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Guilford County Board of Education
Board Meeting
January 13, 2004

GUILFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
REGULAR MEETING
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

The Guilford County Board of Education met in a regular meeting on Tuesday, December 9, 2003, at Penn Griffin Middle School for the Arts, 825 E. Washington Drive, High Point, North Carolina. The following Board members were present: Garry Burnett, Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Deena Hayes, Johnny Hodge, Dot Kearns, Susan Mendenhall (departed at 10:55 p.m.), Nancy Routh, Anita Sharpe, and Marti Sykes. Also present were Superintendent Terry Grier and Attorney Jill Wilson.

Call to Order

Chairman Duncan called the meeting to order at 6:49 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence

Board member Kris Cooke led the Pledge of Allegiance followed by a Moment of Silence.

Public Comments

Chairman Duncan called on the following members of the public who requested an opportunity to address the Board:

Toi Lawson, 4207 Lord Jeff Drive, Greensboro, NC 27405
Douglas Cook, 107 North Downing Street, High Point, NC 27260
Charles Pauling, 1207 Denny Street, High Point, NC 27262
Earl Harrison, 127 College Street, Thomasville, NC 27360
Joe Stafford, 4604 Forest Village Drive, Greensboro, NC 27406

Approval of Agenda

Chairman Duncan asked Board members to review the meeting agenda and requested the addition of a Legislative Report from Board member Dot Kearns under Board Discussion. Board member Anita Sharpe requested Staff Report Item C be moved to Item A. Motion was made by Susan Mendenhall, seconded by Johnny Hodge, to approve the agenda as revised. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote.

Recognitions

2004 Principal of the Year

The Board recognized Leslie W. Dunn as the Guilford County Schools' 2004 Wachovia Principal of the Year and presented her with a plaque. She was also awarded a laptop computer and a $100 gift card both courtesy of Harris Teeter Neighborhood Markets. The Board also recognized five Principal of the Year Finalists including Darcy Kemp - Gillespie Park Elementary, Angelo Kidd - Northeast Guilford High, Mary Joe Lentz - Jones Spanish Immersion Elementary, Christina O'Connor - Kirkman Park Elementary, and Wayne Tuggle - Middle College High at GTCC.

The Board also recognized Principal Mary Joe Lentz and Jones Spanish Immersion Elementary School for receiving a "2003 Dispelling the Myth Award" from The Education Trust.

Election of Board Chairman and Vice Chairman

Board Attorney Jill Wilson led the Board in the election process of the Chairman position by opening the floor to nominations. Board member Kris Cooke, seconded by Marti Sykes, nominated Alan Duncan for the Chairman position. Motion was made by Anita Sharpe, seconded by Johnny Hodge, to close nominations and with no other nominations, the Board elected Alan Duncan as Chairman of the Board of Education by a majority voice vote of 9 to 2 with Darlene Garrett and Deena Hayes opposing.

Chairman Duncan opened the floor for nominations to the Vice-Chairman position. Board member Johnny Hodge, seconded by Susan Mendenhall, nominated Garry Burnett. Board member Nancy Routh, seconded by Marti Sykes, nominated Anita Sharpe. Board member Dot Kearns moved to close nominations. By majority ballot vote, Anita Sharpe was elected as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Education as follows: voting for Garry Burnett - Garry Burnett, Deena Hayes, Johnny Hodge, Dot Kearns, and Susan Mendenhall; voting for Anita Sharpe - Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Nancy Routh, Anita Sharpe, and Marti Sykes.

Report from the Closing the Achievement Gap Community Committee

Special Schools Support Officer Gwen Willis and Bob Johnson, President of Interactive Communications Systems, Inc. presented a report to the Board from the Closing the Achievement Gap Community Committee. The report provided a framework from which actions can be developed for addressing cultural appreciation and eliminating the achievement gap in Guilford County Schools.

