NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Two schools formerly deemed “low performing” by the state are no longer considered so after the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released the 2023-2024 school report cards Wednesday.
New Hanover County Schools Interim Superintendent Christopher Barnes — who was also sworn in at this week’s meeting — addressed the incoming scores at the school board’s Tuesday meeting. The board also moved to support the creation of a girls wrestling team at Laney High School and a sustainability committee.
Wednesday’s release from NCDPI indicates the district has decreased its total of “low performing schools” from seven to six in the last year.
“Regardless of the scores, we know two things: The work our teachers and students put into growing and demonstrating that growth is monumental and we celebrate each and every one of you and all the students as well,” Barnes said. “But we also know that not all growth can be measured by standardized tests and school success is about more than just strictly academics. So while we’re excited to see what we’ve accomplished tomorrow, we know incredible things are happening in our schools that may or may not show up on a scorecard.”
The state provides letter grades A through F to each school based 80% on reading, math and science test scores and 20% on growth measures. Schools that are marked by Ds or Fs that have also failed to exceed growth expectations are considered “low performing.”
This has been a sore point for NHCS in the past; eleven schools were considered low performing in 2021-2022, the school year following the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and online learning. The following year, the number of low-performing schools decreased to seven, though many board members maintain the state’s formula should emphasize test scores less.
Two schools — Williston Middle and Snipes Academy — are no longer considered low-performing after exceeding their expected growth measure. Williston improved its grade from an F to D, while Snipes remains at D.
Several schools remain “low performing” — Rachel Freeman School of Engineering (F, Met Growth), College Park Elementary (D, Met), Forest Hills Global Elementary (D, Met), Career Readiness Academy at Mosley (F, Met), Wrightsboro Elementary (D, Met).
Forest Hills Elementary raised their grade from an F to a D for the first time since 2018-19.
Alderman Elementary was the one school to slip into low performing from a C to D, though it met growth expectations.
NHCS released a statement on the NCDPI report Wednesday night, highlighting how its success has cut its low performing schools in half since 2021-2022. The release notes 16 of its schools exceeded growth, the number of schools rated F decreased, and overall student proficiency increased from 60% to 61%. It was 55.7% in 2021-2022.
Other highlights from the report include:
- NHCS performed better than the state average in 12 out of 13 subjects and accountability measures
- Myrtle Grove Middle School is a “B” school for the first time in 10 years.
- Bellamy Elementary is ranked among the top 10 elementary schools in North Carolina for growth, out of more than 2,500 schools statewide.
- Four schools increased a letter grade:
- SEA-Tech: B to A
- Myrtle Grove Middle School: C to B
- Pine Valley Elementary: C to B
- Forest Hills Elementary: F to D
- Six schools increased their growth status
- Not Met to Met: Forest Hills
- Met to Exceeded: Eaton Elementary, Sunset Park, Snipes, Wrightsville Beach
- Not Met to Exceeds: Williston Middle School
NHCS’ success indicates the overall positive trend in the state. Grades continue to steadily increases, while the number of schools earning a D or F declined nearly two percentage points according to a press release from NCDPI. The number of schools exceeding or meeting growth increased as well. Approximately 72.5% of schools met or exceeded growth in 2023-24, compared to 72.3% in 2022-23 and up from 69.6% in 2021-22.
Wrestling
Assistant Superintendent Julie Varnam reported to the board Tuesday that female wrestling teams, separate from the district’s co-ed offerings, are being explored. The idea was first raised by the Laney High School wrestling team over the summer as a result of the growing interest there.
A separate team would require its own coaching staff and equipment in line with the current boys team to comply with Title IX, implicating the district’s already strained budget.
Varnam explained the creation of a new team was not part of the 2024-2025 budget discussions and, thus, staff were looking at implementation during next year’s budget cycle.
“This has come about, this interest, and the amazing interest that we’ve had, has come about since the budget cycle last year and I think it needs to be ready for this budget cycle, because I do think this is going to be something that will be hard to ignore,” Varnam said.
This in turn would give the other three high schools the opportunity to gauge interest in gendered wrestling teams and the district evaluate the ability of local competitors.
The sport, historically dominated by male athletes, is among the newer sanctioned by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Varnam said she has not received answers from the association on the female wrestling terrain across the state. Right now, the Laney female wrestlers, now numbering more than 20, compete co-ed within the conference and additionally in women’s only tournaments on the weekend, to add to their stats.
Some board members wanted to move forward with approval immediately.
“I am not in favor of waiting until the next budget cycle; when you’re an athlete, now is now,” board member Pat Bradford said.
Bradford originally suggested a five-year probationary period for girls wrestling teams to ensure continued interest, though that idea was dropped.
Board members Melissa Mason and Stephanie Walker agreed with Bradford, Walker making the motion to allow a female wrestling team at Laney, with the ability to build programs at the other schools. As for the budget implications, Walker said the board could “work that out somehow” but was willing to dedicate the remainder of her board member stipend to the team.
Stephanie Kraybill, joining the meeting virtually, was the only board member to offer significant resistance.
“Folks, we are barely making it by with our staff at this point in time, and for those of us who were being very fiscally conscious with our money, we don’t have the money,” Kraybill said.
She later added an “emergency on someone else’s part should not be an emergency” on the board and the board was still missing some positions. Board member Josie Barnhart pushed back, noting the district was in the process of putting some of the positions back in the schools as unused funding was shored up from last year.
Still, Walker’s motion to create the four teams passed 6-1, Kraybill dissenting.
Sustainability
The board also voted to create a sustainability committee 7-0 after a presentation about pesticide use at schools by Evan Folds, supervisor of the New Hanover County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Folds has presented similar warnings against chemical uses sprayed on government property before the New Hanover County commissioners and Wilmington City Council, while also being a large catalyst for the county’s new sustainability manager position.
“I think there’s a tremendous opportunity to lead the way in our region and I think kids can do that naturally,” Folds said to the board.
Folds asked for NHCS to fully comply with the North Carolina School Children’s Health Act. He said he found the district was not notifying parents annually of when the chemical sprays were occurring and was not providing a complete list of pesticides used, two violations of the act.
Even with state law compliance, Folds said it is often not enough to protect children from negative effects of some pesticides.
“There’s no excuse to spray poison around children,” Folds said.
According to a 2012 study from the American Academy of Pediatrics, children can be more susceptible to the potential toxicity of pesticides. It cites evidence of associations between early-life exposure to pesticides and pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral problems.
In the same study, the AAP states “recognizing and reducing problematic exposures will require attention to current inadequacies in medical training, public health tracking, and regulatory action on pesticides” — a quote Folds read off in his statements before the board.
Also requested was for the district to examine its use of harmful pesticides and consider an “organics first” policy. This occurs when organic compounds are utilized before more intensive ones, which may be cheaper or more accessible.
Additionally, Folds requested a sustainability committee, which Melissa Mason motioned to create on Tuesday.
The committee would be advisory and meet bi-monthly or quarterly with the following members:
- A board member
- A subject matter expert
- A groundskeeper
- A Soil and Water representative
- A parent
- The sustainability manager
- A teacher
The committee would be charged with auditing each school’s current environmental impacts and recommend more sustainable and healthy practices.
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