On Wednesday, I hosted a Board Advisory Council (BAC) Meeting. Please read to the end of this entry to learn more about the meeting. On Thursday, I visited the Connections Academy. I appreciate all the important work the staff, students, and families are doing at Connections. On Friday evening, I will be attending the Green Hope vs. Panther Creek High School Football Game.
This week as a Board, we had two meetings: Work Session and Board Meeting.
At the Tuesday, September 21st Work Session:
- Paul Koh, Assistant Superintendent, Student Support Services; and Kelly Creech, Senior Director, Health Services, shared information about staff vaccinations and testing and student testing. To view their presentation, click here. There are federal requirements for staff vaccinations and testing (see slide 9 of the presentation). OSHA is developing an Emergency Temporary Standard. North Carolina OSHA will have 30 days to adopt the same rules as OSHA or an equally effective alternative. WCPSS is waiting to receive the specifics. District staff has completed the opt-in form for the NC DHHS COVID School Testing Program. The vendor, MAKO Medical, will work with district staff to begin preparing for the federal requirements. It could take between 4 and 8 weeks for MAKO to set up what is needed to begin testing in our schools. Voluntary student testing will also begin to be set up with MAKO. Parental/legal guardian consent will be required before a student can participate in the voluntary testing. More details will be shared on October 5th.
- Adam Mitchell, Tharrington Smith, LLP/ redistricting consultant; shared information about the required redistricting of Board election districts. Since the Board of Education uses true election districts (candidates must live in a district to run and only voters from that district vote for that candidate), redistricting is required following each decennial census. The purpose of redistricting is to re-balance the population in each district to comply with the constitutional principle of one-person/one-vote. Use this link to access the presentation.
To watch the recording of the September 21st Work Session, click here.
At the Tuesday, September 21st Board Meeting:
- Dr. McFarland, Chief Academic Advancement Officer, and Freddie-Lee Health, Director, Arts Education; presented information about the Arts Program in WCPSS. The Enloe String Quartet performed two beautiful pieces. Charles Phaneuf, President, United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County; presented a video about the United Arts Council of Raleigh and their involvement in our schools and community. Then Keith Sutton, Board Chair, read the Board's Proclamation: The Arts ARE Education. Use this link to read the Board's Proclamation. To view the presentation, click here.
- Superintendent Moore provided a summary of the items discussed in the Work Session.
- Dr. Walker, Senior Director, Student Due Process and Alternative Education; presented a revised Board Policy 4309: Student Behavior – Code of Student Conduct for the first reading. It was approved 9-0 by the Board. To read the policy, use this link.
- Tim Simmons, Chief Communications Officer, presented a revised Board Policy 5210: Distribution and Display of Non-School Material for the first reading. The Board approved it 9-0. Click here to access the policy.
- Mark Strickland, Chief Facilities and Operations Officer; presented Board Policy 6300: Goals of Student Transportation Services for the first reading. It was approved 9-0 by the Board. Use this link to read the policy.
- Betty Parker, Senior Director, Real Estate Services; presented the Joint Use Agreement (JUA) with the Town of Fuquay-Varina: Hilltop Needmore Road Elementary (E-44). The Board approved the JUA 9-0. To review the JUA, click here.
- Betty Parker requested approval of the land exchange with the Town of Fuquay-Varina, recordation of the recombination plat and related cross-conveyancing deeds, and a Resolution and Order declaring the Board property to be exchanged as surplus property. The Board approved it 9-0. Use this link to access the Resolution and Order of Sale. To view the recombination plat, click here.
- Betty Parker requested approval of a Lease Agreement: Short Term Commercial Space Lease to Wake Education Partnership-Piney Plains Road Land Bank Site (Transportation Center). The space will be used as a "teacher store" to provide free school and classroom supplies to teachers and as a central location for the storage base of Wake Education Partnership's operation of additional stores or related pop-up-events in Wake County. To read the lease, use this link.
To watch the recording of the September 21st Board Meeting, click here.
Next week as a Board, we have the following meetings (Please remember these meetings will be streamed live on the WCPSS YouTube Channel.):
- Monday, September 27th at 1 pm: Finance Committee. Use this link to view the agenda. Topics on the agenda are additional information on the House/Senate Proposed Budget for 2021-22 and possible scenarios to locally fund support staff compensation.
- Monday, September 27th at 3 pm: Student Achievement Committee. Click here to access the agenda. Items on the agenda are LETRS Professional Development, Extended Summer Learning updates, and School Mental Health Improvement Plan.
- Tuesday, September 28th at 3 pm: Policy Committee.*
- Wednesday, September 29th at 3 pm: Safety and Security Committee.*
*At the time of this blog entry, the Policy Committee and Safety and Security Committee agendas were not posted. When they are posted, they will be available at this link.
At the Wednesday, September 22nd Board Advisory Council Meeting:
- District 9's BAC Chair, Kathy Cawley, and our BAC Secretary, Meghan Arndts, were introduced. Then I provided an overview of the staff vaccination and testing and student voluntary testing information shared during our Work Session. I provided a reminder about the next D9 Connection Meeting on Sunday at 4 pm. The BAC Meeting dates for the remainder of this school year are November 18th, February 9th, March 31st, and April 27th.
- Paul Koh, Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services, and Drew Cook, Assistant Superintendent for Academics; provided a presentation on the eating, drinking, and lunch protocols, picnic tables, quarantine guidance, current WCPSS enrollment data, and instructional support strategies during quarantine.
- Thanks to Marlo Gaddis, Chief Technology Officer, for setting up the virtual meeting and registration. I also appreciate Walter White, Senior Director; for running the meeting, attending to technical issues, and taking attendance.
- A big shout out to Tom Huffstetler, Director of Translation and Interpretation, for translating the BAC presentation.
I will be hosting my next D9 Connection Meeting on Sunday, September 26th at 4 pm. This is a very informal meeting for me to listen to your concerns and feedback. If you live in D9, have a student in a D9 school, or work in a D9 school, please join us using this Google Meet link.
Please mark your calendar for another D9 Connection Meeting on Tuesday, October 12th at 7:30 pm.
If you have any questions or comments, please email me at kcarter3@wcpss.net.
