001Good evening and welcome to the Morsel grade school district board of education meeting January 6, 2026. At this time I would like to have a moment of silence please. Thank you. As we gather for our first meeting of the new year, I'm reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said, "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character that is the goal of true education." believe Dr. King's vision challenges us to see education not just as the transfer of knowledge but as the shaping of character and opportunity. As we begin 2026, let's recommmit ourselves to ensuring that every decision we make reflects that ideal. Building schools where every child can grow, learn, grow, and thrive. Our work today is a part of
002that dream. May I have the pledge of allegiance at this time? >> Yes, sir. I'd like to invite Le Gooden, student from Sabr Middle School, to lead us in the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Okay. Uh, approval of the agenda. I'll entertain a motion. >> I move we approve the agenda as published. >> I have a motion to approve the agenda as published. I hear a second. >> Second. Have a motion and a second to approve the agenda. All those in favor? >> I. >> All those opposed? Motion carries. >> Approval of the minutes of the December 3rd, 2025 meeting. I'll entertain a motion. >> I move we
003approve the minutes as they stand. >> I have a motion to approve the minutes as written. Do I have a second? >> Second. I have a second. All those in favor. >> All those opposed. >> Motion carries. >> Dr. Gardner, student of the month. Sir, good evening. Um, tonight I have the honor of recognizing our student of the month and pledge leader tonight, Lelay Gooden, student at Selma Burke Middle School. Lelay was selected by Mr. Howard and Miss Davis Vicky, teachers at Selberg Middle School. So before I share a little bit about her, I'd like to ask her to come back up front at this time. Let's give her a round of applause. All right. Le Gooden truly embodies the spirit of Selma Burke. She is one of the most intelligent, creative, and dedicated students
004that we've had the privilege of teaching in our careers. Over the course of this year, Lei has shown remarkable growth in ELA, math, and just as a person. We're incredibly proud of everything she has accomplished. She approaches every situation with creativity and curiosity. Her determination, unique perspective, passion for learning, and sense of humor sets her apart in the best possible way. We are confident that in 20 years when people look back at the list of notable Selma Burke graduates, Lelay's name will stand out as one of the most impressive and inspiring alumni to come through that middle school. Please join me in congratulating Lelay Gooden as our student of the month for January 2026. Congratulations. So the greatest school district board of education recognizes good of the month leading the board of education meeting. Happy
005new year. All right. Tonight, I have the honor of also recognizing our artist of the month, Kion Roseboro, student at Selmer Middle School. Cayenne was nominated by Miss Vice, teacher at Summerberg Middle School. And before I share a little bit about what she had to say, I'd like to invite him to come up this time. Let's give him another round of applause. Ka's performance in engineering, inventions, and innovations class this semester was outstanding. Kai's rapid acquisition of the technical skills needed meant he quickly achieved mastery of the 3D design software. The culmination of this effort is an exceptionally innovative final project, a conceptual masterpiece that skillfully layers the geometry of our school and football field with a powerful tribute to the words of Selma Burke. Kai's achievement in conceptualizing and rendering such a complex multi-layered
006design completely from scratch is a testament to his mastery of the 3D medium and showcases an advanced level of technical skill and creative depth. Please join me in congratulating Kai as our January 2026 artist of the month. The greatest school district board of education recognizes as the artist of the board of education. That's some great. >> Yeah. Tai, do you want to go ahead and move? You still got to get your picture, >> but you can go ahead and explain your design a little bit. >> Do it now or >> just just show them. just a school. It's like a player school. >> Yeah. >> See, that's very cool. >> Very cool. >> Oh, that is cool. >> Thank you for sharing. All right. Next we have our ABCD award. Each month we have the
007honor of recognizing a district employee who goes above and beyond demonstrating the core value of our district. This month we recognize Mr. Levi Womble teach EC teacher assistant at Selma Burke Middle School. Mr. Wombell was nominated by Mr. Greg in the administrative team at Selma Burke Middle. And before I share a little bit about why he was nominated like to ask him to come up front at this time. Since Mr. Wall joined Selma Burke last year, he has consistently exhibited patience, grace, and kindness towards the students and staff alike. Students have put him into some challenging situations at times and his responses consistently exhibit empathy and a clear head. We are constantly asking Mr. Wall to stretch outside of his comfort zone and he never hesitates or pushes back. He shows up with a positive
008attitude every day and is willing to do whatever is needed to meet the needs of our students. For these reasons and so many more, we are proud to recognize Mr. WBLE for going above and beyond the call of duty every day. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Wall as our January 2026 ABCD award winner. First of all, thank you for the greatest school district. Levi perform. All right, next up we have several spotlight on people. So, we're going to start by calling up the Moresville High School varsity football team conference champions. I know we've got some members of the team here tonight. Like to ask them to come up front and their coaches at this time. Right. I'm going to share a little bit from your coaches in the athletic department about what they had
009to share. Within the Moresville varsity football program, we often talk about how fortunate we are to be part of a district that supports our student athletes, coaches, and the vision we have for the program. Standing here today as champions, this team understands that success is not just a result of one individual. It is a result of consistent support from the top down. all season long. Knowing that our school and district stand firmly behind this program provides a tremendous amount of confidence and belief. This championship reflects the commitment and pride of Morsville. These young men are conference champions. That success didn't happen overnight. It was built through countless hours in the wait room, on the practice field, and in the film room. This team was led by a strong group of seniors who has set the
010standard through work ethic, toughness, and leadership. They leave behind a legacy of accountability, effort, and pride in the varsity football program. Every season begins with clear team goals, and this group checked off many of those. Winning their fourth conference title in the past four years, a first round buy in the state playoffs, and hosting and winning a home playoff game. These were all major milestones for the program. Along the way, our players achieved individual goals, but more importantly, they played for each other, for their school, and for the Morsville community, and that's what defines a championship team. Our varsity team finished the season 9 and three with an undefeated conference record. This season set the standard for what Moresville varsity football is capable of, and we are excited to continue building this momentum throughout the
011offseason as we take our next steps forward. Please join me in congratulating the high school varsity football team is our January 2026 spotlight. >> So what we'll do everybody get a certificate but the certificate says the MOA greatest school district board of education recognizes each individual player. Um Moses High School varsity football conference champion board of education meeting January 6, 2026. Just From you guys, thank you for all you've done. Thank you for the work you put in and thank you for the way you >> represent. Yeah, >> you're not getting away yet. All right, next up we have the Moresville Middle School Varsity Girls Basketball Team Undefeated Conference Champions. Like I asked them to come up front this time. All right, the Morsel Middle School varsity girls basketball team delivered a season to remember,
012finishing 16-0 and completing an incredible undefeated championship season. From the opening tip to the final buzzer of the season, this team played with an unmatched heart, effort, and determination, leaving everything on the court every single game. The Lady Red Imps competed with confidence, grit, and unity, rising to the challenge, and never backing down. Their success was built on relentless effort, teamwork, and a deep belief in each other. Whether battling through tough moments or pulling away with momentum, this team showed resilience, focus, and a pride in representing Morsville Middle School. A defining moment of the season came in a hard-fought victory over cross town rival Zelma Burke, which was a true test not only to his skill, but of mental toughness. Competing against close friends and familiar faces, the Red Ms showed remarkable focus, composure, and
013resilience, proving their ability to rise above the pressure and perform when it mattered most. This undefeated season stands as a powerful reflection of their dedication and passion for the game as well as commitment to excellence. This will be an outstanding achievement that will be long celebrated in Morsville Middle School athletics. Please join me in congratulating the Morsel Middle School varsity girls basketball team. The greatest board of education recognizes basketball. Thank you all. Keep working hard. Good job. All right, our final spotlight on people is our Moresville graded school board for board appreciation month. Our school board members continue to dedicate their time, energy, and expertise into making thoughtful decisions that positively impact every student they serve. We appreciate their passion, advocacy, and steady leadership that they bring to their roles that define their service. The
014Morrisville graded board members are strong champions of public education. They continue to advocate for the resources that support our educators and ensure students are equipped for success through this work. They play a critical role in strengthening our community as a whole. Mr. Whitfield, Dr. Marsh, Miss Panell, Mr. Broly and Miss Bender, thank you for your continued leadership, service, and unwavering dedication to our students. And at this time, I'd like to call Mr. Miller, Principal Summer Burke, up as he has a gift of appreciation on behalf of our school district. I'm going to ask Kai to come back up here and join me. Um, on behalf of the district, uh, it was an honor for us as Sama Burke to be able to come up with some type of token of appreciation. And I can speak
015for me personally. Um I thank my lucky stars that I work in a district with a board that is so on board and so team kid um and cares about the individuals that make up this district. Um and so Kai is actually going to talk a little bit about what he did as part of that. I put the challenge back on the kids to design something. I was told no sparklers, no fireworks, no extra theatrics. So, there's none of that. But Kai is gonna talk a little bit about what we did come up with and then I'll present you with those tokens of our appreciation. >> During the creation process, I use the engineer design process. You might ask what that is. Um, it's a cycle process to help with help through your project. The
