001ready. Good evening and welcome to the May 6th regularly scheduled board meeting. I'd like to start with the pledge of allegiance. If Miss Free Lewis wants to come up and introduce her students. Good evening board members. It is my pleasure to introduce two of our eighth graders, Mr. Luke Fodri and Mr. Geller Davis to lead us in the pledge [Music] tonight to the flag of America and to the stands one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. If you guys will come forward, we have certificates for you. [Music] I'm sitting down. Good job. Appreciate you. Thank you all. [Applause] And if you'll remain standing, Mr. Nate Leonard's going to come do our invocation. Let's pray together. God, you are good and holy, awesome and powerful and full of grace and mercy and truth. And
002we humbly bow our heads before this meeting just recognizing that on our own we would be lost but with you God we have all the wisdom that we could desire. So shine your wisdom upon this team of individuals that Lord seeks the good of those you deeply love and care about the young people in our community. We pray that you would give them wisdom and discernment as they make decisions, Lord, and unity in mind. And uh Lord, just thought as they make plans that we pray would bring about the greatest good for those that we care about so much in this community. And we just give you praise for each member of this council and praise for all the employees, teacher, administrators at Carter County Schools. Lord, may you just bless them mightily. bless them
003tfold of all that they give in time and their talent and treasure uh to see the next generation grow and prosper and do well. And we just pray Lord you bless them in a mighty way. And Lord just use all of us as your servants to see our community grow in faith and and harmony and love and grace and peace that we might reflect uh Lord the beauty of of oneness that you alone can give us can truly give us. Thank you God for being our God. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to be our savior. And we pray all these things in his name. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Good job. Thank you. Good job. And now we get to recognize some students. Um if Miss Allison Dees wants to come forward to recognize
004some of our career and technical education students or Miss Jennifer Perryman. Hi there. I'm here for um Allison De's um Jennifer uh Perryman the chief communications officer and Allison couldn't be here with us tonight but uh it's an exciting night. Today we celebrate the remarkable achievements of some of our outstanding students in career and technical education which we refer to as CTE. This year has been exceptional with students from across Carter County Public Schools showcasing their talents and dedication at the state level through um CTE organizations. Uh we're incredibly proud to recognize the first place winners tonight um who have or will be advancing to the National Leadership Conferences to compete against the best from across the nation. Um you can see some of these uh coming through here now. Uh but we're going to
005recognize tonight we have three people here today, but we're recognizing all of our students. So from West Carter High School Skills USA, uh we have Terry or TJ Murray in customer service. uh Maline Peoples that's in job skill demo open. Uh their Skills USA adviserss are Michael Helm, Jessica Lewis, uh Michael Litker, and Melissa Mason. Uh joining them are first place winners from Croatan High School, FBLA, Khloe Robertson, and Luke Lewis. Um and they are uh involved in computer gaming and simulation. And their FBLA adviserss are Tracy Abbott and Matt Grokkey. And from West Carter High School, DECA, uh, Madison Kisler, Benjamin Quinn, and Tucker Dickinson, uh, were involved in the integrated marketing campaign. Um, Guian Capeheart and Wade Phillips uh, were also involved in the sports event team decisionmaking. Their DECA adviser is Katherine
006Kaufman. Uh furthermore, we have two exceptional students from West Carter High School, Skills USA, who've demonstrated their outstanding leadership qualities and a deep commitment to their organization. TJ Murray and Brody um Patipus or Pedipus, so sorry for that if I've butchered that. They have been recognized for their dedication and will serve North Carolina as NC State officers for um Skills USA. So, this is a significant honor and a testament to their character and their potential. Uh, please join me in giving a resounding round of applause to all of these accomplished [Applause] students. And we have some certificates for you guys as well. [Music] That's very important. Thank you so [Applause] [Music] good job y'all. Thank you. Like that suit. And now, Miss Heather Boston is going to recognize um some of our students. Hi, good
