2026-05-05 Board Meeting

001Mhm. >> Alrighty, good evening everyone. It is Tuesday, May 5th, exactly 5:47. We are a little over schedule, so apologies for the delay, but I am calling this regular Board of Education meeting to order. I want to welcome those of you all who are watching at home and those of you all who are here in the audience. The Wake County Board of Education meetings are conducted for the purpose of carrying out the official business of the Wake County School System. The public is cordially invited to attend the Board meetings to watch the Board as it conducts its official business. Persons who willfully interrupt, disrupt, or cause any disturbances at an official meeting may be directed to leave by the presiding officer. Members of the audience should show respect for speakers and refrain from loud comments

002or disruptions. Disruptions by any person or persons of a meeting will be subject to action in accordance with General Statute 143-318.17. So, we do have a quorum. If I could get just a little bit more volume on this mic. Want to make sure those in the audience can hear as well as those that are watching online. So, we do have a quorum. And if you all will join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Alrighty. So, we will have to log in to Simply to adopt our um meeting agenda. Sorry, I lost my train of thought there. But, before that, I will entertain a

003motion to adopt tonight's meeting agenda. Vice Chair Hershey. Uh motion to approve the meeting the meeting agenda. All right. Second. We have a motion by Vice Chair Hershey. It has been seconded by Mr. Haggerty. All those Any discussion? Hearing or seeing none. Voting is now open, so you can record your votes on your screens. Perfect. Or if you were logged in in Simply, it might be on multiple agendas or tabs or whatnot. All right. So, our meeting agenda has been approved unanimously. So, we will now turn to our recognition items. So, our first recognition items is coming from our HR department and I will welcome Ms. Lawrence to the podium. Good evening, Ms. Lawrence. Good evening. Board Chair Swatson, Vice Chair Hersey, Superintendent Taylor, and Board of Education members, good evening. I am Heidi Lawrence,

004Senior Administrator in the Division of Talent Management and Human Resources. It is my pleasure to welcome and introduce members of the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Emily Langdon, NCAT Development Associate, Dr. Karen Sumner, Deputy Executive Director, Dr. Jennifer Redfern, NCAT Faculty Senior STEM Specialist. They will come before you now for an exciting announcement regarding one of our district's beginning teachers. All right. Welcome. Molly, come on down so you can hang out here, too. I want everybody to be able to stare at you while we say all these wonderful things about you. There you go. Good evening, Chair, Board members, Superintendent Taylor. I'm here tonight with Dr. Gin Redfern, um NCAT STEM Specialist, as we shared, and leader of the Professional Development Week for the Beginning Teacher of the Year Finalist. And what

005a great week it was. Thank you for the opportunity to be here tonight to recognize Molly Todd, who was named the NCAT 2026 Burroughs Welcome Fund North Carolina Beginning Teacher of the Year ON MARCH 12TH. TODAY, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO honor here at home in Wake County. What stands out about Ms. Todd's work is not only what she teaches, but how she teaches. In her classroom, progress might look like a student building the confidence to communicate a need or master a new skill. And every one of those moments is treated as meaningful. She builds that growth through relationships. Ms. Todd believes deeply that students take risks when they know they are valued. And that belief shows up in the way her students engage and persist. She leads the adults around her as well, creating

006a collaborative classroom where assistants are part of her shared mission, their shared mission. And she looks beyond the classroom, connecting students to real-world experiences, to community partners, and to a future that includes independence and purpose. Families feel that impact. One family shared that during a difficult time with their child, Molly helped their child reconnect to learning. That kind of work changes more than a school year. It changes a human being's trajectory for life. Her colleagues see a teacher who reflects, adapts, and keeps moving forward. Someone who doesn't wait for perfect conditions, but creates meaningful experiences no matter the circumstance. It is truly an honor for INCS to recognize her work and to partner with districts like Wake County schools that are committed to developing educators. On behalf of INCS and the Burroughs Welcome Fund, I

007am proud to present this award to the INCS 2026 Burroughs Welcome Fund Beginning Teacher of the Year, Molly Todd. AND AGAIN, ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, CONGRATULATIONS, MS. TODD, for your outstanding work. And your passion shows in everything that you do. I had the opportunity Friday of serving with you on the Teacher of the Year panels, and so that passion that was mentioned there showed up in every interview. So, thank you for all the great work that you do to support our students and our families. And we are honored you are representing us and thank you and also thank you Principal Todd for the great work that you're doing, too. So, we see the passion of education that Apple does not fall far from the tree. So, thank you for the great work that both

008of you all do and Ms. Todd, I'll invite you to the mic if you want to say some words. If not, you don't have to, but I just wanted to extend that invitation to you. Sure. I can do that. Thank you. I'm happy. I enjoy talking. Um I just want to show my extreme appreciation and honor to have this M Cat Awards Beginning Teacher, especially as a special education teacher. I feel like um it's an area that is overworked. We work hard, but it's a lot of times underappreciated as an educator. Um and so, just being able to hold this title and show that education is beyond just a classroom. It's it's also in special education. So, I am excited to have this nomination and do some really good work with it. And I thank

009Wake County and all the great prep I've had just as a BT2 I feel prepared to have my own IEP meeting and to support all the students I have through the great BT supports that Wake County has offered to me. And um I just I'm able to continue growing as a learner, as well. So, I'm honored as a Wake County sped teacher to hold this title and thank you all for coming out today. I appreciate you all. Thank you. I also want to recognize Dr. Decker, the proud principal at Panther Creek. So, Couldn't do it WITHOUT MY MOM. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO, WE WILL NOW turn to another great information item coming from the Chief of Staff's department. Um Dr. Lane and yes, Dr. Lane, welcome to the podium. Thank you. Good evening. It's

010very hard to follow that. Congratulations. That's quite an honor. We're very proud for you. Superintendent Taylor, Chair Swanson, Vice Chair Hershey, and board members, and those of you watching online, I'm honored to be here tonight to celebrate nearly half a century of magnet innovation in Wake County and to recognize our 2026 Magnet Schools of America Merit Award and certification honorees. In fact, Wake County launched its first magnet program in 1977 and for almost 50 years those schools have helped define what it means to offer rigorous, integrated, theme-based public education by choice, not by chance. This year at the 2026 Magnet Schools of America National Conference, our magnet and early college schools were recognized as schools of excellence, schools of distinction, certified and demonstration schools, and we are here tonight to honor those recognitions. We will

011also lift up some very special individual recognitions within our Wake County magnet community. All magnet schools in Wake County share a common DNA, bold, innovative programs, a deep commitment to diversity and integration, and I'm not just speaking about the integration of the magnet theme across all academic areas, but I'm speaking about the integration of differences, of opinions, of backgrounds, of ethnicities, of communities, and of zip codes. And the uncompromising academic standards, that is the magnet school standard in Wake County. From those first magnets in 1977 to today's future-ready pathways, these programs have helped make WCPSS a national model for expanding opportunity and bringing students together across lines of race, class, and geography. And I might add, offering public school choice within a school district that positively impacts market share and customer satisfaction. In total, we

012have 61 magnet schools. 59 of those were eligible to apply for awards. And in 2026, we have five schools that were named top schools of excellence. 20 schools were recognized as the schools of distinction, and 30 magnet schools were named Excuse me, let me back up. Five schools were named top schools of excellence, 20 were recognized as schools of excellence, and 30 were named schools of distinction. We elevated this year and added another powerful chapter to our nearly 50-year magnet legacy. For the record, 55 schools, 93% of those eligible, earned national recognition. The highest number of recognized schools in our history. And a clear sign that Wake County Public School System stands among the most decorated magnet districts in the nation. And these awards do not happen by accident. To receive a national merit award,

013magnet coordinators, principals, and their teams submit detailed applications, and must demonstrate high academic standards, true curriculum innovation, meaningful integration efforts, and consistent high-quality service to students and families. Magnet Schools of Distinction awards are given to schools that meet the rigorous national rubric, and then the Magnet Schools of Excellence and Top Schools of Excellence are also adhering to that rubric. To become nationally certified, schools engage in a cohort-based August through June process that requires clear evidence of strong instruction, inclusive school culture, and systems aligned with magnet best practices. Before we begin the roll call, do want to thank the office of magnet and curriculum enhancement team for sustaining this work year after year. A special thanks tonight to Dr. Lisa Thompson, who coordinates our merit award process, to Josh Hunter on our team who coordinates the

014certification work, and to the entire magnet staff that champions these programs every day. Tamani Anderson Powell does work in the magnet office while she does calendars, too, but just keep that in mind. Um thanks to our area superintendents who um certainly lend their support, and Chiefs my chief um also for his support. So, tonight each awardee will receive a plaque that can hang proudly for years to come, along with our appreciation for the leadership of our magnet principals and the energy and perseverance of our magnet coordinators. This work is demanding, and your commitment to the Wake County magnet objectives and core components is what keeps this nearly 50-year legacy vibrant and relevant for today's students. I must add that while we're having budget discussions, the thoughtful stewardship of the office of magnet and curriculum enhancement

015budget. By investing in long-lasting plaques rather than annual banners, the team has recognized savings of over $27,000 for this year, and over the course of the next 7 to 8 years, that's over $200,000. At this time, I would like to invite Superintendent Taylor to join me in presenting these plaques to our award recipients. I'd also like to ask Tila George East, director of our InSciTech Nexus grant, along with Dr. Thompson and Paul Domenico, who will come up and recognize our individual awardees, our merit awards, and the certification demonstration status. >> Good evening board. It's so nice to see you this evening and we appreciate the honor being able to share the magnet programs and what we've we hope to do for students and faculty there with you tonight. So, I want to let the first

016individual recipients that Dr. Dr. Lane referred to. I'll tell you exactly how I'm going to do this cuz I want to keep the board in suspense for just a little bit. I'm going to I'm going to describe the person that is receiving the award and then when I say your that person's name they may come up and get get a certificate and a little gift and a picture with Dr. Taylor. So, All right, well this first student I'd like to introduce you attends East Wake Magnet High School. I take in design and she credits East Wake Magnet middle excuse me Magnet High School with making her academically strong, resilient and more confident and what more do we want for our kids? Um in the scholarship essay she submitted she said that East Wake Magnet High

017has provided her with opportunities she never imagined possible including her experience with dual enrollment. Her description of those experiences made her a district winner and a and for her essay. So, we'd like to congratulate senior Aleisha McClain being the WCPS district winner and nominee for the MSA scholarship essay. CONGRATULATIONS. AND THAT WAS A GOOD CATCH ON my part, wasn't it? Excuse me, there we go. Pardon. I'll say there we go. Or you can go down that way if you want. Okay, this way. Okay. Let's see. No, it's Dr. Sung's. Okay. Yeah, yeah. Uh the next person I'd like to introduce you to is an amazing woman and leader. Through her vision and quality of character and leadership, Dillard Drive Magnet Elementary increased a letter grade on North Carolina's report card. And perhaps more importantly, she

018has created a culture where students and teachers and families feel seen and valued. So no wonder that Wake County Magnet principals selected Dr. Roxanne Sykes to be their 2025 Wake County Public School Magnet Principal OF THE YEAR. UM OUR NEXT FOURTH-GRADE STUDENT attends Washington Gifted and Talented Magnet Elementary. And this young lady brought all of her gifts to bear as she designed and submitted a poster that celebrates the diversity and academic excellence of magnet schools. So I would like to congratulate Ms. Nafisah Ahmad Anas for the national national first place winner of the poster contest for ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS. CONGRATULATIONS, NAFISAH. DO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE PICTURE? WE'LL take a picture of you with her. Thank you for coming. >> Thank you. And finally, board members, I'd like to present you with a

01917-year veteran teacher. We know how special they are. The Millbrook Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary. This teacher was selected as the Wake County Public Schools um uh Wake County Public Schools Magnet Schools of America Teacher Nominee because of her amazing work integrating McMease's theme. Whether she is having students use area and perimeter to design the fun run at Millbrook Elementary, or perhaps she's having them simulate water scarcity so they can appreciate and empathize with people from around the world, um Ms. Garrett is an amazing teacher. So, we would like to congratulate Ms. Garrett on her Region 4 Magnet Schools of America Teacher of the Year Award. Congratulations, BRANDY. CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. IS THAT FOR ME? NO. We'll do. Okay. Do you mind if I the door? Okay. Well, good evening. Superintendent Taylor, Board

020Chair Swanson, Vice Chair Hershey, and esteemed board members. Thank you for allowing us to be here this evening. My name is Dr. Lisa Thompson, and I am the director of magnet program design and development in the office of magnet and curriculum enhancement. And I am going to be starting out with our schools from the gifted and talented and arts plus pathway this this evening. And the first school that is going to be joining us will be Brooks Museums Magnet Elementary School. They received an MSA School of Distinction, Nan Lujan principal, and Amy Whitman coordinator. Carnage Gifted and Talented AIG Basics Magnet Middle School. They received an MSA School of Excellence Award, Dr. Eric Rosen principal. East Millbrook Academy of Arts and Design Magnet Middle School. They received an MSA School of Excellence Award. They were

