Regular Meeting

INVOCATION/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

CALL TO ORDER/WELCOME

BUSINESS ITEMS

1.                  Approval of Agenda

2.                  Public Comment

3.                  Good News Report

4.                  Former Students in the Military

5.                  Consent Agenda:

A.     Minutes

B.     Personnel Report

C.     Memorial Report

6.                  Non-Faculty Coaches 2009-2010

7.                  School Health Advisory Council 2009-2010

8.                  Facilities Master Plan

9.                  Bids for BMS Gym Roof / BHS Barrel Roofs

10.             DRS ABC’s Local Option Goals for 2009-2010

11.             Important Dates

12.             Other Items

13.             Public Comment

 

 

A sign-up sheet is available for public comment.  Thirty 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 their comments to 5 minutes each, except in the event there are more than six speakers per session, at which time the chairman may limit the time allotted to 3-5 minutes per speaker. Speakers will be asked to refrain from discussing any individuals by name in accordance with the North Carolina Open Meetings Law.  

 

 

Adam McCoy, RHS, was appointed to the North Carolina Civic Education Consortium’s 2009-2010 Youth Advisory Committee. The Civic Education Consortium works with schools, governments, and community organizations to prepare young people to be active, responsible citizens. The Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) is comprised of 22 high school students from across the state of North Carolina. Its purpose is to ensure that the Consortium’s activities continue to meet the needs of its target audience—young people. Members of the YAC serve as role models for civic engagement and spread news of the Consortium’s initiatives in their own schools and communities. Each session, the YAC chooses a project for members to work on throughout the year. Past projects have included encouraging voter education and involvement in the electoral process, as well as advocating for youth voice and representation on local governing bodies. 

Transylvania County Board of Education member, Shelia Norman, has been selected to serve on the Board of Directors for the North Carolina School Boards Association. Her nomination will be officially confirmed at the NCSBA Annual Conference in November and she will begin her two-year term then. As a state Board member, Mrs. Norman will attend quarterly NCSBA meetings and serve as a voice from Transylvania and the western region on issues that affect school systems across the state.   

Rosman High School teacher, Stacie Dotson, has been appointed to a two-year term on the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust. The Council on the Holocaust is a state agency in the NC Department of Public Instruction, established in 1981 by executive order of Governor Jim Hunt and authorized in 1985 by the General Assembly. It is comprised of 24 members, some of whom are Holocaust survivors or first-generation lineal descendants of survivors. Through education programs and annual commemorations, the Council strives to help prevent atrocities similar to the systematic mass murder by the Nazis of six million Jews and others from 1933 to 1945. Seven to nine workshops are held throughout the school year at sites across the state. Over 6,000 teachers and administrators have attended Council workshops since 1989.    

 

Joe Russo, Social Studies Teacher at DRS, received a $486 Bright Ideas Grant from Haywood EMC for his World History class activity to teach students how ancient peoples created arrowheads and spearheads using simple tools. The students will craft their own arrowheads out of flint using striking and point flaking methods. The grant funds will buy flint knapping kits for each student to use. 

 

Davidson River School recently received a donation of over $2,000 from the Pitcher-Rivera Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. The donation will support the school’s academic program, providing materials for English, science, math and business classes. Students in the middle school Rebound program will benefit as well. 

 

Billie Wilson’s foods program at RHS will be learning another way to preserve foods thanks to the donation of a food dehydrator by Excalibur Dehydrator Company in Sacramento, CA. Mrs. Wilson plans to develop a capstone project in her food science class in which students would used the dehydrator to develop a marketable product.   

 

The U.S. Congress has passed a resolution declaring the month of October “National Principals’ Month” to honor principals for their contributions to student success. The resolution was introduced in large part due to the efforts of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). Representative Susan Davis of California, who introduced the resolution, said, “Principals play an essential role in the causes of closing the achievement gap and improving student performance overall. In fact, teachers often cite management as the deciding factor on whether they accept a position or stay at a school. I am proud to introduce a resolution to Congress to honor principals and give them the recognition they deserve.” That “essential” role cannot be overlooked. Research on the factors that lead to school success regularly points to school leadership as second only to instruction. A copy of House Resolution 811 is attached. 

Attached is a proclamation designating November 15-21, 2009 as American Education Week in Transylvania County. In celebration of American Education Week, all current and retired school system employees will be invited to Thanksgiving lunch as guests of the Board at the school cafeteria of their choice on Thursday, November 19, 2009. 

 

 

 

The Board of Education would like to recognize 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 will be updated as more names are received. 

 

 

The following items are submitted for consent approval:

 

1.                  Minutes from September 21, 2009 (attached)

2.                  Personnel report for October 19, 2009 (attached)

3.                  Memorial report for October (see below):

 

The books, Hello, Mr. Wuf and Mr. Wuf’s Journey through North Carolina will be placed in the Rosman Elementary School media center in memory of Sam Keever, son of Sylvia Stepp and brother of Lystra Keever. Sylvia is a teacher assistant at RES and Lystra is a teacher at RES. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two additional members have been added to the School Health Advisory Council for 2009-2010:   

 

 

 

 

The Board will continue its review and discussion of the Transylvania County Schools Master Facilities Plan. The master plan cost estimates are attached. Norris Barger will discuss and answer any questions. 

 

 

Bids for the BMS gym roof and the BHS barrel roofs were opened on October 5, 2009. A tabulation is attached. Norris Barger will discuss the bids and make a recommendation for approval. 

 

 

 

The North Carolina ABC’s model for Alternative Schools Incentive Pay Plans mandates two achievement-based components and three local option goals. At least one of the local option goals must be an academic measure of student achievement. Goals must be approved by the local board. Attached for your review are the Davidson River School local option goals for 2009-2010. Principal Donna Wilde will discuss the goals and answer any questions you may have. Approval of the goals will be requested at the next regular meeting. 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

A sign-up sheet is available for public comment. Thirty 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 their comments to 5 minutes each, except in the event there are more than six speakers per session, at which time the chairman may limit the time allotted to 3-5 minutes per speaker. Speakers will be asked to refrain from discussing any individuals by name in accordance with the North Carolina Open Meetings Law.