Tag Archive for: #vancecountyboardofeducation

Re-Elected Board of Education Members Sworn In to New Terms

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At the meeting of the Vance County Board of Education Monday night, Board of Education members who were re-elected in November were sworn in to serve new four-year terms.

Those receiving the oath were Gloria J. White, Ruth Hartness, Margaret Ellis and Darlynn Oxendine. The Honorable Henry Hight, Jr. administered the oath of office.

Each of the incumbent Democrats was unopposed in the general election.

In the May primary, Margaret Ellis defeated challenger Omega Perry with 75.92 percent of the votes. Ruth Hartness defeated Marcia Allen in the primary by earning 68.85 percent of the votes.

Vance Co. Board of Education Meeting Rescheduled for Mon., Dec. 17

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-Information courtesy Terri Hedrick, Public Information Officer, Vance County Schools

The Vance County Board of Education meeting, originally scheduled for December 10, has been rescheduled to Monday, December 17, 2018, at 7 p.m. in the school system’s Administrative Services Center. The public is invited to attend.

To view the meeting’s agenda, please click here.

Vance Co. Board of Education’s Nov. Meeting Rescheduled

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-Information courtesy Terri Hedrick, Public Information Officer, Vance County Schools

The Vance County Board of Education meeting originally scheduled for Monday, November 5, 2018, has been rescheduled to Monday, November 19.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Board Room of the school system’s Administrative Services Center at 1724 Graham Avenue in Henderson.

Marcia Allen – Vance County Board of Education District 7 Candidate

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Name: Marcia Lynnette Allen

Candidate For: Vance County Board of Education – District 7

Age: 52

Town of Residence: Henderson

Previous position(s) held: Department of Social Services Board of Directors

Degrees/Certifications Earned:   Bachelor of Arts – Psychology

 

What motivates you to want to become a Vance County Board of Education member?

I am running for office because I believe in education and the importance of ensuring that every student is allowed the opportunity to obtain the necessary tools that will enable him/her to successfully move into the next phase of life.

Running for this office allows me the opportunity to give back to the community and school system I grew up in and present myself as a mentor and role model for our most important onlookers, the student.

 

What do you see as the Board’s primary roles and responsibilities?

The Board’s primary roles and responsibilities are to ensure that every student is afforded the opportunity to receive an education. In receiving an education the students should be provided an environment that is safe and conducive to learning.

Additionally, the Board should include opportunities to prepare students for higher education and preparation for the workforce if not pursuing a college degree. Ideally, students in Vance County should be able to compete globally with their peers nationally and internationally.

 

What is your vision for the future of education in this community?

My vision for education is that every child succeeds in school. I believe there must be an aggressive action plan to improve school’s state performance grades so that each school is equipped to provide the curriculum for success readiness.

 

 What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing the Vance County Board of Education?

The biggest challenge is safety. The goal is to provide every student with an atmosphere that is safe and conducive to learning.

I believe that success is contingent upon the cooperation and unity of three factions of every student; parents/guardians, school and community.  It is my belief that each of these areas is critical to the firm foundation-building of each student.

 

How would you handle the request of individuals and special interest groups?

I would acknowledge the request and, if appropriate, refer them to the Superintendent, full Board or Community Public Affairs Specialist for a formal response, especially if it involves private information pertaining to a student, family or school personnel.

 

(WIZS News will be publishing a series of candidate question-and-answer articles in the days leading up to the May 8th primary here on WIZS.com.  Significant portions will be broadcast on WIZS Radio with equal time allotted for each candidate.)

Ruth Hartness – Vance County Board of Education District 7 Candidate

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Name: Ruth Hartness (incumbent)

Candidate For: Vance County Board of Education – District 7

Age: 78

Town of Residence: Henderson

Previous position(s) held: Board of Education – a total of 18 years of service

Degrees/Certifications Earned: Certification of Distinction for more than 400 hours of training offered by NC School Boards Association, Master Board Certification

 

What motivates you to want to continue as a Vance County Board of Education member?

What motivates me to want to continue my service on the Board? Wow, that is an easy question! The super, super teachers we have in our classrooms. They work so hard every day. They buy supplies with their own money. They are HEROS! The children they teach are our hope for tomorrow. We have a duty to provide them with the latest technology so they will be prepared to enter the real world.

