State Board of Education January Meeting

State Board of Education January Meeting

New State Superintendent
The January 2017 State Board of Education (SBE) meeting was the first for newly elected State Superintendent Mark Johnson. Mr. Johnson attended the committee meetings and then delivered his formal introductory remarks on the second meeting day. Mr. Johnson discussed his background and why he is passionate about improving public education. You can view his remarks here.

New Local Board Advisor
During the full board meeting, Ms. Amanda Bell of Rockingham County was formally introduced as the SBE’s new local board advisor. Ms. Bell was awarded the Raleigh Dingman Award for 2016-17 and will be serving as the SBE’s local board advisor this year. She replaces Dr. Christine Fitch of Wilson County.

ESSA Update
An update on NC’s implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act was delivered. The NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) staff talked about some of the changes to the NC State Plan that had been made based on feedback and input from stakeholders. Feedback and comments are still being accepted. It was also reported that at the most recent superintendent’s quarterly meeting, superintendents expressed support for making growth a significant component of any redesigned accountability model. Superintendents also expressed caution about using chronic absenteeism as an accountability indicator, as all schools don’t have an impact on this.

The SBE and DPI plan to finalize the NC State Plan no later than September 2017.

Cooperative Innovative High Schools
The SBE gave approval to the following applications for Cooperative Innovative High Schools:

  • Ashe County Early College High School
  • Bladen Early College High School
  • Cumberland Polytechnic High School
  • Charlotte Middle College at Merancas Campus
  • Charlotte Teacher Cadet Early College
  • Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Early College
  • Harnett County Early College
  • Agriculture and Science Early College (Iredell-Statesville Schools)
  • McDowell Academy for Innovation
  • Montgomery County Early College
  • Onslow Early College High School
  • CTE High School North (Wake County Schools)
  • Washington County Early College High School

Teacher Bonus Money Approved
The SBE gave approval to the distribution of monies for legislatively mandated bonuses for AP/IB teachers and third-grade teachers. A provision in the 2016 budget set aside money for bonuses of $50 for AP/IB teachers for each of their students who score at a certain level on 2015-16 AP/IB tests. These teachers may receive bonuses of up to $2,000 per year. Another provision set aside money for bonuses for third-grade teachers who score in the top 25% of third-grade student reading growth scores statewide and in the top 25% of student reading growth scores in their LEA. The SBE gave approval to the distribution of the monies to LEAs.

Click here and here to see how much each LEA will get for awarding these bonuses.

Ramona PowersState Board of Education January Meeting