II. BUSINESS ITEMS (including amendments and rescissions):

Groups audience:

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 August 21, 2023.

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. In order that the board may conduct an orderly meeting while providing an opportunity for input, individuals or groups may be heard by the board in accordance with policy 2310, Public Participation at Board Meetings, or policy 2300, Board Meetings (subsection D.2).

Each month, the first 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 30 minutes before the meeting begins for any individual or group to indicate their desire to address the board.

Each speaker will receive 3 minutes to present comments. The public comment session will not exceed 30 minutes total except by majority vote of the board.

The board chair will recognize speakers in the order in which they signed in. Substitute speakers will not be permitted and speakers may not donate any portion of their time to another speaker. If a speaker is unable to present all of his or her information within the specified time limit, the speaker may provide the board with additional information in written form. If an unusually large number of people requests to speak, a majority of the board may decide to reduce the time for each individual or to require the designation of a spokesperson for each group of persons supporting or opposing the same positions. At any time, the board may establish additional procedures to ensure that public comment sessions proceed in an efficient and orderly manner.

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

Issues involving individual personnel or student matters are confidential and, therefore, are not appropriate for the public comment session. Concerns related to personnel or student matters should be handled as a complaint and reported to the superintendent or designee.

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 act 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.

No solicitations will be allowed during public comment.

The board may choose to offer a second opportunity for public comment at the end of the meeting. Sign-ups will not be required for the second public comment opportunity.

If the board does not hold a regular meeting during a month, the board will not provide a time for public comment at any other meeting held during that month, unless a majority of the board votes to allow public comment at the meeting or unless the purpose of the meeting is a public hearing.

Groups audience:

School Board

03. Good News Report

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

Free School Meals for 2023-2024 School Year

For the 2023-2024 school year, EVERY student will be provided breakfast and lunch each school day at no cost! This is the first year Transylvania County Schools has offered the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) district-wide. CEP is a key provision of The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, allowing districts and schools to serve all students free meals without the burden of collecting household free and reduced applications. Funding is provided by USDA through the operation of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. The decision to offer CEP district-wide for Transylvania County Schools was made during the early summer months of 2023 in preparation for the school year 2023-2024. We are excited to offer this benefit to our students and families and look forward to serving nutritious meals that fuel student achievement. The free meals start on the first day of school--August 28, 2023. For more information, please contact the Transylvania County Schools Nutrition Office, 828-885-7377.

Brevard Elementary School

Brevard Elementary welcomed 50 new Bees at its Kindergarten Jumpstart Camp. Thanks to the BES staff for their hard work.
BES and the OPT along with the Patton Foundation completed construction of the new Outdoor Classroom earlier this summer. This $50,000 project would not have been possible without the generous investments of Frank and Donna Patton, BES families, and the GoGrant.

Brevard High School

Renovations to the Brevard Field House are complete. Approximately $150,000 of private funds were raised to purchase new weight equipment, flooring, signs, paint, sidewalks, drainage, etc.
A new CTE storage building was installed over the summer adding a new covered workspace for Masonry and Core Construction students.
The new security fence to enclose the open area between the masonry shop and social studies wing has arrived and will be installed in the next couple of weeks.

Brevard Middle School

Brevard Middle School SELF students attended a Summer Camp August 15-17 which included team building, outdoor activities, a field trip and more.
Biltmore Church is partnering with BMS to beautify the school on August 19 from 8am to 12pm.
As recipients of a Lake Toxaway grant, BMS was able to purchase an online curriculum for all subject areas called Flocabulary and also items to beautify the front of the campus.

Pisgah Forest Elementary School

Pisgah Forest recently held its Kindergarten Jumpstart and is very excited to have all the new Rangers joining the PFES family next week.
The new PFE playground was installed this summer. Thanks to everyone who contributed funds to this project.

Back to School Staff Kick-Off – Aug. 22

Transylvania County Schools will hold a “Back to School” staff kick-off for the 2023-2024 school year on Tuesday, August 22, from 8am to 11am, at Brevard High School. The kick-off will feature breakfast, games, prizes, and comments from our new superintendent, Dr. Lisa Fletcher. Early bird breakfast service will begin at 7:40 a.m. Buses will provide transportation from RHS for any staff from the Rosman area. Buses will leave at 7:40 a.m.

