Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Former Charter School Headmaster Begins New Public School Job

KERI BROWN/WFDD

State Superintendent Mark Johnson recently announced a new chief of staff to help oversee North Carolina public schools. The former charter school leader officially began his duties on Monday.

Joseph Maimone is the founder and longtime headmaster of Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy in Rutherford County. Under his leadership, the charter school went from a little over 100 students in the late 90's to more than 1,200 today. Maimone resigned that position in July.

Some public school advocates aren't happy with the superintendent's pick.

“It's very concerning that this superintendent is continuing to surround himself with officials that are supporting the privatization of public schools,” says Mark Jewell, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators. “You also have the Innovative School District, which will be headed by a charter company, so there are some big concerns here.”

Superintendent Johnson says Maimone's strong management experience and background in K-12 education will be a big asset to the department and to schools across the state.

Maimone has also served on the N.C. Charter Schools Advisory Board since 2013. The group makes recommendations on which charter schools to approve and close.

*You can follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate