District staff outline differentiated-support pilot aimed at lowest-performing schools

During an Academic Excellence Committee meeting, Chatham County Public Schools staff described plans to pilot a differentiated-support model for a cohort of the district's lowest-performing schools.
The proposal would steer additional, targeted resources and staffing toward a subset of schools identified with leading indicators such as low academic achievement, high chronic absenteeism, elevated behavioral incidents and low family engagement. Staff said the intent is to test strategies in a small number of sites, learn what works and replicate successful approaches elsewhere in the district.
The plan matters because committee members said current one-size-fits-all resourcing has not closed gaps in student outcomes. Board members asked staff to clarify how supports would vary by school and how the district would ensure leaders and teachers at targeted schools receive sustained coaching and manageable workloads.
Chief of Schools Dr. Raymond Barnes summarized the selection approach: "We have narrowed down a slate of schools, based off some leading indicator data." He and Chief Academic Officer Derek Butler said the district will examine themes across those schools to determine which staffing, instructional and family-engagement resources to deploy.
Board members pressed staff on specific options the district is considering. Suggestions and points raised during the meeting included:
- Differentiated pay or resource allocation for leaders and teachers in harder-to-staff schools.
- Reexamination of staffing formulas (for example, more assistant principals where complexity and enrollment are higher).
- Focused coaching for novice teachers and instructional leaders in the selected cohort.
- Signature learning experiences (field trips, performances, partnership-based projects) to broaden students' exposure.
Trustees also cautioned that relocating experienced teachers into struggling schools would require incentives rather than mandates. "If they don't want to go, do we is it a push or a pull?" one trustee asked, urging incentive-based recruitment rather than forced assignments.
Staff said they will present a deeper plan at the board retreat and that the pilot will include metrics and replication criteria so the district can scale successful strategies without overwhelming school teams.
Discussion-only items in the meeting included program definitions, selection criteria and examples of approaches; no new funding motion or change in policy for this pilot was made at this session.
The committee scheduled further study and directed staff to return with a detailed scope, staffing implications and a replication plan for board review.