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September 22, 2003
The Catawba County Board of Education met in regular session on
September 22, 2003
at
5:30 p.m.
at the County Schools’
Administration
Building with Chairman Charlie Wyant presiding. The following members
were present: Mr. Biggerstaff, Mrs. Blackburn, Mrs. Sherrill, Mr. Scott,
Mrs. Butler and Mr. Sigmon. Also in attendance were Superintendent Ann
Hart, Assistant Superintendent Rick Sherrill, Attorney Kent Crowe
representing Attorney Crystal Davis who later joined the meeting,
Finance Director Sondra Wolfe, Chief Technology Officer Terry Bledsoe,
Construction Coordinator Ernest Williams, Testing and Accountability
Director Joe Famulary, Exceptional Children’s Director Sharon Fox White,
Director of Instruction William Ross, Transportation Director Cecil
Davis, Karen Cale, Public Information/Grants Writer Sonya Gordon and
Elementary Principals including other representatives from the schools.
Murray Elementary School
was not represented at the meeting.
Monte Mitchell represented the Hickory Daily Record.
The meeting opened with a Moment of Silence followed by the Pledge of
Allegiance led by Mr. Scott. Mr. Scott made the motion to approve the
minutes of the August 25-26, 2003
retreat and the
August 26, 2003
and
September 8, 2003
meetings. All members were in favor. The Consent Agenda was amended by
Superintendent Hart to add thirteen additional field trips and Old
Business #4 – Educational Specifications for the New Maiden High School.
After the amendment, the agenda was unanimously approved upon a motion
by Mrs. Blackburn and seconded by Mr. Biggerstaff.
Public Hearing:
Chairman Wyant and Superintendent Hart conducted the Public Hearing
phase of the meeting for comments concerning any agenda items. Mrs.
Rhonda Durfee, a Catawba Intermediate School parent, began by asking the
Board to consider leaving Catawba Intermediate School open and remain
operating as it currently does. Mrs. Durfee emphasized the successes of
the school and children that attend. She also read a letter to the
Board from Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Gilliam who could not be in attendance at
the meeting. Also addressing the Board on behalf of the same request was
Dr. Diana Dagenhart, Dee Robertson and Principal Cynthia McKee. All of
these persons reiterated the successes of the school and each asked the
members to consider allowing the school to remain open. Clyde Campbell
Elementary School Principal Walter Zahler also addressed the Board
asking for the same consideration to allow
Catawba
Intermediate School to remain open and to replace the current Sweetwater
Elementary School
with a new elementary school in the St. Stephens feeder area.
Sweetwater Elementary School Principal Grover Linebarger also asked the
Board for consideration of a new elementary school in the St. Stephens
feeder area. Principal Linebarger invited Board members to visit
Sweetwater
Elementary School
before a decision is made regarding the Long Range Facility Plan.
Superintendent’s Report:
Superintendent Hart began her report by reminding the Board of several
upcoming conferences. The National School Boards Association Conference
will be held in
Orlando, Florida on
March 27-30, 2004.
Information was given to members. The North Carolina School Boards
Association Conference will be held in Greensboro, North Carolina
on
November 17-19, 2003.
The North Carolina School Boards Association also contacted our office
asking if our county would host the 2004 district meeting.
Catawba
County was scheduled to host the meeting in 2005, but due to conflicts
in another county, we were contacted to host the event a year earlier.
Board members agreed to host the 2004 district meeting. The 100%
Tobacco-Free Policy Conference will be held in Asheville, North Carolina
on
November 12-14, 2003.
If any member plans to attend any of the conferences, contact Joretta
Fish who will be handling conference and hotel registrations.
Other items of update included:
•A letter was received from Dr. Mike Ward regarding our county’s plan
for the ABC Recognition celebration. Superintendent Hart suggested to
members a district-wide celebration, possibly at the Holiday Inn.
Celebration plans will also be discussed with principals at their next
meeting.
•Our office was contacted regarding the possibility of a joint meeting
with
County
Commissioners, Hickory City School Board and Newton-Conover City School
Board to discuss No Child Left Behind implications. Hickory City
School Board will be hosting the meeting on November 10, 2003
beginning at
6:00 p.m.
Members agreed upon the joint meeting.
•A four-year grant of $500,000 was awarded to
Sweetwater Elementary Schools
and its partners, the YMCA Foundation of
Catawba
County and HOSTS Learning Program. During the first and second year of
the program, the school will receive $136,647 each year. The amount
will be reduced by twenty percent the third year and forty percent the
fourth year. Only fourteen teams in North Carolina
received funding from the 21st Century Grant, and the
SweetHEARTS program was the only one in this region to receive the
funding. The grant will allow after-school remediation for at-risk
students and a community center program for students and the community
to be launched in early November under the name of SweetHEARTS Program.
