School board hears report on rise in grades

Members of the Bertie County Board of Education were presented with two performance reports last week at the regularly scheduled meeting, highlighting knowledge and finance.

The first presentation focused on the overall student performance throughout the district.

Bertie County Schools Director of Teaching and Accountability Keisha Peele offered encouraging news for the district.

The statewide 2023-2024 assessment showed Bertie County had two schools that exceeded growth, three schools met growth and two schools did not meet growth. However, Bertie High School, under the leadership of Principal William Peele increased their performance from a D grade last year to a C rating this year.

“We are thrilled that our school is no longer on the low-performing list for the state of North Carolina, and we are proud to announce that our letter grade has improved from a D to a C. This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers and staff,” said Peele. “Over the past school year, the focus has been on transforming the school culture and setting high expectations for our students, knowing they have the potential to meet and exceed them.

“We will continue to strive for improvement, with our sights set on raising our letter grade from a C to a B,” he continued. “Together, we are committed to ongoing progress and excellence.”

Schools are rated on a point system correlating with a grade.

Bertie Early College received the highest grade with an 85, capturing the only A for the district for the 2023- 2024 school year. Aulander Elementary, closed at the end of the 2023-2024 school year due to declining enrollment, received a C grade, followed by Windsor Elementary, Colerain Elementary and West Bertie Elementary. Each school received a C.

Bertie Middle School did not meet expectations and received a score of 42 and is currently the only low performing school in the district. Bertie Middle could obtain a C grade for the 2024-2025 school year by increasing performance by 13 points.

While overall school grades fluctuated, proficiency in a number of categories increased. According to the report, 22.4 percent of students are career and college ready, an increase from 19.9 percent in 2023-2023 school year. The four-year graduation rate increased to 89.2 percent from last year’s percentage of 88.8.

Student proficiency also increased over last year.

Over 48 percent of the students in English II reached proficiency in 2024, an increase of almost three percent. Math III also realized increases as 50 percent of the students were proficient in the subject. Biology showed the most increase with a 53.1 proficiency rating, an increase over last year’s rating of 37.

The board was also presented with its yearly financial audit report.

The report outlined a positive financial position, according to the district’s outside accounting firm, Anderson Smith and Wike, PLLC.

Executive Director of Finance Charlene Jones and Dale Smith of ASW presented the findings, painting a positive financial position for the district.

“The audit included two types of financial statements presenting different views of the board’s finances,” explained Smith. “The first is the government-wide statements. The second set of statements included in the basic financial statements is the Fund Financial Statements, which are presented for the Board’s governmental funds and proprietary fund.”

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, Smith reported the board’s total government-wide net position increased by $8.6 million. Governmental activities net position increased by $8.5 million and business-type activities net position increased by $130,000.

Total government-wide net investment in capital assets increased by $4.6 million over the prior year. Governmental activities net investment in capital assets increased by $4.6 million and business-type activities investment in capital assets decreased by $22,000.

The audit went into a detailed breakdown of the district’s financial footprint and reported firm financial footing.

The board continues to explore future possibilities for the closed Aulander Elementary School. The town of Aulander has shown possible interest in the property. The purchase of the facility was briefly discussed at a recent Bertie County Commission meeting. The board is still weighing all options.