September 12, 2022
The Board of Education of the Wilkes County Administrative Unit conducted a regular meeting in the Arnold and Becky Lakey Boardroom on Monday, September 12, 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 Mr. Hardin Kennedy III, and Board Members Mr. Kirk Walker, Mrs. Joan Caudill, and Mrs. Jammie Jolly. Also attending were Superintendent Mr. D. Mark Byrd, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Westley Wood, Chief Academic Officer Mrs. Callie Grubb, Chief Finance Officer Mr. Seth Prevette, Chief Technology Officer Mrs. Julie Triplett, Director of Child Nutrition Mr. Marty Johnson, Director of Maintenance Mr. Bergie Speaks, Director of Secondary Education/Athletics/School Safety Mr. David Johnson, Director of Transportation Mr. Eric Barker, Director of Exceptional Children Mrs. Jennifer Blankenship, Director of Pre-K and Elementary Education Mr. Jeffery Johnson, Director of Student Services Mrs. April Marr, Director of Testing and Accountability/Cultural Arts/504/Title I Dr. Dion Stocks, EL Coordinator Mrs. Lori Holguin, Public Information Officer Mrs. Morgan Mathis, and Executive Administrative Assistant Mrs. Carolyn Triplett.
Chairman Mr. Rudy Holbrook called the meeting to order.
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, 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 Superintendent's Welcome and Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Byrd made the following statement, "I think first and foremost that we all need to take a minute to reflect on where we were twenty-one years ago yesterday, and remember all of those who lost lives and sacrificed for others. I hope we never reach a point in our country where we don’t take time to acknowledge what a horrific day that was."
"In terms of Wilkes County Schools, we have had a phenomenal first 10 days of school thanks to the work of so many in preparing for the year, as well as the hard work of our students. If the first 10 days are a preview of the entire year, 2022-2023 is going to be phenomenal."
"We received our school report card and growth status data last week for 2021-2022 for the first time since 2018-2019. Honestly, with the work that our people did through the pandemic, I wish we had gotten it for the last two years as well, so let me say up front, I give our people an 'A' for the two years that we didn't get data. In terms of school performance grades, let me acknowledge first that I disagree with the formula used to determine this, as do most in our state. 80% of the grade is determined by proficiency on a test, with only 20% being determined by student growth. In my opinion, academic growth is more important than proficiency any day of the week and a better measure of a school, and the formula should be 80% growth and 20% proficiency. As an example of proficiency, this morning I googled how many jumping jacks the average person should be able to do in one minute, and the answer is 100. Don’t raise your hand, but I wonder how many of us would meet that definition of 'proficient.' In my eyes, a better way to measure this would be for us to see how many we could do today, and then try again at next month's board meeting, thus measuring growth rather than proficiency. Unfortunately, our state does not use that model, but using their formula, we do have a lot to be proud of. Both Moravian Falls Elementary and Wilkes Early College High School received a grade of A, which only 5.6% of schools in our state achieved. C.B. Eller Elementary, Millers Creek Elementary, Mulberry Elementary, Ronda-Clingman Elementary, North Wilkes High School, and West Wilkes High School all received a grade of B, which only 17.2% of schools in our state accomplished. In terms of growth status, both Millers Creek Elementary and North Wilkes High School Exceeded Expected Growth (Mr. Byrd inadvertently omitted Moravian Falls which also Exceeded Expected Growth), which only 28.8% of schools in our state accomplished. We did have 13% of our schools identified as Low-Performing; however, 30% received that designation statewide (and one of ours met expected growth but was identified as low performing which I do not agree with). As a whole, we have a lot to be proud of, and we acknowledge the room for improvement."
"I have to close with my greatest source of pride for our system, which is our 4-year graduation rate. To understand graduation rate, go home and take a high school yearbook, open it to a full page and you will see roughly 100 students. Graduation rate is the number of faces you see on that page who finish high school 4 years from the date they started. I was bothered when I first saw our rate, as it declined by 0.1% from last year, and it is now 88.1%. That means looking at that yearbook page, 12 out of 100 students do not graduate in 4 years, which we know is entirely too many. However, when compared to surrounding districts, the only districts in our region with a higher graduation rate than Wilkes are Surry and Watauga Counties! I think that should be a huge source of pride for our district and our county! Graduation rate is not just a high school measure, as we all know that those elementary and middle school teachers play a major role in determining whether a student stays in school or not! So, if we need some good news on a Monday night, as you drive through surrounding counties, remember that more students are graduating in Wilkes than in most that you will drive through. That should be something that we all are celebrating every single day!"
