College and Schools Focus on Improving Math Scores

Richmond Community College’s Board of Trustees welcomed representatives from Richmond County Schools to its meeting Tuesday night to discuss the solid educational partnership that has been forged between the college and school district to improve student math scores.

Dr. Dale McInnis, RCC’s president, introduced Kelly DeLong, director of K-12 Math and Science for Richmond County Schools, who has worked side by side with RCC to secure the $750,000 Golden LEAF Foundation grant.

“Kelly has done a great job, and she’s been with us from day one since the first kick-off meeting to learn about these grants, and now we’re moving forward to the implementation of the grant funds,” McInnis said.

DeLong said the grant funds would have a direct impact on middle school and high school students in Richmond County.

“The vision for this grant is for students to increase their math skills, for them to be excited about mathematics, for them to understand the application of mathematics in a 21st Century way through the use of technology and computers,” DeLong said. “We will have professional development for our teachers on RCC’s campus, and our students will be here for summer camps. Our math department will also be working with your faculty to make sure we shore up the skills of our students so they can be successful in RCC’s programs.”

Received in June, the Golden LEAF Foundation grant will fund this three-year project aimed at improving skills in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, commonly referred to as STEM. The project will also work to increase the percentage of high school students who take college level courses through RCC’s Career and College Promise program, thus preparing them for the growing number of high-skill, high-wage STEM-related jobs.

Joining DeLong at the meeting also from Richmond County Schools was Tony Tuso, who has been instrumental in upgrading the technology infrastructure in the middle and high schools in order to implement the digital learning.

“We believe we will become the model for the state,” DeLong said about the partnership between the college and the school district.

McInnis acknowledged the tremendous growth that has developed from the grant.

“This is going to be a rising tide that is going to lift all our boats and help all of our children,” McInnis said. “The number of students having to take developmental math will go down, graduation rates will go up, college completers will go up, our Career and College Promise enrollment numbers will go up, and this all starts with math.”

RCC also received a $235,343 Golden LEAF Foundation grant that will benefit Scotland County students. Grant funds will be used to renovate the Edwin Morgan Center in Laurinburg to expand clinical training and continuing education for healthcare workers.

In Other Business

The Board of Trustees honored retiring Trustee Bert Unger, whose last meeting was June 2, but Unger and his wife attended Tuesday’s night meeting so that he could be honored for his 20-plus years of service on the board. The board granted him Trustee Emeritus status and presented him with a framed certificate.

The board also received a report about new course offerings through RCC’s Workforce and Economic Development division, including a new Correctional Officer Career pathway that will help place career-minded individuals into the corrections sector.

The next Board of Trustees meeting will be Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Board Room of the DeWitt Building on RCC’s main campus in Hamlet.