Below is the BCS Board Briefing for January 12, 2023.
Photos from the meeting are viewable in Google Drive.
The recording of the meeting can be found on the BCS Communications YouTube page and also timestamped below.
In our Good News segment, we recognized the following:
· Principal of the Year: Dr. Jamie Johnson, North Buncombe Middle School
· Special Recognition: Lt. Kelly Ball, Lead SRO Sheriff’s Department
Our curriculum feature focused on the BCS Career and Technical Education Department.
Below is the action agenda and links supporting documents.
· RESOLUTION SUPPORTING LOCAL CONTROL OF SCHOOL CALENDARS
· Approval of BCS Academic Calendar for 2023-2024
· Approval of BCS Early/Middle College Academic Calendar for 2023-2024
Below are the Superintendents Comments:
Good evening Board Members, Teammates, Parents and Members of the Community.
This month is School Board Appreciation Month. This evening I would like to pause and thank each of our School Board Members for your hard work and advocacy on behalf of our students, staff, families, and community. Thank you for stepping forward and offering yourself in service to our school system. On behalf of the Buncombe County Schools Team, thank you!
This evening, during the Curriculum Feature we will hear about the amazing opportunities our students experience in our CTE, or Career and Technical Education, program. CTE is an important part of curricular and extracurricular offerings in the school system. Our goal is that each and every student in our school system graduate on-time prepared for success on the pathway they choose beyond high school. I am very proud of our CTE program.
I would like to especially highlight Mr. Clark Wyatt and the Maintenance Department team, Mrs. Lisa Payne and the Child Nutrition Department team, our school custodians, and school leaders who were amazing in their collective response to the water crisis earlier this month. The Child Nutrition Department offered lunch at convenient sites on the day we were out of school and when we returned were able to serve lunches in all schools, following all required protocols until full water service was reinstated. Once we returned to school, the 12 schools still under a Boil Water Advisory received a combined 16,000 bottles of water a day and over 1,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. Additionally, all schools that either lost water at some point or who were under a Boil Water Advisory were completely flushed, from hot water heaters, to ice machines, to water fountains, etc. I would like to commend our team for their leadership in a unique set of circumstances.
Earlier this week, we recognized National Law Enforcement Day. I would also like to take a moment to share my appreciation for our School Resource Officers, for Sheriff Miller and the Sheriffs Department, and for all of our law enforcement partners.
The Superintendents Listening and Learning Adventure continues as I spend my first 100 days as your superintendent in discovery and exploration. I have now soared with Hawks, Blackhawks, Ivy Hawks, Cardinals, and Eagles. I have run with Warcolts, Warponies, and Road Runners. I have blasted off with Jets and Rockets and I have crested the high plateaus with Rams and Wildcats. In visiting all 45 of our schools and having spent a full school day in 14 schools, I can tell you with no reservation that I am incredibly impressed and proud of what I have experienced in the classrooms across this great school system.
Our "town hall-style" meetings in each district are underway. Last week, we conducted a Town Hall meeting in the Owen district at Community High School and this week we were in the Reynolds district at Charles C. Bell Elementary. I am enjoying the opportunity to meet parents and community members.
This month I have also had the opportunity to visit our Family Resource Center and speak with members of our Student Support team. Our team is working hard to support the mental health of our students and staff. We are working with community partners to connect families with needed resources. This work we do each day is not easy and not for the faint of heart, and yet, in the midst of this hard work, I have encountered smiles, joy, and laughter in each of our schools.
As I share each month, we recognize that we stand on the shoulders of giants. We face the challenges before us. We know that students, families, and the community have never needed a strong, loving, and caring school system as much as they do now. We accept this challenge. We commit to each and every one of our students. We will elevate to new and majestic heights. We will give our all because our students are worthy of our very best efforts.
To our team and to our Board Members, Thank you for all that you do for the students, families, teachers, and staff of Buncombe County Schools.
Madam Chair, this concludes my comments.