COMMUNITY EDUCATION PULSE A SPECIAL PROGRESS EDITION SUPPLEMENT TO THE
MARCH 30, 2014
Facility repairs top needs in Randolph schools Area has numerous private-school options Davidson County Schools faces growth challenges
What’s up with GTCC Aviation? South University meets growth demands LAURA GREENE | HPE
Montlieu Academy of Technology fifth-graders Grayson Crawford, Adrianna Barbee, Jaiden Burgess, and Alijah Jones hold up iPads with their school logo.
Guilford County Schools changes with the times BY JORDAN HOWSE STAFF WRITER
GUILFORD COUNTY ― Guilford County Schools came out of the combination of Greensboro City Schools, High Point City Schools and Guilford County Schools to form the state’s third-largest public school district in 1993. GCS has 72,388 students in 126 schools, with 54 magnet school or high school option programs. The district has more than 10,000 full- and part-time personnel, including nearly 5,000 classroom teachers. Because of the merger of three school districts, GCS has a mix of urban, suburban and rural schools and students. The district is 40.7 percent black, 37 percent white, 12.4 percent Hispanic, 5.6 percent Asian, and about 5 percent multi-racial, American Indian and Pacific Islander. Guilford County Schools receives funding from the federal, state and local government, the majority from the state. The majority of funding goes to salaries and benefits for employees while the rest goes to services, supplies, capital outlay and transfers. In the past six years, funding to GCS has decreased
by about $43 million. In 2008, Superintendent Mo Green came to GCS from Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools and put together the 2012 Strategic Plan that focused around bring the Martin Luther King Jr. quote “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education” to life. Green brought with him the implementation of character development, service learning and a focus on educational excellence. GCS awarded its first service learning diplomas and certificates in 2011 and was one of three districts nationwide to win the 2013 National District of Character award. The four-year graduation cohort rate has increased from 79.5 percent in the 2007-08 school year to 86.2 percent in 2012-13. Guilford County Schools led the pack in middle college high schools. The school system opened the first middle college in the state in 2001 at Guilford Technical Community College and Greensboro College. The following year, GCS opened the first early college high school in the state at Guilford College. Middle college high schools are high schools on a college campus which provide the opportunity to earn a high school
diploma, start college early while gaining credits towards a certificate or degree, and begin an internship or work experience in the community. Middle colleges aim to serve students who may be underperforming in HPE | FILE traditional schools Southwest Guilford Elementary School students are and students who shown during an art class. GCS has 72,388 students may have historical- in 126 schools, with 54 magnet school or high school option programs. ly limited access to higher education or was halted because of safety concould not afford college without cerns. The program will restart assistance. in the 2014-15 school year and go Early college high schools through the 2017-18 school year. are small schools designed so Green’s contract as superinstudents can earn both a high tendent has been extended to school diploma and an associ2017. ate’s degree or up to two years The school district plans to of credit toward a bachelor’s continue educating its students degree. to be ready to compete globally. In 2013, Green introduced his The vision in GCS’ 2016 strate2016 Strategic Plan, which still gic plan wants to increase stuemphasizes the King quote but dent success in graduation rate, with a strong focus on personalproficiency levels and character ized learning. education. A large part of Green’s personThe school district also inalized learning program was the tends to continue and perfect its one-to-one initiative that would personalized learning program give a tablet PC to each middle with and without the tablets for schooler through the 2016-17 every student. school year. jhowse@hpe.com | 888-3617 In October 2013, the program
Still growing ... and growing HPU expansions continue on several fronts By Paul B. Johnson STAFF WRITER
HIGH POINT — For more than a century, High Point’s name has gained visibility across the nation -— and then the world — because of its role in home furnishings. In the past 10 years, the city has gained a new platform for being noticed — scholastics. The rapid growth of High Point University since business-
man and motivational speaker Nido Qubein became its president has given the city a new reason to be noticed. As Qubein and his supporters have expanded the footprint of the campus and the base of student enrollment, the university and city have received notice in publications and social media sites with a national or global reach. That expansion is continuing, with HPU’s new building for the School of Health Sciences and
Special | HPE
This artist’s rendering shows the planned School of Health Sciences building at HPU, which will be built along what has been a section of Montlieu Avenue through the campus.
School of Pharmacy going up along what has been a section of Montlieu Avenue through the campus.
While the building won’t be completed for the next three years, a physician assistant SEE HPU PAGE 4