March 2023 Convening

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2023 Community College Presidents and Superintendents Convening
March 3, 2023
Greensboro, NC
Meeting Summary and Resources
Over 150 North Carolina community college presidents and local school superintendents gathered to
address our state’s most pressing education and workforce opportunities. This annual, joint convening
brings these two key education systems together to collaborate on promising practices and shared goals
that lead to improved student outcomes, increased economic mobility, and producing a diverse talent
pipeline that meet North Carolina’s growing workforce needs.
A summary of each session is provided below.
Technical Career Pipelines, Pathways and Partnerships
Presenters: Dr. Lawrence Rouse, President, Pitt Community College
Dr. Ethan Lenker, Superintendent, Pitt County Schools
Key Takeaways:
• Through intentional and strategic collaboration, Pitt Community College (PCC) and Pitt County
Schools (PCS) have increased student interest, engagement, and completion for students across
Pitt County. Dr. Rouse and Dr. Lenker shared best practices in their collaboration around several
successful initiatives strengthening career and college readiness including:
o Increasing access to career-aligned postsecondary courses | PCS and PCC have worked
to develop and expand opportunities for high school students to engage in credit-
bearing courses that are aligned to career opportunities within Pitt County. This includes
offering PCC courses on PCS campuses (including Welding, Statistical Methods 1, and
Personal Health/Wellness, among others), and developing programs to build pipelines
for specific career clusters, including a Technical Academy (focusing on five career
clusters with HVAC, BioTech, and Cosmetology) and the Health Science Academy (a
program introducing students to several career paths in the health science field through
coursework and career exploration opportunities outside of school).
o Tradesformers: Pre-apprenticeships to apprenticeships | Recognizing the need to
create a pipeline of skilled trades workers, a consortium of community businesses
established a partnership with PCC and PCS to develop Tradesformers: a paid
apprenticeship program designed to provide students hands-on training in key
industries in Pitt County. PCS places students in apprenticeships at the district office
with the goal of hiring these students full-time once they finish a degree at PCC.

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o Pitt County Schools Early College High School (PCSECHS) | Now in its eighth year of
operation, PCSEHS has experienced impressive postsecondary outcomes and an
increase in student interest and enrollment. This is due in large part to a state-of-the-art
facility (funded by the Pitt County Commissioners and located on PCCs campus) and
efforts to create a true school community by offering clubs and other extracurricular
activities.
o Expanding Career Exploration | High school students who are introduced to potential
career opportunities and the steps required to pursue that career can better understand
their potential career pathways. PCC recently invited high school students to participate
in its “Better Skills, Better Jobs” career fair to expose students to new fields and the
specific employers in the county and the region. Additionally, through the Pitt County
Chamber of Commerce’s Grow Local Program, middle and high school students, as well
as teachers and counselors, can travel to different businesses and the early college high
school to see what opportunities are available for students.
o Scholarships to engage at-risk students | The VISIONS Career Development and
Scholarship Program offers summer bridge programs, mentoring, and other supports to
help at-risk students earn a college degree or credential(s). Additionally, the Pitt County
Commissioners have funded the Bulldog Promise Scholarship through the county’s
economic development office to provide four semesters of free PCC tuition for students
graduating high school in Pitt County (public, private, and homeschool students are
eligible for this award).
Regional Workforce Development in Chatham, Harnett, and Lee Counties: Strong Local Approaches
are Enhanced Through Leveraging Resources
Presenters: Dr. Lisa Chapman, President, Central Carolina Community College
Dr. Tony Jackson, Superintendent, Chatham County Schools
Dr. Aaron Fleming, Superintendent, Harnett County Schools
Dr. Andy Bryan, Superintendent, Lee County Schools
Key Takeaways:
• Through myFutureNC’s local education attainment collaboratives, Central Carolina Community
College has worked to more intentionally partner with area districts (including Chatham,
Harnett, and Lee County Schools) to align efforts and tailor supports to community needs. This
panel explored how each county has partnered with the community college to drive local
development. The community college and the school districts agree that it is not enough to “get
the students to the door” of postsecondary education. They need the support to be successful.
o Chatham County Schools has sought to begin providing career exploration
opportunities for students as early as fifth grade through industry tours and career
exploration labs. For high schoolers, the district helps students and parents understand
the educational opportunities they have in the community through Career and College
Promise and community college courses offered on-site, leading to 84 percent of
students participating in college credit bearing courses while in high school. The district
believes that “…graduation from high school should be the launch, not the landing.”

