Guilford County Board of Education
Board Meeting
February 8, 2007

GUILFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
REGULAR MEETING
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

The Guilford County Board of Education met in a regular meeting on Tuesday, January 9, 2007, at 712 North Eugene Street, Greensboro, North Carolina. The following board members were present: Jeff Belton, Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Deena Hayes, Garth Hébert (arrived at 6:03 p.m.), Dot Kearns (arrived at 6:32 p.m.), Amos Quick, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe (arrived at 6:13 p.m.). Board member Walter Childs was absent. Also present were Superintendent Terry Grier and Attorney Jill Wilson.

Call to Order
Chairman Duncan called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence
Board member Darlene Garrett led the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence.

Recognitions

A.  Piedmont Triad Education Consortium Recognition – Page High and Parkview Elementary

The board recognized Page High and Parkview Elementary as recipients of the Piedmont Triad Education Consortium’s Signature Schools Award. Board members Kris Cooke and Darlene Garrett presented recognition plaques to Terry Worrell, Page High School principal, and Vicki Miller, Parkview Elementary School principal.

B. Guilford County Schools Employee of the Month for January 2007

The board recognized Tara Peeples, a communications engineer with the technology department, as the district’s January Employee of the Month. Board member Nancy Routh presented Ms. Peeples with a certificate of recognition. In a prior ceremony, Ms. Peeples received a $50 gift card from Sam’s Club, which has partnered with GCS to support the employee recognition program.

Public Comments

Chairman Duncan called on members of the public who requested an opportunity to address the board.

Sharon Johnston, 3014 Redford Drive, Greensboro, NC 27408
Jeff Webster, 4807 Worcester Place, Jamestown, NC 27282
Bill Spaulding, Three Yardarm Court, Greensboro, NC 27455
Jessica Routh, 812 Haddington Court, Whitsett, NC 27377
Carla Chambers, 1625 Brookhaven Mill Road, Greensboro, NC 27406
Stephanie Leddon, 5050 B McConnell Road, Whitsett, NC 27377
Mary Burritt, 2016 Fleming Road, Greensboro, NC 27410
Linda Welborn, 4903 Warfield Drive, Greensboro, NC 27406
Chris Gann, 4979 Harvest Road, McLeansville, NC 27301
Chris Edmondson, 19 Hastings Circle, Greensboro, NC 27406
Kimberli Bullard, 4400 Shaw Farm Circle, Greensboro, NC 27406
Cindy Wood, 4809 Edinborough Road, Greensboro, NC 27406
Kylie Wood, 4809 Edinborough Road, Greensboro, NC 27406
Abby Wood, 4809 Edinborough Road, Greensboro, NC 27406
Lola Weikel, 4708 Barrington Court, Jamestown, NC 27282
Clyde Gann, 1323 Covered Wagon Road, McLeansville, NC 27301
Jay Palen, 4806 Edinborough Road, Greensboro, NC 27406
Bailey Morgan, 5208 Shoffner Road, McLeansville, NC 27301

At the end of the designated 45-minute public comment period, Chairman Duncan indicated that additional time would be allowed for public comments at the end of the business portion of the meeting for those persons who had registered to speak and had not yet been afforded the opportunity to do so.

Approval of Agenda

Chairman Duncan asked board members to review the meeting agenda and called for a motion to approve or amend it. Chairman Duncan requested that the Staff Reports item “Alternative Contracting Method Request for The Academy at Smith Project” be pulled from the agenda and replaced with the Staff Reports item “High School Exams.” Motion was made by Darlene Garrett, seconded by Anita Sharpe, to approve the agenda as amended. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote.

Consent Agenda
Superintendent Grier presented the following Consent Agenda items:

A.   Meeting Minutes

The minutes of the December 5 Regular Meeting and December 19 Regular Meeting were presented for approval.

B.  Personnel Action Reports

The consent agenda included personnel actions as noted in the monthly Personnel Action Report requiring board approval.

C.  Proposed 2007-08 Early/Middle College Calendars

The consent agenda included a recommendation that the board approve the proposed early/middle college calendars for the 2007-08 school year. These calendars were developed based on the respective college/university school year calendars and include input from each school’s leadership team and/or staff.

D. First Reading – Policy BK, Board Participation in Community Activities

The consent agenda included a recommendation to approve for first reading Policy BK, Board Participation in Community Activities.

E. First Reading – Policy IM, Planning Time

The consent agenda included a recommendation to approve for first reading Policy IM, Planning Time.           

F. First Reading – Policy IL, Pledge of Allegiance

The consent agenda included a recommendation to approve for first reading Policy IL, Pledge of Allegiance.

G. Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Project Ordinance Revision

The consent agenda included a recommendation that the board approve to authorize appropriate staff member(s) to appear before the Guilford County Board of Commissioners on January 18, 2007 and request approval of the project ordinance revisions. The administration is requesting that $78,462 in prior year sales tax refunds be transferred to the following projects:

Aycock Middle    $  19,161
Dudley High        $  59,301

The funds are needed at Aycock Middle to cover the costs of science lab upgrades. The funds are needed at Dudley High to cover the costs associated with repairing/replacing the roof on the old science building, repairing/replacing the heating system in the auto body shop and installing doors between the band room and the choral room for soundproofing purposes.

The administration has requested that an item seeking approval of these project ordinance revisions be placed on the county commissioners’ agenda of January 18, 2007, subject to the board’s approval of the item on January 9, 2007. In the event the ordinance revisions are not approved by the board on January 9, 2007, the administration will contact the county and request that the item be pulled. The request is being handled in this manner due to the immediate need to transfer the funds, process payment(s) to the contractor(s) and meet the due date for submitting items to be placed on the county commissioners’ agenda for consideration at the January 18 meeting.

H. Revised Eastern High School Make up Calendar

The consent agenda included a recommendation that the board approve a modified make-up calendar for Eastern High School. Due to different start dates following the fire, the make-up calendars previously developed for the two sites were not aligned until following spring break. This lack of alignment presented problems for second semester scheduling and conducting winter exams as many students and teachers attend/teach classes at both sites.

The revised schedule aligns the calendars for both sites from the start of the January exam dates forward.

Motion was made by Darlene Garrett, seconded by Kris Cooke, to approve the consent agenda as presented. Consent agenda items A, B, C, E, F, G and H passed upon unanimous roll call vote. Consent agenda item D passed upon majority roll call vote of 9-to-1 as follows: Ayes – Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Kris Cooke, Darlene Garrett, Garth Hébert, Dot Kearns, Amos Quick, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe; Nays – Alan Duncan.

Staff Reports

Eastern High School Update

Kevin Lear, chief operations officer, and Dave Burnett, executive director of facilities, gave an update on Eastern High School and answered questions from the board. Mr. Lear emphasized the administration’s strong sense of urgency for completion of the modular village for the beginning of the 2007-08 school year.

Sharon Ozment, chief finance officer, presented to the board a recommendation for approval to authorize appropriate staff member(s) to appear before the county commissioners on January 18, 2007 to request approval of the project ordinance as for Phase I of the construction of the Eastern Guilford High replacement facility. On December 19, 2006, the board approved placing ninth-twelfth grade EGHS students in a modular village on the existing EGHS campus effective with the 2007-08 school year. The students will remain in the modular village until such time as a replacement facility can be constructed on the campus. Fiscal year 2007-08 and 2008-09 operating funds will be earmarked for the lease costs associated with the modular village (i.e., lease on 10 modular complexes @ $50,000 per month for up to 24 months; delivery/set-up and disassembly/removal by manufacturer at the end of the lease period) and regular capital outlay funds will be utilized for the related general construction costs (i.e., utility connections, sidewalks, ramps, phone/data lines, fire alarms, construction contingency).

The administration is currently seeking approval of a project ordinance in the amount of $8 million for Phase I of the construction of the Eastern Guilford High replacement facility. The $8 million will cover design costs, soft costs (advertising fees, bid document reproduction costs, engineering/topography/boundary surveys and soil test borings), grading and parking. The funding sources for the project ordinance will be the $5 million in insurance proceeds received to date plus $927,898 in public school building capital funds plus $2,072,102 in state lottery proceeds.

The administration has requested that an item seeking approval of this project ordinance be placed on the county commissioners’ agenda of January 18, 2007 subject to the board’s approval of the item on January 9, 2007. In the event the ordinance is not approved by the board on January 9, 2007, the administration will contact the county and request that the item be pulled. The request is being handled in this manner due to the immediate need to have funds available to begin work on the replacement facility and meet the due date for submitting items to be placed on the county commissioner agenda for consideration at the January 18 meeting.

Motion was made by Kris Cooke, seconded by Jeff Belton, to authorize appropriate staff member(s) to appear before the Guilford County Board of Commissioners on January 18, 2007 and request approval of the project ordinance as outlined above for Phase I of the construction of the Eastern Guilford High School replacement facility. The motion passed upon majority electronic vote of 9-to-1 as follows: Ayes – Jeff Belton, Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Deena Hayes, Garth Hébert, Dot Kearns, Amos Quick, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe; Nays – Darlene Garrett.

AYP and ABCs Update

Dr. Gongshu Zhang, executive accountability and research officer, presented to the board an AYP and ABCs update. This item was deferred from the December 19, 2006 meeting.

Chairman Duncan requested that Dr. Zhang be available at the January 20 board retreat to continue the discussion and answer questions from board members. He also requested that Chief Academic Officer Mack McCary be available to discuss strategies for improvement.

CPI (Cumulative Promotion Index) Graduation Rate Update

Dr. Gongshu Zhang, executive accountability and research officer, presented to the board an update on the CPI graduation rate. This item was deferred from the December 19, 2006 meeting.

Chairman Duncan requested that Dr. Zhang be available at the January 20 board retreat to continue the discussion and answer questions from board members. He also requested that Chief Academic Officer Mack McCary be available to discuss strategies for keeping students in school to successfully complete their high school educations.

Request for Easement and Right-of-Way Agreements at the Southwest High School Property

Kevin Lear, chief operations officer, presented to the board a recommendation to approve the right-of-way and easement as requested by the City of High Point affecting the Southwest High School property. As reported at the December 5, 2006 board meeting, the City of High Point has requested that the board grant to it (for a consideration of $1.00) a permanent right-of-way affecting two small parcels of the Southwest High School property for the widening of Barrow Road. The property area in question involves a total of 22,227 square feet adjacent to the current right-of-way line of Barrow Road.

The city has also requested that the board grant to it (for a consideration of $1.00) a utility easement affecting an area containing 15,528 square feet adjacent to the Barrow Road right-of-way. Additionally, the city has requested that the board grant to it (for a consideration of $1.00) a temporary construction easement affecting an area containing 21,981 square feet for its Barrow Road Widening Project. Per the board’s direction, staff met again with city officials to negotiate the terms of the right-of-way transfer. The city has committed to the following items:

• Install right and left turn lanes on Barrow Road at Southwest School Drive at an estimated cost of $180,000
• Install a traffic signal with pedestrian crosswalks at the intersection of Barrow Road and Southwest School Drive at an estimated cost of $80,000
• Install sidewalk on the east side of Barrow Road, adjacent to the school, at an estimated cost of $30,000
• Install right and left turn lanes into the student parking lot from Barrow Road at an estimated cost of $198,000
• Widen the driveway from the student parking lot to Barrow Road and provide a connection from the parking lot to the access driveway for the cafeteria. Every effort will be made to work on the driveways when students are not at school. However, if that is not possible, the contractor will be instructed to maintain access to the parking lot. The costs for these improvements are included in the item for the northbound right turn lane into the student driveway
• Install overhead School Zone signs and flashers on Barrow Road for reduced speed limit in AM and PM official school beginning and dismissal times
• Install a guardrail on the east side of Barrow Road, adjacent to the softball field, at an estimated cost of $10,000

Motion was made by Dot Kearns, seconded by Kris Cooke, to approve the right-of-way and easement agreements requested by the City of High Point as described above affecting the Southwest High School property. The motion passed upon majority electronic vote of 7-1-2 as follows: Ayes – Jeff Belton, Kris Cooke, Darlene Garrett, Deena Hayes, Dot Kearns, Amos Quick and Nancy Routh; Nays – Anita Sharpe; Abstain – Alan Duncan and Garth Hébert.

Alternative Contracting Method Request for The Academy at Smith Project

This item was pulled from the agenda.

High School Exams

Chief Academic Officer Mack McCary explained the new schedule for HS exams.

Motion was made by Darlene Garrett, seconded by Garth Hébert, to give each high school principal the authority to set the exam schedule for their individual school. The motion failed upon majority electronic vote of 8-to-2 as follows: Nays – Jeff Belton, Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Deena Hayes, Dot Kearns, Amos Quick, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe; Ayes – Darlene Garrett and Garth Hébert.

Public Comments

Chairman Duncan recognized the following citizens who had registered to speak to the board and were not afforded an opportunity to do so at the beginning of the meeting:

Gwen Drummer, 2905 Spencers Way, Brown Summit, NC 27214
Joe Stafford, 4604 Forest Village Drive, Greensboro, NC 27406

Reports from the Chairman

Chairman Duncan stated that he is preparing the proposed 2007 Board of Education Committee List and requested board members who have not already responded to him in regard to their interests to do so as soon as possible.

Chairman Duncan discussed the board retreat scheduled for January 20 and 21, 2007 and listed proposed items to be included on the agenda. Consistent with requests from board members, the attempt will be made to complete all business on January 20. Board members were asked to submit any additional requests for retreat items to Chairman Duncan as soon as possible.

Board Comments

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

Adjournment

With no further business, at 11:05 p.m., motion was made by Anita Sharpe, seconded by Kris Cooke, to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote.