October 1, 2021

On Sunday, I hosted a D9 Connection Meeting. On Tuesday, I attended the Digital Transition Webinar- In Case No One's Told You Today: I Love You! with guest speaker: Dr. Elena Ashburn, NC Principal of the Year. On Thursday, I attended the Davis Drive versus West Cary Middle Football Game. It was great to see so many students, families, and school staff supporting the football teams and cheerleaders. 

This week as a Board, we had four meetings: Finance Committee, Student Achievement Committee, Policy Committee, and Safety and Security Committee.

At the Monday, September 27th Finance Committee Meeting:

• Dr. Muttillo, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, presented information about the support staff compensation history and possible scenarios for pay increases using local funding. To view the presentation, click here. I did voice my appreciation for bringing some possible specific plans to the table. I believe our staff deserve to know where we are headed with their pay since this is year three of the six year plan. 
  
  
• Terri Kimzey, Senior Director, Budget; reviewed state budget proposals of non-compensation items. Use this link to review the presentation.
  

To watch the recording of the September 27th Finance Committee Meeting, click here.

At the Monday, September 27th Student Achievement Committee Meeting:

• The agenda was amended to remove the last item, School Mental Health Improvement Plan, due to staff not being able to attend the meeting.
  
  
• Michele Woodson, Senior Director, K-12 Curriculum Development; provided an overview of the Language Essentials for the Teaching of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) professional learning that focuses on the science of reading. To access the presentation, use this link. I did ask and receive confirmation that there has been a discussion about IAs also receiving training.
  
  
• Drew Cook, Assistant Superintendent for Academics, provided an update on the Extended Learning Program. Brad McMillian, Assistant Superintendent for Data, Research, & Accountability, presented some initial data on student outcomes; and Dr. McFarland, Chief Academic Advancement Officer, provided the context and status of the pausing of the Extended Learning Program. I voiced my concern that the detailed context of the pause (which was shared during this meeting ) was not provided prior to the pause. Click here to view the presentation.
  

Use this link to watch the recording of the September 27th Student Achievement Committee Meeting.

At the Tuesday, September 28th Policy Committee Meeting:

• Mark Strickland, Chief Facilities and Operations Officer, and Bob Snidemiller, Senior Director of Transportation; presented Policy 6310: Organization of Student Transportation Services for discussion. It was decided to wait to move forward with this policy until other related policies are brought to the committee as part of the policy migration process. To review the policy click here.
  
  
• Mark Strickland and Bob Snidemiller presented Policy 6306: School Bus Idling for discussion. Use this link to view the policy. It was determined that the third paragraph of the policy would be removed. This policy will be presented for Board approval at a future Board Meeting.
  
  
• Mark Strickland and Bob Snidemiller presented the R and P for Policy 6306: School Bus Idling for information. Click here to access the R and P.
  
  
• Mark Strickland presented Policy 6330: Insurance for Student Transportation Services. Use this link to read the policy. This policy will be presented for Board approval at a future Board Meeting.
  
  
• Dr. Gardner, Chief of Staff and Strategic Planning, and Dr. Crain, Director, Strategy and Policy; presented Policy 2610: Board Attorney for discussion. To review the policy, click here. This policy will be presented for Board approval at a future Board Meeting.
  
  
• Attorney Neal Ramee provided an overview of student free speech and related court decisions. To view the presentation, use this link.

To watch the recording of the September 28th Policy Committee Meeting, click here.

At the Wednesday, September 29th Safety and Security Committee Meeting:

• Russ Smith, Senior Director, Office of Security; reviewed the purpose and goals of the security assessment, provided an overview of the School Safety Advocacy Council, and the next steps. Curt Lavarello, Executive Director of School Safety Advocacy Council; and Sean Burke, President of the School Safety Advocacy Council; provided a breakdown of the process used to complete the districtwide security assessment. To access the presentation, use this link.

Click here to watch the recording of the September 29th Safety and Security Committee Meeting.

Next week as a Board, we have the following meetings (Please remember these meetings will be streamed live on the WCPSS YouTube Channel.):

• Tuesday, October 5th at 3:30 pm: Work Session. To access the agenda, use this link. The WCPSS Enrollment Plan 2022-23-Draft 1 is the item being presented and discussed.
  
  
• Tuesday, October 5th at 5:30 pm: Board Meeting*. Click here to review the agenda. Some of the items on the agenda are a proposed 10/hr rate increase for the Board's legal counsel, Tharrington Smith; the local face covering policy, an adjustment to the 2022-23 Modified Calendar to align a workday on August 19, 2022 with the traditional and year-round calendars, three policies, a Memorandum of Agreement with Wake Tech Community College, a nomination for the North Carolina School Boards Association Board of Directors (Chris Heagarty), a resolution regarding the Wake County Board of Education's election terms, and a resolution in support of Leandro Comprehensive Remedial Plan.
  

*Audio of the Board Meeting will also be available by phone. The phone number will be posted at this link Tuesday afternoon. 

If you would like to attend the Work Session or Board Meeting and/or speak at the Board meeting, use this link and scroll down to select the correct form. The forms will go live approximately 48 hours prior to the meeting (Sunday) and close at 5 pm on Monday, October 4th.

If you would like to provide public comments, you may submit written or video comments. The links will be live until noon on Tuesday, October 5th.

I will be hosting a D9 Connection Meeting on Tuesday, October 12th at 7:30 pm. This is an informal meeting for me to listen to your feedback and concerns. 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.

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