Johnston Reporter

Several members of the Johnston County Public Schools (JCPS) senior leadership team participated in the 2024 North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) Annual Conference on November 19 in Greensboro, NC. The NCSBA is a professional organization representing local boards of education in North Carolina, offering resources and guidance to school governance teams.

The annual conference provides a platform for district leaders, including school board members and superintendents, to engage in information sessions, vendor exhibitions, networking opportunities, and collaborative learning.

JCPS Superintendent Dr. Eric C. Bracy expressed pride in sharing their district's success stories at the conference. "We are humbled to have shared our success stories and strategies with our colleagues throughout the state. We are advocates for education and desire for school districts and students to achieve success globally."

JCPS has been recognized as a high-performing district following outstanding results from the 2023-2024 school year and consistent academic growth over five years despite pandemic challenges. Dr. Bracy stated, “I am extremely proud of our entire district, our recent success, and all the individuals who have contributed to our growth, including students, staff, and parents.”

The JCPS session titled “Board Governance + Instructional Leadership = High Performing School District” highlighted strategies contributing to their academic success. Discussions included curriculum development, synergetic relationships between the board and leadership, accountability at all levels, goal setting, effective organizational structure, benchmarking, among others.

Area Superintendents Patty Whittington (Elementary), Ken Byrd (Middle School), and Roderic Brewington (High School) emphasized effective school-based leadership during their presentation. They serve as liaisons and advisors for principals across JCPS.

Roderic Brewington remarked on presenting at the conference: “Presenting at the state-wide conference is a remarkable achievement as it reflects the incredible progress we have made as a district.” Ken Byrd added that sharing efforts to improve student outcomes was rewarding.

Among those presenting were Area Superintendent Patty Whittington and Dr. Takicey Dunston from Benson Elementary. Under their leadership, Benson Elementary improved significantly from a D performance grade in 2019 to a B after the 2023-2024 school year with increases in reading by 26 percentage points and math by 30.5 percentage points.

Patty Whittington noted improvements across many schools due to dedicated leadership: “We have had many schools show great improvements as a result of the hard work and intentionality of school leadership and teachers at all levels.”

JCPS aims to provide quality instruction within safe learning environments conducive to academic excellence for every student.

More details on JCPS’ recent success can be found HERE.