007evening. Each year, Carter County Public Schools nominates students to apply for Governor School based on their academic achievement and their performance in the arts. This is a highly competitive 4-week summer program for gifted and talented high school students. It integrates the academic disciplines and the arts. After submitting names at the local level, students are then presented before a state level selection committee that determines acceptance based on strong academic history, written essays, extracurricular activities, and a performance or portfolio for the arts. Approximately 45% of the top students in the entire state are selected to Governor's School from across the entire state. We were thrilled to learn that 68% of our students were selected in order to participate. Our acceptance rate for the arts was 58% and 86% of our seven academic nominees were accepted. We are
008excited to present these 13 outstanding students for recognition. From East Carter High School, we have Isaac Moss for the natural sciences. From West Carterette High School, we have Harrison Maize for natural sciences, Samuel Park for the natural sciences, McKinley Shoddon for coral music, Kinley Pinkard for instrumental music, Avery Straoud for instrumental music, Molly Wank for instrumental music, and Cooper Wilkinson for instrumental music. From Croatan High School, we present Ashton Kirkwood for natural sciences. Julianne Mallister was not able to be in attendance because of a softball tournament, but she was um accepted for social sciences. Giata Melbour for social sciences. Mara Jennings, who also was not able to be in attendance for coral. Okay. Yes, she's here for coral music. Uhhuh. And then Carson Munger for instrumental music. Congratulations to all of you on your selection
009to Governor School. It is a huge privilege to have you representing our county. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Make another right here. students, two parents as well. Absolutely. Coming from the waiting room. Go ahead. Excuse me. Thank you. I don't take many pictures. Congratulations. Oh, just kidding. Thank you. Congratulations. And madam chairman, would you permit me a moment of personal privilege? Sure. One of the um recipients of the Governor's School Award is McKinley Shoden. Her parents are there and she's walking that way. Her grandmother Patty Deal was the AG coordinator for you for many years. And um I know that Miss Patty up in heaven is really proud at this moment. Thank you. She's also my next door neighbor. Oh, you're partial to her. Thank you. Congratulations, y'all. See you. Um we now get to recognize this
010week as teacher appreciation week. start to right. Whereas teachers mold future citizens through guidance and education and whereas teacher encount teachers encounter students of widely differing backgrounds. And whereas our county's future depends upon providing quality education to all students. Whereas teachers spend countless hours preparing lessons, evaluating progress, counseling and coaching students, and performing community service. And whereas our community recognizes and supports its teachers in educating the children of this community. Now therefore, let it be resolved that the Carter County Board of Education proclaims May 5th through 9th, 2025 to be teacher appreciation week. To be further resolved that the Carter County Board of Education strongly encourages all members of our community to join with us personally, expressing appreciation to our teachers for their dedication and devotion to their work. I'd like to make a motion
011to approve the resolution as presented. We have a motion by Miss Wheatley. Do we have a second? I'll second. Second by Miss Chadwick. All in favor? Perfect. Um, we are now at approval of the meeting agenda. Do we have a motion? Motion. I'll second. Um, a motion by Mr. White, second by Miss Wheatley. All in favor? Thank you. All right. Now we have reached public commenting. It is now time for public comment. Anyone present tonight wishing to make comment should have filled out a request to speak public comment form to ensure civility, relevance, and time management. There are specific requirements for public comment set forth in schoolboard policy. They include comments are limited to matters pertaining to public education. The speaker shall state his or her name at the beginning of his or her comment.