021eligible for and received this award as a second year known emerging magnet school. Aaron Aaron Morrison principal and Lindsey Fouche MAGNET COORDINATOR. ENLOE GIFTED AND TALENTED International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Magnet High School. They received an MSA School of Excellence Award, Dr. Jackie Jordan principal, and Lisa Thompson magnet coordinator. Fuller Gifted and Talented AIG Basics Magnet Elementary School received an MSA School of Excellence Award. Gerald Hernandez, principal, and Laura Thanos, magnet coordinator. Hunter Gifted and Talented AIG Basics Magnet Elementary School received an MSA School of Excellence Award. Jared Moore, principal, and Jenny Johnson, magnet coordinator. Ligon Gifted and Talented AIG Basics Magnet Middle School received an MSA School of Distinction Award. Dr. Deanna Williams, principal, and Lindsey Strickland, magnet coordinator. Martin Gifted and Talented Magnet Middle School received an MSA School of Distinction Award. Marla Landora,

022principal, and Claudia De Lescio, magnet coordinator. MOORE SQUARE GIFTED AND Talented AIG Basics Magnet Middle School received an MSA School of Excellence Award. Leslie Taylor, principal, and Crystal Blum, magnet coordinator. PARTNERSHIP INTERACTIVE Community Magnet Elementary School received an MSA School of Distinction Award. Jeffrey Kimbrough, principal, and Karen McKinney, magnet coordinator. POE GIFTED AND TALENTED AIG Basics Magnet Elementary School received an MSA School of Excellence Award. Christie Story, principal, and Dr. Shane Cheney, MAGNET COORDINATOR. POWELL CENTER FOR PLAY AND Energy Ingenuity Magnet Elementary School received an MSA School of Distinction Award. Sierra Wooden, principal, and Chris Lawrence, magnet coordinator. Underwood Gifted and Talented Magnet Elementary School They received an MSA School of Distinction Award. Here to receive that today is Alexandria Judge Lenke. Ann Wector, principal, and Heather Callahan, magnet coordinator. WASHINGTON GIFTED AND TALENTED Magnet

023Elementary School received an MSA School of Excellence Award. Katie Brunette, principal, and Amy Wilkinson, magnet coordinator. Wendell Academy of Design and Creative Arts Magnet Middle School. Oh. Hang on, Wendell. Wendell Academy of Design and Creative Arts Magnet Middle School. They received an MSA School of Excellence. They were eligible for and received this award as a first-year new and emerging magnet school. Catherine Trudell, principal, and Zachary Thinkbiner, MAGNET COORDINATOR. WILDWOOD FOREST ACADEMY OF Arts and Design Magnet Elementary School. They received a Magnet School of Distinction Award this year. They were eligible for and received this award as a second-year new and emerging magnet. Trinity Coley, principal, and Melanie Cox, magnet program coordinator. THUS ENDS THE LIST FOR THE Gifted and Talented and Arts Plus pathway, and now we are moving into the IB Global and Immersion

024pathway. We will start with Broughton Global Studies Language Immersion Magnet High School. They received an MSA Top School of Excellence Award this year. Janice Dultz, principal, and Dr. David Brooks, magnet coordinator. KELLY DRIVE CENTER FOR Global Studies and Spanish Language Immersion Magnet Elementary School received an MSA School of Distinction Award this year, Dr. Roxanne Sykes, principal, and Marie Gusky, magnet coordinator. DILLARD DRIVE CENTER FOR GLOBAL Studies in Spanish language immersion magnet middle school received an MSA School of Excellence Award this year. They are also a newly certified MSA school. Principal Margaret FELDMAN HERE. EAST CARY CENTER FOR GLOBAL Studies and World Languages Magnet Middle School. They received an Magnet Schools of America School of Excellence Award. Dr. Nakia Davis, principal, and Lee LaPlace, magnet coordinator. East Garner International Baccalaureate MYP Creative Arts Magnet Middle School

025received a School of Distinction Award this year. And here to receive that is Principal Sharon Fennell. FARMINGTON WOODS INTERNATIONAL Baccalaureate PYP Magnet Elementary School. They received a Magnet School of Distinction Award. Here we have Principal Elizabeth Plotkin. We have coordinator Allison Williams, and who do we have with us today? Henry. Henry? Charlotte. Charlotte? And Ben. AND BEN. FOX ROAD INTERNATIONAL Baccalaureate PYP Magnet Elementary School received an MSA School of Distinction Award. Dr. Beth Kiefer, principal, and Magnet Coordinator Megan Peterson. Garner International Baccalaureate Middle Years Career Related and Diploma Program Magnet High School received an MSA School of Excellence Award. Matthew Price, principal, Gerald Seaman, Amy Bennett, and Hunter Norman, COORDINATORS. GREEN LEADERSHIP AND WORLD Languages Magnet Elementary School received a Magnet School of Distinction Award. Leslie Blake, principal, and Dr. Donna Kay, Magnet Coordinator. HODGE

026ROAD SPANISH DUAL Language Magnet Elementary School received an MSA School of Distinction Award. Felicia Dorsey, principal, and Alan Arrowood, Magnet Coordinator. Jeffreys Grove Spanish Language Immersion Magnet Elementary School They received an MSA School of Distinction Award. Huley Vinshura, principal, Leroy Salazar, MAGNET COORDINATOR. >> AND I CEDE THE PODIUM TO my distinct colleague Paul Domenico, who will take over from here. Chair Watson, Vice Chair Hershey, members of the board, thank you. It's a pleasure to see all of you this evening. I'm going to continue with our acknowledgements. I'm continuing with the IB and global studies and immersion programs. Next we have Joyner Center for Spanish language IB PYP Magnet Elementary School. They received a Magnet School of Distinction. Principal Jennifer Zezza and coordinator CHERYL DAVIS JACKSON. MILLBROOK INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE Middle Years and Diploma Program Magnet High

027School. They also received a MSA School of Distinction. Principal Dr. Brian Saunders and coordinators Lashonda Haddock and Dr. Kristen Gentilly. NEXT WE HAVE OBERLIN GLOBAL Studies Language Immersion Magnet Middle School. They received an MSA School of Excellence. Principal Briana Pelton and coordinator CHRISTINE HAYNER. SMITH INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PYP and Spanish Immersion Magnet Elementary School. They received the MSA Top School of Excellence and were eligible for and received this award as a second-year new and emerging magnet. Principal Beverly Smith and COORDINATOR KURT GROLIER. NEXT, WE HAVE STOUGH MANDARIN Language Immersion Magnet Elementary School received a Magnet School of Distinction. Principal Dr. Chantel Summerfield and coordinator JENNY ZHAO. NEXT, WE HAVE WEST MILLBROOK International Baccalaureate MYP Magnet Middle School received a Magnet School of Distinction. Representing Principal Kelly Aman tonight is Assistant Principal Gary Robinson and James Bollenbacker,

028COORDINATOR. WILEY INTERNATIONAL STUDIES Magnet Elementary School received the Magnet School of Distinction. Principal Tracy Avery and coordinator NATALIE CORINTHIF. WE WILL NOW MOVE TO OUR FINAL PATHWAY, the STEM pathway and early colleges in our district. First, we have AB Combs Leadership Magnet Elementary School who received a Magnet School of Excellence. Principal Julie Sexton and coordinator Kate Garrison, and they are being represented tonight by leaders from Combs, Austin, and Hudson four. NEXT WE HAVE ATHENS DRIVE CENTER FOR Medical Sciences and the Global Health Initiatives Magnet High School who received the Magnet School of Excellence Award. Principal Dr. Amanda Bashaw and coordinator Carol Hortonsmith. BRENTWOOD MAGNET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, they received the Magnet School of Distinction. Principal Melissa McKinley and coordinator Kristen McBride. OUR NEXT SCHOOL IS BUG MAGNET Elementary School Center for Design and Computer

029Science. They received the MSA School of Distinction. Dr. Tiffany Scott and coordinator Sheena Cooper and they could not be with us tonight, BUT CONGRATULATIONS TO BUG. NEXT WE HAVE CARROLL LEADERSHIP AND Technology Magnet Middle School who received the Magnet School of Distinction Award. Principal Gary Major and coordinator Gary Pitchford. Next we have Centennial Campus Center for Innovation Magnet Middle School. they received the MSA School of Excellence and were eligible for and received this as a second year new and emerging magnet. They were also re-certified as an MSA certified school, principal Jesse Gore and coordinator Rachel Hennessy. NEXT IS CONN MAGNET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL of Entrepreneurial Design. They received the Magnet School of Distinction, principal John Corey and coordinator DANIEL BRIDLEY. NEXT IS EAST WAKE ITECH AND Design Magnet High School. They received the Magnet School of

030Distinction and were eligible for and received this as a first year new and emerging magnet, principal Eric Pethile and coordinator Dr. KIANA PRICE. NEXT IS KINGSWOOD MONTESSORI STEM Magnet Elementary School receiving the MSA School of Distinction, principal Sherry Slicer and a coordinator Michelle Ginsler. They could not be with us this evening. CONGRATULATIONS TO KINGSWOOD. NEXT WE HAVE LINCOLN HEIGHTS Environmental Connections Magnet Elementary School received the Magnet School of Excellence Award, principal Kelly Wilson and coordinator LAUREN MICHAEL. NEXT IS MILLBROOK ENVIRONMENTAL Connections Magnet Elementary School. They received the Magnet Top School of Excellence Award, Principal James Aldridge and COORDINATOR RANDY JONES. NEXT IS NORTH WAKE COLLEGE AND Career Academy receiving the MSA School of Distinction, Principal Katherine Hutchinson and Coordinator SHERWIN MURRAY. NEXT IS REEDY CREEK MAGNET Middle School Center for the Digital Sciences. They received

031the MSA School of Distinction, Principal Tim Chadwick and Coordinator Britney Long. Also joining them is Assistant Principal Intern Kelly Macleary. NEXT WE HAVE SOUTHEAST RALEIGH University Connections School of Design Arts and Engineering Magnet High School receiving the MSA School of Distinction, Principal Eddie Harden and Coordinator LAUREN JOHNSON. NEXT WE HAVE VERNON MALONE COLLEGE AND CAREER Academy receiving the MSA School of Excellence, Principal Carter Hillman and Coordinator JOE OLIVER. NEXT IS THE WAKE EARLY COLLEGE OF HEALTH and Sciences Magnet I guess the Health and Science High School MSA Top School of Excellence Award. Tonight receiving the award for Principal Lisa Cummings is Assistant Principal Vanessa Harris and Coordinator MYRA WILCOX. WAKE EARLY COLLEGE OF INFORMATION AND Biotechnology received the MSA School of Distinction and were eligible for and received this award as a second year new

032and emerging magnet school. Principal Dr. Abby Stotsenberg and Coordinator SHAWN MORROW. WAKE STEM EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL received the Magnet School of Excellence. Representing Dr. Drew Ware tonight is teacher Evelyn Baldwin and Coordinator SOPHIA OVERDEEP. NEXT IS THE WAKE YOUNG MEN'S LEADERSHIP Academy receiving the MSA School of School of Excellence Award. Principal Xavier King and COORDINATOR KEVIN MURRAY. NEXT WE HAVE THE WAKE YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP Academy who received the MSA Top School of Excellence Award. Principal Dr. Mariah Walker and Coordinator SONYA MCKAY. LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAVE ZEBULON Gifted and Talented Center for Advanced Studies and STEM Magnet Middle School who received the MSA School of Excellence Award and were eligible as and received this award for as a first year new and emerging magnet. Principal Candace Stones and COORDINATOR WHITNEY REYNOLDS. >> THANK

033YOU VERY MUCH BOARD AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME THIS EVENING and if Dr. Lamb wants to close this out she can and you have a great night. Thank you. Thank you again very much for honoring this time to honor our schools and their hard work. Um, we do appreciate the opportunity to stand before you with the best of the best but I would like to call out that our A. E. Smith Magnet Elementary School was among the top six schools visited across the country and while they did not receive one of the top awards they are one in the 1% of the top magnet schools across the country. So we do want to give them a shout out for earning that visit and the opportunity to showcase the amazing work. As you heard many of our

034schools have brought home the Sentinels of Awards in the past such as Athens Drive, Conn Magnet, Lincoln Heights and Millbrook Magnet Elementary School. These folks were invited to this year's MSA conference as winners to pass the torch to the 2026 honorees putting our magnet leaders again in the national spotlight. I want to take it back to students for just a minute and as we are thinking about celebrating our 50th years we've been running a campaign with our schools and our students called Magnet Makes Me and we've had over 20 student submissions so far so count on hearing from those in the future. Superintendent Taylor, board members, um, and our WCPSS community and families thank you for your unwavering support and for insisting that Wake County remain a national leader in integration, innovation and academic excellence

