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The Guilford County Board of Education met in a regular meeting on Tuesday, July 10, 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, Amos Quick, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe. Board members Deena Hayes and Dot Kearns were absent. Also present were Superintendent Terry Grier and Attorney Jill Wilson.
Call to Order
Chairman Duncan called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m.
Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence
Board member Anita Sharpe led the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence.
Public Comments
Chairman Duncan called on members of the public who requested an opportunity to address the board. There were no requests to speak during this public comment period.
Approval of 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 Amos Quick, seconded by Anita Sharpe, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote.
Consent Agenda
Superintendent Grier presented the following Consent Agenda items:
A. Meeting Minutes
The minutes of the June 12 Regular Meeting and June 28 Regular Meeting were presented for approval.
B. Personnel Action Report
The consent agenda included personnel actions as noted in the monthly personnel action report and addendum requiring board approval.
Motion was made by Walter Childs, seconded by Kris Cooke, to approve the consent agenda as presented. The motion passed upon unanimous roll call vote.
Staff Reports
Consideration for the Naming of Northern Area Elementary School
Joe Hill, facilities, presented to the board information regarding the naming of Northern Area Elementary School. At the June 28 board meeting, the project team working on the new Northern Area Elementary School made a recommendation for naming the school Northern Elementary School. After reviewing the materials and hearing from members of the public, the board voted to propose the name Randall Jarrell Elementary School. In keeping with the procedure, the board-proposed name was posted on the district Web site for a period of public comment and feedback. Twenty-four additional public comments on the name have been received from the community. The comments are summarized as follows:
- 14 opposed to the name Randall Jarrell Elementary School
- five in favor of Northern Elementary School
- four further suggestions/nominations for names
- one regarding suspending the naming until more nominations are made
Chairman Duncan called on members of the public to share comments regarding their support of proposed names. Three people spoke in support of the name Randall Jarrell Elementary School and one person spoke in support of the name Northern Elementary School.
Board discussion regarding the proposed names of Randall Jarrell Elementary School and Northern Elementary School followed.
A vote was taken to approve the name Randall Jarrell Elementary School as proposed by the board at the June 12, 2007 meeting. The motion failed upon majority electronic vote of 7-to-2 as follows: Nays – Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Kris Cooke, Darlene Garrett, Garth Hébert, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe; Ayes – Alan Duncan and Amos Quick.
Motion was made by Darlene Garrett, seconded by Nancy Routh, to approve the use of the name Northern Elementary School and direct staff to move forward with appropriate efforts regarding signage. The motion passed upon majority electronic vote of 7-to-2 as follows: Ayes – Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Kris Cooke, Darlene Garrett, Garth Hébert, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe; Nays – Alan Duncan and Amos Quick.
Motion was made by Amos Quick, seconded by Darlene Garrett, to waive the 21-day public comment period for posting of the name Northern Elementary School. The motion passed upon majority electronic vote of 8-to-1 as follows: Ayes – Jeff Belton, Walter Childs, Kris Cooke, Darlene Garrett, Garth Hébert, Amos Quick, Nancy Routh and Anita Sharpe; Nays – Alan Duncan.
Summer Construction Update
Joe Hill, facilities, presented to the board an update on the status of the current construction projects within the district. Mr. Hill's report included the 28 projects that were in the $300 million bond program as well as other projects.
Projects that are completed and already occupied include 13 projects:
- Irving Park Elementary
- Madison Elementary
- Florence Elementary
- Peeler Elementary
- Morehead Elementary
- Peck Elementary
- Northeast Middle
- Northeast High
- Gibsonville Elementary
- Southwest High
- Northern Middle
- Southern High
- Stokesdale Elementary
Projects that will be completed this summer and ready for the start of school in August, 2007 include:
- Ferndale Middle
- Work included a cafeteria addition as well as a classroom addition. The cafeteria addition was complete and in use near the end of the 2006-07 school year. The classroom addition will be complete and ready for use in August 2007.
- Oak View Elementary
- Currently working on mobile removal and driveway/drop off paving
- Southern Middle
- Final punch list items are being completed
- Anticipated completion - end of July 2007
- Guilford Elementary
- Final punch list items are being completed
- Anticipated completion - mid July 2007
- E. P. Pearce Elementary
- Final punch list items are being completed
- School will be completed ahead of schedule and ready to open in August 2007
- Reedy Fork Elementary
- Accelerated contract work on schedule
- Anticipated completion - August 20, 2007
Attorney Jill Wilson called to the board’s attention a minor issue on the Reedy Fork Elementary project. The erosion control issues were greater than expected, and there was an additional $143,570.25 in erosion control measures that had to be taken at Reedy Fork as a change order. This amount was reviewed extensively by both the architect and the project supervisors, and they are in agreement that this amount is appropriate to be paid by the board. Chairman Duncan provided board members the opportunity to share any comments they might have. Mr. Hill stated that even after incurring this additional cost, the project will still be within budget parameters.
Projects that will continue under construction include:
- Northern High
- On schedule for January 2008 completion
- Parkview Elementary
- Currently targeted for January 2008 completion
- Northern Area Elementary
- Currently targeted for January 2008 completion
- Pleasant Garden Elementary
- Currently targeted for summer 2008 completion
Projects that are in design phase include:
- Union Hill Elementary
- Design is complete and original bids were rejected
- Currently seeking proposals for Construction Management at Risk
- The plan is to return to the board with a proposal to move ahead with this project after working with the Architect Selection Committee in August.
- Special Education Center West
- Architect selected and initial program discussions started
- Jamestown Middle
- Site has been purchased
- 95% construction documents are complete
- The funding for construction is proposed in the upcoming $440 million bond program. Mr. Hill said that staff will be ready to bid this project immediately upon approval of the funding
Two projects that are on hold include:
- Guilford Middle
- A small project which included demolition of the building and some site work has been taken off the table at this time because it is not included in the $440 million bond program. The decision was made to leave this building in place and find an suitable use for it.
- Ragsdale High
- No work is underway at this time because the funding for this project is dependent upon the $440 million bond program
This completes the report of the projects in the $300 million bond program.
Mr. Hill reported on the status of work being done on the Eastern modular village. This project continues to be on schedule and within budget. The final unit will be set in place the week of July 16. The widening of Peeden Road is essentially complete. In terms of the Eastern High project itself, which is Phase II of the work, it is expected that CM at Risk will receive bids this week.
At Southeast High, a project was approved to add a cafeteria and to do site work related to that. Site work is being done this summer, which will reroute the driveway and adjust some of the parking to create space to build the cafeteria addition. This work is within the informal bid range. This project is being accomplished with funds remaining from the 2000 bond referendum.
There has been a delay in the Smith Academy project construction. When demolition work was begun, it was found that the back side of the drywall within that building had mold. Construction work had to be halted for a period of time to bring in a remediation service for removal of that material from the building. This required work caused a delay of this project. It is now anticipated that completion will be in mid-September.
Update on 2007-08 Budget
Sharon Ozment, chief finance officer, presented to the board an update on the 2007-08 budget. She discussed an e-mail which she received from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) regarding the allocation of teacher assistants for the coming year. The email clarified that the continuing resolution approved by the State in order to keep state government operating for 31 days while legislators continue to negotiate a final budget included Senate reductions for teacher assistant growth. The email also contained a spreadsheet prepared by NCDPI which reflected a reduction in teacher assistant funding for Guilford County of $502,732. Ms. Ozment explained that depending on which salary and benefit package ultimately passes (whether it is that proposed by the Governor, the Senate or the House), the $502,732 would equate to a loss in teacher assistant positions ranging from 18 to 20 positions. Ms. Ozment will work with Chief Human Resources Officer Peggy Thompson to look at teacher assistant allotment scenarios/alternatives that would incorporate an 18 to 20 position reduction.
As a result of healthier offerings in the cafeterias, there has been a dip in sales. One of the pieces of legislation that staff discussed with the board was a piece that would have afforded GCS and other districts across the state some relief for the loss in sales due to healthier eating. Presently, this is in a hold pattern and, if that materializes, one of the things we may also be talking about with the board as we go forward in this budget process may be increasing breakfast and lunch plate prices for 2007-08.
There was continued discussion by board members regarding possible budget cuts which may need to be considered. Chairman Duncan stated that the board also needs to keep in mind, when finalizing the budget, that City Council will no longer be funding crossing guards.
Reports from the Chairman
School Climate Task Force
Chairman Duncan called on Vice-Chairman Quick to present information on the newly formed School Climate Task Force. Mr. Quick reported that, in keeping with the board’s request, a task force comprised of 23 representatives from our community has been created to address the issue of school climate, with its first meeting scheduled for July 12, 2007. He said that he is extremely impressed with the number of persons willing to serve on this task force and is confident this will be a positive force in our community and for our families.
Board Comments
Board members were each allowed two minutes to make remarks, as they deemed appropriate.
Closed Session
At 7:31 p.m., motion was made by Anita Sharpe, seconded by Darlene Garrett, to go into closed session to preserve the attorney client privilege and to discuss student matters protected by state and federal laws. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote.
The board returned to open session at 10:26 p.m.
Adjournment
With no further business, at 10:27 p.m., motion was made by Anita Sharpe, seconded by Amos Quick, to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed upon unanimous voice vote.
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