Board of Education:

Nonresidents must

pay tuition
By Caroline Monday
cmonday@mountaintimes.com

The Watauga Country Board of Education met Monday, Feb. 11, for its regular monthly meeting, reaching a decision on the much-discussed student assignment policy and learning of several changes in the school system’s future.

The board voted to unanimously approve a revised school assignment policy, which clarified the existing policy in regard to reassignment of students within the WCS attendance area.

The policy also states that students who live outside the county but who wish to attend a public school in Watauga County will be required to pay tuition according to the tuition policy.

Neither the student assignment policy nor the tuition policy contain a grandfather clause.

School system superintendent Bobbie Short informed the board that the N.C. High School Athletic Association is in the process of realigning athletic conferences throughout the state.

The goal of the realignment is to reduce travel times for student athletes. Watauga High School will be placed in a new conference with two other 4-A schools, Alexander and South Caldwell, and with 3-A level schools Hickory St. Stephens, F.T. Foard, Hibriten, Patton and Freedom.

Under the realignment, the furthest Watauga athletes would travel is to the Hickory area.

The NCHSAA will make the final decision on all conference changes throughout the state in March.

Short also requested the board’s endorsement to pursue a character education opportunity for the county’s elementary schools.

Short said Dr. Philip Vincent, an expert in developing character education programs for schools, approached her with a proposal to implement such programs in K-8 schools throughout the county.

Vincent’s collaboration with the schools would be part of a research project on character education. The project would last about four years and be funded by a grant.

Short said Vincent has not yet received the grant but expects to.

She said Vincent believes that the K-8 schools provide a more cohesive environment for character education.

The goals of the program would be to integrate character development standards into the existing curriculum, provide professional development for teachers, enhance the social and moral development of students and establish opportunities for students to serve others in the school and in the community.

Vincent’s hypothesis is that the program will improve the school climate and increase academic achievement and lead to increased parent involvement in the schools and in the greater community.

The board voted to unanimously endorse the project.

Short introduced Dennis Ray as the new director of physical operations. Ray is a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and new to the High Country.

Also during the superintendent’s report, Short had director of testing and technology Andy Massengill introduce a new computer program that will help teachers and administrators in the school system look at student achievement data in a different way. Previously, school systems across the state had depended on the ABCs method of data analysis.

Massengill said the new software, called EVAAS, allows users to view explanations of the numbers used and to break down achievement data by school, class and individual student. The software has been provided for school systems throughout the state by the State Department.