Buncombe County Schools' Superintendent Dr. Tony Baldwin welcomes local students, families, teachers, and the community to the new 2019-2020 school year!
In his August 23 message, you'll learn about our district-wide priorities for the days to come, school safety efforts, and two brand new initiatives to help students prepare for their tomorrow. Thanks for being part of our Buncombe County Schools family!
A Message from Superintendent Dr. Tony Baldwin
Welcome back to the start of another exciting school year in buncombe county schools!
A blend of old and new will represent our district-wide priorities for the 2019 – 2020 school year ahead. Within classrooms, we will continue to focus on a back-to-basics theme with high impact literacy instruction across the curriculum. Our intent will be to emphasize speaking, listening, reading, and especially writing skills along with the fundamental concepts of mathematical and scientific logic.
School safety and security remains an essential priority for the upcoming year. Video and audio entrance systems are in place on each of our campuses. Completion of a district-wide facility survey involving a national security consultant should be completed by December. The study will provide a comprehensive and highly-detailed assessment of our schools’ readiness and response capabilities based on the most up-to-date security standards.
We are also excited to launch two brand new initiatives this year, each with the intent to provide students greater academic support and versatility. The Buncombe County Virtual Academy will offer online course options for current enrollees, as well as new students from homeschool backgrounds. Likewise, training will soon begin for implementing the new Naviance platform for all middle and high schools. This new resource will significantly enhance career and posts-secondary planning for all Buncombe County students.
Blending old themes such as back-to-basics literacy, STEM integration across the curriculum, dual language program opportunities, the one-to-one laptop initiative, and Compassionate Schools with these new offerings should make for an exciting year!
I not only wish you an enthusiastic welcome back, but a very sincere wish for a successful 180 school days ahead!
~ Dr. Tony Baldwin