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

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

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

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

Smartphone App: Transylvania County Schools on Play Store and iTunes

SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/transylvaniacountyschools ǀ WSQL Radio: bit.ly/TCSYesRadio!

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 8-21-23.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:

Minutes of the June 19, 2023 meeting
Minutes of the June 19, 2023 closed session
Minutes of the June 26, 2023 meeting
Minutes of the June 26, 2023 closed session
Personnel report for August 21, 2023
Non-faculty coaches for fall sports 2023

A motion is in order to approve the consent agenda item(s).

Public Attachments:

Minutes 6-19-23.pdf

Minutes 6-26-23.pdf

Non-Faculty Coaches Fall 2023.pdf

Personnel Report 8-21-23.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

06. Attendance 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

Dropout Prevention Coordinator Jessica Sharp will give an update on student attendance. She will answer any questions you may have.

Public Attachments:

TCS Attendance Updates.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

07. Change in Meeting Schedule

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

At the last meeting, the board discussed potential changes to its monthly meeting schedule effective October 2023:

Meetings and work sessions would begin at 6:00 p.m. instead of 6:30 p.m.

The first Monday of the month would be a regular business meeting. Public comment would be available and the board would take action on business items as required. A board attorney typically would not attend.

The third Monday of the month would be a work session. A board attorney would attend. Work sessions would be designated for presentation and discussion in order to set the agenda for the next business meeting. Public comment is typically not provided at work sessions.

As always, meetings and work sessions would be open to the public (unless designated as closed session meetings). In the event of a holiday or conflict, meetings may be canceled or rescheduled. Special called meetings or emergency meetings may be scheduled as needed.

During discussion, board members suggested the following:

Having two public comment sessions per work session--one at the beginning and one at the end. Board Attorney Chris Campbell advised that most boards do not provide public comment at work sessions; however, should this board choose to do so, the public comments should be pertinent to the work session items only.

Meeting on a different night of the week. It was noted that Monday nights have fewer school-related activities and conflicts.

Holding work sessions at schools and/or community centers. Chairman McCoy and Dr. Fletcher reported that moving meetings off the Education Center campus creates a great deal of extra work for district staff and the hosting schools. Livestream failures and other equipment problems are common off campus. Hearing assistance devices may not be available.

Having a different seating configuration in the board room for work sessions. This could limit available audience seating. Hearing assistance devices may not be available.

Upgrading livestreaming equipment in order to project the overhead screens and a wider view. Mr. Whitlock reported that additional staff and equipment would be needed. No funds have been encumbered for this purpose in the capital outlay budget request.

The board may take action to change the meeting schedule, leave the schedule as is, or continue discussion at the next regular meeting.

Groups audience:

School Board

08. Nominations for NCSBA Board of Directors

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 North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) is seeking nominations for vacancies on the 2023-2024 NCSBA Board of Directors. The term of service is two years and members are eligible to serve for two terms. The board holds in-person meetings in Raleigh in November, March and June and a virtual meeting in September. Other meetings may be scheduled as needed. Members also serve on committees that meet virtually. It is important that nominees to be able to attend all regularly scheduled meetings.

Nominations must be made by the nominee’s board of education by official action. A memorandum and nomination form are attached. Nominations are due by September 29, 2023.

Public Attachments:

BOD recruitment memo.pdf

BOD Information Sheet.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

09. 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

Aug. 21	Regular 5-day schedule resumes
Aug. 21-25	Teacher workdays
Aug. 21	New Employee Orientation for Licensed Educators	8:00am – 4:00pm	Rogow Room Transylvania Co. Library
Aug. 22	TCS Staff Kick-Off for 2023-2024	8:00am – 11:00am	BHS
Aug. 28	First pupil day
Sept. 4	Labor Day holiday
Sept. 4	NO MEETING
Sept. 12	BOARD TRAINING SESSION	TBD	MEC
Sept. 18	REGULAR MEETING	6:30 p.m.	MEC

A training session for new and veteran board members is being planned for Tuesday, September 12. This will be an evening session. The board may discuss and set a start time.

Groups audience:

School Board

10. 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 comments and/or other items from board members.

Groups audience:

School Board