016first topic is ask. I was asked to create something on tinker tinker cab and provide to the board me board members. The next step I used imagine. I had a lot of ideas and I didn't know which one to use. I was making a pencil holder. Then I started trying to pull put the school mascot on the pencil holder and I spent hours conducting research how to convert fouls over and then trying to make the shape of it but it felt like it wasn't good enough. Then I saw a story kept knocking over his papers. Then I thought a thought came to mind telling myself As a builder, it's your job to fix problems. Then I got to work and then I came up with the paper holder idea. With the paper with the paper
017weight idea, there was many problems trying to make it around around the school. I realized we used the school mascot for almost everything, but the other logos wasn't used as the other ones. So I started making the logo to a paper weight to gain attention. It took hours almost I was almost done. But I didn't I felt like it wasn't missing something. Then I thought of contacting the builder that made the school so I could buy more detail in a 3D model on what I was making. But the message wasn't trying to go through even on my personal Gmail. I got I got tired of waiting around and made it myself but there wasn't any blueprints of the school online. So I had to walk around the school to give a to give idea of
018a 3D model. After making of the 3D um the digital digital model. There was problems with my my design and 3D printer wasn't able to create my design. So, I had to go in and tinker the design about like five times until we got it until we got the final product. It didn't print the field go the field go or the trees, but but if I had more time, I'll fix and correct it. I would I would like to thank all of y'all for hearing of the process of my project and I'm happy it turned out the way it is. My first 3D model. >> So I I will say on Kai's behalf trying to get these things printed and to come out the way he designed it. You saw his design earlier. So they're
019not quite everything that was in the design, but they are. And I'm going to have Kai hold up the first one. >> They are really good representation. Yeah, that's really cool. >> That's amazing. >> Thank you so much. >> Oh, wow. >> This is amazing. Thank you. >> The time and thought you put into it, it's amazing. Thank you. >> This is great. You think we get the board members come up front and take a picture of Kai? >> Oh, yeah. Right. Next, as our board members transition back, I'd like to call up um Principal Miller and the Selma Bberg team. They will be sharing an instructional highlight for this month. >> All right. We do have a representation up here. Uh Chairman Whitfield, Dr. Gardner, members of the board. Uh we are proud to
020present what's been going on in Selma Burke and what I think is very special about what we've been doing uh in related to our school improvement goals. But to me the numbers that'll be on the next slide are not as important as what the people behind me will be able to share. So I have Mr. Gudger and I have Miss Barren with me who lead our web program at Selma Burke along with some of our eighth grade web leaders and I have a sixth grader who's going to talk about her experience working with the web leaders. So our safe, happy, and healthy goal is to reduce the number of office referrals by another 20% from 729 last school year to 585 or less this school year. So, just as a comparison for the fall semester,
021our very first year in existence, we had 478 office referrals in the fall semester. Um, last year that was 335. When we went out on the break and it stayed that way, I put the little aster because I was like, I'm not sure we got a day left. Um, but it was 230. So, we have seen that this process and by buying into capturing kids hearts and that framework and how we're implementing it in our building, it is making a positive impact on the environment that is there. Um, we've decided this year that we're really focused on our SEAL lessons. Um, those happen on Mondays during our den time. And so, as an admin team, we do fidelity checks every Monday going in and out of several classrooms. There's really only three questions that we're
022asking. Is it the Capturing Kids Hearts um leadworthy lesson that's being taught? Is it being actively facilitated by a teacher or by a web leader? And are the students engaged in it? Um and so far this year, we have greater than 75% um positive ratings on those fidelity checks. We continue to have, you know, one-on-one conversations as needed where we see something that's a little bit off. Um, but one of the really cool things that's been happening this year is that our web leaders have been going into our sixth grade classrooms and they are facilitating the leadw worthy lessons. So, I'm going to turn it over to them and I'm going to let them talk about what the web program really is, what they've done with it because there's a whole new level of energy
023in the building around web this year. Um, and then let the kids share some of their experience. >> For some reason, Mr. Miller keeps giving me opportunities to talk. Um, so my name is Corey Gudger. Um, and I'm up here with uh my partner in kind uh, Miss Kayn Barren to highlight our web program at Selma Burke Middle School. Web is an acronym. It stands for where everyone belongs and and it's a program that exists to serve as a tool to assist rising sixth grade students to transition more comfortably into the environment of their middle school. Our goal is to make sure every single sixth grader not only has a mentor to turn to from the eighth grade, but a smiling face that they can count on regardless of what they may be going on