The HEARTS part of the name stands for higher expectations through
after-school recreation and tutoring. A learning center will be
established to provide about 114 students in grades one through six,
during the school year and summer, with academic enrichment activities
that compliment and support classroom learning. The HOSTS program will
be used for reading remediation and teachers will incorporate math
tutoring as well. In addition, the grant helps the school expand its
role as a community meeting place by providing academic, social,
cultural and recreational opportunities for students and their
families. The library and computer center will be opened to the
community and several community and student classes will be offered on a
regular schedule during the week and on Saturdays. The classes will
range from fitness and nutrition with the YMCA representatives to
classes on nutrition, other cultures, how to look for a job, arts and
crafts, cultural field trips and much more with other area agencies and
organizations such as the Cooperative Extension. In addition, a youth
soccer team will be created to compete in the YMCA league. Occasional
family nights with meals will allow further outreach.
•The August collection of school tools for needy children who attend
Catawba County Schools was a great success this year. More than 375
pounds of school supplies were collected, as compared to 175 pounds last
year. At the School Tools Night held at the Hickory Crawdads stadium,
200 pounds of supplies were collected alone. More than 100 children
have been assisted with free school supplies this year. Thanks were
extended to Food Lion, Communities in Schools, WSOC Channel 9 and all
those who donated for their work on this project.
•St.
Stephens High School’s
Navy Junior ROTC hosted its Second Annual Hickory Classic Drill Meet.
At the event,
St.
Stephens High School
cadets raised more than $800 for its Cadet Activity Fund which is used
to send cadets to Leadership Schools in the summer and subsidize cadet
field trips.
•At the State Board of Education meeting, six Schools of Excellence,
fourteen Schools of Distinction and
Banoak Elementary School
as one of the top twenty-five most improved schools in the state were
named.
•Eighty-three fifth and sixth grade students participated in the
district’s Learning Olympiad in late August at Blackburn Elementary
School. Children were given creative math and science assignments, such
as designing and building a miniature race car out of the materials at
hand and measuring the distance the car traveled. All student received
certificates and bookmarks for their participation. School team placed
at the following levels: first place –
Campbell Elementary School;
second place –
Startown Elementary School;
third and fourth places –
Catawba Intermediate School; and, fifth place –
Murray
Elementary School.
•More than 1,100 students and parents attended the annual College Night
at CVCC on
September 11, 2003.
Sponsored by area school districts for students interested in continuing
their education after high school, the event gives parents the
opportunity to ask questions about registration, financial aid and speak
with representatives. Thanks were extended to the Student Services
Department for work on this beneficial event.
•After twelve months of fundraising,
Sweetwater Elementary School
will receive its new playground equipment. The equipment includes
swings, climbing dome, a second climbing piece and slides. Most of the
funding was obtained from a $10,000 Beaver Family Foundation Grant.
Several area firms also donated money. An additional $7,000 will need
to be raised to cover final expenses before the end of the year. The
Homebuilders Association of Hickory/Catawba Valley will assist in the
installation of the equipment as an in-kind service. The total cost
will be $25,000.
•Chairman Charlie Wyant was featured in September’s issue of Viewpoint
magazine.
•Monthly Construction Reports were given to members. Contact
Construction Coordinator Ernest Williams with any questions regarding
the report.
•Cancellation notification was received regarding the High Performance
Building Seminar in
Raleigh that was scheduled on September 24, 2003.
The following Consent Agenda items were transacted:
Budget Amendment:
Finance Officer Sondra Wolfe presented one budget amendment for the
Board’s consideration budgeting additional funds allocated by the State
Public School Fund. A copy of this amendment may be found between pages
___ and ___ and become an official part of these minutes
Field Trip Requests:
*Bandys High School
FCCLA to
Raleigh, NC,
September 18-19, 2003
*Bunker
Hill
High School
DECA to
Raleigh, NC,
September 21-22, 2003
*Bandys
High School
FFA Livestock Team to
Winston-Salem, NC, October 8-9,
2003
*Bandys
High School
FFA Livestock Team to
Raleigh, NC,
October 15-19, 2003
*Bandys
High School
Chorus to
Winston-Salem, NC,
November 8-9, 2003
*Bandys
High School
FCCLA to
Jacksonville, FL,
November 13-16, 2003
*St.
Stephens High School
Wrestling Team to
Winston-Salem, NC, December
12-13, 2003
*Bandys
High School
Wrestling Team to
Raleigh, NC,
December 19-20, 2003
*St.
Stephens High School
Wrestling Team to
Cary, NC,
December 22-23, 2003
*Bandys
High School
Chorus to
Greensboro, NC,
January 30-31, 2004
*Bandys
High School
Chorus to
Mars Hill,
NC,
February 6-7, 2004
*Bandys
High School Wrestling Team to
Concord,
NC,
February 13-14, 2004
*St.
Stephens High School
Swim Team to
Raleigh, NC,
February 13-14, 2004
*Bandys
High School
Wrestling Team to
Winston-Salem, NC,
February 19-21, 2004
*Bandys
High School
FFA to
Greensboro, NC,
March 14-15, 2003
*Lyle
Creek Elementary School
JAM Classes to the Outer Banks, NC,
April 7-10, 2004
*Bandys
High School
FFA to
Raleigh, NC,
April 16-17, 2004
*Mt.
View Elementary School
Second Grade Classes to
Columbia, SC,
April 23, 2004
*Bandys
High School
FFA to
Ellerby, NC,
April 23-24, 2004
*Oxford
Elementary School
Second Grade Classes to
Columbia, SC,
April 27, 2004
*Oxford
Elementary School
Kindergarten Classes to
Columbia, SC,
April 27, 2004
*Bandys
High School
FFA to
Raleigh, NC,
June 15-17, 2004
*Bandys
High School
FFA to
White Lake,
NC,
June 28-July
2, 2004
*Bandys
High School
FFA to
White Lake,
NC,
July 5, 2004
*Bandys
High School
FFA to
Washington, DC,
July 20-25, 2004
*Bandys
High School
FFA to Caesar, NC,
July 27-28, 2004
Personnel Requests:
*employed certified employees Reid Abel, Claudia Deal, Amanda Drum, Gail
Hackey, Anita Hatfield, Staci Lovdahl and Anthony Rose;
*employed VIF employee Jennifer Cleary;
*employed classified employees Joanne Eckard, Sandra Herman, Brenda
Sloan and Pam Williamson;
*employed non-staff coach Brock Arrowood;
*accepted the resignations of certified employee Susan Stewart;
*granted the retirement requests of certified employee Sandra Murray;
*accepted the resignations of classified employee Elizabeth Lail.
The Board was also furnished a listing of substitute teachers.
There being no questions or discussion, a motion was made by Mrs. Butler
and seconded by Mrs. Blackburn to approve the presented budget
amendment, field trips and personnel requests. The motion carried.
The following items of Old Business were transacted:
OB#1:
At the September 8, 2003 Board of Education School Visit at
Murray
Elementary School, Board of Education Policy 6.3210 was presented to
members on first reading. Since that time, no suggested changes have
been made to the policy. There being no changes, a motion was made by
Mrs. Butler to adopt the policy on second reading. Mr. Scott seconded
the motion with no opposition.
OB#2:
Assistant Superintendent Sherrill presented the Long Range Facility Plan
at the August Board of Education Retreat. After discussion regarding
the plan, the Board gave direction to Assistant Superintendent Sherrill
to revise the presented plan with the suggested changes. Since that
meeting, modifications were made and Assistant Superintendent Sherrill
presented two options to members. Option A consisted of moving the new
Catawba Area Elementary School
to fiscal year 2-3. The question was asked regarding the current sewage
system handling any additions to Banoak Elementary School. Assistant
Superintendent Sherrill and Maintenance Director Mark Bumgarner will
look into this. Option B maintained
Catawba Area Elementary School
in fiscal year 2-3 and moved the high schools to higher priorities based
on the estimated growth plan from the Western Piedmont Council of
Government (WPCOG). Mrs. Blackburn asked, along with other members, to
allow additional time to gather information and visit schools before any
approvals are to be made regarding the options of the plan. Assistant
Superintendent Sherrill will arrange a visit to
Sweetwater
Elementary School
for members to tour the school. Other information will be gathered and
presented to members. It was the consensus of the Board to table any
voting on the presented options of the Long Range Facility Plan.
OB#3:
At the
August 11, 2003
Board of Education School Visit at Murray
Elementary School, Mrs. Butler asked for discussion of committees of the
Board. Superintendent Hart opened the floor for discussion regarding
the actions of the Board to function as a full board or standing
committees. Some members felt that committees would be beneficial for
all members to be informed and other felts that when a committee was
needed, then establishment would be made at that time. Superintendent
Hart recommended that items with significant quantities of information
would be discussed at one meeting and action would be taken at the next
meeting. All members agreed with the suggestion.
OB#4:
Draft educational specifications for the new Maiden High School were
presented to members at the August 25, 2003 Board of Education Retreat.
