Education

RCSS progressing with budget cuts for upcoming school year
02 Jul

RCSS progressing with budget cuts for upcoming school year

Ryan HenkelNews, , , , ,
ASHEBORO — The Randolph County Schools Board of Education was presented with upcoming budget cuts for the 2025-26 school year. “There’s been a lot of hands in this work the last two months, really,” superintendent Stephen Gainey said. “We’re shooting for $3.3 million in reductions. We’re not there, but we’re pretty close, closer than we might think right now. I think within another week or two, we’ll be clear of there.” According to Gainey, the district is aiming for $3.3 million in cuts to best position themselves financially. So far, the process has shored up around $3.086 million. “We’re looking…
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Graduating classes grow around Randolph County
14 Jun

Graduating classes grow around Randolph County

Bob SuttonEvents, News, , , , , , , ,
Big graduating classes were among the themes for high school commencements this spring in Randolph County. The largest class was at Asheboro High School with 352 graduates. That marks the school’s biggest class in 25 years. Most high school commencements in the county were held this week, though there were a couple earlier. Within the Randolph County School System, there were 1,075 graduates across eight high schools. RCSS, citing a transition from one student information system to another, was unable to provide a school-by-school breakdown of graduates. The schools in RCSS include six traditional high schools (Eastern Randolph, Providence Grove,…
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Board of Education reverses decision, will close Virtual Academy
10 Jun

Board of Education reverses decision, will close Virtual Academy

Ryan HenkelNews, , , , ,
ASHEBORO — The Randolph County School System will be closing The Virtual Academy at Randolph. The decision comes following a unanimous vote by the Randolph County Schools Board of Education at its June 2 meeting, which reversed a prior vote made just a few weeks earlier. “Last month, it was a 3-3 tie and it stayed as is,” said board chair Gary Cook. “I voted to leave it open. We didn’t have the full board here and we probably should have tabled it until we had a full board for a decision like that. I’ll own that mistake.” Board members…
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The Virtual Academy of Randolph to remain open
21 May

The Virtual Academy of Randolph to remain open

Ryan HenkelNews, , , , , , ,
ASHEBORO – Despite the recommendation of the superintendent, The Virtual Academy at Randolph will not be closing. At the Randolph County Schools Board of Education’s May 19 meeting, the board held a vote to close The Virtual Academy at Randolph, but due to a 3-3 split – with chair Gary Cook and members Phillip Lanier and Shannon Whitaker voting against the motion – it failed to pass. “Just can’t do it,” Cook said. “I know it’s a business and I made this a point to a lot of people. But, for me, I couldn’t sleep tonight. I have a soft…
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Ejections, behavior within NCHSAA concern RCSS superintendent
09 May

Ejections, behavior within NCHSAA concern RCSS superintendent

Bob SuttonSports, , , ,
Stephen Gainey (Courtesy photo) A rise in ejections across sports in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association has raised the concern of Stephen Gainey. Gainey, the superintendent of the Randolph County School System, is serving as NCHSAA president. “I’m seeing sportsmanship issues,” Gainey said last week after the association’s spring meetings wrapped up. “I see it on the field. I see it in the stands. And it’s very concerning to me.” The number of ejections of players has increased dramatically during the 2024-25 school year, NCHSAA commissioner Que Tucker said. For Gainey, who regularly attends sports competitions in Randolph…
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Public hearing to be held for potential closure of Virtual Academy at Randolph
16 Apr

Public hearing to be held for potential closure of Virtual Academy at Randolph

Ryan HenkelNews, , , , ,
ASHEBORO — The Randolph County School System is looking to close the Virtual Academy at Randolph. At the Randolph County Schools Board of Education’s meeting this month, the board was presented with a study the district had done which focused primarily on the “welfare of the students who are enrolled in the school should the Virtual Academy at Randolph be closed.” “If we sent the students back to their schools that they were assigned to because of the closure of this school, it would not lead to any disruptive enrollment increases in those schools,” said Stephen Gainey, RCSS superintendent. “The closure…
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Commissioners approve purchase of property for new Randleman High School
10 Apr

Commissioners approve purchase of property for new Randleman High School

Ryan HenkelNews, , , ,
ASHEBORO – Randolph County has moved one step closer toward the construction of a new high school. At this week's meeting, the Randolph County Board of Commissioners approved a budget amendment to allocate $6 million for the purchase of approximately 90 acres of property located on Walker Mill Road intended to be utilized for the site of a new Randleman High School. “Approximately one year ago, this board authorized the Randolph County School System to begin looking for land for future locations for Liberty Elementary School and Randleman High School,” county manager Zeb Holden said. “It took some time, but…
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RCSS board chair addresses school safety in light of Hopewell Elementary School incident
26 Mar

RCSS board chair addresses school safety in light of Hopewell Elementary School incident

Ryan HenkelNews, , , , , ,
ASHEBORO – The Randolph County Schools Board of Education addressed the incident at Hopewell Elementary School at its March meeting. On Feb. 26, a man entered Hopewell Elementary through a broken door during school hours. While the man didn't seem to have any ill intent nor did he harm anybody in the school, it raised concerns among parents and district staff regarding the safety of the district’s schools. “That should have never happened, but it did happen and we have to learn from that, get better and take steps so that it never happens again,” board chair Gary Cook said.…
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Apprenticeship Randolph seeks new class of students
04 Mar

Apprenticeship Randolph seeks new class of students

Bob SuttonNews, , ,
ASHEBORO — The deadline for inclusion in the next round of Apprenticeship Randolph is approaching next week. Last month’s Apprenticeship Randolph Community night scheduled for Randolph Community College’s Corporate Training Center in Asheboro was canceled because of weather-related concerns. While it wasn’t rescheduled, there’s time to apply to be part of the program. “We typically take around 20 students, juniors and seniors,” said Stacey Miller, director of apprenticeships at RCC. Applications for Apprenticeship Randolph are being accepted through March 10. Open houses connected to the program for students and parents continue through the end of this week, with applicants required to…
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Security breach draws scrutiny at RCSS school
03 Mar

Security breach draws scrutiny at RCSS school

Bob SuttonNews, , , , ,
TRINITY — The head of the Randolph County School system has vowed that the district will be more attentive to safety issues and he said broken hinges on a door that contributed to an intruder entering a school last week have been repaired. Superintendent Stephen Gainey addressed the incident at Hopewell Elementary School in a message to parents and district residents, apologizing for the high level of anxiety that was created last week. “While the situation did occur, it should never have happened,” Gainey said. “This individual had no business on the campus of Hopewell Elementary School, and definitely didn’t…
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