December 7, 2020

SUMMARY OF BOARD MEETING MINUTES

December 7, 2020

The Board of Education of the Wilkes County Administrative Unit conducted a regular meeting in the Stone Center for the Performing Arts on Monday, December 7, 2020 at 5:30 PM at 613 Cherry Street, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina 28659. COVID-19 guidelines were enforced.

Present for the meeting were Chairman Mr. Randall “Rudy” Holbrook, Vice-Chairman Mrs. Sharron Huffman, Board Members Mr. Kirk Walker, Mrs. Joan Caudill, and Mr. Hardin Kennedy, III. Also present were Superintendent Mr. D. Mark Byrd, Chief Technology Officer Mrs. Julie Triplett, Chief Finance Officer Mr. Seth Prevette, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Donna Cotton, Associate Superintendent Dr. Westley Wood, Director of Pre-K and Elementary Education Mrs. Callie Grubb, Director of Student Services Mrs. April Marr, Director of Child Nutrition Mr. Marty Johnson, Director of Maintenance Mr. Bergie Speaks, Director of CTE/Career and College Promise Mr. Wayne Shepherd, Director of Middle School, Federal Programs, Interim County Athletic Director, Cultural Arts Dr. Joe Bullis, Public Information Officer Mrs. Morgan Mathis, and Executive Administrative Assistant Mrs. Carolyn Triplett. Special Guests included were United Way of Wilkes Mrs. Clara Hickman, Dr. Kim Stone, Michelle Shepherd, Caitlin Wilson, Brian Holloway, Heather Melton, Katie Wright, Martha Peller, Olivia Van Buskirk, and Karrie Combs.

Chairman Mr. Rudy Holbrook recognized Board Member Mr. Hardin Kennedy to lead the Invocation.

Chairman Mr. Rudy Holbrook called the meeting to order.

On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the agenda was approved.

Chairman Mr. Randall “Rudy” Holbrook recognized Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd for the Superintendent’s Welcome and Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Byrd asked for patience as he wanted to share several things with the Board. Mr. Byrd recognized a former member of the Wilkes County Schools Board of Education who passed away last week, Mrs. Essie Hayes. I would like to tell her family I am sorry for their loss and thank them for her service on our Board of Education.

Mr. Byrd was also inspired last week when he read that someone he has been a fan of for a long time, Lou Holtz, was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honor that a civilian can receive. Whether or not anyone agrees with this decision, the part that stuck with Mr. Byrd was when he heard Coach Holtz say that his father had a third grade education. Mr. Byrd wanted this to serve as a reminder to all of our parents, that no matter what, if you let your children know that you love them, how important an education is and teach them to make good choices, there is no limit to what your child may accomplish in life. It may be your child whose great accomplishments we are reading about in the future!

As we move closer to the end of 2020 and toward a new year, Mr. Byrd wanted to share some parts from an article that was shared in a meeting that he took part in last week. “This was a great reminder to me, and I feel it could help us all as we go through the holidays and prepare for 2021, and help us see what we have to be thankful for.” The article was entitled “People Who Can't Say They're Thankful For These 7 Things Will Have a Very Hard Time in 2021,” and I am going to summarize the list of seven things that we should be thankful for moving into 2021. If we take the time to realize these things, 2021 will be a better year for us all. So, here are seven things that we should all be grateful for in 2021.

Be grateful that you're alive. I have heard it said that most of the wrongs you have made in your life you can still make better as long as you are alive. Every one of us has this to be grateful for. Each day is a gift, and we should all be grateful for it.
Be grateful for pain and longing. Good relationships are what makes us happiest, and most fulfilled, and all good relationships depend on understanding. If you had never experienced pain and longing, you would never be able to understand anything else.
Be grateful for your needs. First, be grateful for our needs that are being met, such as having a home, food, and shelter. And those that are not being met, or the things that we long for, and the things that light our fires to do better. This is what motivates us to be more creative.
Be grateful for forgiveness. We all mess up. We all have to ask for forgiveness sometimes. We all have reason to be thankful when it's given, and we should all be grateful for the ability to forgive others. The ability to forgive is a gift as well.
Be grateful for your failures. Failures are a sign of ambition, and a chance to learn from mistakes. We all need to learn what it is like to fail. Failures also teach us what to be afraid of, and what not to be afraid of. You learn sometimes that there's nothing really to be afraid of—that we all get second chances in America.
Be grateful for your people. Even those around us who bother us the most make us stronger and better people. We should be grateful for everyone around us.
Be grateful for hope and faith. While I could spend a lot of time on this, I will say simply say these two are prerequisites to optimism, and optimistic people are the ones who achieve the greatest success and happiness in life.

