Superintendent's contract and goals

(16) To Remove a Superintendent, When Necessary. – Local boards of education shall remove a superintendent for cause, pursuant to the provisions of G.S. 115C‑274(a).

§ 115C‑274. Removal.

(a) Local boards of education are authorized to remove a superintendent who is guilty of immoral or disreputable conduct or who shall fail or refuse to perform the duties required of him by law. In case the State Board of Education has sufficient evidence at any time that any superintendent of schools is not capable of discharging, or is not discharging, the duties of his office as required by law or is guilty of immoral or disreputable conduct, the State Board of Education shall report this matter to the board of education employing said superintendent of schools. It shall then be the duty of that board of education to hear the evidence in the case and, if after careful investigation it shall find the charges true, it shall declare the office vacant at once and proceed to elect a successor: Provided, that such superintendent shall have the right to try his title to office in the courts of the State.

(b) If the superintendent shall fail in the duties enumerated in G.S. 115C‑276(g), 115C‑276(h), 115C‑276(i), or any other duties as may be assigned him, he shall be subject, after notice, to an investigation by the State Board of Education or by his board of education for failure to perform his duties. For persistent failure to perform these duties, the State Board of Education may revoke the superintendent's certificate and the superintendent may be dismissed by his board of education.

(c) The identification by the State Board of Education of more than half the schools in a local school administrative unit as low‑performing under G.S. 115C‑105.37 is evidence that the superintendent is unable to fulfill the duties of the office, and the State Board may appoint an interim superintendent to carry out the duties of the superintendent under G.S. 115C‑105.39, may revoke the superintendent's certificate under this section, may dismiss the superintendent under G.S. 115C‑105.39, or may take any combination of these actions. (1955, c. 1372, art. 5, s. 25; art. 6, s. 4; 1981, c. 423, s. 1; 1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 716, s. 6.)

115C‑105.37. Identification of low‑performing schools.

(a) The State Board of Education shall design and implement a procedure to identify low‑performing schools on an annual basis. Low‑performing schools are those in which there is a failure to meet the minimum growth standards, as defined by the State Board, and a majority of students are performing below grade level.

(a1) By July 10 of each year, each local school administrative unit shall do a preliminary analysis of test results to determine which of its schools the State Board may identify as low‑performing under this section. The superintendent then shall proceed under G.S. 115C‑105.39. In addition, within 30 days of the initial identification of a school as low‑performing by the local school administrative unit or the State Board, whichever occurs first, the superintendent shall submit to the local board a preliminary plan for addressing the needs of that school, including how the superintendent and other central office administrators will work with the school and monitor the school's progress. Within 30 days of its receipt of this plan, the local board shall vote to approve, modify, or reject this plan. Before the board makes this vote, it shall make the plan available to the public, including the personnel assigned to that school and the parents and guardians of the students who are assigned to the school, and shall allow for written comments. The board shall submit the plan to the State Board within five days of the board's vote. The State Board shall review the plan expeditiously and, if appropriate, may offer recommendations to modify the plan. The local board shall consider any recommendations made by the State Board.

(b) Each school that the State Board identifies as low‑performing shall provide written notification to the parents of students attending that school. The written notification shall include a statement that the State Board of Education has found that the school has "failed to meet the minimum growth standards, as defined by the State Board, and a majority of students in the school are performing below grade level." This notification also shall include information about the plan developed under subsection (a1) of this section and a description of any additional steps the school is taking to improve student performance. (1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 716, s. 3; 1997‑221, s. 20(b); 1997‑443, s. 8.45; 1998‑59, s. 1; 2001‑424, s. 29.4(a).)
(g) To Familiarize Himself with and to Implement State Policies and Rules. – It shall be the duty of the superintendent to keep himself thoroughly informed as to all policies promulgated and rules adopted by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education, for the organization and government of the public schools. The superintendent shall notify and inform his board of education, supervisors, principals, teachers, janitors, bus drivers, and all other persons connected with the public schools, of such policies and rules. In the performance of these duties, the superintendent shall confer, work, and plan with all school personnel to achieve the best methods of instruction, school organization and school government.

(h) To Hold Necessary Teachers' Meetings. – The superintendent shall hold each year such teachers' meetings and study groups as in his judgment will improve the efficiency of the instruction in the schools of his unit.

(i) To Distribute Certain Supplies and Information. – The superintendent shall distribute to all school personnel all blanks, registers, report cards, record books, bulletins, and all other supplies and information furnished by the State Superintendent and the State Board of Education and give instruction for their proper use.

(Wake had a grace year with regards to this one according to DPI)
(k) To Submit Organization Reports and Other Information to the State Board. – Each year the superintendent of each local school administrative unit shall submit to the State Board of Education statistical reports, certified by the chairman of the board of education, showing the organization of the schools in his unit and any additional information the State Board may require. At the end of the second month of school each year, local boards of education, through the superintendent, shall report school organization, employees' duties, class sizes, and teaching loads to the State Board of Education as provided in G.S. 115C‑47(10). As of February 1 each year, local boards of education, through the superintendent, shall report all exceptions to individual class size and daily teaching load maximums that occur at that time.

speaking of Wake Ed;
Raleigh – Tim Simmons , long-time education reporter for The News & Observer, has been named vice president of communications for Wake Education Partnership.

Simmons, 50, spent most of his career at The N&O covering the state’s public schools. He also wrote about issues involving early childhood development, community colleges and local universities.

“Wake Education Partnership has an extremely significant role to play in ensuring that public school excellence continues in Wake County ,” said Ann Denlinger, president of the partnership. “Our ability to bring citizens together around important issues has been greatly enhanced by the addition of Tim to our staff.”

Simmons won numerous state and national awards during his 21 years at The N&O. He provided extensive coverage of the school accountability movement in the 1990s and the many reform efforts triggered by the state’s new emphasis on test scores.

His focus then shifted to articles about the racial achievement gap, including a series of stories in 1999 that won the highest national award for education writing that year and helped shape state programs to address the problem.

The series was followed by several years of coverage focused on minority education issues, including articles about the resegregation of the state’s schools, the costs and benefits of diversity and the difficulty of maintaining good parent-teacher relationships.

“He has the rare ability to analyze complex educational issues and present them in an even-handed and understandable manner,” Denlinger said. “We are fortunate to have him.”

Other stories during his career at The N&O addressed rapid growth in Wake County ’s schools, campus coverage of N.C. State University and business issues involving higher education.

Simmons covered local government at The Cincinnati Post before joining The N&O in 1987. He also worked for newspapers in Covington , Ky. , and Battle Creek , Mich. , after graduating with a degree in journalism from Michigan State University in 1981.

About Wake Education Partnership

Wake Education Partnership is an advocacy organization dedicated to making world-class schools possible in Wake County through business and community involvement. We play a critical role in bringing people together, raising the level of discussion through capacity building, and brokering information and relationships around key issues in public education. Programs for 2007-08 focus on retaining effective teachers, developing effective education leaders, and ensuring healthy schools for all students. For more information, please visit www.WakeEdPartnership.org.

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Wake Education Partnership | 706 Hillsborough Street | Suite A | Raleigh, NC, 27603 | US

The fact that he has an Education PHd or worked in WCPSS does not make him invaluable. Someone with a business degree would be better suited for his type of job. Someone not inbred, like Dr.Burns is with WCPSS. After all, he already is paid more than a US Supreme Court Justice or a 4-star general in the military. The later would do a lot better in his job. RESULTS, not liberal accolades is what we need.