Regular Meeting

Dates:

Tuesday, January 17, 2017 - 6:30pm

The Transylvania County Board of Education will hold a regular business meeting on Tuesday, January 17, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. at the Morris Education Center, 225 Rosenwald Lane, Brevard. The meeting is open to the public.

Groups audience:

School Board

I. Opening of Meeting

Invocation

Pledge of Allegiance

Call to Order

Welcome

Groups audience:

School Board

II. Business Items

Groups audience:

School Board

01. Approval of Agenda

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action	X
Excellent Educators		Information
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

A motion is in order to approve or revise the meeting agenda for January 17, 2017.

Groups audience:

School Board

02. Public Comment

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

The board of education, as an elected representative body of the school system, wishes to provide a forum for citizens to express interests and concerns related to the school system. Each month, a part of at least one regularly scheduled board meeting will be set aside for citizens to address the board through public comment.

A sign-up sheet will be available for any individual or group to indicate their desire to address the board. 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 comments to five (5) minutes each, unless there are more than six speakers per session, in which case the chairman may limit the time allotted to no more than three (3) minutes per speaker. Sign-up is not required for the second public comment opportunity at the end of the meeting.

Board members will not respond to individuals who address the board except to request clarification of points made by the presenter.

Except in cases of emergency, information received during presentations will not be acted upon at the time it is received. It will take unanimous vote of the board members present to take action on a presentation considered to be of an unusual or emergency nature at the time it is presented.

Disruptions by any person or persons of a public meeting will be subject to action in accordance with G.S. 143-318.17.

Complaints about the performance of school personnel, implementation of board policy, the quality of the educational program, or school facilities should be submitted initially for a response to the school system official responsible for the program or facility or to the superintendent. The superintendent or designee shall make available policy 2310, Public Participation at Board Meetings, and other relevant grievance procedures to any individual or group submitting a complaint.

No solicitations will be allowed during public comment.

Groups audience:

School Board

03. Good News Report

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship	X	Action
Excellent Educators	X	Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

School Board Appreciation Month

During the month of January, school districts across the country celebrate National School Board Appreciation Month as a way to commemorate the important contribution that school board members make to their communities. We would like to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to our dedicated school board members for all that they do every day.

BES Clubs

This past fall, fifth grade students at Brevard Elementary School were given the opportunity to choose club activities on Friday afternoons during their normal Specials time. The administrative team at BES wanted to have the clubs within the school day so that all fifth graders could participate. (Lack of transportation can often prevent students from becoming involved.) During the first quarter, the school offered Crafting, Cooking, Bee Fit, the Buzz Media Show, Book Making, Chess, Sports, Glee Club and Pottery. For the second semester, some of the clubs stayed the same and few new clubs were introduced, such as the International Club, Drama Club, and the Behind the Scenes Art Club. Students in the latter two clubs worked on this year’s production of “A Christmas Carol.” The final new club was Club Unify. Club Unify works in collaboration with BES self-contained classrooms and first and second grade classrooms. Fifth graders are able to serve as peer tutors and mentors to younger students and interact with special needs students as kids first and kids with a disability second. Looking ahead to the third and fourth quarters, BES is excited to offer new opportunities by having members of the TCS central office and community members host clubs on subjects that they specialize in. If you would be interested in hosting a club at BES and can commit to one day a week for a nine-week period, please contact Carrie Norris at cnorris@tcsnc.org for more information.

DRS “Active Afternoon”

Davidson River School thanks Mrs. Webb's classes for sponsoring several community service activities. On January 5th, students coordinated "Active Afternoon" to help others keep their New Year's resolutions and exercise more. Yoga instructor Katherine Taylor offered yoga to students while others played ping pong, volleyball, dodge ball or basketball. Healthy afternoon snacks included homemade hummus and veggies prepared by the students. The activities were so popular that additional times will be scheduled for spring semester.

#ScienceIsFEHNtastic!

Congratulations to DRS science teacher, Noelle Fehn, who recently received two grants to enhance her programs. She received over $400 from Donor's Chose for a class set of science magazines for students to use at home and school. Since many of her students do not have the Internet at home for virtual day work, the subscription has already come in handy. Ms. Fehn’s second grant is a partnership with the North Carolina Arboretum called Project EXPLORE: Experiences Promoting Learning Outdoors for Research and Education. Project EXPLORE will engage her students in arboretum educator-led science programs on the DRS campus. Students will be involved in ongoing data collection at the schoolyard, and will present their research at the NC Arboretum Mountain Science Expo. The project so far has involved a lesson from the Arboretum's environmental educator on birding, helping students learn how to identify birds as well as understand the importance of locally collecting scientific data. Students have participated in weekly bird counts, and have erected a feeding station near the school building in order to increase bird sightings.

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

Students from Davidson River School Taiko and Brevard Middle School Chorus were among those performing at the 27^th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration hosted by the Human Relations Council and Brevard College. Each group performed two musical numbers, and were warmly received by hundreds of people gathered in the Porter Center, many of who had marched from Bethel “A” Baptist Church. We honor these students for being part of a special evening called “Unity in the Community.”

Western Region Honor Jazz Band Clinic

Madison Allen earned third place in the Regional Jazz Auditions in Charlotte on January 14th. She will represent Brevard High School as the First Chair Alto Sax in the second high school band at the Western Region Honor Jazz Band Clinic in Asheville this April. Madison's placement also makes her eligible to audition for the All-State Jazz Auditions on March 4th at Cental Davidson Middle School.