012Speaking will be limited to three minutes per person. A 3minut timer will appear on the TV screens in the bottom corner. The timer will beep when there are 30 seconds remaining. It will then beep a final time when your time is up. For civility and decorum, no speaker shall make obstain remarks or issue personal attacks or insults. No complaint against the school employee or student will be permitted, although this may be heard in close session at a later date following consultation with the superintendent. Much information about individual students, including a speaker's own child, is confidential under state and federal law. and we discourage and often prohibit such information in open session. The chairperson may immediately terminate any comments that violate these rules. Board members will not respond to questions except occasionally to request clarification. And
013our first speaker is Miss Robert Robin Guest. I thought I got to be number two, but um good evening board members. Thank you for letting me be here tonight. My name is Robin Guest and I'm the parent of a freshman at West Carterette High School and I'm here tonight just to talk a little bit about policy 1740-410 which is um the Carter County Schools policy on student and parent grievance. And I'm here tonight just requesting of the board that um as a parent that's rather new to this area, this is I'm almost three years in in Carter County coming from Guilford, that there be some clarity to this policy and also I'd request of the board that there be adherence to this policy. Um my particular situation with this matter began in December. Um actually
014after doing my own investigation I realized I just naturally followed the process which was make to the the complaint allow time for a principal investigation um meet with the principal and the other staff member and then follow up with the superintendent. So I I went through this process. I first contacted the superintendent in January. I've contacted every month since and also requested and had the Department of Public Instruction contact the Carter County Superintendent's Office on my behalf because I had not received any type of resolution or really any more information about what the superintendent was doing to deal with this situation. So, I am here to request of the board that this this be the procedure that that you state in your policy that it be adhered to and that it be more accessible to
015parents. It took me some chat GPT and some Google searching to find the information that I did to know what the policies were for this county and how how to proceed. And then my final request on a personal note is that I have my hearing before the board privately since I have completed all the other steps in this matter. That's all I have to say. Thank you for your time. Thank you. And now, Mr. Jay Randall. years. I'm Jay Randall. Before retiring to Atlantic Beach in 2003, I was a proud North Carolina public school educator for 35 years. I have been a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent. I have driven school buses and sealed gym floors. I've done it at home. I even helped rebuild two schools and supervised through FEMA the rebuilding of uh
016two schools in Edgecom County after Hurricane Floyd. So, I've seen all areas. I first need to congratulate Carter County Schools, their students, teachers, administrators for having a truly remarkable system, one that is recognized throughout the state. You have lots to be very proud of. You had many in front of you tonight. So very much congratulate you for the work that you've done these years. And the reason I've stayed home for 21 years, I can no longer stay quiet about the North Carolina General Assembly's attack on public education. For years, the General Assembly have passed regulations and laws intending to destroy public education. These laws have burdened and restricted local boards of education from decisions and have attacked teachers and administrators. was going to speak on certification and and teachers. I think I'll skip that. What
017really brings me here tonight is that the general assembly's funding for private schools. I am not talking about charter schools, and I have no fight with private schools. They both have a vital role in the education of our kids. I'm talking about the General Assembly's funding for private schools. funds that could have been used come funds you could use and help you help the students in this county but they're going to private schools. They say they do not had enough. They said general assembly this year said they did not have enough money for teacher raises. But yet they f found almost $500 million to fund the opportunity scholarships. Scholarships that were started two years ago to help poor families send their kids to private schools at $7,000. that has now been extended so that a
018family making $175,000 I wouldn't call that poor $175,000 can get it how does this affect Carter County in Carter County the state has spent has sent six private schools in this county $2 million211,847 that would have come to Carter County Schools. You could have hired 44 positions with that. 44 positions and I can think of lots of things and programs such as the AG program we used to have in order to uh help our system with that. So, best wishes and good luck. Thank you. got many bills and things I know that very difficult impossible to work with. So, thank you for the opportunity. Thank you. Thank you for coming. [Applause] Um, and we now move to the approval of the consent agenda. Motion by Mr. White. Do we have a second? A second. Second.
019Um, all in favor? Perfect. Um, I'd now like to welcome Miss Erica Jones, who is the development director of the Carter County Public School Foundation for an update. Good evening, members of the board, Mr. Pal, and guests. My name is Erica Jones. I'm the development director of Carter County Public School Foundation. I am here tonight with a very exciting announcement and to let you know and to unveil our new logo and to announce that the Carter County Public School Foundation will now be operating as the Carter Education Foundation. But before we look ahead tonight, I want to pause to honor the past. For 25 years, this foundation has quietly and faithfully invested in our schools. Thanks to the tireless efforts of those who came before us, from the founding board members to long-er serving volunteers