024or what they may be going through, whether it be school related or more personal. So, every sixth grade student has an eighth grade mentor, a team of mentors that they're working with. We have a home room assigned to a group of six to eight web leaders. Um, and those web leaders push in to actually uh lead these lessons on Mondays. Sometimes we can get them for lunch and they can have lunch with their web students. Um, things like that. Miss Barren and I had the privilege to travel to be trained as coordinators for the program at Surk. Um, where we learned about what students to look for to be a web leader and how to train the web leaders to be the best leaders and ambassadors that they can be for their middle school. We
025had a clear goal, the two of us, uh to select rising eighth graders who were committed in making Selma Burke Middle School the best possible version of itself. I told the students uh when they were in seventh grade classrooms, I said that uh we are one of one to my knowledge. Uh there is one Selber Middle School. Why can't we be the best possible version of that middle school? Um these students that we asked to come today are are models of that. um they do a fantastic job in their uh in their small group settings and and making connections with their students throughout that as well. Um after they're selected, we send eighth graders through a training process that's over a couple of days in the summer. Um and then we send the eighth graders
026with their sixth grade groups uh through an orientation that I'll let Miss Barren talk about a little bit. >> Yes. So with our orientation, we ask the students to come in over their summer break. um they take two long days of studying um from the morning to the afternoon um where they are we are running them through a lot of the activities that they are later going to turn and be the leaders of. Um these activities are anything from get to know you ice breakers that makes the students think a little bit more and kind of makes them feel a little bit lighter like they're not forced to get to know somebody but they want to get to know somebody. Um to other activities like team building where they get to learn how to play
027games and mind games and lots of fun things. um where they also build a little bit of team environment and involved in that. Um after those two long days of practicing and practicing, they have one day off where they can kind of go home and recoup and practice again. And then we have our orientation where our sixth graders come in. And this day is just electric. Like it is the most fun that we have. All of our kids have a job. They are all over the gym welcoming every student. Every student gets greeted whether it's with a high five, fist bump, or just a smile on their face. Um, we have students all throughout the bleachers where they get to welcome and just sit with them and get to know people. This is also a
028really good time for those sixth graders to also see familiar faces as well because in the new middle school there's a lot of people that they might not know. Um, so they get to kind of find a familiar face. During that first part of orientation, it's broken up into two main parts where they get to um do large group activities with the eighth graders and those kids that they know. And then our web kids, they break off with their specific groups of 8 to 10. Um, and during that time, again, they become those leaders. They get to lead through the activities that we had practiced for two days. Um, and then they kind of get to get those kids into different settings with different students. So, they get to learn a new group of people
029and also their web leaders. Um, it's a really fun time. They have a lot of time, a lot of fun getting to know everybody. Um, but I'm going to let the web kids tell you about what their experience is in the classroom. Hi, my name is Lauren Buy. I'm a eighth grade web leader at S Burke. And um being a web leader is one of the best things because we get to connect with the kids and we get to teach them about like leadership and like how to go through Selma Burke. Now, >> so um my name is Sutton Schustster and um first of all, I just want to say that I am very honored to be at this meeting. Thank you for Mr. Gudger and Miss Barren for letting me be here. Um I
030just want to say that the web leader program for me is very important. Um we don't just mentor our sixth graders at here at Summer Burke, but we also teach them to be like a kind person and we just get along with them pretty well. Some of the highlights that I would like to say um would be first of all for orientation it was great meeting my web kids um especially I love getting to know them. It was really fun um playing our activities that we learned the two days of camp. And um I also want to say um our Monday um lessons. It is really fun doing uh the groups with um my home room and I would assume that they like their home. Yeah. So that's all I'm going to say and I'm
031going to pass it on to Olivia. >> Sorry. Hello. My name is Olivia and I'm an eighth grade web leader. Um I was part of the very first sixth grade class to attend Senberg Middle School. So I think I really got to watch and see how the web leader program got to grow. Um at first when I was a sixth grader um the web leaders were coming class to class um trying to talk to their sixth graders. But I feel like it's grown in the sense that like it's more organized because now we just go into the just we just go into the classrooms and we get to engage more. I think I really have connected with my sixth graders and I feel like it's a very good opportunity to be like practicing the leadership.
