Regular Meeting

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Dates: 
Monday, April 21, 2014 - 6:30pm

 

April 21, 2014
Morris Education Center
6:30 p.m.
 
Agenda
INVOCATION/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
CALL TO ORDER/WELCOME
BUSINESS ITEMS
1.               Approval of Agenda
2.               Public Comment
3.               Good News Report
4.               Former Students in the Military
5.               Consent Agenda:
A.    Minutes
B.    Personnel Report
6.               Resolution in Support of Child Nutrition Funding
7.               FY15 Budget
8.               Facilities Study Requests for Proposal
9.               Superintendent’s Update
10.           Central Office Summer Schedule
11.           Important Dates
12.           Public Comment
13.           Other Items
 
 
 
Approval of Agenda

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
X
 
21st Century Professionals
Information
 
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
 
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
X
Governance and Support
 
 
 
A motion is in order to approve or revise the meeting agenda for April 21, 2014.
 
 
 
Public Comment

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
 
 
21st Century Professionals
Information
X
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
X
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
 
Governance and Support
 
 
 
N.C.G.S. § 115C-51 states that local boards of education shall provide at least one period for public comment per month at a regular meeting of the board. 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, in which case the chairman may limit the time allotted to 3-5 minutes per speaker. Speakers will be asked to refrain from discussing specific individuals by name in accordance with the North Carolina Open Meetings Law. No solicitations will be allowed during public comment. Sign-up is not required for the second public comment opportunity at the end of the meeting. 
 
 
 
 
Good News Report

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 X 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
 
X
21st Century Professionals
Information
X
 X
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
 X
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
 
Governance and Support
 
 
 
Recognition
The North Carolina National Board Certification Program has recognized Jeremy Gibbs, Transylvania County Schools district coordinator, for exemplary service in supporting National Board certification, candidates and National Board certified teachers.
 
RHS Graduate Honored
The Sigma Xi award for interdisciplinary research was presented to Geology major Jared Voris of Brevard for his study, “Lateral Osteoderm Analysis of Desmatosuchus Spurensis,” an analysis of two fossilized scales from the crocodile-like aetosaurs found in an Arizona quarry.  Jason is a graduate of Rosman High School and attends Appalachian State University. 
 
PFES Science Olympiad
Congratulations to the Pisgah Forest Elementary School Science Olympiad Team for winning first place at the Buncombe County Regional Elementary Tournament. Students competed against elementary schools from Buncombe County and Henderson County in 18 categories that involve engineering skills and general science knowledge.  Pisgah Forest took first place in Water Rockets, Bone and Brawn, Genes-R-Us, The Heat is On, and Work It Out. They also placed second in Fossil Frenzy, Junk Box Build-Off, Trajeggtory, Backyard Biologists, Bridge-a-Roni, Data Crunchers, and Describe It/Build It.  Coached by Bob Dinsdale and Stefanie Tomlin, the team has been building, researching, and studying since November to prepare for the competition. The Science Olympiad members are A. J. Eberhardt, Graham Patterson, Haley Yarbrough, Estrella Sheehan, Willow Blackstock, Milo Jones, Kiernan Lockhart, Pearl Brown, Ada Weaver, Robert Hienemann, Charlie Stewart, MacKenzie Caison, Brendan Farmer, Chris Conner, and Bobby Brown.
   
Volunteer Celebrations at RES and PFES
At Rosman Elementary School and Pisgah Forest Elementary School, volunteers were recently treated to students singing, refreshments, and thanks from teachers and administrators for the thousands of hours donated by dozens of volunteers throughout the school year.  On April 10 at RES, 33 volunteers were invited to share lunch and review the positive results their work has created for the school.  Community members from all walks of life -- from retirees to bus drivers and maintenance staff -- were recognized for their contributions.  Special thanks were extended by Principal Strickler to a handful of volunteers from the Augustine Literacy Project, which helps individual students get hours of one-on-one assistance from highly trained tutors. Among the volunteers recognized on April 17 at PFES were Gerald and Nancy Deaver, who have assisted with one or two classes per week for twenty years, and Linda Snowdon, who taught at Pisgah Forest for 13 years and has since volunteered for another 10.  Brevard Community Church, where volunteers train for the Augustine Literacy Project, recently provided breakfast for PFE teachers to show their continuing support for our schools. Donations of volunteer hours make it possible to achieve our goals in all nine of TCS schools.  We thank all our volunteers and donors for their generous support of our students and public education in Transylvania County.
 
“Coins for a Cure” Raises $1,900 for Cystic Fibrosis at BES
During the week of April 7th, Brevard Elementary School classes participated in “Coins for a Cure” to raise much-needed funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  With containers in each class, students brought in pennies on Monday, nickels on Tuesday, and so on through giving dollar coins on Friday, to meet their goal of $50 per class, or $1,500 for the school.  Brevard Elementary students far surpassed their goal, raising over $1900 for the CF Foundation on behalf of BES second grader, Madi Ball, one of several area residents who is fighting cystic fibrosis.  A check will be formally presented at the organization’s annual Great Strides Walk in Brevard on May 3.  Grassroots fundraising is currently the only way to support new treatments to extend and improve the lives of those with CF.  Thanks to school nurse April Owenby for helping to set “Coins for a Cure” in motion.  This program was so successful, there are plans to help expand it to other schools in coming years.

BHS HOSA Blood Drive Surpasses Goal
The Health Occupations Student Association at Brevard High School held a Blood Drive with the American Red Cross on April 17 in the BHS gymnasium.  According to HOSA advisor and Health Sciences teacher, Trina Hendricks, “Our community heavily depends on high school blood drives to support the demand for blood in our community.  Having a niece who just received platelets this week for her childhood cancer, I greatly appreciate it as well!” Out of 66 people who presented to donate, 35 of them first time donors, the Red Cross acquired 59 productive units--nine more than the goal of 50 units. Twenty student volunteers helped to put on the event, and the Red Cross was very impressed with the politeness and organization of our school
 
Inaugural Raccoon Run 5K Raises Funds for ROPE
At 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 12, just ahead of the Assault on the Carolinas, almost 110 runners young and old gathered for Pisgah Forest Elementary School’s first-ever Raccoon Run 5K.  Surpassing their goal of 100 participants, organizers were pleased by the turnout and thankful for the great weather. Members of ROPE, the Rangers Organization of Parents and Educators, started organizing the event in October, and things really got busy in January for this April event.  ROPE president Shanaia Powell and secretary Krissy Lorenz said, “It was way more than we thought it would be.”  The first Raccoon Run 5K turned out to be a huge success, raising over $3,000 from sponsors led by Hunter Subaru of Hendersonville, and another $1,100 from participants.  With the success of their inaugural race, Principal Mike Bailey and PFE ROPE hope to make this the first of many such annual events in the future.
 
Composer Jenn Jolley Premieres Collaborative Work with BES, Brevard College Symphonic Winds
During the week of April 14th, Mrs. Pauer’s fifth grade class at Brevard Elementary School enjoyed the final stages of their collaboration with composer and professor Jenn Jolley of Ohio Wesleyan University.  BES music teacher Sarah Moser teamed with Brevard College professor Miller Asbill to commission a brand-new work, entitled “Through the Looking Glass Falls,” which received its world premiere on Thursday, April 17 at the Porter Center.  The piece was composed by Professor Jolley, based on musical ideas created by the fifth graders themselves.  Ms. Jolley taught students via Skype earlier in the school year and assigned them to generate original musical ideas on note cards.  Once Jolley received the drawings, she turned each idea into a distinct movement of the nine-minute composition, so each student truly helped to create a specific portion of the work.  Jolley visited the school in the days just before the performance to share and discuss the process that helped her bring the collaboration to its fruition in a musical performance by the Brevard College Symphonic Winds Ensemble. The project was made possible thanks to generous support from Brevard College, Brevard Community Band, and the Transylvania County Schools Educational Foundation. We congratulate the composer, Mrs. Moser and Professor Asbill for this cutting-edge musical project.
 