035for all students. And now in the spirit of that 1977 legacy and everything we've built since that reminds us that we're more than 50 years in. Wake County programs are not just part of our history, but they are one of the greatest advantages for our future as a district. Thank you and good night. Thank you, Dr. Lane and to your team for the great work that you all do each and every day to support our students and to all the magnet awardees, congratulations to you all. Uh so we will now turn to the public comment portion of our agenda. We will hear students first um followed by speakers commenting on uh tonight's agenda and then speakers commenting on other topics. Only the person speaking at the podium will be able to stand. Again, all attendees

036that are not speaking are to remain seated. Concerns Concerns related to personnel issues or student matters may be addressed through our applicable WCPSS personnel and or grievance policies or any other applicable policies. The board welcomes all points of views including criticism directed at substantive ideas, actions, or procedures. However, the board's public comment policy also requires that the also requires that order and decorum shall be maintained. In the interest of maintaining order and decorum, speakers are encouraged to address their comments to the Board of Education and must refrain from personal attacks or insults directed at board at board at at the board, excuse me. Words are throwing me up there. At the board, individual board members, staff, or members of the general public. All commenters are remember to are remember are remember are to be are

037to remember Excuse me, he's change of prescription in glasses and they're not working. Um to that children are also attending these meetings and what and are watching these meetings, so to keep your comments substantive and civil. Please remain at the podium during your during your time. Any materials that you wish to share with the board, you can place it on the table at the door or hand it to our board attorney. And staff will collect and ensure that the materials are gathered for board members to review. During the public comment, you may speak up to 3 minutes. Please note that the microphones are adjustable. And when you begin, you will see a green light uh followed by a yellow light to indicate that you and yellow light with an audible tone when your speaking time

038is up, you will see a red light as well as another audible tone. Uh when I will call to the next speaker. Speakers are asked to respect the time limit and to speak no more than your 3 minutes. And we will start with our first speaker. And our first student speaker Good evening and welcome to the podium. Uh hello. Hello. My name is Eleanor Keena and I'm a current student at Green Hope High School. I was recently accused of using AI on an assignment, which I did not. This experience made me realize the growing prevalence of the issue. Students being accused of using AI on their work when they didn't need to be treated as a real concern. I understand that this is uncharted territory. There are absolutely students who are using AI to cheat

039on their assignments and teachers are doing their best to navigate the circumstances. But false accusations, along with being incredibly unfair, cause a great deal of stress for students. Students in this situation don't have an easy way of responding. As such, I think protections need to put be put in place to for students to prevent these false accusations. Teachers should not be able to accuse students of using AI without a conversation first and grades should not be put in based on assumptions like occurred in my particular experience. One major cause of these false accusations is the usage of AI detectors. These AI detectors have been proven to give both false positives and false negatives. They're agreed on by experts to not be suited to be used as sole evidence against students. Rules need to be put

040in place to protect students from accusations backed up by these technologies. I also think it would be worthwhile to consider the privacy concerns associated with these AI detectors. Many of the detectors found online by teachers do not ensure that the data or writing inputted will not be stored or used to train AI models. Students should not have to be having their work submitted into the software without permission. Ultimately, this is a complicated situation and there isn't one clear solution. However, it's important to start making policy and above all else consulting students in the process. Students are the ones directly affected by the situation and can offer important insight on how their work should be judged. Uh thank you for the time. Thank you, and I'm going to see if Dr. Robinson or Dr. Hill is

041actually going to speak with you regarding your concern. So, Dr. Hill will join you on one side. Um Okay. Great. Thank you. Sorry for that confusion. All right. We will now turn to our non-student speaker and we'll hear from Mr. Dean. Good to be back with you. What while I was away, you had the first reading of revised policy 4040 and now the second reading this evening. The proposed revision still has that vague language in part D 1C about employee behavior that has the appearance of impropriety which other employees who witness it are supposed to report to the superintendent or or designee. What I have been saying is you need to have here a list of examples of common grooming behaviors that must be prohibited and reported so that it's really spelled out for people.

042Investigations of hundreds of case criminal abuse cases by by school employees have revealed that almost always other teachers had observed some of these behaviors but didn't say anything, consequently allowing abuse to to occur. They figured they didn't see actual abuse and therefore they were overly concerned about wrongly accusing a fellow teacher rather than that a child was in danger. They worried about conflict with other teachers and backlash from administrators, so they looked the other way and stayed silent. It must be emphasized in 4040 that the standard for reporting this behavior is not proof of actual abuse and you are not accusing anyone of that just by reporting what you observe or hear. People are outraged, at least I am, that crimes against children and adolescents keep happening in public schools across the state and nation

043like there's nothing more that could be done to prevent it and like we haven't learned from all the all the abuse scandals in the church and scouts and schools and sports programs even at the college and Olympic levels and on and on. Professor Carol Shakeshaft, Virginia Commonwealth University, is the leading expert on the disturbing phenomenon of sexual misconduct by school employees. If WCPSS staff have not thoroughly digested the findings of her research, then they are not informed well enough to draft these policies and associated training for you. Thank thank you. All right. We will now turn to our off agenda uh off agendas folks, and we'll go in the order that's presented. Yep, welcome. Everybody, thank you for uh all putting this all together and everything. Um before I want to start, I want to

044say my name is Jason Eagens, and I'm a uh parent here at uh of students at Holly Grove Elementary and middle school. Um I had to hire a babysitter so I could be here tonight speaking on the potential calendar change that's being uh pushed upon us. But I'm not here just for me and or my family, I'm here for uh the hundreds of families who can't be here tonight because they're working, parenting, or just trying to hold everything together. This is not our first time adapting to challenges in this district, which we are very happy with. I love Wake County. During COVID, we supported you guys and adapted. When there was bus driver shortages, that meant my kindergartner was getting home at almost 6:00 at night, sometimes after dark, we adjusted. When Rex Road Elementary

045opened nearby, split our kids, only now to find that both schools were underutilized, we adapted again. But this is different. Switching from a year-round calendar to a traditional is not a small adjustment. It disrupts how our families function. Many of us bought homes, structured our work and child care around this calendar. I moved halfway across the country from Parkland, Florida just to be here. The financial impact is real. Summer child care costs are roughly $300 per week per child. So, for two kids, that's like three grand over the summer just so we can keep working. Longer breaks do lead to learning loss and burnout. We've lived it. Year-round keeps kids consistent, engaged, and healthier. This decision affects real families, real budgets, and real kids. I understand that there's budget constraints, but the solution cannot be

046shifting the burden onto families who've built their lives around this system. So, our ask is simple. Do not switch the Holly Grove schools to a traditional calendar. If changes must be made, we can accept a single single-track year-round calendar such as track four or whatever the case may be. But, not to a full switch to traditional. If this change goes through, I'm happy I could send each of you a bill for the extra child care costs, but I know that's not how this works. The reality is though, families like mine will be the ones paying for this decision. And although I've been told multiple times we don't have recourse after the vote, we will be sharing a family impact statement throughout our communities and across the districts that you all represent, detailing the real financial

047and personal costs of these decisions so that voters can understand exactly how decisions like these impact their own families. And I ask, please do not force families to absorb the cost of these decisions that we didn't create. Thank you, guys. Thank you. All right. Turn to our next speaker. Hello. Uh my name is Mike Figueres, and I want to thank you for the time for um allowing me to speak today for public comments. I'm here as a parent organizer for Education Justice Alliance and a member of Public school strong where we have groups in 70 out of the 100 counties in North Carolina. Public school strong members are parents, educators, and people who want to see public schools in North Carolina fully funded with our tax dollars instead of giving it to pop-up businesses through

048a voucher program. We support public schools and want to see students thriving because it makes North Carolina better. Uh today I want to talk about a transportation issue that um like the voucher program takes away instead of giving when it comes to students' education. In the past 2 weeks parents have reached out to us from treetop apartments sharing with us that they received a notice that the following uh school year their children who attend Douglas Magnet Elementary which is a district 6 school will no longer be eligible for bus services because now they are in a no transport zone. And uh they asked why the sudden change. The school didn't move closer, the apartments didn't move closer to the school. They want answers and want their voices heard. So, we held a couple of meetings

049uh to hear from the parents and I wanted to share their concerns. They were troubled because they work early in the morning before the children have to be in class and they didn't have anyone to drop their children off. Some parents have one vehicle and their partner uses it to go to work. They asked what they should do when they walk to the school from from there which is a 30-minute walk if the weather is rough. And picking them up at the end of the school day is going to be the same issue. The majority um of all the parents, if not all the parents, shared that they get off at 5:00 p.m. from work and will have to pay someone to help them or ask their boss to adjust their schedule which can cause

050problems at work. Now, to some of us such a harsh change wouldn't really phase us, but this added problem will affect this community and it and its families terribly. In the middle of all economic economic issues, this only adds even more hardship. The parents want to know why this change is happening. Who was the decision maker? Why weren't they reached out to for their thoughts and concerns? So, let me move forward. Sorry. We believe that families should be consulted that when these decisions are being made, we want to speak to someone and what we want is that their school bus route not be taken away. Thank you for their time. Thank you and I'm going to have Mr. Strickland meet you over there so you all can discuss this matter and hopefully come to some

051resolve. Thank you. Thank you. All right. We'll now hear from our next speaker, Ms. Hudson. All right, if Ms. Hudson's not in the room, we'll go to our next speaker. Ms. Hobbs. Good evening. Greetings, Superintendent Taylor and Wake County School Board members. Hello, my name is Jennifer and I'm a proud parent of children attending school and I'm married to a high school teacher here in our county. I couldn't be more proud of him for the career he has chosen and the influence he has had on students for the last 30 years. My children and many others growing are growing up to value education because of him and all the teachers in our schools. I want to read you something on teacher appreciation, but before I do, I want to share some advice somebody told me

052that was helpful. When you're driving down the road and you see a bad car accident or your kid calls you on the phone and says the police are running through the school and they're standing outside until they clear the school, "Mom, I'm scared." A fellow parent said, "Tell your children to look for the helpers." Matt Eikeldinger is an educator and best-selling author of Sticky Notes. He wrote this the other day on his blog. In Teacher Appreciation Week, I've been thinking about all the things the world has asked us to do. You asked us to teach children and we're happy to do so. You asked us to inspire and show opportunities. Absolutely. You asked us to be mentors and to be steady hands when the world gets shaky and we rose to meet that. But then

053you asked us to do a lot more. To navigate grief and trauma, to hold space for children in crisis while carrying our own, to manage behaviors shaped by stress and instability without the supports or trainings we need, to take on roles as counselors, nurses, crisis responders all before lunch. Prepare students for gun violence and attacks, to adapt to new standards, changing curriculum, and public scrutiny often without asking us what we think. To stay quiet when our profession is politicized, to stop doing things that frankly aren't even taking place in our classrooms, to keep smiling through kids, through budget cuts, banned books, and more safety drills until we show up with patience, purpose, and heart. This week, thank you, educators, and we're grateful for that. But more than your thanks, we need your voice, your advocacy,

054and your respect right now. Many of us are being shaped as the enemy, but we are not. We are helpers. We always have been. Went to the rally last Friday when my husband was at a teacher work day. There were lots of people there. Let's help them. Let's help our kids. Support our teachers. Thank you. Thank you. All right. We'll do a la- a final call for Ms. Cheyenne Hudson. Is Ms. Hudson in the room? All right. Well, that will conclude I'm sorry. There's one more. I'm so sorry. Ms. Watkins? Sorry. Good evening. Hi. Good evening. Um I'm here to talk about the calendar changes for Heritage Elementary and high school. Um I am a mom of two public school kids, but they do not attend these two schools. Any changes made to these calendars,

055however, will impact my entire community. Um you're going to interrupt our park and recs program. You're going to raise my chief of police uh blood pressure. Um a lot of teachers quit when you guys did the change with Rolesville Middle. I predict the same thing's going to happen to Heritage whenever you guys make that change. Um it's going to interrupt infrastructure improvements that we have planned. It's going to overcrowd the one swimming pool that we have in town. This impact is much more than just on education. It's going to impact the entire community. And some of our small business owners around these schools actually used to work for you guys. In fact, uh one couple they've taught um for over 50 years for you guys and now they own a small tutoring company. They depend

056on that steady stream of business throughout the duration of the year in order to keep their doors open. So, please just keep all this in mind whenever you guys make up your mind. And I would love to see more of a partnership with the town of Wake Forest versus that being a one-sided conversation. So, thank you. Thank you. All right. So, I think that will now conclude our public comments. And so now I will entertain a motion to approve tonight's consent agenda. Vice Chair Hershey? Motion to approve the consent agenda. All right. There is a motion by the Vice Chair. Is there a second? Seconded by Ms. Rice. Any discussions or questions regarding it? All right. Hearing or seeing none, uh the voting should be on your all screen with Simply and you can record

