Former superintendent Gerri Martin. Photo Credit: Orange County Schools[/caption]The public has until Monday to weigh in on the search for a new Orange County Schools superintendent.
The Board of Education took comments on desired qualities of the superintendent at its Nov. 10 and Nov. 24 meetings. Two community members spoke at the Nov. 10 meeting.
Eric Davis said he wanted a leader who could “embrace leadership” and “galvanize people and get them together.” The superintendent should not be “weak to where they listen to the loudest voice, because loud doesn’t always mean they’re correct.” He added that an ideal superintendent would be someone who cares for all OCS students and listens to the needs of the whole county. He or she should also know the limitations of the office and how to foster communication between the school system and public.
A Hillsborough Elementary School parent, Elvira Mebane, also spoke. She said the board should ask candidates what they can contribute to the district and why they would like to become the superintendent. She suggested that a good superintendent has “integrity and honesty, good communication skills, a willingness to engage the community, (and is) well rounded.” Most important, she said, the candidate must make sure that every student gets a diverse, quality education.
“The community's input is being sought and will be taken into account during this process,” OCS spokesman Seth Stephens said. The board emailed out a survey, and a link to the survey is available on the OCS website at bit.ly/1riQyDt. Residents can also contact board members with their suggestions.
According to the job listing, the next superintendent should be able to “build and retain the trust of the board and the local education community; lead by example to inspire others and instill confidence; develop a local leadership program to recruit, grow, and retain high-quality leaders; effectively discharge the day-to-day business affairs of the school system; demonstrate good judgment, time management, and prioritization skills; understand budget planning and school law; communicate effectively within the school system and also externally throughout the region and state; and use his or her position to promote and advocate for the interests of the school system.”
Stephens could not say how many candidates have applied for the job, but he said the search is “going well.”
The next superintendent will replace Gerri Martin, who resigned in May after less than eight months on the job. She was making $151,337.88 a year.
According to Martin's resignation letter, her mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in December.
Martin, the former superintendent of McDowell County Schools, succeeded Patrick Rhodes, who retired in June 2013.
Del Burns is serving as interim superintendent for the second time; he also served between Rhodes and Martin. Burns was the superintendent of Wake County schools from 2006-10.
Orange County Schools has about 7,600 students in 13 schools and an operating budget of $65 million.
Photo Credit: Orange County Schools[/caption]Orange County Schools superintendent Gerri Martin resigned on May 12, 2014, after submitting her resignation letter to the school board. Dr. Del Burns has taken over as the interim superintendent until a new superintendent can be found. According to the letter, Martin’s mother has stage 4 cancer so she resigned to care for her.
Martin was contracted to work through June 2017. The board will pay her $100,000, an amount decided upon in the resignation agreement. It gave Pam Jones the position of acting superintendent. When Burns is unable to attend meetings, Jones will temporarily be superintendent.
Donna Coffey, the board’s chair, had “no comment” on whether or not Martin had been a successful superintendent, according to a News & Observer article. In a statement released about the decision, the board said, “It is the unanimous opinion of the Orange County Board of Education that it is in the best interest of the students, parents, staff and community to conclude Dr. Martin’s employment as the superintendent of our great school system here in Orange County.” It called Burns’ hiring “a new bright day here in Orange County.”
In Martin’s letter, she wrote, “I have matters to address regarding a serious family medical situation that has to be a priority for me. Thank you for selecting me to serve as your superintendent and for affording me the opportunity to serve. I will be happy to assist in facilitating transfer of my responsibilities.”
Martin was the OCS superintendent for almost eight months before she resigned. She was previously the superintendent for the McDowell County school system.
Photo Credit: Maddie Norwood[/caption]The Orange County Board of Education decided March 10 during a meeting to forgive three of the school days students missed due to inclement weather because schools will have their required number of hours without making up the days. School will still be in session March 28 and April 21, two previously-announced make-up days.
