By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
Kannapolis City Schools superintendent wowed county commissioners this week with a presentation on the system’s direction and accomplishments.
Dr. Jo Anne Byerly, superintendent, used a Power Point presentation to provide commissioners an overview, including new ventures tied to the N.C. Research Campus.
“It’s a wonderful system … we’re proud of Kannapolis City Schools,” Byerly told commissioners. Thirty-three of her 39 years in education have been in Kannapolis City Schools.
Vice Chairman Jon Barber called the system’s accomplishments phenomenal.
Chairman Carl Ford and Commissioner Tina Hall added their praise, citing a recent visit to A.L. Brown High School, where they spent time in classrooms and visited with the principal, Dr. Debra Morris.
Byerly invited all board members to visit in the schools, and offered one recommendation ó the Mandarin Chinese class. “Come visit the class, it’s amazing,” Byerly said.
The city system sets astride the Cabarrus-Rowan line with 1,130 students from the Rowan side.
Focusing on “creating the future,” Byerly said the goal is to be one of the top 20 school systems in the state.
She ticked off a list of wonderful things that have happened, including the Research Campus, the Cyber Campus, $1.6 million in a federal technology grant, a freshman academy and and an early college program starting this fall at Rowan Cabarrus Community College.
The Power Point included dozens of accomplishments and awards received by students and staff. And she pointed to everyday occurrences in the system ó every student is offered a free breakfast, and all elementary schools are schools of choice.
Byerly and Will Crabtree, the system’s director of business operations, gave a brief outline of the system’s 2010 budget requests.
Overall, the system is requesting an increase in current expense of $140,000 from both Rowan and Cabarrus counties, totalling $9.9 million.
The capital outlay budget proposal totals $1.1 million.
Responding to a question, Byerly said the system maintains a relatively low fund balance, between $700,000 and $800,000.
Citing growth at the elementary level, Byerly said the next big project will be a new intermediate school, estimated to cost $17.8 million.
The current Kannapolis Intermediate School would be changed to an elementary school.
The five-year plan includes additions at middle and elementary schools as well as field facilities at A.L. Brown High School and greenhouses.
The total cost of the five year plan projects is estimated at $30.4 million.
Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254.