BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON

The Edenton-Chowan Board of Education approved an interim Career and Technical Education (CTE) plan and budget resolution for the 2025-26 school year during its June 10 regular meeting, while also addressing growing equity initiatives, facility challenges, and student achievement milestones. More about the meeting, including a construction update, will appear in a later story

Board approves Gifted Program Plan

The updated Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) plan outlines major changes designed to broaden access and ensure equitable identification of gifted students. A key shift includes administering a nonverbal component in the aptitude screener — the CogAT test — starting July 1, in hopes of better identifying students who may have language or cultural differences.

“We’re really working to create multiple pathways for identification,” said Mindy Vickers. “This includes both academic performance and teacher recommendations supported by student portfolios.”

The plan also provides for a dedicated AIG instructor, who will serve as both AIG coordinator and lead teacher, working closely with grades 4–8. Based at Chowan Middle School, she will also support differentiated instruction, while fostering early exposure to STEM learning in K–3 classrooms. Vickers noted that they would like to encourage more teachers to earn certifications in teaching AIG.

In addition to curriculum goals, the AIG plan emphasizes stronger partnerships with families, community colleges, and institutions like ECU Health. Parent newsletters, updated online resources, and increased outreach are all part of the strategy. The plan includes an accountability component to assess program effectiveness annually through surveys and advisory committee feedback.

CTE Plan Moves Forward

Tracy White, director of Career and Technical Education, presented the plan update, which is required by the state. White noted a $11,000 shortfall in months-of-employment allocations for CTE staff due to less grant funding. She emphasized the district will adjust schedules and maintain support services while ensuring core offerings remain intact.

White reported encouraging academic gains.

“We met the academic proficiency target for reading for the first time since 2019,” she said. “We’re doing better, and we’re going to continue to do that.”

She also noted progress in reducing performance gaps on end-of-course exams in other subject areas.

Middle school students will continue to benefit from dedicated CTE instruction in computer science, carpentry, and family and consumer science.

At the high school level, the district will expand options with new courses such as Interior Design I and Natural Resources II. The school will complete the transition from Carpentry to Woodworking but will offer Carpentry II for returning students.

White said work-based learning and credentialing remain a priority, with a special focus on partnerships with local industries.

One such collaboration is a construction-focused advisory group composed of area contractors, which has helped align coursework with workforce needs. These partnerships, she said, are key to preparing students for local and regional employment opportunities.

White noted that she is working on diversifying the CTE staff to better reflect the district’s enrollment demographics.

Equity and Leadership Reflections

In the board member comment portion of the meeting, Joan White and Sherrone Battle offered reflections from the recent North Carolina Black Summit, an annual gathering hosted by the NC Black Alliance that brings together elected leaders to discuss equity, education, health, and economic opportunity.

White said she was especially inspired by a call to action from one summit speaker, Pastor James Gaillard from Rocky Mount, who urged leaders to “move from crisis to conquest” by creating space for every voice at the table.

“That’s a challenge we can accept right here in Edenton-Chowan,” she said.

White and Board chair George Lewis noted that everyone has an obstacle to overcome to reach their goals.

Battle, who also attended the summit, praised State Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green’s address. In particular, she pointed out how sometimes one group of students is encouraged to participate in some activities while others aren’t. Green challenged attendees to present opportunities to all students and their parents.

“It’s important, as board members, teachers and school counselors, that we make sure these kids are aware of these opportunities so that they can avail themselves,” Battle said. “Now, of course, not all kids wanna go to college, but we want to make sure that they at least have that opportunity presented to them.”

Battle also praised Green’s “Mo Wants to Know” statewide listening tour. She echoed his point that public education is inherently about diversity, equity, and inclusion: “We take kids where they are, regardless of their background, and we work to give them a future.”