New Hanover County Schools see progress amid ongoing challenges

NEW HANOVER COUNTY (WWAY) — New Hanover County Schools saw significant gains in student achievement over the past year, including a nearly 15-percentage-point increase in proficiency in Math 1 that moved the district from 65th to 33rd in the state.

The district also reported a decade-high graduation rate.

Superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes attributed the gains to the dedication of faculty and staff and said the district will focus on building consistency in student achievement.

“A lot of it comes down to putting attention where it belongs and focusing on the things that really matter. So I think it’s really important for us to know that we have highly skilled educators, incredibly talented principals and staff who are all pointed in the same direction. Moving forward, I think what’s important to focus on is these were substantial gains for a year, but we want to build that sort of consistency in it,” said Barnes.

While the district celebrated the academic gains, mold growth was also discovered in band rooms at Hoggard and Laney high schools and Noble Middle School.

School officials said extreme summer heat and failed HVAC units created conditions that allowed mold to grow. The affected areas have been sealed off, with professional remediation and testing expected to take two to three weeks.

At Hoggard, the cafeteria was also temporarily closed after discoloration was found on the ceiling of the cafeteria manager’s office.

Barnes said the incidents have highlighted steps the district plans to take next summer to help prevent similar problems.

“Getting ahead of these, some of these deferred maintenance issues will help; leaving the air on is another way, instituting a visual inspection rotation to make sure we’re getting everywhere in the building, and then also putting in some large-scale dehumidifiers in places where there are areas of noted concern,” said Barnes.

Barnes said testing at Hoggard’s cafeteria is complete and the district is waiting for the results, with the hope of returning the space to normal use by the end of the week.

At Noble, remediation is underway. Once the work is complete, the air will be tested again to ensure the quality meets the standards needed to reopen the space to students.