BY PHILL BARNETT
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — The Martin County Board of Education met Monday to prepare for the 2023 calendar year.
The board saw presentations from Eden and Inez Elementary on 2022 Accountability Results and winter progress updates. Scores reveal that students, particularly those in lower grades, still aren’t performing at levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Test scores kept with the nationwide trend in which schools failed to reach pre-COVID standards. However, administrators remain optimistic, as scores show a general upward trend.
Inez Elementary School Principal Amanda Fields pointed to reading and math scores for third-grade students who missed all of their first year and half of their second year.
“You cannot teach children to read over a screen,” Fields said. “And obviously, we know in this district, some kids go home to more help than others.”
Fields noted that second-grade students also missed their entire first year of school, which was “worrisome.”
Eden Elementary received a Yellow assessment ranking, the highest performance in the district and outperformed the state in writing, sixth-grade mathematics and sixth-grade reading.
Winter MAP assessments at IES demonstrate improvement in the target subjects for a majority of students tested.
Both schools presented strategies they have implemented and plan to implement to improve scores. Both focused on using data and testing to drive instruction and creating a positive learning environment in their schools.
Other Business
The board went on to deal with business for beginning the 2023 calendar year. They quickly approved the board meeting schedule and time, leaving it the same – the second Monday of the month at 6 p.m.
The board voted for the sitting Chair and Vice Chair to remain in their positions.
Conference requests, vehicle requests, fundraisers and use of district property were discussed.
The board discussed Paid Warrants in the amount of $451,043.76 and Orders of the Treasurer in the amount of $462,622.19. Treasurer Earnest Hale assured the board that these were all regular operating expenses and the board approved the Orders and Warrants.
Hale presented the draft budget for SY2022-23, and the BOE approved.
The treasurer also presented financial concerns, including employee wage increases and existing debts.
The board motioned to solicit bids for grass cutting, field prep and maintenance for the Martin County High School baseball and softball fields and grass cutting at all schools, including the Martin County High School football field.
The 2023-2024 Comprehensive District Improvement Plan was briefly discussed and approved. The plan is a simple combination of the constituent schools’ Improvement Plans.
The district’s nutrition director Marcie Hale gave a report on nutrition heading into the new year. This will be the District’s first year back on the National School Lunch Program since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
The district is also resuming fresh fruit and vegetable programs at all elementary schools. Hale acknowledged supply chain issues making it more difficult to coordinate food for the district.
Board member Mickey McCoy suggested that more individuals in each school be trained to use the defibrillators in each school.