Group lobbying to overhaul Stanly Co. schools

STANLY COUNTY, N.C. — Parents in Stanly County are calling for a major overhaul to the school system amidst what they said is a lack of educational opportunities for their children.

The parents have organized a grass-roots group that is lobbying district officials and Board of Education members to consolidate resources and consider redistricting.

"Am I frustrated with the system? Absolutely. Public schools are the key to a successful community," said parent Lori Ivey.

Ivey met with officials from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Wednesday morning to discuss possible changes.

DPI officials are conducting a needs assessment at several Stanly County schools at the request of the district and are holding focus groups with parents, teachers and students to hear their concerns.

Ivey cited the district's high teacher turnover rate and said many of her son's teachers have left Stanly County for better opportunities in other districts, including her son's school guidance counselor.

"My son is a senior and he is applying for college. A guidance counselor is critical for those college applications," Ivey said. "As a parent, it's alarming."

Other parents told Channel 9 they were worried about the lack of Advanced Placement classes and foreign language courses which are not offered in the district until high school.

"We should be looking at ways to consolidate and redistrict so that we can have more effective use of our resources," said parent Nicole Williams.

Williams' son, who is a junior at Albemarle High School, is forced to drive three miles to North Stanly High School during his normal school day just to take a single AP class not offered at AHS.

"We need some people to stand up and take action," Williams said.

District officials told Channel 9 while many students do have to drive to other schools for certain classes, they do offer AP classes online.

Superintendent Terry Griffin admitted the teacher turnover rate is high but said the district was working on a strong support system for teachers, including a mentoring program.

Griffin also said in a rural school district where many schools are under capacity, the district can only offer certain classes based on funding needs.

"It makes you question if they could be more efficient," said Stanly County commissioner Peter Asciutto.