057your vote to adopt tonight's consent agenda. All right. So, our consent agenda passes unanimously. All right. So, we will now turn to our action item for tonight, which is the approval of the Board of Education's proposed budget for the 26-27 academic year fiscal year and we'll welcome Ms. Posey and Ms. Kimsey to the podium. Okay. All right. Good evening, Chair Swanson, members of the board, and Superintendent Taylor. Oops. I have a presentation they need to give us. Uh it's All righty. Now I'm ready to go. All right. Tonight's action item is presented for board approval in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 115C Article 31, the School Budget and Fiscal Control Act. Um as Ms. Kimsey has shared many times throughout this process, this has been one of the most challenging budget years. I want

058to thank the board for your work in developing a balanced budget proposal that minimizes the impact on students, especially our most vulnerable. While not an ideal um budget, it reflects thoughtful and difficult decisions made amid uncertainty in state, local, and federal funding, as well as rising operating cost. This evening's action allows the board to approve and submit its proposed budget to the county commissioners by the May 15th statutory deadline. Staff presented the Superintendent's proposed budget to the board on April 7th, followed by two community input sessions held on April 8th and April 15th. On April 21st, staff presented reduction options aimed at preserving special education funding and responding to board questions. And the board received public comment on the budget that evening. Today, staff responded to additional board member questions and the board identified 10

059reduction to restore the proposed special education formula reductions. This evening, staff will seek approval for the Board of Education's proposed 2026-2027 budget. The superintendent's proposed operating budget included 1.3 billion in state funding, 853 million in local funding, and 170 million in federal funds for a total operating budget request of 2.3 billion. The increase in local county budget request is 25.3 million for a total county appropriation request of 768.2 million. Last night, the county manager included the 25.3 million in his recommended budget to the county commissioners. The 25.3 million change reflects three main factors: a decrease of 6 million in local revenues supporting the operating budget, a 9.9 million reduction in unassigned fund balance used to support the next year's budget, and other one-time costs, and a 9.4 million increase in projected operating expenses. It's important

060to note that the 9.4 million increase includes a 5.2 million strategic repurposing of existing funds to prioritize the 2026-2027 expenses. I'll now turn it over to Ms. Kimsey and she'll walk you through some of the details in the superintendent's local budget adjustments, as well as highlighting the board's adjustments approved in today's work session. Good evening. I'm going to first just go over what was included in the superintendent's proposed budget and then go through the changes that you determined this afternoon. In the superintendent's proposed budget, there was a $14 million local increase for employee compensation, which includes an estimate of 3% increase in raises that the legislature may approve this next year. There was an increase in local master's pay to continue paying that when we hire new teachers with master's pay. An increase in the

061local certified supplement of 1% an adjustment for our employer matching dental program and an adjustment to our extra duty salary pay scale. We also included $11.8 million for our estimated increase that will be due to the charter schools as a pass-through because we'll be receiving additional county we'll be requesting additional county dollars and our student membership will be changing. We estimate there will be increases to the retirement match and hospitalization or health insurance for next year that would be legislated by the General Assembly. And we have adjustments for state allotment decreases. The superintendent's budget included $3.4 million as an increase for cost for opening Hilltop Needmore Elementary School for adding an 11th grade at Felton Grove High School and for Lake Myra Elementary changing from track four calendar to a year-round calendar. We have an

062$4.8 million decrease based on student membership changes. The superintendent's budget included $7.9 million for program continuity, which is maintaining special education teachers and magnet teacher positions that would be coming off of our federal grants and continuing funding for Spark NC position that was on state funding. The budget proposal included $1.6 million in property cost for the property and casualty insurance premiums and for our real estate leases. The proposed budget also included $15.7 million decrease for removing one-time cost from the current year. The budget included strategic budget realignment or budget reductions of $5.2 million. There was $500,000 reduction in instructional services base budget, a reduction of $2.2 million for elementary literacy coaches, a reduction of $50,000 transitioning to digital distribution of our student parent handbooks, and a $2.5 million reduction to the base for transportation. There

063were also increases for changes in grants and grants ending of $3.6 million decrease. The superintendent's proposed budget invested some of our fund balance, as we typically do toward the beginning budget. It invested $18.5 million. That is $2.9 million less than the $21.4 million appropriated toward the beginning budget this year. The $18.5 million is in compliance with board policy where we can invest half of our fund balance that's available for the next year. We also included in the budget an appropriation of $611,000 from the one-time Jewel and Altria legal settlements that are set aside in fund balance toward the programs that you all have already approved to be paid from those settlements. Now we'll shift to the adjustments that were um discussed and agreed upon this afternoon in in the work um session. So, this is

064what you'll see changing from the superintendent's document to the board's document that we'll be preparing and submitting to the county commissioners. We will be increasing the carryover in the IDEA grant for special education by $4 million. We're able to do that because after the superintendent's budget was prepared, we received some additional state funds that allowed us to move things from the local budget to state to utilize them, and that allows us to um recode some one-time some recurring contracts from the federal grant this year to allow the carryover to be higher going into next year. That allows us to leave 515 months of special education teachers on the grant for one more year, and it would delay that transition of $4 million to local funding. We are able to use $1 million of carryover in

065community schools to support some of our utility costs next year as a one-time adjustment. There are some base budget reductions that will be in the board's budget. There'll be an adjustment to the high school assistant principal formula. This change would reduce the budget $1.2 million. We would be removing the top two tiers of the assistant principal formula for our high schools. So, the largest um amount of months that would be allotted to a school in their formula would be 58 months of employment for our larger schools. There are base budget reductions for central services vacant positions of $836,000 and additional base budget reductions for non-personnel accounts of $523,000. We are reducing the budget $440,000, removing the instructional support specialist initially funded through the NCEC contract for tutor pay for hourly staff. We will be decreasing

066the supplemental funds that our area superintendents use to allow resources to our restart schools for things beyond formula to support the needs of the students and staff at those schools by $124,000. We intend to reinstate those funds if and when we have have savings identified during the 2026-2027 year after we know what all of our state, local, and federal funding will be. So, that would be one of the first things that we would add back if possible. We are removing the funding request that was a decrease for special education teachers, meaning that reduction will not occur. We are removing the $811,000 requested in the superintendent's budget for our dental plan. Instead, we will be adjusting the plan um to give in-network preferences and to adjust from four to two cleanings per year. We are going

067to adjust the budget by $1.1 million to pause the annual alignment of the extra duty salary schedule. It won't change in the amounts that our staff currently receive for extra duty, but it will pause the increase that we would typically apply each year. That adjustment was also paused this fiscal year. So, that would be 2 years of holding it steady. There's a base budget increase of $15,000, which is um matching funds that we would apply toward a grant um put forth by Mr. Haggerty for Communities in Schools success coaches or tutors. There are two other revisions um for the Board of Education's budget, which are just adjustments to federal grants for information that we know since the superintendent's budget was prepared. We're adjusting the CTE program improvement grant and the IDEA early intervening. Those two

068adjustments do not impact the local budget. They just make the figures in the budget more accurate based on spending patterns for this year and what we expect for next year. We then included a chart in the PowerPoint, but it's also a separate sheet in the attachments in Simbli that starts with the superintendent's proposed budget and then shows each of the things I just covered to come to the titles for the Board of Education's budget. And that is what we would be requesting that you approve tonight as your request to the county commissioners. We'll be preparing the entire document with all the details, but it would reflect the figures we have just um reviewed. An approval of this item will fulfill the board's statutory responsibility and advances the budget process to the um to the county

069commissioners. Thank you, Ms. Kimsey and Ms. Posey. Um budget chair, um Haggerty, do you have a motion for us? Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman. At this point to um begin discussion on this item, I would like to move adoption of this budget proposal, the board's budget proposal as a response to the superintendent's proposed budget, which was um discussed in our work session earlier today. All right. So, there is a motion on the floor to adopt the recommended budget that staff has laid forth. Is there a second? Second. It's been seconded by Ms. Price. All right, discussion. I'll start with you, budget chair Haggerty. Thank you, uh Chair Swanson. So, everyone around this table knows the work that's gone into the budget and they know the parameters that we've had um going forward. Ever since I've

070been on this Board of Education, we've never had enough funding to attend to all of the needs we see in our schools. But when I first came on the the board, there was what I will characterize as a great deal of friction between the Board of Education and the County Commission with some commissioners being very supportive of funding our school needs, and others that, while maybe sympathetic, did not see it as the county's proper role. Since that time, you've heard me refer to the county as you know, really saving Wake County Public Schools, going above and beyond their constitutional role to provide us with the additional resources that lets Wake County offer master's pay to our most trained classroom teachers, to provide additional social and emotional um learning staff, our counselors, our uh wellness professionals,

071whose roles in our schools would not be possible without those county funds. And even with that support, we continue to fall short of what the needs in our schools are. Um Here we know that we have great needs, but we also know that we have limited resources. And with all due respect to the superintendent, when the superintendent brought his proposed budget to us, I think this board acted in um in concert to say that the superintendent's proposed budget was not the budget that reflected the board's priorities, specifically around special education. And we worked hard to identify ways that we could return um the funding that was removed from our special education programs back to that program. I think we've had uh an open and deliberative process. We've had recommendations brought to us by staff. We've

072had recommendations brought to us by individual board members. Some of those board Some of those suggestions have been incorporated into this budget proposal. Others were talked about and either you know, the board in our work session decided maybe that wasn't a direction we wanted to go or maybe there was a technical issue where an idea sounded good, but then we found out it may not have had the savings that we were we were looking for. Um but this budget that we're presenting tonight is and and does represent your work. This is the board's proposal for $25.3 million increase in county funding. I think we've worked hard to prioritize um our most vulnerable students. I think in some ways we've been creative to avoid uh cuts that I think as a board we see would be

073very negative and and and very impactful to our students and to our staff. Um Ms. Kimsey has laid out all of them specifically and again, all of you were here in our work session, so you're all familiar with what we have talked about and the the agreement that we've come to around some of these. What I would like to do is just charge you all with joint agreement around the idea that this work is not over. We know that our county is facing a severe budget situation itself. And that situation could be made worse by potential pending state legislation. On one hand, there's some talk in the legislature where I think we could be hopeful. And I think there are legislators that are coming out and recognizing that we are not adequately funding special education

074from the state and that we're not funding teacher salaries in anything that could be called reasonable, let alone competitive with other states. But then we're also dealing with additional legislative proposals that could curtail local revenue. If we talk about the county being the goose that laid the golden egg, you know, it's it's it's so frustrating to me and to many of you. We hear that the legislature wants to pass a law to restrict property taxes saying property taxes are too high, but then by underfunding essential services that our citizens need, it's only our county taxes that are able to provide those services. You know, I don't know how many of you watched our county commissioners um presentation on their budget presented by county manager Ellis. I I see that as part of my essential homework

075as a board member, especially in my role this year as budget committee chair. I would encourage everyone in Wake County who cares about the county budget, county services, and property taxes to go back and watch his presentation. In Wake County alone, not just looking at Oliver need state wide, but in Wake County, they spent we've spent an additional $600 million in in property tax revenue to plug holes in state services. $600 million When you talk about increases in property tax, that's the equivalent of a 19-cent property tax increase. You know, I I I won't say that I would characterize myself as always being level-headed. You've heard me raise my voice and pound the table around this table. I don't think many of you have ever seen our county manager get as animated. But I think

076what we saw last night is that a line has been crossed and he has called it out. He was explicitly clear about the impact on Wake County that our state budget has had, where our county jails are overflowing and over capacity because the state is not investing in our prison system, how our schools are continuing to remain underfunded and the county is continuing to generously, you know, support these efforts even though it's the state's obligation to do so. And, you know, he just went on and identified area after area after area on top of what we're seeing with additional losses in county revenue before any legislative move to restrict that and take that option away from our local citizens to fund our schools, right? Looking at these loopholes that exist where people are appealing and

077getting like blanket awards in appealing their property taxes where there are there are loopholes where you and I are paying our county property taxes but some large commercial property owners are getting an exemption where they're paying 0% property tax. And as Wake County continues to grow and the cost of services including education is growing every day when those large enterprises are able to walk away and skip out on taxes the burden of all those expenses falls squarely back on all of us. So, it's not a great position that we're in. You all know the the resources that we have and what we're continuing to work with. So, I'm going to ask all of you to look at this budget, look at the work that we've done as this is the budget for this moment in

078time with the resources that we have. The county manager has surprised surprised me with offering, you know, putting up in his budget the 25.3 million that we've asked for because as you heard in our work session Mr. Hershey and and Vice Chair Hershey and others we've been watching their budget meetings, we've been hearing the revenue projections. I really expected that they would come in at a at a much lower number in this in the county manager's um proposal. But, I think he and the county have also had enough and they're putting the blame on the situation back where it belongs. Back on the state. Um, so I can't pontificate as as as wonderfully as our county manager did. So, Mr. Chair, I will I will turn it back over to the board for further discussion

079and comment on the budget. I do want to reiterate a very important point though that I brought up in the work session, which is that with our vote tonight on our our work on the budget cannot end. With the fiscal situation we're facing in Wake County in North Carolina, we have to prepare now for what next year could look like. We don't know what the legislature will do. On one hand, we could receive incredibly valuable assistance in some very important areas. In other areas, we might be facing additional cuts, very damaging cuts. We have the study that was commissioned on our organizational effectiveness and our organizational structure. I'm hoping that we'll be able to go through this coming year and look at that and see where we can, you know, where we can reorganize to

080deliver our services better and more efficiently. But, in some of those areas we'll need to reinvest, invest more. We need to look at our compensation study. You know, it's one thing to say, "Well, we can only afford to pay this amount for a salary." But, if capping that salary means you can't find anybody to work for that salary, you haven't really helped anybody. And I think one of the things this year that I hope has been heard loud and clear is that I think this board is committed to improving conditions for our special education teachers. And I think it's important to note, and I don't want to get off topic because, you know, our topic is this budget, but there are a number of things that teachers and staff and parents have come to us

081suggesting that we can do to really help improve those working conditions. Some of them are not budgetary. Some of them are policy. Some of them are programmatic. And after we leave today, we need to get a commitment that the district is going to pick up that mission and move forward with it. You know, we've heard about very specifically the debate over programs like CCK and Middle School Essentials. We've heard problems with the program, but what we need is not to abandon the students served by those programs, but what we need is a solution for how we can provide similar and better services. Again, we know about the certification issues, but we have teachers that are are dual certified and can continue to provide these. We just need to figure out how we can do that.