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd recognized Dr. Westley Wood, Assistant Superintendent, to recognize the Wilkes Education Foundation Mini-Grant Winners. Thirty-nine mini-grant projects were awarded for the 2022-2023 school year. The total funds awarded are $43,964.72. The grants of up to $1,500 each are designed to provide funds to implement creative and innovative instructional programs in the classrooms for which federal, state, or local funds are not available. Since the 1985-1986 school year, the Wilkes Education Foundation has funded 945 mini-grant projects for a total of $586,020.22.
Again, we congratulate these teachers and look forward to seeing these funds used in the classrooms.
| Grant Name | Teacher | School | Cost |
| Ditch Leveled Reading! Let's Learn to Read with Decodable Books! | Krystal Myers |
C.B. Eller Elementary
|
$1423.97 |
| Give me a Hand! | Kathryn Willis | C.B. Eller Elementary |
$1328.90
|
| It's Not a Secret...Reading it IMPORTANT! | Maria Poplin | C.B. Eller Elementary | $443.65 |
| Finding Equilibrium: The War of Supply and Demand | Rodney Graham | Central Wilkes Middle | $970.81 |
| It's in the Bank! Next Generation Budgeting and Finance | Fran York | Central Wilkes Middle | $1004.51 |
| Look-Inna-Book Social Emotional Support Library | Shannon Cox | Central Wilkes Middle | $1252.36 |
| Math Masters with Magazines | Megan Miller | Central Wilkes Middle | $599.56 |
| Minding the Seed Money: It Matters | Rodney Graham | Central Wilkes Middle | $1266.87 |
| Reading Choices for Voices | Hayley Trivette | Central Wilkes Middle | $619.64 |
| English I Novel Study Units | Hanna Eudy | East Wilkes Middle | $1254.09 |
| Making History and Science Come Alive Through Literacy | Rita Ray | East Wilkes Middle | $1500.00 |
| Manipulatives for the Minds | Laken Atkinson | East Wilkes Middle | $1400.00 |
| Waterpark Project | Jill Childers | East Wilkes Middle | $47.06 |
| Collaboration Station | Laura Bess | Millers Creek Elementary | $505.82 |
| Decoding Detectives | Tina Shephard | Millers Creek Elementary | $1371.41 |
| Diving into Decoding | Jennifer H. Cockrell | Millers Creek Elementary | $1197.50 |
| Engaging Readers with Mentor Texts | Natasha Parlier | Moravian Falls Elementary | $830.00 |
| It's Not Just Literacy, It's Social Emotional Learning | Kelsey Adams | Moravian Falls Elementary | $1190.76 |
| Read Like a Scientist | Anna Arroyo | Moravian Falls Elementary | $1469.12 |
| Synergized and Organized While Centered in Reading | Monica Smith | Moravian Falls Elementary | $1490.00 |
| Letterland Magnetic Word Building Fun & Engagement | Heather Williams | Mount Pleasant Elementary | $1447.52 |
| Makers Gonna Make | Becky Vanderheide | Mountain View Elementary | $1499.42 |
| STEAM Bins: Engaging, Creative, & Hands-On Learning | Kristen Wiles | Mountain View Elementary | $468.06 |
| Hands-On English | Jeremy Bauguess | Mulberry Elementary | $1394.14 |
| Mentoring Tomorrow's Builders | Michael Johnson | North Wilkes High | $1450.00 |
| Glaze Craze | Misty Hartzog | North Wilkes Middle | $818.94 |
| 2022-2023 Drama Club Musical | Kinsey Crabb | North Wilkes Middle | $1400.00 |
| Decodable Texts to Support Foundational Phonics Skills | Kelsey Welborn | Ronda-Clingman Elementary | $1350.00 |
| Every Child Deserves a Chance to Read | Michelle Shore | Ronda-Clingman Elementary |
$961.23
|
| Letterland Decodables for Improving Literacy Skills | Melanie Yarboro | Ronda-Clingman Elementary | $982.95 |
| Reading Our Way Through History - Past and Present | Sharon Speaks | Ronda-Clingman Elementary | $855.48 |
| Nonfiction Opens a World of Possibilities | Carol Cleary | Traphill Elementary | $1500.00 |
| You Are Only as Good as Your Tools! | Chris A. Roten | West Wilkes High | $1473.49 |
| 3D Engineering and Design | Ralph K. Sutton | West Wilkes Middle | $1488.25 |
| Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust | Joanne Schwab | West Wilkes Middle | $1400.00 |
| Slice'em and Dice'em: Pigs vs. Humans | Kenneth E. Bryan III | West Wilkes Middle | $1500.00 |
| Completing the Puzzle: Biology Labs | Jamie Miles | Wilkes Central High |
$854.21
|
| All Aboard the Online Letterland Express! | Alicia Stone | Wilkesboro Elementary | $970.00 |
| Increasing Academic Success through Arts and Crafts | Martha Peller | Wilkes Early College High | $985.00 |
| 39 Grants | $43,964.72 |
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd acknowledged Dr. Westley Wood, Assistant Superintendent, to announce the Governor's School attendees for 2022. The Governor's School of North Carolina is a multi-week summer residential program for intellectually gifted high school students where they are able to integrate academic disciplines, the arts, and unique courses. The curriculum focuses on the exploration of the most recent ideas and concepts in each discipline and does not involve credit, tests, or grades. Wilkes County Schools had three students selected by the state Governor's School Committee to attend during the 2022 summer session.
