D9 Connection

On Wednesday, I attended the Virtual Public Information Session for the Board of Education Redistricting (voting districts). On Friday, I visited Apex Elementary and participated in their 3rd Annual African-American Read-In Event. I enjoyed reading to Ms. Bornes' wonderful 5th grade class. Later on Friday, I attended Middle Creek High School's awesome Big Fish Performance. What a fantastic job by the students, volunteers, and director-Ms. Garrett. This week as a Board, we had two meetings: Policy Committee and Special Called Meeting. At the Tuesday, February 22nd Policy Committee Meeting: Paul Koh, Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services, presented Board Policy 4125: Students Experiencing Homelessness (Students in Transition) as a revised policy. Revisions reflect updates made by the North Carolina School Boards Association and by the WCPSS attorney review. This revised policy will be presented for first reading at a future Board Meeting. To review the revised po...

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, Academ...

On Thursday, I visited Cary Elementary School and was able to observe students participating in an United Arts Artists in Schools Event-Mosaic Math Workshop led by Artist Jeannette Brossart . The students learned and shared information about mosaics, arrays, tesserae, tessellation, fractions, area, perimeter and more! They were able to create their own mosaics on a computer. A huge thank you to Mrs. Schmitt for providing such a welcoming classroom environment. Later on Thursday, I attended the Finals of the 4A NCHSAA States Swim Meet. It was exciting to see all the fast swimming, cheering, and swimmers breaking records. Congratulations to the 4A Runner-Ups for Women's Swimming and Diving-Green Hope High School and the 4A State Champions for Men's Swimming and Diving-Green Hope High School! On Saturday, I will be attending the Kingswood Elementary School Beautification Day. This week as a Board, we had one meeting: Facilities Committee Meeting. At the Wednesday, February 9th Fac...

On Sunday, I canceled the D9 Connection Meeting due to a family emergency. On Wednesday, I attended the Green Hope High School Midyear Graduation. The Green Hope Brass Quintet did a fabulous job performing "Largo," "Rondeau," "The Star-Spangled Banner," and "Toreador Song." A huge congratulations to the graduates and their families. Best wishes on your next steps! On Saturday, I will be attending the WCPSS Cheer Competition at Green Hope High School. This week as a Board, we had two meetings: Work Session and Board Meeting. At the Tuesday, February 1st Work Session: Adam Mitchell, Tharrington Smith, LLP, redistricting consultant; and Blake Esselstyn, Mapfigure Consulting, redistricting consultant; presented three alternative redistricting draft plans of the Board Election Districts. To view the presentation of the three options, use this link . Click here to access the interactive online map of the plans. The next steps are public meetings to r...

On Thursday, I attended Cary High School's Midyear Graduation. It was an honor to be able to celebrate the graduates' accomplishments. Congrats grads and families! On Friday and Saturday, I had planned to attend the WCPSS Cheer Competition (Middle and High School) at Green Hope High School; however, due to WCPSS canceling all extracurricular activities on Saturday, the event has been postponed. This week as a Board, we had two meetings: Special Called Board Meeting and Policy Committee. The Student Achievement Committee Meeting was canceled due to WCPSS being closed. At the Tuesday, January 25th Special Called Board Meeting: *The Board voted unanimously that Board members will not engage in any communications with anyone other than staff or counsel about the District 4 vacancy.  Board members will forward to the full Board any information received regarding the District 4 vacancy.  If you have questions about the vacancy, you are free to send an email to district4vacancy@wcpss...

On Thursday, I had planned to attend the Score Academy Midyear Graduation; however, due to the possibility of winter weather/hazardous road conditions, the ceremony was canceled. I want to congratulate all the midyear graduates! I wish you all the best on your next steps-military, college, career, or time to explore your options. This week as a Board, we had three meetings: Work Session, Board Meeting, and Facilities Committee. The Swearing In Ceremony for Craston Artis II was canceled. Initially, I was not provided a reason why it was canceled. I learned there were questions about his residency from one of the public speakers, Becky Lew-Hobbs, at the Board Meeting. Then later that evening, I was informed that due to questions being raised about his residency, the ceremony was put on hold.  At our January 14th Special Called Meeting for District 4 Interviews  (around the 11 minute mark), I brought up a concern about a candidate not submitting a letter of intent and I was assur...

On Thursday, I hosted a D9 Connection Meeting. This week as a Board, we had one meeting: Special Called Board Meeting for District 4 Interviews. At the Friday, January 14th Special Called Board Meeting: The Board interviewed four applicants for the District 4 Vacancy. The fifth candidate, Lonnie Ervin, withdrew his application. There was one candidate, Michael Williams, that did not submit one of the three documents listed on the vacancy posting (a letter of intent). I mentioned that and asked if he would still be interviewed since all documents were not submitted. The consensus of the Board was that he would move forward with the interview process.  The Board voted via paper ballots. Craston Artis, II, received seven votes and Michael Williams received one vote. Craston Artis, II, will be sworn in as the District 4 Board Representative on Tuesday, January 18th. I considered the documents the applicants submitted and their statements during the interviews. I voted for Michael Willi...