February 7, 2022
The Board of Education of the Wilkes County Administrative Unit conducted a regular meeting in the Arnold and Becky Lakey Boardroom on Monday, February 7, 2022 at 5:30 PM at 613 Cherry Street, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina 28659.
Present for the meeting were Chairman Mr. Randall "Rudy" Holbrook, Vice-Chairman Mrs. Sharron Huffman, Board Members Mr. Hardin Kennedy III, Mr. Kirk Walker, and Mrs. Joan Caudill. Also attending were Superintendent Mr. D. Mark Byrd, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Westley Wood, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Donna Cotton, Chief Finance Officer Mr. Seth Prevette, 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 Secondary Education/Athletics/and School Safety Mr. David Johnson, Director of Testing & Accountability/Cultural Arts Mr. Jeffery Johnson, Director of Transportation Mr. Eric Barker, and Public Information Officer Mrs. Morgan Mathis. Guests included Wilkes County Law Enforcement, Principal of Wilkesboro Elementary Mrs. Beckie Spears, Technology Technician Mr. David Blackburn, Lead ESL Teacher Mrs. Lori Holguin, Administrative Assistant Mrs. Maria Bailey, and Wilkes County Health Director Mrs. Rachel Willard.
Chairman Mr. Rudy Holbrook called the meeting to order.
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the agenda needed to be amended to include to Roman Number IX, Item H - the contract with NCDHHS for Covid-19 Support. It was also amended to include a field trip under Roman Number IX, Item B.
On a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Mr. Kennedy and duly carried, the agenda was approved as presented.
Chairman Mr. Randall "Rudy" Holbrook recognized Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd for the Superintendent’s Welcome and Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Byrd made the following statement: "Let me first say that I regret any challenges that our late weather call this morning caused for anyone, and I know we had some staff members in accidents and I’m glad they are okay. I know things did not go perfect, but I do believe that everyone was safe at the end of the day, and that is what we should all focus on moving forward. We will continue to look for ways to see what we can do better when it comes to safety."
"The month of February is filled with weeks of recognitions and thanks, and I don’t think you can find any people more deserving of the accolades than some right here in our own county and school system. So, if you will allow me, I want to say thank you to several people who make the lives of our students better on a daily basis."
"February is Black History Month, and I found it appropriate to read in the February 2nd Edition of the Wilkes Journal Patriot that Ms. Sylvia Robinson was selected as a member of the Wilkes County Hall of Fame Class of 2022. I met Ms. Robinson when I was student teaching in 1994, and it feels like just a few days ago I was talking to her while she was substituting in our schools following her retirement. We could easily fill this room with students and adults whose lives were impacted in a positive way by Ms. Robinson, and she was a true advocate for everything associated with Wilkes County Schools."
"I also need to mention that this week is National School Counseling Week, and Wilkes County Schools are very fortunate to have the 26 school counselors serving our students. Social and emotional needs of both students and adults have increased tremendously during this pandemic, and the role of the school counselor is not only more important than ever before, but also more demanding. Please take a moment over the next few days to simply say 'thank you' to one of our school counselors. Those two words will mean more than we can ever imagine."
"February 14-18 is 'Love the Bus Week' or School Bus Driver Appreciation Week. All we need to do is look at the bus driver shortage we have across our state and our nation to see that we have a lot to be thankful for in Wilkes County Schools. First, we would like to say thank you to our 89 bus drivers and substitute drivers and let them know they are appreciated, and second, we would like everyone in the room’s help as we try to recruit more drivers. These people transport our most precious resource every day. If you want to do a short exercise to help you see the impact a bus driver has on students daily, raise your hand if you remember who your first school superintendent was when you started school. Now, raise your hand if you remember your first bus driver. Based on the numbers you just saw, which of those positions do you think impacts a student’s day the most?"
"And finally, Governor Cooper declared the month of February as Career and Technical Education Month. Our CTE teachers not only prepare students for success beyond high school, but many of their programs are the reason that students stay in school. Teachers in CTE fields have never gotten the recognition they deserve for the impact that make in the lives of students, and each of us should take the time to thank them for the difference they are making as well."
"Based on this list, every person in this room should be able to find someone to say 'thank you' to during the month of February. We just all need to make sure we do our part as well."
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd recognized Dr. Westley Wood, Assistant Superintendent, to announce the participant of the Microsoft Office Specialist U.S. National Championship presented by Certiport, Inc. Students from across the United States are entered into a competition as they take Microsoft Certification Exams.
