Guilford County Board of Education
Board Meeting
May 8, 2007

GUILFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
BUDGET WORK SESSION AND BUSINESS MEETING
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

The Guilford County Board of Education met in a budget work session and business meeting to discuss the 2007-08 budget and any other matters that came before the board on Wednesday, April 18, 2007 at 712 North Eugene Street, Greensboro, North Carolina. The following board members were present: Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Garth Hébert, Dot Kearns, Amos Quick, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe. Board member Deena Hayes was absent. Also present were Superintendent Terry Grier and Attorney Jill Wilson.

Call to Order

Chairman Duncan called the meeting to order at 11:52 a.m.

Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence

Board member Garth Hébert 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. Motion was made by Darlene Garrett, seconded by Kris Cooke, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote.

Approval of Submission of Magnet Grant

Dr. Eric Becoats, chief of staff, led the board in a continued discussion regarding the magnet grant proposal and requested approval to submit the magnet grant application. Emily Scott, grant writer, was available to answer questions from board members.

There was discussion regarding the current budget as well as the continuation budget needed after grant funds have been depleted.

Motion was made by Jeff Belton, seconded by Kris Cooke, to approve the submission of the magnet grant application. The motion passed upon majority electronic vote of 7-to-3 as follows: Ayes – Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Kris Cooke, Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Dot Kearns and Amos Quick; Nays – Garth Hébert, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe.

Attorney Jill Wilson explained that all federal magnet school grants require two components from the board of education. These include the Voluntary Desegregation Plan and the Resolution authorizing staff to submit the grant to the federal government. In order to apply for a federal magnet grant, a school district must be in the status of either participating under a desegregation plan or must have entered into a voluntary desegregation plan with the magnet grant being a component of that voluntary desegregation plan. The Voluntary Desegregation Plan, as this magnet grant facilitates, was presented to the board. This includes using magnets, options and opportunity schools in addition to the schools of assignment to reduce racial isolation and give every child an opportunity to choose a diverse school. The Voluntary Desegregation Plan and Resolution require board approval. Chairman Duncan requested that this vote be tabled until the April 20 board meeting to allow board members the opportunity for further review.

Title I Update

Dr. Don Hare, executive director of federal and special programs, and Kelly Hales, Title I director, presented to the board an update on the Title I schools.

Any school that has 75 percent or more of its students qualifying to receive free and reduced meals must be classified as a Title I school. However, boards of educations can establish lower levels of free and reduced meal ratios, down to 40 percent. As can be seen from the numbers below, the Guilford County Schools’ Board of Education has exercised that option for elementary and middle schools.

Currently, the board has established the following percentages of students receiving free and reduced meals as standards for GCS schools to be designated as Title I schools.

• Elementary Schools – 60 percent
• Middle Schools – 67 percent
• High Schools – 75 percent

Using those numbers, currently there are 31 elementary, six middle, and zero high schools that have been identified as Title I schools. They receive Title I funds and are subject to No Child Left Behind sanctions.

Free and reduced meal data for 2006-07 has been received from Child Nutrition. Based on this information, the following list shows changes to schools identified as Title I for the 2007-08 school year.

• Lindley Elementary will no longer be recognized as a Title I school, as its free and reduced meal ratio decreased to 57.35 percent.
• Aycock Middle will no longer be recognized as a Title I school, as its free and reduced meal ratio decreased to 62.72 percent.
• Penn-Griffin Middle will no longer be recognized as a Title I school, as its free and reduced meal ratio decreased to 54.17 percent.
• Welborn Middle will no longer be recognized as a Title I school, as its free and reduced meal ratio decreased to 63.64 percent.
• Bluford Elementary will be recognized as a Title I school, as its free and reduced meal ratio increased to 61.92 percent.
• Allen Middle will be recognized as a Title I school, as its free and reduced meal ratio increased to 69.55 percent.

Schools no longer recognized as Title I will lose their federal Title 1 funding for 2007-08, and schools that are newly recognized as Title I will receive additional revenue, unless the board chooses to change its ratios.

Following board discussion, motion was made by Amos Quick, seconded by Walter Childs, to change the standard to a 60 percent free and reduced meal ratio for GCS middle schools to be designated as Title I schools. The motion failed upon majority electronic vote of 6-to-4 as follows: Nays – Alan Duncan, Darlene Garrett, Garth Hébert, Dot Kearns, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe; Ayes – Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Kris Cooke and Amos Quick.

Board members Amos Quick and Anita Sharpe departed the meeting at 1:07 p.m.

Continued 2007-08 Budget Discussion

Superintendent Terry Grier and Sharon Ozment, chief finance officer, led the board in discussion regarding the preliminary budget recommendations for the 2007-08 school year.

Ms. Ozment made remarks regarding the Superintendent’s Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2007-08. She stated that on page 45, which is entitled “Appendix I, 2007-08 Local Current Expense Fund Budget Recap,” there was one change made to include information that was originally omitted from the Working Conditions section. An item has been added to increase the rate of pay for certified substitutes from $84 per day to $95 per day. The superintendent’s increase in county appropriations is just below 10 percent at 9.99 percent, which is in line with the recommendations that have been seen thus far from Wake and Mecklinburg counties.

She also stated that the allotment sheets have been included as well as the allotment formulas for elementary, middle and high school. The workbooks have also been reinstituted with the principals and have been sent to them electronically. The only adjustment Ms. Ozment is aware of that needs to be made at this time to the allotment sheets and the budget workbooks sent to the principals is the need to increase in mission possible schools the teacher allotments to ensure the 20-to-1 ratio in English I and middle school/high school Algebra I. Adjustments which have not already been made are now being made.

Another issue which Ms. Ozment brought to the board’s attention concerned the timing of the board’s line item review of the budget. For the next fiscal year, the state will introduce the most sweeping change to the chart of accounts which has been used since the state chart was introduced in 1975. Due to additional work required as a result of this change, Ms. Ozment requested that the board’s line item review be scheduled no earlier than the week of April 30. The board was in consensus.

Adjournment

With no further business, at 1:23 p.m., motion was made by Kris Cooke, seconded by Darlene Garrett, to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote.