Regular Meeting

Dates:

Monday, November 6, 2023 - 6:00pm

The Transylvania County Board of Education will hold a regular business meeting on Monday, November 6, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. at the Morris Education Center, 225 Rosenwald Lane, Brevard. The meeting is open to the public. It will be livestreamed and may be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/user/tcsnc.

Groups audience:

School Board

I. OPENING OF MEETING

Invocation

Pledge of Allegiance

Call to Order

Welcome

Groups audience:

School Board

II. BUSINESS ITEMS (including amendments and rescissions):

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 November 6, 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	X	Action	X
Excellent Educators	X	Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

American Education Week & Annual Thanksgiving Meal

American Education Week is November 13-17, 2023. It is a time to honor the people who work in our nation’s public schools--everyone from bus drivers and classroom teachers to cafeteria workers and administrative staff. Each year the board adopts a proclamation designating American Education Week in Transylvania County (see attached). In addition, all current and retired school system employees are invited to a free Thanksgiving meal in the school cafeterias as guests of the board (non-staff meals will be $5.00). Volunteers from the central office will help serve the meals. This year’s Thanksgiving meal will be Wednesday, November 15.

A motion is in order to adopt a proclamation designating the week of November 13-17, 2023 as American Education Week in Transylvania County.

TCSEF Creative Classroom Grants Available

A reminder that applications for the 2024-2025 Creative Classroom Grants are now open. The Transylvania County Schools Education Foundation (TCSEF) offers the Creative Classroom Grants as a supplement to the resources available to Transylvania County Schools for the purpose of preserving, advancing, and enriching public education in Transylvania County. Visit tcsef.org/creative-classroom-grants/ to submit an application.

Applications are due by December 8, 2023.
Grants will be awarded in early 2024.
All teachers and staff employed with Transylvania County Public Schools are eligible to apply for grants.
Winners will have 18 months to use awarded funds.
The grant committee is looking forward to seeing what creative ideas teachers and staff come up with this year!

JMROTC Cadets Journey at Parris Island

The Junior Marine Corps Reserve Officer Training Corps (JMCROTC) program at Transylvania County Schools recently took an extraordinary and inspiring journey that promises to leave a lasting impact on both cadets and the community. Cadets took a field trip the Marine Corps training facility, Parris Island, where they had the exclusive opportunity to see firsthand the rigorous training that shapes the finest Marines. During their visit, the cadets were immersed in Marine Corps “boot camp,” experiencing the dedication and commitment required and the physical and mental challenges that recruits face on their journey to becoming United States Marines. The cadets had a full itinerary that included touring the training facilities, receiving instruction from assigned USMC Drill Instructor escorts, participating in various field training exercises, visiting the Command Museum, and attending the weekly Company Graduation ceremony that marks the culmination of the 13-week USMC recruit training program. Forty-five cadets (37 from BHS and 8 from Rosman High School) participated in the trip. The group consisted of 30 males and 15 females and were accompanied by chaperones and mentors Gabi Juba, TCS Chief Finance Officer; Vince Warren, CTE teacher at Brevard High School; and Senior Marine Instructor Colonel, USMC, Ret. Scott Blankenship.

Brevard Middle School Honor Chorus Participants

Congratulations to the following Brevard Middle School students who earned coveted spots in the esteemed North Carolina Middle School Honor Chorus. Seventh grader Rileigh Collier and eighth graders Kylie Campbell, Parker Dickens, Katie Futrelle, and Myla Tucker each received perfect marks on the music reading component of their audition. Furthermore, Myla scored a perfect 100 out of 100 on her audition, the only Soprano 2 in the state to achieve this feat. (There were only 8 perfect scores in total across all sections). The students are now committed to a month of preparation and memorization of their music in preparation for the Honor Chorus concert performance in Winston Salem at the North Carolina Music Educators Conference.

CTE Students Shine at Junior Beef Cattle Show

Congratulations to the Brevard High School FFA students who competed with their beef heifers in the Junior Beef Cattle Show. The BHS team did very well in a field of over 200 entries. Two students qualified for the Senior Showmanship Championship Round after winning their individual heats. All of the BHS heifers were in the top 5 of their individual classes, with one heifer winning and advancing to the Championship round. Two heifers were on standby for the Reserve Championship after placing 2^nd in their heats.

Athletics

Congratulations to the following athletes and coaches for their achievements:

Conference Champs:

BHS JV Football
BHS JV Volleyball
BHS Volleyball. The Lady Devils beat Camden on Nov. 4 in Raleigh to bring home the State Championship!
RHS Volleyball
BHS Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Conference Champions. Both teams competed in the State Championship meet on Nov. 4 in Kernersville. The BHS Men's Team are the new State Cross Country Champions!

Coaches of the Year:

Ben Morgan, Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
Jackie Witherspoon, Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year

Regional Qualifiers:

Tia Shanor & Marley Stewart, Tennis Doubles

Student Awards:

Leo Murray, Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year
Emma Moretz was awarded the Scholar-Athlete of the Month Award

National School Psychology Week Nov. 6-10

During the week of November 6-10, 2023, schools will celebrate National School Psychology Week to highlight the important work of school psychologists and others in supporting student well-being and learning. This year’s theme is “Let’s Grow Together,” inspired by the importance of personal and shared strengths as individuals and as school communities. We appreciate our school psychologists for all they do to help students thrive. Anna Galloway, Stephanie Myers, and our Psychological Services Coordinator, Kristin Burton, are the best!

DRS Safe Spaces Community Cookout – Nov. 5

The students at Davidson River School will host a Safe Spaces Community Cookout on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 12:30 to 3:00 p.m. at the Railroad Depot in Brevard. This free event is designed to raise awareness, open conversation, and encourage empowerment when it comes to mental health and well-being. The project is sponsored by a generous donor who believes that when young folks are connected to purpose they can thrive.

Classroom Happenings in November

11/3 RMS Celebration of Readers for students who completed BINGO reading cards for first quarter

11/6-11/10 Report Cards sent home

11/6 @ 10:50 a.m., BRCC Apprenticeship Presentation for RHS juniors and seniors

11/7 BHS OCS class will host a Veteran guest speaker

11/8 @ 5:30–10:00 p.m., BHS Choir performs at Biltmore Estate

11/9 @ 10:00 a.m., Veterans’ Day Rock Dedication around PFES flagpole by Mrs. Ammon’s 3^rd grade class

11/9 @ 12:15 to 1:30 p.m., RES 2^nd graders will walk to Rosman Town Hall to lay rocks painted with American Flags in honor of Veterans

11/17 & 11/18, The Importance of Being Earnest, 7:00 p.m., BHS Auditorium. Play directed by student Gabe Rood

11/20 @ 9:35 a.m., BRCC Apprenticeship Presentation for BHS juniors and seniors

11/21 PFES 2^nd grade Greek Day celebration. Wax Museum presentations from 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. and “dinner” from 1:50 to 2:30 p.m.

Nov: Military Family Appreciation Month

Nov: American Indian & Alaska Native Heritage Month

Nov: National Homeless Youth Awareness Month

Nov. 5: Daylight Savings Time Ends

Nov. 6-10: National School Psychology Week

Nov 8: National STEM Day

Nov. 9: National Community Education Day

Nov. 11: Veterans Day

Nov. 13: World Kindness Day

Nov. 13-17: American Education Week

Nov. 13-19: National Apprenticeship Week

Nov. 17: Substitute Educators Day

Nov. 17: International Students Day

Nov. 23: Thanksgiving Day

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!

Public Attachments:

American Education Week Proclamation 2023.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.

The board will read the list of names aloud in honor of Veterans’ Day on Saturday, November 11, 2023.

The MCJROTC will conduct Veterans’ Day Ceremonies at RHS and BHS on Thursday, November 9. The Rosman High School/Rosman Middle School ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the RHS gymnasium. The Brevard High School ceremony will be held at 1:45 p.m. in the BHS Auditorium.