082Just today I'm answering emails from parents about participation in these programs and what what they're going to do. We need to talk about situations with our our safety assistants who assist our special education students on their way to and from school and those working conditions. You know, we talk about vacancies in the district and how we can provide the basic services we need. We really need an examination of how that process is managed and what we can do with those workers. Um again, I want to give credit where credit is due. Since coming on this board, our chair Chairwoman Swanson has talked about what can we do to address, you know, the paperwork burden for our special education staff and teachers. And I know that when I was chair and when he was vice chair,

083we've had many conversations with our superintendent exploring different ideas and proposals for this. And the superintendent, to his credit, brought back replies and responses about this is what some counties do, but then criticisms about how some of the ideas might be implemented. But again, we can't just say no. What we have to do is ask how. Right? And if we can't provide this assistance in the way that we've proposed, we need to come up with a way to address this burden. Right? Um we may not have the funds for a pilot project in this budget, but we can start now to create what a pilot project would look like so that we have a budget estimate and we know the best way to roll this out for those for the staff that are in the

084most challenging conditions and for those students that are facing the most, you know, challenges themselves. Um I ask for your support for the budget, but more importantly, I ask for you for your commitment that our work on the budget doesn't just end with this vote. And that as we go forward for the rest of this year, we look structurally and systematically how we're going to address these problems and how we're going to continue to provide a quality education for our students here in Wake County as school systems around us are considering closing schools, eliminating positions, and and really jeopardizing the services they're able to provide. So, thank you. Thank you. All right. Well, Mr. Rice. Uh thank you, chair. Thank you, Chair Swartz. And I just want to really be be very very brief in

085my budget comments because if I could fix it I would without a doubt, right? But I do want to just say something to our educators. Um if we could provide you the money that you deserve, I'd be the first to make the motion. Um I I want to thank um our staff who did what they could um with what they had. Um heard our responses today and did a very quick turnaround. So, thank you um to our two finance people um today. I'm not saying names cuz I'm going to mess up. Um but I just wanted to say that to the to the process. I know that we're in some challenging times. I'm thankful that this year I didn't have to say leave folks money's alone. We did as a board together. Um and so

086I'm very proud of us of that. Um we couldn't not meet all the needs and we didn't do all the ask that we really desired to in our heart, but we have come to a place that we're we're trying to do the best we can and be as most reasonable as possible. Um I I do want community to continue to be as strong as I can say this. Just going to say it out loud. To be as strong as our educators were on May 1. Extremely um bold. Um and doing something quite frankly, I hope that we as a board will do and be a little bit more bolder about what we are desiring to do and following in Mr. Um Haggerty's comments around understanding that we're not done. You must be in my board

087comments tonight. That's a little later when I share it saying in the same vein. And so, that's all I'm I'm going to say today is that I really wanted to say thank you. Um, to staff. Sometimes I can be pretty intense about um, how I assess you. Um, but it's really done, um, with the focus of us being in excellence, um, and for us expanding ourselves, um, beyond what we just see. Um, and so that's what we're here to do as a board. So, I don't apologize for doing it, um, because that's my role and responsibility. Um, but I also have a role and responsibility to tell you thank you for what you do do, um, and how you did do it and getting us to where we are today. So, thank you, superintendent, and

088to all the staff, um, in Wake County Public Schools. Ms. Coffey. Okay. So, I was going to say stuff in uh, board comments. So, I'm just going to read what I I had prepared for since it's appropriate now. Um, today I'm struggling with voting to approve the budget. I know that the costs have increased and there's a lot of things that we need to provide in a district this size. And I wish, and I'm sure the whole board wishes that we all had a magic wand to do so. But I also receive a lot of feedback and I know it is not always about more money, but where we're utilizing the money. And our taxpayers are also feeling a huge crunch right now. It's not an easy easy budget this year and I do appreciate

089Dr. Taylor and his staff, um, and how they have, um, conserved in certain areas and adjusted to the items that we showed concerns with. Unfortunately, we got the budget a little bit late this year, less than a month to ask questions, discuss the feedback, and a bit more to prioritize. And we have had and to have open conversations around things like what Mr. Haggerty had shared today. He raised, um, the idea of proposing the the purposeful tutoring that we can bring some solutions where it impacts our students directly in the classroom. For me and those that I have spoken with, really needing to see more around the classroom impacts like our special education students and those teachers that are working so hard. And I really hope that staff will continue to bring us these options

090and more feedback from those teachers and what they have shared. Not for next year's budget, but more for open discussion like we talked about today, that it evolves in our final budget once we hear back from our state and our county and what they're going to provide this year. I know we have a strict time frame where it is due by law, but my hope is that the decision-making starts early in the process and that perhaps going forward we create an expect an expected date that the board will receive our proposed budget and discuss as a whole and work on starting in the beginning of the year and not so crunched to meet the deadline. We all know that we do we do not do our best work when crammed at the end at the

091end. Um our students don't and neither do we. And we need to have those good conversations and there is a lot more to unpack. I think that our board has raised some really good questions, especially today, that needs to be addressed with meaningful conversations and I hope that we do continue to have these conversations while we shape this final budget because often we say it's evolving, but then later we say, "Well, we already passed the budget." And we leave it as it is. So, I know that there are adjustments all throughout the year, but seeing it as a whole picture like we do in our book when we get it once a year really brings light to a lot of situations that we can have conversations about. And hopefully next year we'll start this much

092earlier so we can have those great conversations. Dr. Joe. I saw your hand so Dr. Joe. So, this is my first This is quite the trial by fire for me. This being my first budget cycle. Um, so I Um, I too um, struggled with how I was going to vote up until about probably 5 minutes ago. Um, I This is one of the hardest decisions ever and I'm going to vote for the budget um, because it is I want to be very clear the best allocation of the extremely limited funding that is being made available. And considering that the county has to raise property taxes to even get that done um, is part of what I'm taking into consideration. Um, I I too watched last night and I want to quote um, the Wake County

093Manager. So, if the state fully funded its responsibilities, the property tax rate would be about 30 cents per $100 rather than the 54 cents that he's proposing right now. Um, we would the average family who had um, a $450,000 house would see their taxes go down $1,000 a year per family. If the state was fully funding its responsibilities. But they're pushing their financial responsibility to the county. And when we say their responsibilities, I want to be clear about this too. When we say their responsibilities, we're not saying what we have an opinion that the state should be doing. We're not saying what it feels morally correct the state should be doing. We're talking about there's law. There's a constitution that says what the state should be doing and they're not fulfilling that responsibility. And so,

094here we are. So, instead of stepping up and responsibly funding services like public schools, like they're constitutionally required to do, the legislature is working on bills to stop counties from collecting the revenue they need. It's really boggling the mind. So, I wanted to vote for a budget that had IEP coordinators. That had literary literacy coaches for every school. I think that um I will disagree a bit with Mr. Haggerty here. Um I think some of our most vulnerable are going to be left behind by this budget, especially when it comes to literacy coaches. Just because a school has 70 or 80% reading levels in a reading proficiency, that's still two or three kids out every 10 that are not. And reading is the heart of education and how you learn from then on. I I

095wanted to vote for a budget that had a plethora of arts and stem courses available for everyone. Libraries full of up-to-date books, not ones from decades ago. Every kid fed with nutritious breakfast and lunch. Counseling and other mental health supports available for everyone who needs them. And the tools that restart schools are using to catch their students up would be options for every single school. That's the budget I wanted to vote for. But here we are with a state legislature that is fine being 51st in the nation in education investment. And instead of trying to improve that number, is choosing to let corporations operate here for free. Not just property taxes with the loopholes, but also cutting their um income taxes down to zero. I hope that legislators were listening last Friday. And I hope

096that things change. Um but for now, I do appreciate how hard everyone worked to get the budget where they are. Where it is. The last thing I will say is that um I'm if you know me at all, I'm on social media quite a bit and I'm active and responsive and so I have a lot of people who say that we have a lot of fluff and we have a lot of places to cut and if we just spent smarter and we you know, if we just um if we just like stopped doing the status quo, that we would have the money we would have what we needed. And almost every time I will say tell me what. Look at the budget and show me where. Because I'll bring it forward. And never has anyone

097been able to identify it. Because really when you look at the budget, we have cut it about as much as we can possibly cut it without cutting programs which we're you know, doing now which without cutting you know, actual positions and things like that. And so I invite you again. If you see places that you think we should cut, please let me know. Um but really this is where we are now and I hope everybody keeps speaking up about it. And I do look forward on keep on still working on the budget coming up. Thank you. This We'll just stay on this side and then go for it. So um Ms. Gordon and then Dr. E. Thank Thank you. Um This is my second vote on a budget. Um I don't know which one is

098worse. This one or this one or the last one. Um I first want to thank uh my colleagues um who have um given me a lot to think about and who have we have all you know, worked together in this in this thought process. Um and I I respect each and every one of you. Um and I also want to thank the staff for doing the incredible hard work of um um trying to find when something is not there. Um so I want to thank you, too. Um but I do want to speak to, you know, what I perceive my responsibility as a school board member. Um and I know that it's not to simply approve budgets, but it is to ensure that my governance reflects the needs of our students, families, and educators. And

099that means asking difficult questions, pushing for better solutions, and refusing to accept outcomes that fall short of what our community deserves. Um we understand how we got here. We know that we have ongoing federal pressures, insufficient state support, and significant local funding reductions set this process in motion. But understanding the cause does not justify the outcome. These reductions do not support improved student achievement, increased educator stability, or safe and enriching learning environments. Again, as I stated last year around this time, we are not powerless at this local level. Our role is to lead, to advocate, and to make choices that reflect our values and not just manage scarcity. If not now, when? Next year's budget? When we're expected to receive less? Governance requires stewardship and accountability, and advocacy requires elevating the voices of those we

100serve, even when it challenges relationships and the status quo. These responsibilities are not in conflict. They are both essential. If we are serious about meaningful progress, we must recognize that incremental adjustments will not get us there. Radical change requires courage, boldness, and clarity of purpose, the need is urgent. Our students cannot wait. My babies, my three boys, cannot wait. My colleagues who I have worked with cannot wait. Our staff cannot wait and our families cannot wait. So, where do we go from here? I look forward to meeting with Dr. Taylor and staff to discuss how we can ensure every program in our district receives equitable resources and intentional support. This includes exploring This includes, but does not does not limit exploring models where whether regional or similar that provide dedicated special ed coordinators to reduce

101the burden on sped educators, guaranteeing full-time safety assistants who support sped students on special transportation vehicles and 8-hour work day, and strengthening pathways for our CCK and middle essential staff to obtain their dual licensure. And I look forward to seeing staff and families at my final BAC at South Lakes Elementary to discuss budgets and belonging. Thank you. Dr. A. Thank you. Um I'm not going to repeat a lot of the things that have already been said, but um I I was just reflecting in the in the process these last few months, and it started off with special education and ended with special education in our discussion. It just seems uh appropriate. Um and and in the thought is, you know, we um have to recognize that that special education is is some it's our our

102baby. It's our um responsibility, and no other educational options had that kind of dedication. And so it is something that we should own up to and be able to um do the best job we can. And um you know, apart from the budget discussion, I think that uh you know, our responsibility is to make sure that our special education uh is done in a way that is um uh not not just um uh same for our educators, but also um meaningful for our students uh who are receiving the education. Um we're not just babysitting them. We're actually educating them. And they are not the source of frustration. They're They're our source of joy. Um they are um a um a population that that makes makes me um uh joyful every time I see them. And

