NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Tuesday’s town hall with New Hanover County Schools board members, executive staff and teachers was a positive one, according to some participants and board members.
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“It went well,” board member Hugh McManus said. “The honest, straight input from teachers, principals,Instructional coaches, cafeteria staff, bus drivers and cafeteria staff to name a few should be a wake up call for all of us. We need to value all staff at all levels. I hope the board will continue to have these meetings a few times a year.”
Dozens of NHCS employees turned out to discuss three topics: district climate, student behavior and the new superintendent search. The event ran from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with two cohorts of participants. Two tables consisted of two board members and three were situated at the third table. Each set of board members took on a separate topic and rotated around the room to gather input.
The meeting was not live streamed and non-participants were relegated to a separate section of the room where they could not hear table conversations.
“We just really wanted to protect our employees,” board member Stephanie Kraybill said.
The names of participants were also kept anonymous to board members. This was important as roughly 65% of employees that filled out the 2024 climate survey expressing dissatisfaction with both district leadership and the board, but noted they feared retaliation from speaking out on important issues of concern in district policies, procedures and curricula.
Board member Josie Banhart said she wasn’t taken aback by any input shared Tuesday, considering the survey’s results presented to the board in July. The survey noted 65% thought the seven-member school board didn’t value their input or expertise, with 80% calling the board out-of-touch with the realities of the classroom. Many expressed disapproval of decisions being based on politics above district needs as well.
Barnhart said she was surprised by the candor the participants exhibited at the town hall, to which Kraybill agreed.
“I was very pleased that some people were bold enough to say they were tired of partisan politics creeping into decision-making and policies that we were putting in place when none of us had been in the schools in quite some time,” she said.
Kraybill noted other feedback received Tuesday could be used both for the interim superintendent search and permanent position. Just last week, the board finalized its separation agreement with former Superintendent Charles Foust, who was fired early July in a 5-0 vote.
“Folks want a permanent superintendent that has experience, not only experience but successful experience as a superintendent,” Kraybill said. “They want a superintendent who’s approachable, who is visible in the schools and will serve as a role model of what a good leader should be.”
Candy Robbins, a social worker at Castle Hayne Elementary, was in attendance and told PCD she wanted a “more well-rounded” person to lead the district. She listed traits she said she heard in numerous conversations among her peers.
“Being approachable to the community, being a people-person, being able to go into schools, hear from your staff, hear from the people that you represent, understanding where they’re coming from, going into the communities, understanding parents and hearing their concerns,” Robbins said.
This aligned somewhat with the school board’s desires, discussed last month. Characteristics included someone who was transparent, highly communicative and a good listener, as well as connected to the schools and employees. The board also wanted a person who would be “personable” and “willing to take directives.”
Barnhart, though assigned to discuss district climate with staff at the town hall, said the conversation diverged into the superintendent search frequently. One suggestion she got from a group was to create a staff panel or committee to be more involved in finding the right person. But the board member reported staff were concerned about protecting the privacy of candidates and expressed to the participants at the roundtable these options wouldn’t be possible.
Robbins also wanted to see more consistency in policy-making and student discipline.
“Especially how that falls, as far as understanding what to do, what are your steps, and how long does it take for something to happen in order to help a student that’s expressing severe issues when it comes to understanding how to behave in schools,” Robbins said.
Barnhart said the board needs to open more lines of communication, but also be more involved in district items.
“One of the big takeaways for me was hearing the desire for the board to be included in each of the departments’ needs,” Barnhart said. “For me, I would love to be included in department meetings and continuing to create forums like last night, as well as one-to-one conversations at schools.”
Port City Daily reached out to all school board members regarding their roundtable discussions but did not receive responses by everyone by press. Kraybill said the notes from each discussion will be shared with all board members and the public soon.
She also indicated the interim superintendent search could be finalized with a candidate as early as next week.
Reach journalist Brenna Flanagan at brenna@localdailymedia.com.
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