001I'm going to call this May board meeting to order. Um, before I start, I just want to read this. Um, in accordance with New H County Schools Board policy 5020D and North Carolina General Statute 143-318.17, the board promotes mutual respect, civility, and orderly conduct. Positive communication is encouraged while disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Disruptive attendees may be asked to leave and if necessary escorted out by law enforcement. Uh, Miss Buoie, will you call the role, please? Good afternoon. Melissa Mason, here. Josie Barnhart here. Pat Bradford I am here. Judy Justice here. Dr. Tim Merrick present. David Perry here. And Pete Wabore present. All right. Um we will uh I will entertain a motion to approve the agenda. Make a motion to approve the agenda, Madam Chair. All right. Any discussion? Miss Justice? Uh yes.
002I would like to add uh in under information a discussion on the um removal of the book stamped from a classroom 18 months ago that was at the time told that there would be an alternative um chosen for students in order for the the book to be brought back to the classroom. You'd think it'd be in a timely manner, but it's been 18 months. So, I would like to at least for information sake since there are a lot of people here that are very concerned about what's been going on in the classrooms, especially teachers, uh to have that added to the agenda. Okay. Is there a sec? Did we get a second for that? Second. Okay. Did any discussion further discussion on that? Dr. Merrick. Yeah. Um, according to policy 2330, any two board members
003who agree that a certain item should be added to the agenda must contact the chairperson or vice chairperson to have that item added and that item will be added to an agenda within the next two board meetings. That's point number one. Point number two, at our agenda review meeting, the chair announced that she had moved the discussion about the book stamped to curriculum committee. Nothing in our policies confers the power to the board chair to unilaterally make that decision. The board needs to be in session and then a motion, a second, and a majority vote must occur. And even if that had occurred, which it didn't, it doesn't abregate the responsibility of the board to hear any motion and second to place an item on the agenda. Thank you. Any further, Miss Justice? Okay. I
004already brought up the fact it's been 18 months and there's an awful lot of people in the audience that are concerned about the fact that this whole situation is being ignored or passed down and expected to disappear which it won't. So just in order to make it understandable and for the public to be able to see that we are doing something uh but uh I would like for us to be able to talk about this and get more information. I know that our curriculum person is here who has been tasked with um coming up with the alternative which by the way is something I had no idea as Dr. Urick suggest had brought up I had no idea that was a process when I put it on the agenda. It wasn't until after it had
005passed already the request for the agenda past one cycle before this is a discussion before it happened. So, I think just the fact that it's not going with policy, we could at least explain to the public why it's not. I would like an explanation as to why we're not following policy. Miss Barnhart. Thank you, Madam Chair. Per our agenda review, this was brought up by a board um vote to have it go through the curriculum committee because we want a collaborative process with our staff. I believe it's the correct justification and I do not support this motion at this time. Thank you. Um Mr. Perry, I've voted at that agenda review meeting to put it on the agenda just because the current policy states that it should be. I however I believe that I in
006agreement with the chair that the curriculum committee is the best place for this to start. Um I would ask Miss Justice how long she's looking for for information for this agenda item. That's a very good question. I guess we're getting informed now. I would say by the first meeting, this is another thing. The curriculum committee hadn't even met forever and I was surprised that that was the route we were going, but it is supposed to meet soon and as soon as they meet, then they could put it to the board possibly this summer as soon as possible. Madam Chair, Miss Bradford, I would point out that in July of last year, we had a superintendent change and we had the resignation of our chief academic officer and um this just fell through the the cracks
007at that point. Um with no action, I believe, you know, it was it was not a band book. It was just taking it out of one one classroom until something else could be added to the classroom's uh agenda. And the world has changed a lot since then and I just don't know that we need to spend any of tonight's time. So I will vote no. Uh and Dr. Merrick, if you could close us out. I agree that this is not probably where we need to spend all our time. I'll agree with my colleague and I also don't think it would take very long to find a book with an alternative viewpoint. I also need to state that if you go back and you look at all the books that were part of that AP class
008curriculum, there were many who uh slanted left and many who slanted right. There was alternative viewpoints in that book list. So to take one book out of context and say this one needs an alternative begs the fact that now we're going to have to go back and look at all the other books and get alternatives to all the other books. I don't think this is what we should be doing. We should let our teachers teach. We should trust them. We hired them. They are educated. Let teachers teach and let students learn. Miss Buoie, will you call the role? This is a motion to amend the agenda to add discussion of stamped under information. Mr. Perry, nay. Miss Justice, yes. Miss Barnhart, no. Miss Mason, no. Mr. Bibore, no. Dr. Merik, yes, please. And Miss Bradford,
009no. All right. Uh, that motion fails two to five. The original motion is to approve the agenda. Miss Boo, will you call the role for that, too, please? Miss Bradford. Yes. Dr. Merrick. Didn't care. Motion to approve the agenda. Yes. Mr. Wibbore? Yes. Miss Mason? Yes. Miss Barnhard? Yes. Miss Justice? Yes. And Mr. Perry? Yes. All right. That passes 7 to zero. Um, continuing on, we will have the invocation given by Tom Hower, senior pastor of Global River Church. Uh, then we will have the presentation of colors by Laney High School. A FJ ROTC um under the direction of Colonel Amy Russo and Master Sergeant Bruce C and Principal Danny Little. And then the national anthem will be sung by um Sutton Paige Whitlock from Codington Elementary. But we will start with the invocation. Good
010evening and thank you for the invitation to do the invocation. In fact, an invocation is an appeal to invoke the assistance of a higher power. So I want to invoke the the higher power of almighty God tonight to assist this board and we honor you and thank you for your service. In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 18:18, if two of his followers would agree on earth, whatever you bind on earth would be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth would be loosed in heaven. So in the name of Jesus, we want to bind violence in our schools. any lies, deceptions, intimidation, chaos, dishonor, manipulation, mocking spirits, violence, curses, any perversions, and we loose in its place truth, honor, respect, and peace. And that the word of God would lead this honorable board to
011be able to lead our children in this county that you've been selected to do. And we thank you for that. In fact, the prophet Jeremiah said, "Call to me and I will answer you and I will show you great and mighty things that you did not know. I would encourage the board to call to Almighty God to assist." Prophet Ezekiel in fact goes on in 22:30, he said he looked for someone who would rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. In fact, he searches for those who stand in the gap and who will be the rebuilders of this righteous wall. These are the gapstanders. You are the board selected to protect our children and we thank you for that. Hebrews 4:12 says that the word of God is alive. It's active and it's
012sharp and it's able to cut between soul and spirit and actually reveals everything through the discerning of what's going on. The Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All scripture is inspired by God." Not is but not was but is inspired. and it's good for correction doctrine and it will teach you and equip you for all the good work that you've been selected to do. Paul goes on to say that God will not be mocked. If you mock God, you will sow and reap what you have sown. Finally, the Apostle Paul told us to his spiritual son Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:es 1 and 2, the Holy Spirit tells us clearly and expressly that in the last days some will turn away from the true faith. That's sad because that means they were once there.
013They will follow deceptive spirits and teachings from demons. These people are hypocrites, liars, and their consciences are dead. The Lord says that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So Lord, I pray now an honor and a blessing upon this board as they lead our county and their families would be protected and covered. And I thank you all in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Thank you. Damn it. Oh, arch. Other guard labs ace reason others. You're going to do awesome. Scary. Got it. All stand and sing together. Yeah. That note again we [Music] last and My [Music] son fights we were so [Music] care and the rock [Music] is the most [Music] They prove through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say that [Music] spangle of the free. and the
014home of the bra. [Applause] The pledge. Dr. Eric, do the pledge. I pledge algiance 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. I [Music] word. Others call out. [Applause] So many people here. You were so brave. So, we're very proud of you. [Applause] Okay. Is it? Can you just tell everybody your name? My name is Sutton Paige and I'm a fourth grade student at Codington Elementary. Well, thank you for being here. [Applause] I just want to add one thing for S. Sutton. Is your mom here too? You folks here? Come on up. Yeah. Want to tell you something. First off, I want to say what I don't know if you were on the microphone enough
015when Miss Mason said that, but you just did one of the hardest things I've ever seen anybody do. And this is what bravery looks like. You're going to be an amazing adult. Okay, give her a round. But I'm sorry everybody, I know something you don't know. Sutton Page Whitlock has been nominated for the National Chorus in Chicago, Illinois. Have you did you already go or are you going this summer? You already went. She sings in Chicago, people. That is what this school system is about. Congratulations. Good job. Thank you. Here you go. Here you go. And here you go. Hello. Is it on? Is it on? Is it on? Yes. Hello. My name is Logan Reese. I am a senior at Laney High School. Thank you guys all for being here. Hello. My name is
016Dylan George. I'm a junior at Laney High School. Thank you guys. Hello, my name is Roland Mars. I'm a junior in high at Laney High School. Thank you for being here. Hi, my name is Lillian Gilb and I'm a senior at Laney High School. Hello, I am Azariah Mela and I am a junior at Laney High School. Thank you. [Applause] All right. Um, I will entertain a motion to approve the minutes. So moved. Second. Any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? That passes seven to zero. Continuing on to recognitions and we have a bunch. So take it away, Miss Baggie. A wonderful day to celebrate our staff and our students and I appreciate Dr. So first we're going to start with our board of education student scholarships
017for future teachers. We would like to welcome up Claire Casey, Cara Torrett, and Sophia Turner who have just been awarded and signed the paperwork to receive a $28,000 scholarship so that they can become teachers. [Applause] Well, they enjoyed a few festivities prior to this afternoon. So, we did get some photos, so we'll be celebrating them online. So, make sure to follow us. All right. Next, we are going to talk about leading through conversations. We had a few people attend a trip to Raleigh to speak with legislators throughout our state. I would like to welcome up a few of those members who were able to be here with us tonight. First of all, I'll highlight the fact that we had Annias Tyson and Houston Sutton from Hogard High School and they're going to come up and
018speak to you. Come on down. Come on. And I'm just going to give you the names of everybody that was here or that attended the event and they're going to talk. I'm gonna stop talking. So, you're gonna come over here. You're gonna get this microphone. You're going to get this one just as soon as I'm done. All right. And then we also had Isaiah Newkerk, Olivia Sanders, Francesca Pike from New Hover High School. And then we had Ashton Gayy, Brennan McRadman, Kevin Hull, and Piper Mendenhal from Ashley High School. Unfortunately, they're not able to be here because they're practicing for an event tomorrow night because they're going to be celebrating with us again. So, we're looking forward to that. We also have with us Hannah Moon from Laney High School and 2025 Burough's Welcome Fund
019Southeast Region Teacher of the [Applause] Year, as well as Kim Clark, our very own TR principal. And now I'll stop. [Applause] [Laughter] Hello. Um, the trip was very u wonderful. I learned a lot about the legislator branch at um in Raleigh. It was a very good time and I'm glad I was available with the opportunity to go and visit there on a trip. Uh, thank you Mr. Barnes. come and see us at Hoger High School in in the unifi room. Um, it was very fun. So, thank you for the opportunity. Tell them what your plan is next year. Uh, I'm going to NC State University. Uh, I'm going to agriculture business there. Uh, so yeah, that's the plan. [Applause] Yeah, thank you guys so much for sending us on that trip. It was really fantastic.
020It was eye opening for even someone like me who's never got to walk the state senate floor and things like that. Speaking with um our elected officials really made me realize that we must elect people who are going to support public education. It is vital that we have the money and the support that we need. Um the aotment uh figures we know are very antiquated at this point and it is very essential that we get the people that we need in our high school. So it was very eye opening, so fun to be there with the kids. They were just a pleasure to be around. So, thanks uh to everybody for for doing this trip for us. It was very very beneficial. Thank you. I think those two said everything. The only thing that I
021would add was the beauty and the magic in students, administrators, seniors, administration, senior administration, um, community members and board members going up together with a collective voice. There's a lot of power when people come together uh to advocate for what we believe is needed in order to continue to celebrate the wonderful uh, school system that we have. So, I it was an incredible opportunity to see these students also showcase um all that they've done from preK all the way to high school. And I can't wait to see where all these students go in their [Applause] future. All right. Um next we have our best foot forward artist winners. So, we're going to have a video slideshow in the background or slideshow in the background. What I am going to ask is that our board members
022stand and come to the front. We're going to have each of our winners come up and take pictures with their artwork in the front as I call their name. And their artwork will be displayed on the screens for everyone to see. Sorry about that. All right. So, first Oh, there it is. All right. First, we're going to talk with Miss Haley Law. She's sixth grade Noble Middle School. Her teacher, Margaret Kulie, and Dr. Anita Brown, principal. Come on up. [Applause] We don't like Woohoo. Thank you. [Applause] All right. All right. So, next we have Miley Bennett Mavis, second grade from Carolina Beach Elementary School. Joining us, art teacher Melanie Connor, and Jennifer Angel, principal [Applause] And and for those of you who are wondering, all of the information is on the slides. This is also
023on the agenda so you can see everything that happened and how it worked out. And if you have any questions, we're happy to answer those. Awesome. [Applause] Thank you. All right. Next, we have Payton Nisbbit, fifth grade, Porters Neck Elementary, from Liza Sanders, teacher, and Mr. Paul Slovic principal up up and away. Everybody scooch. Woohoo. Oh, thank you. And next we have Sarah Peppard, 11th grade from Hogard High School. [Applause] Everybody else, her teachers Shannon Gan and Christopher Madden, principal. [Applause] All right, done. And next we have Javier Aanor A. Pardon me for this. Um, Aanador, first grade international school at Gregory [Applause] Elementary. Thank you. Holy crap. [Applause] Yes. James McDonahue, teacher and Hilda Deleon, principal. [Applause] Thank you. Thank you. All right. Next, we have Clara Krueger, 10th grade from Ashley High School.
024[Applause] Holy cow. Just sorry. Caught that on mic. Yep. Shannon Carrian, teacher and Mr. Michael Perez for principal. That's amazing. It really is. Oh, thank you. Thank you. All right. Next, we have Taylor Dominguez Martinez, fourth grade from Writesboro Elementary School. Good job. Good job. All right. Stephanie Mueller for the teacher and Miss Michelle Fen, principal. [Applause] And next we have Grada Coler from kindergarten, Ogden Elementary, Peter Glo, teacher, and Sarah Buchanan, principal. [Music] Come on. Excellent. Greta, you got it. Woo. [Applause] I love my job. Okay. U next we have Ivy Stapely, seventh grade from Tras Middle School. Deborah Pratt, teacher and Kim Clark, principal. She had a chamber shirt on. [Music] [Laughter] Nicely done. Thank you. Thank you. Sorry. Okay. Uh, next we have Laya Winninger from 8th grade Roland Grace Middle School,
025Jennifer Cap's teacher, and Lauren Nalea, principal. Turn around. Let's see that. Woohoo. For those of you who don't get to see these up close, they will be in our board facility later and you will be able to see the brush work and detail on these. They are phenomenal. That was awesome. All right. I don't know if you guys know this, but this is kind of fun for me. Just saying. This is amazing. All right, so next we have Hatton Wilson from second grade Wrightville Beach [Applause] Elementary. All right, Jennifer Craft's teacher, Jackson Norville, [Applause] principal. Look right there. [Laughter] [Applause] All right. And next for our 2024 winners, we have Georgia Gearing, fourth grade, Carolina Beach Elementary School. [Applause] This looks familiar. That's why Aelia Festival. Oh my goodness. Okay. Melanie Connor, teacher, Jennifer Angel,
026principal. [Laughter] [Applause] All right. And next we have Willis Smith, first grade, Ritzville Beach [Applause] Elementary, Jennifer Crafts, teacher, and Jackson Norville, principal. [Applause] Nicely [Applause] done. Okay. And last but not least, Sophie Gee, 8th grade, Roland Grace Middle School. Jennifer Cap's teacher. Lauren Nlea, principal. It appears she wasn't able to join us, but you can see the beautiful artwork and like Yes. One more round of applause. All right, don't go anywhere. All right, next we have one of our finest people that we love to highlight, Miss Chelsea Lord for 2025 Smart Start Children's Champion Award. Please congratulate us. She works at College Road Early Childhood Center. And this award is given each year to a New Her County citizen for their outstanding efforts on behalf of young children. As a family specialist, she works
027to identify children's needs and connect families with resources. What sets Chelsea apart is the knowledge, skill, and heart that she brings into every room and every conversation. She does not just work with families, but she walks beside them. And in doing so, she gives children, families, and staff something that cannot be easily measured. Hope. Thank you, Chelsea, for truly showing what it means to be a children's champion. [Applause] [Laughter] We'll just photoshop him in later. It's all good. Congratulations. All right. Next, we're going to highlight our NHCS Rookie of the Year, Maddie Johnson. [Applause] Now she gets to hear me talk about her for just a second. I promise not to put you up there for too long. So we're going to celebrate who some someone who's starting their career in education in the best
028way possible. I don't know if you recognize this face, but she was on our social media. She's on our website. We love her. We're going to highlight her as much as we possibly can for all the future things she does. So, we're going to at we're going to honor Mattie Johnson, an English teacher at Ashley High School for being named the 2025 NHS Rookie of the Year. This recognition is in partnership with the Wilmington Rotary Club, who highlighted all of the Rookie of the Year finalists and celebrated our winner. Maddie Johnson credits much of her success in the classroom to the strong support she has received from veteran teachers, administration, parents, and students. She shared, "When teachers feel supported in the things that are within control, we can refocus our energy into ensuring student success.
029We are excited to see this incredible educator continue to bring inspiration and excess and success in her classroom for years to come. [Applause] Congratulations. All right. And next, we're going to celebrate our NCAAT NCAT teacher of the year. Please welcome another amazing educator to the stage, technology education teacher Trey Moore from New Hver High School. Congratulations. Thank you. He currently teaches technology, engineering, and design, honors, technological design, and AP computer science principles. These classes provide valuable skills ranging from exploring coding and robotics to utilizing their four 3D print printers in his classroom. Students, they don't just learn, they build, they design, they problem solve, and they lead. all of his students walk away from his classes with skills that they can utilize in their futures. We appreciate Mr. Moore's commitment to teaching and for creating
030a dynamic discovery-filled classroom. Thank you for showing us excellence in CTE looks like. And thank you for preparing the next generation not just to participate in the workforce, but to lead it. Congratulations. And you're going to stand there and she's going to take your photo. Woohoo! All right. Next, we're going to highlight our School Bus Fleet magazine Trailblazer Award, Miss Leticia McIntyre Johnson. Come on down. [Applause] Come on. All right. Now, you get to stand there and let me talk about you for a second. All right. So, join us in congratulating Leticia McIntyre Johnson for earning the 2025 Trailblazer Award from School Bus Fleet magazine. This is a prestigious honor as they select only 12 individuals [Applause] nationwide. Yep. Miss Leticia serves as a cost clerk for New Hmer County Schools transportation, reviewing every detail
031from bus data to efficiency rates to budget needs so that she can help ensure that all students and drivers experience safe and effective transportation. She's best known for her ability to build connections with a variety of roles, helping to promote teamwork and communication every day. She also works closely with the women who inspired it all, her mother, who is still an active bus driver for New Hmer County Schools. We are so proud to see her hard work and commitment celebrated at a national level. We look forward to seeing all the ways she continues to blaze that trail. Woohoo! [Applause] All right, we're going to continue the party with transportation with our character in action. In New Hmer County schools, we celebrate the students, staff, and volunteers who demonstrate the character that makes you hang. Yes.
032Thank you. Come on down, little green. I see you. All right. All right. And I'm gonna let you guys He's hiding. He's always about you for a second. I'm sure you all recognize them from the news. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. So, after seeing an alert about a child who had been reported missing overnight, our bus driver and our bus driver aid, Miss Valyriia and Marie were able to help locate and safely transport the student. Thanks to their quick thinking and with the critical support of Miss Laura Severt and Stacy Green, who contacted emergency services, district, and school leaders, the student was safely reunited with their family. [Applause] This team showed up not just to drive or watch a route, but to be part of a community. We know that families entrust their children to care
033of others every day. And because of this team, that trust was honored and that trust was exceeded in the most powerful way possible. Thank you for your most amazing heart, service, and character. And while you're standing there, we're going to play your video. [Laughter] It's hard to determine sometimes the effect you have on people. But I just wanted to uh we've been doing this new thing called character and action, which is not just talking about the jobs we do, but the people that we are. And I think the fact that you guys were so quick to respond in an emergency says so much for the support for that kid and that family. So, and I just every single one of you in here would have done the same thing in the same situation. But we're
034just so proud of the fact that this is education. This is what you can do. We have 100 set of eyes on the road ready to help our community at any given moment. And when the call is made, this group always answers. There's nobody I would rather be cheering for and supporting than this group. You guys are amazing. Thank you for what you do every day. all of you. Thank you. [Applause] Also with us is the director of transportation, Deb Trafton. Please come on [Applause] [Laughter] down. The relationships that have been built in this department and this community are amazing. And it's because of these people right here. Thank [Applause] you. Sorry. All right. So, next we're going to do our Snipes highlight. Mr. Jared Worthington and Dr. Stephanie Willis will be joining us to
035tell you all about it. Yes, sir. All yours. Good evening. They can stay right there. They look great. I'm excited to share something uh really cool with you guys and with the audience and with everyone that's listening at home. Uh we have a lot of our schools that are absolutely awesome and their entire staff is completely devoted to the work uh that goes into loving our kids every single step of the way. In 2023, North Carolina General Assembly and the governor signed a house bill that began awarding funds to schools in which we had 80% of our students to be considered economically disadvantaged. Uh for those schools that exceeded growth, they were going to receive an award. At the end of last year, it was determined that 32 schools in the entire state of North
036Carolina had earned that award. I am happy to inform you that Snipes Elementary School is one of those schools. I I'd be remiss if I didn't highlight and give a thank you to Miss Manning, who was the principal at the time. She did a great job. She's working for us now. She's failing at retirement. Um and uh and the good news is I did nothing. So I get to turn it over to uh Dr. Willis here who's going to explain what we decided to do with this award and uh and then we'll hand it over for a picture. Thank you. So um back in March, I guess it was I found out that um Snipes was getting this award. And as I read up on the House bill and looked at several of the things
037that you could use the award for, it only made sense in my mind to reward the staff that did this. And so it was my decision to give back to my staff members. So they will be receiving bonuses this month. Um so we talked about it in one of our last staff meetings and I am, you know, it takes our whole school, everyone in our school. So, everyone that is on our payroll will get a portion of this bonus, including our office staff, cafeteria staff, our pair of support people, our teachers, just everybody in the building, everyone minus administration because it's them that make me look good. So, it all goes back to them. So, um I am grateful for this. We are striving to cross our fingers, try this again for another year. Um
038but again, we appreciate it. We're thankful. And I have to say I have the best staff in New Hover County schools. One more. Don't go anywhere. Um and I have to say the vibe in this room tonight is amazing. Um so we have um the excellence exemplified award tonight. Um one of our recipients is unable to be here. Um but this really um falls beautifully after character in action. So when we talk about these awards, it's amazing when we can again see it in action. So I'd like to ask Mr. Stacy Green to come back up. [Applause] It's a big night for you, Mr. Green, and it's amazing. So, please come on up here. Um, so he is our uh classified excellence exemplified um recipient um for this quarter. Um and I'm going to read
039a little something about what his colleague that recommended him, but I feel like there might have been a few other people behind this as well. might have been a little a little group back there. Uh Mr. Green is the bus coordinator for the transportation department and joined New Hver County Schools in December of 1991. He has been recognized for excellence and has been described as someone who conquers challenges daily with humor and kindness. Mr. Mr. Green often reports to work a couple of hours early to serve as a subbus driver and shows pride in knowing every route in the district from Castle Hane to Curry Beach. It was shared by his colleagues that simply put, without Stacy's creativity and coordinating services, our students would spend less time in school. Bus driver shortages have literally shut
040down other districts. Unexpected and high absenteeism can impact our operations daily. But we're able to overcome it because someone like Stacy is able to look at the runs and recall whose run start or ends where. So we can combine routes and keep our buses rolling without service interruption. It's impressive. [Applause] While while other school systems send out last minute notifications that there won't be a bus that day, Stacy helps us keep on trucking. So congratulations for Mr. to Mr. Stacy Green for being this quarter's recipient of the excellence exemplified award. Congratulations, sir. This is for you that are here. Congratulations. [Applause] That was a long one. I was about ready for them to announce the aromatic of a quarter. All right. Continuing on computer logged off. Um, let us go to student voice. Do we
041have our student voice reps? Awesome. The student ambassador team hopes that you all had a great spring break and a great Easter. Uh, unfortunately many of our ambassadors and leaders are unable to make it tonight, but my name is Lillian Remple and I am currently a senior at New Handover High School. Hold on. We want to make sure we can hear you. Um, is the mic on? We can hear you, but they can't hear you. We want them to hear you, too. Okay, I'm going to start from the beginning, then. Um, I hope you guys all had a great Easter and a great spring break. Uh, unfortunately many of our leaders and ambassadors are unable to make it tonight, but my name is Lillian Remple and I'm currently a senior at New Hover High School.
042As you will see shortly, our team has been hard at work and developing the collective series, an informative video series designed to support high school students and those preparing to enter high school. The video you're about to watch offers advice specifically for rising freshmen on how to make the most of their four years and stay focused on achieving their future goals. Featured in today's video are three ambassadors, Kaylee Thinkpen, Alisa Doss Santos in 10th grade, and Abigail Mushv in 10th grade. They work together to develop the script and then film their portions individually. Beyond the series, our leadership team has also been preparing the application process for the next year, the 2025 to 2026 school year. The application will include a set of short answer questions along with prompts related to each applicant's involvement in
043student ambassador program. We appreciate your continued support of the student ambassador program as we strive to accur accurately represent students in this county. And now we will show the video. I think there needs to be sound. She looks enthusiastic. really sit. [Music] Hi guys, we're going to be sharing tips on how to deal with going into high school cuz we know it can be stressful and overwhelming. First, research your options for classes. Whether it's IV, STEM, Lysm, Arts, or another specialally program, make sure it fits your interests and goals. Talk to students, check school websites, and attend open houses if you [Music] can. Stay organized. If you keep your organization skills on top, it will help you stay calm. Staying organized by keeping track of assignments, using a planner, and managing your time effectively will
044help you reduce stress in the long run. Are you interested in taking more challenging classes? If so, then I recommend either dual enrollment or AP classes. AP classes are college level classes that you can take at your school. The workload is more of an honors, but it's way more rewarding. There's also an option for dual enrollment at Kate Pier Community College. These classes range from mathematics all the way to nursing. They can be online or in person. They look great for college applications. If you're interested, talk to your counselor. Get involved in clubs, sports, specialized classes, or community service. This can help building long-term relationships and looks good for college because it shows participation in extracurricular activities, which shows dedication. If you're planning on seeking higher education past high school, this is important for your
045college application. You can find these in student emails or the morning announcements. [Music] This could be a big change, so make sure you take care of yourself. Find a solid group of friends and don't worry about fitting in. If you feel overwhelmed, contact a teacher, counselor, or someone you trust. I know this can sound like a lot, so make sure to keep yourself organized. Use a planner, set reminders, and don't leave things to last minute. As you continue to grow and learn in high school, make sure you are challenging yourself with AP and honors classes. These classes will prepare you for whatever path you choose to take later in life. And if you are seeking higher education, colleges look for students who are taking advantage of these opportunities. If you ever feel confused or overwhelmed,
046talk to the adults around you. They are here to provide you with the necessary tools to help you continue to grow in and out of high school. Yes. Yeah, that's it. I don't know if y'all have any questions, but yeah, I hope y'all enjoyed it. Any board members have any questions? Thank you so much. Next up is Teacher Voice with Miss Hannah Moon, a teacher at Laney High School and New H School's Teacher of the Year and Southeast Teacher of the Year. Are you sick of me yet? Like, come on. Never. Um, good evening everybody. Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak tonight. And I wanted to do a little reflection as I look back on my past year as teacher of the year. And first, I'm filled with a deep sense of
047gratitude for the recognition and the support and the opportunity to do the work that really matters. But this past year has reminded me that teaching is so much more than what happens inside the walls of a classroom. It's a partnership between teachers, families, school leaders, our community, and this very board. And we must all work together to ensure success for all of our students. For those students who are marginalized and come to school for a place to be welcomed for those high achieving students who come to school to be challenged and to read books that help them become empathetic citizens. For those students who are from a difficult home life who come to school just to be loved. And for the students who are physically gifted and come to school to excel in sports and
048everyone in between, they all deserve success. And it's up to us adults to provide avenues for success for those students. Public schools are the places that regardless of circumstance, ability, socioeconomic status, we open our doors and invite all children to learn and grow and to become better citizens. Being named teacher of the year was humbling and it's been a powerful reminder that every day in this role is an opportunity to make a difference. I've had the chance to reflect on my own work, collaborate with educators across the district and the state and represent the values that we all hold dear. Equity, excellence, and the opportunity for every learner. New Hver County Schools is teameing with strong quality educators in every classroom. We're providing sound knowledge and skills to our students. We have great teachers like
049Fatima who is passionate and energetic and loud and fun and she pushes all of her students to be their very best. Sarah Toothman who challenges her Spark Lab kids to break the barriers of traditional education and become technology innovators. Allison Bellamy, who has the patience of a saint and cares oh about public education with every ounce of her being. Jaime Green and Tanya Jones who are veteran teachers who don't give up when things get tough, face their challenges headon and are the backbones of their school. Nikki Turner, who's a BT and she is forging deep, meaningful connections with her students and she's spreading joy. and teachers like Danielle Talbert who is so cool and she's so calm and she makes her kids feel seen and heard and valued. And there are so many more amazing
050educators in our county. I could go on all night, but I want to encourage parents, stakeholders, and our community members to pay attention to the wonderful things that are happening in New Hver County schools. Everywhere you look, you're finding teachers who care about your students and love your students and pour their hearts into this very, very complicated profession. So, it is time to revere teachers and treat them like the professionals that they are. But most of all, I've been reminded that the heart of education and is still and always will be our students. Their resilience, their curiosity, and their capacity for growth inspire me every day, and they are why I continue to do this work with joy and dedication. Students who come to school despite struggles that would conquer an adult. They pick themselves
051up. They put one foot in front of the other, and they make their way to school. And as they enter the doors of their school building, they're comforted in knowing that there's a caring adult, their teacher waiting for them in their classroom. And sometimes it's that small piece of hope that keeps them going every day. So my final message is this. To parents, community members, and stakeholders, teachers cannot do it alone. We need your support. Your examples at home and in the community bleed into our classroom. So, please support us when you can. Small or big, we appreciate it all. To our students, you're the future and the reason teachers show up and dedicate our lives to this job. Keep working hard and bringing your best every day. You inspire us. So, keep shining like
052the stars that you are. And to my fellow educators, keep fighting the good fight. The ripple effect of a good teacher is never ending. and your positivity and resilience are beacons of light and hope for everyone that you encounter. You matter. You are seen and you are valued. So, finally, thank you all so much for allowing me to represent our district in this meaningful way. This experience has been rewarding beyond my wildest expectations, and it's truly been an honor. Thank you. [Applause] Thank you, Miss Moon. Um, continuing on, superintendent report. And Miss Moon, thank you for what you do every day. All right, folks. I'm sorry. Buckle up. This is going to be a long one. All right, as we approach the final stretch of the school year, I want to take a moment to
