001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Good afternoon. The Board of Education special called meeting is now in session. Um, thank you all for joining us. Uh, we will start off with a moment of silence. Thank you so much. Um, I'd like to acknowledge that um, Chair Umstead and Mr. Tab are unavailable this evening. Not joined us. Miss Carter Arden has joined us online. Miss Carter Arden, did you want to say anything? No, I'm here. Okay. Welcome. Um, colleagues, the next item on our agenda is agenda review and approval. Move approval of the agenda as presented. Second. It moved by Miss Bayer, seconded by Miss Harold-Goff uh, to approve the agenda as presented. We'll do a little roll call vote. Miss Carter Arden. This is Jessica Carter Arden. I vote I. Miss Harold-Goff. I. Miss Bayer. I. Miss
002Chavez. I. And I'm Melissa Navo. I. Uh, the agenda passes unanimously. Colleagues, we are here to explore um, the 2025-2026 school calendar adjustment. Um Dr. Lewis. Yes, thank you so much. Vice Chair Rogers, we have been monitoring obviously have our well aware of the events that will be taking place in Raleigh on May 1st. As a consequence, we have been monitoring our staff absences as early as maybe a little over a a month ago when we first learned about the event there. And so what we want to bring tonight is an option to account for the increased number of staff absences that definitely increase daily. Um to the tune and and Miss Ashley will share those numbers some some of those numbers with you just to give you an example was we're around maybe 200
003last week. We're over 600 as of today. And so we want to present an option for the board to consider to make May 1st a um potentially a teacher work day. Um Miss Stevens is coming forward to share with you as you know we are required to have certain number of hours. Traditionally when you approve the calendar you approve the calendars with some additional what we call bank hours. And so she'll share where we are with those and an option to present to you as it relates to making May 1st a teacher work day. Stevens. Absolutely. Good afternoon. There is a presentation. Perfect. Next slide, please. So this proposal brings forward some calendar adjustments. Administration is seeking approval to designate May 1st as an optional teacher work day. This applies all across all calendar types
004and does not change our ability to meet the instructional time requirements. Next slide, please. The rationale for this adjustment is based on confirmed absence absences with additional anticipated participation tied to the statewide advocacy event at the North Carolina State Capitol. These absences are not limited to classroom teachers. We are also anticipating impacts across transportation and child nutrition, which are essential to delivering a full day of instruction. Making this decision in advance also ensures that families and caregivers have adequate time to plan um and ensures stronger student stability and engagement. Next slide, please. The adjustments reduce reliance on large-scale substitute coverage, which is already limited, and ensures consistency across schools rather than uneven or last-minute decisions at individual sites. It supports student safety and supervision by avoiding understaffed environments and preserves instructional quality by preventing fragmented
005learning experiences. This reflects a proactive, student-centered, system-wide approach rather than a reactive, school-level response. It also allows schools to plan intentionally for instruction, pacing, grading, and end-of-the-year preparation, ensuring that the surrounding instructional days remain strong and focused. Next slide, please. The district calendar includes banked time, banked instructional time, meaning we exceed the state's minimum instructional requirements. This creates a built-in cushion that allows us to absorb unforeseen disruptions without extending the school year. Even with the May 1st adjustment, the district remains fully compliant with instructional time requirements, and no makeup day would be required. This also protects instructional quality without introducing additional disruptions later in the year. Next slide, please. On May 1st, employees will have the option to report to work. If they do not report, they must account for the day by using available
006leave options, including annual leave, personal leave for teachers, compensatory time for eligible employees, or leave without pay. This approach maintains clear expectations while providing flexibility, ensuring that operations remain structured and consistent. Next slide, please. One more quick, please. As of this afternoon, available data reflects both confirmed and anticipated absences. We have a confirmed teacher absence of 658 with the current 25 um percent fill rate of 452. Confirmed bus driver absences are at 15, and projected across all of our schools, we're sitting about 880 employees. Next slide, please. Thank you for your time, and I open the floor for any questions. Colleagues, any questions? Is there a motion? Ms. Carter-Cotton, did I give you plenty of time to chime in? Yes, thank you. Um I I don't have anything to share for right now. Thank you.
007Thank you. Ms. Chavez. I'd like to make a motion that we modify the both academic calendars by designating May 1st, 2026 as an optional teacher work day. Second. It's been moved by Ms. Chavez, seconded by Ms. Harrell-Goff, to modify the 2025-2026 calendars to make May 1st an optional teacher work day. Is there any further discussion? Ms. Bayer. I appreciate the work that you all have done. I appreciate the need to be responsive and keep safety first. Can you talk about um the plans for the Special Olympics? Have you heard this concern from folks? I forgot to send that to you ahead of time. Um and it's I think it's scheduled on May 1st. It is scheduled for May 1st. However, they they have a a rain day planned, I believe for May 4th. Uh in
008speaking with our exceptional executive director for uh special ed, we last week we actually asked them in anticipation of this possibility to begin preparing uh to use the rain day. Uh so that if we if we got to this point, they would be prepared to do that and they are fully prepared to move in that direction. You And did you all have any consideration of pulling back the early release date that is on the traditional calendar for next week? To ga- gather those two instructional hours, did you think about that? I think we think we did dis- discuss it. Uh I think the challenge being, you know, schools are have all do already have plans in place for those that particular session. Remembering that sometimes our schools, you know, um contract uh professional development providers
009and the like um on those days. And so, um given that we have these additional options, we we felt like it would make most sense to just move in this direction. And then, sorry. What uh one of the other districts had some planning um for child nutrition and how to cover extra food for for students. If if y'all might have some ideas in that space, I would love to see that before Thursday if there's ways that we can feed kids that might otherwise not have food on Friday. Um So, I do know that Durham Association of Educators has been working with um some community partners to make sure some of that work is happening. And so it won't be completely reliant on uh what the district can and cannot provide. Um but I'll ask them
010to share any information they have with administration so that um so that that's also disseminated to families when there's a notification that goes out uh for the May 1st work teacher work day. Fantastic. Thanks. I really appreciate y'all pulling all this information together and responding so quickly and expeditiously. Um grateful for the community for rallying in the wake of um LeAndra ruling that didn't go the way I look forward to the way students will be centered in this day of advocacy on May 1. Um because we've done a lot of great work here in Durham to make sure worker voice has been heard over the last few years and to make sure students um have the their needs met in the best ways possible, but that work doesn't fall solely to us. And so um
011I look forward to this advocacy day on May 1 um putting the pressure where the pressure should be. Um any other comments, colleagues? Okay. All those in favor to modify the other calendar Can I ask a question? I ask a question. I think the motion mentioned two calendars. We would need this motion to cover all three calendars, both the traditional the specialty and the uh year round. Thank you. I'd like to modify my motion to include all calendars. Second. Okay. The motion has been modified to include all calendars. Um Uh-oh. Yes. That's right. Uh so, we will do a voice vote. I was like, "What's Natalie pointing at?" Um Ms. Carter-Cotton. It's Jessica Carter-Cotton. I vote I. Ms. Errol Golf. I. Ms. Byer. I. Ms. Chavez. I. I vote I, and passes unanimously. Uh thank
012you. This meeting's now adjourned. I didn't catch you before you ended. Just want to say the 452 number is the number of unfilled um vacancies. >> vacancies. The 452 is right. 452 is unfilled. Thank you.