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o Lee County Schools took a data-based approach to increasing engagement in dual
enrollment courses. They identified students who were eligible but were not
participating in dual enrollment and recruited students and families to enroll in the
program. In addition, the district developed a sister ACA course that students would
couple with their dual enrollment classes to provide the organizational and study skills
necessary for success at the community college level. Students raved about the support
received through this course, with several noting that without the support of that
cohort, they may not have completed their dual enrollment courses.
o Harnett County Schools identified equity challenges related to the location of the
county’s early college high school, which the ability of students to participate due to
transportation limitations. To tackle this, the district, community college, and county
commissioners worked to overcome bureaucratic barriers and opened a second campus
to alleviate this challenge.
The Education to Employment Ecosystem: Utilizing Teacher Prep as a Catalyst for Workforce
Development in Rowan County
Presenters: Dr. Carol Spalding, President, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Dr. Kelly Withers, Superintendent, Rowan-Salisbury Schools
Key Takeaways:
• Rowan-Salisbury Schools partnered with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College (RCCC) to develop
the Rowan County Education Collaborative Partners, including Catawba College, Livingstone
College, Rowan County Commissioners, and Rowan Economic Development, an informal group
of education stakeholders dedicated to:
o Educational attainment
o Career-ready graduates
o Work-based learning
o Local jobs for graduates
o Being an education community
• To increase alignment, Catawba College, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, and the Rowan
Salisbury School system are collaborating in the development of their strategic plans.
• A key focus of this group’s work has been to create a teacher preparation pipeline to support
the educator workforce in Rowan County.
o Students can begin teacher preparation coursework in high school before going on to
earn an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science in prep from RCCC.
o Students can then enroll with junior standing at Catawba College and immediately begin
taking Teacher Education major courses.
• Using its Renewal District Status, Rowan-Salisbury schools can strategically allocate its budget,
allowing for more opportunity for innovative practices. One of the ways in which the district
uses this flexibility is the RSS Lab School. This program offers students two year-long paid
internships at a high-need school with specialized training in the Renewal District Model.
o To facilitate these internships, the district recruits master teachers to the high-need
school and provides a $15,000 stipend each year, both increasing the quality of

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instruction at the low-performing school and providing high-quality mentoring to in-
service teachers.
• Participating students can graduate with their BA in two years, and qualified graduates receive a
signing bonus and a guaranteed teaching position in an RSS school.
Defining and Delivering on the “Promise” of College and Career Promise
Presenters: Dr. Margaret Annunziata, President, Isothermal Community College
Dr. David Sutton, Superintendent, Rutherford County Schools
Mr. Aaron Greene, Superintendent, Polk County Schools
Key Takeaways
• Building on the day’s theme of deepening partnerships and aligning with community and
industry needs, leaders from Isothermal Community College (ICC), Rutherford County Schools
(RCS), and Polk County Schools (PCS) shared their unique approach to increasing career and
college readiness in their communities. During their session, they highlighted that a community
college that serves more than one county needs to think critically about whether ideas and
special initiatives will work in both communities.
o Rutherford County Schools has experienced excellent outcomes for students
participating in its Early College High School but was concerned that only 10 percent of
students in Rutherford are able to participate in this opportunity. To increase access and
create a career focused culture within district high schools, RCS has sought to develop
five-year course sequences in partnership with ICC to provide more structure and
ensure students see a clear pathway to a career once they are enrolled in a series of
community college courses.
o Polk County Schools has benefitted from partners who are flexible and share a
commitment to improving outcomes for all students. This includes working with the
county transportation department to get students to ICC campuses, finding ways to
reconcile calendar differences with ICC, and allowing PCS teachers to serve as adjunct
faculty at ICC to offer a section of courses on the high school campus.
o Isothermal Community College has improved quality and quantity of its programs, while
working toward having a more inclusive student population.
 The college has worked to identify individuals in the community they are
currently not serving and has created a strategic plan to better connect with
these populations moving forward.
 The college has recognized that many students were graduating with a transfer
degree that had no labor market value. Ensuring that students recognize the
broad array of opportunities to earn a degree or credential that can lead them
directly into a career, not just a four-year transfer, is an important next step.
 To expand career pathway exploration and support entry into and through CCP
pathways, especially for students of color and low-income populations, the
college has sought to build capacity of staff, school counselors, and other
stakeholders to discuss career opportunities available in the region.
 The college also hopes to implement solutions to overcome barriers to
participation, including:

