Dobson Community Meeting

1
Welcome

• Dobson Community Meeting
• September 20, 2004

2
Dobson Elementary School

• Honor School of Excellence with 94.5 of students
  at or above grade level
• Highly qualified staff with 39 of teachers with
  masters degrees
• Clean facilities with adequate heat, air, and
  lighting

3
Dobson Elementary School

• Averaging 40 community and business volunteers
  per month, donating time to work with students
• K-2 reading programs such as Waterford, First
  Steps, and Second Steps in place

4
Dobson Elementary School

• School built in 1954 and 1991 for 483 students
• Current enrollment 681

5
Dobson Elementary School

• Strain on overall infrastructure
• Cafeteria Lunch begins at 1055 a.m. and ends
  at 100 p.m.
• Restrooms Classes scheduled every 10 minutes
  for restroom breaks 10 stalls each for girls and
  boys
• Media Center ELL and First Steps classes
  scheduled in media center

6
Dobson Elementary School

• State-mandated class size reductions have
  increased the need for additional classroom
  space.
• 10 Mobile units
• No restroom facilities
• Enter/exit average of 6 times per day
• Wireless Internet unstable
• Space for additions limited

7
Dobson Elementary School

• Problems continue with large class sizes and
  difficulty in scheduling special classes for all
  students
• Art
• Music
• Media
• Computer Lab

8
Central Middle School

• Honor School of Excellence with 90.7 of students
  at or above grade level
• Met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
• Recognized as a Piedmont Consortium Signature
  School

9
Central Middle School

• Community and business volunteers donated 3,135
  hours to assist students in 2003-2004.
• Highly qualified teachers and teaching assistants
  work with students daily.

10
Central Middle School

• School built in 1990 for 524 students
• Current enrollment 619

11
Central Middle School

• Overcrowded classrooms with 26 or more per
  classroom
• Storage and teacher workrooms have been converted
  to classrooms
• Seven (7) mobile units
• Students enter/exit several times per day
• Wireless Internet unstable

12
Central Middle School

• Strain on overall infrastructure
• Cafeteria Lunch begins at 1040 a.m. and ends
  at 110 p.m. seating extends into the hallway.
• Gymnasium Students sit on the floor during
  assemblies due to seating limitations.

13
Central Middle School

• Projected enrollment in 2009-2010 724 based on
  current rate of growth

14
Surry Central High School

• School of Distinction for 3 consecutive years
  with 84.8 of students at or above grade level
• Met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
• Parent safety rating 97 safe

15
Surry Central High School

• Highly qualified teachers and teaching assistants
• Wachovia state standings 3 in North Carolina
  (highest of all area high schools)

16
Surry Central High School

• SCHS built in 1960 with an additional science
  wing in 2000
• Capacity of 930
• Current student enrollment 852

17
Surry Central High School

• Average class size 28 students
• Cafeteria 3 lunch periods beginning at 1105
  a.m. and ending at 105 p.m. seating capacity
  244/period with a maximum of 732 total)
• Physical Education, technology, and health
  occupations teachers share instructional space

18
Surry Central High School

• Guidance area (total size of 1 classroom) is
  shared by 2 school counselors, 1 clerical staff
  member, and 1 SIMS Data Manager.
• QZAB renovations (summer 2004) upgraded student
  restroom facilities and will provide new windows.

19
Surry Central High School

• Projected school enrollment
• 2009-2010 based on current rate of growth 957

20
Community Voices

• Safety concerns during inclement weather
• Barriers to appropriate instruction
• Inability of infrastructure to support building
  additions
• Health concerns related to building age
• Increasing enrollment issues

21
Community Voices

• Traffic control/Safety issues
• Loss of instructional time for classes in mobile
  units
• Safety issues during assemblies/Fire code
  regulations
• Inadequate capacity of cafeteria facilities

22
Community Voices

• Inability to monitor campus security
• Concern about functionality versus
  aesthetics/excess expenditures
• Elimination of mobile classrooms
• Focus on small school enrollments/400-500
  students
• Investigate merger of school systems
• New buildings instead of additions

23
Community Voices

• Suggestion to investigate health concerns related
  to building age
• Investigate sales tax increase
• Poll citizens regarding building and funding
  issues/amounts
• Appreciates education received
• Investigate alternative funding to finance school
  buildings(10 year bond)

24
Community Voices

• Auditorium need for the community
• Need for community support
• Comprehensive Plan needed
• Health concerns related to use of mobile units
• Commends teachers for quality education provided
• Concerns about walkway areas to and from mobile
  units

25
Community Voices

• Inadequate capacity of gymnasium facilities for
  parent programs
• Concern about kitchen facilities for preparing
  meals
• Children deserve better facilities
• Lack of adequate classroom facilities
• Inappropriate acoustics for meetings and programs

26
Community Voices

• Consensus on need
• How to fund
• Need for areas for specialty curriculum subjects
• Need for small group instruction space