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Deputy Alesha Akers (right) is only the second School Resource Officer to serve at FCHS. The first, Deputy Brian Craig (left), had the job for nine years.

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Floyd County High gets a new School Resource Officer

by Wanda Combs
Editor

The high school has a new School Resource Officer (SRO). Deputy Alesha Akers of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office will take the job at the high school, becoming only the second officer to fulfill that position.
Deputy Brian Craig, who has served as the SRO since 1999, spoke at the Floyd County School Board meeting Monday. He told the members they took “a big step” nine years ago in deciding to have a School Resource Officer. At that time, it was not mandatory. “You gave me an opportunity of a lifetime,” Craig said. He said the job “greatly changed my personality,” and he appreciated the opportunity to be that first SRO. Superintendent Dr. Terry Arbogast and Board members in turn gave their thanks to Craig for his years of service and the job he has done.
Craig will be accepting another position with the Sheriff’s Office.
Also at Monday’s meeting, Debbie Snellings, president of the Floyd County Education Association, spoke during public comments and asked the Board to consider a higher pay increase for teachers. Last year, she said, employees here were given the lowest pay increase among all of localities in the region and were told the reason was the county received less money from the state. This year, she commented, the governor has increased funding for localities over eight percent and he has also reduced the Virginia Retirement System contribution by one percent. She added she believed the county can “step up” but that can only happen if the Board makes teachers’ pay a top priority.
Dr. Linda Petrie, director of instruction, also informed the Board the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, and the National Study of School Evaluation had come together to form one organization under the name of AdvancED. She recommended the county division move to AdvancED and be absorbed in that process.
Since 1990, all five (county) schools have been part of the Southern Association, she noted. In 2006 the Southern Association joined with the North Central group. Standards will remain the same in the new company, Dr. Petrie told the Board. Under the new company, a visiting committee will send a team to the high school and two of the elementary schools every five years.
Dr. Petrie also gave a report on Standards Of Learning test results in schools. The fall 2007 results showed a 90.2 percent pass rate in eighth grade reading and writing tests and 11th grade reading and writing tests, a 92.9 percent pass rate for eighth grade math, algebra I and II and geometry, an 88.8 percent pass rate for eighth grade science, biology, chemistry and earth science, and a 93.1 pass rate for geography, US/VA history, and world history II.
“It looks great, but my heart goes out to the 33 students that didn’t pass English. That’s more than a classroom,” remarked Board member Margaret Hubbard, who also referred to those who didn’t pass the other SOL tests.
Dr. Petrie said remediation was ongoing at the high school, and FCHS principal Barry Hollandsworth, who was in the audience, told the Board remediation efforts are more successful during the school day, rather than before or after school.
Cara Good, English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, reported her program has 40 students. She told the Board she works not only with the students, but also with their parents, teachers and guidance counselors on a daily basis. “Our job is to understand their (the students’) needs.”
Meeting needs is a “big job,” she added, in view of the many grade levels and SOLs involved in teaching. “State accountability is also a huge responsibility.”
Good said her goal is to pursue ongoing staff development.
The School Board appointed four additional members to the Health Advisory Board. They include Bill Gardner, Pam Harris, Nan Showalter, and Ruth Wolford.
On Monday, the Board also attended to reorganizational matters and reelected Doug Phillips as chairman and Dr. Howard Conduff as vice chairman. The Board also chose Janet Harris as clerk, Jennifer Bishop as deputy clerk, and Dr. Petrie as the superintendent’s designee. The meeting time was set for the second Monday of the month at 4:00 p.m.; however, due to a conflict for next month, the Board will meet on February 18 instead of February 11.