So even though 2020 has been difficult, Mr. Byrd thanked all who have helped make our 2020 so successful, and he hopes you can use some part of this to make 2021 be even better for you.

Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd provided board members with a short update of what has taken place to assist our students and staff with the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hard to imagine that next weekend marks 9 months that Wilkes County Schools has been facing this pandemic caused by COVID-19. Let me first say to all of our students and staff members that I am proud of what we have accomplished this fall, and hope that they too will take a few minutes over the Christmas break to reflect on what we have been able to do so far that many never thought would be possible. Some said we could never have school wearing masks, some said we couldn’t be successful on an A/B schedule, and many others doubted what we could accomplish, but I for one am proud of what our people have been able to do. Again, I say “thank you” to so many who have worked so hard to make this happen.

I also wanted to share some numbers that I thought were eye-opening that our Director of Student Services, Mrs. April Marr, shared with me during the week of Thanksgiving. I hope these numbers will help others see why some people are not present for school and the reason for their absences. I thought these numbers would help many to see how fortunate we have been over the past few months. In terms of student-related absences for COVID related reasons since September 8, 2020, when students returned in person:

36.8% of absences were for contact or exposure from an unknown source outside of school;
25.6% of absences were for contact or exposure from the school setting;
14.6% of absences were because students were symptomatic;
12.8% of absences were due to a symptomatic household member; and,
10.6% of absences were due to a confirmed positive case.

These numbers show that the number of absences due to contact outside of school were over 3 times the number for confirmed positive cases. While I don’t ever want to relax the measures we are taking, I thought this would help many see that the hard work of our students and staff and the precautions that they are taking have made a tremendous difference in our ability to keep schools open to this point.

Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd recognized Executive Director, Mrs. Clara Hickman, with United Way of Wilkes. In 2015, the United Way of Wilkes decided they wanted to start an annual event that would recognize volunteers that go above and behind to make a difference in our community. They do it to help improve lives, not just to be recognized. We have always known we would not be able to accomplish what we do every year without the numerous volunteers who serve our community. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, United Way decided to recognize an individual on the frontline helping people during this critical time instead of our normal four categories - Crisis, Health, Education, and Future Generation. This person is a hero. We often think of heroes as fictional characters - like Superman or Wonder Woman. Maybe we think of famous people we will never meet. In reality, we all know some REAL HEROES who live among us. They do not wear capes or fly invisible jets, but they do help us make great leaps in our lives and our community. There are people in Wilkes County who have contributed to lasting changes, personally, and/or through a service organization. These people would have or are providing a service beyond what is normally anticipated. United Way of Wilkes will donate $1000 in honor of the winner to their choice of a 501c3 organization in Wilkes. We had numerous nominations and our selection committee, consisting of community members, had the very difficult task of selecting one finalist. Mrs. Hickman read this comment about the nominee. She has delivered food, work packets, and medications to families throughout COVID-19. She has continued to connect with families to this day. Her presence brought comfort to so many people during these hard times. She also worked at the health department and traced COVID contacts. She called people at their most vulnerable time and treated them with the utmost respect. We are so lucky to have her in our community. Congratulations to Allison Lambert the 2020 Great State Hero!

Dr. Donna Cotton, Chief Academic Officer, presented the Focus on the Curriculum. Teachers from across our district shared successes they have had during remote learning sessions with their students. Teachers who presented were Caitlyn Wilson and Brian Holloway (NWHS), Olivia Van Buskirk and Martha Peller (WECHS), Karrie Combs (EWMS), and Heather Melton and Katie Wright (CCW). They described and demonstrated a variety of instructional strategies and tools that have been successful in keeping students engaged and promoting student learning.

Chairman Mr. Rudy Holbrook asked if anyone had signed up for Public Comments. Speaking to the Board was Mrs. Maria Soots who represented her son, Ryan Soots, from East Wilkes High School. Wilkes County Schools Board will gather additional information regarding this issue.

On a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the minutes for November 2, 2020, were approved as presented.

On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Huffman and duly carried, the Personnel Report was approved as presented.

Resignation(s) and/or Retirement(s)

Randy Spry – Technology Technician I – Central Services

Retirement effective – March 1, 2021 with ten years and eight months of service

Diana Swofford – Teacher – Ronda Clingman Elementary School

Resignation effective – January 1, 2021 with eighteen years and three months of service

On a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Mr. Kennedy and duly carried, the Budget Amendments was approved as presented. Changes to the State Public School Fund are listed below.

Explanations: Budget resolution passed on 9/14/20. The initial budget was built in the prior year’s state allocations. Large contributors to the $1,593,561 brought for approval are listed below.

Each state allotment had to account for increased employer retirement and hospitalization insurance expenses.
Re-allocation of School Nutrition Covid Relief Funds received last fiscal year not spent by 6/30/20: $573,285
New allocations of Covid Relief Funds that weren’t allotted last fiscal year: $1,024,252
Covers the NCVPS and Charter School reductions: –($177,010)

Total Appropriation in State Public School Budget: $62,940,629.00
Amount of Increase/Decrease of Amendment: $1,593,561.00
Total Appropriation in Amended Current Budget: $64,534,190.00

On a motion by Mrs. Caudill, seconded by Mr. Kennedy and duly carried, the Disposition of Surplus Items was approved as presented. General Statute 160A-266, Article 12 sets forth procedures and requirements for selling and disposing of public property; these include: private negotiation and sale, sale by sealed bids, auction, upset bids, and exchanges. Private negotiation and sale may be used only with respect to personal property valued at less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for any one item or group of similar items. The items will be advertised for sale in the local newspaper, and the time period for accepting offers would be open for ten (10) days during which time all interested parties would have an opportunity to make offers. The items would be sold at the conclusion of the ten (10) day period provided an acceptable offer has been received (see Attachment One). Please see the list below for property to be declared surplus:

EXHIBIT A

Property to be Declared Surplus

Location	Qty.	Description	Model/Serial Number
C.C. Wright	16	Student Chairs
	6	Teacher Desks
	2	Big Blue Seat Lockers
CTE	1	Lincoln 225 AMP Welder
	1	Craftsman 14" Band Saw, 1.5 HP	137.224140 / RCU 3061
	20	Sewing Machines	Various makes and models
	1	Hot Point Refrigerator	HTH16BBSXRWW/LM794504
	1	Frigidaire Dishwasher
	1	Roper Washer 8 Cycle 2 Speed Combo
	1	Roper Dryer Heavy Duty XL Capacity
	1	6 Cu. Ft. Mortar Mixer Esick GX160	Honda 5.5 engine/electric
	1	50 Liter Portable Cement Mixer	240V 1/2 HP 3755 Watt
Ronda Clingman	3	Shelf Carts
	1	Sharp TV	No Serial Number
	2	Dance Pads
	1	Sony PlayStation	HU6656067
	1	Panasonic TV	C2AA12399
	1	RCA TV	G511E0104
Wilkesboro	4	TVs
Maintenance	1	1994 Chevrolet Ton Dually (Bad Transmission)	1GCHC33F7RJ377749
	1	1997 Ford Van E150	1FTEE1467VHB24528
	1	2001 Ford Pickup Truck (Needs Engine)	1FTNF20L21EB89622
	1	1996 Ford Pickup Truck (Transmission Problem)	1FDHF25H7TEB76445
	1	1998 Ford Van	1FTNE24L5WHA91915
	1	HP LaserJet Printer Cartridge (Black)	3100-3150 Series
	2	HP Laser Cartridge (Cyan Blue)	4600-4650 Series
	2	HP Laser Cartridge (Magenta Pink)	4600-4650 Series
	1	HP Laser Cartridge (Yellow)	4600-4650 Series
	4	HP Laser Cartridge (Black)	4600-4650 Series
	1	HP Laser Cartridge (Cyan Blue)	4600 Series
	1	HP Laser Cartridge (Magenta Pink)	4600 Series
Technology	98	HP Student Chromebooks	11 GA
	1	HP Student Chromebook	11A G8 Touchscreen
	88	HP Student Laptops	Probook 430 G2
	36	Dell Student Laptops	3330
	177	Apple Student iPads	A1395
	28	Apple Student iPads	A1432
	14	Apple Student iPads	A1458
	3	Apple Student iPads	A1474
	1	Apple Student iPad	A1822
	153	Apple Teacher/Staff iPads	A1395
	12	Apple Teacher/Staff iPads	A1432
	15	Apple Teacher/Staff iPads	A1458
	1	Apple Teacher/Staff iPads	A1489
	1	HP Teacher/Staff Desktop	Prodesk 600 G1
	39	NEC Phones	ITR-4D-3BK
	1	NEC Phone	ITR-32D-3BK
	2	Projector Smartboard	UF 55 Gen 3
	6	Smartboards	SB680
	1	HP Lab Desktop	Probook 600 G2
	1	HP Teacher/Staff Laptop	Probook 430 G1
	7	HP Teacher/Staff Laptop	Probook 640 G1
	3	HP Teacher/Staff Laptop	Probook 650 G1
	2	HP Teacher/Staff Laptop	Probook 650 G2
	1	HP Teacher/Staff Laptop	Probook 650 G3
	1	HP Teacher/Staff Laptop	Probook 650 G4
	5	HP Printers	1320N
	1	HP Printer	4000
	1	HP Printer	4000N
	1	HP Printer	4050
	2	HP Printers	4050N
	1	HP Printer	4100
	1	HP Printer	4250N
	1	HP Printer	CP3525N
	3	Kyocera Printers	FS-2000D
	2	Dell Teacher/Staff Laptops	3330
	1	Dell Teacher/Staff Laptop	E5400
	1	Dell Teacher/Staff Laptop	E5420
	1	Dell Teacher/Staff Laptop	E5430
	1	Dell Teacher/Staff Laptop	E5440
	1	Dell Teacher/Staff Laptop	E5530
	1	Dell Teacher/Staff Laptop	E5500
	4	JVC TVs	AV-20402
	1	RCA TV	27R411T
	2	Toshiba TVs	27A32
	1	Sanyo VCR	VWM-280
	1	1999 Ford E150 Van	1FTRE1424XHC35992
Transportation	1	1994 Ford Bus	1FDXJ75C7RVA15372
	1	1996 Chevrolet Mini Bus	1GBHG31K0TF112979