Three major conclusions were presented. First, the report stated that eliminating the achievement gap will require a committed, collaborative effort among the school district, county and city elected officials, business and community leaders, students and parents. Second, greater effort must be made to bring cultural appreciation into the mainstream of operation of Guilford County Schools, neighborhoods, and in the business community. Third, eliminating the achievement gap will shape the quality of life for all residents of Guilford County, and define the socio-economic and business development in the Guilford County community for the next several years.

The report also outlined six critical areas of focus including parental involvement, understanding differences, culture of expectations, community empowerment, classroom freedom, and creativity and defining achievement.

Staff Reports

Continued 2004-2005 School Calendar Discussion

Julie Zwahr, Executive Director of Communications, presented an Option D calendar for the Board's consideration which was based on feedback previously received from the public and Board members. Under Option D, August 11 would be the first day of school for students and May 25 would be the last day of school.

Superintendent Grier informed the Board that following the adoption of the school calendar, staff would come before the Board to recommend days for early release as requested by principals. Those days, to be used for staff development, would require the Board's approval. Following discussion, motion was made by Kris Cooke, seconded by Anita Sharpe, to adopt calendar Option D for the 2004-2005 school year with the exception of having 89 days in the first semester by making November 24 an optional teacher workday and the last day of school May 26. The motion failed upon a majority vote of 6 to 5 as follows: Noes - Alan Duncan, Dot Kearns, Johnny Hodge, Susan Mendenhall, Deena Hayes, and Darlene Garrett; Ayes - Anita Sharpe, Marti Sykes, Nancy Routh, Garry Burnett, and Kris Cooke.

Motion was then made by Garry Burnett, seconded by Anita Sharpe, to adopt calendar Option D for the 2004-2005 school year with the exception of making November 24 a half day. The motion failed upon a majority vote of 6 to 5 as follows: Noes - Marti Sykes, Darlene Garrett, Deena Hayes, Dot Kearns, Alan Duncan, and Kris Cooke; Ayes - Anita Sharpe, Susan Mendenhall, Johnny Hodge, Garry Burnett, and Nancy Routh.

Motion was then made by Board member Dot Kearns, seconded by Anita Sharpe, to reconsider the motion made by Kris Cooke that would adopt school calendar Option D for the 2004-2005 school year that would begin school on August 11 and end school on May 26 with November 24 as an optional teacher workday. The motion passed upon majority roll call vote of 6 to 5 as follows: Ayes - Nancy Routh, Garry Burnett, Kris Cooke, Dot Kearns, Anita Sharpe, and Marti Sykes; Noes - Alan Duncan, Johnny Hodge, Susan Mendenhall, Deena Hayes, and Darlene Garrett.

Continued Magnet Schools Discussion

Superintendent Grier and Lisa Cooke, Director of Magnet Schools, reviewed possible magnet school options for inclusion in the 2004 - 2007 Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) Grant as presented at the October 30, November 13, and November 20 Board meetings. Those options and themes are: Lincoln Middle School Center for the Performing Arts and Global Studies; Brown Summit College Preparatory Middle School; GCS Institute of Advanced Technology for grades 9 - 12 at the GTCC site on Washington Street; Kirkman Park Leadership Academy and Spanish Immersion; Southern High School Academy of Education and Advanced Sciences; and McLeansville Middle Academy of Math and Science.

Following a discussion and review of the magnet program options, motion was made by Dot Kearns, seconded by Susan Mendenhall, to adopt the proposed magnet grant proposal for the six programs as described and clarify that no programs would be discontinued that are currently at Weaver Education Center with respect to the GCS Institute of Advanced Technology.

A substitute motion was made by Kris Cooke, seconded by Susan Mendenhall, to direct the administration to apply for the 2004 - 2007 Magnet Schools Assistance Program Grant. The motion passed upon unanimous roll call vote.

A substitute motion to the original motion was made by Deena Hayes, seconded by Darlene Garrett, vote on the proposed magnet program at Kirkman Park separate from the remaining five programs.