103so, you know, we cannot give up on them. We cannot just call them a a problem. We cannot just um put them aside in a room by themselves. Uh we need to be inclusive as much as we can uh in in a in a way that's uh uh uh good for both the uh teachers, educators, as well as our students. So, um I look forward to more discussions about this uh in the coming um months, years uh that I am on the board. Thank you, Ms. Adams. Thank you. Um thank you for everything that my colleagues have said. This has been, without question, the thing that has caused me the most angst and um worry and stress and uh angst since I have been on this board um sworn in in December of 2022, without

104without question. I cannot articulate my rage at the North Carolina General Assembly for what they have done with the erosion of public school funding in this state over the last decade plus. Cannot articulate it. And that is the root cause of why we are here. Speaking of relationships and those with our county commissioners, I've been speaking with them for the last six-ish weeks. Six to eight weeks. I believe them to be very sincere, and this is also true of the county manager, in what their limitations are this year, what their grave concerns are this year. This is not a normal budget cycle for them, either. And that is why I cannot, in good conscience, put them in a position to be, quote, the bad guys. I will accept being named a bad guy if that's

105what transpires. I will accept that. But because these are people that have shown support for this district in more ways than they are required to by the things that um Mr. Haggerty raised, helping us provide master's pay with local funding, local taxpayer money, um adding the support staff that you talked about, increasing bus driver pay, which has not been done at the state level. That is local money that allowed us to try to keep our transportation system functioning. They helped us provide bonuses for to retain bus drivers. They helped us with recruiting, money to recruit bus drivers. Um the same thing for CNS workers. They helped us improve that pay. They have supported us with our bonds. There's expected to be one on the ballot this November for our facilities needs. So, this Board of

106Commissioners has shown their commitment to Wake County Public Schools time and again. I do not think that that commitment has dissolved. I think they are still committed to this district. I think they still very clearly understand the value of public education and the economic benefit that it brings to the county when you have strong quality good schools, you know, you it supports growth. It supports economic development. They know all that. That has not changed. Their values have not changed, but their circumstances absolutely have changed as a result of General Assembly action. Um we talked about the federal concerns that we have and I'm not even talking about things related to the Department of Public Education or school grants, but with the war that is going on and the fuel cost, other inflation items that Miss

107Posey referenced in our presentation today, those things are very real and I'm so thankful that Board leadership, Mr. Chair and Mr. Haggerty, that that we're all in agreement that we can continue our budget work and that how necessary that is. And I don't know that I look forward to participating in those discussions, but I know that they're necessary. I want to um give you an update. I talk about private school vouchers a lot. That's something that is funded by the state. They give taxpayer dollars to private schools in the state of North Carolina. And I've mentioned to you before that the last school year, Wake County private schools, only Wake County private schools, got $56 million. This year, they got $79 million. $79 million in state taxpayer money, state dollars, went to private schools in

108Wake County. $79 million just this school year alone. I promise you that this board and this superintendent could have put that money to good use. So, I will continue to advocate. I was there on Friday the whole time. I will continue to advocate at the legislature. I will continue to advocate for what our school needs um at this board. And I know that some will say that is not what I'm doing tonight. I understand that. But I will continue to speak out about what we absolutely need. Speaking of communicating need, I will continue to communicate that to commissioners. I will continue to communicate that to the public. This is an inefficient budget. I'm crystal clear on that. What I will also do, and I I invite anybody listening to my voice right now to join

109me. I will spend my personal time between now and November working to elect state lawmakers that will fund our public schools, raise teacher pay, fund our classrooms, and fund what public education needs and deserves. Thank you, chair. Thank you. here. I share. Thank you. Um I want to bring up a couple of things. One item that was brought up that I brought up in the work session, and this is something that I was hoping to find more money for is library money as we've had librarians come before us for multiple years now. Um while we don't have a line item budget a line item in this budget, we did get a commitment from staff, from Dr. Hill to present to us um a potential plan with money that her department oversees that could help begin

110the process to catch up our old collections in libraries. Um that is something that is been on my mind for a couple of years now, and I appreciate her stepping up and Ms. Posey bringing that to to my attention. I want to say that this is I want to echo Ms. Edmonds that this budget has been the absolute worst that I felt on this board from an operational standpoint. I mean, we hear about things that are tragedies in other ways, and so I'm not going to minimize those, but for the work that we do to to support our schools, this has been a brutal month. And in listening to my colleagues today, it dawned on me that maybe we are doing things a little backwards. Um Dr. Job and and Ms. Gordon raised points, and

111and I have raised them to some degree in the past. We get to budget season, and we are given proposals, and we they're in this box, and they say, "Here, choose what you want to do away with or what you might not support or what do you want to support. And as we have been asking for more information, it dawned on me that uh to um take Mr. Haggerty up on his suggestion in finance committee, we should start suggest suggesting I suggest that the board develops our own priorities of what we would fund if we got money. I don't think we should wait for staff to give us options. If we want to build out special education, they can come up with the program, but we can say this is where if we get master's

112pay, we get $15 million. How do we spend it? I think we should start coming up with that as a board to give guidance to staff. Because this is our budget and we do have to put our names on it. And why not? Because we get to this same place every March and April of make tough decisions. And we're sitting here saying, "Wow, where is our plan for X, Y, and Z?" And we don't have it and how do we make these decisions? So, for instance you know, what would we put back that we're cutting? The extra duty pay um because we can't delay that all the time. Maintenance and operations, I would love a plan there, but I would be committed to that. To special education, if we get $15 million, we're going to

113put $5 million into it immediately. But give us and then it's staff's responsibility to give us how that would be spent. Because I don't want to go through this again next year where we are asking for what a fully funded budget or a fully funded school system would look like. Cuz I don't have that answer. I keep saying that. I will not support a budget next year if we don't know what a fully funded Wake County public school looks like. That has to happen. It gives me as a board member guidance. And listen, I did this last year and I said I wouldn't support a budget until we got the operation operational study done and the phase study done and it worked. So, I'm going to do it again this year. Um and I mean

114it though, like that's a guiding principle for us is what is it? And it shouldn't be it shouldn't I love our outside groups that contribute to this conversation, but it's not their job to come up with the plan. It's our staff job to come up with the plan in coordination with them and with teachers and principals and a robust plan for any department and then put it in front of us. And we are committed to funding these things when the state provides more money, which you know, I saw a certain legis or a certain uh person at the or I saw pictures of that person at a May 1st rally. Uh not going to say who, but it's a step in the right direction and it gives hope that maybe the General Assembly is starting

115to pay attention and will properly fund public schools at least at a higher degree than they are doing now. Um lastly, I just want to say that uh I appreciate my colleagues and all of their comments. Um unlike the General Assembly, we will fulfill our statutory obligation and pass and vote to pass a budget because that's what we're elected to do. When you're an elected official, do your damn job. And this is our job and we will get it done. And it would be nice if other elected officials did their job. Thank you, board chair. Well, Mr. Vice Chair, I think you quoted me a couple of times a couple of budget cycles. So, I will refrain, Dr. Ieng, from using those those words. That's my commitment to you. Um but I I will say,

116you know, I I do want to thank Mr. Hagerty as our budget and finance chair and for leading this work. I know how difficult it was and is as someone who sat in that role and chaired the budget. Um it's tough to balance nine ideas and also making sure that we are being good stewards of the public's dollars, which we which we are. I would also And I agree with everything that's been said by my colleagues. Um but I know we have three duties. It's the passive as as governance, number one. Passing policies. Guiding, hiring, superintendent. I'm not pointing in your direction for the latter part. Um no, no. Um and policy work. And using our voices to advocate down on Jones Street. So, I was encouraged to see Sheriff Page uh advocating and and

117bringing folks, you know, making education a true bipartisan issue. Because educating our students, I've said this many times as I've sat in this seat, that when our students come before us, they do not have a D, an R, or a U in by their name in front of their name. They're students who are choosing public schools to have their needs met. And I'm grateful for those families who are choosing Wake County schools. I'm grateful for our commissioners who have stood in the gap more times than I'm sure they would like to. But we know, just like they know that having strong schools is the backbone of having strong businesses come to Wake County. Um and I keep hearing you know what would a fully funded school looks like. Well, I took the liberty to go

118to uh every child in C to look through what Leandro would lay out. And so if the state was to do their due their constitutional duty to ensure that not just children have a basic education but going above that basic and sound education, Wake County would have 300 more dollars to spend, 1800 additional dollars in per pupil funding, additional staff, 16 almost 1,064 teachers, 835 TAs, 119 psychol- psychologists, 354 counselors, 276 work social workers, nurses, 78 bus drivers. Uh to me that's what I think a fully funded school looks like in Wake County. So I hope that answers your question, Vice Chair. Um but again, we know that is the state's constitutional duties. So I I want to thank everyone for the work that went into this. I know that to the staff, I want

119to thank you all for going to and going back to the drawing board um to find a balanced budget and that is our job is to pass a balanced budget. Um and this budget I would agree does not meet our needs. I also call the legislature to close the loopholes uh the Blue Ridge loopholes to be exact. So uh our revenue in the county does not just decrease. Um I had an opportunity to really to watch the county manager's presentation just like all of us around the table clearly was glued in last night um and just thankful that this is an opportunity where they understand just like all of us are facing these these these crisis. They understood and I I'm grateful for all of them uh who are investing in our schools, who show

120up, and who are committed. And so with that, I have other comments, but I will save those, but I I will say, you know, I I'm hoping and I'm calling on the state to pass the house's budget. That will increase teacher pay. That will take two and a half million dollars from the local for master's pay, which this house budget does reinstate. And that would be two and a half million 300 3 million that we could invest in making sure that every school has a dedicated case manager to work through and to ensure that our IEPs are covered. I was former special education teacher. So, if anyone knows the challenges of teaching, case managing, and and and and ensuring that those IEPs are are followed and dotted to the T because they are legal document

121documents. I know that first hand just like all my other colleagues that are special education colleagues. So, I see your work and I I value the work that you do daily. And I know that this this isn't tough. And it's not easy or it's not fair that we have a general assembly that is not doing their constitutional duty to pass a budget. So, we're going to fulfill our duties um because that's what we were elected to do as someone indicated. So, with that um I believe the voting has has uh is on our screen. And we'll go from there. >> All right. It appears 1 2 3 7 to 2. Uh the budget is passed. And now we will turn to uh our information items. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Posey and Ms. Kimsey, and

122to Mr. Neider for his work as well. All right. Uh we'll start with our superintendent comments. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh first of all, I want to say uh thank you to the board for uh passing this budget. Um and and I want to say that I'm excited uh about the work that comes is coming forward um as we work through the budget um for the upcoming year. Uh I do want to say that um one of the things that I always look for from a board uh is their direction about a budget and um and this is what we've had in this cycle. I do see this again as uh a board and a superintendent working towards um those things that they know are necessary to um the deal with the financial issues in

123the district and and do recognize that uh this is a $10 million difference in terms of the board what the board wanted to see different and I think that is what should happen when the superintendent puts a budget together and a board gives additional direction. So out of a $768 million budget uh we were able to look at that $10 million in dollars and be able to make that difference and out of a $2.2 billion dollar budget. So to me that does show that there is alignment. I know that one of the things that was said to me early on is you're going to let the board change your budget. This was 2 years ago and I said, well, that is the responsibility of the board. It's their budget that goes to the county commissioners

124and not mine. And so that is part of the work. Um I absolutely want to thank our county commissioners and and our county manager David Ellis. That is a relationship that's built through trust and working together. And so when he presented his budget to the commissioners and I do feel confident that they're going to pass that recommendation that he has made. But that was out of extensive conversations between he and I over several months and knowing and understanding what the financial um situations were in this county and they were constantly changing. And so we were both in tune to that and ultimately his goal was to say um I'm going to present a budget that does not put commissioners in a position where they have to squabble over one or two million dollars. We're going

125to put it out there and we're going to be direct about what the work has taken place by the county and what they've done to support uh our school district. So I am grateful for that. I am as excited about what I think is going to be a favorable budget for education in the General Assembly. As our chair has said, we've been following that house budget and we do hope that the entire General Assembly will fall behind what we know is a favorable budget. I also recognize that the work that we do with a budget, there are limits to what you can change and that I think is the most difficult thing that I've had to do with budgets as a superintendent for and and it does say that there are things that we want

126to see in the budget, but we know that there are costs associated with insurance that we don't control. There are costs associated with transportation that we don't control. And so there are limits to what we are able to do even in the work of wanting to develop a budget that we know supports all of the education in our school district. I am as excited about the board's position on special education as is the position that I hold as well. And so it is it is exciting to know that as Lisa Allred and I begin to bring those conversations to the board that we are going to see that there is an an extremely high amount of alignment between the board, staff, and the superintendent. So I am excited about that. I do recognize that this