053acknowledge both the incredible work being done across our district and the natural stress that this season brings on students, families, and staff. This is a time of intense focus for our students who are completing projects, preparing for end of the year assessments, beginning to look ahead at what comes next. They could be transitioning from elementary to middle school, from middle to high school, or looking at graduation. Every student is carrying with them their own set of dreams and worries. They need our encouragement and reassurance now more than ever and a reminder that they are capable, resilient, and amazing no matter what. Now, our staff have risen to the moment with character characteristic dedication, teachers, administrators, support personnel that working tirelessly to support students academically and emotionally. From organizing test prep and administering assessments to celebrating
054achievements and maintaining classroom engagement, the commitment's visible in every hallway of every building. This is a high pressure time, but it's also a time for us to reflect and be proud of what we've done. Let's continue to recognize the efforts of our educators and lift one another up as we guide our students across the finish line and on to whatever the next chapter is. That's not it. Okay. As we get to the end of the year, we also have a full calendar of events, activities, assessments. We need everybody's help. Now, I know a lot of folks came out here tonight because we care about kids. That was obvious from the way that we all worked with the students that were here earlier. We need help with volunteers. If you are here tonight, we want you
055to be a volunteer with us. If you pick up one of the pieces of paper at the back of the room, there's a QR code for you to access our our volunteer uh portal, volunteer application. If you can't find it, it's on our website. Volunteers play a vital role in the success of our schools. We need help with testing proctors, classroom assistance, media center support. It's a chance for all of us to sort of put the money where it belongs, which is in our kids' hands. So, if you ever thought to yourself, boy, the class sizes look big in that district. Here's your chance to come out and help with that. If you got time, if you're interested in volunteering, we'd be grateful for your support. QR codes that document in the back of the
056room takes you to our registration site. So, thank you. As many of you probably heard, New Horizon School experienced a lockdown this past Friday following a report of a potential firearm on campus. I want to be clear from the outset, this was not the report turned out to be false. After a thorough investigation, there was no evidence that suggests that a weapon was ever present on campus. That being said, we have to take every single one of those seriously. And it's understandingly alarming for parents, for families, for students, for staff. These situations always are serious and they remind us of the very real challenges we live with every day. I want to take this opportunity to commend the swift, calm, and professional response from everybody involved. The officers from the sheriff's department, our director of
057school safety, Mr. Silverstein there in the back, new Hen High School staff, Mr. Sutton, Mr. Haney, they all demonstrated amazing coordination and care and dedication. I was able to arrive about 10 15 minutes after the lockdown started and I was directed to the command center where I saw firsthand a textbook example of emergency procedures done right. So I want to make sure that we lift up everyone who was there for that folks. It's also a reminder a powerful reminder of the quiet heroism displayed by our school staff every day. Even on the hardest days, the work matters. So all you watching at home, all you deputies, educators, and support staff who are part of the response at New Hannah High School, thank you. Your dedication and professional did not go unnoticed. This Thursday, we will
058gather to honor the outstanding educators across our district at the Teacher of the Year Awards. Each school nominated a teacher from this exceptional group. Our selection committee has identified finalists who exemplify instructional excellence, leadership, and student support. This year's celebration includes exciting new recognitions for the first time. We'll be awarding an assistant principal of the year in additioning to the principal of the year honor and we look forward to inspiring evening recognize the individuals who make a lasting impact in our schools every day. I also want to give a special shout out to Mr. Sean Stannic at Holly Shelter Middle School who was just named North Carolina's National History Day Teacher of the Year over the weekend. We'll be inviting him back next month to be celebrated by the board. But we also have kids
059heading on to the National History Day competition as well from this year's state this weekend state events. This weekend is teacher appreciation week. It's a time to thank the educators who are the heart of our school communities and we have a deep gratitude for the work and commitments you folks do. And tomorrow, May 8th, is National School Nurses Day, part of Nurses Week. Our school nurses play an essential role in student wellness and school safety. We're grateful for the skill and care and dedication, especially at this time of the year. Also, we want to be cheering on our student athletes this week. Laney and Ashley baseball begin the first round in the NCSAA state championship and Hoger and Laney softball also kick off their championship run tonight. And finally, as we celebrate all that May
060brings, gentlemen, students, don't forget that it's Mother's Day this Sunday, May 12th. To all the mothers and caregivers in our schools and communities, thank you for the countless ways you support our students and staff. Now, on another note, off script a little bit. Thank you. I know that there's a lot of of powerful emotion and feelings in this room tonight. I want to thank every maybe I'm only a little premature. We haven't done we're only halfway through the meeting. Thank you for recognizing that there are children and young people who were here tonight and making sure that we are holding the sign of example and role model for them that we need. I appreciate this sort of delivering of this this action tonight. So, thank you. All right. Thank you, Dr. Barnes. You stole a
061bit of my thunder, but not all of it. Sorry, there's a lot of thunder. There was. Um, so welcome back. I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable spring break. As we enter the home stretch of the school year with testing and graduations quickly approaching, April proved to be a month full of meaningful celebration and recognition. And I want to highlight some of those things. So, several board members had the pleasure of surprising some of our district's most outstanding teachers. I was a little partial to at least one of them. Um each school honored their staff in unique and heartfelt ways. Uh we started our day with silly string and poppers and noise makers um and music blasting. But there w we even had a marching band at one of the schools and massive cakes.
062It was definitely a joy to witness the appreciation shown for the dedication and passion these educators bring to their work. And we look forward to celebrating all of the finalists at this week's educator of the year banquet. So, good luck to each of them. One of the most rewarding parts of this role, there's many, is recognizing our aspiring educators. As was mentioned earlier in today's recognitions, we had the honor of awarding future teacher scholarships to three exceptional young women. These students had to go through the whole process of writing an essay, of finding recommendations, and participated in interviews with board members, impressing us with their passion and poise. We can't wait to welcome them back as teachers in our classrooms in the years to come. Last week, the vice chair and I attended the first
063Bridges to Healthc Care graduation. This inaugural cohort included 11 juniors and seniors from New Hover and Brunswick counties. Through this program, students gained invaluable exposure to various healthc care professions. Each graduate expressed their appreciation and shared how the experience inspired them to pursue careers in the healthcare field. We're thankful for the collaborative efforts that made this opportunity possible for our students. Today, I had the privilege of attending one one of the most amazing events at New Hover High School, their RISE showcase. The event highlighted an incredible group of students, each speaking with gratitude about the program and the staff who have supported them. One moment in particular stood out to me and there were so many amazing stories of how these teachers have impacted these students, but the one that stood out to me was
064during a freshman's presentation. I stood next to his parents and in the middle of the presentation, his father stopped his son and looked at me and said, "I want to tell you before this program, my son couldn't read and now he can." This powerful statement is a true testament to the lifechanging work being done through Rise. Thank you, Miss Taylor Henderson, Principal Philip Sutton, and countless others for your unwavering dedication and for creating a program that makes such a lasting impact. We are deeply fortunate to have you in our district. This week, we celebrate National Teacher Appreciation Week. We are profoundly grateful for each of you, not just the ones I mentioned, but each of you who give so much of yourselves in service to the children of our community. Not just this week, but
065every day. And tomorrow, we recognize National School Nurse Day. To our incredible school nurses, thank you for your compassion, resilience, and the essential care you provide. Your work is often behind the scenes, but is absolutely vital. We are truly fortunate to have you in our schools. Thank you all for your continued commitment. And this concludes my board chair report. I am going to hand it over to Miss Barnhart to begin the call to audience. Thank you, Madam Chair. First, we have Karen Clark. Thank you, Dr. Barnes and Board, for the sacrifices you have made to serve our children. God's word warns in the last days there will be mockers motivated by their own ungodly desires causing divisions among you. In Jesus' name, I bind up the curses and false accusations spoken over you. I release
066truth, honor, and the blessings of the Lord over each of you. God delights in righteousness. Malachi 3:8, I the Lord do not change. I pray you stand firm on the foundation of his truth and trust him to guide you in understanding. Build yourself up in faith, praying in the power of the Holy Spirit, fastening your hearts to the love of God, receiving the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gives us eternal life. As you stand for our children, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you
067peace. Now to the only true God, King of kings and Lord of lords, be all honor, glory, power, and authority from the beginning, now and forever. Amen. Thank you, David Wy. Hello, my name is David. I want to thank you uh for my champion for Lord. I'm G. Stick to the notes. Okay. My name is David Wy, father of four, very unique and special kids. Um, my 10-year-old, he's currently in the AIG program, and I'd like to thank y'all. Thank y'all for your support with the AIG program. [Music] Um, speaking with the audience, I didn't realize that with the AIG program that you as a community member, parent, or even board member, you can nominate your child. The new Henry County website has the forms and the listings. And so if you see a child
068in your community that you see the unique giftings, um, nominate them. That way you can advocate for your children. Be proactive. I didn't realize that until my second child, but um, it's there for you. I know currently we have the um, Dr. Jamie Pond. She is the current chair um with our AIG program and they meet is it quarterly? I'm bad with the meetings but I haven't been there in a while. Uh um anyways, but we would thank you for your support and we bless you and uh if you I know I had this stuff written down y'all, but my brain just flies out the window. But I thank you for allowing this avenue for their success. And I pray you continue to support the AIG specialist and the kids. Thank you. And thank you,
069Katie Gates. Good evening. Sometimes when you hear a lie enough, it becomes accepted as truth. And that's what happened with the narrative around the book Stamped. It was never about banning a book or invalidating a black man's perspective. That's what the media claimed and that's what some chose to believe. But it is not truth. The truth is six points were presented at the hearing to justify removing Stamped from New Hor County Schools classrooms. And the board ruled that when a book with an opposing viewpoint could be read alongside it to promote critical thinking, Stamped might be reconsidered. It was also to undergo the proper district approval processes which were evaded in 2020. We now welcome its review by the curriculum committee. And here's a few things to consider. First, remember that Stamped never went through
070the district's required policy and committee channels. The quality review checklist was not applied and the teacher did not submit it on her syllabus for the College Board approval, which is against AP teacher protocol. Ibram X Kendi inserted his personal bias, calling Stamped a present book, a book that contains history and saying, "There are serious definitions to these words, but I'm going to give you mine." These, along with inaccurate citations, undermine the book's credibility. 24 pages of evidence was submitted to the board that showed 20 citations were inaccurate, manipulated, or distorted when compared against the original source. A book with flawed citations like Stamped does not meet the non-fiction history standard. Finally, consider this. Since Stamped was first introduced, Kendy's reputation has been tarnished. The 40 million he received to start an anti-racism department at BEu
071was squandered. The department was shut down due to no work produced and Kendi was fired. Given these facts, the book's merit is even more questionable now than it was in 2023. Thank you. Thank you, Amanda Reeseman. Good evening. My name is Amanda Rissmeer. I'm a former former special education teacher, doctoral student, and board certified and licensed behavior analyst. Before diving in, I'd like to share that this speech is reminiscent of one conducted by our very own board chair, Melissa Mason, in March of 2022, where she stated, and I quote, "School should be a safe and healthy place for our children, rules for use of seclusion and restraint in schools regulation code 4302R states, seclusion means the confinement of a student alone in an enclosed space from which the student is physically prevented from leaving by
072locking hardware or other means. or incapable of leaving due to physical or intellectual capacity. The policy goes on to require the following. The student is monitored by an adult in close proximity who is able to see and hear the student at all times. The confining space has been approved by such use by the school system. The space is appropriately lit, ventilated, and heated or cooled. And the space is free from objects that unreasonably expose the student or others to harm. So, have any five, six, or sevenyear-olds been secluded this school year? And if so, where? Given the history of some of our board members failure to make sure that their own policies are being fully implemented, the public deserves to know. Thank goodness that locked, padded closets have been banned. But how safe are your
073current spaces for seclusion? Next time you visit an elementary school, please take a moment and ask to see the room that has been used. Or better yet, why don't we just revise regulation code 4302R and stop secluding our young special education children? Thank you, Barbara Aggerro. The North Carolina Department of Instruction has a website about specialized instructional support. The specialized instructional support personnel are those affiliated with providing school-based physical, social, emotional, and mental health prevention, intervention, transition, and follow-up services for all students and families. School counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, school nurses. These are often also known as student pupil or instructional support services. Your support services policy 6000 states, "The board recognizes that an effective educational program must be supported by services that assist students in taking advantage of educational opportunities to receive
074a sound basic education. When a seven-year-old raises their fist and threatens a teacher, or a five-year-old has a sharp object in their hand that could be used as a weapon, or two six-year-olds make a teaching assistant apprehensive when they start horsing around. All of those young children need support services from a school counselor or social worker. The student code of conduct labels those incidents as level four serious violations. The two possible corrective actions are an inschool suspension or an out of school suspension both for up to days. The key is that five, six, and seveny olds deserve the one with the specialized instructional support. Implement posly policy 60,000. provide our youngest learners with the help they need and deserve. Thank you, Rachel Dole. My name is Rachel Dole. I'm a pastor in the community and
075a mom of kids in the district. You chose not to discuss the 18month temporary hold placed on the book stamped by Dr. Ibram X Kendi because you said quote you wanted peace. It struck me what a huge difference there is between peacekeeping and peacemaking. Peacekeeping is stoking fear, making sure we stay divided in conflict, building walls. Don't talk about anything that makes white people uncomfortable, about privilege, about history, about the way our community resources are structured. Peacemaking is harder, messy, more courageous because we have to be vulnerable to people that we call them. Peacemaking involves sharing our stories. It means owning it when we're wrong and naming structures our ancestors built that keep us unfairly divided and then working together to change those structures. Peacemaking is what will bring us peace. Only by looking at
076our history from the viewpoint of different people in the story can we find a way forward that respects everyone. You can sit on this board and work to thwart the bridges people are trying to build in Wilmington. the walls we need to dismantle. And your choices will have an effect on this community and will ripple out in ways we cannot know. But your choices show who you are. They do not decide who we will be. Your choices to keep peacemaking from happening show your fear, not your power. And you do not have to fear the other. The ones called other are your neighbors, your doctors, your teachers, your bus drivers, your coaches. The other is a shifting target based on someone's fear. It's time we had the hard conversations, read the books that make us
077think, and use our words and actions not to reinforce walls, but to build bridges. Williams Hover. Williams Hubard and Williams Hubard. Last call for Williams Hubard. Leslie Posey. Do you know what a hypocrite is? Webster gives us two definitions. A person who puts on a false picture of virtue or religion and a person who acts in contradiction to their stated beliefs or feelings. Now, let me give you some examples. A hypocrite is someone who takes an oath to serve and protect all students, but then calls some children names because they don't fit the narrow definition of human. A hypocrite continually promotes parents rights. Then they decide what books my child can read. A hypocrite works really hard to eliminate words and ideas. But loss of exposure to a wide variety of ideas will cause irreparable
078harm to children's learning, development, and self-esteem. But they must be eliminated because the political puppet masters say those words and ideas are bad. A hypocrite claims children should learn all parts of the country's history, then work hard to eliminate those parts they find embarrassing. A hypocrite says that the ideas of all community members are important and arranges signups so more people can speak at board meetings. Then they set up a lottery with a cutoff of 20 people. Hypocrites Hypocrites hold town hall meetings so teachers can speak freely. Then letters of reprimand are put in files of teachers who speak. Hypocrites claim to live by the teachings of Christ and are really good at pushing the Old Testament laws on society, but seem to forget the teachings of Jesus, such as feed the poor, clothe the
079naked, house the homeless. They also forget the story of the woman who prays very quietly in the temple, and is more blessed than the man who stands at the altar and yells as if God is deaf. I could go on, but hypocrites also go to great lengths to silence those they don't want to hear. I would suggest some of you need to look in the mirror. [Applause] [Music] Sat the Michael Kelly victim settlement. Um, I've been asking for this for months now to get an update on the non-monetary agreements that we did and it's yet to occur. Um, I know that several every single board member that I've discussed this with, everybody seems supportive, yet magically it never makes the agenda. Um, I thought that we had the two-month rule. It didn't end up on
080this time. No one made a motion to a uh amend the agenda this time, unfortunately. Um, I brought up the concerns that I have about closed session and having updates in closed session and whether some of that should have been public. I don't know what else to say. I don't want to be here, guys. I don't I'm frustrated. I don't want to come in front of you and have to do this. It's ridiculous. Same thing with our public records request system. We have reporters that have public records requests that have been pending for 320 days from WECT. I waited myself for 284 days for one after I turned in a public a foyer request from the county for emails and one to our school system and magically emails weren't in one but they were in
081the other. Like I am so frustrated that I keep having to come in front of y'all and have these conversations. I want to go live my life. I'm not a board member. This isn't my job. You're supposed to be the ones that are providing transparency and accountability. Okay? I don't want to be here. I don't know what else to say. Um, tonight y'all are going to have a discussion about the lottery system. And it's ridiculous that I work multiple jobs to take my family on vacations and my wife works full-time and y'all use that against my child that he can't get into the school that's best for him. That is ridiculous. The fact that someone can have a degree and you use it against them, that is ridiculous. Another thing, talk to some staff members.
