimated 1329 high schoolers.

What do Dr. Jackson and the Board mean when they say that “all the money saved through consolidation would be put right back into the schools . . .” — Part of Dr. Jackson’s presentation at the public gatherings has included a sample “repurpose budget” for the $2.4 million per year expected to be saved by consolidation.  In his example, he showed $200,000 per year extra going toward scheduled maintenance of buildings and equipment, and $500,000 for a “rainy day fund” for sudden, big-ticket repairs.  Perhaps even more important, is the $200,000 that could be used to increase the long-standing $2,500 per year flat local supplement for our teachers, which is too low to keep our younger teachers from jumping to neighboring counties who offer two or three times as much.  Finally, $200,000 per year extra appears on the “sample budget” for athletics at the two consolidated schools, along with an additional $100,000 per year for band and other music programs.

And speaking of sports — a majority of the feedback WIZS has heard is very positive toward consolidated high school sports teams, in light of the struggle both high schools have had fielding football teams, soccer teams, softball teams, JV teams of all kinds, and full marching bands.  The idea of a consolidated Vance County high school returning to the athletic glory days as a competitive 3A or 4A power seems to fire the imagination of some “more mature” citizens.

The emotional factors were represented in the concerns voiced by some parents that their children, especially high school juniors and seniors would have difficulty making the change, in light of the rivalry, sometimes intense and negative, between NVHS and SVHS.  The VCS staff members present at the gatherings have tried to address those concerns by pointing out that plans would be made for shifting the “new culture” of the consolidated schools away from existing school identities by team-building exercises and involvement of the students in choosing new team names, mascots, and colors.

Consolidation Conversations Well Underway for Vance Co. Middle and High Schools

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By: Kelly Bondurant, Freelance Writer for Hire

Community conversations regarding the potential consolidation of Henderson and Eaton-Johnson Middle Schools and Northern Vance and Southern Vance High Schools began last Thursday, January 25 and continue through the end of February.

The Vance County Board of Education, Superintendent Anthony Jackson and school system staff are seeking community input on the potential of consolidating both middle schools and high schools as a result of declining student enrollment across the district and to increase financial sustainability.

The proposal includes consolidating Henderson Middle and Eaton-Johnson Middle School for the 2018-19 school year and Northern Vance and Southern Vance High School for the 2019-20 school year.

According to Terri Hedrick, public information officer for Vance County Schools, there is no current plan of which particular school buildings would be closed by this consolidation. “All plans, including which school buildings would remain in use, are open for discussion. Nothing is set in stone. No final decisions have been made,” said Hedrick.

At the January 8 board meeting, it was reported that enrollment in Vance County Schools has continued to decline, from 6,848 students for the 2012-13 school year to 5,980 students in the current 2017-18 year.

According to Hedrick, this decline in numbers is due to multiple factors including the increased number of choices when it comes to education. “Students and parents have more choices as to where they attend school in Vance County. This includes private schools, charter schools and home schooling. Students can also go outside of the county to attend charter or private schools as well,” said Hedrick.

In addition to the increased number of educational choices outside of the public school system, research has shown Dr. Jackson and his staff that birth rates in Vance County have been declining in the last few years and that fewer families living in the county have school-age children. “All of these factors play into the discussions we are having on the possible consolidation of two middle and two high schools,” said Hedrick.

Projections indicate that the consolidation of the middle schools could save the district an estimated $1 million annually, with the high school consolidation saving approximately $1.4 million.

The consolidation proposal projects a reduction of 19 positions at the middle school level and 25 positions at the high school level, plus operational and monthly costs for facilities no longer needed.

The board emphasized that if this proposal moves forward, savings created by the consolidation will be given back to the school system to support students, staff and program offerings. Hedrick indicated that these savings could be used for additional funding of advanced placement and honor courses, technical educational courses, athletics, clubs and fine arts programs amongst other areas.

The proposal is not expected to affect any of the district’s 10 elementary schools, the STEM Early High School or the Early College High School located on Vance-Granville Community College’s Main Campus.

The first two community conversations to discuss the proposed consolidations were held Thursday, January 25 at the Administrative Services Center located on Graham Avenue and at Henderson Middle School. According to Hedrick, approximately 120 people attended the first two meetings with the majority of the comments being positive and in support of the consolidation. “We were pleased with the large turnout and heard a lot of positive feedback and answered a lot of questions,” said Hedrick.

