Regular Meeting

INVOCATION/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

CALL TO ORDER/WELCOME

BUSINESS ITEMS

1.                  Election of Officers

2.                  Approval of Agenda

3.                  Public Comment

4.                  Good News Report

5.                  Former Students in the Military

6.                  Consent Agenda:

A.     Minutes

B.     Personnel Report

7.                  BES School Improvement Plan Amendment

8.                  Policy:

A.     AE “Public Participation at Board Meetings”

B.     BH “Code of Ethics for School Board Members”

C.     GBA “Professional Standards of Conduct and Performance for Teachers”

D.    JFC-R “Student Conduct/Discipline”

E.     ACB “Interpersonal Human Relations and Grievance Procedures”

F.     ACB-R “Interpersonal Human Relations and Grievance Procedures”

G.    DJ “Purchasing Requirements”

H.    DJ-R “Purchasing Requirements”

I.        ECF “Energy Management”

J.      ECF-R “Energy Management – Heating and Cooling”

K.     ECFA “Electrical Load Management Program”

L.      DJK “Purchasing Authority”

M.    DLBA “Payroll Deductions for Charitable Organizations”

9.                  Facilities Master Plan

10.             Qualified School Construction Bond

11.             Topics for Retreat

12.             Important Dates

13.             Other Items

14.             Public Comment

15.             Closed Session

 

N.C.G.S. 115C-41 states:

 

“Unless otherwise provided by local law, all local boards of education shall have an organizational meeting no later than 60 days after the swearing in of members following election or appointment and as often thereafter as the board shall determine appropriate.  The board may fix the date and time of its organizational meeting.  At the organizational meeting, the members of all boards shall elect one of their members as chairman for a period of one year, or until his successor is elected and qualified. The chairman of the local board of education shall preside at the meetings of the board, and in the event of his absence or sickness, the board may appoint one of its members temporary chairman.” 

 

The Board has traditionally elected a chairman and vice chairman each year. The Board may elect officers for 2010 at this time.

 

 

A sign-up sheet is available for public comment.  A maximum of 30 minutes will be allotted for public comment at the beginning of the meeting and at the end of the meeting. Speakers will be asked to limit their comments to 5 minutes each, except in the event there are more than six speakers per session, at which time the chairman may limit the time allotted to 3-5 minutes per speaker. Speakers will be asked to refrain from discussing any individuals by name in accordance with the North Carolina Open Meetings Law.  

 

 

Retired teacher, Jenny McGaha, and the Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW purchased 25 new dictionaries for fourth graders at Brevard Elementary School. Many thanks to these ladies for their generous gift!

 

T. C. Henderson Elementary School students participated in “Jump Rope for Hearts” and “Hoops for Hearts” events in November. Organized by Coach Mick Galloway, the school raised $1,411 for the American Heart Association.

 

Second graders at TC Henderson recently fulfilled their goal of reading 100 books as part of the Scholastic Book Club’s Classroom Care program. As a result of reaching this goal, the school has helped arrange for one million books to be donated to disadvantaged children.  

 

The following RHS Health Occupations students were recognized at the HOSA regional competition:

 

            Chaz West, Adam McCoy, and David Moman – First Place, Creative Problem Solving

 

The students and faculty in the School Psychology Graduate Program at Western Carolina University have commended the great work that school psychologists in Transylvania County have been doing in support of the training of school psychology graduate students. Throughout the 2009 school year, Alice Wellborn and Anna Galloway have been involved in various shadowing and practicum supervising experiences with WCU graduate students. The extra work and time that they have put forth has provided invaluable school-based experiences for the students.

 

Congressman Heath Shuler’s office has invited local schools to participate in the “Holiday Cards for Heroes” program, in which students prepare holiday cards for soldiers. The cards will be collected and forwarded to the troops by the congressman’s staff. 

 

Students at Rosman High School students had a great Junior Achievement experience this year. Participants were Justin Raines, Cody Wright, Allen Wilson, Katie Owen, Courtney Whisenant, Grant Ownbey, Hannah Burton, Craig King, Daniel Gill, Drew Jamerson, Brandon Newman, Maddy Moore, Sterling Whitman, and Tabitha Barton. RHS business teacher, Lisa Gillespie, was the sponsor.

 

Rosman Middle School and Rosman High School donated 227 shoe box gifts to Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse. Students in the Club of International Languages (COIL) and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) also donated over 280 service hours to the organization. In the seven years that the schools have been involved, they have received letters back from children in a dozen different countries, including Bosnia, Ghana, and Madagascar.  

 

Students at Pisgah Forest Elementary School are collecting spare change to help the “Jessie’s Honor” project. As recently reported on WLOS-TV, over 700 boxes of items designated for soldiers overseas have been stranded in Henderson County due to a lack of postage. PFES students will be collecting donations through Tuesday, December 22, to help with shipping costs to get these items to their destinations. 

 

Transylvania County Schools and offices are helping their communities this holiday season through angel trees, food drives, coat drives, and other donation activities for families and community members in need. Many thanks to the following local businesses and organizations that have helped sponsor projects through individual schools and/or the central office:

 

 

Thanks also go to Carolyn Gordon and Department of Child Nutrition for their work collecting, coordinating, and delivering food, clothing and gifts to families. Ms. Gordon estimates that approximately 200 children are being sponsored by TCS staff and community organizations this year.  

 

The Board of Education would like to recognize former students from Brevard High School, Rosman High School, and Davidson River School who are currently serving or have previously served in the U.S. Military. The attached list will be updated as more names are received. 

 

 

The following items are submitted for consent approval:

 

1.                  Minutes from November 16, 2009 (attached)

2.                  Personnel report for December 21, 2009 (attached)

 

 

On November 16, David Sutton presented a school improvement plan amendment for Brevard Elementary School (see attached). Mr. Sutton will answer any questions you may have. 

 

 

 

Eleven of the thirteen policies listed below were presented on November 16 as first-read information. Some have been further revised since that meeting. Two policies, ACB and JFC‑R, are presented for first-read action. Dr. Bo Williams will discuss the policies and answer any questions you may have. 

 

 

 

 

The Board will continue its review and discussion of the Transylvania County Schools Master Facilities Plan. Attached are the latest master plan cost estimates and the FY09 capital outlay five-year planning budget. Norris Barger will discuss the master plan and answer any questions. 

 

 

On December 14, 2009, the Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 not to fund the proposed Career/Technical Education (CTE) building at Rosman High School. The Commissioners had agreed in July to pursue this project through a Qualified School Construction Bond (QSCB). The reason for the change was that the QSCB, which was originally pursued as a 0% interest opportunity with nominal fees, was not attractive enough for banks to purchase. BB&T has offered to purchase the QSCB at 2.09%, which would increase the repayment amount by an average of $14,830 per year over a 12-year period. The Commissioners would like for the Board to find a way to share the cost of this additional service debt. 

 

A joint meeting between the Boards to discuss the CTE project and the QSCB is scheduled for Monday, December 28, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in the Rogow Room of the Transylvania County Library. The meeting will be open to the public.      

 

 

The Board will hold its annual planning retreat on February 1, 2010. The retreat will begin at 5:30 p.m. and a light supper will be provided. Location is yet to be determined. Board members are asked to submit possible topics for discussion to the superintendent. 

 

 

 

 

An opportunity will be provided for other items from board members or staff.

 

Norris Barger will recommend changes to the way we account for restricted grant funds in order to better segregate unrestricted appropriations. He will present Budget Amendments for the Local Current Expense Fund and Restricted Grants Fund for fiscal years ‘07, ‘08, ‘09, and ‘10 and answer any questions you may have. The eight amendments are attached.

 

Motions are in order to approve the budget amendments.   

 

 

A sign-up sheet is available for public comment. A maximum of 30 minutes will be allotted for public comment at the beginning of the meeting and at the end of the meeting. Speakers will be asked to limit their comments to 5 minutes each, except in the event there are more than six speakers per session, at which time the chairman may limit the time allotted to 3-5 minutes per speaker. Speakers will be asked to refrain from discussing any individuals by name in accordance with the North Carolina Open Meetings Law.

 

Pursuant to N.C.G.S. 143-318.11(a)(1), the Board will go into closed session to discuss a confidential personnel matter pursuant to G.S. 115C-319 through 321.