Stormy Epley is a current 12th grader at WECHS. He attended Governor's School on the campus of Meredith College. Stormy's focus of study was Social Sciences.
Annika Bell is a current 12th grader at EWHS. She attended Governor's School on the campus of Winston Salem State University. Annika's focus of study was Natural Sciences.
Emily Spicer is a current 12th grader at EWHS. She attended Governor's School on the campus of Winston Salem State University. Emily's focus of study was Social Sciences.
Congratulations to all these students on being selected for such a wonderful honor.
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd recognized Dr. Westley Wood, Assistant Superintendent, to recognize the 2022 Price-Deverick Teacher Scholarship Award Winners. Each year, Blue Ridge Energy and the Wilkes Chamber of Commerce sponsor the Price-Deverick Teacher Scholarship, which awards funding to teachers in our service area to help earn renewal credits, complete certifications, or participate in specialized workshops and training. This year, the two Wilkes County recipients were Mrs. Lori Holguin and Mrs. Shanna Bumgarner, who are both from the English as a Second Language program at Wilkes County Schools.
Mrs. Bumgarner teaches at Millers Creek Elementary and spent a week this summer at Kennedy Space Center at a workshop entitled, "The Space Age on the Space Coast," learning hands-on science to bring back to her classroom.
Mrs. Holguin is the EL Coordinator at Central Services, and she spent a week in New Bedford, Massachusetts at a workshop entitled, "Sailing to Freedom," learning about primary source documentation and curriculum content for the new English Language Development social studies standards.
Focus on the Curriculum was presented by Mr. David Johnson, Director of Secondary Education, Athletics, and School Safety. Mr. Johnson gave a brief description of the Wilkes County School's Safety Plans.
School Safety is the top priority for Wilkes County Schools. Recently, all Wilkes County employees were required to complete online training school safety videos. Additional mandatory online training will take place the second semester to include employees hired after the start of the school year.
Mr. Johnson also provided a link to a state supported website that houses all school crisis plans. This can be viewed at https://sera.nc.gov/srmp/. As we started schools, principals included safety procedures and protocols in their opening faculty meetings. Each school has a multiple emergency push-button buzzer that notifies the Wilkes Sheriff's Office of an emergency. We are in consistent communication and conversation regarding safety with the North Wilkesboro and Wilkesboro Police Departments. Currently, we have 11 SROs that serve our community districtwide.
Wilkes County Schools has applied for a DPI Safety Grant and are waiting to hear back from them regarding whether or not the grant will be funded. This grant would allow additional funds to be spent on SROs, cameras, hand-held radios, and entry system updates on our campuses.
Chairman Mr. Rudy Holbrook asked if anyone had signed up for Public Comments. Mrs. Sharilyn Owens shared her concerns regarding non-partisan support in Wilkes County Schools.
On a motion by Mrs. Caudill, seconded by Mrs. Jolly and duly carried, the minutes for August 1, 2022 were approved as presented.
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Jolly and duly carried, the Personnel Report was approved as presented.