Additional public meetings will be held as follows:

Tuesday, Jan 30- Administrative Services Center at 10:00 am

Wednesday, Jan 31- Northern Vance High School at 6:30 pm

Monday, Feb 19- Southern Vance High School at 6:00 pm

Monday, Feb 26- Eaton-Johnson Middle School at 6:00 pm

Each session lasts approximately 90 minutes and includes a 30-minute presentation from Dr. Jackson followed by smaller group discussions. According to Hedrick, the group discussions are driven by the questions of the public in attendance and have included a range of topics such as academics, staffing, transportation and athletics/extracurricular activities.

Feedback from these conversations will be presented, along with a recommendation, at the Board of Education meeting on Monday, March 12.

 

 

 

Vance Co. Early College H.S. Apps for 2018-2019

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Vance County Schools
For Immediate Release
January 23, 2018

Applications are now being accepted for students to enroll for the 2018-2019 school year at the Vance County Early College High School.

All rising ninth-grade students are welcome to apply.

Applications are available now from school counselors at Eaton-Johnson Middle School, Henderson Middle School and the STEM Early High School. Students at these schools should complete the application and turn it in to their school counselor by 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 15.

All applications for the freshman cohort for 2018-2019 must be received by Early College High School no later than 3 p.m. on Friday, February 16.

Applications also are available online on the school’s website.

January 25, 2018 First School Consolidation Feasibility Meetings

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— from Vance County Schools

REMINDER:

Our first community conversations to get input on the feasibility of consolidating our middle and high schools are Thursday, January 25, at 10 a.m. in our Administrative Services Center at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson, and at 6 p.m. at Henderson Middle School. 
 
We need to hear from our community! Everyone is welcome!
EARLIER UPDATE:

The Vance County Board of Education is gathering input on the feasibility of consolidating middle and high schools. The proposal includes the possibility of consolidating Henderson and Eaton-Johnson Middle Schools for the 2018-2019 school year and Northern Vance and Southern Vance High Schools for the 2019-2020 school year.

We need your input. Please plan to attend one of the meetings below. We need to hear from you!

Note that the dates for three of the meetings have changed from what we previously announced.

For those who cannot attend any of the meetings but still want to provide their input, you may send your email responses to consolidationfeedback@vcs.k12.nc.us.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

  • January 25 — 10:00 a.m. — Administrative Services Center
  • January 25 — 6:00 p.m. — Henderson Middle School
  • January 30 — 10:00 a.m. — Administrative Services Center
  • January 31 — 6:30 p.m. — Northern Vance High School
  • February 19 — 6:00 p.m. — Southern Vance High School
  • February 26 — 6:00 p.m. — Eaton-Johnson Middle School

Much Needed Vance County Schools Info 1-22-18

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— courtesy Vance County Schools

Vance County Schools were closed on Friday, January 19, for all students and school system employees due to the continued snowy conditions.

Due to school closures caused by the winter storm, Vance County Schools will continue with exams at the high schools on Monday, January 22-Wednesday, January 24. Students and staff will report to school on Monday, January 22, for a normal student day. Thursday, January 25, will be an early release day for all schools on a traditional calendar. Friday January 26, will be designated as a workday for staff to transition into second semester set to begin on Monday, January 29.

The early release and workday for staff does not include Early College High and E.M. Rollins Elementary. These schools will operate on their regular schedules beginning Monday.

The mid-year graduation ceremony for AdVance Academy has been rescheduled to Friday, January 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Henderson Middle School.

#VANCECoProud – School Consolidation Feasibility Meeting Times

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— from Vance County Schools

REMINDER:

Our first community conversations to get input on the feasibility of consolidating our middle and high schools are Thursday, January 25, at 10 a.m. in our Administrative Services Center at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson, and at 6 p.m. at Henderson Middle School.
We need to hear from our community! Everyone is welcome!
EARLIER UPDATE:

The Vance County Board of Education is gathering input on the feasibility of consolidating middle and high schools. The proposal includes the possibility of consolidating Henderson and Eaton-Johnson Middle Schools for the 2018-2019 school year and Northern Vance and Southern Vance High Schools for the 2019-2020 school year.

We need your input. Please plan to attend one of the meetings below. We need to hear from you!

Note that the dates for three of the meetings have changed from what we previously announced.

For those who cannot attend any of the meetings but still want to provide their input, you may send your email responses to consolidationfeedback@vcs.k12.nc.us.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

  • January 25 — 10:00 a.m. — Administrative Services Center
  • January 25 — 6:00 p.m. — Henderson Middle School
  • January 30 — 10:00 a.m. — Administrative Services Center
  • January 31 — 6:30 p.m. — Northern Vance High School
  • February 19 — 6:00 p.m. — Southern Vance High School
  • February 26 — 6:00 p.m. — Eaton-Johnson Middle School