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Burke schools on track to answer SACS CASI concerns

By Steve Welker | The News Herald

Published: December 1, 2009

Updated: 12/02/2009 06:00 am

Morganton, NC - Burke County Public Schools will meet SACS CASI's first deadline to respond to the Aug. 24 letter that put four high schools on probationary accreditation.
Superintendent Dr. Art Stellar will mail the schools' response on Thursday, one day before it is due at the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement.
School board member Susan Stroup said the task force working to address SACS CASI's concerns had a productive meeting on Monday.
"I felt very good overall," she said. "It was very focused on resolving the issues from SACS and moving forward."
"The template that Donna James (SACS CASI's North Carolina director) sent was very helpful," Stroup continued. "We were able to check off No. 10 as completed" —involving the community in selecting a new school superintendent — "and on No. 11, concerning Mr. (Rob) Hairfield, we were able to check that is in progress. That's going to be on-going."
The school board earlier this year censured Hairfield for distributing racist jokes via e-mail.
The working group also is reviewing other schools' examples of an ethics policy for board members. Stroup reiterated what she said last week: the sticking point will be what happens if a school board member violates the ethics code.
"It should have teeth in it," Stroup said.
The working group will meet on Dec. 10 to finalize preparations for a Dec. 14-15 visit to Burke County by a SACS CASI review team.
Stroup said the accrediting council will send two educators, Dr. Davis Nelson and Dr. Denise Jennings, both from Georgia, to check on Burke County's progress toward meeting SACS CASI's standards and re-acquiring full, unqualified accreditation for Draughn, East Burke, Freedom and Patton high schools. Stroup said they'll talk with many of the same people a review team interviewed in July, assessing how much progress has occurred in relations between the school board and the community.
SACS CASI put the schools on probationary accreditation in August after the council said the Burke County Board of Education failed to meet the standards for vision, leadership, governance and communicating with its stakeholders (taxpayers, parents, teachers and classified school staff and business and community organizations).
Since August the board has hired a new school superintendent, Dr. Stellar, and voters in November ousted the former school board chairman, Tracy Norman, and elected two new school board members: Stroup, a recently retired school principal, and Catherine Thomas, an attorney.
The working group by design includes people who represent many segments of the community.
"Several additional representatives provided valuable input Monday," Stroup said.
Among them are the Rev. George Logan, pastor of New Day Christian Church, a parent and a leader in Burke County's African-American community; Scott Carlton, a businessman (Express Lube), parent of a high school student and active leader in the SMART program that provides donated supplies for schools and teachers; Daniel Gutierrez, a Burke County Public Schools teacher, a pastor, a leader in the Hispanic community and a parent; and Amy Morgan, a Burke County Public Schools classified employee who works in the Career & Technical Education Department. Nhia Yee Her, a parent and Hmong community leader, couldn't attend Monday's meeting, but will join the group Dec. 10.
Stroup said, "Rev. Logan helped us to focus on the future and not just bringing up the past. And Mr. Carlton was very influential in encouraging us to go above and beyond what the SACS requirements are — whatever they're requiring, we should try to do more."
Stroup said Logan also made the suggestion that the working group should continue to meet as representatives of the community for progress in the schools.
The working group's other members are Stellar; teacher Brian Bowman from East Burke High School; Michael McNally, president of the Burke County Chamber of Commerce; Hairfield; and Judy Lowery, director of the Career Ready program and the schools' public relations.