By Gary Corsair
Staff Writer
Clay County’s ongoing commitment to educational excellence has not gone unnoticed in the hallowed halls of the state capitol.
That was obvious Monday night in Hayesville when former Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court Willis P. Whichard informed Clay County School Board members that he recently funded a second Honored Educator Scholarship in the name of his mother, a former Clay County school teacher.
“From now on, every year, a teacher from Clay County will attend an NCCAT seminar as a Whichard Scholar. That is what we celebrate tonight,” remarked the 82-year-old legend who is the only person in the history of North Carolina to serve in both houses of the state legislature and on both of the state’s appellate courts.
NCCAT is the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, which was founded in 1985 to provide professional development for educators.
The initial Beulah Padgett Whichard Honored Educator Scholarship (instituted in 1998) was split between teachers from Clay and Durham counties. Past Clay recipients were Sally Brock, Tiffany Clapsaddle, Melanie Thompson, Jeanine Craig, Carla Beck and Amanda Gaddis.
“It pleases me greatly to know that, in perpetuity, a teacher from this system will benefit from NCCAT’s professional development programs and that in the process my mother and her teaching career will be honored in perpetuity as well,” Whichard remarked. “In closing, I thank all of you for what you do for the education of children of this county. On more than one occasion I have heard Howard Manning, the longtime trial judge in the Leandro case, say, ‘If you don’t believe a relatively poor, rural county can have good schools, go to Clay County.’ Not bad praise for your work, that of your predecessors in office, your teachers and administrators and their students. Not bad at all.”
Good is not good enough. Clay County Schools Superintendent Dr. Dale Cole wants the school system to become exceptional, even visionary. To achieve that lofty goal he proposes partnering with Dogwood Health Trust and Open Way Learning, Inc. to co-design Clay County Schools’ future to by changing “the way you do things to achieve different outcomes.”
In presenting a 14-page proposal, Cole stated, “For a region that desperately needs more forward-thinking entrepreneurs and skilled workers to bolster its economy and quality of life, CCS has an obligation to cultivate innovative skills in its students through innovative educational practices that have been proven to work in school districts across the country.”
According to Cole, the Co-Designing Clay County Schools Future plan would entail, “constantly reworking what it is your supposed to do on a day-to-day basis, and constantly deciding what your vision is for the future for what you’re trying to accomplish. You do that through collectively leadership, which is something I’m a huge proponent of.”
Collective leadership involves input from a number of stakeholders, including students, parents and community members.
“In short, we want to do things differently,” Cole stated. “We feel like we need to do things differently to meet the needs of what the economy is now and what it will be in the future.”
The project will begin Wednesday, Jan. 11 if the proposal is approved. Dogwood Health Trust has agreed to fund the first step of the Co-Designing Clay County Schools’ Future plan through June of 2024 — $90,300.
In other business, Clay County School Board members took aim at problems with the skill of marksmen in a shooting gallery.
Problem No. 1. Our schools could be safer. They will be when another school resource officer starts work in January at the primary school thanks to a School Resource Officer Safety Grant. “We also added in $15,000 to complete access controls for our exterior doors. This will allow us to secure the field house where we have students taking weightlifting all day,” Cole stated in explaining a budget amendment of $88,332.
Problem No. 2. Clay County’s substitute teachers were the lowest paid subs in the region — $81 or $105. They’ll now be paid $100 (non-certified) and $125 (licensed in North Carolina). Board members unanimously voted to increase compensation after Chief Officer for Human Resources Angel Owens detailed a shortage of subs in western North Carolina and explained that those who can fill in usually go where the pay is better. Cherokee County now has the lowest pay rate for non-certified substitutes, $84, in WNC. Jackson County’s rate of $105 for licensed teachers is the lowest in the region. Macon County leads the way with $125/day for non-certified subs and $150/day for licensed teachers. On average, 10 to 15 substitute teachers are needed at Hayesville’s four schools each school day.
Problem No. 3. The 40-year-old scoreboard at the Hayesville High School football field is on its deathbed and parts are nearly impossible to find. Approval was granted to spend $38,193.13 for a new scoreboard with Bluetooth capabilities that can be operated remotely by handheld controls. Cole is optimistic that the cost of the scoreboard and new game clocks will be defrayed by local businesses interested in advertising on five panels at the bottom of the scoreboard.
In addition to extinguishing fires, Board of Education members Chairman Dr. Jason Shook, Vice-Chairman Robert Caldwell and members Reba Beck, Kelly Crawford and Danny Jones approved the following budget amendments in the amount of $791,605 based on funds received from the State (the total includes a reduction of $994 in school connectivity funds):
• $17,899 to pay for CTE students to take credentialed exams.
• $14,581 received from School Technology Fund.
• $1,077 test result bonus.
• $1,672 LED allotment adjustment.
• $23,000 in teacher assistance tuition reimbursement program.
• $615,958 in supplemental funds for teacher compensation.
• $25,080 in literacy intervention funds.
• $5,000 in feminine hygiene grant funds.
Board members also adjusted the Other Specific Revenue Fund by $108,875 by approving these three contributions from the state:
• $796 from a Community Foundation of North Carolina Learning Links Grant.
• $4,000 grant from the AG Clay Sprout Grow Green Program.
• $104,079 from the NC Department of Environmental Quality Volkswagen settlement, which invests millions to “significantly reduce NOx emissions and improve air quality.” Funds will be used to purchase a new activity bus.
The Board of Education also approved a memorandum of agreement with Youth Villages to provide Community Support Services as requested by parents, with principal approval.
School Board members also approved administrative regulation regarding school trips, evaluation of student progress, class rankings and graduation requirements
The board will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19.