Want to be in-the-know about the two school districts in Orange County? Check out Speaking of Schools on Mondays, a ‘News on The Hill’ segment that features leaders from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools system and Orange County Schools system!
Speaking of Schools: Orange County Schools Exceptional Children Program
Orange County School’s Superintendent Dr. Danielle Jones and Executive Director of Exceptional Children Stacey Burns spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Andrew Stuckey on Monday, March 2. They discussed the Exceptional Children program in Orange County Schools, including priorities, district events, staff training and support, and more.


Speaking of Schools is our regular check-in with the public K-12 school districts in our community. You can find conversations with leaders from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, and Chatham County Schools by clicking here.
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Speaking of Schools: OCS Board Chair Will Atherton and CTE Director Shannon Braxton
Orange County Schools Board of Education Chair Will Atherton and Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) Shannon Braxton spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Andrew Stuckey on Monday, February 9, discussing district news and events. They discussed the challenges around the recent winter weather events that kept students off campus, and the small changes to the schedule because of those cancellations. They also discussed the district’s CTE program, including the different pathways students can explore, the opportunity to partner with community businesses, and more.

Speaking of Schools is our regular check-in with the public K-12 school districts in our community. You can find conversations with leaders from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, and Chatham County Schools by clicking here.
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Speaking of Schools: CHCCS Board Chair Riza Jenkins
Chair of the Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools Board of Education Riza Jenkins spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Andrew Stuckey on Tuesday, January 20. She discussed latest meeting of the board, which outlined the process for closing a school within a district, and a presentation on the enrollment and budget data that led to that discussion. She also discussed a couple of recent policy changes that have feedback coming in: the cellphone policy and the change to a block schedule at the secondary level. Andy Jenks also joined to talk about inclement weather procedures and more.

Speaking of Schools is our regular check-in with the public K-12 school districts in our community. You can find conversations with leaders from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, and Chatham County Schools by clicking here.
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Speaking of Schools: Orange County School’s Superintendent Danielle Jones and Board Chair Will Atherton
Orange County School’s Superintendent Danielle Jones and Board Chair Will Atherton spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Andrew Stuckey on Monday, January 5. They discussed takeaways from the first half of the school year, what they are looking forward to in 2026, and more. They also discussed highlights from the district’s 2025 state accountability results, which includes academic growth being shown at all of the district’s schools and more.

Speaking of Schools is our regular check-in with the public K-12 school districts in our community. You can find conversations with leaders from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, and Chatham County Schools by clicking here.
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Speaking of Schools: CHCCS Director of Technology Debby Atwater and Director of Digital Learning Al McArthur
CHCCS Director of Technology Debby Atwater and Director of Digital Learning Al McArthur spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Andrew Stuckey on Monday, October 15. They discussed the CoSN Aware, a recent distinction awarded to the district for protecting student data privacy. They also discussed the district’s Digital Learning Plan, the technology roll out for the start of the year, and more.

Speaking of Schools is our regular check-in with the public K-12 school districts in our community. You can find conversations with leaders from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, and Chatham County Schools by clicking here.
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Speaking of Schools: Chatham County Schools PIO Jessica Pasion
Chatham County School Public Information Officer Jessica Pasion spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Andrew Stuckey on Monday, September 29, discussing district news and events. She talked about how the school year has gone in the first month, highlighted a recent accountability recognition the district received, and more. She also discussed the district’s composite programs, which allow for marching band and soccer teams to form from several schools that might not have enough people to do that activity independently. She also previewed upcoming events and more.

Speaking of Schools is our regular check-in with the public K-12 school districts in our community. You can find conversations with leaders from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, and Chatham County Schools by clicking here.
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Speaking of Schools: Chief Human Resource Officer Ashauna Harris
Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Ashauna Harris spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Andrew Stuckey on Monday, September 15. She discussed the district starting the year a 98 percent staffing, with the bulk of the open positions being Teaching Assistant positions. She talked about which community members qualify for those roles and who might be a good fit. She discussed teacher recruitment and retention practices, and what the next portion of the school year looks like for district Human Resources. Find more on open positions at CHCCS here.
Speaking of Schools is our regular check-in with the public K-12 school districts in our community. You can find conversations with leaders from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, and Chatham County Schools by clicking here.
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Speaking of Schools: Chatham County Schools Superintendent Anthony Jackson
Chatham County Schools Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Andrew Stuckey on Monday, August 25, discussing district news and events. He talked about the lead up to the first day school, and the district’s theme for the year. He also talked about staffing, which is at its highest level since the pandemic, and more.
Speaking of Schools is our regular check-in with the public K-12 school districts in our community. You can find conversations with leaders from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, and Chatham County Schools by clicking here.
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Speaking of Schools: CHCCS Superintendent Rodney Trice on the New School Year
Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Superintendent Rodney Trice joins 97.9 The Hill News Director Brighton McConnell on Tuesday, August 19. Ahead of the first day of class next week — and his first school year as a superintendent — Trice discusses the emotions around returning to instruction and full activity on school campuses. He reminds families of the recent software change for the district, as well as a new cellphone and electronics policy being enforced. The superintendent also discusses a recent hypothetical scenario presented to the CHCCS Board of Education around closing an elementary school and why his administration believes its smart to engage with the idea.
Speaking of Schools is our regular check-in with the public K-12 school districts in our community. You can find conversations with leaders from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, and Chatham County Schools by clicking here.
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Speaking of Schools: Orange County Schools Superintendent Danielle Jones
Orange County Schools Superintendent Danielle Jones speaks with 97.9 The Hill News Director Brighton McConnell on Wednesday, August 6. Ahead of a new school year starting later this month, she details some of the main priorities her central office and the district will be focused on in 2025-26, including leading up to the creation of a new strategic plan. Jones also shares details on this weekend’s Back To School Fair — the district’s first — which will provide families and students with information on a variety of critical topics to keep in mind as classes resume. The superintendent also answers whether she’s heard from families affected by Chantal’s flooding in July and what resources are available for those who were.
Speaking of Schools is our regular check-in with the public school districts in our community. You can find conversations with leaders from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools, and Chatham County Schools by clicking here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS