The Board of Education met this Monday for their February session where they recognized Dr. PatriciaFaulk, Personnel Administrator, for her 38 years of service and work inBladen County Schools where she has worked as a teacher, a principal, and in administration in various capacities. This month’s board meeting was her last one before she retires, so the board presentedFaulk with a plaque and voiced their gratitude for her service and time working in the county.
Several Child Nutrition Staff were recognized for achieving their School Nutrition Association Level 1 Certification – a certification beyond the mandatory basic level food safety and sanitation certifications. The following staff were recognized for earning this additional certification:* Anita Wilson of Bladen Lakes Primary* Addie Chavis, Melony Edwards, and Sharon Nance of Clarkton School of Discovery* Freda Hales, Christa Murdock, and Jeanie Powers of Dublin Primary School* Goria Brunson of Elizabethtown Primary* WilliDean Council of Tar Heel MiddleWest Bladen High School’s Nursing Fundamental Class was recognized for earning 100% proficiency on their final exam under the leadership of their teacher, Charlotte Davis. Of these students, Morgan Sweeney, Cody Long, and Peyton Fisher were also recognized for passing their State Certified Nursing Aide exam and are now qualified to work as certifiednurse aides.Three schools were presented with attendance awards and banners in their respective divisions for student attendance during the month of January. Booker T. Washington Primary won in the Elementary Division; Clarkton School of Discovery won in the Middle School Division, and East Bladen High School won in the High School Division. Following all of the above honors, the board proceeded to go into a lengthy closed session to discuss personnel and legal matters.Upon reconvening back into open session, Sharon Penny, Finance Director, presented a financial summary for information purposes only. Willa Dean Williams and Bridgette White, Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Special Populations Coordinator respectively, addressed the board next concerning various happenings within the CTE program and the CTE Post Assessment Scores for the Fall semester. Williams spoke about a job shadowing day for 8th graders that recently took place and congratulated several CTE teachers who had classes that earned 100% proficiency in their classes. White briefly presented a green and red testing report (that outlined the CTE program’s testing data).Anthony Hinson, Testing and Accountability Director, and Dr. Robert Taylor, Superintendent, presented in depth information regarding recent School Performance Grades given from the state based on testing data. Hinson and Taylor explained that though the school scores are not good, there are several factors that affect these grades that are out of the schools’ and county’s control – such as the way the state’s new accountability model doesn’t completely give an accurate depiction of the schools’ progress since the state doesn’t take a lot of the the schools’ testing data into account when it gives them their grades. Additionally, Bladen County is one of the only counties/school districts that doesn’t include 5th grade in their primary schools, and Hinson explained that this greatly cuts the amount of testing data that the state will take into account in their grading of the county’s primary schools.One personnel addendum list was approved while another one and the Superintendent’s Contract were postponed until they could be discussed further at the board’s upcoming retreat and voted on at next month’s meeting. An Audit Contract and two Budget Amendments as recommended by Sharon Penny, Finance Director, were approved. The board also approved a Lottery Application for Roof Repair at Elizabethtown Primary which will now go on to the County Commissioners to be approved or not. Penny explained that the same would need to be voted on soon to also fix roofs at both Plainview and Booker T. Primary. Four fundraiser requests and four overnight field trip requests as recommended by Robert Heavenridge, Support Services Coordinator, were approved. A Clarkton School of Discovery teacher presented a slide show that a student had made which outlined what the 21st Century students were looking forward to taking part in on their trip to the Biltmore Estates in Asheville. A Pre-K Authorization Form was approved, and, lastly before adjourning for the evening, two Injury and Loss Prevention Policy changes were approved to be added to the policy manual.
About Author
