On Monday, I hosted a D9 Connection Meeting. On Wednesday, I attended Pieces of Gold and visited the gallery showcasing the Gifts of Gold. Congratulations to all the student performers and students whose artwork was selected for the gallery. The dancing, singing, music, and artwork were all amazing! Thank you to all the teachers, school staff, families, and volunteers for making these events possible and for supporting the arts! On Friday, I participated in the Read Across America Event at Combs Elementary. I was also able to visit the garden area and the chicken coop. Thank you to Mrs. McDowell-Ponce's terrific third grade class!
This week as a Board, we had five meetings: Student Achievement Committee, Finance Committee, Work Session, Board Meeting, and Special Called Board Meeting.
At the Monday, February 28th Student Achievement Committee Meeting:
- Eric Fitts, Senior Director, Middle School Programs; and Freddie-Lee Heath, Director, Arts; provided an update on the District's Middle School Arts Program. To view their presentation, click here.
- Dr. McFarland, Chief Academic Advancement Officer; Drew Cook, Assistant Superintendent, Academics; Dr. McMillen, Assistant Superintendent, Data, Research and Accountability; and Rob Epler, Sr. Administrator, Southwestern Area; provided an overview of the current state around our District's strategic COVID priorities and future planning (a shift from COVID response to COVID recovery) and how our schools are responding to needs through continuous school improvement. More detailed information will be presented in the near future. I did express my concern about the data points on slide 18. Use this link to access their presentation.
At the Tuesday, March 1st Finance Committee Meeting:
- Vice Chair Chris Heagarty recommended Mariya Shaikh for Audit Committee membership. No Board member objected. She will begin serving on the committee. To view her resume, use this link.
- David Neter, Chief Business Officer; presented budget background information. The Board then met in small groups to discuss possible budget priorities. Click here to access the presentation.
Use this link to watch the recording of the March 1st Finance Committee Meeting.
At the Tuesday, March 1st Work Session:
- Bob Snidemiller, Senior Director, Transportation; and Mark Strickland, Chief of Facilities and Operations; presented the proposed 2022-2023 bell schedules. To access the proposed bell schedules, click here. These will be presented for Board approval at a future Board Meeting.
- Tamani Anderson Powell, Director, Magnet Programs; presented the proposed 2023-24 instructional calendars for traditional, modified, and year round schools. Use this link to review the presentation. There is a link on slide two to access the proposed calendars. These calendars will be presented for Board approval at a future Board Meeting.
To watch the recording of the March 1st Work session, click here.
At the Tuesday, March 1st Board Meeting:
- Superintendent Moore provided a review of the items discussed in the Work Session: proposed 2022-23 bell schedules and the proposed 2023-24 instructional calendars for traditional, modified, and year round schools.
- Adam Mitchell, Tharrington Smith, LLP/Redistricting Consultant; and Blake Esselstyn, Mapfigure Consulting / Redistricting Consultant; presented feedback from three public engagement sessions regarding the proposed redistricting plans for the Board election districts. The Board provided input. The majority of the Board supported Option B. There were some tweaks suggested by a few Board members. The consultants will take feedback into consideration and see if the legal requirements can still be met without major adjustments. To access the feedback from the public information sessions, use this link.
- Adam Mitchell presented a brief history on the method of election for the School Board, existing local legislation, and court decisions. Based on best interpretation of the existing local legislation, it appears that the Board's elections should remain nonpartisan, remain plurality, remain in even years, and have four-year staggered terms. The method to reach staggered terms is not clear. The Board does not have the authority to determine our method of elections. The Board can make suggestions to the Board of Elections. The Board can include this information in our redistricting resolution. Click here to view the presentation.
- Drew Cook, Assistant Superintendent for Academics, presented a contract for Board approval for the Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) professional learning for Intervention and AIG teachers. It was approved by the Board 8-0. Use this link to review the contract.
To watch the recording of the March 1st Board meeting, click here.
At the Thursday, March 3rd Special Called Board Meeting for District 4 Applicant Interviews:
- There were five applicants for the District 4 vacancy presented for Board consideration: Tarashanda “Tara” Waters, Rebecca “Becky” Lew-Hobbs, Tama R. Bouncer, Daniel Grant-King, and Dr. Michael T. Williams* (*elected to rely on his previous interview on 1/14/2022). Tara Waters was appointed to the seat with 5 votes; Tama Bouncer received 2 votes; and Dr. Michael T. Williams received 1 vote. I voted for Dr. Williams. The reason I voted for him was based on his background and the specific ideas he shared in his interview such as high expectations, accountability, community-based schools, best use of resources, providing every school with the resources they need and giving them the tools needed to help every child be successful, increasing parental and community member involvement in our schools, and more. To review the complete application packets for each candidate, please visit this link, click on update on vacancy & interview process. Then scroll down to access the documents.
Click here to watch the recording of the March 3rd Special Called Board Meeting.
Next week as a Board, we have the following meetings (Please note these meetings will be streamed live on the WCPSS YouTube Channel.):
- Wednesday, March 9th at 3 pm- Facilities Committee. Items on the agenda are the Facility Utilization Report (FUR), Existing School Renovation/Replacement Prioritization Rubric, new business, and facilities three month forecast. Use this link to access the agenda.
- Wednesday, March 9th at 4 pm - Special Called Board Meeting on the redistricting plans for the Board's election districts. The agenda has not been posted yet. Once the agenda is posted, it will be available here. Use this link to access the interactive map, which includes changes requested by some Board members.
If you are interested in attending the Facilities Committee Meeting, just report to the Board Room by 3 pm.
If you are interested in attending the Special Called Board 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 Monday) and close at 5 pm on Tuesday.
I will be hosting another D9 Connection Meeting on Sunday, March 13th at 4 pm. This is an informal meeting for me to listen to you. 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.