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Guilford County Board of Education |
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GUILFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION |
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Thursday, February 8, 2007 |
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The Guilford County Board of Education met in a regular meeting on Thursday, February 8, 2007, at 712 North Eugene Street, Greensboro, North Carolina. The following board members were present: Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Deena Hayes, Garth Hébert (arrived at 6:03 p.m.), Dot Kearns, Amos Quick (arrived at 6:08 p.m.), Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe. Board member Kris Cooke was absent. Also present were Superintendent Terry Grier and Attorney Jill Wilson. Call to Order Recognitions Public CommentsChairman Duncan called on members of the public who requested an opportunity to address the board.
Approval of Agenda Consent Agenda A. Meeting Minutes The minutes of the January 4 Special Called Meeting, January 9 Regular Meeting, January 20 Board Retreat and January 25 Regular Meeting were presented for approval. The consent agenda included personnel actions as noted in the monthly personnel action report requiring board approval. C. Proposed 2007-08 Extended-Year and Year-Round Calendars The consent agenda included a recommendation that the board approve the 2007-08 extended-year and year-round school calendars. The following calendars were submitted for review and approval:
The proposed 2007-08 calendars were developed with input from each school’s Leadership Team and/or staff and have met with approval from the GCS Transportation Department.
The consent agenda included a recommendation to approve a modified calendar for Hampton Leadership Academy. Hampton’s current calendar for 2006-07 conflicts with the North Carolina State Writing Test to be administered on March 13 with a make up day on March 14. Starting this year, the writing test will be used as part of measuring ABC growth. Hampton is currently the only elementary school in the district with March 13 scheduled as a mandatory workday. A modified 2006-07 calendar for Hampton was presented that addresses this conflict. D. Second Reading – Policy BK, Board Participation in Community Activities The consent agenda included a recommendation to approve for second reading Policy BK, Board Participation in Community Activities, and direct the administration to develop procedures for appropriate implementation. At its meeting on January 9, the board approved this policy for first reading. The policy has been posted on the district Web site for a public comment period per the board’s policy. No comments were received. E. Second Reading – Policy IM, Planning Time The consent agenda included a recommendation to approve for second reading Policy IM, Planning Time, and direct the administration to develop procedures for appropriate implementation. At its meeting on January 9, the board approved this policy for first reading. The policy has been posted on the district Web site for a public comment period per the board’s policy. Five comments were received regarding this policy. Those comments involved the implementation of equitable planning time across certified staff. While no changes in wording are recommended for this policy, the concerns these comments raise will be addressed in the staffing allotment procedures. Board member Nancy Routh requested that the word “all” be added before the word “teachers” in the last sentence of the policy, with the revised sentence now reading, “Therefore, each school improvement team is directed to annually develop a plan to provide all teachers with planning time within the instructional day where practical.” F. Second Reading – Policy IL, Pledge of Allegiance The consent agenda included a recommendation to approve for second reading Policy IL, Pledge of Allegiance, and direct the administration to develop procedures for appropriate implementation. At its meeting on January 9, the board approved this policy for first reading. The policy has been posted on the district Web site for a public comment period per the board’s policy. One comment was received in support of the policy. Motion was made by Walter Childs, seconded by Deena Hayes, to approve the consent agenda as presented. Consent agenda items A, C, D and G passed upon unanimous roll call vote. Consent agenda item B passed upon majority roll call vote of 8-to-2 as follows: Ayes – Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Deena Hayes, Garth Hébert, Dot Kearns and Amos Quick; Nays – Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe. Consent agenda item E passed upon majority roll call vote of 8-to-2 as follows: Ayes – Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Darlene Garrett, Deena Hayes, Garth Hébert, Dot Kearns, Amos Quick and Nancy Routh; Nays – Alan Duncan and Anita Sharpe. Consent agenda item F passed upon majority roll call vote of 9-to-1 as follows: Ayes – Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Deena Hayes, Garth Hébert, Dot Kearns, Amos Quick and Nancy Routh; Nays – Anita Sharpe. Staff Reports Approval of Lease Price for Eastern Guilford High Modular Pod Units Kevin Lear, chief operations officer, presented to the board a recommendation for approval of a contract with Modular Technologies, Inc., in the amount of $2,248,365 for setup, lease term of 18 months and removal of the Temporary Modular Village at the Eastern High School site. Lease amount for 18 months:......... $1,862,460.00 The administration also recommends that the sum of $103,470 be paid to Modular Technologies for each month the lease exceeds the original 18-month term. On