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Superintendent UpdateJanuary 13, 2014Dr. Barry Williams, SuperintendentGATES COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

+Topics of Interest

POY

Teacher Tenure Document

“Lights Out” – December 17, 2013

Tentative Budget Calendar

Needs Assessment to the County

School Resource Officer

eBoard Invitation

Appreciation & Thank you

+Principal of the Year

Ms. Ward was elected Principal of the Year for this academic school year.

Effective leadership means more than simply knowing what to do-it’s knowing when, how, and why to do it. Effective leaders understand how to balance pushing for change while at the same time, protecting aspects of culture, values, and norms worth preserving. Leaders understand and value the people in the organization. Ms. Ward exemplifies this leadership style!

+Late at Night

+Teacher non-Tenure LawSequence of Information

May 1, 2013 - authority to award career status was repealed

July 30, 2013 Mr. John Leidy introduced the Teacher Tenure Act to all Gates County principals and directors at our summer administrative retreat in Elizabeth City.

August 29, 2013 Ms. Jennifer Hill conducted a meeting with all principals on creating a preliminary rubric to evaluate teachers.

September 4, 2013 Ms. Jennifer Hill conducted a follow-up meeting with the principals and Dr. Williams to finalize the contract distribution for awarding employment contracts

September 13, 2013 Mr. John Leidy presented a PowerPoint presentation to all Gates County teachers on the Teacher Tenure Act.

+Keeping Everyone Informed

September 24, 2013 Mr. Richard Schwartz presented a PowerPoint presentation at the North Carolina Association of School Administrators 2013 Law Symposium.

September 26, 2013 Dr. Williams referred this document to the Gates County Board of Education with tentative scheduled dates for more information provided to the teachers and principals on the Teacher Tenure Act.

September 26, 2013 Ms. Jennifer Hill facilitated a meeting with all principals to discuss updates and the next steps in the implementation process of the new Teacher Tenure Law.

October 7, 2013 Dr. Williams presented the sequence of events to the Gates County Board of Education.

+Updates and Changes

October 9-11, 2013 Ms. Jennifer Hill attended the Fall PANC conference in Asheville, NC. A representative from Schwartz and Shaw, PLLC presented: “Changes in the Tenure Law: Understanding and Implementing Them”.

October 18, 2013 Ms. Jennifer Hill and Dr. Williams were in attendance for the presentation from Tharrington Smith at the NCSBA Law Conference in Asheville

October 24, 2013 Dr. Williams was in attendance for the presentation by Rachel Beaulieu at the Northeast/Southeast Superintendents’ meeting discussing Section 9.6 SB 402

+Timeline of Activity

October 25, 2013 Dr. Williams shared the presentation from Ms. Beaulieu with the school board through superintendent/school board connectivity

October 29, 2013 Dr. Williams and Ms. Jennifer Hill shared Section 9.6 SB402 with the principals

November 4, 2013 Mr. John Leidy presented the new updates on the teacher non-tenure law to teachers in attendance. Attendance was optional

November 6, 2013 Ms. Hill facilitated a principals’ focus group to begin the process of developing a rubric to validate the selection of teachers offered a four year contract

November 6, 2013 Superintendent’s Update - Section 9.6 SB402 by Ms. Jennifer Hill and Dr. Williams

May 1: Superintendent must submit the budget to the Board of Education

May 15: Board of Education must forward an approved budget to the County Commissioners

July 1: County Commissioners must complete its action on the school's budget

October: Board of Education must approve the final budget resolution

+Budget Calendar

May 1: Superintendent must submit the budget to the Board of Education

May 15: Board of Education must forward an approved budget to the County Commissioners

July 1: County Commissioners must complete its action on the school's budget

October: Board of Education must approve the final budget resolution

+Needs Assessment

Every year, the Superintendent of Gates County Public Schools is charged with delivering a report that summarizes the progress and needs of the educational system. A part of this report includes recommendations that will help the district move forward in improving public school quality and performance for students. While the budget request is an important policy statement on its own, Dr. Barry Williams offers the following specific goals for his term and also recommendations to help move Gates County Public Schools forward.

+Number 1 Priority

To enhance and increase school safety, Ms. Adrienne Bradley researched funding and grant opportunities for conducive learning. With success in receiving the grant, we received funding and matched half from our budget to implement a second SRO in the Gates County Schools. Officer Eric Wall will be stationed at Central Middle School and will provide his services under the direction of Ms. Boone. He will also be available to the other schools as called upon.

+eboard Invitation

We have been invited to attend and present to board members and superintendents in the nation our successes with eboard.

February 10-12 in Atlanta Georgia

Ramona Miller (NCSBA) will be hosting this conference

+January is …

School board members exemplify local citizen control and decision making in education. They volunteer hundreds of hours and an immeasurable amount of energy to assure that our schools are providing the best education possible for the children of our community. That is why we are taking this opportunity to recognize each board member during School Board Appreciation Month in January.

School board members are citizens whose decisions affect our children – what they learn, who will teach them, and what kinds of facilities house their classrooms.

+School Board Appreciation Month

Our school board is one of more than 100 such boards across the state. With the advice and counsel of the educational professionals they hire, our school board has an impact on virtually every aspect of our schools.

This is a huge responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. They represent you, and they take this responsibility seriously by attending meetings and conferences where they broaden their knowledge about education. Too often we neglect to recognize the dedication and hard work of these men and women who represent us. The staff and students of our school district are asking all local citizens to take a moment to tell a school board member “thanks for caring about our children’s education”.

+School Board Appreciation Video

Please click here to view the video.

+Thank you!!

We salute the Gates County Board of Education whose dedication and civic responsibility make local control of public schools in our community possible. We applaud them for their vision and voice to help shape a better tomorrow.

Name Years of Service

Doug Lilley 8 years

Glendale Boone 10 years

Leslie Byrum 15 years

Ray Felton 5 years

Claire Whitehurst 1 year

+Thank you