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 agenda for August 19, 2024.

Groups audience:

School Board

02. Closed 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 entertain a motion to go into closed session pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 115C-318.11 subsection (a)(1) to discuss confidential personnel information pursuant to G.S. 115C-319-321 (superintendent’s annual performance evaluation per policy 7805).

June 17	Superintendent provides self-assessment to the board.
Before July 22	Chair and vice chair meet with superintendent to discuss self-assessment. Board members complete individual evaluations and return to chair or vice chair.
July 22	Board meets in closed session to prepare consensus evaluation.
August 19	Board meets with superintendent in closed session to discuss the consensus evaluation and agree upon performance goals and recommendations for the next school year.

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. 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. Time will begin when the speaker reaches the podium. 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

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

FREE Breakfast & Lunch for Every Student

Transylvania County Schools is proud to announce that we are able to offer FREE breakfast and lunch meals to every student again this year, 2024-2025. Also, TCS is moving to EZSchoolPay.com for school a la carte items such as chips, drinks, and ice cream. Go to ezschoolpay.com and click register to get started.

Kathryn Bailey Serves as Ambassador & Presenter at NCBOLD Conference

Congratulations to Kathryn Bailey, TCS Coordinator for Educational Technology, who served as an ambassador and presenter for the Western region at the recent NCBOLD 2024 Professional Learning Conference for teachers, administrators, media coordinators, technology coaches, and data managers. NCBOLD (North Carolina Beacons of Leader Development) is a part of NCDPI’s Office of Digital Teaching and Learning. NCBOLD selected educators with proven track records of delivering high-quality professional learning tied to the state’s Digital Learning Competencies to be ambassadors and to create innovative sessions designed to help teachers more effectively integrate digital teaching and learning in their classrooms. Also attending the conference were Mick Galloway, Col. Chuck Megown, Bridgette Whitlock, and Jenni Axtell.

Volunteers from Local Churches Help Beautify School Campuses

Thank you to the volunteers from Calvary Baptist Church and First Baptist Church who came out on Saturday, August 3 and gave their time, talents, and resources to help beautify some of our school campuses! #teachingeveryonetakeseveryone

Grand Olde Station Hosts TCS Administrator Retreat July 31-Aug. 1

Transylvania County Schools directors, principals, and assistant principals enjoyed getting prepared for the new school year with two days of updates, activities, and meetings at the Grand Olde Station in Lake Toxaway on July 31 and August 1. Many thanks to Mr. Norry Lebrun and Mr. John Nichols for donating time and resources to the group and Mr. Joshua Payne and French Broad River Cattle Farms for feeding everyone at the restaurant. The food was fabulous—they are open seven days a week, 11-9 for lunch and dinner, and even have a food truck for special events—go check out Grand Olde Station with a beautiful view of Lake Toxaway! Mr. Lebrun even took the group out on a boat ride to finish their long days of training. Thank you all for giving to TCS! #teachingeveryonetakeseveryone

Sharing House “Back to School” Program – Appointments Available

The Sharing House of Brevard is scheduling back to school appointments for eligible Transylvania County K-12 students from July 29 through August 23. Back to school haircuts are available by appointment on Saturday, August 17 between 10am and 4pm. Contact Lynn at 828-884-2866 ext. 111 to schedule either or both. Thank you, Sharing House, for supporting our students. #teachingeveryonetakeseveryone

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Parents of future or current college students, how is your student planning to pay for college this fall? It’s time to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for valuable federal and state funds for tuition, fees, and more. The FAFSA helps students to be considered for funds from the Pell Grant, the Next NC Scholarship, and more. These include funds that do not have to be repaid. Apply now at studentaid.gov to ensure you are ready for the fall semester.

Blue Ridge Community College Offering Help with FAFSA

Do you need help completing the FAFSA? Our neighbors at Blue Ridge Community College have offered to help any families with this process, whether or not their student attends Blue Ridge. Visit Blue Ridge in person, contact their Financial Aid office at 828-694-1816, or email finaid@blueridge.edu. You may also visit blueridge.edu/nextnc for a link to the FAFSA form and more information about the new state scholarship program.

TCS Back to School Convocation – August 20, 2024

Transylvania County Schools will hold a “Back to School” convocation for staff to kick off the 2024-2025 school year on Tuesday, August 20, from 7:30-10 a.m. at Brevard High School. The convocation will feature breakfast, goodie bags, a guest speaker, raffle prizes, and more. Thank you to all the sponsors, volunteers and businesses that donated to make this event happen and give us a great start to the school year!

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

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 May 20, 2024 meeting
Minutes of the May 20, 2024 closed session
Minutes of the June 3, 2024 meeting
Personnel report for August 19, 2024
Non-faculty coaches for fall sports 2024

A motion is in order to approve the consent items.

Public Attachments:

Minutes 5-20-24.pdf

Minutes 6-03-24.pdf

Non–Faculty Coaches Fall 2024-25.pdf

Personnel Report 8-19-24.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

06. Policy: Fall 2023 PLS Custom 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

At the May 20 and June 3 meetings, the board reviewed 18 policies from the NCSBA Fall 2023 PLS (Policies to Lead the Schools) Custom Updates plus one custom update to policy 2310. Nine of the 19 policies were approved on June 17. Some of the 10 remaining policies have been further revised based on concerns or recommendations from Mr. Wiener that were discussed on June 3. New changes made after June 3 are shown in green. Dr. Brian Weaver will review and answer any questions you may have.

A motion is in order to approve the 10 policies listed below as presented.

1310/4002, Parental Involvement. Updates information about parental consent for student participation in protected topic surveys to reflect new state law exceptions. Includes minor editorial changes.

3610, Counseling Program. Adds new Section C to reflect statutory requirement to have peer-to-peer student support programs in schools with grades 6 and higher. Adds language regarding early graduate scholarships. Updates the legal references.

4040/7310, Staff-Student Relations. Modifies subsection C.4 to reflect legal requirements in new state law. Updates the legal references.

4240/7312, Child Abuse and Related Threats to Child Safety. Modifies Section D to reflect legal requirements in new state law. Updates legal references.

4342, Student Searches. Includes changes in first paragraph and Section A based on new state law. Updates legal references. (see lines 53-58, 60, and 77)

4720, Surveys of Students. Updates the parental consent information in subsection A.2 to reflect the new statutory exception.

7100, Recruitment and Selection of Personnel. Clarifies the age discrimination standard. Updates a timeframe in Section D regarding criminal history checks of child care providers to comply with statutory changes. Eliminates unnecessary language in Section D. Updates legal references. (see line 8 for new change)

7510, Leave. Adds new Section D about paid parental leave. Updates legal references.

8325, Daily Deposits. G.S. 115C-445, which governs daily deposits, has increased the threshold from $250 to $1,500. The board may keep the dollar amount currently listed or choose a different amount up to $1,500. (No change--see line 5. As recommended by Finance Officer Gabi Juba, the daily deposit threshold will remain at $250 in order to prevent the accumulation of large sums of money at the schools.)

9125, Participation by Minority Businesses. Modifies first paragraph to reflect statutory changes to the definition of “minority business.” Corrects a typo in subsection B.6.

Public Attachments:

Policy 1310-4002_revised.pdf

Policy 3610_revised.pdf

Policy 4040-7310_revised.pdf

Policy 4240-7312_revised.pdf

Policy 4342_revised_8-13-24.pdf

Policy 4720_revised.pdf

Policy 7100_revised_6-05-24.pdf

Policy 7510_revised.pdf

Policy 8325_NO REVISION.pdf

Policy 9125_revised.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

07. Letters to North Carolina General Assembly

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

During its recently concluded short session, the North Carolina General Assembly did not modify the provisions of the education budget passed in the 2023 biennium budget (Session Law 2023-134). As the state inflation rate is approximately 3.8% and the average raise for certified and non-certified staff was 3.0%, the outcome of that decision means that most teachers will have a reduction in real dollars when accounting for inflation. Therefore, the Transylvania County Board of Education is requesting that the General Assembly pass a modified education budget with a pay increase of at least 5.0% for certified and non-certified staff at its session beginning on September 9, 2024.

A motion would be in order to approve the attached letters for submission to legislative leaders in the North Carolina General Assembly.

Public Attachments:

Letters for NC General Assembly.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

08. Facilities

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

Facilities Director Kerry Putman will give an update on current projects.

Groups audience:

School Board

09. NBPSCF Grant Application

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

Dr. Lisa Fletcher will present an application for a Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund (NBPSCF) grant for board approval. She will answer any questions you may have.

A motion would be in order to approve the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund grant application.

Public Attachments:

NBPSCF Grant Application_2024-25.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

10. 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 2024-2025 Board of Directors. The term of service is two years and members are eligible to serve for two terms. The board holds meetings in November, March, June and September. In addition, each board member typically serves on two committees that meet once or twice during the year. Other meetings are scheduled as needed. It is important that individuals selected for the NCSBA board be able to attend regularly scheduled meetings.

Nominations must be made by the nominee’s board of education by official action. The attached information sheet, a color photo, and a one-page essay describing how and why this person could make a positive contribution to the NCSBA board must be received by noon on October 2, 2024.

Public Attachments:

NCSBA Memo_Vacancies on Board of Directors_24-25.pdf

NCSBA BOD Information Sheet_24-25.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

11. 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. 19	Regular five-day schedule resumes
Aug. 19	New Teacher Orientation	8 a.m. – 4 p.m.	BRCC Transylvania Campus Room 160
Aug. 19 – 23	Teacher workdays
Aug. 20	TCS “Back to School” Staff Convocation	7:30 – 10:00 a.m.	BHS
Aug. 26	First student day
Sept. 2	Labor Day holiday
Sept. 16	REGULAR MEETING	6:00 p.m.	MEC
Oct. 4	Noon dismissal - students
Oct. 21	REGULAR MEETING	6:00 p.m.	MEC
Oct. 31, Nov. 1	Teacher workdays
Nov. 5	Election Day
Nov. 11	Veterans’ Day holiday
Nov. 18	REGULAR MEETING	6:00 p.m.	MEC
Nov. 27-29	Thanksgiving break

Groups audience:

School Board

12. 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

13. Closed Session

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 entertain a motion to go into closed session pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 115C-318.11 subsection (a)(3) to discuss matters covered by the attorney-client privilege.

Groups audience:

School Board