Another reason I’m excited about the possibility of re-election is due to Dr. Anthony Jackson, our Superintendent!  He is the most exciting leader I have worked with in a long time.  He has a great vision for Vance County Schools and I want to follow him down that road.  All of this and more provides dynamic motivation and energizes me to work hard to continue in office.

 

What do you see as the Board’s primary roles and responsibilities?

The Board’s primary responsibility is to set policy and see that the Superintendent follows it – pure and simple.

 

What is your vision for the future of education in this community?

I envision a middle school offering students more possibilities and a comprehensive high school offering more courses and stronger athletic teams. Athletics can keep some students in school and they have to keep their grades up to play.

I would also like to see more CTE classes offered (career and technology). All of our students are not going to college and these classes prepare them for the workforce. We will continue to educate our students with knowledgeable and dedicated teachers and we won’t leave one of them behind!

 

What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing the Vance County Board of Education?

The biggest challenge facing the Board of Education is our declining student population. We have no control over where these students are going. Vance County is also experiencing a declining birth rate.

We have taken a big step in consolidating the middle and high schools, vacating two buildings which were draining us of much-needed funds. We will continue to monitor this trend and make other adjustments if necessary.

 

How would you handle the request of individuals and special interest groups?

Board members should not handle any individual request or that of special interest groups. I would refer those folks to the Superintendent. He is in charge.

 

(WIZS News will be publishing a series of candidate question-and-answer articles in the days leading up to the May 8th primary here on WIZS.com.  Significant portions will be broadcast on WIZS Radio with equal time allotted for each candidate.)

Vance County Board of Education Approves School Consolidations

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Vance County Board of Education Approves School Consolidations

— The Following is a Press Release from Vance County Schools:

The Vance County Board of Education approved at its March 19 meeting a plan to combine the middle schools and the high schools for the 2018-2019 school year.

With the board’s action, Eaton-Johnson and Henderson middle schools will be combined and serve middle school students in the facility currently housing Northern Vance High School and Northern Vance and Southern Vance high schools will be combined to serve high school students in the facility currently housing Southern Vance High School next school year.

In January, members of the Board of Education directed the superintendent and school system staff members to seek community input on a potential facilities consolidation plan for the current, traditional middle and high schools. Discussion of consolidation became necessary as the result of several years of declining student enrollment across the district and the need to improve the efficiency and financial sustainability of school operations.

Since early January, over 25 meetings have been held with community stakeholders to seek input on the feasibility of combining the schools and their programs. School officials have heard from over 500 people in the local community with their attendance at community conversations, through email responses and an online survey with school system employees.

The feedback received during community meetings has been extremely informative as to what the public expects from its public schools and their services and programs for students. The majority of the feedback from parents, students, school system employees, elected officials, business leaders and local residents has been in favor of combining the schools.

The board is expected to review and approve a detailed implementation plan to accomplish combining the schools at its April meeting.

To address the concerns voiced during the community meetings about school safety, an ad hoc committee from the local community will be established to develop recommendations for board consideration.

“I am pleased with the board’s decision tonight and applaud them for their courage and willingness to do what’s right for students,” Superintendent Anthony D. Jackson said. “We have lots to do. Exciting times and great things are ahead.”

Vance Board of Ed is Level I Master Board

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— courtesy Vance County Schools

Vance County Board of Education members in the photo are, from left, Ruth Hartness, Ed Wilson, Gloria J. White, Darlynn Oxendine, Dorothy Gooche, Superintendent Anthony Jackson, Clementine Hunter and Margaret Ellis.

The Vance County Board of Education was recognized during the N.C. School Boards Association’s (NCSBA) 2017 Annual Conference in Greensboro on November 14, as a Level I Master Board.

It was the only board recognized at the conference for the Level I achievement.

Master Board is a knowledge and skills based training program that provides school boards with the opportunity to develop governance skills as a full board. All board members and the superintendent must commit to the training.

The Master Board Level I distinction requires 20 hours of training. Topics covered in the training include understanding school boards in a democracy, solving problems and making decisions and analyzing ethical challenges.

