Superintendent of Newton County Schools (NCS)’ Dr. Duke Bradley III did not mince words when tasked with sharing his thoughts on the state of the district.
“Allow me to share with you this evening that the state of our district is strong and poised to get even stronger,” Bradley said.
At NCS’ first-ever State of the District last Tuesday, Feb. 11, hundreds packed Porter Performing Arts Center to get a scope of the district’s future. The program was hosted by an array of Newton County Schools employees, all the way from Superintendent Dr. Duke Bradley III to board of education members, teachers, students and more.
The school system revealed its newfound literacy priorities and announced the inaugural recipient of an award named after the late Almond Turner.
Literacy Initiative
One of the key points of the Feb. 11 presentation was the announcement of how NCS is looking to implement its new literacy strategy.
In Bradley’s 90-day report from 2024, it was revealed that the majority of NCS students in grades 3,5, and 8 were not proficient readers based on the 2023 Milestone Examination. Specifically, all three grade levels were below the 30-percent mark, which was several points below the state average.
Based on the findings from the report, work for a defined literacy initiative has been in the works.
Bradley, with support from teachers from elementary schools across the district, emphasized the importance of improving literacy rates in Newton County.
“To be clear, literacy is an area of focus throughout our state and our nation,” Bradley said. “And last year, under the leadership and direction of our board [of education], literacy improvement was identified as our primary area of academic focus, beginning with the development of a comprehensive literacy strategy.”
For the past few months, NCS has implemented a program called Reading is Essential for All People (REAP) at two elementary schools – South Salem Elementary and East Newton Elementary. The implementation of this program was made possible by support from the Newton Education Foundation.
Next year, in alignment with NCS’ goal to expand literacy, this program will be expanded to three or four more schools.
In addition to REAP, Bradley revealed a new literacy initiative that NCS will be implementing to assist elementary teachers in raising the literacy rates of Newton’s youth.
According to information from Tracy Blackburn, the district’s chief of learning and leadership, NCS will develop a Literacy Blueprint to outline literacy instruction for all students in the school system. The school system will also assemble a Literacy Task Force that will be responsible for providing feedback on the new initiatives.
The initiative itself will include training for all teachers that considers how to meet the literacy needs of all students and teaches them how to best integrate new literacy strategies.
“Literacy is the foundation of all learning, and we are dedicated to getting it right here in Newton County,” said Lauren LaMont, assistant superintendent of teaching and learning. “So we recognize that too many students are not meeting grade level proficiency, and we’re dedicated to reversing this trend.
So we must ground our instruction in the science of reading in elementary school, then as students progress into secondary, we must continue to engage them in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Students having a strong literacy instruction from K-12 is essential for them to graduate prepared for college, career and life.”
Almond Turner Award
The Almond J. Turner Legacy Award for Leadership and Service is a new honor that the BOE developed in recognition of the late Almond Turner.
Turner was a member of the board of education and a cornerstone of the Newton County community. He was a well-known figure, working in law enforcement for 45 years and retiring as the Covington Police Department’s chief of police in 2016. Turner was first elected to the board of education in 1996 and was re-elected five times.
“No matter what the situation is, no matter how difficult it was, he always was non judgemental, he listened, he loved and he always had this wisdom that made you feel like no matter what you were going through, that it was going to be alright,” said Dwahn Turner, Almond Turner’s son.
Turner tragically passed away in late 2019, but his legacy will continue to live on in the community through the Almond J. Turner Legacy Award for Leadership and Service.
Shakila Henderson-Baker, vice chair of the board of education, invited Turner’s family to the stage to assist in presenting the award and honoring Turner’s legacy.
“Tonight we are reminded of the enduring impact of his contributions, and of the qualities we hope to see in every single student that walks through our doors: care for others, humility, service and a commitment to making the world a better place,” Henderson-Baker said.
The award was presented to Louise Adams, a retired educator who taught Almond Turner himself in grade school.
Henderson-Baker described Adams as a woman who has committed decades of leadership to Newton County. As a teacher, assistant principal and principal, Henderson-Baker called Adams’ impact on the community profound.
“Her leadership in education, particularly in the Newton County School System, set the standard for excellence, and she continues to be an inspiration for those who follow,” Henderson-Baker said.
Adams is a member of the Retired Educators Association of Newton County and the Newton County Board of Health. She has also worked with the Housing Authority of Covington, the Atlanta-Decatur-Oxford United Methodist Women and the Washington Street Community Center.
“She embodies the qualities of dedication, service and leadership that Almond J. Turner Legacy Award represents,” Henderson-Baker said. “I believe Almond is smiling down on Mrs. Adams.”
