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Hoke County Schools superintendent outlines recruitment push, community engagement and $300,000 energy grant
Summary
The superintendent summarized year-end district work including parent and teacher advisory groups, a $300,000 energy grant, higher supplemental pay steps, an Angel Tree holiday program and steps to boost teacher and bus-driver recruitment.
The superintendent of Hoke County Schools gave a year-end report to the board describing steps the district is taking on community engagement, staff recruitment and facilities needs.
“I would just have a few things I wanted to share with you,” the superintendent said, introducing a list of recent initiatives and ongoing priorities. She told board members the district launched a parent advisory council that has met twice, with the next meeting scheduled for Feb. 18, 2024, and that teacher and student advisory groups are being formed.
The superintendent said the district has increased an unspecified supplement from 6 to 7 and is aiming to raise it to about 9 “to be competitive with some of these surrounding districts.” She said teacher recruitment is the district’s top concern and that the district is pursuing multiple outreach efforts, including visits to college campuses.
“We have classes. We're starting, February is our first 1. We go to NC State and Winston Salem State. So each month, we have some universities that we're attending,” a staff member said when asked about recruitment plans.
Holiday and community programs described by the superintendent included an Angel Tree effort organized across departments and schools and a volunteer program that partners parents with local businesses to enable employees to volunteer in schools. She listed many departments and schools assigned to Angel Tree duties.
The superintendent reported a $300,000 energy grant that was used to address district needs and said EC (exceptional children) compliance stands at 89 percent. She said the district conducts an annual safety grant process and held a “back-to-school university” professional development event in August. The district launched a new website in January and deployed a social-media hashtag to promote district news.
On the school calendar the superintendent described a proposal — still under discussion — to schedule more half days so teachers can do meaningful afternoon professional development instead of after-school sessions. She also said the district will treat Jan. 3 as optional work for staff in the new calendar proposal.
Other operational items noted were ongoing beautification and painting work at schools, continued discussion about bus driver recruitment and the bus garage, and recognition of staff achievements: “Mister Davis, who works at West Oak Middle, he won a dropout conventional award,” the superintendent said, adding the district was trying to obtain a copy of related coverage.
The superintendent said district outreach will include a second “superintendent’s night out,” broader radio communications and regular talks to civic groups to “tell the story” of district work. She closed by saying she will write a community-facing summary of the year’s accomplishments.
The remarks were delivered as updates and there was no formal board action tied to most of the items reported; several items were described as ongoing work or proposals that will return to the board for further consideration.
