By Marcia Barnes
Staff Writer
There were no hiccups at the Monday night Clay County Board of Education meeting when principals of all four schools presented their 2022-2023 improvement plan and were approved. Principals Heather Plemmons, Melissa Godfrey, Missy Rich and Stacey Overlin individually made presentations to the board and public on their goals for each of the schools.
Primary School Principal Plemmons said, “We looked at what we’d met and what we needed to keep working on.” Plemmons presented the vision and mission of the school and said they are geared toward the student.
“Our mission is to provide a welcoming, happy, safe and supportive learning environment in which everyone is equal and all achievements are celebrated,” Plemmons said.
During the 2021-22 school year Hayesville Primary School exceeded the goal of 70 percent proficiency in reading; the 2022-23 goal is for 75 percent of students to meet grade level proficiency by the end of the year. Plemmons said the math goal is for 70 percent of students overall to perform on grade level.
She pointed out that the primary school focuses on positive teaching strategies to encourage students to be responsible, respectful and safe learners.
Principal Godfrey presented the elementary Improvement Plan which focused on increased math and reading skills and good behavior for all students.
Godfrey said that the goal in math achievement is for third through fifth grade students to make progress in mathematics as measured by end of grade scores and setting the increase from 38.9 percent to 61.3 percent of students scoring level 4 or 5. Reading achievement goals are set to increase from 33.9 percent to 51.8 percent of students scoring level 4 or 5 as measured by the end of grade.
The Improvement Plan includes scheduled time for intervention and/or enrichment for students who need extra help and standardized protocols will promote shared understanding.
Recommendation to approve the middle school improvement plan was voted to go forward following a presentation by Principal Rich. She said that the four focus areas for the school were to increase student achievement, improve classroom management and student behavior, increase parental communication and involvement and create a positive school culture.
The plan will implement an instruction that allows teachers to deliver evidence-based learning. Improving classroom management and student behavior was backed up in the plan with positive action steps promoting positive behavior. Additionally, both principal and assistant principal have one hour scheduled each week dedicated solely to parent and community outreach. Jan. 4 and March 24 have already been set for parent-teacher conferences.
Hayesville High School Principal Overlin gave a quick update on an upcoming volleyball game going into the second round and announced the high school now has seven cross country runners. Then, Overlin switched to the business-at-hand. “Our team is really trying hard to improve,” Overlin said. Listing four goals in the improvement plan, Overlin placed math proficiency at the top and aiming at 59 percent proficiency in Math 1 and Math 3 combined. Second was English 2 proficiency, aiming at 63.35 percent.
Goal three in the plan is a high school graduation rate of 90 percent; goal four, average attendance rate of 95 percent. “The last goal really impacts all these things,” Overlin said.
Angel Owens, director of Exceptional Children, gave a detailed report of increased needs for the EC school and the increase in students after the closing of a charter school in Cherokee County.
Owens initiated receiving payment from Medicaid for needed out-of-school services for students two and a half years ago when the board agreed to allow Owens to go forward. Reimbursement from Medicaid currently totals $551,000. The request to give a non-recurring $500 to non-certified teachers and staff and $1,000 to certified teachers and staff for the overload of work approved.
Superintendent Dale Cole said, “I’m in favor of it. The $550,000 must be used for EC students and EC staff.” Cole said that Medicaid sets the rules on how schools use the reimbursement funds.
Cole gave recognition and thanks to Jimmy Moore, director of Transportation, on completing a grant application and being awarded. “Transportation is one of those departments we don’t celebrate enough. Without the buses and the bus drivers we’d all be sitting here just looking at each other," Cole said. "On a related note we need bus drivers.”
Cole said Moore actually applied for seven buses, two activity buses and five yellow buses. “We were notified a week ago that we’d receive close to $104,000 from the Volkswagen Mitigation Grant to purchase a new activity bus. In a county our size, when you need a bus — you need a bus. I want to thank Mr. Moore.”
Director of Finance Shelley Hollingsworth gave the board an update on the changes in progress to move remaining salaried staff to hourly staff without loss of pay or benefits for the employees. All of Hollingsworth’s recommendations for conversion and the time table submitted were approved. The change was necessary to be in compliance with requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Also Hollingsworth presented a summary of budget resolutions and amendments for 2022-23 which were approved.
The next regular board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 28.