Dr. Greg Hicks, shown in the photo second from right, was their trainer.

Vance County Board of Ed Approves 10 million dollar funding request

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Vance County Schools

For Immediate Release

April 20, 2017

The Vance County Board of Education at its regular monthly meeting on April 17, approved a funding request of $10,219,321 for appropriations from Vance County for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

The request will go on to the Vance County Board of Commissioners for its review, along with other county funding requests, beginning at its May 1 meeting.

The school system’s local funding request includes an increase of $1,021,881 from the current fiscal year. The increased funding request would help the school district continue its positive trend through sustaining operations with continuation funds of $121,523, fully funding the school system’s teacher supplement with an additional $400,359 to help retain and support quality staff and increase the capital outlay funding by $500,000 to support the district’s school safety plan.

If approved, the requested county appropriations funding would maintain existing programs and services based on current per-pupil funding and inflationary factors.

The request for increased teacher supplement funding would boost available revenues which currently fund supplements for only 64 percent of eligible teachers. The school district has been using available fund balance monies to offset the difference each year for the last several years.

The requested increase in capital outlay funds will be used for school safety initiatives that include installing new cameras on all school buses and in school buildings.

The Vance County Board of Commissioners is expected to approve all county funding for the upcoming fiscal year by July 1.

Vance County Schools support staff to benefit from State’s Merit Bonus Pay

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The Vance County Board of Education approved their local plan for the distribution of the State’s Merit Bonus Pay for the 2016-17 school year last night at their December 12, 2016 meeting.

In the State budget for this fiscal year only, districts across the state received allocations to implement a district level merit bonus plan for non-educators. Vance County Schools received $106,000 to be used exclusively for this purpose.  Non-educators are those staff members who are not paid on the state certified salary schedules and are not school administrators (Teacher Assistants, Bus Drivers, Maintenance, IT Technicians, Child Nutrition, Custodial, Office Support, School Technical Support, and Central Services Support).  The law required each school district to develop a plan for the use of these funds meeting the minimum criteria for distribution set by the state.

The most restrictive requirement by the state was that the bonus could not be distributed across the board to eligible employees.

Vance County Schools (VCS) formed a task force comprised of staff that represented all the groups eligible for this merit bonus.  The task force worked to develop the district’s plan that would provide a meaningful and fair merit award to eligible employees, ranging from $750 to $1000, for the top 10% of the performers in each non-educator group.    With the Board of Education’s approval of the plan, staff will work in January to identify staff members eligible to receive the bonus based on the criteria in the plan.

A copy of the full plan can be found on the district’s website at www.vcs.k12.nc.us.   For questions please contact Jennifer Bennett, Assistant Superintendent for Business & Finance, jbennett@vcs.k12.nc.us.

Hunter to attend first Board of Education Meeting Tonight

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Clementine Hunter will attend her first meeting as a new member of the Vance County Board of Education on Monday, December 12, in the Vance County Schools’ Administrative Services Center.

Hunter was officially sworn in to office on December 5, by the Honorable Judge Henry Banks, who also administered the oath to Dorothy Gooche and Ed Wilson. Gooche and Wilson were re-elected in November to their seats on the board of education.

Hunter replaces Emeron J. Cash Sr. on the board. Cash chose not to seek re-election in the November 2016 election and is retiring from the board after 24 years of service to Vance County Schools’ students and educators.

A resident of Henderson, Hunter has experience as a teacher assistant and substitute teacher with the Morris School District in New Jersey. She also has worked as a substitute teacher with Vance, Granville and Warren county schools. Her volunteer work in this area includes: Free Clinic Board member; Area Christians Together in Service (ACTS); Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA); and participation in local theater.

She has a master’s degree in education and training and is continuing studies in pursuit of a doctorate degree in education.

Hunter says as a board of education member she wants to help maintain and develop quality education through programs of inclusivity, diversity and the challenges of global education readiness for present and future generations of learners in Vance County. She sees her role as a board member as a way to help advance the organization of education while partnering with learners, parents, educators, school staff, business leaders, civic leaders, religious leaders and law enforcement officials.