March 12, 2021

I started my week visiting Weatherstone and Reedy Creek Elementary. It was fantastic to see all the staff and students. On Monday evening, I hosted a D9 Connection Meeting to hear feedback prior to our vote on Plan A for 4th and 5th grades. Wednesday evening was the District 9 BAC Meeting (Read below for more information.). On Thursday, I visited Green Hope High and Green Hope Elementary with Area Superintendent Dr. Sexton. It was great seeing several former DDMS students, the proposed site for a new outside learning space, and all the activities happening. I also attended a WakeEd Partnership Orientation for new public officials hosted by Keith Poston and Tim Lavallee. 

As a Board, we had two meetings: Special Called Board Meeting and Facilities Committee.

At the Tuesday, March 9th Special Called Board Meeting:

• Superintendent Moore presented the staff recommendation for 4th and 5th grades: implement Plan A beginning March 15th. To view the presentation, click here. The Board approved the recommendation 8-1. 
  

To view the recording of the March 9th Special Called Board Meeting, visit this link.

At the Wednesday, March 10th Facilities Committee:

• Douglas Congdon, Program Executive, Facilities Design and Construction; presented an update on the Rubric Prioritization Rubric based on feedback from our last committee meeting. To access the presentation, click here. Additionally, he reviewed a document with the 2021 Top 25 Schools rubric results. The document can be viewed at this link.
  
  
• Jack McAleer, Director, Project Controls, Facilities Design and Construction; provided an overview of an in-depth 2021 Cost Model Update and executive summary. There were several documents shared. To view the presentation, click here. The access the detailed information regarding the cost model estimating guide, visit this link. The executive summary is available here.
  
  
• Elizabeth Wakeford, Senior Facilities Planner, Facilities Design and Construction; presented the master plan and schematic design for Fuquay-Varina Middle School replacement (M15). To view the information, visit this link.
  
  
• Shane Webster, Senior Facilities Planner, Facilities Design and Construction, shared the master plan and schematic design for Hilltop Needmore Road Elementary School. To access the presentation, click here.
  
  
• Douglas Congdon, Program Executive, Facilities Design and Construction; presented the three month forecast which includes items for upcoming Facilities Committee Meetings and Board Meetings as it pertains to WCPSS and the Facilities Department. To view the document, visit this link.
  

To watch the recording of the March 10th Facilities Committee, click here.

At the Wednesday, March 10th District 9 BAC Meeting:

• I provided a brief update: upcoming BAC Meetings-April 8 and May 13th at 5:30 pm.; recent Board vote to approve Plan A for 4th and 5th grades, upcoming Board Meeting on March 16th, and pending (at the time of the meeting) legislation SB220.
  
  
• Mark Winters, Finance Officer, provided a detailed update on CARES funding and Terri Kimzey, Senior Director, Budget; presented budget development information. To view their presentation, visit this link
  
  
• Tom Huffstetler, Director for Translation and Interpretation Services; and Angela Mills, Administrator, Translation and Interpretation Services; provided vital support through translation services and simultaneous interpretation.
  
  
• Marlo Gaddis, Chief Technology Officer, arranged registration and the virtual platform, monitored the chat, and more. 
  

SB 220 was signed into law by Governor Cooper this week. To read the bill, click here. The Board will discuss attendance options under this new legislation on March 16th.

Next week, the Board has the following meetings scheduled (Please remember these meetings will be live on the WCPSS YouTube Channel.): 

• Tuesday, March 16th-1:30 pm- Budget/Finance Committee- To access the agenda, visit this link.
  
  
• Tuesday, March 16th- 3:00 pm-Work Session-To view the agenda, click here.
  
  
• Tuesday, March 16th-5:30 pm-Board Meeting-The agenda can be found at this link.

Beginning March 16th, there will be a limited number of seats available to members of the public for committee meetings, Work Sessions, and Board Meetings. The in-person guidelines can be viewed here. Forty-eight hours prior to the meeting, you can complete the appropriate form to request to attend in person. There are forms to request one of the seats available at the Work Session, Board Meeting, and each committee. Additionally, if you would like to provide in-person public comments, you can complete a form to submit that request. Please visit this site and select the appropriate form.

The option to submit public comments electronically, written or a video, will still be available. You will have until noon on Tuesday, March 16th to submit them.

The next D9 Connection Meeting will be on Sunday, March 21st at 4 pm. This is an informal virtual meeting for me to listen to District 9 families, staff, and community members. If you would like to join us, please use this Google Meet link. I will host another D9 Connection Meeting on Tuesday, March 30th at 7:30 pm. I will share the Google Meet link in a later entry.

If you have any questions or comments, please email me at kcarter3@wcpss.net.