Summary of Board Minutes
November 5, 2018
The Board of Education of the Wilkes County Administrative Unit met in a regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, November 5, 2018 in the Arnold and Becky Lakey Boardroom at 613 Cherry Street, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina 28659.
Present for meeting were Chairman Mr. Randall “Rudy” Holbrook, Vice-Chairman Mrs. Sharron Huffman, Board Members Mr. Kirk Walker, and Mrs. Leslie Barnes. Mr. Darren Shumate was absent. Also present were Superintendent Mr. D. Mark Byrd, Associate Superintendent Ms. Anna Lankford, Executive Director of Personnel Dr. Westley Wood, Chief Technology Officer Ms. Julie Triplett, Chief Finance Officer Mr. Seth Prevette, Director of Development Mr. Dennis Huggins, Director of CTE Mr. Wayne Shepherd, Director of Testing and Accountability Dr. Donna Cotton, Director of Exceptional Children Ms. Jennifer Blankenship, Director of Athletics and Healthful Living Mr. Chris Skabo, Director of Maintenance Mr. Bergie Speaks, Director of Pre-K & Elementary Education Dr. Susan Blackburn, Director of Middle School Instruction, Federal Programs, and Cultural Arts Dr. Joe Bullis, AIG Coordinator Ms. Angie Lamb, Public Relations Officer Ms. Morgan Mathis, and Executive Administrative Assistant Ms. Carolyn Triplett.
Prior to calling the meeting to order, Chairman Mr. Rudy Holbrook recognized Board Member Mr. Kirk Walker to lead the Invocation.
On a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Mr. Walker and duly carried, the agenda was approved as presented.
Chairman Mr. Randall “Rudy” Holbrook recognized Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd for the Devotion and Pledge of allegiance. Mr. Byrd asked that we all take the time to thank a veteran for their service. If every American thanked one Veteran, can you imagine how powerful that would be?
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd along with Associate Superintendent Ms. Anna Lankford recognized the Broadcom Masters Competition. Chance Mastin, an 8th grader at East Wilkes Middle School, was recently named a Broadcom MASTER in the 8th Annual Broadcom MASTERS competition, the nation’s premier STEM competition for middle school students. Chance was selected as a candidate by the North Carolina Science and Engineering Fair held on the campus of NC State University in March. Chance earned 2nd place in the Physics Division with his project entitled “Is It Just a Simple Dimple?” Applicants were evaluated by a panel of distinguished scientists, engineers, and educators and were judged on creativity, originality, data analysis, and understanding STEM principles as they relate to the real world. Congratulations to Chance Mastin!
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd along with Associate Superintendent Ms. Anna Lankford recognized the ASU Partnership Student Art Exhibit Finalists. Appalachian State University (ASU) Public School Partnership has collected two pieces of student art from each of the Partnership school districts to be on display at the Reich College of Education. The artwork will be on display for one year in the Reich College of Education building.
The students’ art was nominated by each art teacher for review by a committee who selected the pieces to be transported to ASU to be put on display. "Man’s Destruction of Earth" by Maddy Nichols, a Wilkes Central High School student, and "False Mirror" by David Olson, a Central Wilkes Middle School student, were the pieces selected for this honor. Ms. Nichols and Mr. Olson’s artwork was celebrated recently at a reception held at ASU on November 2, 2018.
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd along with Associate Superintendent Ms. Anna Lankford recognized the Presidential Scholars Nominee. President Lyndon Johnson established the Presidential Scholars Program in 1964, which has honored almost 7,500 outstanding high school seniors since that time. The mission of the program is to recognize and honor superior high school seniors and thereby encourage high attainment among all students. Each year, up to 161 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students. The Department of Public Instruction will submit the names of 20 nominees to the Commission on Presidential Scholars by November 21, 2018. Scholars will be announced at the beginning of May 2019. Wilkes County Schools has selected Gregorio (Greg) Rosales-Navarro as a U.S. Presidential Scholars Nominee. Greg is a senior at Wilkes Early College High School. His academic extra-curricular activities include being a National Beta Club member since 2014, Wilkes Early College High School Peer Tutor, Phi Theta Kappa member since 2016, Wilkes Community College Student Ambassador for 2018-2019, and Student Government Association Secretary for 2018-2019. Congratulations and good luck to Mr. Greg Rosales-Navarro!
