ROANOKE RAPIDS —The Roanoke Rapids Board of Education heard from their program directors at their meeting on Tuesday.  It was the first time the board listened to updates on their programs since Dennis Sawyer became superintendent.

Advertisement

"The board is here to serve," Sawyer said.  "And we want them to be informed."

Leann Seelman reported on Child Nutrition, which highlighted the growing success of the school breakfast program.  When compared to September of 2008, Seelman reported, the program has served 1,086 more breakfasts in September 2009, with a 250% increase in school breakfast consumption at Roanoke Rapids High School.  Seelman stated one of the program's goals was to encourage students to "make good choices at mealtime."

Dr. Greg Little, in his update on K-12, focused on kindergarten through second grade literacy.  Little discussed the move to paperless literacy assesments currently ongoing in K-1, where teachers now have handheld electronic devices they use to assess the students.  "They're not overwhelmed with paperwork," Little told the board.  He also said the program, currently in early stages, reduces the time between assessment of a child's literacy skills and the action to improve those skills if needed.

Carol Cowen updated the board on the Exceptional Children program, during which she informed the members the program now has 14 categories of inclusion.  Despite the students' various levels of capability, Cowen said "we try to put children in the least restrictive environment," and the program stays with the normal course of study as much as possible.  Cowen also informed the board the district is very close to the state's goal of one nurse for every 350 students - currently the district has four nurses, three of whom are paid with grant money.

Doug Miller's update on facilities and transportation included the revelation the system now uses what he characterized as "graffiti resistant paint," after admitting there was no such thing as graffiti-proof paint.  Miller also told the board he believes having monitors on school buses and having short rides for students "improves the quality of students teachers see in school."

Dottie Wardsworth outlined the district's federal spending.  Title I spending, which is a federal program designed to ensure all children have fair and equal opportunity for education regardless of economic status, focuses on Clara Hearne, Manning Elementary, Belmont Elementary, and Chaloner Middle School.  Wardsworth told the board federal Title II money, focusing on teacher and principal training as well as improvement in technology to enhance education, has gone to Roanoke Rapids High School.  She also revealed the handheld devices used in literacy assesments are paid for federally.

Ann Phillips and Mark Kuchenbrod combined their updates on Technology and Public Information for the board.  Kuchenbrod reported to the board the district has saved $5,000 by switching video streaming to Learn 360 and $6,000 by moving their telephone system to Alert Now, which calls parents automatically with school closings and information about their children's attendance in addition to other information.  Kuchenbrod said these savings have been used to update the school district's web site, with over 200 web pages added to the site since this grading period began in August.  Phillips stated the "phone system and the web are the most effective ways to communicate in house."

Joyce Kennedy updated Student Services, which focuses on dropout prevention.  Kennedy said the program was in the process of "trying to establish a database for at-risk students based on failure, absenteeism, and behavioral problems" in order to identify and approach these students before they drop out of school.  Kennedy also discussed the Futures for Kids program which gives students a quiz on possible future career options.  She characterized this quiz as a motivational tool giving "students more than just getting through their classes."

Kennedy also gave good news to the board about school safety this year.  For this year's August-September-October period there have been only two "reportable" incidents - incidents involving weapons or assaults, which is down from four this same period last year.  Kennedy also applauded the Alert Now system's informing parents of student absenteeism, which she said "could be a surprise for some parents."

Cynthia Wright told the board the North Carolina Window on Student Education (NC WISE) program was rolling out effectively.  She feels grade histories for students in grades 2-5 will soon be completely available online.  Such information will be useful for tracking test scores, absences, and discipline issues for individual students as they move through the system.  Wright stated the district's goal was to provide more training on NC WISE to teachers and administrators.

With that, the updates concluded.  Superintendent Sawyer applauded all the presentations and congratulated all the program directors for their efforts.  Board Chairman Vernon Bryant echoed Sawyer's sentiments and agreed the district had some very enthusiastic directors.

Sawyer hopes to make these updates a regular part of the board's schedule.  He hopes to do them twice a year, every October and March.

Next month the board will be considering details of a new program when Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce President Allen Purser presents the Kalamazoo Promise to the members.  The Michigan scholarship program for public school graduates may have local application for district students.