This week, the NCASA Advocacy Team speaks with Dr. Rodney Peterson, Superintendent of Person County Schools and the 2026 Burroughs Wellcome Fund A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year, about challenges he and other superintendents are facing in leading public schools.

In this episode our NCASA Advocacy Team takes an important look back at the unprecedented devastation that Hurricane Helene caused in western and northwestern North Carolina in late September 2024, just over a year ago and how it impacted K-12 education in those areas. Special guests for this episode are: Dr. Rob Jackson, Superintendent of Buncombe County Schools; and Dr. Eisa Cox, Superintendent of Ashe County Schools. NCASA's team focuses on how schools and communities in these districts are progressing in recovery, and what additional assistance is needed now and for the future.

CREDITS

Soundbites used in this episode are courtesy of:

• WRAL-TV (Raleigh, NC) - NEWS DOCUMENTARY "Helene: What We Lost, What We Found.”
• Education NC Video - “A Long Way Down, the story of Surge.”

The NCASA Advocacy Team talks with Jack Hoke, Executive Director of the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association (NCSSA), about data NCSSA has collected early in the 2025-26 school year that shows vacancies statewide in teaching positions and other staff. They discuss how the vacancies compare to previous years, their impact on students, and strategies for addressing staffing shortages in the future.