Resignation(s) and/or Retirement(s)
Janice Burgess – Secretary/Bookkeeper – Central Services
Retirement effective – November 1, 2022, with thirty-two years and five months of service
Rodney McNeil – Transportation Worker – Transportation Department
Retirement effective – September 1, 2022, with twenty-six years and three months of service
Jody Tharpe – Teacher Assistant – Wilkesboro Elementary School
Retirement effective – October 1, 2022, with twenty-one years and seven months of service
Elaine Vimont – Teacher Assistant – West Wilkes Middle School
Retirement effective – August 1, 2022, with sixteen years and one month of service
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Wilkes County Schools Beginning Teacher Support Plan was approved as presented. The North Carolina State Board Policy TCED-016 and the Beginning Teacher Support Program requires all public-school units to implement a Beginning Teacher Support Program (BTSP). The BTSP is a required, three-year induction program for beginning teachers. The primary and direct goal of the BTSP is to help new teachers improve skills and build confidence to become successful educators. Presented was an updated Wilkes County Schools Beginning Teacher Support plan for approval. The desired outcome of the plan updates is to define district expectations and to promote uniform consistency of the support beginning teachers receive across the district.
On a motion by Mr. Walker, seconded by Mrs. Jolly and duly carried, the following Out-of-County/Overnight field trips were approved as presented. Planned dates are listed below.
| School | Group | Destination | Dates |
| East Wilkes High School | FFA |
Indianapolis, IN
|
10/24/2022-10/29/2022 |
| East Wilkes High School | Chorus |
New York City, NY
|
03/23/2023-03/25/2023 |
| Wilkes Central High School |
Marching Band
|
Orlando, FL
|
01/26/2023-01/30/2023 |
| Wilkes Central High School | Chorus |
Mars Hill and Asheville, NC
|
02/17/2023-02/18/2023 |
| Wilkes Central High School | Chorus |
Wingate, NC
|
01/27/2023-01/28/2023
|
| Wilkes Central High School | Chamber Singers |
Asheville, NC
|
12/20/2022-12/21/2022
|
| Wilkes Central High School | Chorus |
Orlando, FL
|
12/08/2022-12/13/2022
|
| Wilkes Central High School | Honors Chorus |
Winston-Salem, NC
|
11/05/2022-11/06/2022
|
| Wilkes Early College High School | Beta Club |
Greensboro, NC
|
01/27/2023-01/28/2023
|
On a motion by Mrs. Caudill, seconded by Mr. Kennedy and duly carried, the 2022-2023 Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan Application for Federal Funds was approved as presented. This included Title IA, Title II-A, Title III - Language Acquisition, Title III - Significant Increase of Immigrant Children, and Title IV - Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE). The Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan (CCIP) is a web-based planning and grants management tool that connects district goals for improvement with budgeted activities. CCIP is used by school districts to apply for federal funds. Dr. Bullis provided documents that represent the CCIP Application for Wilkes County Schools FY2022-23. These applications were filed and are pending approval with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) for the school year 2022-2023 as of August 31, 2022.
On a motion by Mr. Walker, seconded by Mr. Kennedy and duly carried, the Memorandum of Understanding with NC Tech Paths was approved as presented. This summer, Wilkes County Schools, Wilkes Community College, and NC Tech Paths worked collaboratively to create a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide STEM-related resources and technology career and educational support to our students. This MOU outlined the type of support provided to students through this new and innovative partnership.
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Memorandum of Understanding between Wilkes County Schools and the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office was approved as presented.
On a motion by Mrs. Jolly, seconded by Mr. Kennedy and duly carried, the Aveanna Healthcare Professional Service Agreement was approved as presented. Aveanna Healthcare is a new service contract for the 2022-2023 school year for the Exceptional Children's Program. Aveanna will be providing nursing services for a student with special needs attending Wilkes County Schools.
On a motion by Mr. Walker, seconded by Mrs. Jolly and duly carried, the Amendment to Contract for Consulting Services with Public Consulting Group, LLC was approved as presented. This amendment is to update verbiage in the existing contract that Wilkes County Schools has with Public Consulting Group, LLC for consulting services.
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Budget Amendment was approved as presented.
Local Current Expense Fund – Increase of $556,711.00
Discussion and Report Item was presented by Chief Academic Officer Mrs. Callie Grubb. The Memorandum of Agreement with Wilkes Community College and Wilkes County Schools was submitted for review. This agreement will be brought back in October for final approval.
Discussion and Report Item was presented by Chief Academic Officer Mrs. Callie Grubb. The Memorandum of Agreement with Wilkes Community College and Wilkes Early College High School was submitted for review. This agreement will be brought back in October for final approval.
Chairman Mr. Holbrook made the following announcements:
- September 26, 2022 – Required Workday
Chairman Mr. Holbrook announced the next board meeting to be October 3, 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.
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mr. Walker and duly carried, there being no further business, the Board adjourned at 6:25 PM.
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