032Thank you. >> And um I did want the sixth grade perspective. So I I do think it's a unique point for these eighth graders that they were our first class of sixth graders. So they have been in Summer all through middle school and really are helping to shape that culture that we're building. Um but I have Lacy with me and she's going to talk about what it's been like as a sixth grader this year to work with the web leaders. >> When we first met our web leaders for the first time, we were all nervous because we did not know them. But once we got to know them, they were super nice. We saw some dressed up as cows, some dressed as cowboys, and whenever they come in class, we learned about uplifting people, peer
033pressure, and how to get away from it. And how to be a good person in middle school. And all the web leaders in my class have made me want to be a web leader because they've all been super nice. Thank you. >> Do you have any questions for us? >> It's just great to see children modeling for other children and teaching them the path the right way. >> Thank you guys for coming and sharing. >> No, definitely. Thank you. >> Thank you guys. >> Great job. >> Thank you. >> Yep. Thank you. >> Thank you. Okay. Well, we're moving through this meeting and it's uh now time for me to tell you that uh the next meeting will be February 3rd, 2026. And as far as I know, it's going to be right here, same
034time, same bad channel. So, be uh duly noted and informed. At this time, we'll move to uh staff reports. Dr. Gardner. >> Yes, sir. I'd like to start with our maximizing opportunity and achievement report from Mr. Riick. >> Good evening, Chairman Whitfield, board members, Dr. Gardner. So, a few updates from our department. A reminder, our kindergarten registration and K through five STEM event will be on Monday, January 12th from 5 to 7 at Parkview Elementary. We will have K5 STEM activities and kindergarten activities for our students. Parents, a reminder to please bring your registration materials and all that can be found in our district website. We held our December multi-tered system of support MTSS meeting with members of our EC and curriculum department on the 15th of December. This team is focused on meeting the
035needs of students who require additional support in behavior and academics. And we're continuing our work on meeting the needs of our EC students and supporting our teachers with effective behavior strategies in the classroom. On December 16th, we conducted our data meeting with the intermediate schools. School teams were able to share their first quarter data report celebrations and opportunities for improvement. District and school leadership then collaborated on next steps for improvement based on this data and special thanks to Miss Connley for coordinating this meeting. On December 18th, Morsville Graded was asked to share our work with the skills for the future pilot with the Ayardell ready leadership council. The council was very excited about our work and is looking forward with uh for opportunities to partner with our district. And special thanks to Dr. Wade who
036presented with me on this date. We are with that we are now wrapping up our skills for the future semester 1 cohort and we'll be adding 12 more staff in semester 2. So we'll have 25 staff involved in this exciting pilot program. And Moresville Graded will be hosting a collab on February 12th for business and community members at the Charles Mack Citizen Center. Our middle and high school students presented their eighth grade and 11th grade gateway projects in December. The students did an excellent job researching and sharing on a multitude of topics. We thank those who were able to attend. I know some board members were there listening uh to support our students. We thank you for attending that. And thanks to our teachers for helping prepare our students for their presentations. They all did
037an I think you can agree they all did an amazing job. The ones that I listened to, I was very impressed by. Um, Marine Fitz Simmons met with every AIG student in grades 6 through 12 for their academic, personal, and growth goals. This information was then shared with families to assist the students as they're able to plan their future academic courses of study. Our bell the books and math masters competitions have taken place at the intermediate schools, and we thank Amy Smith for coordinating these events. On Monday, February 16th, Morrisville Graded will host our second annual AIG night from 5:00 to 7:00 at Moresville Middle School. There will be a guest speaker, sessions about our AIG programming, and information about educational opportunities for our AIG identified students. And finally, an update on our college and
038career promise program. Our students completed 5778 college courses this fall for a total of 1,765 tuitionfree college credit hours. We also have 25 students enrolled in December and January classes for a total of 75 credit hours. So we're great it's great that these students can take advantage of getting college credits for free provided by our district. So that's very exciting. And those are my updates. if you have any questions. >> When did you say that AIG night was? >> It is February 16th from 5:00 to 7:00 at Morrisville Middle School. >> Um, not that I need it tonight, but could I get the number like where we were last year? I just like to see the growth of the CCP college credits from last fall to this fall at some point. >> Yeah. >> Thank
039you, sir. >> Thank you. >> All right. Next up, we have Dr. Royal with our safe, happy, and healthy report. >> Good evening, Mr. Whitfield, Dr. Gardner, members of the board. Um, I first bring some updates from Dr. Elbert and our student services department. During last school year, we established a partnership with the Children's Hope Alliance to facilitate school-based therapy across the district. Therapists are now assigned to every campus with several therapists present multiple days per week. This has significantly strengthened our mental health support capabilities. As of November 30th, 1,484 therapy sessions had been conducted, marking a substantial increase from the 591 sessions recorded during the same period of time last school year. To evaluate the the efficacy of our social emotional learning seal curriculum, Miss Pharaoh will initiate monthly site visits with school counselors.
040These assessments will help determine student responsiveness to the current curriculum and identify staff implementation needs moving forward. Additionally, a dedicated team is currently auditing our section 504 processes to ensure alignment with the training provided by Anna Gillespie back in October. Follow-up training is scheduled for the professional development day on February 9th for our staff. uh from the safety uh department, our new K-9, which I introduced to everyone last month. His name is Duke. Uh he has started his official training this week with the Morville Police Department. During this training, he will also be working in our schools throughout the district as well. And lastly, a few athletic updates. Our middle school JV basketball teams will start their seasons tomorrow with their first games. And at the high school, a couple highlights from our winter athletics,
041which uh they are well underway in their season. uh they're at they're about the halfway point and they're going to begin their conference play this week. Uh but again, we've had some tremendous uh performances by our wrestling team, our swim team, and our indoor track teams. And do want to highlight that this Friday, Morrisville High School will host the second annual Dunar night for both our basketball teams. Uh the JV games will begin at 4 PM followed by our varsity and the Dunar night is against South Aale High School this Friday night again. And that concludes my report. Are there any questions? >> No, I don't I don't really have a question. I just want to talk about um when we look at the numbers in the mental health, I first want to say that's
042that's a great partnership with the uh Children Hope Alliance, but when we look at that, that's almost triple in the numbers that we're helping to benefit. So, just as a community, we taking that serious and we want to make sure that students do have the help that they need. So, >> absolutely. >> Um definitely thank you all for that that update. >> Thank you. Thank you, sir. All right, next we have our recruit, grow, and retain updates with Miss and Miss Davis. >> Good evening, Mr. Chairman, Dr. Gardner, and members of our school board. Um, my papers together. All right. Um, on yesterday, our um staff held our second annual uh midyear uh teacher orientation for teachers who were hired after the start of of the new year and um that took place on Monday.
043We um had 15 um certified staff attend that training and the presentations and feedback feedback we have already received. uh it was wellreceived and folks are very attentive and I want to say thanks to the HR team, district leaders and board chair for attending and supporting this event and we look forward to um our plans for a follow-up event for our um classified staff who've been hired as well since the beginning of the year and we're looking at a couple of days in February for that. Um on February on Saturday, February 28th, we will be hosting our first uh Morris graded school district career fair. Um that will be on Saturday and it's geared to um folks who are anyone interested in our district, but particularly um there may be, you know, full-time employees in
044other districts or other industries who may not be able to take off, you know, during the week. We a lot of times we'll go we'll attend a career fair where um they're students or new to the you know new to the um industry are coming to to that event but this one we want to invite people to and our schools our directors will all be engaged in the process for that event and so we look forward to um hosting this at uh EMIS has graciously agreed to uh be our host for our first event and so we'll share more details about that in the future but I wanted you to be aware that's going to be taking place. And that's all I wanted to mention for this month. Any questions about those Susan? >> Thank
045you, >> Dr. Gardner, Mr. Whitfield, members of the board. Also with recruit, grow, and retain. Um, so the month of January is exciting for our educators due to the state legislative performance bonuses. So these bonuses will be paid at the end of the month and are based on student performance during the 2024 2025 school year. So, last school year, um, MGSD educators qualified for third through fifth grade reading bonuses, fourth through 8th grade math bonuses, advanced placement exam bonuses, and CTE bonuses with bonus payments ranging from $225 per educator to $3,500. Um, last year, and this is the most exciting part, um, MGSD educators qualified for 62 bonus payments, and that was for the 23 24 year. This year, um, our teachers qualified for 93 bonus payments based on last, uh, school year's performance. So,
046we are extremely excited for the educators, um, and also very proud of our students accomplishments. So, I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have. >> That's great. >> Thank you. Right. >> Next up, we have Miss Mlan with Culture of Relationship. Good evening, Chairman Whitfield, Dr. Gardner, and members of the board. Um, first to tag on to Mr. Riick's kinder registration information. While this event is taking place at Parkview Elementary School, I have had a few people ask if it is for all rising kinders. So, yes, it is. No matter which school they will attend, it will be held at Parkview, but it is for all three elementary schools. Also, if you have a rising kinder and would like to be added to parent square for school and district comms for the remainder
