February 6, 2023

The Board of Education of the Wilkes County Administrative Unit conducted a regular meeting in the Arnold and Becky Lakey Boardroom on Monday, February 6, 2023, 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, Executive Director of Federal Programs and Career & Technical Education Dr. Joe Bullis, Director of Secondary Education, Athletics, and School Safety Mr. David Johnson, Director of Student Services Mrs. April Marr, Director of Testing and Accountability, Cultural Arts, 504, and Title I Dr. Dion Stocks, Director of Transportation Mr. Eric Barker, Director of Exceptional Children Mrs. Jennifer Blankenship, Director of Pre-K and Elementary Education Mr. Jeffery Johnson, EL Coordinator Mrs. Lori Holguin, Public Information Officer Mrs. Morgan Mathis, and Executive Administrative Assistant Mrs. Carolyn Triplett. Also in attendance were Mr. Keith Lyall and Dr. Jim Brooks.

Chairman Mr. Randall “Rudy” Holbrook called the meeting to order.

On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill 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 stated, "It is hard to believe that it is already February, and I mentioned last month that even though this is the shortest month of the year, people often think of it as a long month due to the weather. February is a very exciting time for schools, as we recognize Black History Month, CTE Month, National School Counselors Week, and Bus Driver Appreciation Week. We have National FFA Week at the end of the month, and you had certainly better not forget Valentine's Day! I share all of this to remind us that even though the groundhog saw his shadow last week, February should still remain a very exciting and fun time for us all."

"I do want to share a communication breakthrough that I was reminded of last week and encourage all of you to take advantage of it sometime. I had a friend reach out a few days back and ask if we could take a few minutes to talk about some things they had on their mind concerning schools. We sat down together, put our phones down, and just talked about some of the things that we needed to talk about. We didn’t text, email, use social media, or call on a cell phone to have this conversation, and the tv wasn't on when we talked. We actually paid attention to what the other person had to say. As we got ready to leave, I believe we both felt better about the topics we discussed. We spoke by phone later in the day and both of us talked about how much the earlier conversation helped us. I would encourage each of you to sit down and have a face-to-face conversation with someone sometime during the month of February, especially if something is bothering you. It seems that a lot of our world has forgotten how to have the simplest form of communication and the most productive one, which is a face-to-face conversation. So, even though February is a very short month, find time for a productive conversation and I assure you it will make your entire month go even better! If we do have six more weeks of bad weather, we need to take advantage of it and make time to sit down and talk to someone!"

Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd recognized Dr. Westley Wood, Assistant Superintendent, to recognize the National Board Certification achievements. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) released the latest number of teachers to receive National Board Certification for both states and the nation. Working to establish a professional career continuum for teachers, the National Board is at work across the country, setting the expectation that all teachers should demonstrate accomplished teaching via National Board Certification and become leaders in their schools and communities. Created for teachers, by teachers, National Board Certification is a voluntary, performance-based, peer-review process that recognizes the complex nature of teaching. National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are having a significant impact on student achievement.

Congratulations to the following Wilkes County Schools teachers who were recently awarded National Board Certification:

Amber Roark, Wilkes Early College High School
Mathematics/Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Bryony Blahnik-Thompson, C.C. Wright Elementary School
Generalist/Early Childhood

Focus on the Curriculum was presented by Dr. Joe Bullis, Executive Director of Federal Programs and Career and Technical Education. Industry certifications and credentials are offered through multiple CTE courses. Credentials recognized by North Carolina Career and Technical Educations are valid proof of learning typically endorsed by business and industry partners and provide documentation for student mastery of skills for employment and advancement in a career. Educators and business and industry representatives recommend credentials each year that are aligned with the CTE curriculum and valued by employers.

Dr. Joe Bullis, Executive Director of Career and Technical Education, shared information on credential attainment and the percentage achieved by our CTE students. In North Carolina for the school year 2021-2022, 28% of graduates who were CTE Concentrators earned an industry-recognized credential in the pathway of concentration. Wilkes County students' percentage was 32.3%. During the 2021-2022 academic year, NC CTE initiated a transition to the concept of Credential Potential. Credential Potential is the total number of credentials available to students in a Public School Unit (PSU). Many factors impact a PSU's possible Credential Potential attainment:

Courses that offer multiple credentials for the same content, such as Career Management, will reasonably only see attainment with one of the available credentials;
Credentials that are in the process of being implemented for the first time in a PSU may see lower attainment until fully implemented; and,
Students who take a course over multiple semesters typically attempt the credential during the last portion of the course.

An increase in credentials reported in 2021-2022 is attributed to the return to more traditional instruction as a transition through COVID-19 and increased credential funding proved by the North Carolina General Assembly. Wilkes County Schools showed growth for the year 2021-2022 of +23.7.

Chairman Mr. Rudy Holbrook asked if anyone had signed up for Public Comments. No one signed up.

On a motion by Mr. Walker, seconded by Mr. Kennedy and duly carried, the minutes for January 9, 2023, were approved as presented.

On a motion by Mrs. Caudill, seconded by Mrs. Jolly and duly carried, the Personnel Report was approved as presented.

