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Recognitions

GCS Employee of the Month for September 2009
The board recognized Brandon Herbin, technology assistant at Cone Elementary, as the September 2009 Employee of the Month.

GCS Volunteer of the Month for September 2009
The board recognized Valerie Stern, a volunteer at Grimsley High, as the September 2009 Volunteer of the Month.

ARC Educator of the Year
The board recognized Katie White, a life skills teacher at Erwin Montessori, for being named the ARC Educator of the Year. 

Sharon Ozment Named One of the Triad’s Top Chief Financial Officers
The board recognized Sharon Ozment, chief financial officer, for being honored by The Business Journal as a finalist for Chief Financial Officer of the Year.

Piedmont Medical Alliance Presents Defibrillators to the Board of Education
The board recognized the Piedmont Medical Alliance for its donation of defibrillators to be placed at 14 elementary schools.

Consent Agenda
The board approved the following items on the consent agenda:

1. Meeting Minutes
2. Personnel Reports
3. Authorization of the Safe and Drug Free Schools (Title IV) Grant Application
4. Authorization to Sign and File the 2009-10 Title I Application
5. Contractual Agreement with Brooks General Construction for Field Additions at Southwest High School

Staff Reports

Consideration for the Renaming of Madison Elementary School
Nora Carr, chief of staff, presented to the board additional information regarding the naming of Madison Elementary. At the August 27 meeting, it was suggested that the school be renamed one of the following names: James Madison Elementary, Dolley Madison Elementary or James and Dolley Madison Elementary.

After staff’s research for the naming source of Madison turned up no definitive information, the board voted to leave Madison Elementary’s name as it is.


Continued 2009-10 Budget Discussion
The board adopted an operating budget for the 2009-10 school year totaling $590,685,328.

The budget reflects a total of $21.9 million in reductions, with $11.84 million coming from schools and $10.03 million coming from administrative support services. As a result, the percentage of funding going directly to schools in Guilford County Schools (GCS) increased from approximately 79 percent in 2008-09 to 81 percent in 2009-10, while the percentage of funding going to administrative support services decreased from slightly more than 21 percent in 2008-09 to 19 percent in 2009-10.

In the spring, staff identified $36 million in potential cuts. Since total reductions for the district were about $14.1 million less, board members have considered and approved items to keep in the final budget over the last several board meetings. At Tuesday’s meeting, the remaining $4.9 million was allocated.

The budget includes the restoration of the remaining weighted student formula dollars to schools (about $5.8 million) and the addition of $2.1 million to balance class sizes and deal with other school-based needs. The budget also restores $500,000 in funding for maintenance and $333,997 in support of curriculum and instruction initiatives.

In addition, the board approved holding $3 million in reserve in order to manage potential state budget shortfalls that could occur later in the school year. The budget also reinstates approximately 13 central office positions.

Update on Oak Ridge Elementary School
Leo Bobadilla, chief operations officer, presented to the board an update on Oak Ridge Elementary. Although the district is still waiting on a final report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Facilities staff is continuing to work with Turner Group to begin the appropriate next steps.

Report on H1N1 Influenza and Pandemic Flu Plan
Nora Carr, chief of staff, presented to the board a report on the H1N1 influenza and pandemic flu response plan. With H1N1 continuing to cause illness across the nation, GCS worked with the Guilford County Department of Public Health to update the district’s Pandemic Influenza Response Plan.

The updated plan, along with a checklist for school-based preparations and a communications toolkit, has been shared with principals and senior managers and has been posted on the GCS Web site. Information regarding H1N1and germ prevention has been shared with all GCS staff members.

Once an H1N1 vaccine becomes available later this fall, the Department of Public Health has asked GCS to consider hosting free, school-based vaccination clinics. The district also anticipates making the vaccine available to employees when it becomes available, along with the annual seasonal influenza vaccine.

Board Discussion

President’s Speech to Students
Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green and Chairman Duncan led the board in a discussion regarding the President’s speech to students.

Guilford County Board of Education meetings are broadcast live on GCSTV 2 (cable channel 2). The meetings re-air the day after the meeting at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and the Saturday following the meeting at 1 p.m.