020to donors and to staff, your work has laid the foundation for every scholarship awarded, every classroom enriched, and every crisis met with compassion. We stand on your shoulders with deep gratitude and pride tonight. This rebrand is more than just a name. It is a reflection of who we've become and where we are heading. Since our founding, we've invested $2.7 million into Carter County Schools, supporting classroom innovation, crisis response, educator development, and scholarships for future teachers. Yet, in recent years, especially since 2018, our role has expanded in response to natural disasters, staffing shortages, rising housing costs, and teacher burnout. We've stepped up to meet the urgent needs and invest in long-term solutions for our schools. We've grown from a strong silent presence to a visible trusted partner collaborating with principles, staff, counselors, and community leaders to
021fill critical gaps in funding and in care. And as we've grown, so has our vision. The name Carterate Education Foundation reflects a broader mission. We are not just supporting schools. We are supporting public education in its entirety in the county and the people that make it thrive. This rebrand honores honors the legacy of the past 25 years and welcomes a future filled with great impact. We remain as always steadfast in our commitment to support public education in Carter County and to champion the excellence that defines Carter County Public Schools. I want to personally thank you for your guidance and your enduring support as we move forward with this transition. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks. I know this foundation does so much that we don't see and I didn't even realize until
022hurricane. And it was actually with Miss McClenny when she was principal how much you guys do quietly behind the scenes from, you know, medical bills to anything needed. It's been I've seen kids get glasses that they couldn't afford. Um, so it's amazing what you guys do. Um, and I think it's a lot more than anyone realizes. And you did a great job on your logo. Really like them. Thank you. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Thanks for the support. Thank you so much. Now to Mr. Taylor for a bond project update. Yes, ma'am. So, thank you. Um, so tonight instead of doing a normal bond update, I have some pictures and we're just going to go through a picture slide. The first is the East Carter culinary classroom. Um, wow. Eastcar culinary classroom is
023a little different than the other two schools in that they're going to have a dining room um that's going to mock a restaurant so that kids can actually learn how to kind of wait tables. And this is this is the small room you see here. On the next picture, you'll see the the larger culinary classroom which is right next door. Um this is the so the you can see one more slide Mike and you can see the the hoods installed. Um you see the panels to the right of the hood. Those were all glass windows that on the next picture you'll see on the outside. Um there's a lot of work there to where those windows had to be replaced with cement board. Um there there's new um air intake ducts on top. You see
024the roof for the hood and then the new HVAC system to run that. So that project is well underway. They should be completed by the summer in time for next semester for um East Carterette. Um next you'll see at West Carterette. There's several projects going on there. This is the new band room. Um it is mostly complete. They are waiting on some shelving for storage. You see things kind of sitting around which will later be on shelves that the shelving has not come in yet. Um next, um this is just a U. So if you're familiar with Westgart High School, they have the vocational hall where the A and all those shops have already been. This is a new restroom on that hallway which is right outside of the new band room. So uh so
025the kids don't have to walk all the way past the gym to go to a restroom. Now, uh so that's going to be a great addition. Next, this inside the restrooms. Next, this was the old band room. Um, they're demoing the risers in there, which is a a big task. They're cement, so they have to go and cut them with a wet saw and then um bust them out. So, that's a big project. That's going to be the future chorus for choir room. This is the their culinary lab. Um, you can see it's uh it's a little more complete than East Carter. The flooring um is down with the epoxy flooring hoods installed and they actually have some equipment starting to go in there. Next, this is the new science wing. So, um you can
026see this is standing closest to the west Carter building looking down the hall. Um there basically it's four science uh classrooms um that you see the doors going to those classrooms. on the very end that you see at the very end that's going to be a new JOTC room which we'll have a picture of in a little bit next you'll see a picture of a one of the science rooms and as u he hike his building designed very nice size classrooms going to be a nice addition to west um next will be this is the new JOTC room um and it is a very large room um you can see about twothirds of the way down you see a white beam that goes across the ceiling. That's going to be a divider curtain that can
027be so that room can be divided into two rooms or just be one large room. And it's actually large enough that they can uh have their air rifles shot in that room and not have to have a an extra room there like they do now. This is in that new science wing. Again, the design just like the new buildings at at Curitan and Brock Creek. This is the mezzanine, which is a very nice um way to do building so that all your mechanical equipment is under the roof, but can be worked on um while class is going on and kids don't even know that the mechanics are up there. Um the restrooms, if you've been to a basketball game, home basketball game, it was kind of embarrassing that the restrooms are so outdated. Um but
