01. Election of Officers

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

N.C.G.S. § 115C-41 calls for all local boards of education to have an organizational meeting no later than 60 days after the swearing in of members following election or appointment. At the organizational meeting, the members of all boards shall elect one or their members as chairman for a period of one year, or until his successor is elected and qualified. The Transylvania County Board of Education has traditionally elected a chair and vice chair each year at its December meeting.

The board may elect officers for 2017 at this time.

Groups audience:

School Board

02. 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 December 19, 2016.

Groups audience:

School Board

03. 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

04. 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	X	Discussion
Operations and Support	X

TCSYes Twitter Challenge Fall 2016

During November 7-22, TCS staffers took the challenge to tweet at least once a day to share the great things happening at school and in their professional lives. Participants shared over 600 tweets and lots of insight into working and learning in Transylvania County Schools. Congratulations to Kathryn Bailey at BHS for winning the Twitter Challenge. Ms. Bailey won a $30 gift card to Mayberry’s and a $20 gift certificate to D.D. Bullwinkel’s. Other winners received $5 gift cards from Blue Ridge Bakery, Bracken Mountain Bakery, and Quotations. For a look at the entire two-week event, follow this link to https://storify.com/TransylvaniaSch/tcsyes-twitter-challenge-fall-2016.

TCS Tech Quest Winner

Congratulations to PFES teacher, Katie Bland, winner of the TCS Tech Quest Raffle. Katie’s name was chosen from 99 entries—teachers’ names were submitted multiple times based on the number of quests he/she completed. Great job!

FBLA Regional Competition

Congratulations to the following students from BHS who placed at the Western Regional FBLA Competition at Franklin High School on December 2. There were 160 competitors in 20 different competitions. Dolly McCall is the FBLA sponsor.

August Barnham, 1^st Place, Business Communications

Jammi Hunt, 1^st Place, Business Calculations

Noah Housman, 3^rd Place, Business Calculations

Meredith Barton, 4^th Place, Job Interview

Nate Davis, 3^rd Place, Public Speaking 1

Cullen Duval, 2^nd Place, Public Speaking 2

Holiday Cheer

Students and staff of Transylvania County Schools have been celebrating Christmas all month with holiday concerts, musicals, plays, parades, Twilight Tour, angel trees and other activities. A big thank you to everyone who performed, marched, donated, and otherwise gave of their time and talents this holiday season.

Santa Visits RES

Santa Claus came to visit the children of Rosman Elementary School on Tuesday, December 13. He flew in from the North Pole right after the 8:00 bell rang with the present of a book for each child. Santa encouraged students to continue learning and reading through their lifelong journey. Pictures of students were also taken and shared with families, creating a lasting memory for this year and beyond.

New Bus Monitoring System

Working with U.S. Cellular, Transylvania County Schools has a new GPS bus monitoring system that will help school administrators track every bus by location and speed, improving safety and shortening response times for any emergency. A demonstration of the new software was held at the bus garage on December 13 to show how administrators can easily track buses from their desktops and smartphones.

RHS is Getting a Beehive

Rosman High School recently received word that its application to the Bee Cause Project for a Whole Foods Honey Bee Grant has been approved. Congratulations to Sarah Justice and everyone who worked on the grant application. Happy buzzing!

BES is an A+ School

Congratulations to Brevard Elementary School for being selected as a new A+ School. The A+ Schools Program of the North Carolina Arts Council is the largest, longest running, most successful arts-based whole-school reform effort in the nation. Since 1995, A+ Schools has been using the arts as a catalyst for creating connections and making school engaging, meaningful and enjoyable places to learn.

GingerbreadSTEM

Students at Pisgah Forest Elementary have taken #GingerbreadSTEM to a whole new level. With a replica of downtown Brevard and The Cradle of Forestry, PFE Rangers are putting on a huge presentation of their developing research, design, and collaboration skills. Every student at Pisgah Forest participated at some stage in the gingerbread creations. Mrs Rhodes' 4th grade class has a special presentation on The Cradle of Forestry, which is featured in our Facebook video. A special presentation of the gingerbread replicas was held on December 19 from 2-4 p.m.

TCSEF Mini-Grants Awarded

The Transylvania County School Educational Foundation has awarded the following projects full or partial grants for the period starting January 1, 2017. Congratulations to all!

Stephanie Ramsey	RHS	Health Models for Teaching
Heather McNeely	RHS	How Does Your Garden Grow?
Joe Russo	DRS	Mapping America in 3-D
Adria Hardy	BHS	Calculus in Motion/Algebra in Motion
Sarah Justice	RMS & RHS	We’ve Seen Europe. Now Where Are We Going?
Jeanne DeJong	BES	Catch a Mouse to Make Working on a Chromebook Easier
Amy Schoenacher	RHS	Pop Some Tags
Bart Gilleland	BHS	Portable PA System for Fine Arts at BHS
Jeffrey Micchelli	BMS	The Juice Squad
Monica Bickford	RES	Muddy Sneakers at RES
Sarah Justice & Devin Wilson	RMS	We Come In Peace! The Robot Invasion
Deanna Campbell	BES	BES Muddy Sneakers
Sheila Mooney	DRS	College Visits
Charlene Cali	BES	3D and Me
Karen Brown	RES	Let the Games Begin!
Kevin Smith	Education Center	Video “Power Tools”
Jim Leatherwood	BHS	It’s All About the Bass
Jessica Webb	DRS	Project Rebound’s Annual Service Project: An Educational Community Screening of the Documentary REJECT
Tom Young	DRS	Healthy Exercise/Healthy Eating for Healthy Living
Connie Newman	BMS	Graphic Novels in the Spanish Classroom
Meredith Licht	BHS	Video as Voice: Using the Power of Video to Tell Our Stories
Julie Queen & Linda Carrillo	RHS	Full STEAM Ahead Spanish
Carrie McCall	BMS	Getting Fit
Carrie Morrison	BHS	New York Times Upfront Magazine by Scholastic Subscription for ENG 9/10
Ursula Leahy	PFES	Exercise Pedaler for ADHD Students
Rhiannon Musgrove	BMS	Stand-Up Desks for Odyssey Program
Peggy Bayne	RES	Children’s Author at RES
Tammy Ducker	PFES	Full STEAM Ahead with Chromebooks at PFE
Renee Compton	RMS	Moving and Grooving
Anne Hardy	PFE	Sensory Integration Toolbox: Teaching the Whole Child
Jeanne DeJong & Alyse Hollingsworth	BES	Going Places with Google Cardboard
Anna Poteat	RES	Listening to Read: Time to Upgrade

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

Groups audience:

School Board

05. 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. Two new names have been added to the list, Avery Reese and Gerald Reese. Additional names will be included as they are received.

Public Attachments:

Military List 12-19-16.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

06. 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 November 21, 2016 meeting
Personnel report for December 19, 2016

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

Public Attachments:

Minutes 11-21-16.pdf

Personnel Report 12-19-16.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

07. Proposal for PFES Outdoor Classroom

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

Tonya Treadway, Missy Ellenberger, and Anne Hardy will present a proposal to build an outdoor classroom at Pisgah Forest Elementary School. The project would be funded by the PFES Ranger Organization of Parents and Educators (ROPE). Policy DJ-R, Purchasing Requirements, says that capital projects with an estimated value of $10,000 or more (including the value of donation of materials and volunteer labor) and funded by individual school funds (including boosters, alumni, and other supporting organizations) must have prior approval of the superintendent and the board of education before entering into any contracts or agreements with any vendor, contractor, or volunteer. Ms. Treadway, Ms. Ellenberger, and Ms. Hardy will discuss the project and answer any questions you may have.

The board may take action to approve the project at this time.

Public Attachments:

No Child Left Inside.pdf

Policy DJ-R.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

08. School Improvement Plans 2016-2018

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

Dr. Jeremy Gibbs will present the school improvement plans for 2016-2018. Copies of the plans are attached. Dr. Gibbs will answer any questions you may have.

A motion is in order to approve the school improvement plans.

Public Attachments:

Gibbs-Cover-Letter-Dec2016.pdf

BrevardElem-SIP-Dec2016.pdf

BrevardHigh-SIP-Dec2016.pdf

BrevardMiddle-SIP-Dec2016.pdf

DavidsonRiver-SIP-Dec2016.pdf

PisgahForestElem-SIP-Dec2016.pdf

RosmanElem-SIP-Dec2016.pdf

RosmanHigh-SIP-Dec2016.pdf

RosmanMiddle-SIP-Dec2016.pdf

TCHenderson-SIP-Dec2016.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

09. Policy

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

The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) recently learned of a new policy requirement established by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) for recipients of Title I funds. Title I contains a long-standing requirement on comparability of services, which means that LEAs must use state and local funds in Title I schools to provide services that are comparable to those provided in non-Title I schools. This year for the first time, LEAs must provide assurance that they have board-adopted policies to ensure comparability of services and that they have procedures in place to ensure compliance with the requirements. This comparability documentation, including assurance that the LEA has the requisite policy, was due to NCDPI by December 1.

On November 29, NCSBA provided a new sample policy 3565/8307 that was accepted by the Federal Programs Division as meeting the new requirements. Due to the impossibility of boards of education passing a new policy in less than two days, NCSBA advised that Title I coordinators contact DPI and ask for an extension. On December 1, DPI advised Title I coordinators that it is not requiring adoption of a new policy as a condition of receiving funding in the 2016-2017 school year, and that each LEA “may continue to use policies (a single policy or multiple policies) that were in place in previous years for the purpose of signing the written assurance.”

In light of all this, board attorneys have advised the following:

There is no need to hold an emergency meeting to consider adoption of this policy.
Given that DPI says it does not expect LEAs to adopt a new policy for purposes of funding this school year, there is also no need to request any extension of time.
Since no districts currently have policies addressing these requirements, local boards should proceed with consideration of a policy at its next meeting. The policy will be a funding requirement in subsequent years; therefore, reasonably prompt adoption of a policy will help avoid any question of compliance and ensure that NCSBA’s future policy revisions keep the district up to date.

New policy 3565/8307, Title I Program Comparability of Services, is presented as first-read information. Brian Weaver will answer any questions you may have.

The board may waive a second reading and adopt the policy as presented at this time.

Public Attachments:

Policy 3565-8307_new.pdf

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
Social Media Update

Board members may submit other potential topics for the work session.

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.

Dec. 21-22	Annual leave days (no students)
Dec. 23-Jan. 1	Christmas break
Jan. 16	Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
Jan. 16	Miss Bengal Pageant	6:00 p.m.	RHS
Jan. 17	REGULAR MEETING	6:30 p.m.	MEC
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)

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

III. Business Items

01. Election of Officers

02. Approval of Agenda

03. Public Comment

04. Good News Report

05. Former Students in the Military

06. Consent Agenda

07. Proposal for PFES Outdoor Classroom

08. School Improvement Plans 2016-2018

09. Policy

10. Topics for Work Session

11. Superintendent's Update

12. Important Dates

13. Public Comment

14. Other Items