Today, at a special called meeting of the State Board of Education (SBE), held via conference call, Innovative School District (ISD) Superintendent, Dr. Eric Hall, recommended Achievement for All Children (AAC) as the operator for Southside Ashpole Elementary in Rowland, NC beginning in the 2018-19 academic year. The State Board will consider and vote on this recommendation during their next regularly-scheduled meeting, which will take place on April 4-5.
In making his recommendation, Dr. Hall expressed his appreciation for the two organizations that applied for consideration as operators. “I am impressed with both AAC and The Romine Group (TRG) for their willingness to engage with the ISD in the challenging work to improve outcomes in low-performing schools and participate in a very rigorous selection process. I also want to extend my gratitude to the community panel members from Rowland and surrounding Robeson County who participated in the selection process; their input was essential in making sure our recommendation was the right fit for the students at Southside Ashpole, their families and the Rowland community.”
During the operator selection process, applicants were required to complete a comprehensive application; participate in a thorough review by a third-party evaluation firm, SchoolWorks; present their plan to a community panel; respond to requests for supplemental information; engage in face-to-face negotiations; and undergo extensive background checks. The recommended operator, AAC, is a not-for-profit organization based out of Forest City, NC. They demonstrated a strong commitment to implementing a comprehensive system of support to serve the needs of all students at Southside Ashpole, improving academic outcomes, and engaging in a partnership with the local community. TeamCFA is ACC’s proposed curriculum partner; they offer a rigorous and research-based curriculum in language arts, history and geography, mathematics, science, art, and music.
If approved by the SBE as the new operator at Southside Ashpole, AAC will sign a contract with the SBE and begin work immediately by partnering with the ISD, the Public Schools of Robeson County and the Rowland community to prepare for the 2018-19 school year.
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