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• Increasing career coach support, including launching a career coach
virtual tool.
• Addressing transportation needs.
• Ensuring inclusive climate that promotes student engagement and
success
 The college is committed to increased assessment, evaluation, and continuous
improvement to support its changes.
myFutureNC – Measuring Progress and Driving Action Toward Two Million by 2030
Presenters: Ms. Toni Blount, Regional Impact Manager, myFutureNC
Ms. Gina Zhang, Research & Data Analysis Manager, myFutureNC
Key Takeaways:
• Ms. Gina Zhang, myFutureNC’s Research and Data Analysis Manager, provided an overview of
an upcoming report to the General Assembly regarding requirements to create an
interconnected and interoperable real-time data system.
o Since November of 2022, myFutureNC has interviewed more than 60 stakeholders from
across the state to identify desired outcomes of this data system, including a Unified K-
16 Digital Transcript; a Portable, Holistic Student Portfolio; and Automated Transcript
Matching.
o The key takeaway from this study is that the attainment initiative is based on people
rather than technology. Extensive collaboration among K-12, postsecondary institutions,
and other data providers across the state is required for success— these groups need to
agree on a shared vision and mission, governance structures, standardized data
definitions, and timelines.
• Ms. Toni Blount, Regional Impact Manager for myFutureNC, then shared updates on the state’s
progress toward its goal of 2 million North Carolinians with a high-quality credential or
postsecondary degree by 2030.
o Current projections indicate that NC will fall 31,000 individuals short of our goal.
o To accelerate action at the local level, myFutureNC’s County Attainment Profiles provide
local performance on key indicators, recommended local goals, and opportunities for
growth. myFutureNC’s regional impact managers support counties in acting on this data.
o A valuable tool in closing the gap by 2030 is increasing FAFSA completion in North
Carolina.
 Approximately 88 percent of high school seniors who complete a FASFA attend
college, compared to 49 percent of students who do not.
 myFutureNC has established a goal of 80 percent of high school students
completing FAFSA each year by 2030, and this year’s goal is 65 percent. As of
February, approximately 38 percent of students in North Carolina have
completed the FAFSA.

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 To address this, myFutureNC has launched FAFSA action plan pilots with 23
percent of districts across the state and is holding a FAFSA summit in the
summer of 2023.
Next Steps:
• Continue to build strong partnerships between school districts and community colleges
• Deepen engagement of regional workforce development collaboratives
• Expand the 2+2 programs offered in community colleges
• Innovate around how to increase FAFSA completion
• Promote the College and Career Promise
• Monitor potential legislative changes to the funding model for students engaged in courses at
community colleges and within their K-12 school districts
The executive summary was provided in conjunction with RTI International. Thank you for your
leadership and the partnerships across our state. I want to personally thank MC Belk Pilon and the John
M. Belk Endowment for providing the resources to make this event possible.
Sincerely,
Jack Hoke, Executive Director,
North Carolina School Superintendents' Association