047of this year, please reach out to either your school if you know which one your um rising kinder will attend or you can also email me at tm mcclean mgsd.k12.nc. us. And I would also like to take a quick moment to thank um Miss Lisa Neka Meyer for her help in getting all of the signs that we're going to hand out um for the new rising kinders to put in their yard. So, thank you, Miss Necamire. Um we held our second parent advisory and teacher advisory committee meetings prior to winter break. Uh with both groups, we talked about legislative updates and potentially reinstituting the laptop summer collection and deployment that we used to do pre-COVID. Um we also had a rigorous discussion about the book we are reading as a group study the anxious generation
048and the overall consensus from both committees um parent and teachers was that kids need more free play and assistance with conflict resolution. Um the January print edition of the IRL free news has a really nice Q&A with our own Dr. gardener. And that piece will be printed online later in the month and we'll be sure to share out. But if you have the opportunity, make sure to pick up the print the print copy. The community Martin Luther King Jr. um peacewalk and breakfast will take place on Monday, January 19th. It will take place at the Charles Max Citizen Center and the Peacewalk will begin at 9:00 a.m. with the breakfast and um program starting at 9:30 a.m. While the event is free, it does require a ticket and the ticket link went live today, but
049they usually um are depleted rather quickly. So, I recommend everybody try to get get their tickets as soon as possible. Um the links for tickets can be found on um our MGSD social media pages as well as the Town of Moresville arts and events pages. Any questions? Thank you. >> All right, next superintendent report. Um, last month we had the opportunity to meet with local leaders from the town of Moresville, county, economic development, as well as our representatives from the North Carolina General Assembly and parents and staff members at our annual legislative breakfast. Moral Graded is fortunate to have support from local and state officials and we are thankful that everyone is willing to come together to discuss how to best collectively support public education. Typically at this meeting, we share four to five main
050priorities for the district. This year, we focused on one sole priority, competitive compensation for our staff. Some of the data that we shared um with local and state elected officials include the fact that the average rent in Morsville now is a little bit over $1,600 with a one-bedroom averaging $1395 and the median home sale price is over half million presently $519,613. Then when you look at a livable wage in Ardell County, single adult, no children is $48,942 a year. The average wage in Ardell County is $62,669. I think it's important to note that under the present state salary schedule, it would take a teacher 10 years with a bachelor's degree to reach a livable wage and we we believe that's unacceptable. Um, added to that inflation pressures, labor market growth, median household income has increased
051in Iredell County a little over 23%. Inflation has risen 24%. Labor force in Iredell County is grown by 23%, one of the strongest in North Carolina. Teacher pay has increased a little over 7%. So, as more growth happens in our county, industries are expanding, which we're very grateful for, in the manufacturing, technology, legit, logistics, healthcare, our competition for talent continues to intensify. Um, as you might know, North Carolina is the only state that has not adopted a budget for 2526. This means that our educators and support staff have not received any salary adjustments or cost of living increases. This coupled with the fact that insurance rates went up significantly this year. So, that really means our staff members have received a pay decrease from the state of North Carolina. This budget should have been passed
052by July 1st, but as of today, the earliest we have been told to expect progress is April. So, we believe the data is clear. Educator pay has not kept pace, not with inflation, not with the economy, not with the expectations that we place on our public school educators. We hope that our community as a whole can join us in advocating for a state budget that prioritizes pay for our educators. >> Thank you, sir. >> Thank you. Okay, upcoming board events. Um, most of these things we've touched on. I think about the only thing is, uh, January the 8th at 9:30 a.m. we have a Selma Burke Middle School board visit. So, please be mindful OF THAT. >> GO. >> There you go. >> Thank god Dr. Wade on that one. >> Yeah, I think that
053startled me a little bit. Uh Monday, Monday, January the 12th, we have as as we discussed earlier, the kindergarten registration and STEM event from 5:00 p. p.m. uh to 7:00 p.m. at Park View. And um the 15th is the North uh NCAA athletic recruiting or recruitment planning at Morsville High School. Uh January 19th all day is MLK day and uh also there is the town of Morrisville peacewalk which starts at 9:00 am. On that same day, the 19th January the 27th we have a work session on capital planning at East Moresville Intermediate. That'll be for the board. And then the uh board business meeting will be next month as we discussed uh on February the 3 at 6 pm here. So please be advised of that. And obviously we have a lot of sporting events
054that are beginning in different schools and the high school I believe are halfway through most of their winter events. Uh please uh try to attend what you can and uh support MGSD. Thank you. Uh public comment. Uh Kevin. All right. Uh items for information. Dr. Gardner. >> Yes, sir. We have a new set of policies. So, I'll ask Miss Mlan to share information related to that. >> Hello again, Chairman Whitfield, Dr. Gardner, and members of the board. Tonight, we bring to you a set of policies. Um this would be the fall updates. They will be brought to you as a group, and they are all listed. As you know, we work with the North Carolina School Board Associate Association to ensure we complete timely revisions to our BOE policies. All of the policies listed um
055have been recommended by the NCSBA with revisions made specific to Moresville Graded School District. Um we do ask that you look these over and be ready to um either vote to approve or not at the February meeting. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to reach out. Are there any questions? >> Thank you. >> Items for approval. Dr. Gardner. >> Yes, sir. Um, we will call up Miss Davis to first discuss our 2026 audit contract. >> So, Dr. Gardner, Mr. Whitfield, and members of the board. Um, so I do want to speak with you about the audit contract um for this fiscal year. So per board policy 8310 um an independent audit must be conducted each year and the auditor will be selected by the board. Um so with that in mind
056I would like to recommend the firm of Anderson Smith and W to conduct our 2025 2026 fiscal year audit. Um they are very familiar with Morseful graded school district um our financials and our history. Also they're familiar with our grant awards that um are unique to our district. for example, we received the athletic grant. Um, not every district did receive that. Um, so they're also familiar with that. Um, they serve a large number of North Carolina public school districts, over half. Um, and of course, you know, are very sound in state, um, federal and local requirements. Um, as far as the actual audit contract is concerned, the local government commission does not have the template released yet. Um, so that will not be released until February. However, we are seeking approval tonight to allow Anderson,
057Smith, and Wack to conduct the next financial audit beginning in the spring of 2026, so this spring, um to do the pre- audit compliance work and continue the audit over the summer with a final report back to you all um in the fall of 2026, so this fall. So, that would be um the request. >> Okay. We have a recommendation to approve Anderson Smith and W PLLC to conduct the next financial audit beginning spring of 2026 with pre- audit compliance work and continuing over the summer to finalize and report back to the board in fall of 26. Again, I have a recommendation. I'll entertain a motion. >> So move second. I have a motion in the second to approve the audit contract as presented. All those in favor? I. >> All those opposed. Motion carries.
058Thank you, ma'am. >> Thank you. >> All right, Miss Davis will stay up at the microphone for budget amendments. >> Yes, sir. Dr. Gardner, Mr. Whitfield, members of the board. Um, so before you, you have uh two budget amendments, one for our state and one for federal. And just to kind of go over those briefly, um, for our state public school fund, we did receive some behavior grant funding. I will say that Dr. Albert and her team have been very busy with grant writing. Um, so we did re uh receive some money for that. Um, the state also gives us the money for the teacher performance bonuses that I just spoke about in our board report. Um, Dr. Albert also secured some additional developmental day grant funding and we received just a little bit more
059driver's ed money. Um in our federal aotments um we have received additional CTE funding funding which is actually just the difference in what they told us we would receive the planning versus the actual aotment. So the actual came in a little bit higher and then we also received some school improvement funding. Um so I would like to um recommend that these budget amendments are passed and approved as presented. We have a recommendation to approve the amendments of the bud budget resolution for the fiscal year fiscal year ending June 30th, 2026. I'll entertain a motion. >> I move I'm sorry. >> Go ahead. >> I move we accept the um amendments as presented. >> Second. Have a motion and a second. All those in favor? >> All those opposed? Motion carries. Thank you, ma'am. All right,
060Miss Mlan will come back up to um present our calendar for next year for a second read and approve. >> Good evening. Um last month at the December board meeting, we brought to you for consideration our 2026 2027 school year calendar. And tonight, um I am here to answer any questions that you may have and if not, ask for approval of this calendar. Anybody have any questions? >> Just for the record, I want to say I've received no feedback. >> Yeah. >> Um from anyone, so I looks great. >> And and I think last time you said you hadn't received nothing but positive feedback as well, right? >> Correct. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Well, we have a recommendation for the academic candle calendar uh 2026 2027. I'll entertain a motion to approve the same. >>
061So moved. >> And I'll hear a second. >> Second. >> Have a motion and a second to approve the 2026 2027 calendar. All those in favor? >> I. >> All those opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Well, it's that time in the meeting that the uh board go into close session to discuss information and review personnel reports and consult with the board attorney pursuant to NCGS1 143- 318.11 subsection A1 A3 and A6. Six. I'll entertain a motion to go into close session. >> So move. >> I have a motion. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Motion and a second. Go into close session. All those in favor? >> I. >> All those opposed? Motion. All right. >> Okie dokie. >> I'll um entertain a motion to approve the uh
062personnel list as recommended by the superintendent. >> Second. >> I have a motion. Let's see. And a second. >> All those in favor? >> I. >> All those opposed? Motion carries. Uh no further business. I'll entertain a motion to adjurnn. >> Second. >> Um, all those in favor? >> I >> motion carries. Seven 30 >> lease it.