127work creates limitations on a school district and it is about how we continue to push the envelope for those that are able to properly fund education and to do so because we do know uh what the benefit is to our students. So, I am excited about that. I do want to thank staff for the work that they put into bringing this budget forward and the and the continued work that has to take place to get the final part across the finish line. So, thank you to Terry Kimsey, thank you to Tricia Porshay, Dr. Matilo, and David Neider, and the entire staff. Certainly thank you to Mr. Haggerty, our finance budget chair, and and I know he's had to do a lot of wrangling to get this together. And thank you to our chair and our

128vice chair for the work that they've done. Um My last thoughts on the budget is that um This has been a difficult budget. Um and to be honest, it is the only work that I've ever known as a superintendent. I've never had a budget where I haven't had to cut. And so, to know that the board recognizes that and how difficult this work is, but that is something that a board should not have to do. That is something that a superintendent should not have to do. Um and so, um while it is difficult work, I do recognize the the work that the board has put in to make sure that you present something to the commissioners that they will approve and that it is about the relationship that we have developed with them that makes

129this part of the work easier, but it's the work that we have to continue to do on Jones Street. And so, I do want to just recognize the work that has gone into that. And with that, I will um, quickly go through my other remarks, and then we will, um um, I guess the board will have theirs as well. Uh, but I want to start by congratulation, congratulating Justin Park, who was named today as a 2025-26 Wake County Public School, uh, System School Psychologist of the Year. Uh, Ms. Park is in her eighth year as a school psychologist, and her sixth year with our district, currently serving Cary Elementary and East Cary Middle. In both schools, she is known as a steady, trusted presence. Someone, uh, staff rely on for guidance, and who students benefit

130from every day. At Cary Elementary, she has played a key part in strengthening intervention systems like check-in, check-out, helping ensure students get the support they need early and consistently. At East Cary Middle, she worked alongside the special education team to improve the referral process, creating tools that have made the work cleaner and more efficient for staff. Uh, what stands out is how she takes complex information, such as student data or behavioral needs, and helps teams turn that into practical next steps. The principal at Cary Elementary described her as someone who doesn't rely on one-size-fits-all approaches, but instead takes the time to understand each student and build supports that truly fit. Beyond her school, she contributes to our district through the School Psychology Leadership Team, and represents the profession at the state level through her work

131with the North Carolina School Psychology Association. Ms. Park reflects the kind of thoughtful, student-centered approach we value across our district, and we are fortunate to have her on our team. So, again, congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. I like next like to recognize the 27 Wake County Public School System schools that have earned the 2025-26 Purple Star Award from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the most winners our district has ever had. This award is given to schools that demonstrate a strong commitment to supporting students and families connected to our nation's military. Here in Wake County, we serve more than 5,500 military connected students students, the third highest in the state. So, this work touches many of our schools and our communities. These schools have been intentional about creating environments where military connected students feel

132welcome, supported, and understood. To earn this designation, each school identifies a staff member to serve as a point of contact for military families, build staff awareness around the impact of deployments, and finds meaningful ways to recognize military connected students. I'd like to especially recognize the seven schools receiving this award for the first time. That's Athens Drive Magnet High, Felton Grove High, Fuller Magnet Elementary, Fuquay-Varina High, Holly Grove Middle, Reedy Creek Magnet Middle, and Wake Forest Middle. I'd also like to highlight Austin Ridge Elementary, Millbrook High, and Willow Springs Elementary for earning this distinction for the fifth consecutive year. Our military connected students bring unique experiences and strengths, and our schools are working every day to help them feel connected and supported. The Purple Star Award reflects the care and attention our staff brings to students

133whose lives often include transitions and challenges outside of school. In closing, this week is teacher appreciation week, so I'd like to take a moment to express my gratitude for our outstanding teachers and to let you hear from some of our students. Uh and and I did have an opportunity to be in uh Southeast Raleigh when we celebrated our teachers, and I got a chance to be on the intercom as uh DJ T-Rock uh by Mr. Heals to uh send out some celebrations and I was also at Walnut Creek. Was I I was able to fly on the Walnut Creek Airlines where they celebrated teachers and I was actually upgraded to first class. And so I hope the principal Leslie allows them to have some first class recognition tomorrow as well. I've said this before and

134I believe it strongly we have the best teachers in North Carolina right here in Wake County. Their work is at the heart of our core business and I'm grateful for the care and consistency they bring to their classrooms. While their work benefits our entire community, obviously their most direct impact is on their students. So we want to hear directly from students about what their teachers mean to them. So we set up a camera at three schools, Washington Magnet Elementary, Pine Hollow Middle, and Willow Springs High with an open invitation for any student to share what they appreciate most about their teachers. What you're about to see is a reflection of those honest, unfiltered responses. So I think you hear in these genuine expressions of thanks the impact our teachers have each day. So let's take

135a look and if we can queue up the video. I like my teachers because they always help me with dream work with them. They're like teaching me so much of new stuff and I even get to do fun Friday. I love Mr. Hogan. He's the best choir teacher that we could ever wish for. He's always taught us everything that we needed to know. What I appreciate about my teachers is that they're really nice. He's such an amazing teacher and he has helped me through a lot of stuff. He's not just a good teacher, he's just a good person in general. I love Mr. Ball. Yes, because she's so kind and and so special because she is a very kind teacher. I love our teachers because they make learning fun and they explain everything really good.

136I appreciate teachers that I've had in my teaching experience. They all teach us lessons and basically be our friend. I like my teachers because they're really kind to me and they're chill. Like whenever I like mess up something, they'll like help me through it. I appreciate Miss Findling for always being so kind and always helping me out with my substitute teachers and always helping me out with my substitute teachers. She understands me and I really appreciate that. I'm grateful for Miss Courtney because she's always helping me and is basically like a therapist to me. I love Miss Hoffman because she helps she used to help me with my math and that's why I got better at math. WE'RE ALL HAPPY WITH MISS Ryan and Miss Meha because they're the best teachers and they love teaching

137their students so much that they and they're also very loving. I love how Miss Schwartz always gives us another chance if we do something wrong. I like him because he's like really cool and chill. >> I appreciate my teachers cuz they make me feel valued and included. Miss Casey is just really kind and understanding and she dedicates all her work time and home time to letting students learn. I'm grateful to the Apple teachers that are helpful, educated and understand what the children need. And thank all other teachers for what y'all do and we hope y'all have an amazing teacher appreciation video. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and that is Lessie Anderson. I said Leslie, but I want to make sure I pronounce people's names right. And uh you're back to you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Dr.

138Taylor. We'll keep it going and we'll start off with Miss Caufield. Thank you. Um I wanted to recognize our families in District 1 as I heard from a lot of the families and teachers in our heritage area. Um and I realize how it affects our families in all different feeder patterns. So, I appreciate your insight and your thoughts. One thing that made me sad was hearing that they felt like they would would not be heard. So, why even bother? So, I'm telling you that we are listening. I am listening. We do appreciate the staff bringing so much thought into their presentation and what they do. And I'm really thankful that we will continue to have this conversation at our next meeting. And I want our families and I encourage them to continue reaching out cuz

139from what I understand the thought exchange is still open. Um but we are reading them. We're reading all of your emails and we do appreciate everything that you have to share with us. Um one of the great things that we get to do is to attend events outside of our schools, whether it be in our schools and see our children or out in our community. This last week I was honored to share an evening with our past one of our past school board members, Roxy Cash, who continues to serve our community through many outreach programs and advocates for our children in many ways. Mr. Haggerty also joined us there where we enjoyed some amazing food. Ms. Cash invited us to Rise Charter School to attend their presentation for an innovative food program from a professional

140chef, Dean Hogan, and I hope I'm not butchering his name. Um that um he focused on helping students with healthier choices through education and choice. Learning what you can put on your plate and the food that could be delicious and healthy at the same time. And let me tell you, it was. He served a fun and incredible taco evening with a variety of choices of vegetable and fruits so that no food was wasted. The one um and one that wouldn't break the bank. Rather showing our students how they can, um, use these use the choices that are in front of them. Basically, what they were doing is you got to pick a choice and you didn't get it put on your plate unless you were going to eat it. So, it was showing resources being

141used efficiently to make great food and prevent waste, saving even more. The idea was to teach our children about making these great healthy choices, how they could save money and again the waste. But only, um, cook by only cooking what cooking to serve only what is needed. One of his concerns was who would staff this position. Using social media to seek there was a great interest when he put out a Facebook post and he was surprised how many chefs were interested in working this program. It could be attraction from either retired chefs or a chef that has their own family and having young students and it being during school hours, they were able to work around their family schedules. Either way, he was able to get some great interest, um, to fulfill this position. The

142point was utilizing resources that were available. He was able to make this work and it was great. He wanted wanted us to see the true nourishment and savings. The food was delicious basically cooked to serve. Um, they wanted to be a model to other schools around us and hope to spread, uh, to spread the love. I look forward to following their success and hopefully sharing with many school districts around and serving all the children better food and making them understand the value of good food while nourishing our children to be prepared for learning. Perhaps this is something that Wake County can follow and hopefully it would help us in some of our concerns with our CNS needs in trying to feed our children. Lastly, our last board advisory for the year we did a breakout

143and I asked for feedback on this past year of our new cell phone policy now that a year has passed and we can evaluate our successes and struggles. I am excited to report that it was overwhelmingly positive and I wanted to share some of the comments and feedback that were discussed. We are seeing less bullying. There is more conversations. We have better attendance. Our grades have improved. Positive feedback from parents and definitely from staff and a lot less social media access. Overall, it was great feedback and success. They appreciated that it not only came from the state but the board so that they felt supported to have a set policy, mostly consistency and therefore the focus went back into the classroom. So that was great feedback and some even commented that the students did not

144really like it for a couple of weeks, which I think we all expected. Um but overall they liked it afterwards. So I wanted to share that information with you. And that is kind of all I have because the rest I shared about the budget before. Thank you. All right, Dr. Thank you. Um good evening. Um last week I was at East Millbrook Magnet Middle School to watch a special combined band and orchestra rehearsal. We were privileged to have Sophie Mack, who is the assistant conductor of the North Carolina Symphony, who helped lead the rehearsal of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. I want to thank the North Carolina Symphony for their commitment to music education and I also want to thank Maestra Mack, who is also from Hong Kong, for her service to our community. Um

145a big shout out to Mr. Gross and Teacher Reese for their incredible work with their students and for Principal Marsden for his leadership. East Millbrook Middle School is a hidden gem as we have already heard highlighted last week at our Student Achievement Committee meeting. Principal Marsden was with us last week describing the things that East Millbrook is doing to advance academic growth at that school. The great things that arts education can accomplish in our schools was also recognized tonight when East Millbrook Middle School was awarded as a magnet school of distinction. Um So last night Mr. Hershey and I attended the spotlight on students at Wakefield High School. And as usual we were very impressed with the students at their for their accomplishments, their personal triumphs over struggles in their lives, and their resilience to

146rise above adversity. I want to congratulate all the students who were recognized last night and all the accomplishments um speaks to the involvements of the families and the teachers who were in attendance. So I want to thank all of them for setting the example of what an a partnership between parents and schools look like. Finally, May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. It's a long long word. Um I know the AAPI meant to be an inclusive term, but I do want to remind everyone that there is a vast difference in the cultures represented under the big umbrella. A Chinese person like me who is from Hong Kong has a very different background from someone who is originally from Vietnam. Even my wife and I who my wife is from Taiwan and I'm from

147Hong Kong have very different upbringing, cultures, and languages. Also, someone who is a first generation um Asian American is very different from a a person who is a second generation Asian American. For me, instead of being Asian American, I prefer to consider myself as an American who happens to be Asian, or Chinese to be exact. And that does segue into this year's celebration of the 250th birthday of this country. And I remember back in 1976 when the country celebrated the bicentennial, we didn't have that kind of multicultural awareness we have now. The fact that I am even on this board shows how far this community has come. The truth is that we are still an underrepresented group as a whole, but if we look at us all of us as Americans, we can acknowledge that

148we are living in the same country, dealing with the common problems. We can certainly be proud of our heritage, but at the same time we should set aside our differences and come together as Americans to solve our common problems because we are all in this together. Thank you. Thank you. Ms. Court? Thank you. Um I want to start by acknowledging the amazing work of our educators as we mark um this week as Teacher Appreciation Week. Um I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary educators who continue to show up for our children despite the mounting pressures placed upon them. Please be sure to tell your child's teacher thank you for their tireless efforts this week. Um and I'd like to thank all of the educators that I've had the pleasure of serving alongside. Um many of

149you who I still keep in touch with, our time that we worked together and your words carry weight at this table. Um our teachers deserve more than gratitude this week. They deserve action. Action that was seen and felt at last week's Kids Over Corporations um May 1 rally that many of I was great to see, you know, many of our school board attend. Um so you can imagine, you know, I'm a little disheartened that we are here again um facing this proposal, but I know that um that we will do the work that is needed to continue to push forward. Last week I had the honor of attending the North Carolina Foundation for public school children gala to celebrate champions for public education, which all of our board truly is. Um and then I just

