School officials name Salzano to replace retiring Libby Knight

By Lynn Hotaling

Tinnie Salzano, who has taught honors English and directed yearly plays at the high school for the past six years, will leave the classroom at the end of this school term. Though Salzano will replace Knight, she will have a different title - instructional specialist. The changed title and requirements for the position are part of a planned administrative reorganization at SMHS, said Martha Queen, chairman of the Jackson County Board of Education.

In her new position, Salzano will help build teacher leadership, said Superintendent Mack McCary.

"She'll be able to offer in-school instructional support," McCary said. "We concluded we'd do well to take a master teacher and utilize that person as a coach, mentor and facilitator."

The decision to move to an instructional specialist rather than an assistant principal was one he and SMHS Principal Kenny Nicholson reached together, McCary said.

"By taking one excellent teacher and letting her work with other teachers, we'll end up with a number of excellent teachers," said Nicholson.

The salary for Salzano's new position was not available at presstime. She will be paid as a teacher, McCary said, with a supplement to be negotiated. The superintendent said he did not know if Salzano's compensation would be paid from state or local funds.

A similar instructional specialist position is expected to be filled at the school system's Central Office, McCary said. Former elementary supervisor and testing coordinator Linda Griffiths was not replaced after her retirement last fall, and Jackson County Schools is currently advertising for a countywide instructional specialist to fill that lead-teacher position, he said.

Turning to policy matters, school board members voted to suspend their rules in order to approve new competency standards in advance of state guidelines aimed at ending social promotion.

The first state-mandated gateway for fifth-graders takes effect this year and has very serious implications for students and their parents, McCary said. The central idea behind state guidelines is to give kids a strong foundation in the basics, he said, and state officials zeroed in on the idea of social promotion. State guidelines allow local school systems some flexibility with regard to promotion standards as long as clear guidelines are established, said Assistant Superintendent Nancy Sherrill.

Jackson County's policy differs from state policy in that it includes procedures for student evaluation in addition to testing.

"This is a policy that calls for balanced assessment and does not rely on one measure," McCary said.

The local policy includes the three state-mandated gateways - at third, fifth and eighth grades - even though only the fifth-grade standard will be implemented this year. The intent is not to retain large numbers of students, McCary said, but "to get everyone together to help all students achieve."

Beginning next year, third- and eighth-graders will be required to meet established promotion standards as well, Sherrill said.

"I think the attempts of the state in trying to be accountable have merit, but they're going about it the wrong way," said School board member Ray Trine, interjecting an objection to the new policy. "The state method assumes everyone is the same. By insisting that everyone score a certain level, they're dumbing down the system. The teacher has to concentrate of the ŒC' and ŒD' students at the expense of the ŒA' and ŒB' students.

"I'm opposed to the state accountability system because of this - the teachers are forced to concentrate on the lower-performing students to the detriment of the better students. You can't level the playing field; some just don't perform as well as others," Trine said. The local policy, which passed unanimously, mandates intervention both before and after the tests, or gateways, McCary said.

"I know we have to pass this (policy). But I think it's really a shame. I think we're doing an excellent job in Jackson County. But things that are being imposed on us will keep us from doing as good a job," Trine said to explain his vote in favor of the policy he said he opposed.

Under the local policy, students who fail to perform at fifth-grade level this spring will first be retested. If they score below standards a second time, a school review committee will examine samples of the child's work. If the committee determines the child is not performing at grade level, the child will have an opportunity to enroll in a summer intervention program. Should that offer be refused, the child will go back to the fifth grade.

If the child participates in the summer program, he will be given another opportunity to take the test and have his work evaluated. The principal will have the option of granting "conditional" promotion if it is determined that the child has made progress and should be able to keep up with continued instructional support. In such cases, the student, school and parents would sign a contract agreeing to the terms of the conditional promotion.

If no progress has been made, however, and it is determined that nothing short of repeating the grade will help, then the child will repeat the grade, McCary said.

"To look at retention as a solution is not good," McCary said. "Retention is usually not a successful intervention."

Board members postponed action on another policy matter, snow day absences, until their April 9 session. The proposed policy states that when buses don't run due to hazardous road conditions, students for whom bus transportation is not provided who do not attend school will be given an excused absence. Also, absences on days when buses do not run will not be held against students in connection with perfect attendance, attendance incentives or number of allowable days absent.

The adjusted policy was proposed in order to provide consistency throughout the school system with regard to the way snow day absences are coded, McCary said.

Also March 29:

- School system finance officer David Steinbicker recommended the board develop a policy with regard to hiring retired teachers and staff. The practice of allowing school system personnel to continue to work for a year after retirement, approved last year by the General Assembly, basically allows employees to "double-dip," Steinbicker said, in that they draw retirement and get a pay check as well.

"Interim contracts that involve teachers cost us local dollars," Steinbicker said. "My recommendation is that you look at it and set up some guidelines."

- Due to continued water shortages at Blue Ridge, board members voted to drill an additional well this summer to meet the needs the K-12 school.

"We've never had a large capacity well," said Blue Ridge Principal Lib Balcerek. "With the construction and other demands, it just wasn't enough."

The Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad Building, which also houses a Jackson County Sheriff's Department substation, is supplied from the school's water system. The motion to drill a new well at the school included a provision to seek a contribution to the costs from county commissioners.

County Manager Jay Denton said Tuesday that he has already asked Jackson County Department of Public Health Director Randall Turpin to consider waiving the necessary permit fees.

- Darrell Hurlbut of Johnson Controls reported to the school board concerning the savings associated with the performance contract his company entered into with the school system three years ago. Under the agreement, Johnson would replace outdated lighting and controls at five schools (Blue Ridge, SMHS, Smokey Mountain Elementary, Scotts Creek and Fairview) and receive payment from the energy savings.

Utility bill comparisons show significant savings, Hurlbut said. So far the total savings have been $70,294, which exceeds the company's projection of $50,648 by some $19,000.

Board member Trine took issue with Hurlbut's report.

"This is garbage, and the reason is there is no criteria for establishing a baseline. I wanted to see the actual kilowatt hours used before and after," Trine said. "This is gibberish. David (Steinbicker) says there are no savings - that we're spending more (on electricity) now."

Though Hurlbut maintained that his figures were based on actual utility bills, Trine was not convinced, and Hurlbut said he would try to provide the information Trine wanted.

School system construction coordinator Clarence Hubbell pointed out that some 600,000 square feet of instructional space had been added since the contract started, and that SMHS has been almost completely rewired.

"There is probably no accurate baseline," Hubbell said.

- Board members approved an audit contract with Hughes, Hughes and Co. in the amount of $10,500.

The school board will next meet Monday, April 9, at 6 p.m. at the school system's Central Office on Hospital Road.

Back to Archive: 04/05/01.