Congratulations to Isabel Molnar from Wilkes Central High Schools for receiving an invitation to participate in the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) U.S. National Championship based on her score on the Microsoft Excel Certification Exam. Isabel is one of 6 students in North Carolina receiving an invitation for the fall qualifying round. The first place champion at the national level will receive $3,000 and an all-expense paid trip to compete in the Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship.
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd recognized Dr. Westley Wood, Assistant Superintendent, to recognize the 2021-2022 Wilkes County Schools Spelling Bee winners. The 2021-2022 Wilkes County Schools Spelling Bee was held January 25, 2022 in the Stone Family Center for the Performing Arts.
The Wilkes County Schools Spelling Bee runner-up is Mikinlee Johnson. Mikinlee is an 8th grade student at North Wilkes Middle School.
Congratulations to the Wilkes County Schools Spelling Bee winner, Will Hefner. Will is a 5th grade student at Wilkesboro Elementary School. We wish him the best of luck as he advances to the Regional Spelling Bee on March 20, 2022.
Focus on Curriculum was presented by Mrs. Callie Grubb, Director of Pre-K and Elementary Education, and Mr. Jeffrey Johnson, Director of Testing and Accountability. They each gave a brief mid-year data review. With the second semester and third nine-weeks underway, it's important to reflect on student progress and plan for the remainder of the school year. Mr. Johnson shared the fall 2021-2022 proficiencies from the five high schools in our county. College and Career Ready (Levels 4 & 5) and Grade Level Proficient (Levels 3, 4, & 5) scores were shared for Biology, English 2, Math I, and Math 3. Wilkes County Schools appears to be above the 20-21 Grade Level Proficient scores in all areas. Mr. Kennedy remarked how well students have performed in Math 1 compared to last year's scores.
Mrs. Callie Grubb, Director of Elementary Education, then shared results of mCLASS DIBELS 8th edition. mCLASS is the K-3 state mandated literacy assessment. Teachers benchmark students three times a year. These benchmark windows are set by the state. In addition to benchmarks, teachers use mCLASS to progress monitor student growth throughout the year. mCLASS assesses phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension through various submeasures. Wilkes County Schools completed the Beginning-of-Year (BOY) Benchmark in September and the Middle-of-Year (MOY) Benchmark in January. All grade levels (K-3) showed growth when comparing BOY results to MOY results. Kindergarten showed the highest growth. The End-of-Year mCLASS benchmark will be completed in May. All students in grades 1-3 not meeting state cut points will be invited to Read to Achieve Camp this summer.
Chairman Mr. Rudy Holbrook asked if anyone had signed up for Public Comments. One individual signed up to speak regarding the COVID-19 Mask Policy. Mrs. Marsha Yockey expressed her concerns over the effectiveness of wearing masks in Wilkes County Schools. A vote will be taken in the action session of the business meeting.
On a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Minutes for January 10, 2022 were approved as presented.
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Personnel Report was approved as presented.
Resignation(s) and/or Retirement(s)
Lisa Holcomb – Human Resources Specialist – Central Services
Retirement effective – March 1, 2022, with thirty-one years of service
Ellen Prevette – Secretary/Bookkeeper – C.C. Wright Elementary School
Retirement effective – March 1, 2022, with sixteen years and seven months of service
Rebecca Smith – Nurse – West Wilkes Middle School
Retirement effective – April 1, 2022, with twenty-seven years and seven months of service
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the field trips were approved as presented.
| School | Group | Destination | Dates |
| West Wilkes High School | Wrestling |
Concord, NC
|
02/11/2022-02/12/2022 |
| North Wilkes High School | Wrestling |
Concord, NC
|
02/11/2022-02/12/2022 |
| West Wilkes High School | Wrestling |
Greensboro, NC
|
02/17/2022-02/19/2022 |
| West Wilkes High School | Honors Choral |
Wingate, NC
|
03/04/2022-03/05/2022 |
| North Wilkes High School | HOSA |
Greensboro, NC
|
03/09/2022-03/12/2022 |
| East Wilkes High School | FFA |
Greensboro, NC
|
03/19/2022-03/20/2022 |
| Wilkes Central High School | JROTC |
Sumter, SC
|
04/02/2022 |
| West Wilkes High School | "Securing the Future" | Europe (various stops) | 06/03/2022-06/15/2022 |
| Wilkes Central High School | Wrestling | Concord, NC | 02/11/2022-02/12/2022 |
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Budget Amendments were approved as presented.
State Public School Fund: Increase $2,448,768.00
Capital Outlay Fund: Increase $163,996.00
On a motion by Mrs. Huffman, seconded by Mr. Walker and duly carried, the Recommendation for Purchase of Student Chromebooks was approved as presented. After reviewing vendor information, the winning bid was awarded to Virtucom, Inc. for $340.26 per device.
On a motion by Mr. Walker, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the License Agreement to Adjoining Landowner at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School was approved as presented.
On a motion by Mrs. Caudill, seconded by Mr. Walker and duly carried, the 2022 NCSBA Legislative Committee Nomination for Mrs. Sharron Huffman was approved as presented. This is the committee tasked with developing a draft legislative agenda for NCSBA for consideration and adoption by the Delegate Assembly.
Mr. Byrd provided a brief update on the COVID-19 pandemic. "As you are well aware, Senate Bill 654 requires Local Boards of Education to review their local mask mandates monthly and to make decisions to continue or discontinue moving forward. At our August 2, 2021 meeting, the decision was made to begin the year with making masks optional for students and teachers in our buildings. At our emergency called meeting on August 30th, the decision was made to follow the guidelines of the StrongSchools NC Public Health Toolkit (K-12) and require masks for all students and staff inside of our buildings, and we stated that this would be reviewed after 30 days. At the September 13, 2021 meeting, the decision was made to honor what we had said and honor this period that we had established. At our October 4th meeting, the board voted 3-2 to continue the mask mandate through the month of October. At our November 6, 2021 meeting, the board voted 3-2 to continue the mask mandate through the month of November. At our December 6, 2021 meeting, the board voted 3-2 against a motion to discontinue the mask mandate effective that date. At our January 10, 2022 meeting, the board voted 3-2 against a motion to discontinue the mask mandate effective that date."
"During this time, I have shared updates with the board on the number of active cases and the number of quarantines of students and staff. As you are aware, the NC Department of Health and Human Services has updated the StrongSchools Tool Kit FAQs related to K-12 schools and face coverings. NCDHHS recommends schools continue to implement a universal face-covering requirement if they are located in a county with high or substantial community transmission levels. When community transmission levels decline to moderate or low levels for at least seven consecutive days, school leaders can consider making face coverings optional for vaccinated individuals. Face coverings should continue to be required for all unvaccinated individuals until community transmission is at low levels, when masks could be optional for everyone. NCDHHS will continue to re-evaluate this guidance as all school-aged children become eligible for vaccinations."
As of Friday, February 4, 2022, our local Health Director, Rachel Willard, shared that Wilkes County is 27.92% positive and we are still considered to be "in the red" or above 5%. Mr. Byrd asked Rachel Willard for her recommendations on the mask mandate as of Friday, February 4, and she stated, "Given that we were above the 5% threshold, the Health Department would recommend that we follow the CDC and NCDHHS recommendation that mask remain mandated in schools." She did state that she respected the decision of our board and will work closely with us to support our school system. Rachel Willard was in attendance to answer any questions.
At that time, we needed a motion to determine whether we will continue to follow the StrongSchools NC Public Health Toolkit until our March 7, 2022 meeting or to change the decision that was made on August 30, 2021. On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mr. Holbrook, it was voted to allow masks to be optional. However, it was voted by Mrs. Huffman, Mr. Walker, and Mrs. Caudill to continue to follow the StrongSchool NC Public Health Toolkit and the recommendation of our local Health Department to continue wearing masks. This action will be voted on again at our next scheduled board meeting. The voting results were: Against optional masks - Mrs. Huffman, Mr. Walker, and Mrs. Caudill; and for optional masks, Mr. Holbrook and Mr. Kennedy.
On a motion by Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Huffman and duly carried, the contract with NCDHHS for COVID -19 support was approved as presented. This contract is for funding to provide reimbursement for expenses incurred for COVID-19 support.
Chairman Mr. Holbrook made the following announcements:
- February 21, 2022 – Required Workday
- March 2, 2022 – Early Dismissal (Elementary 12:30 PM; Middle/High 1:00 PM)
Chairman Mr. Holbrook announced the next meeting to be March 7, 2022. The meeting will be held in the Arnold and Becky Lakey Boardroom located at 613 Cherry Street, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina beginning at 5:30 PM.
The following comments were made from two of the Board Members. Mr. Kennedy thanked those making weather decisions this morning. Mrs. Huffman recognized the school nurses in attendance and asked that they stand to be recognized.
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Huffman and duly carried, there being no further business, the Board adjourned at 6:10 PM.
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