Public Attachments:

Military List 11-06-23.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 September 12, 2023 closed session
Minutes of the October 2, 2023 meeting
Minutes of the October 16, 2023 work session
Personnel report for November 6, 2023
Non-faculty coaches for winter sports 2023-2024

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

Public Attachments:

Minutes 10-02-23.pdf

Minutes 10-16-23.pdf

Non-Faculty Coaches Winter 2023-2024.pdf

Personnel Report 11-06-23.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

06. Policy: S.L. 2023-106 Special Updates

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

After review and discussion at the meetings on September 18, October 2, and October 16, the seven Parents’ Bill of Rights policies listed below are presented for final review and approval. Three of the policies have changes (shown in green) as recommended by the board. Dr. Weaver will answer any questions you may have.

1310/4002, Parental Involvement. Substantially revises the policy to address the new requirements of the Parents’ Bill of Rights. (line 81)

3210, Parental Inspection of and Objection to Instructional Materials. The school system must have a written process for parents to inspect and review all textbooks and supplementary instructional materials that will be used in their child’s classrooms.

3540, Comprehensive Health Education Program. Adds a provision prohibiting instruction on gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality in grades K through 4.

4335, Criminal Behavior. Changes the requirement for reporting to parents when their child is suspected to be the victim of a crime. (line 54)

4720, Surveys of Students. Changes parental notification and consent requirements based on new state law requirements. Adds a new section about well-being questionnaires and health screening forms.

6120, Student Health Services. The new G.S. 90-211.10B contains language that prohibits health care practitioners, which includes school employees authorized under state law to perform health care services as part of their job, from providing, soliciting, or arranging medical procedures or treatments for a minor without first obtaining written or documented consent from the parent. This law goes into effect on December 1, 2023.

7300, Staff Responsibilities. Adds an employee responsibility to support parental involvement and never encourage a student to withhold information from their parents. (lines 26 and 39)

Unless there are other changes, a motion would be in order to approve the seven policies as presented.

Public Attachments:

Policy 1310-4002_revised_line 81.pdf

Policy 3210_revised.pdf

Policy 3540_revised.pdf

Policy 4335_revised_line 54.pdf

Policy 4720_revised.pdf

Policy 6120_revised.pdf

Policy 7300_revised_lines 26 & 39.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

07. Facilities

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

Director Kerry Putnam will give updates on RFQs for on-call professional services (see attachments), the contract for Astroturf repairs, and capital projects. He will answer any questions you may have.

A motion is in order to approve the agreement with GeoSurfaces Southeast, Inc, in the amount of $515,211.10 for the installation of new synthetic turn on the Brevard High School football field.

Public Attachments:

On-Call Professional Services_Bunnell Lammons Engineering.pdf

On-Call Professional Services_Form & Function Architecture.pdf

On-Call Professional Services_McGill Associates.pdf

On-Call Professional Services_McMillan Pazdan Smith.pdf

On-Call Professional Services_MSS Solutions.pdf

On-Call Professional Services_RN&M Engineers.pdf

GEO Surfaces Quote 2307-001-R2.pdf

GEO Surfaces BHS Turf Agreement - Revised 10-2023 signed LKR (1).pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

08. Update on Capital Reserve Study

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. Lisa Fletcher will give an update on the capital reserve study.

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

Nov. 10	Veterans Day holiday
Nov. 13-15	NCSBA Annual Conference for Board Member Development	3 days	Greensboro, NC
Nov. 20	WORK SESSION	6:00 p.m.	MEC
Nov. 22-24	Thanksgiving break
Dec. 4	REGULAR MEETING	6:00 p.m.	MEC
Dec. 14-15	NCSBA Core Training for New Board Members	2 days	Raleigh, NC
Dec. 18	WORK SESSION	6:00 p.m.	MEC
Dec. 20	Students dismissed at noon
Dec. 21–Jan. 1	Christmas break
Jan. 1	New Year’s holiday NO MEETING
Jan. 2	Students and staff return from break

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

III. ADJOURNMENT

Groups audience:

School Board