Board of Education to consider teacher qualifications under renewal plan

Published 12:00 am Sunday, October 21, 2018

By Maggie Blackwell
For the Salisbury Post

SALISBURY — The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education will meet Monday to consider a number of items.

Human Resources Director Kristi Rhone will give an update on hiring requirements for teachers under the renewal school district plan.

Currently, prospective teachers qualify in one of two ways: having a college degree in education or, for lateral-entry candidates, a four-year relevant degree and five years of relevant work experience plus 24 semester hours in teaching and passing the license exam.

The proposed change would add a third route to becoming a teacher: a relevant degree with no four-year requirement; relevant work experience with no minimum requirement; a 2.5 GPA; and completing orientation.

The contract period for renewal-pathway teachers would be one year.

Assistant Superintendent Anthony Vann will present a priority list of heating and air-conditioning needs needs for school buildings. The list includes 20 schools and district facilities at a total cost of a little more than $8 million.

As students prepare to move to the new West Elementary School, the board will discuss what to do with the facilities at Woodleaf and Cleveland elementary schools. West Elementary will consolidate those student bodies.

Vann will present an agreement for Rowan County to have access to the Cleveland building for the new West branch library.

He will also present a proposal to declare the Woodleaf building surplus property and demolish it at a cost of $250,000. The land would be sold.

The board will meet at 4 p.m. Monday in the Wallace Educational Forum board room, 500 N. Main St.

The meeting will begin with a closed session. Celebrations will be at 5 p.m., and public comment at 6 p.m.