As you have likely read and heard around Lincoln County, NC is the controversy over Dr. David Martin’s contract as Lincoln County Schools Superintendent with the Lincoln County Board of Education has reached a critical point this week.
I personally have received many e-mails and read many bits of information and I felt it was necessary to get this information out to our Lincoln County Residents.
I have two children attending Lincoln County Schools currently. One of the reasons we moved to the area was because of the great schools and small town atmosphere. I meet many buyers every day that choose Lincoln County as there home for the same reasons.
I believe most parents want Dr. Martin’s contract to be extended. I feel he has not only maintained our great schools, but also improved them and I also believe there will still be many great things to come.
After listening to President Obama’s State of the Union Address last night, I have continued to ponder today the need for our children to have improved educations and the ability to attend college regardless of the parent’s salary. I guess this is really the reason I have chosen to step up today and voice my opinion.
So here is the deal as I understand it….
The superintendent’s initial 4-year contract has not been extended leaving only 1+ years remaining for him to serve our children.
The Board of Education has never taken a public vote to extend (or not) the superintendent’s contract.
The BOE has not formally and in writing shared any professional concerns with the superintendent related to his performance.
The BOE’s annual rating of the superintendent is 3.8 of 4.0.
News@Norman also provided this additional information…Dr. Martin has done an exceptional job in running our school system:
* Our schools met the state’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements in 98.1% of school subgroup targets.
* Our schools exceeded the state average in reading, math, science, end of course (EOC) composite, and graduation rate.
* 17 of 24 schools achieved “high academic growth.”
* We had seven “Schools of Distinction.”
On January 26th, many Lincoln County Residents showed up at the BOE meeting with expectation of this contract issue to be sorted out. It has now been postponed til tomorrow, Friday, January 28th, at 5 pm. The meeting will again be held at their main office on General’s Boulevard.
To help, you can attend that meeting, as many others will, to show your support for Dr. Martin. There has also been a Facebook page set up for supporters of Dr. Martin’s contract extension. You can find it by typing “Support Dr. Martin-Superintendent of Lincoln County Schools” in Search.
I leave you with this thought….What is right for the children is more important than the good ole boys network and politics!
