by BladenOnline Team
The Bladen County Board of Education heard from Ms. Liz Ruffin-Cox and Mr. Donell Goins, School Counselors from East Bladen High School, during the citizens’ participation portion of their September 13, 2021 meeting. Due to the influx of new students at East Bladen High School, the two counselors reported that class sizes are larger, and closing learning gaps is almost impossible.
Mr. Goins took the floor first. He gave a shoutout to the teachers and staff at East Bladen High School for going above and beyond while dealing with overcrowding issues.
Ms. Ruffin-Cox said, “The Teachers dealing with this are Superheroes!”
Mr. Goins stated as a School Counselor and the MTSS Chairperson, “There is a major concern in providing additional intervention and support that is mandated by MTSS.”
“Where do we get the resources needed to implement MTSS?” Mr. Goins asked.
Board member Gary Rhoda asked for an explanation of the tiers with MTSS. MTSS stands for Multi-Tiered System of Supports which gives targeted support to struggling students. Mr. Goins explained that MTSS Tier 1 is all students, Tier 2 is students who need additional support and intervention, and Tier 3 is for students needing alternative support. “We don’t have anything to offer in Tier 2 or Tier 3,” Goins said.
According to Ms. Ruffin-Cox and Mr. Goins, about 80 new students attend East Bladen High School this year, with more new students pending entry. The average class size is around 32 students. According to the counselors, Teachers don’t have the flexibility or resources needed to address the students needing Tier 2 or Tier 3 support mandated by the State of North Carolina.
“Another area that is very concerning and has legal ramifications for the Bladen County School District is EC (Exceptional Children),” Mr. Goins continued, “students are not receiving their services as documented on their IEPs (Individualized Education Plan) due to limited resources.”
Science and Math are the most needed teachers. East Bladen High School is not the only school in the local district in need of certified teachers.
Dr. Jason Atkinson reported, “It’s astounding the shortage of teachers we have.” He also said the teacher shortage is plaguing the whole State.
Two issues Dr. Atkinson shared with the board are schools are not funded appropriately for class sizes, and the State has not set the budget for the second year in a row.
Board member Mr. Alan West interjected that the State is also taking away benefits from teachers. Other board members agreed with Mr. West and stated, “It’s got to start from the top.”
One solution to the issue, Dr. Atkinson shared, is the use of certified retired teachers. However, the State has put a cap on retirees prohibiting them from teaching for a certain amount of time after retiring.
Dr. Atkinson said, “It’s not getting better; it’s getting worse.”
According to officials, tutors also help close the learning gaps, but there are not enough in the local education system. Bladen County Schools has two grant-funded programs to help students with tutors through Caring and Sharing and the Fish Out of Water programs.
In July 2021, Bladen County Schools published 38 job vacancies on their website. According to the Bladen County Schools website, as of August 31, 2021, the job vacancies have increased to 43 open positions. The most current listing of Bladen County Schools vacant positions can be found bt clicking here.
Individuals interested in applying for a position will need to complete an application at https://nc.teachermatch.org/signin.do. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact the Bladen County Schools Human Resources Department at 910-862-4136 ext. 10011.
Listen to the Bladen County Board of Education meeting on BladenOnline’s YouTube Channel linked below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9l7MVOqFEM&t=440s
Related article:
https://bladencounty.org/38-job-vacancies-listed-by-bladen-county-schools/
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