On Sunday, I hosted a D9 Connection Meeting. On Wednesday, I attended the NCDHHS COVID-19 Fireside Chat & Tele-town Hall: Vaccines, Boosters, Health Equity and more with Dr. Brian Shackleford, Victor Armstrong, NCDHHS; Dr. Dawn Gibson, Peletah Ministries; and Secretary Kody Kinsley, NCDHHS. On Thursday, I attended the first round of the 4A NCHSAA Wrestling State Championships in Greensboro. Congratulations to all the wrestlers for qualifying for the event.
This week as a Board, we had two meetings: Work Session and Board Meeting.
At the Tuesday, February 15th Work Session:
- Dr. Lloyd Gardner, Chief of Staff and Strategic Planning; Michael Martin, Educational Consultant, RTI Education Services; and Fredrica Nash, Educational Consultant, RTI Education Services; led the Board in small group and whole group discussions related to the strategic plan (mission statement, vision, core beliefs) and next steps. To view the presentation, click here.
- Drew Cook, Assistant Superintendent, Academics; Michele Woodson, Senior Director, K-12 Curriculum Development; and Shawn Johnson, Director, Literacy; and Dr. Lori Krzeszewski, Administrator, Wake Up and Read; provided an update on the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) and an overview of Wake Up and Read. To access their presentation, use this link.
At the Tuesday, February 15th Board Meeting:
- Students and staff highlighted several initiatives and instructional activities that WCPSS schools are engaging in to celebrate Black History Month. Use this link to review their presentation.
- Superintendent Moore provided an overview of the topic covered in the Work Session: Strategic Plan, LETRS, and Wake Up and Read.
- David Neter, Chief Business Officer, requested a waiver of Board Policy 8101 in order to allow the amount of the unassigned fund balance in excess of the 6% threshold be maintained for use by the Board. To view Board Policy 8101, click here.
- Michael Pesce, Director, Social Work; presented Board Policy: 4240-7312: Child Abuse and Related Threats to Child Safety as a revised policy for first reading. Revisions reflect updates made by the North Carolina School Boards Association. The Board approved the revised policy 6-0. To read Board Policy 4270-7312, use this link.
- Michael Pesce presented Board Policy 4400: Attendance as a revised policy for first reading. Revisions reflect updates made by the North Carolina School Boards Association and staff. The Board approved the revised policy 5-1. I did not support this policy based on my concerns around the use of remote learning. Click here to read Board Policy 4400.
- Crystal Reardon, Director, School Counseling; presented Board Policy 4700: Student Records as a revised policy for first reading. Revisions reflect updates made by the North Carolina School Boards Association. The Board approved the policy 6-0. Use this link to read Board Policy 4700.
To watch the recording of the February 15th 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.):
- Tuesday, February 22nd at 2:00 pm- Policy Committee. There will be six policies discussed. Use this link to review the agenda.
- Tuesday, February 22nd at 4 pm -Special Called Meeting. Click here to access the agenda. After Governor Cooper and Secretary Kinsley's press conference on Thursday afternoon and legislation was introduced, I again requested a vote on the Face Covering Policy. Thursday evening, Chair Mahaffey announced this Special Called Meeting. Please note that the legislation has already been approved by the House and Senate and has been sent to Governor Cooper.
If you are interested in attending the Special Called Meeting, please visit this page and scroll down to click on the appropriate form. The form will go live 48 hours prior to the start of the meeting (on Sunday) and close at 5 pm on Monday.
Please note that based on Board policy, there is no public comment for the Special Called Meeting.
If you would like to attend the Policy Committee Meeting, please report to the Board Room by 3:00 pm.
Please note there are two additional Public Information Sessions for Board of Education Redistricting (voting districts):
- Tuesday, February 22nd at 6:30 pm at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School, 2600 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh, NC 27610; and
- Wednesday, February 23rd at 6:30 pm-virtual.
I will be hosting another D9 Connection Meeting on Monday, February 28th at 7 pm. This is an informal meeting for me to listen to you. If you live in D9, work at a D9 school, or have a student 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.
