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March 19, 2021

What a fabulous Monday! I visited Laurel Park and Farmington Woods Elementary. It was great to see the students and staff's excitement. On Tuesday, Chris Heagarty, Lyndsay Mahaffey and I, met with the Cary Chamber of Commerce's Education Committee. On Wednesday, I visited East Cary and West Cary Middle. Staff and students were doing a wide range of activities (lunch, discussions, art, transitions, and more). Tomorrow, I will wrap up my week at Southeast Raleigh High School volunteering at a WCPSS vaccination clinic.

This week, as a Board, we had three meetings: Budget/Finance Committee, Work Session, and Board Meeting. There were members of the public in person at our Board Meeting. It was also nice to have staff attend and provide their presentations in the Board room.

At the Tuesday, March 16th Budget/Finance Committee:
  • David Neter, Chief Business Officer, and Mark Winters, Finance Officer; provided an overview of the District's Enterprise Funds and a detailed update on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Funding. The last item on the agenda (proposed budget review), was moved to the Board Meeting due to time constraints. To view the presentation, click here. 
To watch the recording of the March 16th Budget/Finance Committee, please visit this link.

At the Tuesday, March 16th Work Session:
  • David Neter, Chief Business Officer, and Robert Snidemiller, Senior Director of Transportation; presented the recommended bell schedules for 2021-2022. The majority of schools will have no changes. Fuquay Varina High School's proposed schedule is to shift back to 7:25-2:18. The school will be leaving swing space. The new Willow Springs High School's proposed schedule is 7:25-2:18. The presentation can be accessed here.

  • David Neter, Chief Business Office, and Robert Snidemiller, Senior Director of Transportation; provided a review of the current bell schedule structure, considerations for changes, and a potential draft timeline for shifting high schools to a later start time. Any change would require extensive outreach to stakeholders. To view the presentation, visit this link. 

  • Superintendent Moore, Drew Cook, Assistant Superintendent for Academics; Edward McFarland, Chief Academic Advancement Officer; and Brian Pittman, Senior Director for High School Programs; presented a second semester update. This updated included a review of SB220, NC Plan A requirements per the NC DHHS Toolkit, staff considerations, staff's recommendation of Plan A for grades 6-12th to begin after spring break, and a recommendation to move a teacher workday to before spring break to prepare for the transition. To access the presentation, click here.
If you would like to watch the March 16th Work Session, visit this link.

At the Tuesday, March 16th Board Meeting:
  • We had six members of the public provide in-person comments. 

  • Terri Kimzey, Senior Director, Budget; presented details regarding the proposed 2021-22 Operating Budget and considerations. To view her presentation, click here and go to slide 47.

  • Superintendent Moore provided a brief overview of the second semester update. The Board will vote on staff's recommendation of Plan A for grades 6-12th on Monday, March 22nd.

  • The Board approved Policy 6200: Goals of Child Nutrition Services on first reading. To review the policy, visit this link.

  • The Board approved Policy 6210: Organization of Child Nutrition Services on first reading. To access the policy, click here.

  • The Board approved the 2021-2022 Capped Schools. To view the list of capped schools and supporting details, visit this link.

  • The Board approved the 2021-2022 instructional calendars for Knightdale High School, North Wake College and Career Academy, Vernon Malone College and Career Academy, Wake Early College of Health and Science (You can view their calendar here.), the Wake Leadership Academies (To access this calendar, visit this link.), and Wake STEM (To view the calendar, click here.).
To watch the recording of the March 16th Board Meeting, visit this link.

Next week, the Board has the following meetings scheduled (Please note the meetings will be live on the WCPSS YouTube Channel.): 
  • Monday, March 22nd at 3:00 pm- Student Achievement Committee. The agenda can be accessed at this link. There will be two presentations: Pre-K five year plan and CTE learning that works for Wake.

  • Monday, March 22nd at 6 pm- Special Called Meeting to discuss and vote on staff's recommendation of Plan A for grades 6-12th. To view the agenda, click here.

  • Tuesday, March 23rd at 3 pm- Policy Committee. The agenda can be found at this link. There are multiple policies being presented.

  • Tuesday, March 23rd at 6 pm-Joint Meeting with the Wake County Commissioners. To view the agenda, click here. There will be an overview of Pre-K programs in Wake County, a review of the Wake County COVID-19 vaccination progress, and next steps presented.

  • Wednesday, March 24th at 3 pm- Safety and Security Committee. The agenda has not posted at the time of this entry. When it is posted, you can view it at this link.
Are you interested in attending any of the committee meetings, the Special Called Meeting, or the Joint Meeting with County Commissioners? If so, forty-eight hours prior to the meeting, you can complete a form to request to attend. You can access the forms at this link. To review the practices and procedures for in-person meetings, click here.

Please remember this Sunday, March 21st at 4 pm, I will be hosting a virtual D9 Connection Meeting. This is a very informal meeting for me to listen to feedback and concerns from District 9 community members, staff at District 9 schools, and families with students attending District 9 schools. 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. A link will be shared next week.

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











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