From chalk boards to smart boards, Dr. Lorna Clack has grown and adapted as an educator with each new generation of Moore County students. Throughout her career, she has taken a progressive view toward the continual evolution of educational strategies and techniques.
“Every day in education is a new day, a new experience,” Clack told fellow members of the Moore County Board of Education on Monday night, November 19.
Clack has served as a member of that Board for the past six years but lost her seat in on Election Day to challenger Ben Cameron. “The day after the election," Clack said drily, "I knew just how Mitt [Romney] felt. As you can see, I have rallied.”
It was bittersweet farewell given by her peers, many of whom are life-long friends. Clack, tempering her tears with good humor and in need of refreshment, at one point called out: “Somebody get me a diet Pepsi.”
Fellow board member Charles Lambert reminisced about being one of Clack’s Sunday school students. “I can’t tell you everything I think about you, because I might get emotional," Lambert said. "I appreciate all the help you have given me and the children of Moore County.”
Clack began her career as a teacher in Moore County at the tender age of twenty.
“Back then when the earth was still cooling, it was hard to get a job," she joked. "My first day as a teacher, an old farm truck pulled up and a brother and two sisters got out. They were all in my sixth grade class. I was twenty, and he was fifteen. I thought, 'Paul has slipped through the cracks.' That began my understanding of malpractice in education.”
For fifty-four years, Clack has learned as she taught, earning her Ph.D. in education in 1990.
“Lorna practices what she preaches with fidelity,” said board member Enola Lineberger. "She is funny, kind, and a pleasure to travel with.”
No fieldtrip was too far. After Clack retired in 2001, she flew to Africa with a group of educators, providing necessary supplies for a new school. “I’ve been fortunate in education,” said Clack. “I grew up a poor 4H girl and lived on farm in North Carolina. Because of education, I have been able to travel all over the world.”
Clack's passion for sharing her knowledge extended to her fellow Board Members. “I had the good fortune of sitting beside you my first meeting," former Board of Education Chair Laura Lang told Clack. "You would tap me on my arm to let me know what I could and couldn’t say. You’ve been a terrific teacher and are a wonderful woman.”
Summing up Clack’s lifetime of service, Dale Frye closed his remarks with, “I can only think of one thing to say: Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Yet, Clack’s own closing remarks left little doubt that she will continue to be an active educator in retirement. “I will still be around," she warned. "I still know how teach. I know how to get attention when I need it.”
The Board called a brief recess to host reception for Clack's family and friends in attendance.
Technology Update
Tony Tuso, Moore County Schools' [MCS] Chief Officer for Technology Services, presented an update on outfitting schools with wireless technology and devices. Smart Boards have been introduced in most classrooms over the past several years. The county’s middle and high schools received their boards first, and they are now in most of the elementary schools.
It has been possible to saturate the county’s school districts with wireless internet service using federal stimulus dollars provided in the Race to the Top program, setting the stage for future on-line testing and mobile computing. Students can now bring their own wireless devices to school and have service anywhere on campus. Tuso reassured the board that the internet connections filter out inappropriate content.
Three years of research on the "one-laptop-per-child" strategy have produced encouraging results, so MCS will continue to take a phased approach to purchasing laptops and placing them in student hands. Currently, both Carthage Elementary and Pinckney Academy have one laptop per child.
Board Chair Kathy Farren was enthusiastic regarding wireless access on campus. But she questioned whether students knew that they could bring their own devices to school.
“I’ve talked to students about this, and they have said, ‘Really?’ We need to get the word out to students and principals so that they will know what they can do,” explained Farren.
“There must be a very carefully communicated plan," Superintendent Aaron Spence replied. "In our thinking, we believe it’s the right way to go. But we have more work to do.”
The Fiscal Cliff
As "fiscal cliff" and "sequestration" become the latest buzzwords to describe the inability of the US Congress and the White House to reach agreement on managing the country's finances, cuts to the federal budget scheduled for January 1 would result in a two percent cut in MCS paychecks.
Spence offered, and the Board approved, a resolution urging Congress to stop sequestration. The resolution will be sent to the Moore County Board of Commissioners, state representatives, and the National School Board.
Farren stressed: “We need to make sure our future is bright, and we are educating our children as best as we can.”
Financial Report
MCS Finance Officer Mike Griffin presented the Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Amended Budget Resolution and the Quarterly Report. The original budget was amended from $5,834,000 to $6,124,000 to include recently received grants from Army Youth and all expenditures to date, including the November payroll. Griffin cautioned, “At this point, the budget is as low as you want to go with operating expenses.
New income will be welcomed in 2014 through the United States Golf Association's use of several school facilities during the US Open Golf Tournaments. The State Board of Education approved ending school on June 4, 2014, one week earlier than normal, so that MCS resources could be used in hosting the tournament.
Brett Jones, audit manager of Dixon Hughes Goodman presented the audit of financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012. After reviewing and examination of all financial statements, their opinion was that it was presented fairly and the reporting was clean.
Calendar Presented
Tim Lussier, MCS Advisor for Community Relations, presented the approved 2013 and 2014 calendar for both year-round and traditional schools.
After input from staff, parent representatives, and student representatives, two different calendars were created. The two options were submitted back to the staff and representatives for a vote. Input for the year-round calendar included four-day weeks during the summer and shorter breaks during the school year to compensate.
Merit Pay Pilot Program Wins No Support
Dr. Spence recommended against MCS participation in a pilot study concerning merit pay for teachers. The NC General Assembly in its last section offered to fund merit pay pilot projects in local school districts.
“Currently, there is no research whatsoever associated with merit pay and student achievement,” Spence said, explaining his recommendation. "As we think about the efforts that we undertake in the school district, we ought to stay focused on what's good for kids, And I'm not sure that merit pay is," Spence said.
Board members were in agreement with Spence. Lineberger said research shows that teacher moral is directly correlated with student achievement.
Clack spoke from experience, “In the past, when federal funds supported this, it became divisive and caused unrest in the school system.”
