The Wilson County Board of Education is the 2020 recipient of the School Board Leadership Award. This award honors a school board for extraordinary leadership during the 2019-2020 school year.

To receive this esteemed award, which is given by the North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA), a board must demonstrate excellent governance skills through commitment to the role of the school board. The Wilson County Board of Education was honored during the awards ceremony at the virtual NCSBA Annual Conference for Board Member Development on November 6.

The board has met nearly every Monday night for the last year to make difficult COVID-related decisions, oversee several construction projects, and completely update their policy manual. Under the leadership of the board and superintendent, the Wilson County Schools saw an impressive increase in student performance from 2016 to 2019, jumping from the 90th LEA in the state to the 58th. They also dropped their low-performing school district status during this time. “The board is committed to improving instruction and ensuring that students always feel safe in their learning environment,” said NCSBA Immediate Past President Brenda Stephens.