December 4, 2023
The Board of Education of the Wilkes County Administrative Unit conducted a regular meeting in the Arnold and Becky Lakey Boardroom on Monday, December 4, 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 Mrs. Joan Caudill, Mrs. Jammie Jolly, and Mr. Kirk Walker. 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 Secondary Education, Athletics, and School Safety Mr. David Johnson, Director of Maintenance Mr. Bergie Speaks, Director of Pre-K and Elementary Education Mr. Jeffery Johnson, ESL Coordinator Mrs. Lori Holguin, Director of Testing and Accountability, Cultural Arts, 504, and Title I Dr. Dion Stocks, Director of Federal Programs and Career & Technical Education Dr. Joe Bullis, Director of Exceptional Children Mrs. Jennifer Blankenship, Public Information Officer Mrs. Morgan Mathis, and Executive Administrative Assistant Mrs. Carolyn Triplett. Also in attendance were Mrs. Amanda Pruitt, Principal of West Wilkes High School, Mr. Craig Tidline, Principal of Boomer Ferguson Elementary School, Mrs. Danielle Dowell, Principal of Roaring River Elementary School, Mrs. Dee Surgeon, Principal of North Wilkes High School, Mrs. Nikki Patrick, Principal of Millers Creek Elementary School, Mrs. Teresa Stone, Principal of C.B. Eller Elementary School, Mrs. Andrea Byers, Principal of Mount Pleasant Elementary School, and Wilkes County Commissioner Mr. Stoney Greene, Vice Chairman.
Chairman Mr. Randall "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.
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. D. Mark Byrd for the Superintendent's Welcome and Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Byrd stated, "The month of December is an exciting time working in schools as we begin to see a lot of excited children and adults with the upcoming holiday season. So, before I start to talk about other things, let me wish everyone in the room a Merry Christmas and a peaceful holiday season. As we move into what some refer to as a season of giving, I hope we can all look for ways to give more to those around us in the coming year, and when I say more, I mean the gifts of our time, attention, and efforts. Often, the best gifts you can ever give someone don't actually cost you a dime and only require a little bit of effort. I saw a great example of this yesterday. I walked into church and saw a whole pew filled with staff members from an elementary school. I realized they were there to watch some of their students perform in their Christmas play. I have heard for my entire career how much it means to kids for us to attend their ballgames, concerts, or drama presentations. Imagine how much it meant to a kid to have people from their school come to see them in their Christmas play. I would mention the names of those teachers, but I know that recognition is not why they were there. I'm not sure who was prouder when we left, whether it was the students who were in the play or the Superintendent who was so proud of staff members putting forth the extra effort to show students that they cared. I challenge each of us to do something for someone that we don’t have to do in the month of December. I assure you this will make your holiday season more rewarding. Use these teachers as an example - they went to this event to see their students but ended up making their Superintendent's day when he saw the efforts they were putting forth for kids."
"Once we move past Christmas, people's thoughts immediately turn to the new year, and let me get the jump on that by saying that I am proud of the year that Wilkes County Schools has had in 2023. While it is not over yet, I hope you join me in being just as proud of what our students accomplished and what our adults accomplished for students. Looking back, 2023 will go down in the history of Wilkes County Schools as a great year! And next month, we will start to talk about how we can make 2024 even better!"
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd recognized Dr. Westley Wood, Assistant Superintendent, to announce the Science Fair Winners. Wilkes County Schools hosted the 2023-2024 Wilkes County Schools Science Fair on November 9, 2023. Over 50 outstanding projects were entered from grades 3-8. Wilkes County Schools had 10 elementary and 8 middle school projects that will advance to the regional science fair at Lenoir Rhyne University. Congratulations to these students:
Lily Stanley, C.B. Eller Elementary School
Beckett Willis, C.B. Eller Elementary School
Brooklyn Blevins, C.B. Eller Elementary School
Emily Craft, Mount Pleasant Elementary School
Jaelynn Hale, Mount Pleasant Elementary School
Aaleigha Hodge, Mountain View Elementary School
Liam Stamper, Mountain View Elementary School
Rylan Holbrook, Traphill Elementary School
Ryan Hurst, Traphill Elementary School
Sophia Berrier, Traphill Elementary School
Noah Mathis, North Wilkes Middle School
Jensen Pruitt, North Wilkes Middle School
Brody Seeley, North Wilkes Middle School
Annie Rogers, West Wilkes Middle School
Ava Redies, West Wilkes Middle School
Ayla York, West Wilkes Middle School
Brooklyn Rust, West Wilkes Middle School
Calloway Greene, West Wilkes Middle School
Grace Edwards, West Wilkes Middle School
Isabella Zieglar, West Wilkes Middle School
Peyton Williams, West Wilkes Middle School
Watson Shumate, West Wilkes Middle School
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd recognized Dr. Westley Wood, Assistant Superintendent, to recognize the 2023 Mountaineer Top Readers. The Mountaineer Readers program is a partnership between the Reich College of Education and Appalachian State Athletics to promote and celebrate literacy in surrounding counties. Each year, participating students read books of their choosing during the summer months and record their reading on a log provided by App State Athletics/RCOE. Students then submit the log to their school's media center coordinator during the first week of school.