028this is a new restroom right outside of the the the gymnasium. This is the men's restroom. Um, new locker rooms. Looks great. New laundry room, which is a if you if you've worked in coach in high school, you know it's it's critical to have nice washers and dryers to wash uniforms. So, this also a nice addition. The cafeteria um used to be divided into three sections. Now, it's one big open area with restrooms. And the restroom, you can see at the very end of that, there's a little dark opening. That's the restroom to men's and women's restroom. So that's kids don't have to leave the the cafeteria to go to the restroom anymore. So that's a great addition. And I think that is it, right, Mike? Yes, sir. Yes. Any questions? I don't think people
029realize how important those bonds are when they pass and and how much it brings up our elevates our schools for a small when when you really look at the big picture for such a small it's this large project not a small price but a small you know but and it's a game changer for West Carter not only things that you can see but all the electrical work done behind the scenes that gets it up to code and the HVAC um I don't know that if people know this but in the past there were sections of West Cor where the hallways were not conditioned. So you got in the you know in August and September you got cold classrooms, hot hallways and you know what that does to air quality. So it's just the whole the
030whole project is a game changer. The science before that those classrooms look like 1960. Y the admins talked about things like the restroom additions and the cafeteria how much safer it's made it too just to not have students going out and being able to see everywhere. So I think they're very happy with this. Absolutely. Perfect. We're sticking with you for comments from the superintendent. So, good evening board members. U first I'd like to start take a moment to give a my mic hasn't been on. Sorry. Um give a huge shout out to our amazing teachers. It's teacher appreciation week and we're lucky to have such a dedicated group um leading the way in our classrooms. So, again, uh a huge thanks to each and every one of them. Um, also, in case you missed it,
031last Friday was school lunch hero day, a time for schools to show some love for um, the folks that are keeping our uh, kids wellfed and happy. Coming up, tomorrow is National School Nurse Day. And then on May 18th is speech and language language pathologist day. Um, great opportunities to recognize these incredible people that serve our kids each and every day. On last Friday, we proudly celebrated and announced our Cart County Employees of the Year. Congratulations to all um congratulations to our outstanding award recipients. Principal of the year Jay Westbrook, assistant principal of the year Ashley Schultz, teacher of the year Sher Meadows, certified employee of the year Debbie Henderson, and classified employee of the year Betsy Mills. A special shout out to our teacher of the year, Sherry, who drove away in a fantastic
032prize, the use of an electric Chevy Blazer for an entire year, generously sponsored by Curtis Chevrolet. We're incredibly grateful to all the sponsors who made the celebration possible. Um, huge thanks out go out to Carter County Farm Bureau, Plain Jeans Cleaning, Chick-fil-A, Frank Door Company, Height and Associates, Kurtman Whitford Law Firm, Remax Ocean Properties, and of course, Curtis Chevrolet. Your continued support throughout the school year truly makes a difference. We're lucky to have such dedicated partners investing in our schools and community. I'd also like to extend a special recognition to the talented members of the West Court High School marching band and color guard along with their leadership team, Andy Wright, the director of bands, Donald Johnson and Emily Stein, guard instructors, and Tyler Loftton, the percussion instructor. In April, they had the distinguished honor
033of performing in the National Sherry Blossom Parade in Washington DC, a prestigious opportunity that speaks to their outstanding skill and dedication and hard work. Their performance was broadcast nationally on ABC syndicated television on April 21st and the color guard was also featured in live segment segment on Good Morning America the morning of the parade. We congratulate all involved on this well-deserved recognition and commend them for the representing our district with pride and excellence. Let us also give congratulations to the Croatan High School vocal ensemble for their tremendous achievement this past weekend at the music and the parks competition held at King's Dominion. Competing against top tier schools from South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, our students rose to the occasion and delivered a performance that truly set them apart. Under the exceptional direction of
034their teacher, Ashton Humphrey, the ensemble earned first place in their division and received the highest score overall in the entire event. an extraordinary accomplishment. So again, congratulations. Lastly, please note that the next regular board meeting will be held here Tuesday, June 3rd at 6 PM and high school graduations will be held on Friday, June 6. Um, so Mr. Chair, this concludes my remarks. Thank you. Do we have any comments from any board members? All right. As he just said, our next regularly scheduled board meeting is Tuesday, June 3rd at 6 PM and it will be livereamed on the YouTube. And with that, do we have a motion to adjurnn? I'll make that motion. Motion by Miss Chadwick. Do we have a second? I'll second. Second by Mr. I can't one can't think of your name
035earlier and so I just skipped it. Chambers. Sorry, Sarah. All in favor.