BY KARISSA MILLER
Ruby Payne’s “A Framework for Understanding Poverty” offers insight into the challenges that students who grow up in poverty face in their everyday lives.
More than 150 Iredell-Statesville Schools employees, including staff at N.B. Mills Elementary and the Student Services Department, participated in training based on Payne’s book in January.
During Monday’s I-SS Board of Education meeting, N.B. Mills Principal Jonathan Nicastro shared how the training has positively impacted his school.
“I could see my teachers not be as frustrated with the kids when knowing that they come from a totally different set of rules,” Nicastro explained.
There are stories within stories, he said, that illustrate different circumstances of poverty, which helped his teachers approach students differently.
As a result, Nicastro’s teachers are now greeting students at the door in the morning “to get their minds right for learning.”
“I’ve seen it to be real impactful in our schools,” he added.
One of the big shifts is that N.B. Mills teachers are focused on building relationships with their students.
Across the district, more than 475 I-SS staff members have participated in the Ruby Payne training.
Other Business
In other matters, the board approved a contract with a new financial auditor. Anderson Smith & Wike PLLC will provide audit services for the school board for the next three years. The firm currently serves 79 school boards, with seven partners managing the audits.
The fee schedule for I-SS is $43,000 for 2022-23, $44,500 for 2023-24 and $46,000 for 2024-25.
Also, during the meeting, the board:
♦ Approved Ballard Roofing to replace the roof at Facilities and Planning (located at Career Academy and Technical School) in Troutman for $101,700. The project will involve replacing the roof that covers the mezzanine and warehouse at Facilities and Planning. It is part of the consolidation project to relocate central office employees from ADR to the Career Academy and Technical School building.
♦ Approved a contract to repave the parking lot behind South Iredell High School with Carolina Paving, the low bidder, among four companies, with a bid of $189,205. According to school officials, this will be done during the summer so it will not impact school. The funds will come from the 2022-2023 capital budget.
♦ Approved the architectural contract with Pinnacle Architecture to design the renovations at Harmony Elementary School. The contract is to not exceed $210,000.
Board member comments
During the school board comment period:
♦ Board member Doug Knight thanked the county commissioners for letting I-SS officials know how much additional funding the county will provide for the new high school. Commissioners agreed last week to allocate $120 million, which includes $80 million approved by voters in a 2020 bond referendum, for the project. I-SS had requested up to $200 million.
♦ Board member Brian Sloan shared that he is celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary. He thanked his wife for putting up with him and also talked about the joys of being a coach.
♦ Board member Anita Kurn asked if the district could add a class to teach students about sports medicine and help provide them training. She came up with the idea in response to a parent’s comments regarding the need for an athletic trainer for sports games.
♦ Vice Chairman Mike Kubiniec gave a shout out to CCTL teacher Tony Lellie. Kubiniec said that he visited Lellie’s classroom last week. Students presented their graphic designs to area business owners and Kubiniec said he was impressed with their quality of work. He also mentioned that he’s pleased with the direction I-SS is going with bringing in consultants to help address low-performing schools.
♦ Chairman Bill Howell said he was not angry at the last board meeting. He said he was just being passionate about education and children. He accused some of the media of creating “controversy in the county” in regard to the school board’s new high school project.