For more good news from Transylvania County Schools, please visit us at:

Home Page: www.tcsnc.org ǀ Facebook: facebook.com/transylvaniaschools

Twitter: twitter.com/transylvaniasch ǀ Flickr: flickr.com/tcsnc

Instagram: Instagram.com/transylvaniaschools ǀ YouTube: youtube.com/tcsnc

Smartphone App: Transylvania County Schools on Play Store and iTunes

SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/transylvaniacountyschools

Public Attachments:

Good News Report 2017-01-17 (1).pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

04. Former Students in the Military

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

The board 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. The attached list of names is recognized at every meeting and read aloud twice a year in recognition of Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Additional names will be included as they are received.

Public Attachments:

Military List 1-17-17.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

05. Consent Agenda

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action	X
Excellent Educators	X	Information
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

The following items are submitted for consent approval (see attached):

Minutes of the December 19, 2016 meeting
Personnel report for January 17, 2017

A motion is in order to approve the consent agenda items.

Public Attachments:

Minutes 12-19-16.pdf

Personnel Report 1-17-17.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

06. Instructional Update

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship	X	Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Dr. Jeremy Gibbs will provide an update on curriculum and instruction. Dr. Gibbs plans to provide an instructional update with a different focus or theme at each monthly board meeting.

Public Attachments:

BOE-InstructionUpdate-Presentation-Gibbs-17Jan2017.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

07. Policy: 6000 Series, Support Services (Part B)

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action	X
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Eleven new policies from the 6000 Series, Support Services (Part B), and three old policies are presented as first-read information. Brian Weaver will discuss the policies and answer any questions you may have. Adoption of the new policies and rescission of the old policies will be requested at the February 20 meeting.

A motion is in order to accept the 11 new policies and 3 old policies listed below as first-read information.

6000 Series (Part B): Support Services
New Policies (first read; adoption in February)		Old Policies (first read; rescission in February)
6300	Goals of Student Transportation Services	EEA	School Transportation Services
6305	Safety and Student Transportation Services	EEA	School Transportation Services
6306	School Bus Idling	EEAA, EEAB-R	School Bus Idling; Energy Management – School Buses
6310	Organization of Student Transportation Services	EEA	School Transportation Services
6315	Drivers
6320	Use of Student Transportation Services
6321	Bus Routes
6322	Student Assignment to Buses
6325	Parking Areas for Students
6330	Insurance for Student Transportation Services	EEA	School Transportation Services
6340	Transportation Service/Vehicle Contracts

Public Attachments:

Policy EEA_rescind.pdf

Policy EEAA_rescind.pdf

Policy EEAB-R_rescind.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

08. FY17 Capital Projects Update

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Norris Barger will give an update on the status of FY17 capital projects to date. The summary report is attached.

Legend:

Summer 2016

Fall 2016

Winter 2016-2017

Spring 2017

Summer 2017

Public Attachments:

Capital Outlay Update 1-17-17.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

09. School Facility Tours; Community Meetings

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion	X
Operations and Support	X

As a part of its annual budget process, the board typically schedules two days in February to visit schools and evaluate facility needs. The board will discuss dates for the 2017 facility tours and also upcoming community meetings to obtain input from parents and staff regarding school facility improvements.

Groups audience:

School Board

10. Topics for Work Session

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion	X
Operations and Support	X

The board will hold its annual planning work session on Monday, February 6, 2017 at the Morris Education Center beginning at 5:30 p.m. A light supper will be provided. The following topics have been suggested for discussion:

FY18 Budget
Master Facilities Plan
Capital & Technology
Social Media Update
Student Growth by Quartile
High School Scheduling

Board members may submit other potential topics for discussion.

Groups audience:

School Board

11. Superintendent's Update

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Dr. McDaris will give an update on current and emerging educational issues.

Groups audience:

School Board

12. Important Dates

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

The board will resume its twice-a-month meeting schedule in February 2017. Meetings will be held on the first and third Mondays of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Morris Education Center, unless otherwise noted.

Jan. 23-24	NCSBA, “School Board 101”		Raleigh, NC
Jan. 23	Teacher workday (no students)
Jan. 24	Second semester begins
Jan. 30 – Feb. 2	TCS District Science Fair		Rogow Room
Feb. 6	PLANNING WORK SESSION	5:30 p.m.	MEC
Feb. 15	Early dismissal (students)	12:00 p.m.
Feb. 20	REGULAR MEETING	6:30 p.m.	MEC
Mar. 6	REGULAR MEETING	6:30 p.m.
Mar. 15	Early dismissal (students)	12:00 p.m.
Mar. 20	REGULAR MEETING	6:30 p.m.	MEC
Mar. 24-27	Teacher workdays (no students)

Days Missed

Jan. 9 – Virtual Day #1

Jan. 10 – Virtual Day #2

Groups audience:

School Board

13. Public Comment

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

The board will provide a second opportunity for public comment.

Groups audience:

School Board

14. Other Items

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

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

Groups audience:

School Board

15. Closed Session

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action	X
Excellent Educators		Information
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion	X
Operations and Support	X

Pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 143-318.11(a)(1) and 143-318.11(a)(3), the board will convene in closed session to consult with the board attorney concerning a legal matter.

A motion is in order to go into closed session.

Groups audience:

School Board

III. Adjourn

Groups audience:

School Board