The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

Local News

December 11, 2007

Three schools ‘ready;’ others getting there

Bob Benedetti

Down East Partnership for Children Executive Director Henrietta Zalkind and coordinator Patti Allen divvied up award checks Monday totaling more than $35,000 among representatives of G.W. Bulluck, G.W. Carver and Stocks Elementary schools for completing a High Scope Ready School Assessment (RSA) and effectively meeting the nine Pathways to a Ready Elementary School, as defined by the State Board of Education.

"No matter how much we work to ensure children and parents are ready (for student entry to kindergarten), we need to make sure that schools have what they need to educate every child that comes through their doors – regardless of developmental level," Zalkind said."For this (completing the RSA), you’ve stepped up as leaders ... and should be commended for it."

Coker-Wimberly and Princeville Montessori elementary schools also received praise for their pursuit of Ready School status. Both are presently in the evaluation phase to see if they meet High Scope Ready School standards.

Harris, a kindergarten instructor at Stocks Elementary and one of 36 teachers in N.C. classified as a "teacher leader" in the Ready Schools program, explained how a forum of early childhood teachers recorded "their concerns about issues in kindergarten" on a lengthy strip of butcher paper that ended up "streaming all over the classroom." That document became fodder for a position paper entitled The Power of K; a statement of what kindergartners of the 21st century need to effectively develop as students and persons.

Part of Harris' pitch included an alignment of expectations with infrastructure investment. Expecting "best practices to take place" with inflated classroom sizes "of 23 students per (kindergarten) classroom without the support" a full time teacher assistant would provide is something that isn't a realistic outcome.

ECPS Finance Officer Laura Leary submitted a proposed timetable for generating the 2007-08 school budget.

"It is very detailed and appropriate for our system," Wilson said.

The 23-year school district veteran also inquired about the level of budgeting readiness would exist for a proposed meeting with county Board of Commissioners in February.

Leary advised that annual state allotments take place around Valentine's Day, which may leave the budget partly incomplete when ECPS sits down with the commissioners.

Although it was mentioned that February's assembly was possibly a walkthrough of newly upgraded school facilities, Wilson recommended a proactive stance in "making sure to state our financial concerns – early." When asked to elaborate, her wry response was "it's wise to get there before the commissioners are bombarded by other departments."

VanderLinden reviewed new charter bus safety procedures, including a time-effective "clearing house" of companies approved by the N.C. Motor Coach Association, without compromising safety.

"This will be quicker ... but we (Transportation Director Tommy Hudson and VanderLinden) will still be there to inspect everything on the day of travel," she said.

The move would remove inefficient communications between the district's Transportation Department and the school board, by allowing operations personnel to chose from a menu of acceptable charter carriers.

Wilson attributed past pressure from a community who, for a long time "was not in favor" of changing tobacco-related policies for delaying until now to make Edgecombe schools a tobacco-free environment. A start date for the new guideline is July 1.

In closed session, board members completed the performance evaluation and goals for Witherspoon.

Wilson responded to the sensitive topic by calling the review "complete" and the superintendent, who is approaching the halfway mark of his second year, "doing good."

Witherspoon did not wish to comment, except to direct any discussion of the topic to Wilson.

Text Only
Local News
  • Teresa Bryant headshot.jpg Bryant declines to seek re-election

    Teresa DeLoatch Bryant announced she will not seek re-election to the District 2 seat she now holds on the Edgecombe County Public Schools Board. The announcement came 91 days before the May 8 Primary Election and nearly a year after the first-term plus one year board member announced her resignation for personal and career reasons. She later rescinded her decision.

    February 6, 2012 1 Photo

  • MimiHerman.jpg W.A. Patillo receives $5,000 poetry grant

    W.A. Pattillo School has been awarded $5,000 from the North Carolina Arts Council for Poetry in the Classroom with Mimi Herman.
    The funds will be used to provide a week of poetry writing experiences for seven fourth grade classes through the expertise and creativity of Herman. Students will gain self-confidence, and will view themselves as writers rather than merely consumers of literature. They will learn to use language effectively and creatively to communicate thoughts, feeling, and impressions.

    February 6, 2012 1 Photo

  • IMG_5889.JPG Pizza Bowl

    The biggest football game of the year brings the largest sale of the year for two area pizza restaurants.
    Tarboro branches of Pizza Inn and Dominos Pizza are gearing up for Super Bowl XLVI Sunday by increasing their regular employee lineup by as many as seven.
    Pizza Inn is running a special that they believe will keep them busy throughout the day. Last year they sold over 200 large pizzas on Super Bowl Sunday compared to 50 on an average Sunday.

    February 3, 2012 1 Photo

  • Edgecombe unemployment up in December

    TARBORO — Unemployment rates increased in 93 of North Carolina’s 100 counties in December. Rates decreased in four counties and remained the same in three.
    Edgecombe, which saw a slight improvement in November, fell back to its October 2011 level (15.7%). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Edgecombe and Dare are tied at third highest in unemployment. 

    February 3, 2012

  • Three ECPS campuses ahead of First Lady's nutritional guidelines

    When First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced new guidelines for the nutritional overhaul of school meals last week, they could have chosen three of Edgecombe County's public schools as their models.

    February 2, 2012

  • Lynn_Cale.jpg ECC Executive Named to United Way Board

    J. Lynn Cale, associate vice president of instruction at Edgecombe
    Community College, has been named to the United Way Tar River Region
    Board of Directors.
        The Tar River Region serves Edgecombe and Nash counties. Cale
    will serve a one-year term, from January to December 2012.
        He and other board members oversee 41 local health and human
    service programs funded through United Way as well as 21 Community
    Partners and various community development partnerships.
    RIGHT: J. Lynn Cale

    February 2, 2012 1 Photo

  • Pattillo Alumni Association on the move

    The Board of Directors (BOD) of W.A. Pattillo High School National Alumni
    Association, Inc. held a meeting on Jan. 21, at Pattillo School under the leadership of its President, Dr. Fred S. Wood, Jr.  All of the officers except one were in attendance, accompanied by 9 of 16 Board Members and 9 of 10 Appointed Standing Committee Chairpersons.

    February 2, 2012

  • BandSEDriverHouse.jpg Local students selected for N.C. Eastern All-District Band

    Three Edgecombe County Public Schools students have been chosen to play in the All-District Band. Lillian House, an alto saxophone player and Kaitlin Driver, a French horn player both eighth graders from South Edgecombe Middle School and West Edgecombe Middle School eighth grade flute player, Taylor Joyner earned the honor this year and will grace the stage at East Carolina University’s Wright Auditorium Feb. 3.

    February 1, 2012 2 Photos

  • Robbery prevention

    Community education on robbery prevention shares equal importance with the search of robbery suspects. Robbery prevention may seem unachievable, but we can not continue to ignore the problem of robbery in our community. As local citizens, we should create ways in which everyone can benefit from the knowledge of robbery prevention.

    February 1, 2012

  • GHW 01-28-1221.JPG George Henry White: tribute to a great American

      Why isn’t George Henry White a household name?  If Vincent Spalding has anything to do with it, that will soon change.
         Long ignored in African American history books and recognitions, George Henry White of North Carolina was elected to Congress in 1896, and re-elected in 1898, becoming the last African American elected to Congress after Reconstruction, and the first to serve in the 20th century.

    January 31, 2012 1 Photo