Wilkes County had three students recognized for being top students for the county, one school recognized for being a top school in the region, and one classroom recognized. Congratulations to these students who were the top readers for Wilkes County: Grayson Hodge from Mountain View Elementary was the top reader in the 1st-2nd grade category, Aaleigha Hodge from Mountain View Elementary was the top reader in the 3rd-4th grade category, and Vaughn Nichols from Millers Creek Elementary was the top reader in the 5th grade category. These students were recognized for their achievements during Appalachian State University's Education Day football game on Saturday, November 4th.
Congratulations to Millers Creek Elementary School for being top school for the region! All top schools will receive a special video message from the App State student-athletes.
Congratulations to Jennifer Crouse's third grade classroom at Mountain View Elementary School for being a top classroom!
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd recognized Dr. Westley Wood, Assistant Superintendent, to recognize the Foothills 2A and Northwest 1A Athletic Conference Recognitions. The Foothills 2A and Northwest 1A fall all-conference teams were recently announced following the fall sports season. We are proud to recognize one coach and one student from Wilkes County Schools who were chosen as Coach of the Year and Runner of the Year.
We would like to congratulate Colby Shell from Wilkes Central High School. Coach Shell was recognized as the Foothills 2A Men's and Women's Cross-Country Coach of the Year.
We would like to congratulate Peyton Gage from Wilkes Central High School. Peyton was recognized as the Foothills 2A Cross Country Female Runner of the Year.
Superintendent Mr. Mark Byrd recognized Dr. Westley Wood, Assistant Superintendent, to announce the High School Marching Band Awards. Wilkes County Schools is proud to recognize the hard work of our Marching Band programs following another successful season of competitions. Tonight, we recognize each of our four traditional high school band programs and the extra effort they have put into their marching band show and program. Each band competed in numerous events, and we will highlight only a few of those accomplishments.
West Wilkes High School
Director: Mr. Matt Dauer
Drum Major: Eden Johnson
Director: Mr. Matt Dauer
Drum Major: Eden Johnson
The Blackhawk Band attended four competitions this season and presented this year's field show "STEAMPUNK: Become the Machine". The band was recognized for their hard work, musicianship, and showmanship and earned higher ratings at each festival throughout the season. The band earned 22 awards this season, including two Pit Crew awards for their fantastic Pit Crew made of parents, alumni, and students. Awards included the following listed below:
Five 3rd place awards: Overall Band 1A, Music, General Effect, Percussion, and Drum Major
Seven 2nd place awards: Overall Band 1A, Music, General Effect, two for Marching, Color Guard, and Drum Major
Eight 1st Place Awards: Two for Overall Band 1A, two for Percussion, Music, General Effect, Color Guard, and Drum Major
Two special awards
Two Pit Crew Awards
Wilkes Central High School
Band Director: Christian Bruce
Drum Major: Addison McManus
Band Director: Christian Bruce
Drum Major: Addison McManus
Wilkes Central High School participated in 3 competitions this fall. This fall's show was entitled "Our Time." The band earned a total of 14 awards at the 3 three competitions. Out of those, nine were first-place awards. Awards included:
Four 3rd Place Placements: Marching, Music, General Effect, and Class 1A
Six 1st Place Awards: Drum Major (2 different competitions), General Effect (2 different competitions), Percussion, Color Guard, Music, and Visual Effects
2nd Place Overall Class 2A at North Wilkes HS Competition
1st Place Overall Class 1A at the North Davidson HS Competition
The director was awarded the "Scariest Band Director" Award at NWHS and the "Best Band Director" Award at North Davidson.
North Wilkes High School
Band Director: Ms. Kira Gileza
Drum Majors: Molly Meyerhofer and Dylin Barlowe
Band Director: Ms. Kira Gileza
Drum Majors: Molly Meyerhofer and Dylin Barlowe
This year, the North Wilkes Marching Vikings performed a show entitled "Best of Luck" by Joshua V. Hinkel, which explores the world's viewpoint on luck and superstitions. The Vikings performed at four Competitions this season, hosted their annual "Viking Clash of Bands" Marching Band Competition, and hosted the Wilkes County Marching Band Expo. This season, the North Wilkes Marching Vikings won ten trophies in the following categories:
Five 3rd place awards: Marching and Visual, General Effect, Color Guard, Drum Major, and Overall in Class 1A
One 2nd place award: Color Guard
East Wilkes High School
Band Director: Colin Whiteley
Drum Majors: Shelby Springfield and Phebe Eller
Band Director: Colin Whiteley
Drum Majors: Shelby Springfield and Phebe Eller
East Wilkes High School had a very successful season once again. The Band participated in several competitions during their fall marching season where their hard work was awarded by placing in several competitions. This season's show was titled, "Dragonfall." Awards included:
Three 1st place awards: Drum Major Overall Class 1A & 2A, Drum Major Class 1A (2 times), and Drum Major Class 2A
Two 2nd place awards: Overall Class 1A (2 times) and Color Guard Class 1A
Three 3rd place awards: Overall Class 2A, Percussion Class 1A, and General Effect Class 1A
One 4th place award: Overall 1A
The "Christopher Harmon" Spirit Award
Focus on the Curriculum was presented by Mrs. Lori Holguin, English as a Second Language Coordinator. Mrs. Holguin presented a brief insight into the changing demographic of our English Learner (EL) population, including immigrant numbers, EL Headcount, and the effect on our schools. Initiatives and district strategies with these changes in our EL subgroup were included. The parents of multilingual children in the Wilkes County Schools share a great interest in education and understand the vital role it plays in a better future for their children. Multilingual students are generally eager and want to learn.
At this time, we have 553 students in the program. Wilkes County Schools represents thirty-three different languages. Hispanic students are the fastest-growing ethnic group in North Carolina schools. Mrs. Holguin commented that 59% of multilingual learners in the Wilkes County Schools were born in the U.S. and are U.S. citizens. The other 41% are considered immigrants. Many of our students were born here in Wilkes County. More interpreters have been hired in the last four years to help meet the needs of immigrant students in all schools, plus their families. Wilkes County Schools offer multilingual nights and Culture Fest as efforts to make and connect families of multilingual students with available resources. Grants have also been awarded to help with these efforts as well. Wilkes County Schools strives to be supportive of its multilingual students and families.
Chairman Mr. Rudy Holbrook asked if anyone had signed up for Public Comments. No one had signed up.
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Jolly and duly carried, the minutes for November 6, 2023, were approved as presented.
On a motion by Mr. Walker, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Personnel Report was approved as presented.
Resignation(s) and/or Retirement(s)
Angie Church – Counselor – Roaring River Elementary School
Retirement effective – January 1, 2024, with twenty-eight years and seven months of service
Joan Sparks – Teacher – East Wilkes Middle School
Retirement effective – December 1, 2023, with twenty-eight years and one month of service
Walter Craig Tidline – Principal – Boomer Ferguson Elementary School
Retirement effective – February 1, 2024, with twenty-six years and eleven months of service
Sherri Tribble – Teacher – Mulberry Elementary School
Retirement effective – February 1, 2024, with thirty years and four months of service
Kathy Wagoner – Bus Driver – Mulberry Elementary School
Retirement effective – January 1, 2024, with twenty-three years and eight months of service
On a motion by Mrs. Caudill, seconded by Mr. Kennedy and duly carried, the Out-of-County/Overnight field trips were approved as presented. Planned dates are listed below.
| School | Group | Destination | Dates |
| North Wilkes High School | Choral Festival Participants |
Mars Hill, NC
|
02/09/2024-02/10/2024 |
| North Wilkes Middle School | 8th Grade Students |
Boone, NC and Abingdon, VA
|
12/13/2023 |
| West Wilkes High School |
"Securing the Future" Student Group
|
Washington, DC, England, France, Poland, Czech Republic, and Switzerland
|
07/08/2024-07/24/2024 |
| Wilkes Central High School | Choral Students |
Mars Hill, NC and Asheville, NC
|
02/09/2024-02/10/2024 |
| Wilkes Central High School | Wrestlers |
Lincoln, NC
|
02/09/2024-02/10/2024
|
| Wilkes Central High School | Wrestlers |
Greensboro, NC
|
02/15/2024-02/17/2024
|
| Wilkes Early College High School | Super Seniors, Seniors, and Juniors |
Orlando, FL
|
04/23/2024-04/26/2024
|
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Low-Performing School Improvements Plans for the district were approved as presented. Schools identified as low-performing (receive a school performance grade of D or F and school growth score of "met expected growth" or "not met expected growth") must develop an improvement plan that specifically addresses how the school will improve both the school performance grade and the school growth score. Schools must also notify parents of the low-performing status. Boomer Ferguson, C.C. Wright, and Roaring River Elementary Schools are identified as low-performing schools. Their school improvement plans are housed in an online tool called NCStar and were presented at the November meeting.
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Caudill and duly carried, the Budget Amendment was approved as presented and is listed below:
State Public School Fund – Increase of $1,715,299.00
Local Current Expense Fund – Increase of $88,478.00
Current Expense Special Use Fund – Increase of $634,234.00
On a motion by Mr. Walker, seconded by Mr. Kennedy and duly carried, the Roofing Project at C. B. Eller Elementary School was approved as presented. Proposals were received and opened publicly by Wolf Trail Engineering, 1001 Lancaster Ave, Monroe, NC 28112 on behalf of Wilkes County Schools on November 28th, 2023, at 2:00 PM for reroofing the fifth-grade wing and gym lobby at C. B. Eller Elementary as phase one of a two-phase roofing project. City Scape Roofing was the apparent low bidder with a base bid of $207,185.00. There was also an alternate for covering a wall in lieu of reusing the existing metal which was an additional $2,600.00. A bid tabulation form was received along with a recommendation letter from the engineer to award City Scape Roofing the entire project both base bid and alternate totaling $209,785.00.
On a motion by Mr. Kennedy, seconded by Mrs. Jolly and duly carried, the myFutureNC attainment goal was approved as presented. In February of 2021, the Wilkes County Schools Board of Education adopted a resolution to endorse the myFutureNC educational attainment goal of having two million North Carolinians to have a high-quality credential or post-secondary degree by 2030. myFutureNC is a statewide non-profit organization focused on educational attainment and is the result of cross-sector collaboration between NC leaders in education, business, and government. (See Attachment One)
Discussion and Report Item was presented by Mr. Prevette, Chief Finance Officer. Mr. Prevette introduced Mr. Nick Wicker with Strickland Hardee PLLC to report the 2022-2023 fiscal year audit.
Discussion and Report Item Summer Success Plan 2023-2024 was presented by Mrs. Callie Grubb. The Department of Public Instruction has approved that all districts may administer the End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) tests during summer school. The scores from the tests will be included in the proficiency calculations for school accountability within the current accountability year. Wilkes County Schools has elected to provide a summer school program, called "WCS Success Academy," immediately following the last day of school. It will extend the school year for qualifying students by up to four days. This plan was submitted for review and will be presented for final approval at the next board meeting in January.
Chairman Mr. Holbrook made the following announcements:
- December 15, 2023 – Early Dismissal
- December 18-20, 2023 – Optional Workdays
- December 21-22, 2023 – Annual Leave Days
- December 25-27, 2023 – Christmas Holiday
- December 28-29, 2023 – Annual Leave Days
- January 1, 2024 – New Year's Holiday
- January 2, 2024 – Required Workday
Chairman Mr. Holbrook announced the next board meeting to be January 8, 2024. 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 Mrs. Jolly, with no further business the Board of Education voted unanimously to adjourn at 6:34 PM. All board members wished everyone a "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" and encouraged everyone to spend time with family and remember the reason for the season.
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