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd along with Associate Superintendent Ms. Anna Lankford recognized schools for achievements related to Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) which is a comprehensive system for addressing the behavioral needs for all students. It is a data-driven, three-tiered system of supports to provide interventions for improving behavior and social/emotional learning in schools. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction recently recognized Green Ribbon, Model, and Exemplar PBIS schools.
Green Ribbon Schools have met the following requirements:
- The school has completed PBIS Training;
- The school has a PBIS Team in place;
- The PBIS Team meets at least 9 times per year; and,
- The school has completed the Tiered Fidelity Inventory which is a self-assessment of the 3 Tiers of the PBIS framework and scored 70% or higher on Tier 1.
Model Schools have met the following requirements:
- The school has completed PBIS Training;
- The School has a PBIS Team in place;
- The PBIS Team meets at least 9 times per year; and,
- The school has completed the Tiered Fidelity Inventory and scored at least 75% on Tier 1 and at least 80% on Tier 2.
Exemplar Schools have met the following requirements:
- The school has completed PBIS Training;
- The school has a PBIS Team in place;
- The PBIS Team meets at least 9 times per year;
- The school has completed the Tiered Fidelity Inventory and scored at least 80% on Tiers 1, 2, and 3; and,
- Exemplar schools must show improvement trends in behavior indicators such as office discipline referrals and academic indicators such as EOG scores, as well as other evidences of school improvement such as improved climate surveys, attendance, etc.
Green Ribbon Schools:
| East Wilkes High School |
Chad Mann, Principal / Tosha Mathis, Coach |
| North Wilkesboro Elementary School |
Delaina Smith, Principal / Kim Gilley and Angela Porter, Coaches |
| Traphill Elementary School |
Joey Ortiz, Principal / Tamara Burkenbine, Coach |
Model Schools:
| East Wilkes Middle School |
Sandra Burchette, Principal / Karrie Combs, Coach |
| Millers Creek Elementary School |
Rebecca Mastin, Principal / Marianna Bowden and Brittany Brady, Coaches |
| Mt. Pleasant Elementary School |
Kristine Kennington, Principal / Tana Myers, Coach |
| North Wilkes Middle School |
Heather Freeman, Principal / Alicia Murzin, Coach |
| West Wilkes Middle School |
Pam Huffman, Principal / Jeannie Stinson and Joann Schwab, Coaches |
| Wilkesboro Elementary School |
Rodney Graham, Principal / Courtney Dollyhite and Susan Hagaman, Coaches |
Exemplar Schools:
| C.B. Eller Elementary School |
Jason Llewellyn, Principal / Jamie Williams, Coach |
| C.C. Wright Elementary School |
Dr. Kim Stone, Principal / Erin Holbrook, Coach |
| Moravian Falls Elementary School |
Shanda Adkins, Principal / Donnie Blevins, Coach |
| Mulberry Elementary School |
Ritchie Cornette, Principal / Stacie Johnson, Coach |
Congratulations to these schools!
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd along with Associate Superintendent Ms. Anna Lankford recognized the National Title I Distinguished Schools Nominees. On September 26, 2018, C.B. Eller Elementary School received notification of being nominated as a North Carolina Title I Distinguished School by the National Association of State Title I Directors and the United States Department of Education’s Title I Distinguished Schools Recognition Program. Out of approximately 1,500 Title I schools in North Carolina, only 15 were identified for this honor. These schools were selected for high performance and/or for high progress for two or more consecutive years.
The North Carolina Association of Compensatory Educators recently honored C.B. Eller Elementary at the Title I Distinguished Schools Recognition Ceremony and Luncheon on October 25, 2018. We would like to recognize the following leaders from C.B. Eller Elementary:
Mr. Jason Llewellyn, Principal
Ms. Kim Bauguess, Teacher
Ms. Heather Pardue, Instructional Specialist
Congratulations and good luck to C.B. Eller Elementary!
