The 2025-26 academic year for local public school districts is just around the corner, with the first day of instruction on Monday, Aug. 25 and teachers back in classrooms preparing to welcome back students.
For the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district, Monday will mark the first school year under Rodney Trice’s leadership as superintendent — having been elevated from deputy superintendent this summer after Nyah Hamlett’s departure. He steps into the role as the district adjusts to new rules around technology in classrooms and grapples with concerning enrollment trends while building upon its efforts to provide an high-quality education to its students. Trice joined 97.9 The Hill’s Brighton McConnell for an interview on Tuesday, Aug. 19 to discuss those topics, students’ return to classrooms and more.
Below is a transcript of Trice’s conversation with McConnell, which has been shortened from the full segment and lightly edited for clarity.
McConnell: We’re coming up on your first first day as superintendent of CHCCS, and I like asking this question when we can get educators and leaders in: from your time as an educator in your many different roles, what are some of your favorite memories or things that you just love about that first day back with students?
Trice: The first day, it’s always about energy. You know, the summer has passed, I think the students are ready to see their friends and their teachers, they’ve grown a little bit…so it’s just incredibly exciting to see new beginnings. That has stuck with me for 27 years: this will be my 27th opening of school, and [I am] just super excited for our students and our families.
McConnell: We talked with you a couple months ago, not too long after you had been named superintendent for CHCCS. How are you feeling settling into the role and approaching this school year from a slightly new perspective?
Trice: I feel really energized – really. In speaking with many of our community members…I’ve been in touch with a lot of teachers over the summer, certainly in the past week or so, this morning speaking with bus drivers. There’s just a renewed sense of energy and excitement in our district that I’m really looking forward to just carrying us throughout the year.
McConnell: I imagine that you have been a man in demand these last couple months, and of course, with these first few weeks of schools getting up and going. You held some initial listening sessions for meeting with other people in the district too — but there will still be some more meet-and-greet opportunities on the horizon for families and folks who haven’t had a chance to come chat with you as superintendent yet, right?
Trice: Yes, we’re really looking forward to that. In September, October, really into the holiday season, I believe we’ll have ample opportunities to make connections. I really want to be known as that leader who is just open to listening to what our community has to say about our schools and how we can move forward together.
McConnell: One question that probably matters quite a bit to families: the school district and a lot of schools across North Carolina switched the software used to access student information. Can you walk me through how that switch to Infinite Campus has been going, what you’ve been hearing from both the folks in the district and then families so far?
Trice: It’s been an incredibly heavy lift internally, but [I’m] glad to say that our staff has really done an amazing job to get the system ready for our students. I think it was just yesterday we released schedules to students, and just following the social media trends…I know many of our students were excited about that. But it’s going to be a good platform for our students and parents. It’s important that our students be able to track their grades, their assignments, attendance, and that type of thing. Same for parents…it’ll be a really good platform for doing that. It seems to be easier to use — I know that as a staff member, but also a parent in our community. There are plenty of videos, short clips that are out there [on how to use Infinite Campus] on our websites, and we’ll continue to promote those. But I think direct contact with teachers and others in the school will be the best path [for questions about the software].
McConnell: One technology question to another. A common refrain around schools right now is how to limit cellphones and personal technology in the classroom. And I know that the district adopted a required policy not that long ago, and it sounds like there were a couple updates made at the school board meeting last week. What are the updates and what should people expect when they show up on campus next week?
Trice: Yes, it’s one of the changes we’ve made this summer: implementing a new cellphone policy. But of course, it includes other mobile devices: smartphones, earbuds, and such. And the goal is just to protect the sanctity of our classrooms. We want to focus on learning, building connections, building relationships, growing together. With the explosion of mobile devices over the past couple of years, it’s just been really difficult for our teachers to compete with that. And so, we wanted to start the year off with clear expectations. Although the law doesn’t come into effect until January 2026, it’s important to set the tone for the year.
I think we took a pretty nuanced approach to implementing the policy. ‘Away for the day’ at the elementary and middle school level. We grant some leeway to our high school students: away during instructional time and transition between classrooms…but at lunchtime and after school, they’re able to use their mobile devices.
McConnell: Another topic from the school board meeting last week: there was a presentation by Deputy Superintendent of Operations Al Ciarochi about a hypothetical elementary school closure, walking through what that would look like and the different things to consider if that were to happen. He stressed that this is a hypothetical exercise, but I think a lot of people will probably then have the question, ‘Why is the administration doing such an exercise?’
Trice: Yeah, I’ll stress again that it is hypothetical at this point. But in the face of declining enrollment and some of the fiscal pressures that many school districts are facing, I just think it’s important to be transparent and open [about] all the possibilities that are on the table to respond to those headwinds. And so while it is hypothetical, if the board should decide to walk that path someday, we want to be ready with good information that the schools or our school board can use — and that our community can lean on — in terms of what a process might look like. [For example], if there are any savings, what the savings might be for closing schools.
Again, it’s a part of a larger conversation around enrollment; enrollment is very closely tied to revenue and what we have in terms of resources in a district. Since the pandemic, we’ve had an enrollment decline of about 1,000 students, which equates to about $9 million in our operating budget. Those aren’t insignificant figures. And like I said, the transparency around how schools deal with such declining enrollment and such fiscal hurdles is important. I think for our board, it’s important to have that conversation in public — which is one reason the idea was put on the table [for] walking us through what a closure might look like and what it might entail.
McConnell: Worth noting too: the School Facilities Bond that was passed last calendar year plays into those discussions a little bit, since CHCCS is looking at potentially three rebuilt elementary schools on the horizon. I have to imagine that is worth talking about in the same breath as this exercise.
Trice: [We are] really looking forward to those [projects]. Just a couple of years off right now, but we have to build the roadway to having those more formal conversations about renovating and building new schools. But again, the closure of a school is just part of a larger conversation that we’re having as a board.
McConnell: The more pressing matter is that, again, we’ve got first day of classes coming up on Monday. What other tips, pieces of advice or things to keep in mind as folks are getting back into the daily rhythm of the school year?
Trice: I think one thing that I’m certainly proud of is the gains that we’ve been making on addressing chronic absenteeism. Since the pandemic, across the United States, it’s just been a challenge for public schools to make sure that students are attending school at a very high rate. The trends that we’re seeing in our data from last year [are] really positive. We just want to continue that work and just make sure the learning spaces that we have invite students in, make sure that they know they’re wanted. That’s going to be some exciting work that we’ll continue to do
I think, other than that, is welcoming our new teachers. You know, they’ve been in session with us since last week and the energy that they are bringing [is great.] It’s always just exciting to see the different perspectives [of] someone new to the profession, just the excitement that they’re going to bring to the classroom. So parents and students out there: wrap your arms around [them] and just make sure this is an exciting year for them as well.
Featured photo via Andy Jenks/Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.
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