Cumberland County Board of Education member Donna Vann says our public school system is in good hands under the leadership of Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr. and his executive cabinet, and Vann wants Connelly and his team to know they are appreciated.
So do board members Nathan Warfel, Greg West, Susan Williams and Alicia Chisolm, who all voted on Oct. 8 to extend the 61-year-old superintendent’s contract until 2028, as well as the contracts for five assistant superintendents, its chief academic officer, its finance officer and its legal counsel.
“I made the motion because Dr. Connelly is the N.C. Superintendent of the Year, who has put together a topnotch cabinet of talented associate superintendents,” Vann says. “We need to show them that we see them and let them know they are appreciated and have job stability.
“To be honest, other systems have noticed our leaders and have expressed interest in taking them from us. We can’t have that happen.
“To me, it was a way to show them that they are valued and respected, and they have job security,” Vann says. “It would be sad if we lost our superintendent or any of our cabinet to another district. There is no better or stronger group of administrators than our superintendent and the people who make up his cabinet.”
Struggling students and schools
Not so fast, if you will, says Judy Musgrave and longtime board member Carrie Sutton.
“I voted no to an extension of Dr. Connelly’s contract for an additional year, because his present contract does not end until 2027 now, and I don’t think that luxury is afforded to our other employees,” Musgrave says. “Cumberland County gives at most a four-year contract to all other employees, and I don’t like the idea of the rolling contract for the superintendent and his cabinet.
“I was employed as an educator in Cumberland County Schools for 40-plus years and the process was to complete the four-year contract, and if you completed it with satisfaction, another contract would be offered to you then.
“I just don’t think that the work of the superintendent warrants another year extension,” Musgrave says.
No argument from Sutton.
“His existing contract goes to 2027 as it is,” Sutton says, “and to add another year to an already four-year contract made no sense to me.”
While Sutton agrees with Musgrave about the one-year contract boost, Sutton also says the school system’s work is suspect despite 17 county schools being removed from the state low-performing schools list, as per the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
Elizabeth Cashwell Elementary, College Lakes Elementary, C. Wayne Collier Elementary, J.W. Coon Elementary, Lucile Souders Elementary, Margaret Willis Elementary, Montclair Elementary, William H. Owen Elementary, Benjamin J. Martin Elementary, Sunnyside Elementary, W.T. Brown Elementary, Douglas Byrd Middle, Anne Chesnutt Middle, Luther “Nick” Jeralds Middle, Lewis Chapel Middle, Mac Williams Middle and South View Middle no longer are low-performing schools, according to the school system.
Still, the school system has 15 low-performing schools for the 2024-25 academic year.
Those schools, according to CCS, are Loyd Auman Elementary, Brentwood Elementary, Cumberland Mills Elementary, Cumberland Road Elementary, Ferguson-Easley Elementary, Bill Hefner Elementary, Ed V. Baldwin Elementary, Walker-Spivey Elementary, Lake Rim Elementary, Warrenwood Elementary, Westarea Elementary, Cumberland Academy K-5 Virtual, Pine Forest Middle, Westover Middle and Douglas Byrd High School.
Nothing personal, but …
“The main reason is our children,” Sutton says about why she joined with Deanna Jones, the board chairperson, Jacquelyn Brown and Musgrave in voting against the contract extensions. “I just don’t believe we should continue down the same road, accepting and being okay with our future generation of students barely passing. Some not even passing. Our children are falling through the cracks, especially the least of our children.”
Nothing personal, Sutton says.
“I just believe our children deserve better and can do better,” she says. “It breaks my heart year after year to see this. Our children, especially the most vulnerable ones of our children, deserve better.”
No argument from Musgrave.
“African American students are steadily going down the drain of dismal,” said Musgrave, according to CityView reporter Morgan Casey’s account of the Oct. 8 school board meeting. “And many of my constituents are expressing dissatisfaction with leadership performance.”
So, there’s something of the rub in just how four school board members, including the board chair, voted against the contract extensions for the schools’ chief and his executive team, with Carrie Sutton and Judy Musgrave telling us the why of it.
Jones and Brown did not respond to multiple inquiries in preparation for this column. If you are concerned about struggling students, as Sutton and Musgrave say, that failure to respond should raise a red flag, too, about Jones and Brown as elected education leaders. And just for transparency, Nathan Warfel also did not respond to The Kirby File’s inquiries. And for some more transparency, Jones and Warfel are candidates hoping to hold onto their board seats against challengers in the Nov. 5 election.
Chisolm, Williams and Vann are also running for reelection to the board.
Connelly, cabinet by the dollars
No public schools superintendent is perfect, but Donna Vann will tell you Marvin Connelly is a superintendent who has worked hard for Cumberland County schools, students and classroom teachers since beginning July 1, 2018.
The school system, Vann believes, can ill-afford to lose Connelly or his cabinet to other education systems.
Apparently, by their vote, Nathan Warfel, Greg West, Susan Williams and Alicia Chisolm agree with Vann that Connelly and his cabinet are worthy of contract extensions, sans salary increases, through June 30, 2028.
Hence, Connelly’s annual gross salary is $281,137.57, according to the school system. Jay Toland, associate superintendent of business operations, earns $193,246.38. Nick Sojka, the board attorney, earns $193,245.02. Kevin Coleman, associate superintendent of auxiliary services, earns $175,100.04. Jane Fields, associate superintendent of school support, earns $175,100.04. Ruben Reyes, associate superintendent of human resources, earns $175.100.04. Lindsay Whitley, associate superintendent of communications and community engagement, earns $175.100.04. Mellotta Hill, chief academic officer, earns $175,100.04. Melody Chalmers McClain, associate superintendent of student support services, earns $175.100.
“We know there is more work ahead”
We’ll give the last word to the superintendent, where the buck stops out there at Central Services along U.S. Business 301, which is responsible for an estimated 50,000 students each academic school year.
“We’re excited about the remarkable progress Cumberland County Schools has made this year,” Connelly said Friday. “With 17 schools moving off the low-performing list and no ‘F’ schools, the most recent Data and Accountability results provided by the state show that our efforts are making a real difference. These improvements reflect the hard work of our educators, staff and students, and our commitment to ensuring that every child is on a path to success.”
The superintendent said he encouraged, but …
“We know there is more work ahead, especially in closing academic achievement gaps,” Connelly said. “That’s why our district uses the PASE framework – Performance, Accountability, Support and Empowerment – to ensure each school receives the specific support it needs. Through this approach, schools with greater needs receive more intensive interventions and deeper engagement with our leadership team, allowing us to address gaps in student achievement.
“Our journey toward continuous improvement is one we’re fully committed to, and I’m proud of the gains we’ve made and optimistic about what lies ahead.
“Cumberland County Schools is on an exciting path forward, and with the dedication of our educators and the support of our committed community,” Connelly said. “I’m confident we’ll continue to see positive outcomes for every student.”
Epilogue
A community will be watching. We’ll be pulling for our classroom teachers to give the best of themselves and for our students to give their best, too, for their tomorrows to come. And Judy Musgrave and Carrie Sutton will be watching for sure.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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I had the same concerns regarding poor performance of the high percentage of students in our schools when I spoke to Donna Vann after the candidates forum at the Headquarters Library on October 6th. However, I must say, I did not receive a satisfactory answer. As a parent and grandparent of graduates of Cumberland County schools, I am still concerned about the well-being and the future of the students in the Cumberland County schools. As an engaged and involved citizen, I stand with both Judy Musgrave and Carrie Sutton. In light of the shrinking enrollment in our public schools and because scholarships from the NC General Assembly are no longer awarded based upon income, more parents are taking advantage of the Opportunity Scholarship Program. Dr. Connelly and all the “associate superintendents should “beware”.