Annual State of the Schools Address

Each year that I have served as Superintendent, I have had the pleasure of presenting the Annual State of the Schools Address. This presentation allows me the opportunity to share the great successes we have had during the school year, the challenges we will face in the coming year, and the priorities that will guide us forward. This address has served as an opportunity for parents, business leaders, and community members to come together to advocate for the needs of our students and our school system.

During the past two years, this advocacy has led to record-breaking allocations of local capital outlay funding allowing major work on school system infrastructure to be accomplished. The high school gym was air conditioned for the very first time with new bleachers installed and the locker rooms renovated because of community advocacy. HVAC air-handling units were replaced, after sitting broken for over a decade due to a lack of funding, because parents and community leaders spoke up. Though much remains to be done, school facilities are much improved because of the efforts of so many.

The State of the Schools Address is not just about facility needs. The most important topic addressed is student-outcomes. How are students doing in each of the schools? What do state-assessments reveal about our students and schools? Growth measures from the state are one of the best indicators of student and school success as they look at where a student starts the year and where they end.

D.F. Walker Elementary School exceeded growth on state assessments, with students performing higher than expected by the state data analysis program. Out of the 57 elementary schools in the region, D.F. Walker Elementary was one out of only 13 to exceed growth and had the ninth highest growth scores in the region. The students exceeded growth in both reading and math. This year the school has hosted teams from schools throughout the region as others visit to learn what is working so well for our students.

Chowan Middle School is ranked 11th highest in our region out of 28 middle schools for academic growth. The students met or exceeded growth in 7 out of the 8 tested areas. Overall, the school has met or exceeded state growth standards 9 out of the last 10 years. As an example of academic progress, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Club from Chowan Middle School recently sent a team of sixth graders to compete against middle and high schoolers from across the region. The team won the competition, illustrating the strength of the STEM Program at the Middle School.

John A. Holmes High School students saw their overall growth measure improve 2 points. The students posted significant academic growth gains in Biology and English II. Additionally, the percentage of students ready for college-level work, as measured by the ACT, grew by four percentage points while career-readiness, as measured by the WorkKeys assessment, improved by 7 percentage points. The Class of 2016 broke the school system graduation rate record when over 90% of the class graduated on-time.  

In the area of the arts, the visual, vocal, and instrumental programs are soaring. Recent art shows and concerts have highlighted the artistic abilities of our students. The high school band placed first in a marching contest during the fall and then earned straight superior scores at the concert contest.

As always, the challenges for school systems revolve around doing more with fewer financial resources as state and federal education allocations to the school system shrink while demands increase. Locally, the amount required to be sent to charter schools continues to grow, far outpacing any growth in local funding. The Board of Education will be requesting that the Board of County Commissioners assist in meeting the local obligations for Charter School payments as part of this year’s Local Budget Request.

Outside of finances, the area of greatest need is in supporting parents of very young children as they seek to ensure that their children are ready for school. The Board of Education is advocating for Universal Pre-Kindergarten access for all children in Chowan County. Students who are not ready for kindergarten struggle to catch-up with their peers and tend to remain behind throughout their academic careers.

The work of the school system is guided by the Board of Education’s Strategic Plan. This two-year plan provides the school system’s goals in fulfilling the vision of preparing all students as critical thinkers and productive citizens. As the school system moves into the future, the Board of Education would like your input in revising the School System’s Strategic Plan. What do you think are the school system’s greatest strengths? What area do you think the school system most needs to improve? How would you rate the quality of education provided to students in Chowan County? Please take a moment to answer six short questions by going to the following website: www.goo.gl/sppr6E

Parents, business leaders, and community members have much to be proud of when it comes to the education of our young people. Though challenges remain, through strong partnerships with the community and a teaching faculty that is second-to-none, our children are excelling.

This post originally appeared in "The Chowan Herald" as an article written by Dr. Jackson on May 24, 2017.