On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Roof Replacement for Ronda-Clingman Elementary School was approved as presented. Proposals were received for roofing the K-2 Hall, 3-5 Hall, and Music/Art rooms. Three contractors submitted proposals. Campbell Roofing was the lowest proposal of $44,357.00. This will include a five-year part and labor warranty from them and a manufacturer warranty of 20 years.

On a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Architectural Drawing for Mount Pleasant was approved as presented. Pinnacle Architecture has completed a draft of additions and renovations at Mount Pleasant Elementary School. Pinnacle Architecture will complete a set of plans and have them approved by DPI and the local inspections department.

Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Donna Cotton, presented the Graduation Requirements (Policy 3460) for discussion. The revisions include technical changes to align the language of Policy 3460 with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Graduation Requirements, changes to the Social Studies requirement, and edits to formatting. This policy will be brought back for approval at the January board meeting.

Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Donna Cotton, presented to the board the School Improvement Plans for the 2020-2021 school year. Wilkes County Schools develops a school improvement plan each year following a very thorough school-wide reflection process that involves the principal, school improvement team, and parents. Principals and leadership teams work diligently to make the school improvement plan a living document that directs their efforts to help students achieve at higher levels and demonstrate growth. Wilkes County Schools uses an online tool called NC Star as the template for this process. Each school’s improvement plan is accessible through login information provided on the school’s website.

Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Donna Cotton, presented the Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Social Services (DSS). In 2009, Wilkes County Schools and the Department of Social Services (DSS) worked collaboratively to create a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to improve communication and services to children in our community. These memorandums are reviewed each year with principals and the DSS administrative staff. This plan was submitted for information only.

Chairman Mr. Holbrook had the following announcements:

December 9, 2020 – Early Dismissal (Elementary 12:30 PM; Middle/High 1:00 PM)
December 18, 2020 – Early Dismissal (Elementary 12:30 PM; Middle/High 1:00 PM)
December 21-22, 2020 – Optional Workdays
December 23, 2020 – Annual Leave Day
December 24, 25, and 28, 2020 – Christmas Holidays
December 29-31, 2020 – Annual Leave Days
January 1, 2021 – New Year's Day Holiday
January 4, 2021 – Required Workday

Chairman Mr. Holbrook announced the next meeting to be January 11, 2021. The meeting will be held in the Stone Center for the Performing Arts located at 613 Cherry Street, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina beginning at 5:30 PM.

On a motion by Mr. Byrd, seconded by Mrs. Huffman and duly carried, there being no further business, the Board adjourned at 6:25 PM to closed session to prevent the disclosure of information that is privileged or confidential under state or federal law, including but not limited to N.C.G.S. 115-319, N.C.G.S. 115C-402, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Pursuant to N.C.G.S. 143-318.119(a) (1).

No further business was presented, and upon motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Mrs. Caudill, the Board of Education voted unanimously to end this closed session and return to open session at 7:51 PM.

In open session, no new business was presented, on a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Mr. Kennedy, the Board of Education voted unanimously to adjourn at 7:52 PM.

All Board Members wished everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Stay safe and healthy, and they appreciate all that the Wilkes County Employees are doing for students and their families during this COVID-19 Pandemic.

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