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Rowan County Schools’ superintendent reflects on his first year in the district

Samantha Morrill

With the school year over and graduation ceremonies wrapped up across the commonwealth, school districts are looking at their year in review. Rowan County Schools, previously under the direction of John Maxey, had a new superintendent last school year.

Superintendent Michael Rowe said the Board of Education was hard at work this year making sure students and teachers got everything they needed to be successful. Rowan County Schools put together a special committee to approve employee benefits.

Superintendent Rowe said one of his primary concerns when he came into the position was employee salaries, top to bottom.

“Excited to share the board did approve the new salary schedules and have invested $1.4 million into the salaries for our employees. Kudos to the board and the committee that put this together. I am glad to see our employees get what they deserve,” said Rowe.

The district is also making notable improvements to facilities on multiple campuses. Last fall, students and educators returned to the renovated Clearfield and Rodburn elementary schools. Rowe said renovations at the high school’s football stadium will make community events accessible to everyone.

“It’s something that’s been long overdue, especially on the ADA side for those who are handicapped and have some disabilities. Our old set of bleachers, of course, were compliant when they were built 40 years ago but they weren’t compliant with what new ones would be. So, that’s the first thing we looked at,” said Rowe.

Looking ahead to the next school year, Rowe said improvements will be made to certain curricula as teachers undergo professional development over the summer.