BMS 8th Grade Returns from Tour of Holocaust and Smithsonian Museums
Communication skills teacher Kelly Muse and social studies teacher Leah Hammond of Brevard Middle School organized a trip for almost fifty eighth graders to Washington, DC in early April.  Accompanied by Principal Kerry Putnam and Lewis Whiteside, the group visited attractions around the nation’s capital including the Washington and Lincoln Memorials and Arlington National Cemetery for the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The highlight and focus of the trip, however, was the U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where students were confronted by sights, sounds and even smells that literally brought them into the events commemorated there.  Students and faculty participated in a debriefing after the trip, to describe for one another and visitors how the names, dates and artifacts represented there helped to make otherwise distant events very real.  From confronting the big-picture ideas of prejudice and injustice that helped spawn the Holocaust, to very specific elements like seeing the names of all the concentration camps or the elevator doors specially designed to create a feeling of confinement as visitors navigated the museum, everyone on the trip was challenged to deepen their awareness of how historical events have dramatically shaped the individual lives of millions of people and our own consciousness today as well.

Rosman FFA Helps to Open New Season at Transylvania Farmers Market
Since Thanksgiving, Rosman High School horticulture teacher Heather McNeely has worked with Horticulture classes, student volunteers and members of the Future Farmers of America to prepare and grow produce for spring sales at the Transylvania Farmers Market.  On Saturday, April 19, McNeely, her student teacher Maggie and seven volunteers braved the cold and mist to help kick off this year’s season opening at the Farmers Market, again packing up a trailer full of hanging baskets, annuals, succulents, lettuce bowls and herbs for sale in downtown Brevard. According to McNeely, they could bring many, many more basil plants and still sell out at every market.  The single greenhouse at RHS provides a central location for students to gain practical knowledge of hydroponics and other growing methods, as well as learning business skills and volunteer service.  Proceeds from Saturday sales go back into the program, and many happy customers look for the unique offerings Rosman FFA brings each and every season. We salute Ms. McNeely and student volunteers for making a contribution to sustainable agriculture and our local economy through the Transylvania Farmers Market.
 
Student Art Shines at TC Arts Council, Set to Launch 4th Friday Gallery Walk Season
Students from Transylvania County Schools have art work featured in the TC Arts Council from April 7-30.  An opening reception on April 10 gave art teachers and students an occasion to gather and celebrate their best works from throughout the school year.  The student art exhibit will also help to launch the annual series of 4th Friday Gallery Walks at another reception at the TC Arts Council on April 25 from 5-9 p.m., along with a performance by Davidson River Taiko.  We thank and congratulate art teachers Emily Atkinson (BMS), Elizabeth Ballard (TCH and RMS), John Brinkley (RES), Vernon Bryson (PFES), Pam Granger-Gale (BES), Sean Parrish (BHS), and Amy Schoenacher (BHS) for bringing this annual show together.


Rosman Students Place in Area 1 Environthon
On April 4, six teams from Rosman High School and Rosman Middle School competed in the Area 1 Soil & Water Conservation District’s Envirothon Competition.at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville. The “Chaco Chicks” and the “Incrementally Bored” team tied for second place in the high school competition. The “Merrican Squirrels FFA” team took eighth place in the high school competition. The RHS teams competed against 14 other high school teams from 16 WNC counties and will advance to the state competition in Burlington on April 25-26.  Rosman Middle School was represented by three teams as well. The “Thunder Llamas” team won third place, the “Appalachian Warden’s Baccas” team came in fifth place, and the “Nature Avengers” team took sixth place. All of the middle school teams also earned the right to advance to the state competition
.

 
For more good news, please visit us at www.tcsnc.org and on FACEBOOK.
 
 
 
 
Former Students in the Military

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
 
 
21st Century Professionals
Information
X
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
X
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
 
Governance and Support
 
 
 
The Board of Education wishes to thank the 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. Twice a year, the names on the attached list are read aloud during Board of Education meetings and the list of names is recognized at every meeting. There are no new names on the list. Additional names will be included as they are received  
 
 
 
 
Consent Agenda

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
X
X
21st Century Professionals
Information
 
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
 
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
X
Governance and Support
 
 
 
The following items are submitted for consent approval (see attached):
 
1.               Minutes from the April 7, 2014 meeting
2.               Personnel report for April 21, 2014
 
A motion is in order to approve the consent agenda items. 
 
 
 
 
Resolution in Support of Child Nutrition Funding

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
X
 
21st Century Professionals
Information
 
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
 
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
X
Governance and Support
 
 
 
At the April 7 meeting, a recommendation was made to draft a resolution supporting additional federal funding for the Child Nutrition program. The resolution is attached. 
 
A motion is in order to approve the resolution. 
 
 
 
 
FY15 Budget

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
 
 
21st Century Professionals
Information
X
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
X
 
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
X
Governance and Support
 
 
 
Norris Barger will present the latest information and documents for the FY15 budget. The draft documents are attached.
 
 
 
 
Facilities Study Requests for Proposal

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
 
 
21st Century Professionals
Information
X
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
 
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
X
Governance and Support
 
 
 
Norris Barger will give an update on the proposals that have been received for the Transylvania County Schools facilities master plan (see attached).  Propsals will be evaluated by the Superintendent, Director of Business Services, and the Board Chair.  The firm that is selected will provide a comprehensive facilities review and planning guide for use over the next 10 years and for a possible bond referendum. A recommendation for approval will be made at the May 5 meeting. 
 
 
 
 
Superintendent’s Update

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
 
 
21st Century Professionals
Information
X
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
 
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
X
Governance and Support
 
 
 
Dr. McDaris will give an update on new and ongoing issues for the 2013-2014 school year.
 
 
 
 
Central Office Summer Schedule

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
 
 
21st Century Professionals
Information
X
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
 
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
X
Governance and Support
 
 
 
The 2014 summer schedule for the TCS central office and other administrative offices is presented below as information. The 2014 summer calendar is attached. 
 
  1. Four-day weeks consisting of four ten-hour days will begin on Monday, June 9, 2014 and end on Friday, August 15, 2014. 
  2. Office hours will be 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Offices will be closed on Fridays.
  3. Offices will be closed on Thursday, July 3, in observance of the Independence Day holiday
 
 
 
 
Important Dates

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
 
 
21st Century Professionals
Information
X
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
 
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
X
Governance and Support
 
 
 

May 1
TCAEOP Awards Banquet
5:00 p.m.
BMS Media Center
May 5
REGULAR MEETING
6:30 p.m.
MEC
May 6
NCSBA Video: NC Open Meetings Law
7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
 
May 6
TCSEF “Taste of Transylvania”
6:00 p.m.
Brevard Lumber Yard
May 7-8
NCSBA School Law Conference
 
Raleigh, NC
May 9, 10
BHS Musical, “Les Miserables”
7:30 p.m.
BHS Auditorium
May 15
Scholars Recognition Evening
5:30 p.m.
BHS Cafeteria & Auditorium
May 19
REGULAR MEETING
6:30 p.m.
MEC
May 27 Transportation Banquet 6:00 p.m. Twin Dragons Restaurant
May 29
TCAE “Friends of Education” Banquet
6:00 p.m.
Rogow Room
Jun 2
REGULAR MEETING
6:30 p.m.
MEC
June 4
DRS Graduation
11:00 a.m.
Davidson River School Lawn
June 6
BHS Graduation
6:00 p.m.
Brevard Music Center
June 7
RHS Graduation
10:00 a.m.
Brevard Music Center
June 16
REGULAR MEETING
6:30 p.m.
MEC
June 23-25
NCSBA Summer Leadership Seminars
8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Atlantic Beach
June 26-27
NCSBA Policy Conference
8:00 a.m. - 1 :00 p.m.
Atlantic Beach
 
Days Missed
1.      January 6, 2014 – made up on January 10
2.      January 29, 2014 – made up on February 17
3.      January 30, 2014 – made up on April 21
4.      January 31, 2014 – to be made up on June 2
5.      February 11, 2-14 – to be made up on June 3
6.      February 12, 2014 – to be made up on June 4
7.      February 13, 2014 – absorbed
8.      February 14, 2014 – absorbed
 
 
 
 
Public Comment

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
 
 
21st Century Professionals
Information
X
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
X
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
 
Governance and Support
 
 
 
The Board will provide a second opportunity for public comment
 
 
 
 
Other Items

Strategic Priority:
Reason for Consideration:
 
Globally Competitive Students
Action
 
 
21st Century Professionals
Information
 
 
Healthy and Responsible Students
Discussion
 
 
Leadership to Guide Innovation
 
 
 
Governance and Support
 
 
 
An opportunity will be provided for other items from board members or staff. 
 
 
 
 
Adjourn
 
Groups audience: