Teachers Of The Year Announced, Core Literacy Program Coming To Elementary Schools

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

At the May 20 meeting of the Dade County Board of Education, Josh Ingle (superintendent) announced the Teachers of the Year. The board also heard about and approved a healthcare occupations course improvement at Dade County High School (DCHS) and core literacy program for kindergarten through fifth grade.

Ingle noted that the summer meal program will run from June 3-28, Monday-Friday. Served at the high school, breakfast will be from 8-9 a.m., and lunch will be 11:30-12:30 p.m. The meals are free to all children (18 years old and under) in Dade County regardless of where they’re enrolled in school. Meals are limited to one breakfast and lunch per child per day, and meals can be picked up to go by parents/guardians or can be eaten in the cafeteria.

Ingle noted that the school system renewed its contract with School Play physical and occupational therapy services. The group particularly serves students in the special programs and works closely with Susan Reyes. Ingle said, “Speaking as a parent, I can personally say the services have been very great for what’s been provided for my child.”

Ingle then noted that this year’s Teachers of the Year timeline is slightly different, with teachers announced in May while the billboard will be up for the month of August. He visited each school to surprise the teachers on May 20. He thanked Darlene Rogers (academic coach) for organizing the process and keeping him on track.

The 2024 Teachers of the Year are:

• Dade Elementary School: Janet Brooks (First Grade Teacher)
• Davis Elementary School: Grace Brown (Special Education Teacher)
• Dade Middle School: David Lyons (Seventh Grade English Language Arts Teacher, Girls Basketball Coach)
• Dade County High School: Dr. Sandra Spivey (Mathematics Teacher)

Allison Vice (DCHS Health Occupations Teacher) then presented an opportunity for the Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) healthcare pathway. Currently, the third level class is Allied Health, and while it includes shadowing healthcare professionals, it does not include hands-on experience or options to obtain licensure.

Vice said, “My heart is to get these kids a job.” To help students on the path to employment, Vice would like to introduce the Patient Care Technician program to replace Allied Health. She said it’s a nationally accredited certification that offers hands-on experience in a hospital setting, and students who pass the certification exam are employable at age 16 in any state.

She said that patient care technician (PCT) careers are projected to grow four percent by 2030, and Erlanger’s starting wage for PCTs is $15 per hour.

Vice explained that students who pass the exam and choose to work as PCTs will benefit from flexible scheduling (meaning they can choose long weekend shifts instead of working during the school week), experience for their resumes, and points earned toward nursing entrance applications. She said Erlanger is ready and eager to hire such students.

With 34 students signed up for the class this coming school year, Vice has seen high interest from students and heard from graduates who wish they’d had this opportunity.

The school system is working with Erlanger on a clinical agreement. To earn clinical time, students will be supervised by PCTs on the hospital floors, and Vice will lead the trips to Erlanger. She is working through scheduling and transportation questions.

Vice said she is communicating with a CTAE leader at Ridgeland High School who is setting up the same program, and she shadowed Chattooga’s CTAE program which includes this class.

Ingle said, “We’d like to have this up and going once school starts in the fall…Just a matter of working through the red tape.”

Chris Davis (director of academics/testing) then returned to literacy improvements, this time focused on K-5 students. (See the January 31 Sentinel for another recent discussion about steps toward literacy improvements).

Davis explained that the focus on literacy stems from two state bills (HB538 and SB48). He asked the board to approve the purchase of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s (HMH) curriculum, but first, he explained the extensive process by which he and a committee of seven teachers, academic coaches, principals, and interventionists reached this decision. This committee also sought feedback from additional educators before reaching a decision.

The process included examining a state-created rubric, and choosing to either adopt one of 12 approved core reading programs or add supplemental programs to existing programs. They opted to choose one core program and landed on HMH (one of the state-approved curricula).

The total cost to add HMH for next school year is $144,563.26. Each following year will cost $68 per student. Based on current enrollment numbers, that totals $63,036.

Jayne Griffin (At-Large) asked about how this change will impact the middle school. Davis explained that until now, none of Dade’s schools have core curricula, so the middle school has a course of study but teachers draw from other resources. Davis does not anticipate students having difficulty transitioning from HMH in elementary school to the middle school classes. However, the middle school is having conversations about moving toward a similar core literacy program.

Griffin also asked why they chose HMH over the other state-approved options. Rogers, Melissa Valtierra (Dade Elementary principal), and several other committee members who were present offered answers. They explained that HMH starts with foundational skills, addresses Dade’s weak points (such as vocabulary by focusing on Greek and Latin roots), uses a scaffolding system so that advanced students can continue to progress, and includes quality literature, helpful graphic organizers, and interventions.

Griffin asked how teachers felt about the switch. Charity Barton (Davis principal) said teachers have been asking for a core program and are eager to use HMH but it will still be overwhelming to make the switch and will require time and training.

Under action items, the board approved the purchase of the HMH curriculum, with the first year costs (aside from training) eligible for Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funds, and future years to be funded by the general fund.

The board then approved the tentative budget for fiscal year 2025. This budget was formed using the current millage rate (14.0000), but the true millage rate won’t be certain until later this summer. The projected revenue is $23,391,807 in the general fund, $4,470,061 in the special revenue fund, and $3,500,000 in SPLOST. Excess expense in the general fund is estimated to be $653,862.

The general fund is projected to begin at $7,165,5959 and end at $6,511,733. The special revenue fund is projected to begin at $600,000 and end at $435,000. SPLOST is projected to begin at $7,800,000 and end at $6,200,000.

The board also approved the “Strategic Waiver School System Local Board Resolution.” In Georgia, school systems choose either a charter system or strategic waiver system. Ingle explained later to the Sentinel that several superintendents ago, Dade opted for the strategic waiver route because it allows the most flexibility.

Part of the resolution reads: “…increased flexibility from certain state laws, rules, and regulations in exchange for increased accountability and defined consequences through a contract with the State Board…”

Explaining specific examples, Ingle said that this resolution allows the system to hire teachers with particular experience, even if they do not hold a teacher certification. For example, David Howard (DCHS carpentry/electrical/metals teacher) was able to get a teaching certification for a specific content area due to his experience in the construction industry. The same goes for Vice who is a nurse by trade.

The resolution is also used for class size. According to the state, the maximum class size is 20 students per teacher. If one or two new students join the school system (in the middle of the school year, for example), this resolution allows the student to be added to a class, rather than hiring more staff or creating a new class for only several students.

The personnel report is as follows:

• 2024-2025 Certified Staff: Kristin Barrett, Ashlie Blalack, Stephanie Durham, Karyn Zabielski
• Retirement (End of FY24): Christopher Payne
• Resignation (End of FY24 school year): Titus Cartwright, Shawn Peek, Molly Rogers, Autumn Steele, Andrea Mazariegos, Caitlyn Seipel
• Hire: Melanie Weathers, Dr. Tony Richardson