A substitute motion to the substitute motion was made by Nancy Routh, seconded by Anita Sharpe, to vote on each program separately. The motion passed upon majority roll call of vote of 10 to 1 as follows: Ayes - Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Dot Kearns, Johnny Hodge, Susan Mendenhall, Deena Hayes, Darlene Garrett, Anita Sharpe, Marti Sykes, and Nancy Routh; Noes - Garry Burnett.

Therefore, the Board voted on each proposed magnet program separately as follows:

Lincoln Middle School Center for the Performing Arts and Global Studies
Motion passed upon unanimous roll call vote.

Southern High School Academy of Education and Advanced Sciences
Motion passed upon unanimous roll call vote.

McLeansville Middle Academy of Math and Science
Motion passed upon unanimous roll call vote.

Brown Summit College Preparatory Middle School
Motion passed upon unanimous roll call vote.

Kirkman Park Leadership Academy and Spanish Immersion
Motion passed upon majority roll call vote of 7 to 4 as follows: Ayes - Marti Sykes, Nancy Routh, Garry Burnett, Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Dot Kearns, and Susan Mendenhall; Noes - Deena Hayes, Darlene Garrett, Anita Sharpe, and Johnny Hodge.

GCS Institute of Advanced Technology for grades 9 - 12 at the GTCC site on Washington Street Chairman Duncan reiterated the caveat that staff coordinate with the Industry Council to ensure preservation of all workforce preparedness programs. The motion passed upon majority roll call vote.

Chairman Duncan clarified that the votes noted above authorized staff to proceed with construction and other facility preparation required as a result of the magnet programs. Any additional proposals for such work would be presented to the Board for approval.

Student Assignment Plan - Phase VI Implementation

Beth Copenhaver, Chief Student Services Officer, and Eric Hoekstra, District Planner/Demographer, presented Phase Six of the Student Assignment Plan. On April 27, 1999, the Board of Education adopted a student assignment plan to be implemented in several phases. The plan consists of three components: educational, school assignment, and facilities.

Phase Six implementation of the plan includes 89 high school students, 221 middle school students, and 191 elementary school students totaling 501 students that will be reassigned at the start of the 2003-04 school year. Approximately 12,400 school children will have been reassigned with the complete implementation of six phases of the Student Assignment Plan.

Ms. Copenhaver reported that ensuing work would include details of the precise addresses involved in this phase of implementation so that parents of affected students will receive notification in February 2004 of their child's school assignment for the fall of 2004. This will also allow time for parents of rising 5th, 8th, 11th, and 12th graders to apply for reassignment to remain at their present schools, as afforded through the Board's adopted grandfather clause.

Implementation of this phase of the student assignment plan affects the following school attendance zones:

Following a review of the Phase Six implementation, motion was made by Anita Sharpe, seconded by Alan Duncan, to reconsider the shift of students from Alamance Elementary to Sedalia Elementary. Mr. Hoekstra explained that this shift includes an area bounded on the east by Clapp Farm Road south of McConnell Road, bounded on the west by South Buffalo Creek, bounded on the south by I-40, and bounded on the north by a line just north of McConnell Road which would include an area in the vicinity of Ewing Drive. The motion passed upon majority vote of 7 to 4 as follows: Ayes - Anita Sharpe, Darlene Garrett, Deena Hayes, Dot Kearns, Alan Duncan, Nancy Routh, and Marti Sykes; Noes - Susan Mendenhall, Johnny Hodge, Kris Cooke, and Garry Burnett.

Mr. Hoekstra informed the Board that approximately 1,900 to 2,000 students remain to be shifted and a phase seven and possibly phase eight would be necessary to complete the 1999 Student Assignment Plan.

Mr. Hoekstra presented recommended changes to the student assignment plan for the Board's consideration and discussion that would address growth issues in the Summerfield area and the size of Ragsdale High School. The first recommendation is to shift students residing in an area south of Lake Higgins and Lake Brandt from Summerfield/Laughlin to Claxton Elementary. The second recommendation includes reassigning students in the Alderman Elementary zone from Ragsdale High to Western High. This shift would be completed in the following manner: shift approximately 33 students from Southwest High School to Western High; shift approximately 32 students from Southwest Middle to Guilford Middle; and shift approximately 79 students from Allen Middle to Guilford Middle.

Chairman Duncan requested that staff schedule a meeting to allow the parents of affected students an opportunity to receive information on the recommended changes and to provide feedback.

Consent Agenda

Superintendent Grier presented the following consent agenda items:

A. November 2003 Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the November 13 Regular Meeting and November 20 Special Called Meeting.

B. Personnel Action Report for the Period Ending November 21, 2003

The Consent Agenda included personnel actions as noted in the monthly Personnel Action Report requiring Board approval as well as an Addendum that includes the appointment of Dustin Johnson, Principal, location to be determined.

C. 2003-2004 Budget Amendments/Transfers Report

The Consent Agenda included State, Local, Federal, Capital Outlay Fund, and After School Care Enrichment Services (ACES) Fund budget amendments/transfers for the 2003-2004 school year as follows:

• State Public School Fund Amendment #4 reflected the receipt of textbook commission clerical assistance funding ($12,000), May, June, and August 2003 fines and forfeitures and September 2003 interest for school technology ($151,711), allotment adjustments for Staff Development ($98,164), Children with Special Needs funds ($81,686), and transfers due to site-based requests and year-to-date expenditures.
• Local Current Expense Fund Amendment #4 reflected the receipt of July 2003 Smart Start reimbursement ($5,525), the appropriation of 2002-2003 encumbrance reserve ($2,597,188), and transfers due to site-based requests and year-to-date expenditures.
• Federal Grant Fund Amendment #4 reflected the adjustments to the following grants: Abstinence Education (-$58), Title V-Innovative Education Program Strategies (-$453), and transfers due to site-based requests and year-to-date expenditures.
• Capital Outlay Fund Amendment #3 reflected the transfers due to site-based requests and year-to-date expenditures.
• After School Care Enrichment Services (ACES) Fund Amendment #1 reflected the 2003-2004 revenue/expense projections based on current enrollment and transfers due to site-based requests and year-to-date expenditures.

D. Contracts for Additions and Renovations at Oak Ridge Elementary School

The Consent Agenda included a recommendation to award a contract to Lyon Construction in the amount of $8,640,000 for additions and renovations at Oak Ridge Elementary School. On September 17, 2003, bids were received for additions and renovations at Oak Ridge Elementary School. The lowest bidder, Hairston Enterprises failed to list their sub-contractors on the bid form as required by General Statute 143-128. Therefore, their bid was deemed non-responsive. All other bids were over the construction budget of $9,147,507.

The project was re-advertised and eighteen bids were received on October 15, 2003. Hairston Enterprises submitted a low bid of $8,017,000 including Alternate G-1 (Proprietary door hardware). Hairston Enterprises failed to submit a bid bond executed by a corporate surety licensed under the laws of North Carolina to execute such bonds in the State of North Carolina, as required by General Statute 143-129 (b). Therefore, the lowest responsible responsive bidder is Lyon Construction, Inc., Winston-Salem, NC with a bid of $8,640,000 including Alternate G-1.

E. SECURE Cooperative

The Consent Agenda included a recommendation that the Guilford County School District remain a member of the Southeast Cooperative Utilizing Resources Efficiently (SECURE) Cooperative for the 2004-2005 school year and that the Board authorize district representatives to complete any necessary documents to continue that commitment.

When the district joined SECURE in May 2001, we committed to closely monitor the advantages and disadvantages of the cooperative to determine if the district should continue participation in subsequent years.

As in the previous two years, a comprehensive market basket analysis has been conducted by the School Nutrition Services department, now in conjunction with Sodexho's purchasing group. The results indicate that SECURE does continue to significantly save (10-12%) the district in overall food and non-food product costs.

Under the SECURE contract, districts must annually notify the Cooperative no later than January if they wish to discontinue participation for the upcoming year. After careful consideration, School Nutrition Services recommends that Guilford County Schools remain a member of the SECURE cooperative.

F. First Reading - Policy AC, Discrimination - Free Environment

The Consent Agenda included a recommendation to approve Board Policy AC, Discrimination - Free Environment for first reading.

G. First Reading - Policy JQKA, International Exchange Students

The Consent Agenda included a recommendation to approve Board Policy JQKA, International Exchange Students for first reading.

Motion was made by Kris Cooke, seconded by Dot Kearns, to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. The motion passed upon majority roll call vote as follows: Ayes - Marti Sykes, Nancy Routh, Garry Burnett, Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Dot Kearns, Johnny Hodge, Susan Mendenhall, Deena Hayes (No on item B), Darlene Garrett (No on item B), and Anita Sharpe.

Board Discussion

Board Member Nancy Routh presented a report from the Governance Review Committee that included recommended revisions to the former Governance Process (GP) and Board Staff Relations (BSR) Policies. The Governance Committee recommended the Board approve the policies for first reading and distribute them for a period of public comment. Dr. Routh noted that the Committee recommended some policies be incorporated into the Board's By-Laws rather than to become separate policies.

By a unanimous show of hands, the Board approved the recommended policies and By-Law revisions for first reading. Board member Susan Mendenhall departed at 10:55 p.m. and was absent from the vote.

The Board will further discuss and review feedback on the recommended policies during its January retreat (date to be determined).

Legislative Update

Board Member Dot Kearns informed the Board that the United States Senate would soon be addressing the Omnibus Appropriations Bill. Ms. Kearns distributed a draft letter for the Board's consideration that would be sent to North Carolina Senators asking them to vote against the Omnibus Appropriations Bill and to oppose the inclusion of the private school voucher for the District of Columbia. Motion was made by Kris Cooke, seconded by Johnny Hodge, to approve and send the letter distributed by Ms. Kearns. The motion passed upon a majority roll call vote of 8 to 2 as follows: Ayes - Nancy Routh, Marti Sykes, Anita Sharpe, Darlene Garrett, Dot Kearns, Alan Duncan, Kris Cooke, and Garry Burnett; Noes - Deena Hayes and Johnny Hodge. Board members Deena Hayes and Johnny Hodge requested their names remain on the letter and left unsigned.

Reports from the Chairman

Chairman Duncan reported that the Industry Council had requested a liaison from the Board to attend their monthly meetings on workforce preparedness. Motion was made by Darlene Garrett, seconded by Kris Cooke, to appoint a Board liaison to the Industry Council. The motion passed upon unanimous show of hands. Chairman Duncan asked for volunteers to serve as the Industry Council Liaison.

Closed Session

At 11:23 p.m., motion was made by Anita Sharpe, seconded by Johnny Hodge, to go into closed session to preserve the attorney client privilege and to discuss and give instruction to the Board's attorney and agents regarding the price or other material terms of a contract or proposed contract for the purchase of real estate pursuant to N.C.G.S. 143-318.11. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote.

The Board returned to open session at 11:31 p.m.

Upon return to open session, Board member Nancy Routh read a proposed resolution (copy attached to the minutes) relating to land for an elementary school currently owned by Mrs. Amelia C. Stout. Motion was made by Johnny Hodge, seconded by Marti Sykes, to approve the resolution as presented. The motion passed upon unanimous roll call vote.

Board Comments

Board members were each allowed two minutes to make remarks, as they deemed appropriate.

Adjournment

With no further business, at 11:40 p.m., motion was made by Darlene Garrett, seconded by Anita Sharpe, to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote.