Dr. Don Phipps, Superintendent of Caldwell County Schools, was named the 2023 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year.

The award is jointly presented annually by the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA), the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association (NCSSA) and the North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA). Scholastic Education Solutions, who sponsored the event, also provided $5,000 in recognition of Dr. Phipps’ monumental achievement.

Dr. Phipps joined Caldwell County Schools as superintendent in 2018 and since that time has been a driving force in creating positive change in his district, particularly in the areas of budget management, student wellness, and community involvement.

“It’s overwhelming and a real honor for me to represent the superintendents in North Carolina with the work that they do and to call them all my peers,” said Phipps. “Gratitude is not a strong enough word. I look forward to serving them and representing them.”

Jack Hoke, Executive Director of the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association, praised Phipps for the leadership that has earned him the top honor for local superintendents in NC. “Dr. Don Phipps is a leader among leaders,” Hoke said.

As the 2023 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Phipps will compete at the national level for Superintendent of the Year at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education, in San Antonio, TX.

The 2023 North Carolina Regional Superintendents of the Year, all of whom were nominees for this prestigious state award, were also recognized as such at the ceremony:

• Region 1 | Northeast | Dr. Ethan Lenker, Pitt County Schools
• Region 2 | Southeast | Dr. Jerry L. Oates, Brunswick County Schools
• Region 3 | Central | Ms. Catty Q. Moore, Wake County Schools
• Region 4 | Sandhills | Dr. Aaron Fleming, Harnett County Schools
• Region 5 | Piedmont/Triad | Dr. Todd Martin, Yadkin County Schools
• Region 6 | Southwest | Dr. Jeff Booker, Gaston County Schools
• Region 7 | Northwest | Dr. Don Phipps, Caldwell County Schools
• Region 8 | Western | Ms. Angela Knight, Graham County Schools

Columbus County Commissioners Recognized by School Boards Association

The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) presented its prestigious County Commissioners of the Year Award to the Columbus Board of County Commissioners.

The board was recognized during the awards ceremony of the Association’s 2022 Annual Conference for Board Member Development in Greensboro on November 15. The Columbus County Board of Education nominated their commissioners for the award and described them as a board that truly understands the importance of education and steps up to meet the school district’s needs without fail. Last year, the commissioners joined the district during its strategic planning process and then increased this year’s school funding by 15.7 percent to help meet the goals of the strategic plan. Their monetary support has played a vital role in allowing the district to improve technology resources, increase the graduation rate, build two state-of-the-art facilities, and put a school resource officer in each school. These county commissioners are dedicated to their partnership with the school district.

The County Commissioners of the Year Award is given to a board of county commissioners that is nominated by the local board of education in recognition of their extraordinary efforts.

The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) announced the winners of three statewide student contests held in conjunction with the NCSBA Annual Conference for Board Member Development: an elementary school poster contest, middle school video contest, and high school video contest. The conference was held in Greensboro November 14-16.

The high school video contest teams placing first, second, and third attended the awards ceremony held in November 15 at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. Cash prizes were sponsored by the Association and Fairbanks, LLC.

• First Place and $3,000 – Hibriten High School, Caldwell County
• Second Place and $2,000 – South Lenoir High School, Lenoir County
• Third Place and $1,000 – Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy, Caldwell County

In addition, judges identified 9 additional videos to receive honorable mention. All finalist and honorable mention videos are available for viewing at http://www.ncsba.org/training/student-contests.

The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) announced the winners of three statewide student contests held in conjunction with the NCSBA Annual Conference for Board Member Development: an elementary school poster contest, middle school video contest, and high school video contest. The conference was held in Greensboro November 14-16.

The middle school video contest winning video group each received a VISA gift card for the class that will be presented during an upcoming local school board meeting. Winners were as follows:

• First Place – STEM Early High School, Vance County
• Second Place – West Stanly Middle School, Stanly County
• Third Place Tie – Bertie Middle School, Bertie County

Wilson County Community Member Wins Prestigious Award

Christy Proctor, owner of Chick-Fil-A in Wilson, has been award the Association’s new 2022 Champion of Education award. This award recognizes those individuals, businesses, community members, employees, or school board members who have demonstrated ongoing dedication to the success of our K-12 students and the betterment of public schools in North Carolina.

Proctor is a business owner who employs approximately 50 local students at her two Chick-Fil-A franchises. However, she is more than just an employer — she uses the opportunity to mentor and empower her employees to develop leadership skills and grow into successful young adults. Not only does Proctor ensure her employees keep their grades up and celebrate academic and extracurricular achievements with them, but she has also awarded thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to seniors. She sponsors a high school leader academy and partners with schools to help students learn about workforce readiness, soft skills, and career opportunities. And for more than a decade, Proctor has supported the schools by collecting donations for the district’s annual backpack drive, rallying the community to support students in need.

NCSBA presented the award to the Wilson County school board. The board will honor Proctor at an upcoming meeting.

Project REACH Earns Wilson County Recognition

The Innovation and Excellence in Public Education Award was awarded to Wilson County for its Project REACH program. This is a new award established to recognize the exemplary work of school boards that have found creative solutions to district challenges.

When this district realized how many students were not engaged in school during the pandemic, the board gave their full support to the creation of Project REACH. In January 2021, the superintendent initiated the project to identify students with 10 or more unexcused absences. The dedicated Project REACH Taskforce set out to connect with nearly 650 disengaged students, often through home visits, to address barriers and provide resources. Thanks in part to this board’s unwavering leadership, the district has reengaged 1,442 students since the initiative began

For its exemplary work, NCSBA awarded the district during the awards ceremony held on November 15 during the Association’s annual conference in Greensboro.

The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) Board of Directors has named its office the Dr. Edwin Dunlap Jr. Building in honor of its long-time executive director. Dunlap, who has served in the position since 1994, announced his retirement in March effective January 2021.

Portrait of Ed Dunlap unveiled during the 2020 Annual Conference.

“Given all of Dr. Dunlap’s significant achievements, the board of directors believed that a parting plaque on the wall would not fully express our gratitude for his vision and leadership of this outstanding, thriving association,” said NCSBA Immediate Past President Brenda Stephens during a presentation at the virtual NCSBA Annual Conference on November 6. Stephens also announced that the board granted Dunlap the honorary title of executive director emeritus at its March meeting.

When Dunlap joined the association in 1979 at the age of 29, he was the third employee. NCSBA now has a team of more than 30 staff members who work out of the newly dedicated 45,000-square-foot office building, which was built in 2000 on Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh. With the help of Dunlap’s visionary leadership, the North Carolina School Boards Trust was established in 1982 and has since become one of the most successful risk management programs in the National School Boards Association (NSBA) federation. NCSBA formed the North Carolina Academy of School Boardsmanship in 1985 to help train and develop school board members. The North Carolina School Boards Action Center was created in 2013 to enhance the association’s advocacy efforts. Dunlap has also overseen the growth of NCSBA’s various policy and superintendent search services.

Artists rendition of landmark signage.

“I’ve had an absolutely wonderful career here. I don’t know anything that I had rather have done,” said Dunlap, who is the longest serving executive director in the NSBA federation. Leanne Winner, the association’s director of governmental relations since 1998, will move into the executive director position upon Dunlap’s retirement.

The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) announced the winners of three statewide student contests held in conjunction with its virtual annual conference: an elementary school poster contest, a middle school video contest, and a high school video contest. Students were asked to create content around the theme “How Virtual Learning Changed My School Year.” The conference was held on November 5-7.

High School Video Contest

The high school video contest teams that placed first, second, and third will receive cash prizes sponsored by NCSBA and Fairbanks LLC. Winners were as follows:

• First Place ($3,000 prize) – Northside High School, Beaufort County Schools
• Second Place ($2,000 prize) – Mooresville High School, Video #9, Mooresville Graded School District
• Third Place ($1,000 prize) – Mooresville High School, Video #1, Mooresville Graded School District

In addition, judges identified 10 additional videos to receive honorable mention. All finalist and honorable mention videos are available for viewing at https://www.ncsba.org/training/student-contests.

Middle School Video Contest

The middle school video contest teams that placed first, second, and third will receive a VISA gift card for their class. Winners were as follows:

• First Place – New Century Middle School, Video #5, Moore County Schools
• Second Place – New Century Middle School, Video #6, Moore County Schools
• Third Place– Elm City Middle School, Wilson County Schools

Elementary Poster Contest

NCSBA’s elementary school poster contest recognizes first-, second-, and third-place winners in two grade level groups: K-2 and 3-5. Each winner will be presented with a certificate and an art kit during an upcoming local school board meeting.

Winners in the K-2 category were as follows:

• First Place – Lucas Davis, Second Grade, Wilson County Schools
• Second Place – Zamiya Battle, Second Grade, Halifax County Schools
• Third Place – Julius Wiggins, First Grade, Wilson County Schools

Winners in the 3-5 category were as follows:

• First Place – Kensley Hill, Fifth Grade, Wilson County Schools
• Second Place – Irene Lee, Fourth Grade, Wilson County Schools
• Third Place – Christian Poulson-Edwards, Third Grade, Bertie County Schools

The Board of Directors of the NC School Boards Association (NCSBA) has selected Leanne E. Winner as the next Executive Director, effective January 5, 2021. Ms. Winner will be the organization’s fourth Executive Director and the first woman to hold the position. She succeeds Dr. Edwin (Ed) Dunlap, Jr., who will be retiring after 41 years of service to NCSBA, including 27 years as Executive Director.

A search committee carried out a nationwide search over 7 months using the law firm of Tharrington Smith, LLC, to find the most capable candidate to carry forward the organization’s work on behalf of school boards across the state.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I congratulate Ms. Winner on her selection after an exhaustive and rigorous search process,” said President Brenda Stephens. “We considered many qualified candidates and deliberated carefully. Out of a national pool of over 200 candidates, we found the best qualified candidate close to home. We look forward to working with Leanne in her new role.”

“I am honored and humbled to be entrusted by the Board of Directors to carry forward the crucial work of the Association,“ Winner said. “I look forward to working with all who support public education to improve education for all students across our state. There is nothing more important to improving economic opportunities and having a well-functioning society than an educated citizenry.”

Ms. Winner has worked for NCSBA as its Director of Governmental Relations since 1998. Throughout her tenure at NCSBA, she has advocated effectively on behalf of school boards at the General Assembly and throughout state government agencies. Prior to that she worked for the law firm of Everett, Gaskins, Hancock and Stevens as a lobbyist, and in Governor Hunt’s Policy Office as the Assistant Director for the Strategic Economic Development Plan. A native of Asheville, NC, she received her B.A. from The Colorado College and her M.A. in Economics from the University of Iowa.

Outgoing Executive Director Ed Dunlap had nothing but praise for his successor. “Leanne will do a terrific job,” he said. “She has the vision and skills necessary to lead NCSBA effectively. I know I am leaving the organization in good hands.”