Focus on the Curriculum was presented by Testing and Accountability Director Dr. Donna Cotton. Dr. Cotton provided the board with an overview of the K-12 testing requirements for Wilkes County Schools. In grades K-3, we have Kindergarten Entry Assessment (KEA), K-2 Math Assessments (i-Ready), mClass Reading 3D Assessments, Beginning of Grade 3 Assessment (BOG3), and Read to Achieve Assessment. We also have End of Grade Assessments in Reading, Mathematics, and in grades 5 and 8 we issue Science EOGs. In WCS grades 3-8 ELA/Reading and Mathematics, we have North Carolina Check-ins. In grades 9-12, we issue End of Course assessments in NC Math I, NC Math 3, English II, and Biology. Required NC Final Exams are issued in English, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science. Career and Technical Education courses have assessments in all areas. Pre-ACT, ACT, and ACT-WorkKeys are in grades 10-12.
Chairman Mr. Holbrook asked if anyone had signed up for public comments. No one had signed up.
On a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Mr. Walker and duly carried, the minutes for October 1, 2018 were approved as presented.
On a motion by Ms. Barnes, seconded by Mr. Walker and duly carried, the Personnel Report was approved as presented.
Resignation(s) and/or Retirement(s)
Susanne Hayes – Teacher – Wilkes Central High School
Retirement effective – February 1, 2019 with nineteen years and eight months of service
Dennis Huggins – Director of Development – Central Services
Retirement effective – February 1, 2019 with thirteen years and two months of service
On a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Ms. Barnes and duly carried, the Exceptional Children’s Department contract with Pamela G. Edwards was approved for part-time speech language therapy services. Ms. Edwards will provide speech therapy service for a few of our Pre-K students at Wilkes Developmental Day.
On a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Mr. Shumate and duly carried, the Out-of-County/Overnight field trips was approved as presented.
| School |
Group |
Destination |
Dates |
| Wilkes Central High School |
Athletics |
Durham, NC |
10/27/2018-10/28/2018 |
| Wilkes Early College High School |
11th Grade |
Cullowhee, NC
Gatlinburg, TN
Asheville, NC
|
11/08/2018-11/09/2018 |
| Wilkes Central High School |
JAG |
Washington, DC |
11/14/2018-11/18/2018 |
| East Wilkes High School |
Chorus |
Cullowhee, NC |
11/16/2018-11/17/2018 |
| North Wilkes Middle School |
Beta Club |
Greensboro, NC |
02/05/2019-02/06/2019 |
| North Wilkes High School |
Beta Club |
Greensboro, NC |
02/07/2019-02/09/2019 |
| East Wilkes Middle School |
8th Grade |
Washington, DC |
02/21/2019-02/23/2019 |
| Wilkes Early College High School |
10th Grade |
Wilmington, NC |
04/24/2019-04/26/2019 |
On a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Ms. Barnes and duly carried, the budget amendment was approved as presented.
State Public School Fund Increase $320,090.00
Associate Superintendent Ms. Anna Lankford provided for discussion Policy 6140 Student Wellness Policy. This policy is being submitted to the board for review. The SHAC committee recommends minor changes to update the policy with web sites that will allow for better understanding of the specifics in the policy.
Chairman Mr. Holbrook had the following announcements:
- November 6, 2018 – Required Workday
- November 12, 2018 – Veteran's Day Holiday
- November 21, 2018 – Annual Leave
- November 22-23, 2018 – Thanksgiving Holiday
Chairman Mr. Holbrook announced the next meeting to be December 3, 2018. This meeting will be held in the Arnold and Becky Lakey Boardroom located at 613 Cherry Street, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina beginning at 5:30 p.m.
On a motion by Mr. Walker, seconded by Ms. Barnes and duly carried, there being no further business, the board adjourned at 6:07 p.m.