news-record.com

Guilford County Schools added another public relations person to their department, despite a hiring freeze. The new hire fills the position left by the promotion of Haley Miller, the system's number one news face. It's a lower level position, communications specialist or something to that effect.

Superintendent Mo Green instituted the hiring freeze last month for all positions after it was announced the system would need to return about $5 million to the state. That number has lowered to over $3 million. Green revised the freeze last week to,

"Instituting a hiring freeze for non-instructional positions. Exceptions will be made on rare occasions only with the permission of the following administrators: the Chief of Staff, the Chief Administrative Officer, the Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Academic Officer."

The three other classified appointments are a bus driver, assistant teacher and something called an SNS manager for Gibsonville Elementary. Haven't figured out what that is yet.

So was hiring another PR person appropriate? They seem to stay pretty busy, I know I ask a lot of those folks with information requests and all. Then again, it seems like a bad time to hire anyone.

--UPDATE-- Miller says the hire was done before the hiring freeze.

As you may have read, there is a registered sex offender attending one of our local schools. School officials are working on a policy to address this issue and the issue of parents and guardians who are registered sex offenders who might need to come on campus.

So what do you think?

There's been some chatter on other topics about this incident with a bus driver and two students so I thought I should create its own post.
What questions do you have about the situation?

For a couple of weeks now questions have surrounded the hiring of Eric Becoats for the chief administrative officer position and Charlotte-Meck public relations director Nora Carr to replace Becoats as chief of staff.
Among the questions from the public is whether either is technically qualified for the positions. The specific issue is this section from both job descriptions:

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
"Minimum requirements would be a Master's Degree or six-year Certificate and Administration Certification in the state of North Carolina. Experience as a Principal and Central Office Administrator required, and administrative experience as an assistant or associate superintendent preferred."

Neither has experience as a principal. Schools attorney Jill Wilson said there's no legal issue with the discrepancy. The state only regulates instructional positions and the school board and superintendent are free to hire anyone they deem fit for administrative positions she said. Wilson added that there are some state requirements for administrators who directly evaluate teachers and principals.

When I asked Green about it this morning he said he had not seen the descriptions online but if this was the case it is an error with what's published online. He added that both Becoats and Carr are high quality hires for their positions and that they will be important to leading the school system forward.

I know that won't satisfy everyone but that's what I've got so far and I'm certainly open to hearing your thoughts on the matter.

The Early College at Guilford ranks 17th in the top 25 schools in America, according to an annual survey conducted by the magazine U.S. News & World Report.
The survey analyzed test scores including how well low income and minority students preformed on those tests. The survey also reviewed scores from Advance Placement and International Baccalaureate courses.
Established in 2002, the Early College at Guilford is Guilford County Schools first early college program. Students are admitted into the program through an application process that includes test scores and grade averages.
The program includes grades 9-12, with college course open to juniors and seniors. The school has an enrollment of about 190 students.
The Early College at Guilford also ranked 21st in Newsweek's 2008 top high schools poll. That poll is criticized for only looking at the number of students taking AP and IB tests rather than proficiency measures.
Click here to read more about the survey.

Mo Green weighs in on his hiring of Charlotte schools senior PR person Nora Carr as his new Chief of Staff two weeks ago. Many in the community have questioned this decision in light of the $5 million Guilford County Schools must cut from its budget to make up for a state budget shortfall and lower than anticipated enrollment in our schools.

Green addresses those concerns on his blog today.

"Some may question the value of adding Ms. Carr at this time. Simply put, I do not. Having worked with her for a number of years, I know how valuable she is as a school district administrator. As a result, I believe that Ms. Carr will be an asset to this school district."

Among the assets he list is her ability to help roll out his strategic plan for the school system.

He also says he'll cut back on the number of senior leadership positions by the next fiscal year. That decision, he says, is based on his survey of the system and his plan for it rather than the economics of the time.

Take time to read Green's blog and come back here to let your voice be heard. You can't reply to Green's blog.

A lot of you are calling into question the decision to move forward with the hiring of a new chief of staff during this financial crisis. I've asked the school PR folks if Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green would be willing to explain his stance on the issue.

There have been comments made about the issue here.

Now to play devil's advocate — the chief of staff position comes with a base salary of $150,000 plus benefits. That kind of money is nothing to sneeze at but isn't turning back the tide on the $5 million school officials will need to cut.

Then again, when you consider you already have someone in that position and you're just moving that person into a new position and that $150,000 can pay for a heck of a lot of crayons and paper, well it makes it a hard pill to swallow.

Then again, again, during times like these it pays to surround yourself with all the smart people you can so you can keep the impact to teachers and students to a minimum. And while Nora Carr doesn't have an educator's pedigree she's held some pretty important roles including her time within the inner circle in Charlotte.

Let's see if Green will help shed some light on this.

Here's a release from Time Warner Cable, if you know a principal you think should win be sure to tell them about this.

"Time Warner Cable is seeking entries for its 2009 National Teacher Awards. The Carolina Region is distributing entry forms to encourage Triad area teachers to participate. The program, now in its 20th year, recognizes classroom projects that use the resources Time Warner Cable provides to schools at no charge as a way to enhance the learning experience for students and teachers.

Fifteen teachers or teacher teams will be chosen from entries submitted from areas served by Time Warner Cable divisions around the country. Winners receive a $2000 cash prize, $3000 cash for the advancement of classroom technology for their school and a Crystal Apple sculpture. They also win an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Washington, D.C., for a gala Awards celebration.

In 2007, Time Warner Cable initiated a new award to acknowledge the important role a principal plays in supporting a teacher's use of technology as an effective learning tool. Nominations for the Champion Principal award only can be made online at www.timewarnercable.com/nationalteacherawards. The Champion Principal will be recognized at the Awards Gala in Washington and will receive $5000 for classroom technology enhancement in his/her school.

Last year, two teachers from the Carolina Region were winners of this prestigious award. To be eligible to enter projects for consideration in the National Teacher Awards, teachers must be in a state accredited public or private school (K-12) located within a Time Warner Cable service area. To be eligible classroom projects must fall within the 2008/2009 school year."

This is from an entry about a week ago in reference to an investigative piece on unreported crimes at county schools by WFMY.

Tax Paying Parent said:
Debora,
You can view the interview and report on
2Wants to KNOW at www.digtriad.com.
One of the unreportted rapes was at Eastern, but has never been confirmed or denied by school staff. No one knows if it was reportted during school hours or just on school property and whether there was an arrest of if the charges were dropped. However, Brian could look into this.

So I asked school officials about this and this is the response I got:

Brian,
The last rape that was reported to School Safety by Eastern Guilford High School occurred on December 10, 2003.

Haley H. Miller
Media Relations Manager
Guilford County Schools
Department of District Relations
712 N. Eugene Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
336-370-3200 phone
336-574-3863 fax
millerh3@gcsnc.com
www.gcsnc.com

Not real informative. I'll keep plugging away at it.

UPDATE: According to the sheriff's office there has been one reported rape at Eastern Guilford High on Oct. 5, 2006 since the one Mrs. Miller notes. However, the 2006 report was deemed unfounded by investigators and was not included in the sheriff's office data nor the school's. The report was made by a student.

So I'm not sure what you all have heard but it sounds like this is a case of bad information, not a shortcoming of the school.

The school board will discuss pay incentives for teachers working at low performing schools on Wednesday during a special meeting. The project, titled Mission Possible, gives teachers in English and Math one time signing bonuses up to $10,000, with annual pay incentives between $2,500-5,000 for working at low performing schools.
The John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank in Raleigh, praised the program in a recent report, citing a UNCG study showing some improvements at some of the schools.
There's been discussion — board member Darlene Garrett is a proponent — of expanding the incentive to all teachers at the participating schools, rather than just those in select courses.
What do you think? Should the gym or history teacher at a low performing school get the same bonus as the English teacher? Should the program be expanded or pared back? Is it even appropriate to essentially pay one teacher more than another just because she/he works at a school where students have scored low on tests time and again?

CORRECTION: Teachers recieve a recruitment and retention bonus of up to $10,000 that is recurring on an annual basis. The other incentives are performance based.
To learn more check out the GCS website.