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Superintendent outlines continuous-improvement plan and warns of $650,000 shortfall
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Woody and Chief Academic Officer Dr. Wendy Rich presented Ashboro City Schools’ continuous improvement plan, detailing instructional consistency, behavior supports and community partnerships, and warned the district faces an estimated $650,000 funding shortfall for 2026–27.
Ashboro City Schools officials on Monday laid out a multi-part continuous improvement plan aimed at strengthening classroom instruction, aligning support systems and deepening community partnerships — while warning of a significant budget gap for next year.
"We are looking at a minimum of a $650,000 shortfall," said Dr. Woody, the district superintendent, during the board’s April meeting. He told the board the district is pursuing a mix of local, state and federal funding options but must plan now to preserve programs and staffing.
Chief Academic Officer Dr. Wendy Rich presented the three goals that anchor the plan: instructional consistency, system coherence (particularly for behavior supports), and belonging supported by partnerships and grants. On instructional consistency, Dr. Rich highlighted the district’s emphasis on shared instructional expectations, coaching and a substantial increase in classroom walkthroughs — "we are over 1,700 walkthroughs as of today," she said — and showed early evidence of growth on interim check-ins in reading and mathematics.
Officials said the district is aligning supports through quarterly "impact" meetings that include principal and instructional-facilitator teams to analyze classroom data and define actions. "We meet with them quarterly and talk about strengths, areas of growth and actions that need to be taken," said Dr. Floyd, who described the impact-meeting process.
On behavior, leaders said a district behavior subcommittee and partnerships such as Youth Haven (Blue Comet Quest) and Contegra have helped reduce disciplinary incidents and out-of-school suspension days, though elementary aggressive behaviors and secondary attendance and disengagement remain areas for focused improvement.
Dr. Woody reminded the board that the draft strategic plan will enter a 30-day public review period in May and is slated for consideration at the June board meeting with implementation proposed for July 1. He urged board members to review the draft and provide feedback ahead of the public comment window.
The presentation emphasized leveraging external partners to sustain programs: district staff credited grants including the Driving Possibilities grant with Toyota and other foundation support for enabling long-term work such as the global innovation center. "This has gained a lot of traction across North Carolina because it is innovative," Dr. Woody said.
The superintendent’s fiscal comment framed the immediate task for the board and staff: balance near-term fiscal constraints while protecting instructional priorities and sustaining partnerships that expand opportunities for students.
The board took no formal vote related to the plan at the meeting; the draft strategic plan will be posted for public review and returned to the board for consideration next month.