Construction Coordinator Ernest Williams reviewed again with members the
specifications. The design and construction schedule will be as
follows: Educational Specifications – two months (July and August
2003); Topo – two months (July and August 2003); Schematic Design – two
months (July and August 2003); Design Development – one month (September
2003); Construction Documents – four months (October 2003 thru January
2004); Bidding and Award – two months (February and March 2004);
Construction – twenty-four months (April 2004 thru April 2006); and,
Owner Move-In – two months (May and June 2006). The grand total amount
for the project is $26,406,767. Upon a motion by Mrs. Blackburn and
seconded by Mrs. Sherrill, the specifications were unanimously
approved.
The following items of New Business were then transacted:
NB#1:
Elementary Principals and other staff members from their schools were
present to answer any questions from members regarding their 2002-2005
School Improvement Plans. Superintendent Hart reminded the Board of the
process. Any revisions that schools may have to their plans were given
to members prior to the meeting for their review. Individual schools
were announced with representatives standing before the Board to answer
any questions. Members complimented schools for their outstanding
plans. Mrs. Butler applauded schools for the additions of high growth
percentages, AYP’s, parent representatives on the committees and goals
set for No Child Left Behind. She also commented about the need
for more measurable objectives overall.
NB#2:
Superintendent Hart and Testing and Accountability Director Joe Famulary
presented the 2002-2003 Report on Student Performance. The report is
broken down into two parts: Part I includes the Narrative section and
Part II the statistical information. This report puts all data in one
place to present an overview of student performance throughout the
district. Karen Cale presented to members the VoCATS portion of the
report. The Report on Student Performance is located on the Catawba
County Schools’ web page at DocuShare. Some members made the comment
that more students needed to take the SAT and PSAT tests. This
user-friendly, comprehensive report on student performance enables
school-based staff and central office staff to make informed decisions
about how to improve student achievement. Superintendent Hart thanked
Director Famulary and his staff for their dedicated work on this
valuable report.
NB#3:
Superintendent Hart presented the schools’ request of school fund
raising activities for the 2003-2004 school year. She addressed the
current board policy along with administrative procedures that requires
the Board to approve these activities, not the fundraisers sponsored by
the PTA/Os or Booster Clubs. Mrs. Butler asked if the current
policy and procedures could be reviewed for the possibility of changes.
Mr. Scott then made the motion to approve the requests submitted by the
schools. Mrs. Butler seconded the motion. All members were in favor.
NB#4:
Recommended members for the 2003-2004 Catawba County Schools’ Advisory
Council were presented by Superintendent Hart. An additional correction
was made to one of Startown Elementary Schools’ committee members. A
revised member list will be distributed to members at the next meeting.
Having some concerns with the current Board policy, Mrs. Butler and Mrs.
Blackburn asked that the Board review the policy. Any suggested changes
should be given to Superintendent Hart for a “revised draft” for members
to review. A motion was then made by Mr. Biggerstaff to accept the
names as presented with the one correction to
Startown
Elementary School.
The motion was seconded by Mr. Scott with no opposition.
NB#5:
On
September 17, 2003,
bids were received for the re-roofing project at Claremont Elementary
School,
Banoak Elementary School
and
St. Stephens High School.
Assistant Superintendent Sherrill presented the bid tabulations and
recommended to members the approval of Peach State Roofing for the
work. The re-roofing at
St. Stephens High School
will be temporarily delayed until additional funding is received. Mrs.
Butler made the motion to approve Peach State Roofing to complete the
projects. Mrs. Sherrill seconded the motion. Mrs. Blackburn asked the
question regarding the reliability of the company. Assistant
Superintendent Sherrill responded favorably with regards to the
company. There being no other questions or discussion, all members
voted in favor of the motion.
NB#6:
Options and strategies for the selling of the old
St. Stephens Elementary School
property was mailed to members prior to the meeting for their review.
Assistant Superintendent Sherrill discussed the three presented options
which were: #1 – maintaining the current strategy – waiting for a
buyer; #2 – utilizing services of a marketing agent; and #3 – razing the
buildings and cleaning up the property. Advantages and disadvantages of
each option were discussed with members. Superintendent Hart asked for
direction and guidance from the Board. Members asked for additional
information regarding the use of the services of a marketing agent.
Additional information will be gathered by administration and presented
at the next meeting.
Public Comments:
Attorney
Davis
conducted the Public Comments section of the agenda at which time
Frankie Mullins, parent of a student who attends Bunker Hill
High School,
desired to address the Board. Ms. Mullins gave background information
on her son’s injury at the school in 2001. She expressed concerns about
her son’s education and her dealings with school and district staff.
After hearing her concerns, Chairman Wyant thanked her for addressing
the Board and that her comments will be taken under advisement.
There being no other items of business to be conducted, Mrs. Butler made
a motion to adjourn. Mr. Scott seconded the motion with no opposition.
The meeting adjourned at
8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
__________________________
Charlie C. Wyant, Chairman
__________________________
Ann Y. Hart, Secretary
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