STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA WORK SESSION STOKES COUNTY DANBURY, NORTH CAROLINA February 4, 2019 The Stokes County Board of Education met in a work session on Monday, February 4, 2019, at 6:00 p.m., at Administrative Office in Danbury, North Carolina. Board Members Present: Mrs. Cheryl Knight, Chairperson; Ms. Becky Boles, Vice-Chairperson; Mrs. Pat Messick, member; Mr. Mike Rogers, member and Mrs. Katie Tedder, member. Administration Present: Dr. Brad Rice, Superintendent; Mr. Tony George, Assistant Superintendent; Mrs. Pam Bolejack, Administrative Assistant; Mrs. Anna McGee, Director of K-5 Education/AIG; Mr. Doug Rose, Director of 6-12 Education; Ms. Lanette Moore, Executive Director of Finance; Mrs. Kristie Hauser, School Nutrition Supervisor; Ms. Melisa Jessup, Executive Director of Human Resources; Mr. Michael Sands, Director of Testing and Accountability; Mr. Ricky Goins, Director of Maintenance/Facilities; Mrs. Sarah Wood, Director of Media &Technology; and Mrs. Terri Collins, Director of Special Programs. Mr. Fred Johnson, School Board Attorney was absent. Chairperson Knight invited those who wished to participate to join the board members in an invocation, before the starting of the meeting. This was followed by the pledge. At 6:00 p.m., Chairperson Knight called the work session to order. Discussion Agenda A. Discussion of January 17, 2019 Electronic Session Minutes: Board members were given an opportunity to review the minutes from the January 17, 2019 electronic session meeting. There were no questions or concerns. The minutes will be on the February 18 th consent agenda for approval. B. Discussion of January 22, 2019 Regular Session Minutes: Board members were given an opportunity to review the minutes from the January 22, 2019 regular session meeting. Mr. Rogers stated at the January 22, 2019 meeting a request was made to add a discussion item on social media and website management to the next agenda. He added that in review of the agenda for tonight this request was not added. He inquired if this would be added at the next regular session meeting. Chairperson Knight stated that the social media and website management would be on the agenda for the regular session meeting scheduled for February 18, 2019. The minutes will be on the February 18 th consent agenda for approval. C. Discussion of Fund Raiser Request: Dr. Rice reviewed the fund raiser request with the board members. Mrs. Tedder inquired if the fund raiser request for Chestnut Grove Middle was just now beginning to raise funds for Student Council. Dr. Rice responded that the school has been raising funds all year and this request is to help with additional cost. He stated if there were no other questions the fund raiser request will be on the February 18 th consent agenda for approval.
Page 2 February 4, 2019 D. Discussion of Field Trips: Dr. Rice reviewed the field trip request with the board members. He shared details of the field trip for the all district band clinic at Appalachian State University on February 15 17, 2019. He explained that normally the selection process is the first weekend of January but due to inclement weather this process was rescheduled for January 18 th. He added that the individuals were not notified until January 22 nd ; therefore, the item was not listed on the January 22 nd board meeting. Dr. Rice stated since the trip would take place before the next board meeting he would like a consensus from the board members on the trip. Mr. Rogers requested the names of the three chaperones. Dr. Rice responded Mr. Justin Carter, Southeastern Stokes Middle; Mr. Dylan Jones, Chestnut Grove Middle; and Lorena Schakel, West Stokes High. Mr. George inquired if the band should be handled the same as athletics. He gave the example if three wrestlers where competing at the state level and it was an overnight trip. Dr. Rice responded that it was not the same because it is spelled out in policy that athletics is separate. Mr. George suggested that in the future this should be changed and treated the same as athletics. Mrs. Messick stated she agreed. Mr. Rogers requested that this be added to the policy review. The board members were in consensus. E. Discussion of YVEDDI Head Start MOU: Mrs. Terri Collins, Director of Special Programs welcomed Jessica Brindle from YVEDDI Head Start and requested she explain the MOU. Ms. Brindle explained that the main purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is to identify a common line of action between two parties. She added that YVEDDI Head Start is required to show proof of collaboration and partnership with other agencies in their four county service area. She stated this is not a binding contract and it basically is what each of the parties intends to do in a collaborative manner to promote the lives of the children and families we collectively serve. Mrs. Tedder inquired if Dr. Rice was the Agency Representative to sign the MOU. Dr. Rice responded that he would sign the document. Mrs. Tina Dalton, Preschool Coordinator announced that Stokes County Pre-Kindergarten Screening & Registration will take place at Stokes Family YMCA in King, NC and Willow Oak Baptist Church in Walnut Cove, NC on March 8, 2019 from 8:00 am to 4:30 am.
Page 3 February 4, 2019 F. Discussion of Standing Committee Proposal: Mrs. Tedder presented a scaled back version of the proposal to the board members. She stated that the suggested committees are Budget/Finance and Policy & Procedures. She suggested that the make-up be as follows: Budget/Finance Board Member Chairs the Committee Director of Finance Director of Maintenance/Facilities Administrator from Elementary School Administrator from Middle School Administrator from High School Teacher of the Year Volunteer up to one per school level School Level Financial Manager Elementary School Level Financial Manager Secondary Community Member as appropriate Policy and Procedures Board Member Chairs the Committee Director of K-5 Education/AIG Director of 6-12/Career & Technical Education Administrator from Elementary School Administrator from Middle School Administrator from High School Teacher of the Year Volunteer up to one per school level School Level Financial Manager Secondary School Level Data Manager Secondary School Level Office Manager Secondary School Level Office Manager, Data Manager, Financial Manager Elementary Community Member Volunteer as appropriate High School Student Volunteer up to 3 as appropriate Mrs. Tedder stated her reason for suggesting committees is because the board is charged with the oversight of budget, policy and public relations. She added that she felt it was important that the board have more knowledge, background, and involvement in the process. Chairperson Knight inquired about how the topic would be assigned. Mrs. Tedder responded that the Board of Education Chairperson would assign. She gave the example of Policies and Procedure revisions that NCSBA recommends twice a year could be assigned to the committee to review. She added that this would open the lines of communication. She stated that the committee chair would bring back to the board at the next work session a presentation. Chairperson Knight agreed that further communication is important but expressed concern with changing the dynamics of the Board of Education as a whole. She added this would be putting a lot of trust in the committee and further responsibilities into the committee. She stated that the objective is to shorten the board meetings but ultimately you lose some of the decision making as a board. Mr. Rogers stated that with a board member on the committee it brings that dynamic and limits that amount. He stated that the county commissioners are already meeting to discuss budget. Mr. Roger inquired with Ms. Moore that the budget never gets any easier.
Page 4 February 4, 2019 Ms. Moore responded that one reason for the delay in working with the budget is because we have to wait for the state to send the planning allotment. She added that the Capital Budget can begin earlier and Mr. Goins has already begun the process of gathering information. The planning allotment in the past has been issued in February but over the last couple years we haven t received the materials until March or April. She added until the allotments are received from the state the Current Expense Budget can t be finalized. She explained that the planning allotment aids in knowing how many positions can be available in each area. She added then you are able to estimate how many positions need to be funded with the local budget. Mrs. Messick stated the policy revisions are established by the NCSBA twice a year. She added that the policies are reviewed by our school board attorney, Mr. Johnson. She stated that we follow his recommendation on which policies our district should adopt. Vice-Chairperson Boles stated we do go with NCSBA recommendations but if there is anything that we should do different we may make a change for the policy to work for our school district. Chairperson Knight stated she is all for better communication with the county commissioners. She added that in the past when I as a board member have had a question on a policy I have talked with the director to obtain my answer. She stated she felt it was handled correctly. Chairperson Knight stated that the board members would be following the same deadlines set for submitting agenda items as the directors follow. The deadline to submit agenda items will be the Friday before the agenda is due to be sent to the board members. G. Discussion of PowerSchool Gradebook: Dr. Rice stated that North Carolina Department of Public Instruction discovered an error in the calculation of grades in the new Gradebook program. He added that we have received the instructions to correct the error and this will cause a delay in distribution of report cards. He added that Ms. Sliger and the Data Managers have applied the fix but the verification process is still in the process. He stated that it is anticipated that the correction will be complete by the end of the week. Mrs. Tedder inquired about the number of students impacted. Dr. Rice stated that different schools had different numbers and he didn t have the totals with him. He added that most of the errors were found in elective classes and that no errors were found in Math, Science, Social Studies or Language Arts classes. H. Discussion of Student Reassignment: Dr. Rice stated that each year the board members approve the Student Reassignment form and Tuition. He added that Ms. Sliger is recommending an addition to the Student Reassignment form in the area of Tuition Waiver. Dr. Rice shared that in the past individuals has answered yes to the question Are you applying for Tuition Waiver? but didn t complete a tuition waiver form. The addition to the form is the statement If yes to tuition waiver, please attach waiver form. Dr. Rice reminded the board members the tuition is currently $1,250 for the first child and $500 for any additional children. He stated that the board can continue or change the amount. Mrs. Tedder suggested that the Student Reassignment form be edited to include an explanation lines in the areas Has student ever been convicted of a felony in any state and Is student currently under suspension from another school. She also suggested an edit in the area of student receiving Exceptional Children s services to include information about transportation.
Page 5 February 4, 2019 Dr. Rice stated that the form requests that the IEP or 504 Plan be submitted with the form. He added that these documents would have any transportation needs defined in the plan. Mrs. Tedder suggested that the Tuition Waiver form be notarized. She also suggested that on the back of the Tuition Waiver form that income eligibility chart be added. Mr. George stated that he feels adding the notary requirement to the Tuition Waiver form is a good idea. He added that requesting an explanation in the area of suspension from another school could help the principal because it could take 3 or 4 days before the records are received. He added that this would lengthen the form but simplifies the form. Dr. Rice stated ideally this form is completed between March 1 and June 1 and adding a statement that failure to produce the documentation by July 1, could nullify admission would be a good step. Mr. Rogers suggested that tuition requirement be reviewed. He stated we are charging $1,250 and waiving over 50% why don t we drop the amount and raise the bar to get over the tuition waiver. He added that this might be a way to raise our ADM. He stated that his suggestion is to do away with the waiver or make it low enough that if a child doesn t have any discipline problems then they are waived year two. He suggested that the tuition be set at $250 and $500. Chairperson Knight stated that we have visited this topic in the past couple months and agree that it would be good to increase the ADM across the county. Mrs. Messick stated that Ms. Sliger has always done an excellent job with research for every application. She added that she does a great deal of phone calls dealing with the families. Ms. Boles stated she has always been in favor of no tuition. She added that the board is going to be faced with some difficult decisions in the future and waiving tuition could help to raise the ADM. She stated that if this would help fill classrooms and allow schools to remain open she would be in favor of it. She added some good points have been made and that the board should consider. Dr. Rice added that school utilization in another area that has to be considered. He stated we will gladly accept students from another county but a specific class at a specific school may not be an option due to current size. He added that Ms. Sliger has always communicated this information to applicants and given them other options of a location that would be available. Chairperson Knight stated that the tuition has been reduced in the last two years. Mr. Rogers stated that we need to have the forms ready for March 1. He suggested that the tuition be waived for the first year and if discipline problems arise then charge tuition. Dr. Rice asked for confirmation on tuition. He stated waive the tuition for the first year and if student has discipline issues then charge tuition. He asked about the current student that has several referrals and/or multiple absences are they to be charged tuition? Mr. Rogers stated that if the student is having a problem then the tuition shouldn t be waived. He added that waiving the tuition should be for students that are in good standing. He suggested that parents be
Page 6 February 4, 2019 informed after March 1 of the change in the procedure for the upcoming school year. He added this will give the parent time to address with their child. Vice-Chair Boles stated this also allows students to come into our school system with no charge unless discipline problems arise and then tuition will be charged. Mrs. Messick inquired with Ms. Moore on how the no tuition would affect the budget. Ms. Moore stated that currently we are receiving approximately $25,000 from tuition. She added with the adoption of no tuition it would affect the budget. She added that if there is a rise in the ADM that doesn t mean you will receive extra money from the state. She shared that the state bases their funding on class size and the teacher/student ratio not straight ADM figures. I. Discussion of Budget Process: Ms. Lanette Moore presented the 2018-2019 Current Expense Budget, 2018-2019 Capital Outlay Final Budget, 2018-2019 Capital Outlay Requests Not Included in Original Budget, and the Stokes County Schools Five Year Plan to the board members. Ms. Moore stated that these items will help the board members to understand the process that will be followed in creating the budget for the 2019-2020 year. She stated that with the Current Expense Budget there is not much flexibility. She reviewed the 2018-2019 Capital Outlay Final Budget presentation. She pointed out that the items are listed in priority order and the board was able to fund items 1-20. She added that the Board of Education thought items 21-41 were important but there were not enough funds appropriated to complete these items. She stated that the board would need to review items 21-41 to see if they want them included in the 2019-2020 budget. Ms. Moore also reviewed the Capital Outlay Requests that were received from the schools that were not included in the original budget. She stated that these items will be reviewed for the 2019-2020 budget. She shared with the board members the Stokes County Schools Five Year Plan and stated this plan would need to be reviewed and updated. She added that this plan is forwarded to the Stokes County Commissioners along with the budget. Dr. Rice stated if the board members had any items they wish to add to the current expense or capital outlay budget to please reach out to him or Ms. Moore. He added that this isn t a guarantee of funding from the commissioners. He explained that the process is for Dr. Rice to present the recommended Superintendent s budget to the Board of Education for review. The Board of Education will review, make any change, and the Board of Education s budget will go to the county commissioners. Mr. Goins stated that he would be presenting a slide presentation in the upcoming future of Capital Outlay needs for the board members to review. J. Discussion of Middle School Lunch Charges (Policy 6220): Dr. Rice reviewed with the board members the changes to Policy 6220 from the February 6, 2017 board meeting item C Discussion of High School Lunch Charges: #3 No meal charges at the high schools. Elementary and middle school students will continue to follow the meal charge guidelines in Policy 6220. The minutes reflect that the item will be on the action agenda for the February 20 th meeting. He stated that the item was not presented again until the May 15, 2017 meeting and was approved as item K on the consent agenda. Mrs. Hauser stated she had talked with a Regional Director and State Director of NCDPI. She stated that the guidelines have to be in writing at the beginning of each school year.
