News-Record.com

For better or worse, Guilford County Schools stakeholders will have to wait a while to find out exactly how the district will change under the leadership of Maurice Green. Of course, he just got hired. But I have been working over the past 10 days to pin down his educational philosophy and approach to tackling this district's greatest challenges. Look for a full story on Sunday.

It's easier to figure out Mr. Green on certain issues, including school climate, teacher pay and the achievement gap. He wasn't so clear on other areas such as gifted students, construction, and improving the graduation rate. At the same time, Green walks into a district that is already undergoing several program reviews -- think magnet schools and Advanced Learners -- and he'll have practically no say in the approval of the 2008-09 budget.

Teachers:

Let's hear from you. If your school met or exceeded expectations on state testing, you’re not going to get as much of a performance bonus as you were promised.

From the Associated Press (includes a correction at mid-afternoon):

North Carolina public school teachers won't be getting the full amount of their performance bonuses this year.
The State Board of Education on Thursday approved a measure giving teachers $1,053 if their school's students exceeded benchmarks, instead of the usual $1,500. Teachers at schools that met state expectations will receive $527 instead of the usual $750.
The approximately 30 percent cut in the bonuses was necessary because the General Assembly this year capped the amount of state funds that could be used for teacher bonuses at $94 million. Education officials had warned that wouldn't be enough.
Board Chairman Howard Lee said the bonus cut is unfortunate but said he understands that the state is in a financial crunch.

If you're willing to talk on the record about this issue, how about sending staff writer Jason Hardin an e-mail at jason.hardin@news-record.com

Find here just-released 2008 ACT scores. I have requested district-level data and will post when I get it.

Update: Guilford County Schools does not have local statistics because it stopped purchasing the data several years ago.

A meeting at Eastern Guilford High School on Monday will cover construction of the new school, redesign of the seal and a future dedication ceremony.

A new alumni association is forming at Eastern Guilford High School and one of its first tasks is to raise money to pay for an electronic sign at the Bethel Church Road entrance. The brick marquee would have a color digital screen and cost about $32,000 to $35,000. The school itself would be able to contribute $6,000 reserved for a regular sign to the project, according to Principal Travis Reeves.

About 60 parents, students and school officials met at Eastern Monday night to get an update on the rebuilding of the new school, the modernizing of its school seal and the planning of a dedication ceremony.

"I want to do such a bang-up job with this ceremony that people will tak about it forever and ever and ever," Reeves told parents.

The district expects construction to end in January and the school to open in the spring of 2009. Reeves said he hopes seniors can hold their prom in the new building.

In the meantime, the association will raise money for the sign by selling 1,200 engraved brick pavers to be installed at the front of the school.

Guilford County Schools received some flak last year when the release of 2007 SAT scores showed a drop in district performance from the previous year. At the time, former Superintendent Terry Grier promised to beef up SAT preparation efforts.

Well, we'll find out how successful those efforts were, if they happened, on Tuesday when the College Board releases 2008 results.

I apologize for the sparse postings over the past few weeks; my daughter has been hospitalized since Aug. 1 so I have been in and out of the office. Hope everyone's first week of school went well.