082Our staff members don't get any weighted preference for any of our lottery. Please have a discussion about that tonight. The pros and cons. I don't know if it's what's best, but we call it a perk. Do it for our teachers. See if that's something that's viable. It's something that I stumbled across. Please have that conversation. Y'all have a good night. Thank you, Yolanda Hernandez. Goals and objectives of the educational program policy 3000 states, quote, "It is the goal of the board that every student be provided the opportunity to receive a sound basic education and graduate from high school prepared for work, further education, and citizenship. How do our youngest learners receive a sound basic education when they have been suspended because an adult in school is apprehensive that a seven-year-old child was going to assault
083them? An assault in the school, the student code of conduct is defined as quote any act as of such nature to excite a reasonable apprehension of harmful and offensive physical contact with another person who is also a student and without the use of a weapon or causing serious injury. In other words, during the first half of this school year, 22, five, six, and seven year olds were suspended due to fear of a serious injury, even though no serious injury injury occurred. If our young children are that dangerous, it would make more sense to have them work with the school counselors or or social workers. Out of school suspensions provide no help or support. Policy 3000 imagines every student graduating and being prepared for work, further education, and citizenship. That includes our K through2 students who
084sometimes scare adults. Don't disregard the policy ma manual. Offer these students who can admittedly sometimes be very difficult. offer them the social and emotional skills they need and deserve. Thank you. Your time is up. Jennifer Tucker, [Applause] is there a way to turn up the mic to that? Um, we're having some Thank you. Yeah, make it loud. Good evening, board uh members of the board. My name is Jennifer Tucker and I've had the privilege of teaching in this county for 29 years. 25 of those in family life education, providing age appropriate, medically accurate sex education to our fifth through 8th graders. This year, that program changed. With the elimination of the family life education department, we've seen a slow and quiet dismantling of something vital. The responsibility has shifted to PE teachers, professionals who already
085carry a full plate and who through no fault of their own are not properly trained for this sensitive and specialized work. The results have been uneven, uncomfortable, and in some cases deeply problematic for students. We're not just losing a department. We're losing consistency, professionalism, and a place for students to ask real questions about real things and get medically accurate, age appropriate answers. I understand the realities of budgets and staffing, but I also believe we still have a chance to preserve the integrity of this program for the students. In my final year before retirement, I'm proposing to work with the county to train and support at least one teacher at each school so we don't lose everything that we've built. Please don't let this subject, the one that kids most often say actually matters to their
086lives, be quietly erased. Thank you for your time and for your service to our schools. [Applause] Jackie Delesio. Um, good evening Dr. Barnes and all the members of the school board. My name is Jackie Delesio and for those of you that don't know, I'm the president of the New Hover County Association of Educators. I'm taking the time to stand in front of you tonight as a as a voice for the staff of New Hover County Schools. Although the trust between the staff of your schools is rebuilding between the superintendent and the employees, they are still hesitant about interactions with the school board. The fear of retaliation continues to be real amongst the staff of New Hmer County Schools. Dr. Barnes has worked hard to show that he has listened to the results of last year's
087survey from teachers and is working actively to do something about it. The board appears to remain largely unconcerned with fixing their actions. However, I am reaching out to invite you all to work with our organization as we represent every single job description under the umbrella of New Hover County Schools. Truly, we want to have a relationship with the school board that is not contentious and works toward the collective goal of creating the best schools possible for our students. We have started creating this type of relationship with Michael Lee and we are hoping to do so with all of our local elected officials. I am inviting you, Mr. Perry and Miss Justice and Miss Barnhart and Miss Mason, Dr. Barnes, Mr. Wibdeore, Dr. Merrick, and Miss Bradford to attend another educational forum that we are holding
088on May 31st from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30. The point of this forum is not to put you on display and throw you to the quote wolves. We will be educating the community about how public schools are funded, and we truly invite you all to attend and help us reach the public. Thank you for your time. Can you tell us the location? Oh, yes. Um, it's at Ebenezer Baptist Church, right? Sorry, say that again. Can you say that again? Ebenezer Baptist Church. We're um we're going to send you guys an email with the flyer as well. Um, so that you can And that has a QR code. So, thank you. Sorry, Michael Sheridan. Good evening. I'm Dr. Michael Sheridan and I'm here to talk to you about attendance policy 4400. That policy states, "School attendance and
089class participation are integral parts of academic achievement and the teaching learning process. Through regular attendance, students develop patterns of behavior essential to professional and personal success in life. Regular attendance by every student is mandatory." Let's hear that last sentence again. Regular attendance by every student is mandatory. So, how does a 5-year-old develop the behavioral skills essential for success in life when they get kicked out of school for saying they're going to beat up a classmate during recess? Absenteeism is a problem in our schools and out of school suspensions aren't helping. The way policy 4400 is written, out of school suspensions are a violation of the attendance policy. When you stop suspending five, six, and seveny olds for making threats and have them work with a highly qualified teacher in a room other than their classroom,
090they can continue to learn to read, write, and do math. And a counselor or a social worker can help them with their social and emotional skills. What I'm describing here, of course, is an inschool suspension. The child returns to the classroom when they've been able to develop a positive behavior plan and are regulated again. Sometimes young children make serious mistakes. Keep them in school. Help them. Stop punishing them. Attendance policy 4400 is a good policy. Enforce it. And end all out of school suspensions for five, six, and seveny olds. Thank you. Loretta stack house. The mission of New Hannah County Schools is in collaboration with our parents and the community is to strive to provide children with an opportunity for a superior education in a safe and positive learning environment. Thank you. Where they are
091prepared with the skills to succeed. That's a quote from the mission and vision policy 1010005. How does an out of school suspension prepare our youngest learners with the skills to succeed? How does a six-year-old receive a superior education when they've been kicked out of school? 22 of the 29 suspensions that K to2 children receive for the first half of this school year were for assaults. The student code of conduct defines an assault as an act where there is no weapon involved and no serious injury occurs. It's simply the fear that something bad might happen. There's a better way. Instead of throwing them out of school, provide those children with the services they need from the school counselors or school uh social workers. What? Whoever is in their school, instead of ignoring the policy 10005, get
092out of the business of punishment and back to the business of teaching and preparing our children with the skills for success. Stop suspending five, six, seven year olds and ask the county for more budget money. Dan Harmon. Hello board. Genesis 127 says, "So God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him. Male and female he created them." When a baby is born, the doctor announces it's a boy or it's a girl. There's no hesitation. There's no uncertainty. We know instinctively and biologically what God has already made clear. Now, fast forward to today. The United Kingdom's National Health Service recently announced it would shut down the world's largest pediatric gender clinic. Why? because an independent review condemned the clinic's practices, calling them unsafe and based on poor evidence. The report
093stated clearly that the model of care used at the clinic left young people at considerable risk of long-term mental health issues. That's why I stand with this board's decision to remove the transgender and gender identity chapters from the stepping stone curriculum. I also support the revision of policy that could encourage children toward a path that science and many experts say can be harmful to their mental health and emotional well-being. This is not about hate or exclusion. It's about love. It's about truth. It's about protecting our children while hearts and minds are still growing. Thank you for your courage, your leadership, and your commitment to do what is right for our children. Thank you for all of your hard work. Deborah Brunson. Deborah Brunson. Okay. I didn't see. Thank you. It's okay. Last month, I addressed
094the courage of Rosa Parks and Virginia Foster Durr. Courage of that caliber exists in our region, too. In 1953, editor Willard Cole of the Whiteville News reporter and editor Horus Carter of the Taber City Tribune won a pullet surprise for their reporting on the KKK. A 2013 documentary, The Editor and the Dragon, Horus Carter Fights the Clan, told how the then 29year-old called out the clan's racist and illegal acts through the newspaper. Can this type of local history be taught to our students or does this board believe it's too triggering or too divisive? At April's board meeting, Miss Taylor Henderson gave a great update on the RISE program. What I heard about RISE was a recognition of and respect for the diversity of students and the learning modalities that can be used to support them.
095And I heard each of you speak very highly of this program. Even as some of you demonize DEI, diversity will continue. Why? Demographics. As a as several Black Ohio University alumni said to their anti-dei alma mater, "You cannot cancel who and what you did not create. This is not 1953 student population. In 2020, the population under age 18 was more racially and ethnically diverse than the population aged 18 and over. Our teachers work very hard and they aren't paid very well. The least this board and administration can do is to help them help our children. Stop focusing on the easy distractions of attempted book banning and demonizing diversity. Who lives in the who lives in our country is changing. who sits in our classrooms is changing. You can't stop the dem the demography and the
096demographics of the classroom. [Applause] Linda [Applause] Higgins. Good evening. Many of you have heard from me before. I am Linda Higgins. I am a parent and I am an advocate. I'm an advocate who watches board meetings either by being physically present or remotely when I cannot be present. I do this because I care that all the children all the children of New Hover County get a good education and are treated fairly and justly. Yes, that means the staffs must also be treated fairly and taken care of. But all of it starts here at the board. The board is required to follow the rules that you set for everybody else to follow. These policies that you so easily pass for everyone else you seem to have problems understanding are for you, too. It's not separate. I
097was here the day of Tim Tim Merrick's censure hearing and I was horrified to hear the chair not once but a number of times explain that she doesn't understand her job. She kept talking as though she was either the head disciplinarian or mother of the board. Neither one of those fit what it says in your policies the chair of the board can do. They cannot discipline their fellow board members. Please, Melissa, go back and reread the policy. The policy also says that we do not work with shadow boards. You know what? At your meeting before this meeting, you sat there and said, "Thank you. Your time is up." You decided already. Veronica McLaren [Applause] Brown. Fair and consistent discipline administration policy. 4303. states, "The board recognizes the negative effects of exclusionary discipline on a range
098of student outcomes. Tonight, I want to highlight just how serious and well documented those effects are and urge you to take a clear, meaningful step forward. Over two decades of research confirmed that students who are suspended or expelled are more likely to drop out of high school, experience academic failure, and repeat a grade. their standardized test scores decline and they're less likely to pursue postsecary secondary education. High suspension suspension rates reduce school and community safety by increasing student disengagement and weakening trust between students and adults. And students who are suspended are more likely to enter the juvenile justice system. This is how the school to prison pipeline is built. We don't need you to be big brick layers. And while suspending four to four, five, and six year olds have decreased, overall suspensions in New
099Hover County are rising. In 2021, there were 2521 K2 out of school suspensions. In 2023 they were there were 3,136. The number of days missed from suspensions also increased. In 2021 it was 8,146 days. In 2023 it was 10,228 days. Were you aware of that data? That's more students being suspended and for longer. Thank you. Your time is up. [Applause] Loretta, [Applause] good evening, Superintendent Barnes and board members. For over two centuries, the movement in our country has been toward greater equality, equal treatment under the law, regardless of race, background, or belief. That's a legacy worth pro protecting. At face value, diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI sounds aligned with biblical values, valuing people, promoting fairness, providing opportunity. These are good and worthy goals. But in practice, a DEI often shifts the standard of fairness
100from merit and character to immutable traits like race, gender, or sexual orientation. That's where it becomes problematic. I once worked at a school that was predominantly Hispanic. Most teachers and parents spoke Spanish. I did not. I was the minority. Yet, I built strong relationships and earned respect by doing quality work. Shouldn't merit and skills be the standard for all? Imagine DEI principles to the NFL. If teams were forced to meet racial quotas rather than draft based on ability, the integrity of the game would collapse. Ironically, the league thrives because it rewards excellence regardless of background. So, I ask, when do we know DEI has succeeded? When is society diverse enough? Who decides? What is the end point? Jesus warned against focusing on outward appearance while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness. DEI, when misapplied, fosters victimhood,
101and division. Let's instead raise up leaders who take personal responsibility, who strive not to be favored, but to be excellent. Thank you for applying your excellent skills and abilities to your time is future leaders. Tiffany Salter. Good evening. The removal of the book stamped from curriculum was political fodder and the fulfillment of campaign promises. It was the creation of controversy where there was none before, which is certainly no benefit to our students. Though it is very effective propaganda. Prior to Miss Gates bringing it to everyone's attention that she has a problem with the book, the curriculum assignment in the AP English high school class served its purpose well around rhetorical analysis, not history. Stamp is built for this type of engagement. Never mind that there's already in place a process by which guardians can request
102to excuse their student from assignments. Miss Gate was not satisfied with her options. Instead, choosing to limit the rights of every other parent and guardian and student in our district. Many of you enabled her. You allowed the will of one parent to employ consequences for all guardians and students. Apparently, you also want to decide for my family what decides what defines wholesome. And your definition of temporary would be better described as indefinite. I don't want your definitions. It's incredible to me to think that you claim to aid and support critical thinking when you are not applying critical thinking yourselves. Like it or not, our democracy is a diverse one, and our public schools must serve our diverse population. Ready and easy access to ideas and information is necessary to the right to exercise freedom of
103meaningful and political freedom in our democracy for young people and adults. So if access to a book has been restricted for students to whom it was previously accessible, it is banned. Restricting access to books is an infringement on the rights of students and guardians across the district. And infringement on those rights is an injustice. One of you has said that all she wants is peace. Well, to that I say no justice, no peace. Okay. And to all the parents out there, please speak up. In the words of writer and Holocaust survival, Ellie Visil, we must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. End racism. Become anti-racist. Peter Lich. Peter. Governing principles policy 1100 says and I'm paraphrasing the board of education is guided by governing
104principles it considers critical for providing students with a sound basic education and it does this through a system of excellent schools where they can succeed. need. There are seven governing principles. They include student success, parental involvement, a safe, orderly, and inviting environment, initiatives that improve the educational program and services, professional development, removal of barriers that may impede a student's ability or opportunity to learn, and stewardship of financial and environmental resources. Did you notice what's missing? Teachers. The missing principle is respect teachers. You respect teachers by paying them a living wage. You respect teachers by not asking them to do unpaid labor. You respect teachers by giving them uninterrupted planning time. You respect teachers by taking something off their plate every time you add a new program or training. And you respect teachers who are working
105with our most challenging students on their social and emotional skills by rehiring teachers, teacher assistants, school counselors, social workers, and the other staff you let go. They can't do it alone, nor should they have to. End all K2 out of school suspensions and respect teachers. Christina Mercier point of order. Madam Chair, um my understanding is that the uh pursuant to our rules that the topic is supposed to be listed. Could you inquire as to our next speaker what the topic is? I filled in the topic. They just didn't type it in. Oh, can you tell us? Parody. Okay. Me. Okay. There you go. Good evening. This month, I'm starting at the end. Teachers are masters of their craft. They have the educational background and professional knowledge to choose appropriate sources to deliver the curriculum and
106do not need interference from those less informed, especially a partisan school board. Should a parent not want their child to read a book or subject? No teacher will refuse that. It's when someone tries to impose a decision on all students that there is an issue. Almost two years ago, the school board chose to let a parent dictate curriculum for the entire district by allowing the book stamp to be removed for review. A review that no board member was interested in pursuing. I'd say the book was banned, but that seems to upset some of y'all despite the definition of ban being to officially prohibit. Other synonyms include bar, forbid, disallow, outlaw, embargo, exclude, stop, blackball, inhibit, restrict, banish, suppress, illegalize, disqualify, put an end to, and put a stop to. And that's just a few. I
107thought about the books I read growing up, as well as the novels I taught over the course of my teaching career. In looking them up, most of them have been challenged or outright banned. I'd give you a list of the titles, but I'm actually concerned you'd use it as a hit list for the next round of removals. Yet in my entire career, I had maybe two times when a parent or student asked for an alternate alternate assignment, which I immediately offered. I don't know of any educator who wouldn't honor a parent's wish for their child to not take part in an assignment, not just reading, for any reason, religious, cultural, or simply personal. Again, that's part of being professional. Some months I feel like I'm a broken record echoing into an empty canyon. But I'm
108tired of these partisan side quests y'all keep inventing. Please let teachers be the professionals they already are. Quit trying to micromanage each part of their job and instead focus on the job you were elected to do to facilitate learning for the students of New Hover County Schools. And if you don't know what facilitate means, it means to make something easier, not more difficult. [Music] [Applause] Teresa [Applause] Maples, Teresa Maples. Thank you. I know the power of the word of God. So, I'm going to pray Isaiah 11:2 over each and every one of you. In Jesus' name, I pray and release the spirit of the Lord over you. I pray you encounter Holy Spirit in a way you never knew possible and your lives are changed forever. I pray and release the spirit of wisdom over
109you. The wisdom of man is foolishness to the Lord. So I pray you seek God's wisdom. Ask God for wisdom and he will give it to each one of you. I pray and release the spirit of understanding over you that you understand there is a war raging against our children and family unit and you are each in a position to do something about it. I pray and release the spirit of counsel over you that you would seek godly counsel before making decisions and not be swayed by those yelling the loudest or by the ungodly destructive woke agenda. I pray and release the spirit of might over you. Might is not just bodily strength, but it's also strength of mind. It's being brave and courageous. It's actually being fearless, not backing down from doing what is
110right in the Lord's sight. I pray and release this spirit of knowledge over you. God has perfect knowledge. So I pray you seek him when concerns are brought to you, knowing truth and facts and recognizing lies and deceit. I pray and release the spirit of the fear of the Lord over you that you will have reverential awe for Jesus Christ knowing he is king of kings and lord of lords. [Applause] Debbie Lai We're going to remain respectful, please. You can go ahead. Good evening, board members. I'm a retired attorney who moved here from California four years ago, hoping to find conservative government. Not so. I wonder every day what will happen to my grandchildren's innocence when they begin school. Scripture tells us there will be a time when good is considered evil and evil good.
111We're in that time and lies govern over truth. Why are parents on the defensive having to prove their natural rights? The school sees control over the students, stripping them of vital parental input, intellectual development, hopes, dreams, and success. Jesus said, "There will always be something that causes people to sin, but anyone who causes them to sin is for tr in for trouble. A person who even causes one of my little followers to sin would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their neck. When immoral governments are threatened, they brainwash and destroy the youth so the free nation dies. History proves woke ideologies only bring unhappiness, tragedy, and captivity. We began losing the battle when God was taken out of the schools and evil marched in. Sex education must be
112removed from the schools entirely because it was the it was the covert goat goat gateway that led to this catastrophe. Thank you for the work you're doing to ensure a curriculum that morally educates the children and prepares them for a successful future. We must be the soldiers who stand fast commanding hands off the children. They don't belong to the government. They belong to their parents. They belong to God. I speak God's great plans over our youth no enemy can defeat in Jesus's mighty name. Ivy Spicer. [Applause] Hi, my name is Ivy Speeder and I'm here to talk about the benefits of LGBTQ plus education. Yes, the one thing you refuse to talk about. Studies have shown that LGBTQ plus inclusive curriculum promotes a positive school environment and student well-being. For example, a study in California
113found that students who learned about LGBTQ plus issues in school reported less bullying towards LGBTQ plus students. Additionally, when LGBTQ plus topics were introduced into the sexual health classes, and they have offered benefits to all, not just LGBTQ plus students, sex education that is inclusive of LGBTQ plus people helps prevent partner violence, encourages the formation of healthy intimate relationships, helps prevent sex abuse, and improve social emotional learning. Also in the NHS policy manual, it states that I quote, "Permission from the parents or guardians of children grades 5 through 8 shall be received prior to the child's placement in the following: sex, gender, sexual orientation, and LGBTQ plus inclusive language education programs." End quote. Denying LGBTQ plus inclusive education may be considered discrimination. And in the handbook, it states that, and I quote, "The board prohibits
114discrimination on the basis of race, sex, including pregnancy, child birth, sexual orientation, and gender identity, color, national origin, religion, disability, or age. And discrimination is illegal by federal law. Discrimination is illegal by federal law. As for the literal disadvantage, here they are. As you can see, I didn't find any. [Applause] [Music] Williams Hubard is Williams Hubard here. Williams Hubard. Madam Chair, that concludes our call audience. All right, we're going to take a fiveminut bathroom break. Uh come back board members at 7:12. I thought we had him. We are back in session. Fingers crossed. All right, we're going to um continue with the career and technical education presentation. Um if you could all find your seats, please. And board members, please return to the dis. Oh, it's just one. We got Oh, [Music] hang on. Just
115need the LOL to All right. Go ahead. Right. Good evening everyone. Uh my name is Mandy Mills. Um I have the privilege of serving New Hmer County School students as the director of career and technical education. And I appreciate y'all allowing me um some minutes tonight just to update you on some of the great work that we've been doing. So just to give you an overview of what um I will cover this evening, I'll start with some key data points and then walk you through the state's new career cluster model. After that, I'll share an update on our endowment project, highlight the work of our advisory council, and touch on career development efforts. I'll wrap up the by outlining our focus areas for the 2526 school year, and last but not least share some exciting
116work that we've been doing with roads branding. So, this first graph is the number of individual students taking CTE courses. So the the duplicated number would be um much higher than this because we have a lot of students who take multiple courses in the same year. Um so I did just want to um note that the 2324 numbers are not official. Those have not been released by DPI but I used our enrollment file from last year to try to estimate the best that I could. Um this next graph is um the the number of CTE concentrators um for each year. So a CTE concentrator is a student who's completed a full pathway of courses. So that could be health science one and two. That could be core construction, carpentry 1 and carpentry 2. Um most
117of our pathways are two to three courses. And again the 23 24 numbers have not been shared by DPI yet. Um this graph compares the graduation rate of CTE concentrators to the overall district graduation rate. So one of the key benefits of CTE both here and across the country is that students who complete a CTE pathway are more likely to graduate. So it's just a powerful testament to the impact of that CTE has. Um this graph is our the percentage of concentrators. So again concentrator is a student who has completed a complete pathway. Um so it's the percentage of those students who graduate with at least one industry credential. This chart is um the new structure of the North Carolina CTE career clusters and pathways. So one of the biggest change is how um now
118they are organized into overarching categories. So within each category, you'll find specific career clusters which are then broken down into further into career pathways. So this new structure is designed to make it easier for students to see clear connections between their coursework and real world careers. It also helps schools align programs more closely with workforce development and post-secary opportunities. The pathways that you see highlighted in yellow represent those pathways that are offered within our district at one of our high schools. And the one um highlighted in blue is also offered on our campuses um but it's taught by CFCC and through a partnership with them. We're excited to share an update on the New Hover Healthcare Career Partnership, which is a collaborative between New Hover County Schools, Capefir Community College, UNCCW, and the Wilmington Chamber
119of Commerce, generously funded by the endowment. Healthc care continues to be one of the most in- demand fields in our region. The partnership was created to build a long-term pipeline of health care professionals starting as early as middle school and continuing through college into the local workforce. Our our role New Hmer County Schools is to introduce students to healthcare careers early, spark interest, and create clear exploration opportunities. One major component of the effort is the Health Science Academy. This will be a cohort of students passionate about healthcare and committed to staying in our region. These students will participate in experiences like summer camps, lunch and learns, industry tours, job shadowing to help them focus on their career goals. The two photos on the left are from our recent health science academy info session, and we're
120thrilled to um welcome our first group in the fall of 2025. An additional um thing we've been able to add through the endowment is um a new tool called Zespace which allows students to explore 3D models with no goggles or glasses needed. So you see an example of this in the top right photo. Um the as the student moves their head or the image shifts and follows them. Uh and they use like a stylus and built-in sensors where they can interact with the 3D model. For example, examining and even feeling the beat of a human heart as they explore the layers. We've also partnered with biology teachers at each school to train them on Zpace. So, our next step will be to align ZSpace content with the biology and the health science curriculum to support
121students. And the last picture up there is um on the bottom right shows a special visit to UNCW's simulation lab. Professors there spent several hours working with New Hover High School students to help them prepare for their state healthcare competition. That lab is cool. Yes. Our CTE advisory council plays a key role in making sure our programs stay aligned with local workforce needs. The council was established through legislation for teaching in our what we're teaching in our classrooms reflects the skills and expectations of today's employers. This year, we focused on three main areas. We asked council members to review a course related to their industry. Specifically, we ask for feedback on any skills gap they observe in entry- level workers, the value of the credentials students are earning, and any course objectives that may be
122outdated or less relevant. We also asked their input on our internship program, how it's working, how we can better promote it to local employers. One of the exciting outcomes was that they helped us select a new acronym and brand for our internship program, which I'll share with you a little later in the presentation. Lastly, I want to acknowledge how generous our industry partners have been with their time. They've shown incredible support by participating in career development events across all grade levels, helping us to bring real world insight and inspiration directly to students. To give you a sense of who makes up our advisory council, this is a list of 24 25 members. We've been very intentional about recruiting representatives from across the majority of our career clusters with a special focus on highnee areas in
123our region like healthcare, manufacturing, and construction. So, there's new legislation requires every student in grades 6 through 12 to have a career development plan. While this is a state requirement not specific to CTE, we were naturally the leaders of this initiative. Over the summer of 2024, our career development coordinator team developed a plan tailored for each grade level. School teams assigned by the principal have worked to ensure that every student meets the requirements of the career development plan. This data collected in these plans will be incredibly valuable to us in CTE, especially during registration when we're recruiting for our programs. Additionally, all information like personality type, learning style, and career goals is accessible to counselors and teachers, helping to guide students in making informed decisions about their future. So, I pulled for you a couple
124of charts from Zello. This just kind of touches high level on the data that we can pull from it. Um, where our students interests and learning styles align with the various career clusters. These charts also show the percentage of students in grades 6 through 12 who have completed a career development plan at the time that I pulled this data. This graphic illustrates the career development pathway for our students highlighting the key stages of exploration, skill development, and real world experiences. It shows how we guide students from initial exposure to different careers through deeper exploration and skill building and ultimately to internships and apprenticeships with our industry partners. This visual reinforces our commitment to providing students with a clear and structured path towards their future careers. And just a few pictures on our career fair we
125had in March that many of you visited. Um and then our career and technical student organizations play a crucial role in enhancing student experiences. These organizations provide students and opportunities with opportunities to develop leadership skills, engage in hands-on learning, and connect with industry professionals. So each of these clubs that you see here um participated in regional and state competitions this year. So focus areas for 2526. This is um earlier I showed you a slide highlighting a percentage of CTE concentrators who earned at least one industry recognized credential before graduate before graduating. While we've seen encouraging growth over the past few years, there's still more work to be done. This graph you see represents the percentage of potential credentials earned. So you see we're we're still at less than 50% of what we could be earn
126the number of credentials we could be earning. So the number for 2425 reflects the data from first semester only. So we're optimistic this will increase by the end of the year. The good news is we have strong support from the state. They provide funding for credential vouchers, prep material, and even transportation to testing sites. We've been working closely with teachers to identify what they need to help students succeed on these exams. Supporting credential attainment will continue to be a top priority for next year. This graph shows the distribution of students at various internship sites. A large number of our students in the information technology pathway are interning with our technology department assisting with help desk at their schools. While this provides valuable experience, our goal is to expand opportunities for students to intern outside the
127school setting with our industry partners. It's important to note that some pathways including internships as required component of the course which may not be represented in these numbers. So nursing fundamentals, culinary 2 students and early childhood students all have an internship component within their curriculum. And this is um as I mentioned earlier, one of the key initiatives from our advisory council was the rebranding of our internship program. After much discussion, they voted to adopt the acronym CORE, career opportunities and real world experiences. This summer, we will be actively recruiting core partners who are willing to offer internships to students. These opportunities will be available for students to apply to through Zello, making the process streamlined and accessible. As we gather success stories from students and industry partners, our goal is to demonstrate the value of
128these internships, helping to build momentum for even more businesses to participate. Y'all tired yet? Okay. Um, second initiative for next year is continuing our partnership with Capefar Community College. Um, right now Katefir is able to offer all of the courses you see there on our campuses. Um, and then I I did forget to list one which was small engine repair which is offered at Ashley and Laney. Um, so we will be offering mechatronics at Mosley next year. And then there's a picture of that the trailer there that's they're able to teach machining out of that trailer. So they can go park it at any school. So, um, we're we're working on, um, which schools might be able to to fit that into their their day as well. Um, Capefir Community College has also been incredibly
129generous in donating their space at the Schwarz Center for our annual career fair for the last two years and we're grateful for that continued partnership. Um, we are also working on local articulation agreements where if our curriculum aligns with a course at the community college, we can locally um give them credit as they enter Capefir Community College in one of their programs. The other initiative we are working on is um a clear visual repres representation of how students can flow from new Hannover County school CTE pathways directly into a degree or certificate program at Capefar. So kind of a 9 through 14 pathway visual. Um and then also looking ahead to the end of next year, we're planning a personalized event for unsure for students who are unsure of their postgraduation plans. Using their career
130development plan will help identify potential career interests and group students based on that data to provide tailored support. All right. So our um project with roads branding I want our goal was to make sure that students parents and the broader community are aware of all that CTE has to offer. Our collaboration with roads began with focus groups involving key stakeholders along with digital a digital brand audit to assess our current presence. From there, we developed print marketing materials followed by the creation of digital marketing tools, including a promotional video and a website makeover. So, roads came um on our campuses. They were here a whole week. And um it took them a whole week to get a 60-second video, but it's okay. Um they they went to each of the traditional high schools plus CEK.
131They took under over 300 steel shots that they've given to us um to use for whatever we want and they created this video. CTE provides students with a lifelong journey in careers they would like to choose. I personally think CTE is everything. We teach kids by industry standards. We are all professionals that have transitioned from the industry and now we're in the classroom. We help students in CTE find the correct pathway. Having a student have a teacher who is a role model that has done something that they want to do allows it to feel more feasible and tangible. Once you find a program that matches up with your goals and your interest in life, it's a lot easier. It would be glad to have the skills and knowledge that came out of those classes. It
132allows them to see the world in a different light and have experiences to new things. Gives a pathway to try something less traditional. If you're a very hands-on person and you like your teachers being involved, this is the class for you. It isn't just about learning, it's about doing. It gives you a competitive edge over others and you'll stand out wherever you are. And as I think Dr. Um, thanks. I think Dr. Barnes noticed um, one of the teachers in there, Mr. Elmer Rodriguez Fuentes, is your board scholar from a board scholar. One of your board scholars. Yep. Is he doing he's doing good? He's doing great. Amazing. So, yeah. What are you going to tell me? Right. Yeah. Right. Um so these are just a couple other examples of um printed materials and things
133that will be shared on the website. These are rack cards um that each of the schools has for the for the pathways that they offer. So it has the courses included the possible careers, the certifications aligned with that, the earning potential and then the career development coordinator contact at each school that offers that particular pathway. And then here is just screenshots from the website, which is not quite up yet. It should be up within the next couple weeks or so. Um so we'll be sure and let you know when that's live. But um it will kind of outline the pathways offered at each school and and all the other um marketing materials that you saw. That's So Mr. Perry, you had a question. Yes. Thank you for your presentation. Um I had a couple of
134related questions. Um do we have any data as far as graduates that do concentrate on one particular area in CTE say five years later? Are they still in that career or have they switched? That's difficult data to gather. Um we do a um concentrator follow-up survey, but it's done um December of the year after they graduate. So that's really the data point that we have is where they are. um that I guess semester after they graduate. And the other question is kind of related which is how much before you have these different concentration areas within it all sounds good. How much somewhere in there do all students get at least a little bit of exposure to each one of them to make up their minds on which one they might like to be in as
135far as the career pathways when they enter high school? Yes. Um yes. So most of our um middle school or all of our middle schools have CTE classes where they can do some career exploration. Um sixth grade especially does kind of a wheel and they um they are exposed to a lot of them. Um and then we have the Pax and Patterson career exploration labs which is module based where they get to um experience different careers. Great. Thank you Miss Bradford. Um just a couple questions I'm curious about. about eight slides back entire work and I can see that business has gone crazy with internships that went way you know well but some of them the others fell off like manufacturing so is there like a shift in what internships what students want or is
136it that you don't have the offer I think the the main reason um those first two are so high is because a lot of those are tech interns and they're on campus. Um so they're very easily accessible. Um some of the areas like construction and manufacturing, they don't allow students on their their floor till they're 18. So that that limits um some things, but that's kind of the reason for our rebranding. We want to let businesses know um you know that they can have students if if students can't necessarily come on their floor, they could do maybe a related project or they could still be involved in the business. Um and also that we have one of the barriers usually is um insurance and we provide work-based learning insurance for all of our students. So
137a lot of companies don't know that. So it's more like getting in front of them face to face and just kind of pitching it to them. agriculture. How does that work? They go out to a farm. Yeah. So, they're Yeah. Either at a a greenhouse, it could be anything related to agriculture. I'm not sure where that those particular students went, but Miss Barnhart, thank you. I just I want to highlight you gave us a lot of great information, but the whole purpose of this rebranding is to highlight the benefits that CTE brings. You said that CTE can get college credit in high school and we're working on that alignment with CFCC. We have a wonderful partnership with them. This was the third year that this district had a career fair. Um, I remember being in
138conversations of finding places to rent and happened to come across an amazing contact at CFCC and offering that partnership to allow a free career fair every year. And I go every year and uh my colleague to my far left might be jealous in the first picture because I have the coveted glasses that were passed out by the firefighters. Um, just one of them this year. Um, but the kids were so excited cuz when when we first got there and talking to them about opportunities, I said, "Can we take a picture?" And they were like, "Let's jump in." And so they were like, they wanted to come take a picture uh with me and Mr. Wore. You guys were just great sports. They are so excited for what the program can bring. And I'm going to
139highlight these pathways that we offer because what we talk to them about is the money that they can make. And when you talk about resonating with a kid, when they realize that they can make good money right after graduation of high school, they're like, "Sign me up for this job." So, I love to see the graduation rates are higher in our CTE program because this is what keeps kids in school. It's giving them worth and value and for something a job that they can immediately get into in the industry and being responsive to the needs of our community. So, awesome. Hats off to you. And you didn't mention who is our first core partner because we have one. You let it you let it slip with with us as in the advisory council but you
140should share with the board too. Yes. The endowment um itself has agreed to be our first core partner. Yeah. So that's awesome. Excellent. So we're going to keep working on that. But um all the feedback from the business industry and community is they want to work and find ways that they can incorporate our students because they see the value in developing the next workforce. And so just continue those relationship buildings and I'm going to give a shout out to Shannon of that workforce um coordinator and continue to build those because that's a game changer for our students. So thank you for all the work you've done, Miss Mills. Thank you. Any other board members? Thank you so much. Thank you. Um, next up, uh, local oral history, Dr. Dewal. Good evening. Thank you for having
141me here tonight. Uh, so I am going to, um, give you all a little bit of an update of, um, how we've been incorporating local New Hover County history into our curriculum. Uh, I'm going to kind of start with the how of our social studies um standards. Sorry, here we go. Uh, the how of our social studies standards. Um, and a little bit of how the curriculum is built. Um, we'll talk about the importance of local history in our state standards. Um, and the incorporation, some examples of how we've incorporated it, and then I'm going to end with some great student examples that we have right from our own kiddos. Um so our uh new uh let's see the department of instruction for North Carolina uh updated our standards in 2021. So um when they
142made that shift the shift in social studies standards really changed to being skills and inquirybased as opposed to rope memorization of dates and places and people. Um and so part of that the way we then build our social studies curriculum is the state provides unpacking documents first of what are the skills that our students need to learn uh at the district level which is sort of that middle part of the pyramid there. We then provide the pacing, the overarching units um and sort of lay out um what what teachers might cover within those topics. And then teachers have the autonomy to have teacher created materials where they are determining sort of within a set of bounds what content are they studying to teach the particular skills that we have laid out across the pace of
143either the school year or the semester if it's a high school level class. Um, and so throughout all of that process, we have a lot of local history. This slide has a lot of words on it. Uh, but really the idea behind it is that we don't just teach local history because we care about it personally. We teach it because we are uh required to teach it as part of the state standard. So local history is written out um in third, fourth, fifth grade, eighth grade, as well as some of our high school classes. Um, and that includes everything from early colonialization. Um, studying Blackbeard and the pirates of the Capefir region is a student favorite. Uh, Morris Creek Bridge, establishments of Seabbze and Freeman Park, uh, Freeman Beach, Shell Island, um, the Wilmington 10,
144the Battleship. Those are all examples of things that are um either written into our standards or that we have provided in our curriculum documents where the state has identified that we must teach a local uh historical event there. Um and so this sort of just goes through what that looks like at elementary, middle, and high school. So really at the elementary, um we're really focused on partnerships. We partner with the Katefir Museum, the Historic Wilm historic Wilmington uh foundation, Thalen Hall, the Bergwin Wright House. Um and they do a lot of their local history through field trips and hands-on experiences. Then when you get to middle and high school, we focus more on um analyzing and investigating the primary source documents of our local history. Our high school students engage in some case studies um
145and we analyze uh and again use those skills that are part of the standard uh to look at local historical events um local people in our history and patterns of history in the Capefir region. And this is really what it looks like for teachers. Um so the teachers end up with a document. Um this is sort of that layer two of the pyramid. Um so they end up with a list of choices that they can then um curate for their autonomy of of the lessons that they choose to create. Everything we have in these local history uh locally created um units. Um and all the local history we have there is vetted. It's um historically accurate. It is information from uh appropriate sources and it is co-created with teachers. Uh in fact this summer we
146have a group of teachers that we'll be looking at and continually continuing to update since it's been quite a few years since these standards uh came to be. So it's a living document I would say as teachers create new things items get added as well but it is not a um it's not a gotcha document. the teachers can use that to create what they want for their individual lessons. Um, and so that's resulted in some students having some amazing experiences uh studying our local history. Uh, National History Day is a uh academic competition, an extracurricular activity that our students can engage in. Very proud of our students. Over the past few years, we've had 30 plus students participate in this competition. um and move on to success regionally, at the state level, and nationally. Uh
147so just this past weekend, we had uh multiple students at Holly Shelter, Gregory Wex, and Isaac Bear earn first, second, and third place and be promoted to our national uh history day competition. Last year, Holly Shelter was eighth in the nation, weren't they? Uh, last year. So, last year we had uh students who were invited to the National History Day, and we also had I don't know what number they were, but Holly Shelter and Gregory both had students the national competitions at the University of Maryland, and they were invited to then take their items to the Smithsonian and present at the Smithsonian as well. Wow. Um, so we don't know yet. Knock on wood. uh who from this year will be invited to the Smithsonian, but that's New Hampshire County Schools. Thank you. They have
148they have fantastic projects. I'm also particularly proud. I think if you look up there you can see this is a mix of individual projects, group projects, um websites, exhibits which are like trifold boards, um like 3D 3D uh experiences, documentaries um and so we really have a wealth of ways in which the students are um not just learning about history but then having an output of putting together what they've learned. I will also shout out uh uh uh Mr. Sean Stanick from Holly Shelter. Uh I know that you already mentioned him, but he did also win uh teacher of the year at this competition this weekend. Um and then social studies uh also lives in conjunction or in collaboration with our language arts courses. So this is an example from CEK. They actually did this
149project in their English class, but we know that humanities has a lot of crossover. And in this project, um, the students interviewed, uh, elders in their community, members from their church, um, their grandparents, people that they know in their community and neighborhood, um, and put together, um, videos and websites, uh, to continue that oral history tradition and to share, um, their interviews and what they learned from, uh, the people whose history they want to continue to, um, preserve. So really proud of all of our students and that's just kind of a snidbit of what we're doing in social studies to honor our local history. Mr. Perry, thank you so much. I was a history major myself and uh so it always interests me. Um the um and one of the things that uh and I
150really appreciate that we're not trying to I nobody on this school board is trying to we want our kids to learn about some of the racial injustices that happened in the past and we are not trying to hide those from our from our students. We want them to learn. I mean, actually, I just became aware maybe a year ago that this actually New Hover County used to include Pender County. I didn't know that. You learn something new every day. Um, but thank you so much for your efforts. Absolutely, Miss Barnhart. Thank you, Dr. Wall. I appreciate this presentation and I know through conversations with my colleagues, they have made connections that we've had local historians come into our classrooms and so I'm going to give a shout out to two of them down there. Um,
151but I I would love for us to support as a board to be able to, you know, have some documentaries of and interviews with these awesome historians with these events. So, I don't know if we've started to create like a video um just database that are all of our teachers can access, but because we have such rich history, I think this is an opportunity for us to engage and give access to every single teacher um who might not have the connections with direct historians, but I think that's something that we can absolutely help to create so that we can continue to produce awesome just really informed children. So, thank you. I absolutely agree with that. And I would also add if we could put the student documentaries in there, they are well researched and award-winning.
152So teachers can use our student created documentaries as well. And um and I I know I saw your hand, Mr. Wmore. Um in discussion, we had talked the there is access for teachers to some of these correct or have we not established that yet? They should have. We are in the process of establishing it. Um yes. And when we know that um local uh community members are coming and doing talks at schools, uh we are planning to work with communications either to get that filmed or work with um perhaps even our CTE students um to make sure that is filmed for future use in other classrooms. Mr. Wore. Well, I I'd like to echo what my colleagues have said. I think this is outstanding. I think that uh you know this you know this great
153this uh national uh history day state champions. I mean, so, you know, keep it going on that. Uh, I also love the idea of, you know, maybe, you know, using technology to if we have a speaker at one, say, Rolling Grace, you know, come in and speak, maybe we can, you know, live stream that to Trin and and somewhere, you know, what Willist or something and have, you know, several different groups, you know, benefit from that. I think it'd be awesome. So, you know, the more we can do it, better, but I do echo what what my colleagues have said and thank you very much. This is outstanding. Absolutely. justice. Um, yeah, I love this topic. I taught uh at Laney social studies all through the 90s and one of the things that strikes me
154as you're talking is how much it's changed. This is one of the most rich areas you can imagine to be teaching history from the beginning literally before the the Revolutionary War all the way up until today. I mean, even World War II. I mean, it's just you you went through that. Uh, but when I was teaching then, they didn't recognize the local history the way you were doing right now. And I would research on my own and bring it into the classroom and the kids just grabbed it. They just ate it up alive because they could relate to it. They go home and talk to their grandparents about it and then they bring the stories back. In fact, I had my kids do oral histories and that was cool. I wish we had an archive.
155I'm glad that you're talking about that. Um, another thing, uh, kids go walking. I did that for several years. Um, if anybody has that interest, retired people, you guys, this is a great way to hang out with kids, talk about the local history because from the time you hit downtown all the way to the waterfront and back, you can't stop. It's everywhere, you know. So, this is a great program. I'm so glad to see that the social studies is incorporating our local history because it is so rich and that really ties the kids into it. Absolutely. Dr. Eric, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Um, you know, not only is our local history so important for us to know and embody and and to understand the community that we live in, it's just engaging. Um,
156it's hard, uh, you know, with on scale to have experiential learning. But this is maybe as close as you come because they can touch it, they can feel it, they can go out and into the into the city and the county afterwards and and and experience it, right? It's not just uh pages on a book and wrote remembrance and all that. So, um thank you for keeping really important information alive and thank you for making it engaging for our students. I'll give credit where credit it's due. It's the teachers who are making it engaging and bringing it alive. Okay, I will pass along that to the teacher. And I believe it was in the um slides, but the each teacher is given access to all of these resources um including some there are some videos
157in in there as well. Correct. Absolutely. So, this is sort of a screenshot of a much larger document that teachers can access. Um so, with this is an example from 8th grade. Um, so it covers the civil war, antibbellum. Um, you know, you might be used to social studies used to be taught really chronologically, right? We learned beginning of beginning and moved your way through the timeline. Uh, we more teach thematically now. So different, um, topics are grouped together. So within this document, um, each of those little uh, boxes across cover different topics that could be taught within that unit and then have the resources. Some of them are videos, some of them are primary source documents. Um, some of them are history. We call them history alive text. Um, so there's lots of different
158things the teacher can then use to curate rather than having to Google or go out and search on their own information that's out there. And if I remember correctly, there's some documentaries in there as well. Correct. there are um from and we try to curate them from lots of different sources and when we can um tie in with uh historical organizations um so that we're also sort of leading teachers towards resources that would be helpful for other units as well. Thank you so much Dr. Dwell. You're welcome. Thank you so much. All [Applause] right. Um, moving forward to consensus items. I know that we had at least one that we wanted to pull um to kind of get some questions answered from Miss Sutton. So, I am going to make a motion to pull C.
159I'll second that. C, which is the student accident policy. um to discuss to discuss that a little bit further. U Mr. Perry, um I want to see if we can get take out B B. Okay. Quick question. So then I'll make a motion to adopt A, D, E, F, and G. I'll second it. All right. Any discussion? H. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? That passes seven to zero. Um we'll just go right starting with B. Mr. Perry, you wanted to pull? Yes. I quick question. The um Kronos software $149,760, which is a pretty big sum. I know that's a payroll software. How long is that um contract for? Um is that $149,000 a year? That is that contract is for a year and that's for all of our our
160software that um we use for timekeeping to track hours and to track lead for all of our employees across the district. Is that is that rate for the number of employees that we have are pretty competitive compared to other products? um when we converted um implemented this system uh three years ago I want to say um at that time based on all the things that this system can do um it was competitive at that time we've got a lot of functionality in this system where people can clock in and out um we have flags where they can clock in and out from home if we need to work remotely um employees can access on an app all of their leave and their time and they can improve that way. Um supervisors can do that as
161well. So it had a lot of functionality to it that some of the other softwares didn't have. So considering um all the options that are available in this software, we do believe it's still compatible just like it was when we looked at it several years ago. How how many um what's our number of employees right now? I mean, if you divide $150,000 by 3500 employees, that's a pretty expensive proposition. Morning for inquiry. Thank you. Are we on B? I don't think so. It's He's saying 150,000 and I say 18,000. We only have one thing on B. He's on E. B as in baby. Oh, you're on E. Oh, E. Oh, I misheard you. I thought you said B. Yeah, we're all looking at B. That's the problem. That's what we're all looking at. Is E
162what we pulled? E was apparently what we pulled and I misheard. My apologies. Should we do the motion? We should we should um I make a motion that we uh approve A through G uh minus C and E. C as in Charlie, E is in Edward. I never said, I said B. B B. So it was B. But the numbers that you P as in baby or E as in Edward. B as in baby is the one I wanted to pull. But the numbers are not. But that says 108,000. It's got different numbers. I think that's the the is not there. Miss, go ahead. Maybe that No, you're right. Where my colleague is referring to referring to. Yes. Okay. So there's a motion to approve a AB D D E FG. And I second it.
163All right. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. And I apologize. That's okay. That passes seven to zero. All right. So I was referring to E. So we've covered E. Yes. So okay. So my concerns about Okay. Madam Chair, make a motion to adopt E. Second. Okay. Uh, any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Passes seven to zero. Um, the student accident policy. I know Miss Sutton, we had had several questions um about that. So, if you could I did provide that information to the attorney for review. If you, sir, did you have any concerns with that information? Okay. There's a a long policy. If anyone has any questions, I printed it out. Um, it's essentially a med pay policy. you know, that covers
164things like uh deductibles. Um fairly limited benefits. I want to say it's $25,000 worth of hospitalization, but you found it was secondary, right? Yeah, it looked like it was secondary. So, if the child has his own or her own insurance through Medicaid or Blue Cross Blue Shield, that'll kick in first, but this could help with co-pays and stuff like that. Miss Barnhart, my question was with this policy, I mean, looking like it gets the approval of our legal staff, we were able to have this the savings that we had from the re-evaluation stage, it was able to come in under that and still offer this student policy. So that's where in the recommendation is um so we're still looking for about $20,000 to be able to provide that to all of our students. And so
165I haven't received the um renewal information on the general liability policy which I think may be less than we had estimated. So my um recommendation or ask I guess of the board tonight would be to um allow me to move forward when I receive the general liability insurance if it is less than that estimated budget um to use that excess funds to be able to um provide this additional insurance um to our students. But of course I'm I would bring that policy back to you for your approval and everything before I move forward. I just wanted to um get the board's permission to move forward with obtaining um a copy of the information for your signature. Um assuming that the budget was there, u Miss Bradford and then Dr. Merrick, I'm going to move that
166we adopt C and we adopt the recommendation of the CFO and we move forward with obtaining the information. um discussion. Dr. Merrick, you had I was going to move the same thing, so I'm gonna withdraw. Thank you. All right. All right. I'll uh Mr. Perry, um Miss Sutton, um the uh would this uh student accident insurance, so would I know we we had some concern earlier about maybe having um what do they call them? The pet pets for kids who need comfort. But that's it's not service dogs. The next one, betting zoo. No. No. No. Like um therapy dogs, therapy dogs. Yeah. And we had some concerns that, you know, we might not have the insurance. Would this kind of insurance cover that? I believe that's one of the things that we would need to
167look at. So, we have a list of currently prohibited activities because of the insurance. Um, I don't know that at this point I have enough information to answer that question that what things would be covered or not, but we are definitely going to go through that list and determine if there's things that now we since we have this covered again. Thank you, Minister Wart. And uh, we meant heard just a little while ago about CTE, is this a separate thing from the CTE coverages or is this would this help that? it it will cover students participating in CT but CT actually has their own insurance coverage through DPI. Okay. Um that's separate from this. So this will be an addition to that. Okay. Oh, cool. There you go. All right. There is a motion to
168uh approve C and follow the recommendation. Um all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? That passes seven to zero. I think you would. I'm going to turn it over to our policy chair, Mr. Woodbor, for policy. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Um well, we have several uh policies. We discussed them um that the agenda review, but um I think we do have in front of us a proposed amendment for one of the policies. So, I would um when I make a motion, do one second. I think we need to discuss that one separately. So, um, second. Um, yeah, I didn't even say, but anyway, I make a motion we that we move all the policies, uh, provided except for 2450 a uh, we move them on it. Second. And we
169have a second discussion. Uh, Dr. Merrick. Yeah, I'd like to pull uh, 1720 40 7235. So the home 5240 7360 820 8225 9120 and 9125. Can you repeat those again? Can we just get what we're not going to What's What remains, Dr. Merrick? Well, let's go back to the list. Uh 2450 is separate. Uh 3540 is not being pulled. 4303 is not being pulled. I think that's it. Okay. So, um I will make a motion to approve 3540 and 4303. Second. Uh all those uh discussion, all those in favor signify by saying I. I any opposed? Those pass seven to zero. All right. Um the first one is 1720 40 30 72 35 title 9 non-discrimination on basis of sex. Uh Dr. Merrick since you pulled it. Yeah. Um so this is a change to
170a policy that prevents discrimination. Uh the revision to the policy recommends removing sexual orientation from the classes of people that we would protect. Title 9 considers discrimination based on sexual orientation to be discrimination based on sex. So why do we feel it necessary to renew remove the term sexual orientation from this policy? It sends a clear anti-LGBTQ message to the 10% of our students who identify as such. To me, it feels cruel and it appears politically motivated and I recommend sending this back to policy uh to include sexual orientation. Uh, Miss Barnhart, Miss Justice. Madam Chairwoman, if I recall from our last month's discussion, and I'd like to ask legal counsel counsel, excuse me, um, if if you might allow me, but by definition of sex, can you please tell me what is included in
171that definition by law? Mr. Now, um, at least in our circuit, sex also includes for this purpose anyway under Title 9 includes sexual orientation. That's my understanding as well. So, we are not we are indeed not excluding that from policy. It is just already defined in sex by the law that includes that. So, I mean, you're tracking the language of the statute if you just say sex. And that was that was the thing I was trying to get across last time that you're kind of over you're overcorrecting on the other side of the road when you throw the word biological in front of sex. That's not the recommendation here tonight. The recommendation is to have sex and the policy which is defined and not excluding like my colleague is alluding to defined by law. Sex
172is defined by law that we are going to uphold. Exactly. I think you're you're hitting it there. If you leave it at sex, then it's inclusive enough um of of all of the bases that the court would con include in their view of sex, even though we may have a different view of it. Um as as lay people, you know, that that tracking the language of the statute's always going to be a safe way to go. Then I make a substitute motion to adopt this policy tonight. Second. All right. Um discussion. Uh, Miss Justice, you had had your hand raised. Well, I think this is on the substitute motion, which Can you point of order? Can you repeat the motion? I didn't hear it. To adopt it as written to adopt the policy as written
173with with a clear be a clear understanding that uh sexual orientation is included in that definition according to state statute or federal statute. Okay. All right. And Dr. Merrick, that was it. Yeah. So, I get it, right? Um we we uh Doc uh Mr. Perry at one point said, "Why do we even have all these different things? Why don't we just say we don't discriminate, period?" And that's a fair uh statement, but if we have it in our policy, sexual orientation, and then we take it out, it sends a certain message. And I don't know why. I don't know why we would want to tell our families, our parents, our students, and our community that we don't want to include the term sexual orientation. And Miss Justice, sadly, I think I went through this when
174we were doing policy. It is a lot to do with terminology and community perception. Um, and if there was a different I don't know. This is very sad. Uh because there's there's there's kids right now, adults in our community, in our schools that are feeling so excluded and targets. Um and that just that hurts them. It's not just 10% of the population. It's their brothers, their sisters, their aunts, their uncles, their parents, their friends. So many of our kids, this is such a different generation. They are so much more uh educated about reality. And so so many of them uh of our our young people really feel like they might be the ones attacked if you remove the word sexual orientation. Um I can see that legally you can say it's okay but we are
175doing this as a board intentionally removing it and that's going to make a statement to our community. Uh Mr. Perry. Yes. So I think there's a difference between when my colleague the far left says, you know, we're taking it out or that this is a title n this regards to this. If we have religion or race or anything else in here, it doesn't belong in here. Title 9 is about sex. That's what it's about. Of course, we don't want to discriminate on any basis, but it doesn't need to be in our title nine policy because it's not a tit title nine problem. If somebody violates this, it should be in our bullying and harassment policy. We can talk about that. So we very briefly then I question if we're going to take out sexual orientation
176because it's sex then why do we include pregnancy or child birth or parenting status right because those are all also listed under title n we wouldn't have to have all of those words in there the fact that we leave some words in and take others out shows a very clear bias and you know I know I'm not going to win the vote But I need to say it. All right. Um, there is a Miss Burnernhard. I I am happy to go again to legal counsel. If those words need to be taken out because it's already covered under sex, I am fine with that as well because the reality is we are here to align policy to state statute. That is what this is doing. This is not allowing for discrimination that my colleague alluded to
177earlier. This is not allowing for this to happen. This is simply having our policy be in alignment with state statute. So if and under under the statute definition, if we need to remove other words, that's fine, but I would I would have to resort to legal counsel and I have to imagine that this discussion happened in the policy committee and that's why it's being brought forth as consensus. However, I'd love to hear from the attorneys again, Mr. Blanchard. Yeah, I and I'm I'm I hope we're all on the same page about this. My suggestion was just to leave the language in it at sex. So, for example, across the top, um I would suggest that it read Title 9 non-discrimination on the basis of sex. And then the first sentence, um the school system does
178not discriminate on the basis of sex. And you know, further down, the board will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of sex. Part of that is that that ambiguity um you can go home and disagree if you want to about what sex means, but then our our policy would match what the statute says. So if somebody were to come and challenge it later, we could say, "Hey, our policy tracks word for word the way the statute says this." And you know, whether you read that to include sexual orientation or being uh non-binary or any of those things, you know, that that's up to you. But we track what the statute says. We're not adding from it. We're not taking away from it. Um you know, we're we're granted that's the the also the the uh