Page 7 February 4, 2019 Mrs. Tedder stated that she had requested a sample revision be placed in the board packet. She stated that the sample revision addresses concerns that the public has and concerns that the board members have about not feeding children. She added that it increases the amount that the students are allowed to charge before being given an alternative meal. Mrs. Hauser stated that there is a problem with the alternative meal. She added that the alternative meal has to include a component from the five food groups. Mr. Rogers suggested that the alternative meal name be changed to baseline reimbursable meal. Vice-Chair Boles stated that she is bothered by the thought that a child is going home hungry to no food at home. She feels that the children should be fed a meal that will sustain them and have the school system deal with the adults to find a way to collect the money. She stated that there have been area churches that have donated funds to help pay for meal charges. She added that the school board needs to find another way to fund the unpaid meal charges and let the children have the food that they need to help them learn. K. Discussion of Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying Complaint Procedure (Policy 1720/4015/7225 & School Safety (Policy 1510/4200/7270: Dr. Rice stated that the tip lines were placed into action in October after he attended the School Law Conference in September. He responded to an early comment of the school level tip line being different from the district level tip line. He stated they serve different purposes. Bullying is something that starts off at the school level and the administrator needs to know about that. He added that if there is a safety concern the superintendent needs to know about that situation to inform law enforcement. The district level tip line is used for safety concerns and the school level tip line is used for bullying. He stated that all tip lines are live at this time. Mrs. Tedder expressed concern that some of the school websites have the tip line so that it can easily be found and others websites you have to search for the link. She stated that it would be better if all were uniform. Dr. Rice responded that Mrs. McGee has been working with the schools on the placement of the tip line on their websites so that it is easily visible. Dr. Rice stated that the ideal way to communicate bullying is face to face to an administrator but the tip line is available if the individual wants to communicate anonymously. Information and Announcements Mr. George reviewed the Information and Announcement items: Stokes Early College Calendar: February 15, 2019 Optional TWD Full Student Day March 18, 2019 End of 3 rd 9 weeks March 18, 2019 Optional TWD Full Student Day May 20, 2019 Teacher Workday Full Student Day Traditional Calendar: February 15, 2019 Teacher Workday Full Student Day February 18, 2019 Required Staff Development Full Student Day March 8, 2019 Teacher Workday Full Student Day March 22, 2019 End of 3 rd 9 weeks
Page 8 February 4, 2019 Board Meetings: February 18, 2019 Regular Session 6:00 PM Poplar Springs Elementary March 4, 2019 Work Session 8:30 AM Administrative Office Future Items: February 17, 2019 March 1, 2019 May 20, 2019 Tony George Retirement Reception, West Stokes High, 2:00 pm 4:00 pm PTEC Signature Schools Awards Breakfast 9:00 am 11:00 am Imperial Ballroom/Sheraton Hotel at Koury Convention Center Retirement Reception, The Arts Place, 4:00 pm 5:00 pm Kindergarten Registration: Germanton Elementary March 5 8:30am 1:30 am 336-591-4021 King Elementary March 27 3:00pm 6:00pm 336-983-5824 Lawsonville Elementary March 20 8:30am 11:30am 336-593-8284 London Elementary March 7 8:30am 11:00am 336-591-7204 Mount Olive Elementary March 12 8:30am 11:30am 336-983-4351 Nancy Reynolds Elementary March 28 8:30am 10:30am 336-351-2480 Pine Hall Elementary March 13 8:30am 10:30am 336-427-3689 Pinnacle Elementary March 21 8:30am 11:30am 336-368-2990 Poplar Springs Elementary March 26 3:00pm 6:00pm 336-985-0234 Sandy Ridge Elementary March 14 8:30am 10:30am 336-871-2400 Walnut Cove Elementary March 6 8:30am 11:30am 336-591-4408 At 8:45 p.m., Vice-Chairperson Boles made a motion to enter closed session as allowed by NC General Statute 143-318.11 (a) (1) (3) (6). The motion was seconded by Mrs. Messick and approved 5-0. [Closed Session] At 9:30 p.m., Vice-Chairperson Boles made a motion to return to open session. The motion was seconded by Mr. Rogers and was approved 5-0. At 9:50 p.m., Vice-Chairperson Boles made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Tedder and was approved 5-0. Chairperson Secretary