January 21, the district advertised the Solicitation of Lease Proposals for the Temporary Modular Village at Eastern High. A pre-proposal conference was held on January 30, with 11 contractors in attendance. Six proposals were received on February 6 with Modular Technologies, Inc., Kinston, North Carolina submitting the lowest responsive, responsible bid. Motion was made by Dot Kearns, seconded by Anita Sharpe, to approve the contract to Modular Technologies, Inc., in the amount of $2,248,365 for setup, lease term of 18 months, and removal of the Temporary Modular Village at the Eastern High School site, with the sum of $103,470 to be paid to Modular Technologies for each month the lease exceeds the original 18-month term. The motion passed upon unanimous electronic vote. Contracts for Renovations at Smith Academy Kevin Lear, chief operations officer, presented to the board a recommendation to approve contracts as listed below. Twenty bids were received on January 30 for renovations of Smith Academy. The construction budget for this project is $2,510,800. The district awarded a contract for fire protection to Cam-Ful Industries, Inc., Pineville, North Carolina in the amount of $109,600 on December 4, 2006. General Construction................................... $1,695,343.00 Floor Covering Construction............................... 17,418.00 Painting Construction......................................... 54,300.00 Ceiling Construction........................................... 60,827.89 Door, Frames and Hardware Construction...... 114,000.00 Technology Construction.................................. 122,745.05 TOTAL......................................................... $2,064,633.94 Motion was made by Dot Kearns, seconded by Walter Childs, to approve contracts to Brooks General Contractors for general construction in the amount of $1,695,343.00; Bar Construction Company, Inc. for floor covering construction in the amount of $17,418.00; S&H Construction for painting construction in the amount of $54,300.00; CoMor Corporation for ceiling construction in the amount of $60,827.89; H.M. Kern Corporation for doors, frames and hardware construction in the amount of $114,000.00; and to CoMor Corporation for technology construction in the amount of $122,745.05. The motion passed upon majority electronic vote of 5-4-1 as follows: Ayes – Dot Kearns, Jeff Belton, Alan Duncan, Amos Quick and Walter Childs; Nays – Garth Hébert, Nancy Routh, Anita Sharpe and Darlene Garrett; Abstain – Deena Hayes .
Superintendent Grier led a discussion with the board regarding the specific 2007-08 use of schools for Allen Jay Middle and Guilford Primary. Allen Jay Middle School As a result of new school site construction, the facilities at Allen Jay Middle and Guilford Primary will be available next year to use for other purposes. Superintendent Grier stated that the material originally sent to board members recommended using Allen Jay Middle School as a middle school site for the coming year. Staff is suggesting a revision to that recommendation. Eric Hoekstra, facilities planning consultant, along with other facilities staff members, reported that the architects were having difficulty placing the new school footprint at Union Hill Elementary because of the current location of portable classrooms and part of the existing older school that will be removed when a new school is built on the site. A recommendation was made to the superintendent by Mr. Hoekstra and Joe Hill, facilities, to use the Allen Jay Middle site next year to house the elementary students who are at the current Union Hill site for a one-year period, or until the new Union Hill Elementary building is completed. This would make it possible to move the portables off the Union Hill site, demolish and remove the current school structure and allow the architects to place the footprint on that site, which is already very tight, in the most advantageous position. It is staff’s recommendation for the following year, or when the new Union Hill building is completed, that the current Allen Jay Middle School site be used as a middle school for the rising sixth-graders coming out of Allen Jay Elementary and Union Hill Elementary. That would provide sufficient time to notify parents, work with the community and select staff. Furthermore, staff suggests that students coming out of those sites be grandfathered to their older siblings’ school. Motion was made by Dot Kearns, seconded by Anita Sharpe, to approve the superintendent’s recommendation to house the current Union Hill Elementary School population at Allen Jay Middle School for next year and until the new building is complete. The motion passed upon unanimous electronic vote. Guilford Primary School The new Guilford Elementary School is scheduled to open during the fall of 2007. As previously discussed with the board, the staff recommends utilizing the current Guilford Primary site as a “Newcomer School” for English second language learners in grades five through 12 during their first year in the district. Students who move into the schools with limited language proficiency in the early grades learn English much easier than older students and, with the help of the ESL staff, learn their new language more quickly. The staff’s plan is for ESOL students in this newcomer school to receive intensive English language and cultural instruction prior to entering their neighborhood schools the following year. Guilford Primary is a small school with a student capacity of 160. It currently has 14 mobile classrooms – five regular classrooms and nine special program mobiles. Many of those units would be available to relocate to other schools. If these facilities are used to house students during the coming year, the budget process and communication efforts require the board to make a decision now. Board members had additional questions and asked staff to provide information on funding costs. Motion was made by Alan Duncan, seconded by Garth Hébert, to table this item until the February 20 board meeting with the request that staff provide information on funding costs and answers to questions asked by board members. The motion passed upon majority electronic vote of 9-to-1 as follows: Ayes – Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Deena Hayes, Garth Hébert, Dot Kearns, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe; Nays – Amos Quick. Chairman Duncan requested that Staff Reports Item F “Montessori Update” be discussed as the next item. Montessori Update Dr. Eric Becoats, chief of staff, presented to the board a Montessori update which included information on the staffing implications of phasing in grades six through eight at both Triangle Lake and Erwin Montessori schools. Erwin Montessori is scheduled to add sixth grade in 2007-08 and Triangle Lake is scheduled to add seventh and eighth grades in 2007-08. This item is a follow up to the board retreat held on January 20. Triangle Lake Principal Cheri Wallington and Erwin Montessori Principal Deborah Parker provided information to the board and answered questions. Bond Referendum Update The following information was provided to the board:
Chairman Duncan stated that a special called board meeting will be held to prioritize items and finalize the list of projects. Autistic Program Update Dr. Eric Becoats, chief of staff, presented to the board an update on the staff’s recommendation for an autistic program to be effective August 2007. This item is a follow up to the board retreat held on January 20. SRO (School Resource Officers) Alternatives Superintendent Grier presented to the board an update on the SRO alternatives for middle and high schools. High Schools North Carolina General Statute does not require all high schools to have SROs. However, every school district receives the dollar equivalent of one SRO position per high school ($1,059,464) in state revenue to cover the expense of funding those positions. In GCS, experience has shown that state funding does not cover this cost. During the 2006-07 school year, GCS is spending $213,983.20 from local revenue to supplement state funds to provide SROs in high schools. Currently, high schools located within the city limits of High Point are served by SROs from the High Point Police Department; high schools in Greensboro are served by SROs from the Greensboro Police Department and high schools located in Guilford County, but outside of the High Point and Greensboro city limits, are served by SROs from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department. The board asked the central office staff to develop a list of alternatives to using SROs in high schools. That list includes:
Chief Finance Officer Sharon Ozment verified that if the board determines that a high school does not require a school resource and documents that fact, then the funding can be used for activities as authorized in the state’s “chart of accounts” for at-risk students. Items (2) and (3) above would qualify under that definition. Middle Schools North Carolina General Statute does not require middle schools to have SROs and the district does not receive state funds to pay for the positions. During the 2006-07 school year, GCS will spend $1,343,691 from local revenue to provide SROs in the majority of middle schools. Currently, middle schools located within the city limits of High Point are served by SROs from the High Point Police Department (with the exception of Southwest and Allen Jay Middle Schools which are served by the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department); middle schools in Greensboro are served by SROs from the Greensboro Police Department and middle schools located in Guilford County, but outside of the High Point and Greensboro city limits, are served by SROs from the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department. Brown-Summit, Lincoln and Northern middle schools do not have SROs. The board asked central office staff to develop a list of alternatives to using SROs in middle schools. That list includes:
Chairman Duncan requested that an administrative briefing session on the Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Initiative be scheduled. After the board has had the opportunity to review additional information, this item will be placed back on the agenda for a future board meeting. Reports from the ChairmanEducation Lottery Funds Chairman Duncan provided an update to the board regarding the distribution of education lottery funds. Board Comments Board members were each allowed two minutes to make remarks, as they deemed appropriate. Adjournment With no further business, at 10:35 p.m. motion was made by Anita Sharpe, seconded by Deena Hayes, to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote. |
In compliance with federal laws, Guilford County Schools administers all educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination because of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, color, age, military service, disability or gender, except where exemption is appropriate and allowed by law. Refer to the Board of Education's Discrimination Free Environment Policy AC for a complete statement. Inquiries or complaints should be directed to the Guilford County Schools Compliance Officer, 120 Franklin Boulevard, Greensboro, NC 27401; 336.370.2323. All Guilford County Schools facilities, both educational and athletic, are tobacco-free learning environments. © 2008 Guilford County Schools, 712 North Eugene Street, Greensboro, NC 27401 336.370.8100 |
