BY KARISSA MILLER
Iredell-Statesville Schools administrators on Monday asked school board members for their approval to apply for Statesville High, Third Creek Middle School, Troutman Middle and West Iredell High School to be designated as Restart schools.
The board will vote on this matter at their next meeting on January 13. The meeting, which begins at 6 p.m., is open to the public and will be held at Career Academy and Technical School, 350 Old Murdock Road in Troutman.
During the Committee of the Whole meeting, I-SS Chief Secondary Academic Officer Kelly Cooper said that districts are required to apply to the state for schools to be designated as Restart schools.
“We would like to add West Iredell High as a new Restart school,” Cooper said. “NB Mills is currently designated as a Restart school and does not need to reapply due to meeting their growth targets.”
What is a Restart School?
A Restart school is a traditional school operating with the same exemptions from state statutes and rules as a charter school.
This designation, Cooper said, is designed to assist schools that have been identified as “low performing” by the state.
Low-performing schools are those that receive a school performance grade of D or F and a school growth score of “met expected growth” or “not met expected growth.”
Statesville High School received a letter grade of D for the 2023-2024 year as did Troutman Middle School and West Iredell High School. Third Creek Middle School received a letter grade of F for the 2023-2024 year as did N.B. Mills Elementary School.
Cooper said that the Restart designation allows schools to have charter-school like flexibility. These flexibilities can be utilized in the following areas, including budget, employment requirements, calendar, standard course of study, assessments and K-3 class size.
One example, she said, is NB Mills Elementary. It currently operates on a year-round academic calendar.
Board Discussion
Board member Anita Kurn said that two counties gave presentations at the N.C. School Board Association annual conference outlining how they improved student performance and reduced the number of low performing from 14 to one in Johnston County Schools.
Wayne County Schools, Kurn said, reduced the number of low performing schools in the district from 16 to 10.
School board member Mike Kubiniec told his colleagues that he has spent over 20 hours studying school performance data.
“We are in trouble,” Kubiniec said. “Since 2020, we have gone from 11 to 12 to 13 low-performing schools. Of those 13, three of them are low performing for over 10 years.”
“We have more schools not meeting growth. It’s more than a demographic issue,” he added.
Kubiniec expressed concerns about the system as a whole.
“We have a serious problem. Our district — we are not meeting the challenges of what’s going on,” Kubiniec said. “We have problems we need to solve.”
Superintendent Jeff James said it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison with those counties.
“I would say walking across the stage at graduation proves what we are doing,” James said. “We are growing by leaps and bounds, I’m pretty sure 30,000 houses aren’t being built because the school system isn’t doing their job. Can we do better? I won’t disagree with that at all.”
After the presentation, the board informally discussed the possibility of having another discussion or even a separate meeting to figure out solutions for low-performing schools.
Facilities Use
In other business, the board heard an update from I-SS Chief Operations Officer Mark Shinkaruk about district facility use.
Rates are based on the type of facility:
♦ Athletic Stadium with synthetic field and mondo track has a fee of $200 per hour with a three-hour minimum;
♦ Performing Arts Center with a competition rate rental is $200, plus additional fees for Marley floor, production tech, etc.;
♦ Free or reduced rates available for some groups and organizations
Shinkaruk said facility rentals generated $95,000 for the district. Sixty percent of rentals were at no cost, he said.
The obvious solution is to appoint Captain k as superintendent and his former campaign manager, the old puppet master, as assistant superintendent. Since the captain has spent and unheard of 20 whole hours on studying, he is more than qualified. The puppet master is an expert on everything so he will be a great asset.
I concur, Heathan Mary. Just a few additional points to add. Was interesting how Thunderdome Kurn pulled out her prepared notes from her handlers Capt. K & the convicted drug offender. If you look back at the prior meeting, Kubiniec said the exact same thing! Wow! Imagine that. Over & over, this genius steals other people’s material. Talking about other districts’ stats while offering zero suggestions or even moving to actually “do anything” is not leadership. Would be nice to see active participation & implementation by these “know-it-alls.” However, that would require work & may not put them in the political spotlight. To be fair, everyone in this county knows that these three board members only want to create controversy & damage our great school district. Take your negativity & your condescending attitudes someplace other than a board that was created to encourage & lift our kids up. Stop the grandstanding. We all know what you are doing & people laugh at you. One last tip, buy some pants that fit. I feel sure yours violate the school district’s dress code. You should be ashamed.
Designation as a “Restart School” does not solve the issue. Parents expect qualified staff at these four schools, the same as any other school in the district. Parents also expect the same calendar as the rest of the district. Some of us have blended families and do our best to make it work as it is. If these schools were staffed with teachers then just maybe they would not be failing. Leaving students without essential instruction for half the school year does tend to impact learning and test scores. My daughter spent almost the entire first half of the year without a math teacher. The second half appears to be minus a reading teacher. You are not making changes to benefit the students but to excuse your failures.
This article didn’t address any risks or potential problems if a school is designated as a “re-start” school. What are the potential negative consequences of this designation?
And, Captain K, you always have something negative to point out. How about spending 20+ hours researching solutions?
All schools deserve the flexibility which charters have the luxury to enjoy and employ (such as calendar flexibility, funding flexibility, etc.). Also, state legislation says charter schools are only required to have 25% highly qualified faculty. Some of the hardest working teachers are in these schools that struggle. Kudos to them for caring and sticking with their students. While school and community culture play a part, we also need to stop feeding these students self-fulfilling prophecies. When the community at large puts limits on schools because of “those kids”, the greater message that sends is loud and clear to the students. There are programs that people assume are more suited for other schools in the district without giving “those kids” the chance to even know about them, let alone participate in them. Support these schools! Support the staff, students, and administrators!
Hey here’s a thought…. Maybe we are having trouble hiring & retaining teachers because who would want to come work here knowing that cryin’ Brian, Capt K & Thunderdome are making decisions that put more of a workload on them? My suggestion: You three board members resign & I will bet we won’t have a teacher shortage.
I realize West Iredell High School is having issues because of teacher retention, & other problems. However, the teachers, and administration that are there, are doing their best with what they have to work with. Principal Johnson has been a helpful, and welcome addition for West. Also, there are children at West who are doing really well. My daughter being one of those. Many of her friends as well. AP Capstone, Beta Club, 4.0 GPA, Crosby Scholars Participant, various clubs. She has been talking about going to college since the 4th grade. I hope she gets the chance to see her dreams come to fruition. I continually worry about the new Administration getting rid of the DOE. As for our family, we are at the bottom, when it comes to income. I am disabled, and a single Mom. However, I have been with her every step of the way. Encouraging her dreams, & helping her make her way through school, as a great student. We truly need the Federal Pell Grant & other grants available. I know she will win several scholarships, because she has worked hard, & qualifies for them. It will be a shame to see her get to the finish line, of Public School, just to watch them pull the rug from under her.
The bad mouthing and negative attitudes towards ISS, by the usual suspects of the board, are disheartening. To say the least. If it is your agenda to tear us apart from the inside, then you’re doing your job. Otherwise, you’re not doing the job you were voted in to do. For the sake of all the students at ISS find a way to be a solutions-based member of the School Board, and not just a thorn in its side.
Firstly, how is addressing a problem our school district is having so egregious? How is sharing information gleaned from a school board conference that specifically addresses problems faced by school districts all over NC, including ours, equated to being “know-it-alls”? Only two board members attended; yet, they are criticized. They may even have possible solutions based on what they learned but won’t be afforded the time to discuss these. I’m surprised the new chairman even allowed Kurn and Kubiniec to speak to a serious issue that our school district faces. Thirteen low performing schools is a problem. And walking the stage isn’t the end-all, be-all measure of success. Remediation is often needed post-graduation because they lack proficiency in math and reading. By the way, there’s one board member up on the dais that doesn’t say “boo,” other than to make the motion to adjourn the meeting. Where is this member’s input during any public meetings?
Secondly, positive recognitions are highlighted each month, so the hard work done by teachers, staff, and students is being recognized, but the board wasn’t created just to lift up our kids, Janie Johnson. It’s to make sure their employee, Dr. James, is doing his job. The board may define the “what” to be done, not the “how” it’s to be done. Have you ever taken the time to read any board policy?
Thirdly, the decisions the board makes has nothing to do with teacher workload and a teacher shortage, as Mark S. declared. Teacher candidates aren’t being taught how to teach higher level math, which was specifically mentioned by Dr. James. Colleges are not churning out teachers with math certification; hence, a shortage of math teachers. It’s Raleigh and the federal government that place all kinds of additional workload on teachers, oftentimes without additional resources and funding – let’s implement this new program, let’s implement that new program, etc. I’m not saying all of that is unnecessary, but don’t blame three specific board members. That’s just ridiculous!
Finally, what does clothing size and name-calling have to do with school board performance? Oh, right! Nothing! It’s just another chance for some of you to highlight your nastiness and pettiness. Grow up!