IFN Staff 

Iredell-Statesville Schools Superintendent Jeff James recently completed his fifth year, leading the district through a global pandemic while remaining focused on student achievement and significant funding and staffing challenges. He took some time to participate in the Iredell Free News Q&A.

IFN: You recently completed your fifth year as I-SS superintendent. Between the Covid-19 pandemic, years of discord between some school board members, and challenges getting funding for the new high school, it’s been anything but a smooth ride. What has the experience been like for you personally? 

JAMES: Leading through the COVID-19 pandemic was a period of intense pressure unlike any other in modern educational history. I had to make rapid, high-impact decisions—often with incomplete information—on an hourly or daily basis. The decision to implement hotspots and devices to enable remote learning, the coordination with NCDPI and health officials, and then the choice to be the first system to bring back students all demanded immense energy and unwavering focus. The public education system became a central arena for deep societal divisions, particularly around issues like masking.

Dealing with “years of discord between some school board members” means you had to spend significant emotional and strategic capital trying to build consensus, manage conflict, and maintain a focus on student well-being, even when your own governing body was fractured.

Collaborating with parents “both wanting masking and those who did not” required extraordinary emotional intelligence and diplomacy. You were the lightning rod for intense community frustration and fear from all sides. It’s an isolating experience to be the one responsible for implementing policies that you know will make a significant portion of your community unhappy.

Despite the immense personal cost, the experience culminated in a profound sense of purpose, especially when you look at the results. The fact that I-SS was the number one district statewide in growth in 2021 coming out of that crisis is a monumental achievement. For a superintendent, seeing that level of academic resilience is the ultimate justification for all the sleepless nights.

In short, my fifth year marks the end of a personal trial by fire. It has been a period of unprecedented stress and perhaps isolation, but also one of deep personal fulfillment in knowing that your leadership directly contributed to securing the continuity of education and achieving exceptional student growth despite historic obstacles.

IFN: Given all of these challenges, which of the district’s many accomplishments during your tenure are you most proud of?

JAMES: There is much to be proud of, including:

♦ Reducing Central Office overhead by 18 positions, saving $2.2 million annually. That $2.2 million was strategically reinvested to improve the lives of your employees through raising both certified and classified supplements, creating a classified employee salary table with annual bumps, and updating coaching supplements twice to remain competitive. This moves beyond simple budget management; it’s a philosophical commitment to the people who are directly responsible for student success. 

♦ Securing over $20 million in federal grants to place a school-based therapist in most schools and strategically use federal funds to ensure long-term financial stability.
♦ Academic/Workforce Readiness: Hitting an all-time high graduation rate is the culmination of all efforts. Equally vital is the explosive growth in career readiness, from 900 to over 5,200 industry certificates, and the development of Iredell-Ready. 

♦ Safety and Security: Establishing one of the most innovative security systems in the state — with SROs in every school, Rhino locks in every room, 4K cameras, and a dedicated security expert — is a profound accomplishment for the district. In today’s climate, creating a safe, secure, and technologically advanced learning environment is arguably the most essential duty of a superintendent.

Beyond this, we consistently perform academically in the top 25% of the state while being state-funded in the bottom three percent. This means we are one of the most efficient school systems in the state. I recall Dr. Jim Watson and his associate telling our board, “If I-SS were traded publicly as a stock,” you buy, buy, buy!!

I could write a book on all we have accomplished by collaborating and focusing on what’s working. Our students have more choices than any system I have found. We have many firsts in Iredell over the past few years, and I am humbled and proud to help lead this.

IFN: About one-quarter of the way into the 2025-2026 school year, the district has more than 100 open positions, including 20 teaching positions and 67 EC positions. With this many openings, how do you ensure that every student is getting a quality education and, specifically, that all students’ IEP requirements are being met?

JAMES: This has become a significant issue in North Carolina as the N.C. General Assembly continues to ignore the State Constitution, which requires the state to provide a sound and basic public education. Re-affirmed in 1997 but ignored and violated by our state, the Leandro case has been in the courts for 30 years. On numerous occasions, the court has ruled that the state is not adequately funding public education.

I encourage readers to look at I Am Leandro on Facebook. Some $5.54 billion is owed. The state also failed to properly collect and remit fines and forfeiture proceeds, as outlined in law and rule in 2007, which were owed. This is an additional $735 million owed to our schools.

So I am not surprised we have openings. As a state, we seem to be okay with not properly funding our public education system — even to the point of violating the constitution that “our forefathers” designed with the understanding that an education is imperative to be a productive citizen.

Simply and honestly, the quality of the teacher is the number one determinant of a great education. Unless teacher pay goes up this year, N.C. once again will be at the bottom in the U.S. We are not going to provide the best education without a well-prepared graduate with the knowledge and desire to teach and provide the best experience in every classroom.

Personally, it grieves my heart that we fail to provide the education support for our future (our kids) that our community and state deserve.

IFN: As you look ahead to the next five years, what are the district’s top three priorities and how will the district measure success in these areas? 

JAMES: Opening two schools — Weathers Creek High School and Parkertown Elementary – is a top priority. This is certainly a time-consuming process as we do our best to support our other 38 schools and continually analyze where to build next in our rapidly growing community. Additional square footage, of course, strains our capital budget even more as we try to maintain the 4.5 million square feet we have.

Redistricting for the new high school and elementary school is something we have been working on and continue to work on. Our hope is to be efficient and help offset the need to build another school soon.

School safety will always be a priority. Parents expect their child to be safely put on a bus, and we get them to school safely and provide a safe campus. I am proud of what the board and leadership have done to make this a priority. We have some of the best systems and training in the country for our staff and officers. We continue to stay in the know on trends and adjust to protect our students. This endeavor is not cheap. At approximately $3 million a year, we have numerous assets and collaborate with Troutman and Statesville police and the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office. We are often at the forefront of safety and continue to make it a major goal each year.

The struggle to have funding to operate will continue. Adam Steele and I have worked for years on getting what our budget needs to maintain current staff, which has been significantly reduced. Just to keep our current employees, we need a 6 percent budget increase locally or more funding from the state.

Out of 100 counties, I-SS ranks 96th to 98th in state funding each year. Since we are deemed by the state as a county of wealth, and our local sales tax is well below the state average, the state’s formula penalizes us when it comes to state funding. So, unfortunately, unless this changes we will have to reduce staff each year as this is over 92 percent of our budget. The other issue is the state’s pay for teachers. At its current level, a beginning teacher with a child actually qualifies for a subsidy.