On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, 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
Wilkes Central High School	Swim Team	Cary, NC	02/08/2023-02/09/2023
Wilkes Central High School	Wrestling Team	Greensboro, NC	02/16/2023-02/18/2023
East Wilkes High School	Madrigals	Flat Rock, NC	04/21/2023-04/22/2023
East Wilkes High School	Teacher Cadet Students	Raleigh, NC	03/10/2023-03/11/2023
East Wilkes High School	Choral Students	New York City, NY	03/30/2023-04/01/2023
East Wilkes High School	Wrestling Team	Bakersville, NC	02/10/2023-02/11/2023
East Wilkes High School	Wrestling Team	Greensboro, NC	02/17/2023-02/18/2023
North Wilkes High School	Key Club	Durham, NC	03/24/2023-03/26/2023
North Wilkes High School	HOSA Students	Greensboro, NC	04/12/2023-04/15/2023
North Wilkes High School	9th Grade Students	Boone, NC and Johnson City, TN	04/04/2023
North Wilkes High School	Wrestling Team	Lincolnton, NC	02/10/2023-02/11/2023
North Wilkes High School	Wrestling Team	Greensboro, NC	02/16/2023-02/18/2023
North Wilkes Middle School	7th & 8th Grade Chorus	Charlotte, NC	04/27/2023
West Wilkes High School	HOSA Competitors	Greensboro, NC	04/12/2023-04/15/2023
West Wilkes High School	Wrestling Team	Lincolnton, NC	02/10/2023-02/11/2023
West Wilkes High School	Wrestling Team	Greensboro, NC	02/16/2023-02/18/2023
West Wilkes Middle School	7th & 8th Grade Chorus	Charlotte, NC	05/06/2023
Wilkes Central High School	HOSA Students	Greensboro, NC	04/12/2023-04/15/2023

On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Data Circuit Vendor was approved as presented. Wilkes County Schools posted a request for bids for 24 data circuits through the Erate program. We requested a 36-month contract with (2) 12-month voluntary extensions. Two bids were received. The bids were as follows:

Vendor/Manufacturer Bid for Monthly Cost
RiverStreet Networks (formerly Wilkes Communications) – $18,305.00
Spectrum Enterprise (formerly Charter) – $22,125.00

RiverStreet Networks provided the lowest bid. This is our current data circuit provider. After reviewing cost, prior experience, compliance with Erate 470 specifications, ineligible costs, management capability, location of vendor, and personnel qualifications, RiverStreet Networks provided the most cost-effective solution.

On a motion by Mrs. Jolly, seconded by Mr. Walker and duly carried, the Wireless Access Point Vendor was approved as presented. Wilkes County Schools requested mini-bids from twenty-nine vendors using NC Department of Public Instruction's approved vendor list for Erate for wireless access points. We received seven bids from six vendors listed below.

Vendor/Manufacturer Bid
A3 Communications/Extreme – $432,272.14
Applied Network Consulting/Aruba – $645,046.45
CDW-G/Extreme – $408,760.28
CDW-G/Juniper – $668,853.26
Encore/Meraki – $653,738.58
Internetwork Services/Meraki – $758,784.71
Step CG/Extreme – $424,549.30

CDW-G’s bid for Extreme wireless access points was the lowest bid. We currently have Extreme wireless access points in our schools so these new access points will interface well with our existing equipment, eliminating extensive downtime, staff training, and technical support costs. After reviewing cost, technical sufficiency, vendor experience, ineligible costs, technical support, and single source vendor information from all vendors and manufacturers, the bid from CDW-G for Extreme wireless access points is the most cost-effective solution. Federal and state funding will support the cost of this equipment.

On a motion by Mrs. Caudill, seconded by Mrs. Jolly and duly carried, the Network Switch Vendor was approved as presented. Wilkes County Schools requested mini-bids from twenty-nine vendors using NC Department of Public Instruction's approved vendor list for Erate for switches. We received five bids from the vendors listed below:

Vendor/Manufacturer Bid
A3 Communications/Extreme – $433,432.62
Applied Network Consulting/Aruba – $704,009.56
Encore/Cisco – $884,388.22
Internetwork Services/Cisco – $957,301.15
Step CG/Extreme – $379,385.54

Although Encore's bid is not the lowest price, the switches quoted will interface most readily with our existing equipment, eliminating extensive downtime, staff training, and technical support costs. After reviewing cost, technical sufficiency, vendor experience, ineligible costs, technical support, and single-source vendor information from all vendors and manufacturers, the bid from Encore for Cisco switches is the most cost-effective solution. Federal and state funding will support the cost of this equipment.

On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mr. Walker and duly carried, the Budget Amendments were approved as presented. They are listed below:

State Public School Fund – Increase of $408,828.00

Current Expense Special Use Fund – Increase of $919,454.00

On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Revision of Board Policy 7241, Drug and Alcohol Testing of Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators was approved as presented. This policy has been revised to meet requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that went into effect on January 6, 2023.

Chairman Mr. Holbrook made the following announcements:

February 8, 2023 – Early Dismissal (Elementary 12:30 PM; Middle/High 1:00 PM)
February 17, 2023 – Optional Workday
February 20, 2023 – Required Workday

Chairman Mr. Holbrook announced the next board meeting to be March 6, 2023. 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. Walker, seconded by Mr. Kennedy and duly carried, there being no further business, the Board adjourned at 6:02 PM.

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WCS Board Meeting Minutes for February 6, 2023

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WCS Board Meeting Minutes for February 6, 2023 (PDF/Printer-Friendly)