179the compromise that makes everyone equally unhappy. Um but uh you know I think it's one that that's that's um um loyal to the law on it the statute. Madam chair question. All right. So um there is a call to end discussion on this um and that requires a super majority. Uh Miss Buie, will you call the role? Miss Bradford? Yes, Dr. Mary. No, Mr. Fibbore. Yes, Miss Mason. Yes, Miss Barnhard. Yes, Miss Justice. No. And Mr. Perry? Yes. All right, that passes. Um, and now there is a motion on the table that we are to vote on. Can I ask a clarifying question? Can you turn your mic on? I don't need to. If you were to say no to ask a clarifying question. Yeah. Gentlemen, the creation of policy is is at the board
180level. The operationalizing of policy is in the superintendent. Correct? If you tell me that the statute says that sex includes all of those things in it, then my operationalizing of this policy would be where that lies. Correct. Yes. And and I would tell you to comply with what the Fourth Circuit says for right now. If that if you if you called me 15 minutes from now with that question, I'd say, well, where we stand now is you got to do this because we get sued if you don't. Now, it may change down the road, but I'm not saying I'm going to drive off into the sunset on my own, but operationalizing that includes those questions right there. Yes. Thank you. Okay. So, there is a motion, a substitute motion to approve as written. Uh, Miss
181Buie, please call the role. Mr. Perry. Hi. Miss Justice. No. Miss Barnhart. Yes. Miss Mason. Yes. Mr. Wore. Hi. Dr. Merrick. No. And Miss Bradford? Yes. That passes 5 to2. Um, Madame Vice Chair, where are we on time? Because we did only a lot 20 minutes and we have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven policies. Um, so I guess moving down, uh, 2450 was pulled. Um, I believe Mr. Waldor, that was you that pulled that. Well, I I did. Um, and I'm I don't know who to give credit to, whether it be our attorneys or Mr. Perry, but it says Mr. Perry on, so I'll give Mr. Perry credit here. Um, we had passed in policy to change the wording for 2450 to supermajority. this uh proposed amendment here by Mr. Perry. I also
182received it from our attorneys. Uh it changes it slightly to except for the temporary suspension of procedural rules governing the conduct of board meeting as described in policy 2340 and Robert's rules of order shall require a twothirds majority vote. So that's that's what we have. Correct. You can I ask Yeah, go ahead. If I could, that was um um board member Perry and I have I'm I'm um had spoke and and I think that came up at the policy meeting we were discussing that lang or was it last meeting? In any event, um just as an aside, that's probably consistent with Robert's rules, my understanding is as they stand right now, but so I don't know that it's changing the substance of anything, but Mr. Yeah, I think that the thing that this does is
183make it very clear that the majority uh the majority can't change, you know, Robert's rules or parliamentary procedure except with a supermajority vote. Um and not that anybody was really trying to do that, but it protects us for for us and for the future. And for normal things, we can suspend stuff by a majority vote. So I think it it only it only really tells us what we should be doing anyway. Miss Justice, well I've been on the board previously, so I've been on here for a while, seen a lot of abuse of this and I think it's to be representative of the community instead of just having a simple majority. I think that you'd have to be more responsible to decision making if you have a super majority. uh because it shouldn't just be
184I hate to put it this way a click or a political party or somebody's you know friendship not that I would be that necessarily but I've seen it happen and this this way it's more you know representing what the community would like instead of just some kind of other factor that would cause things to change very um unrepresentative of what's going on in the community. Uh Dr. Mayor, I move to accept the revisions to 2450 as Mr. Perry has outlined with our help of our attorneys. I'll second it. Uh, Miss Bradford. Second. There was a second. I'm really concerned over this. This is a solution when we don't have a problem. uh you know I if if there has been a time in the past where this policy was adopted October 6, 20120 under the
185cover of COVID and I have not seen it uh invoked 2450 in all of this time. So if someone has specific examples of dates and times I would like to see that. But the thing is I you know I don't I I have I don't recognize that we have a problem. So, it's a solution without identifying the problem. And it makes me very leery. Um, Robert's rules of order, you know, sets out this really well. And I don't know why we're spending our time to amend a policy that we're we're not using. Um, it's a distraction from, you know, educating the children and I'm concerned about that. if if if you guys want to pass it, you know, I'd like to know first how many policies in our vast policy manual will this affect because
186we're just kind of knee-jerking this thing and it almost feels like that this is a kneecapping of the majority and we were elected to be on this board and be a majority. That's how the election fell. So, it it it there's some things here that don't line up for me. So, I will vote no. Um, was there clarity that you were seeking from the attorneys as far as as that goes? Well, do you know of a time where we've invoked this policy? I I don't. And I I your your point I and I I think the concern that was expressed to me at the last meeting as I heard it was what you wanted to do was keep in force the um when we talked about suspending policies, keep enforce all the substantive policies, you
187know, the things that happen out of the meeting and and just uh to uh clarify that a supermajority was required for those proced procedural things that takes place takes place in the meeting, the conduct of the meeting, the Robert's rules type things. It wasn't uh and and I hope that answers your question that we were trying to make it clear the question about the supermajority and you're right, it it does track what Robert's rule says now to be honest with you. Um, and I I uh one of the other board members had pointed that out as well um before our meeting today, but we were trying to avoid a situation where we would be amending this policy to require a supermajority say to change your school assignment policy or something like that. And I was
188trying to avoid that um ambiguity if that makes sense. Do you know how many policies in our policy manual this change that member Perry brought up? I think essentially 2340 is my my belief is this really just touches on 2340 um which deals with the with the conduct of the meeting. Madam Chair, I would move a substitute motion that we keep policy 2450 the way it was written. Is there We have a motion on the board. It's a substitute motion. I'll second that. What? What now? Miss Barnhart is seconding that we keep it. You said keep it as originally written. Don't we Is that modifying? Didn't we already have a motion on it? It's a substitute motion which we just did not too long ago for one of the other policies. So, uh Dr. Merrick
189and just um brief we we have very little time and multiple policies to cover. So for for information's sake, one of the policies that I'm pulling I just need to make a comment about and leave it go. And two of the others can go together. So that should make us feel a tiny bit better. Um but in terms of right now, uh my colleague to the left says how many times we be actually even used this policy. If you go back in the watch the YouTubes, you'll see me saying to the board, if you want to do it this way, you must invoke this policy. Now, the reason it's not been invoked is because you just ran rough shot over policies all together and you never even bothered uh following policy to begin with. So,
190you know, we haven't invoked it because we didn't care. And the reason that I suggested this, you don't get to question motivation. We care. Thank you. Well, thank you. It doesn't appear to be that way. Um, so appearanc. Uh, there was a point of order and I will take that as well received. So, if you could please finish up. Yeah. So the reason that this is important is because a small majority can choose to ignore rules and choose not to follow policy. And one wonders why we even have policies if we're not going to follow them. So requiring a supermajority to keep us honest and to keep us actually using our policy manual is imperative. and therefore I will not be voting for the substitute motion on board. Um we are at time for the
191entirety of the policies. Um and so we have a substitute motion on the table to accept 2450 um as it was originally adopted back in 20. Um so Miss Buoie, will you please call the role? Mr. Perry, nay. Miss Justice, no. Miss Barnhart, yes. Miss Mason, yes. Miss Wilbour, yes. Dr. Merrick, no. And Miss Bradford, yes. Okay, that passes 4 to three. Um, we are at time for policy. Um, motion to extend 10 minutes. Um we also have a closed session and um a budget resolution that we do need to cover. So it hasn't been seconded. So I don't give me sec. Okay. So I make a motion that we pull we leave the others until next meeting and uh and table them. Table them. That's the word. We table the others. Okay. So we're
192table to a definite time the next meeting. Next meeting. Okay. Um so we are tableabling policy 4150 7360 8/8225 5240 8220 9120 and 9125 until the next board meeting. We have a second for that. Um all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? That passes 6 to one. Madam chair, can I change my vote? I vote no too. Five to two. Sorry. Um, moving forward, we have the initial budget resolution fiscal year 2025 2026. Miss Sun You got new ones. Thank you. I was going to use my old ones. Tree killer. Good evening, everyone. I'm providing these are the same documents that um I provided at the agenda review. I just wanted to make sure everyone had copies um as we were talking through in case you needed to um refer back
193to those documents. I do need to make a correction. Um during agenda review, I said that the 42 school specialist positions were not included in this budget resolution and that was incorrect. They are included in this budget resolution. However, I've included them under the county appropriation. Sorry, can you hear me? I've included them under the county appropriation. And so I wanted to provide clarity that if the county does not provide the funding for those positions. Um we have as you know we have submitted something to the endowment requesting that if the endowment um funds that then I would bring back a budget amendment moving the revenue source related to those positions. If for some reason we don't get f don't receive funding from either of those sources, then I would bring back a budget amendment
194reducing our revenue. So I just wanted to provide clarity on that because I misspoke during agenda review. So I wanted to make that clear. I did however add a note to the third page um of the document that has the note in there about um the funding sources are included and that we've submitted something to the endowment. So just what I went over with you, I have a note there saying that as part of the resolution just for our information referring back. So I hope that met I think that's what the board was looking for. So I've included that information. Um the second document that I have in behind the budget resolution provides the coding because I know um from time to time we'll have questions about what what does regular instruction mean versus what
195does support and development mean and so I provided that information there. So just to go through the document um to make sure that um we understand the format of it so that it's not confusing. Across the top we have column headings that's providing our different funds. So um when we prepare our budget and as we're tracking our expenses, we use funds to be able to do that. And so across the top you'll see um state public school fund, local current expense fund, federal grant fund, other restricted revenue fund, capital outlay fund, and enterprise fund which is child nutrition. And then we have a total off to the far right. As you're going down through the rows on the left hand side, you'll see our different purpose functions. And so this is how we track our
196expenses and this is a high le a high level but we are tracking under instructional services um those five different six different categories there. So instructional service is direct interaction between staff and students. And then the next section, systemwide support, is support services for staff and students. And so I wanted to provide that additional information as well to know the difference between those two sections because sometimes the wording is very similar. And so as you'll go through, you can see that we've got regular instruction um as your first row. And if you want to go to um the document that was provided with purpose codes, it shows the the activities there, cost of activities that provide students in grades K12 with learning experiences to prepare prepare them for activities as workers, citizens, and family members.
197And I don't know if it's helpful for me to go through and read those definitions to you. Um, and I I'm willing to do that um as we go through um or if you've already looked at that. I don't want to waste time, but I want to make sure I'm providing what you need. I just want to make sure that that none of this will be touching our fund balance. Is that correct? That's a very good point. That is correct. So if you go to page two of the document, so the top part of this report shows the expenditures um that are being budgeted and then that second section is the bottom of page two shows the revenue sources and you can see that third line is fund balance appropriation and under local current expense
198there's a zero there. Now you do see a number under other restricted revenue fund. Remember the other restricted revenue fund are our grants. And so any grants that we've received that we've already received funding for that's going to roll over and so that's what you're seeing there. And that's the only fund balance that we have in this budget. Thank you. So clarifying question. So it's the fund balance of the grant um restricted funds. It is. Okay. Thank you. And so as you can see this total budget um appropriate initial budget resolution is for 365 million $596,523. Um and it is a balanced budget for recommended for your approval. Be glad to answer any questions you have. Miss Bradford, Miss Sutton, it might be really helpful if you take the very last line, total revenue, and
199just walk us through those eight eight eight totals right there, just to help us imprint in our mind so that we know we've got a 365 almost a 366 million budget. Of that 14.7 is federal funds. Basically, $8 million comes locally and the state gives us 189. So, if you'll just walk us across that one right there. Okay. So, the um total revenue um the first column state public school funds and so that is our funding that we received through DPI. Um it's $188,627,878. Um our local current expense as you can see from the chart um that is coming from our um New Hover County appropriation along with fines and forfeitures that we are expecting to receive in the upcoming year um is million749,772. We have federal grant funding. This is also um received through
200DPI. So we received that funding from DPI um 14.7 million. Our other restricted revenue funds as we just spoke um to is related to our grants um and any indirect costs also that's charged for administr um is 17.3 million. Our capital outlay fund um this includes the total request that we asked of the county. So, it's the 22.6 million. So, that includes our LA lottery capital along with the county appropriation request and that's similar to the um 42 school specialist. If we don't receive all of that capital funding, I will bring back a budget amendment to reduce that down to what it actually um gets approved. The um enterprise fund is our child nutrition fund is 14.5 million and that gives us our total 365.6 million approximately. Mr. Perry like to make a motion that
201we adopt the initial budget resolution for the fiscal year 2526. Any further discussion? Hearing really? Yeah. I want to make sure the board understands that both our capital requests that we brought to you folks and those 42 specialist positions are not wants. Those are needs and we're pursuing the endowment. We're also in conversation with obviously our county commissioners would ask for your guys' support of course in helping pursue that money with the endowment with the understanding again that these are positions that we feel like the state a lotment formula should be funding that this is a short-term effort to get data to prove our need to the state. However, we don't see those as optional. We think those are critical needs in our schools. So, I just want to make sure I reiterate that. So
202there's a motion to adopt this. Um all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Passes seven to zero. Thank you. Thank you. Absolutely. All right. Um we have no new business. So I will entertain a motion to go into close session pursuant to general statute 143-318.11c for the following purposes. to prevent the disclosure of information that is privileged or confidential pursuant to general statute 115 C-402 and not considered a public record within the meaning of chapter 132 of the general statutes to prevent the disclosure of student records rendered confidential under the family educational rights to consult with an attorney in order to preserve the attorney client privilege between the attorney and the board and to consider the qualifications competence performance character fitness conditions of appointment or conditions of initial employment of an
203individual employed or considered for employment with the school system or to hear or investigate a complaint, charge or grievance by or against any individual employee. So moved. Second. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed. We are enclosed. One, two, three, four. We are back in open. I will entertain a motion to approve the personnel report. So moved. Second. Second. Third. Okay. All those in favor of approving the personnel report signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? That passes. [Music] 720. Um correspondence announcements. Um, the finance, capital, and bond committee will meet on Thursday, May 8th at 12:30 here at the BOE. The meeting is open to the public. Policy committee will meet on Tuesday, May 13th at 10:00 a.m. here at the Board of Ed Center. General public will have the option
204to view remotely on YouTube. Uh members of the board of education will participate in the CEKC commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 15th, 2025 at 3 p.m. the Wilson Center on the campus of Capefir Community College. Members of the board of education will participate in the Wilmington Early College High School commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 15th, 2025 at 7 p.m. at the Wilson Center on the Cape campus of Capefir Community College. and members of the board of education will participate in the Isaac Bear Early College High School commencement ceremony on Friday, May 16, 2025 at 6 PM Keenan Auditorium on the campus of UNC William Wilmington. I can read um and I will be sending out those um assignments in the next 24 hours. Um, so the board of education will hold an agenda review meeting
205on Tuesday, May 27th at 2:00 p.m. here at the Board of Ed Center. General public will have the option to view remotely on YouTube and the board of ed will hold the May regular board meeting on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025 at 5 June. Did I say what did I Oh my lanta. On Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025 at 5:00 PM at the Board of Ed Center, general public will have the option to view remotely on YouTube. I will entertain a motion to adjurnn. Second. All right. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed. Nope. We are adjourned. [Laughter]