The Board decided to forgive the days after considering multiple other options, including making school days longer and having school on Saturdays. In a press release, Superintendent Gerri Martin stated, “Having school on Saturday and extending the school day were on the table, but with possible disruption to community events and to the staff who have other jobs, the board had to discuss all of the ramifications.” Staff members, however, will be required to make the days up. Martin believes “the teachers will work diligently, as they always do, to complete the missed time.”
North Carolina policies require schools to have either 1,025 hours of school or 185 days, and the current Orange County school schedule gives schools 1,025 hours without making the missed days up.
Martin stated that the board’s decision “was not taken lightly” because not making up a day “is one less day of instruction for a student.” Donna Coffey, the chair of the board, called the choice “rare.” She assured the public that “the decision was made after careful consideration and in order to preserve the best interests of parents, students, staff, and the community.”
OHS students supported the school board’s decision. Junior Damien Thomas said that “three days typically won’t make a difference unless a class is on a really strict schedule… so it’s not that big of a deal.” Robert Russell, a junior, said that he agrees with the decision because the school’s other option “for make ups would be to take away teacher workdays, or have kids come in on a Saturday or over spring or summer break, which many kids wouldn’t come to.” He believes, if there are additional snow days, they should be made up because students “can’t miss too much school.” Kayla Phillips, also a junior, said, “I think it’s a good idea since most teachers have already caught up with their teaching plans, and it is not at all the students’ fault for being absent.”
Starting on Monday, February 24, at 5:30 pm, Orange High School welcomed all community members to come witness the ribbon cutting of the new Learning Commons, also known as the remodeled media center or library. The Orange County school board, superintendent, OHS principal, OHS associate principals, and those who helped personally with the creation of the Learning Commons attended the event.
Some of the people who were lead facilitators for this project were Shea Mustian, the OHS media specialist, and Tina Walker, the OHS technology facilitator. They both put a lot of time and effort into making the Learning Commons a place that students would love to visit.
The ceremony began at the doors to the new Learning Commons with numerous board members, OCS Superintendent Gerri Martin, OHS Principal Jason Johnson, and Mustian speaking on behalf of those involved in the “exciting project,” as Mustian called it. After everyone had said their part and given their views on the new area, School Media Assistants Emily Cecil and Trinity Graves cut the ribbon so everyone could enter.
Inside, everyone was welcomed to mingle and take a look around at the new bright decor. Old friends caught up and OHS Associate Principal Judith Brantley cut a celebratory cake that was soon enjoyed by everyone.
The new Learning Commons was presented by Mustian as she mentioned the new functional furniture that students can charge their laptops on with retractable plug-ins and the area where “students can work on group projects, and we can have a potential group of students broadcast with,” describing a large new projector screen and software that can edit videos.
Photo Credit: Maddie Norwood[/caption]Report cards, which typically are released soon after the end of the second semester, may be given to OHS students “sometime [this] week” according to OHS Principal Jason Johnson. They were delayed because North Carolina Final Exams took longer to grade than expected. Teachers received the exam grades on February 5, and report cards will be handed out after all the grades have been entered and report cards have been printed.
On February 6, Johnson said, “We just got exam grades [yesterday].” Teachers “need some time” to enter them in. A handout given to students on January 24 that was written by Gerri Martin, the Orange County Schools superintendent, stated, “The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is waiting for a majority of the North Carolina school districts to complete first semester testing so they can analyze scores in order to ensure that test scores are valid and reliable… Once our district receives these scores from the state, we will finalize grades and distribute report cards to parents and guardians in as timely a manner as possible.”
Parents and students can see their grades on PowerSchool, the student information program that contains information about students’ attendance, grades, and schedules. The site can be accessed at http://ocs.powerschool.com/.
Meredith Connor, an OHS English teacher, said, “We’ve done the best that we could with what we were given by the state… There wasn’t anything we could do.”
Haylee Burton, a 16-year-old junior, said that the report card delay has frustrated her. “I want to know if I passed,” she stated. She is waiting on her Algebra II and Chemistry exam grades.