Mr. Kevin Joyce will become the district’s Coordinator of Learning Enhancement and Global Programs. He has been the assistant principal of Mount Airy High School since 2014 and has over 25 years of experience in education. This federally-funded position will help address any learning gaps caused by COVID-19 and also move students forward academically. Mr. Joyce has been organizing global programs for five years and will continue his work with the Mandarin Chinese program that serves middle and high schoolers in the district. His office will be located at Mount Airy Middle School. New additions to his role will include coordinating the eight interventionists serving kindergarten through twelfth graders throughout the district and leading the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program that will facilitate the growth and achievement of students striving to attend college. He will also be working to support English Learners across the system.
Superintendent Dr. Kim Morrison states, “Mount Airy City Schools wants to rethink education as we come out of the last challenging year. Changes in administrative roles and ways to support students will provide a framework to make sure every single child is successful. I am thankful that we have tremendous leadership throughout our district. I am also proud of these administrators for taking on new leadership opportunities that ensure our continued success as one of the top districts in North Carolina.”
Mrs. Maggie Mitchell will be replacing Mr. Joyce as Mount Airy High School’s assistant principal. She has been the school’s curriculum facilitator for the past two years and has been in education since 2013. She will continue to facilitate professional learning communities, coach teachers, provide staff development, and resources for classroom instruction. The curriculum facilitator role for the school will not be filled, but transitioned to an additional assistant principal position. This job will be posted and filled over the summer.
Principal Jason Dorsett notes, “It has been a pleasure to work together with Mr. Joyce at Mount Airy High School. He is a dedicated educator and outstanding person who is always willing to go above and beyond for our students, staff, and community. By expanding his role, he is now able to have the same impact on the entire district. Mr. Dorsett also added, “We are excited about the transition for Mrs. Mitchell. She has shown a willingness and desire to jump right in to provide a high level of support for our staff. This transition provides an opportunity to do the same for our students and school community.”
Mrs. Audra Chilton has been named Chief Finance Officer for the district and will continue in her role of managing local, state, and federal dollars for the district. She works closely with her team to ensure that both district and individual school finances are handled responsibly. In the past year, over 17 newly designated funding sources have been added to her responsibilities and each with its own specific rules and regulations. Mrs. Chilton joined Mount Airy City Schools in 2014 and is a Certified Public Accountant, one of the very few found remaining in district finance positions in the state. Her technical expertise, work ethic, and strong team has helped her achieve the Excellence in Financial Management and Reporting award for six years in a row.
Dr. Phillip Brown has been named Deputy Superintendent. This position works closely with the Superintendent to implement innovative programs and general operations of the school district. He joined the district in 2016 and has led the development of Mount Airy City Schools Social and Emotional Learning Taskforce, coached staff members, and connected the local workforce to initiatives within the school system. He will continue his work with Human Resources and Teaching and Learning across the district. During this time in MACS, he has worked closely with building administrators to lower the teacher turnover rate, facilitated additional support for beginning teachers, and created effective feedback loops to increase the success of schools and the district.
When asked about her leadership team’s efforts over the past year she boasted. “Our leadership team did a great job bringing students back five days a week this year. Mrs. Audra Chilton and Dr. Phillip Brown were critical members of that team. They should be commended for all of their leadership in extremely difficult areas. Many of the additional responsibilities they have assumed are captured under these new leadership roles.”
These changes will take effect July 1, 2021.