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Guilford County Board of Education |
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GUILFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION |
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Thursday, March 1, 2007 |
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The Guilford County Board of Education met in a special called meeting to discuss the proposed bond referendum and any other matters that came before the board on Thursday, March 1, 2007 at 712 North Eugene Street, Greensboro, North Carolina. The following board members were present: Jeff Belton, Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Garth Hébert (arrived at 6:40 p.m.), Dot Kearns, Amos Quick (arrived at 6:41 p.m.), Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe. Board members Walter Childs and Deena Hayes were absent. Also present were Superintendent Terry Grier and Attorney Jill Wilson. Call to Order Chairman Duncan called the meeting to order at 6:34 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence Chairman Duncan led the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence. Approval of the Agenda Chairman Duncan asked board members to review the meeting agenda and called for a motion to approve or amend it with the suggestion that an update on the legislative agenda be added as the first item. Motion was made by Darlene Garrett, seconded by Anita Sharpe, to approve the agenda as amended. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote. Legislative Agenda Update Chairman Duncan expressed appreciation to the Legislative Committee for all its hard work. Board discussion followed regarding communication to the legislature as a board as well as communication by board members expressing individual opinions. Superintendent Terry Grier gave an update on the graduation rate data reported by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Several mistakes were discovered by staff as they reviewed the state data and the Guilford County Schools data. The state agreed that it will issue a corrected report on Monday, March 5. Chief Finance Officer Sharon Ozment provided corrected information regarding education lottery proceeds. Proposed Bond Referendum Update Chairman Duncan led the board in a discussion of the 2007 bond referendum. Board members discussed items on the staff’s proposed list. The projects are listed below with priority status as presented to the board prior to the meeting. Priority: 1 The decision was made to make this project the first priority and to review the possibility of reducing the capacity to 878 (the standard capacity). Initial review indicates that the length of the two-story classroom wings could be reduced eliminating six classrooms, three science labs and two vocational labs. This would reduce the capacity by 234 students for a revised student capacity of 878. This change would reduce the building area by approximately 13,000 square feet and result in a savings of approx. $1.7 million. The staff does not believe it is advisable to reduce the core areas as this would require a total redesign of the facility, and the design fees would offset much of the potential savings. Chairman Duncan asked the staff to look into this further and provide additional information to the board. The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 9-0. Priority: 2 Ragsdale would gain 610 seats from the existing Jamestown Middle School. This is not a net gain of new seats. The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 9-0. Priority: 3 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 9-0. Priority: 4 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 9-0. Priority: 5 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 9-0. Priority: 6 The facilities staff will provide additional information on this item as requested by board members. The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 9-0. Priority: 7 The facilities staff will provide revised cost information for K-5 consideration on this item as requested by board members. The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item with a change to K-5 was 9-0. Priority: 8 The facilities staff will provide revised cost information for K-5 consideration on this item as requested by board members. The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item with a change to K-5 was 9-0. Priority: 9 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 2-7. Priority: 10 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 9-0. Priority: 11 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 9-0. Priority: 12 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 9-0. Priority: 13 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 7-2. Priority: 14 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 4-5. Priority: 15 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 6-3. Priority: 16 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 5-4. Priority: 17 The facilities staff will provide additional information on this item as requested by board members. The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 4-5. Priority: 18 The facilities staff will provide additional information on this item as requested by board members. A vote on the gymnasium portion of this item will be delayed until after the board reviews the information. The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item in regard to the cafeteria was 8-1. Priority: 19 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 9-0. Priority: 20 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 7-2. Priority: 21 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 6-3. Priority: 22 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 8-1. Priority: 23 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 0-9. Priority: 24 It was noted at a prior board meeting that it would require an addition of at least six new classrooms to make this a K-8 facility for the program currently at Brooks. Another suggestion was to consider including a special needs program for autism if this becomes a K-8 facility. In looking at the McIver site (12.8 acres), there are serious concerns about the ability to handle the high volume of traffic and parking required for the Brooks program. Adding the special needs program would require a separate entrance and drop-off point for that program as well. The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 6-3. Priority: 25 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 1-8. Priority: 26 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 8-1. Priority: 27 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item to either build a replacement school at Hunter or to renovate the school was 5-3. Board member Amos Quick was not present for the vote. Priority: 28 The facilities staff will provide additional information on this item as requested by board members. A vote is delayed until after the board reviews the information. Priority: 29 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 9-0. Priority: 30 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 5-4. Priority: 31 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 6-3. Priority: 32 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 4-5. Priority: 33 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 7-2. Priority: 34 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 6-3. Priority: 35 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 7-2. Priority: 36 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 0-9. Priority: 37 The straw poll in favor of moving forward on this item was 0-9. In regard to Gateway West, a site for this project is the major issue at this point. One possibility that has been discussed is the site near Simeon Stadium. Staff is continuing to get leads on other possible locations and is actively evaluating those possibilities. Chairman Duncan asked that board members review the information discussed and create a prioritized list of projects. Closed Session At 10:33 p.m., motion was made by Anita Sharpe, seconded by Nancy Routh, to go into closed session to preserve the attorney-client privilege and to give instruction to the staff and/or attorneys with regard to the price or other material term to be included in a contract for the purchase of real property. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote. The board returned to open session at 10:46 p.m. Adjournment With no further business, at 10:47 p.m., motion was made by Anita Sharpe, seconded by Amos Quick, 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 |
