School board extends bonuses to all employees as school year begins

Caldwell County Schools employees whose jobs are funded with local or federal dollars will receive the same state-authorized bonuses as their state-funded coworkers, Superintendent Dr. Thomas Howell told the Board of Education at its Aug. 10 meeting.

The state budget authorized bonuses based on pay, work location, and full- or part-time status, Howell said, but the state’s approval applied only to state-paid workers. At a work session the previous week, board members agreed to extend the bonuses to locally and federally funded employees so all district workers would be treated alike.

Bonuses range, Howell said, between about $800 and $1,750.

“Our board really did a great job stepping up and taking on the leadership of making sure all our employees are being paid correctly,” Howell said. “This has not happened in some districts.”

The decision was one of several updates touching large portions of the school community as the district prepared to reopen. Teachers reported Aug. 10. Students at Caldwell Applied Sciences Academy and Caldwell Early College High School were scheduled to start Aug. 12, while traditional-calendar students are scheduled to return Aug. 24.

STAFFING UPDATE

Howell also said the board had approved two assistant principal positions in Gamewell.

Zabrina Pitts is the new assistant principal at Gamewell Elementary School. She comes to the district from Hickory Schools. The new assistant principal at Gamewell Middle School is Brittany Coffey. Coffey has worked in Caldwell County Schools for more than 14 years. She began as a Wraparound Assistant and Wraparound Director before moving into the classroom in 2018.

There are still roles in the district that need to be filled. Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Adrienne Dula told board members the district expected to begin the year with a few vacancies, although all were posted and officials were pursuing candidates. As of Aug. 13, 22 jobs were posted on the district’s website, from part-time instructional aide to bus driver to classroom teacher.

The board also unanimously approved an updated beginning teacher support plan. Dula said revisions addressed the conversion of initial teaching licenses to continuing licenses, required collaboration with principals and mentors on professional development plans, and incorporated changes to the state’s teacher evaluation policy.

CALDWELL ONLINE ACADEMY

Online enrollment drew questions from Board Vice Chair Chris Becker after two transfer requests to Caldwell Online Academy were denied due to capacity constraints. Dula confirmed that internal transfers had reached their cutoff under a revised format. Enrollment will be reassessed after an application period for other groups, including home-school students.

The superintendent added that 40 to 50 students from private schools and from outside the district were expected to enroll in the online program, with about 40 more on a waiting list.

“We’re very excited about that, and we haven’t done a whole lot of the advertising because we’re really worried it’s going to blow up too fast. So, this organic approach is going to be really good,” Howell said.

The board later entered closed session to discuss confidential personnel matters and receive attorney-client legal advice. Members returned about 54 minutes later and adjourned without taking additional action.