Mariel Williams
editor@mitchellnews.com
N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green visited with Mitchell County Schools administration recently.
MCS Superintendent Chad Calhoun spoke about the visit at a recent Board of Education meeting.
“It’s probably the first state superintendent that’s come Mitchell County Schools without being invited since June Atkinson,” Calhoun said. “We talked about how our transportation budget is going in the hole because the extra time it’s taking our drivers to drive. … We also talked about future needs, generators, wells.”
Board Chair Brandon Pitman said he was also impressed by Green.
“I joined him for lunch,” Pitman said. “He made … notes. … It wasn’t just a PR tour, felt like he was really taking back the input, and would take that into consideration and see what he could do to help.”
Mayland Early College
The board also presented staffers from Mayland Early College High School with an Academic Growth Award. Board members praised the school’s teachers for their efforts.
Board member Alan English said that his daughter had studied at MECHS.
“I can tell you why they do so well — they know each and every student, they know what they’re doing, what they’re going through, they know what’s going on,” English said.
English said MECHS teachers spend a remarkable amount of time with individual students.
Snow days & scheduling
The board voted to return to regular class schedules, after weeks of delayed starts to allow bus drivers to cope with hurricane-damaged roads.
Calhoun discussed the recent snow cancellations and weather-related school delays.
“I learned a long time ago you make 60 percent happy and 60 percent mad no matter what call you make on a snow day,” Calhoun said to chuckles from the board. “We err on the side of safety, so we have missed a lot.”
Calhoun said some of the cancellations have been difficult decisions to make.