150wanted to point out um a couple of things that are specific to parents getting involved. Number one, the Wake County Public School Parent Survey is open through May 15th. Um I had spoke on it last uh last school board meeting. Um and then on May 11th, the district is holding a um special talk on special education where uh families of students who who receive They're inviting families families of students who receive special education services um at this event on May 11th from 6:00 to 7:30 at the Knightdale High School Auditorium. Um and then finally, uh families and parents, we welcome your feedback on the K-12 math standards draft too by May 18th. Um I think you should have received an email about that. Um and then I did want to make a correction um about

151my my final BAC. It is actually Wednesday, May 13th at 6:00 p.m. and we will meet at Vance Elementary. And so I hope to see everyone there as we discuss budgets and belonging. And happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in Wake County. Dr. Joe. Um happy teacher appreciation week. I hope families are showering their kids' teachers with love to show their appreciation for all that they do. Um on Saturday, I had the absolute honor of attending the Fuquay-Varina High School 50th anniversary commemoration. We heard from teachers and the principal who opened the school in 1975. And we heard from some alumni from the past five decades and current Fuquay Varina teachers that were also alumni of the high school and chose to come back and teach there. It was just magical to see people

152speak to what their school community means to them and how it impacted the people they are today. Men and women in their 60s had tears in their eyes as they hugged their former teachers. And I want to add that no one talked about any numbers. There weren't any teachers reminiscing about that time they met they met benchmarks and there weren't students who were thinking about how many AP courses they took or what they got on their SATs. They spoke of the love their teachers had for them. They spoke to being in drama club, of being on the tennis team, of eating together in the cafeteria. We have to keep remembering that we're not just teaching core curriculum, we're developing human beings and everything we do counts towards that. I want to recognize the thousands of

153educators, parents, and community members who came out to the legislature on May 1st to rally for better school funding. I was really disheartened to see some media and more politicians say things like or say some pretty terrible things about the teachers who chose to raise their voices on Friday. Because if you were there, you saw all you saw were people who deeply care about providing a sound and fulfilling education for North Carolina's kids, so don't think anything different. I also want to thank the NCAE for being here during each and every meeting through this budget cycle, holding us accountable. It's not easy being a union and being a union in this state, I promise you. And they're fighting the good fight for what's best for kids. On the topic of speaking up, thank you to

154the staff, families, and community members who reached out to me about the potential calendar conversions for Holly Grove Elementary School and Middle School. I want you to know that you absolutely were heard and your words made a difference. And I encourage you to keep speaking out, but also work within the community to see how we can make this um make any transition that might need to happen as easy as possible and also think through all of all of the, um, possible outcomes. I'm looking forward to seeing the Holly Springs High School Coral Show on Friday. And otherwise, I hope everyone has a great week. Thank you. Ms. Rice. Chair Swanson. Good evening, board. I want to begin by thanking Knightdale Elementary School for allowing me the opportunity to volunteer at your book fair. I truly

155enjoyed helping students select books and other reading materials. Moments like that remind us why literacy, connection, and presence matter so much in our schools. I also want to take a moment to recognize and thank the staff who support individuals with a mental health challenges. As we are in Mental Health Awareness Month, you knew I wouldn't let y'all forget that. As many of you know, I am a strong advocate for emotional well-being and I speak on wellness every Tuesday as this work is deeply personal to me. This month, as I reflect on the importance of student mental health, I carry the memory of my late son, Nicholas, who passed away 1 year ago this Friday. He was a strong and courageous advocate for his own mental health. He complied with his care, he communicated openly, and

156he was bold in sharing his needs with his teachers who were also very supportive of him. I encourage other students to use their words to express their needs to improve their mental and emotional health to maintain or improve their academic success. Yes, it is also Teacher Appreciation Week. Um, Nicholas and I look forward to it every year because why? And I think our educators did, too. In our household, we provided them Chick-fil-A and Krispy Kreme gift cards every year. Um, and in our home, we value educators and we appreciate all that you do as our educators in Wake County. I do want to ground us in a simple but powerful truth tonight. We cannot expect excellence from our staff, our students, or our families if we are not intentionally investing in their well-being. As we

157continue conversations around the budget and financial constraints, I want to be clear. If we cannot secure the votes needed to increase funding at our state level, then we must be just as bold and strategic in how we improve working conditions, emotional wellness, and daily support for our staff and student. Bullying must not be tolerated at any level from the board room to the classroom. Because the question becomes, what are we doing differently to ensure our student and educators feel seen, heard, and supported right now? We cannot lead from a place of assumption. We must lead from listening, action, and accountability. That means leaning on our strengths as board members, strengthening intentional parent engagement with guided support so families can actively partner in their child's success. And ensuring our student services department is aggressively addressing attendance,

158not just tracking it. And most importantly, investing in leader wellness so the weight of leadership does not simply spill into the classrooms, the school, and ultimately student outcomes. This is our opportunity to be a bold and brave board, not just in what we say, but in what we implement. Sometimes doing something different doesn't require more money. It requires more intention, more humanity, and more courage. I will continue to advocate daily for the sound mind and well-being of our educators, the engagement and empowerment of our families, and the systems that reflect that people, not process, come first. Because when we take care of people, the outcomes will follow so everyone can have a positive and productive day. Ms. Edmonds. Thank you. Um with teacher appreciation week, I think it's teacher appreciation month. Um anyway, week, whatever.

159I went on Saturday morning to the I'm going to mess up their names, I'm going to use the abbreviation, the HSSIRTP Guru Vandana ceremony, and Dr. Maria Rosa Rangel was there with me. It was really, really beautiful. This was a ceremony dedicated to honoring educators. So, children and their families um in this particular Hindu community um celebrated their teachers. There were There were both uh K-12 educators there as well as some um teachers outside the K-12 realm. For example, there were some Taekwondo educators there. And they uh insisted on putting me in the semicircle with the educators, and I am not an educator. Um so, I felt really just very inadequate in that space, but um it was just a beautiful, beautiful ceremony, and I thank them for sharing their culture with us and honoring

160their teachers in that way. It It really was very moving, and I I hope to go back um when they do it again. And they gave me this beautiful pashmina that I wore tonight. So, um I thank them so much for for that invitation and that experience. Um it was memorable. Uh the I also attended um signing day at Vernon Malone College and Career Academy. That is one of my favorite events of the year. These are students who are going who who sign on um with jobs right out of, you know, high school wh- in our um you know, trade fields. So, in construction, in um Great Clips is always there. So, in, you know, the cosmetology um uh field. And there's been, you know, welders in the past. I mean, just these are the

161It's just such a joy to see these kids celebrated in this way and starting their careers um right out of the their Wake County school experience. And um so, you know, that's always a a great event. And um I think that is going to Oh, I attended Seuss the Musical at Middle Creek Elementary, and they were one of a few, I forget the number, but they were one of a few um high schools in the country that were able to They got a grant to put on that um particular musical. So, it was excellent. The talent in our district, the arts talent never ceases to amaze me. Um and shout out to Ms. Garrett, who was exceptionally excited. She really, really wanted to get that musical, and she got it. Thanks. All right. Mr. Haggerty.

162Thank you, Chair Swanson. So, first I need to give a little bit of apology to Ms. Edmonds there. While she was giving her speech, I giggled a little bit. She was She was talking about the Groove in Dana event and I heard you talk about the Taekwondo instructors and then I heard she was going into the semi-circle and so then I thought you were going into like the octagon. So, glad to know that it was a non-contact event. Um, and I appreciate Ms. Caulfield talking about the event that we attended at the invitation of our former board member Roxy Cash. Now, I want to give um, Ms. Caulfield credit because out of the entire program I thought you asked the most important question in, you know, a presentation that was designed to highlight all of

163the benefits and all of the good things. Ms. Caulfield asked them very directly, but very politely, what does it cost? And really that is what a lot of these programs come down to. You know, with additional funding you can do great things and we heard you know, it was going to be a food cost of $6 to $7 for two student meals like a breakfast and a lunch without even bringing into the labor costs and that we would need additional staff to actually apportion those things, right? And so that part, I think would make that program very hard to transfer to our public schools, but then there were other things we did hear like about their commissary model and some other things that I thought were very innovative about the food delivery. And so I

164think the more that we go out there and we look at innovative new ideas you know, we're we're going to I guess well, I should say this way. We're going to have to go out and look at innovative new ideas to figure out how we can do things differently. And so, I appreciated your questions at that event. Um I think I'm about spent after our budget debate. But I would like to specifically express some appreciation for our teachers, for all of the work that they continue to put in under very demanding circumstances. Um I want to thank all of those that took you know, that for our traditional calendar or our multi-track calendars who came out to advocate for themselves and their students on May 1. Um Literally thousands of people all united around the

165message of public school funding. Um I also want to express my gratitude to the student who came to speak to us tonight. Uh Ms. De Castro Canina, if I'm saying that right. And I couldn't help but appreciate the irony of the situation that she brought to us. Right? Here, in response to very legitimate concerns the district has about over-reliance on an unreliable technology, we fell into the trap of over-relying on technology that also proved to be unreliable. So, you know, I think as a society sometimes we fail to learn the lesson of the emperor's new clothes. Right? And in this case in particular, you were told that new technology is amazing. The thought is that well, if everyone thinks it's amazing, we have to embrace it and say it's amazing, otherwise people will think we're

166ignorant or we're Luddites or we don't get it. But we're seeing more and more problems where despite all of the potential we see with AI, we really need to adopt a comprehensive AI policy. And our policy chair, Ms. Edmonds, I know has been working with staff to try to get us back on track. You know, you remember the meetings that we had to develop this policy and we we did have some retirements on staff, uh some other things that have come up, but I think our student speaker's eloquent plea to us tonight is that we do need to get back on track. As she effectively demonstrated, the problems with AI are here now. And I know that we want a good policy, we want a comprehensive policy, but at the same time, maybe this is

167something we need to look at in phases or things that we can start to roll out knowing that we're building toward a bigger, more comprehensive policy. There's legislation in the General Assembly right now that would require NCDPI to develop a model policy much like the legislation we saw that implement a cell phone ban. And so I think the more work that we can do on the cutting edge to really identify issues, figure out the best district responses, the better positioned we'll be so that we're proactive and not just reactive. Um like all of our speakers, it takes a lot of courage to come out here and speak to us tonight. I thought this student in particular showed a lot of courage in bringing this uh issue to the board. And um I hope we can

168all do something to um address some of the concerns that she brought up. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Sherwin. Thank you. Uh I will be super brief because I know we're ready to get to close session in a few minutes. Um I just want to thank Wake Ed Partnership for putting on uh Friday, May 1st um at the SAS campus. Uh our students and teachers there are amazing, were amazing um just as uh when I was with Dr. Eng last night at Wakefield to hear their accomplishments and job that our students are doing everywhere. It's just continues to show that people who try to demean public schools really have no idea what they're talking about. They've probably never been to a STEM Posium. They certainly have never been to a spotlight on students or paid

169attention to it because these are really incredible students and and teachers and that was it was really great and I'm going to just end there because we've had a long day and we got some more work to do and I will make the motion when you're ready. Sure. I will be extremely brief as well. I want to, you know, thank our hosting schools that participated and hosted the spotlight on students across the district. Hopefully that will encourage them to do additional host more of those. On May 1st I had the opportunity of sitting on the Teacher of the Year Committee where I was able to hear some of our outstanding finalists who in my opinion all of them are teachers of the years and they all all are great but it was great to see

170all of their their whys and and the passion they bring each and every day to the classroom and just excited to hear their their questions and got to sit beside of our Ms. Todd as well and so I want to thank um Dr. Council for her leadership on that. I don't see her over there but just want to give her a shout out for the work in keeping us all on par with that. Um I had some other op- Finally, I'll just say this. I had some other things but as because of the hour, I'll defer those to the next meeting but um last week the superintendent and I had an opportunity participate on the inner city visit with the greater city greater Raleigh Chamber and we were able to, you know, go to Arizona

171to hear about different things that are that are happening and how we can bring things back. And one thing that we heard that was clear from every business leader that participated was what could they do to help and support public education? Um, how can they use their networks and their influence? And so I gave them all a task of three things that was on my 100 list but I told them I would narrow it down to three but the biggest one was to use their leverage and their power as business leaders to call upon the North Carolina Assembly to invest more and better in public education than they currently are. And also for those business leaders who do have the networks and the resources to also, you know, come into our schools to provide internships

172and various opportunities for our students who wants to who would like to be um, entrepreneurs. And so really great to see their connections and their uh, passion for public education and to be true champions with us in this difficult work. And so, um, with that being said, I will entertain a motion for us to go into closed session for the for the reasons listed on the agenda. Is that a motion? So moved. Second. It's been moved and properly seconded. All those in favor of the motion uh, please get ready to log in and vote on assembly. All right. >> All right, so we are now in closed session. The motion passed unanimously. Okay.