2026-03-17 Board Meeting

001All right. Good evening, everyone. And please forgive us for going a little late. Uh we had a very long and robust work session. Um and so not to belabor the point, all of us we have a quorum. I know Ms. Caulfield's in the back and she'll join us momentarily, but we will uh stand for 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. >> And as we continue our Arts and Education Week, I will recognize Mr. Tucker uh to recognize our Knightdale High School Jazz Band. >> Good evening, members of the board, Superintendent Taylor, Chair Swanson. Tonight, we're proud to open the meeting in celebration of our students

002and also celebration of Arts in Our Schools Month with a group that represents the heart of what arts makes possible. Thank you to Chair Swanson for the opportunity to showcase the very best of our students. Knightdale Jazz Band is more than an extracurricular band, like so many of our bands across the district. It's an example of student dedication, and let me go off script just to say that that whole group of people, including their teacher, right now is on spring break, and they have come here tonight to play FOR YOU ALL. IT'S AN EXAMPLE OF STUDENT DEDICATION, inspired teaching, and a community that truly believes in the power of the arts. Under the leadership of Dr. Bill Holmes, these students have not only honed their musical talents, but they've shared them far beyond the school,

003performing at community events, civic gatherings, and even bringing live music to those in rehabilitation care. Through their hard work and courage, these students remind us that music does more than entertain. It connects, it heals, and it uplifts. They are a testament to what happens when great teaching and a strong community come together to support and to give students meaningful opportunities in the arts. Please join me in welcoming the Knightdale Jazz Band. >> So, thank you to the jazz band at Knightdale High School. I think we should start kicking off every board meeting with that. It just lightens the mood. So, before we get started, we're going to amend tonight's agenda to remove from the consent agenda the facilities item letter O, which is the capital improvement summary update based off the discussion that was held

004today at the work session. So, is there a motion? I share. >> Motion to amend the agenda. >> And and to approve so we're going to amend it and approve it as amended. So, that's the most that's the motion. Okay. Perfect. Sorry, I did not finish the script here. All right, so the motion has been moved and properly second. Board members, you'll log in assembly so we can conduct that vote. And once that is going, we'll get started with our information item, which will be Fuquay Varina. Ms. Allen, is the voting open? All right. And it's not popping up on my screen, but I'm voting in the affirmative. All right. So, our consent our amended agenda has been approved. All right. So, the first information item will be naming of the Fuquay Varina High School.

005So, welcome Dr. Ashley Thompson. >> Good evening, Chairperson Swanson, Vice Chair Hershey, uh Superintendent Taylor, and members of the board. Here this evening to introduce Mr. Mike James, proud principal at Fuquay Varina High School. Mr. James will be sharing details regarding a request to name the baseball field at Fuquay Varina High School after a long-time educator who served the Wake County Public School System at Fuquay Varina High School for 41 years as a teacher and baseball coach. Um we are seeking your approval of this request after the recognition presentation. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Thompson. Good evening, Superintendent Taylor, Chairperson Swanson, and board members. As the Fuquay Varina High School continues to celebrate our 50th anniversary at Bengal Boulevard and our legacy individuals, tonight's request honors the quintessential legacy Fuquay Varina Bengal alum. It

006is a privilege to present to you this evening on behalf of the Fuquay Varina High School Varina Club our request for your approval in naming the baseball field at Fuquay Varina High School, Milton Center Field. A legendary and influential teacher and coach of 43 years, 41 of them at Fuquay Varina High School. By the way, he still serves as a substitute teacher 3 days a week at East Bladen High School. I am joined by Jason Smith of Fuquay Varina Athletic Boosters, James Mountford, athletic director of Fuquay Varina High School, Milton Center, who is with us here this evening alongside with his wife Gail, who probably never missed a baseball game, and his son Brett, who played baseball for his dad at Fuquay. Coach Center represents a significant legacy individual whose impacts have earned him Hall

007of Fame status in the Wake County Public School system in 2021 and the Fuquay Varina High School Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021. The name Milton Center is synonymous with Fuquay Varina. You can go almost anywhere in our community and if folks know you work at Fuquay Varina High School, you will inevitably be asked, "Do you know Coach Center?" Coach Center graduated from Fuquay Varina High School before attending Campbell University. He began his teaching career at Fuquay Varina High School in 1977, just 2 years after the new Fuquay Varina High School was built at Bengal Boulevard, which we are celebrating in our 50th anniversary this year. Coach Center taught over 5,000 students in his 41 years at Fuquay Varina High School. He also coached several sports teams while at Fuquay. Legendary head football coach Graham

008Myrick said, "A scouting report by Milton Center was worth more than any amount of video footage, and that he was one of the best game planners he ever had at football. But, while Coach Center was involved in several other sports teams, it was baseball where he put Fuquay-Varina High School on the map. Coach Center's legacy is the hallmark of longevity, consistency, and excellence. He coached baseball at Fuquay-Varina High School long enough to have developed and mentored over 600 players, and coached several generations of Bengals that included his two sons and grandson. Coach Center built our Fuquay-Varina High School baseball program into the powerhouse that it is today. He oversaw the growth, development, and consistency of a program from its 2A classification and up to 4A. During his tenure, our high school baseball program achieved 14

009conference championships, 28 state playoff appearances, made the Eastern Region final seven times, winning it six times. The team made state championship finals appearances six times, and won three state championships. He had 73 baseball players go on to play at the collegiate level, and six be drafted professionally. He accumulated a career record of 645 wins. He earned conference coach of the year nine times, served as the Fuquay-Varina High School American Legion Post 116 for 12 years, served as a clinician with the North Carolina Baseball Coaches Association, and was an assistant coach with the North Carolina-South Carolina Baseball Challenge in 2005. As the Fuquay-Varina High School continues to celebrate our 50th year at Bengal Boulevard, we know our school's legacy and our community's legacy was shaped by Milton Center. As the proud principal of the Fuquay-Varina High

010School, I confirm that our request this evening meets the requirements of the Wake County Public School System Board Policy 9300 for naming a school facility. Additionally, I would like to confirm that the Fuquay-Varina High School Athletic Boosters Club will work in tandem with the Wake County Public School System facility staff to ensure any fiscal implications will be funded by the Booster Club from private donations. At this time, we are requesting the board's approval to name our baseball field Milton Center Field. Kind of has a neat ring to it, doesn't it? After a legacy individual, Fuquay-Varina High School alum, teacher, and coach Milton Center. Thank you for your consideration of our proposal and for all that you do on behalf of our public schools. Thank you. >> Thank you. So, I'm saying this while I'm looking

011at Dr. Joe, but is there a motion to approve the naming of the Fuquay-Varina High School baseball field to the Milton Center Field? >> I move to rename the Fuquay-Varina High the Fuquay-Varina High School field to the Milton Center Field and to recognize the incredible contributions of Coach Center through the years. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> All right, the motion has been moved and properly seconded. Um the voting has already been tapped. Well, it's popped up. We'll record our votes. Dr. Joe, are you Is your voting in the affirmative? Yes, I? >> Okay. Just some All right. So, congratulations. The motion passes uh unanimously. So, congratulations coach and thanks for all that you do. Would you like to say a couple of words, coach? Coach, would you like to say a couple

012of words and we'll grab a photo if you would like to say something. >> to say anything? >> Sorry to put you on the spot, coach. >> Well, um to the board and to the principal James and all the people who had anything to do with this. They know this isn't me. Uh I'm more about kids and enjoyed what I did and the field and the teams and and those people that supported me, my wife, of course, and my son, and family. Uh but uh I'm very humbled. Uh really much more than you can imagine. So, I just say thank you. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. I believe Dr. Thompson wanted to make sure there was a photo. >> Thank you very much. >> The only detail I think you missed today was

013how many miles of grass you cut. >> Are you writing that? >> Thank you. All right. So, we'll move to our next information item as a proclamation National Athletic Training Month Proclamation. So, welcome to Darren Co. >> Good evening, members of the board, Chair Swanson, Vice Chair Hershey, and Superintendent Taylor. In recognition of National Athletic Training Month this March, the district highlights the essential contributions of certified athletic trainers who support the safety, health, and performance of our student athletes. Athletic training is a demanding health care profession requiring advanced certification, national certification, state licensure, and ongoing professional development. Athletic trainers provide preventative care, emergency response, clinical evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation in collaboration with physicians daily. Wake County currently employs 41 certified athletic trainers serving our 26 high schools across the district with athletics. Delivering comprehensive medical

014support to more than 21,000 student athletes. Their presence inside the classroom and at practices, competitions, skill development sessions, and school events ensures consistent best practice care. Often working behind the scenes, these professionals play a vital role in injury prevention, safe participation, and overall well-being of students to include social, emotional, and mental health of each athlete encountered. In alignment with this year's national theme, care you can count on, Wake County Public Schools Athletics requests the approval of the 2026 National Athletic Training Month Proclamation to honor its appreciation to all Wake County athletic trainers for their dedication, expertise, compassion, and unwavering commitment to student safety and success. At this time, Chair Swanson, would you like to read the proclamation or I shall for you? >> If you would not mind reading it for me cuz I have

015so many tabs open, it'll take me a while to get to it. >> Absolutely. >> Thank you, coach. >> Whereas, each year in March, the the nation observes National Athletic Training Month to recognize the vital contributions of certified athletic trainers who safeguard the health, safety, and well-being of athletes at all levels. And whereas, Wake County Schools views athletic training as a highly specialized health care profession requiring advanced certification, education, and deep commitment ongoing professional learning. And whereas, certified athletic trainers provide care you can count on offering preventative services, emergency response, clinical evaluation and diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions. And whereas, athletic trainers serve as trusted caregivers who support student athletes physically, mentally, and emotionally. Often working behind the scenes at practices, competitions, conditioning sessions, and community events. And whereas, their expertise

016and dedication contribute significantly to injury prevention, safe participation, student success, and the overall athletic experience both inside and outside the classroom. And whereas, in Wake County, 41 certified athletic trainers proudly serve our 26 high schools providing comprehensive medical care to more than 21,000 student athletes across our district. And whereas, the Wake County Public School System deeply values the essential role athletic trainers play in creating safe environments, building positive relationships, and supporting the health and achievement of our students. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Wake County Board of Education hereby proclaims March 2026 as National Athletic Training Month in the Wake County Public School System and encourages all students, staff, families, and community members to join in expressing appreciation for the dedication, compassion, and expertise of our certified athletic trainers. Be it further resolved that

017we extend our heartfelt gratitude to these professionals for their exceptional care that they provide and for their unwavering commitment to the well-being and success of our student athletes. In witness whereof, this proclamation is adopted by the Wake County Schools Board of Education on this 17th day of March 2026. >> Thank you. Is there motion uh to approve the National Athletic Training Month Proclamation? Vice Chair. >> Uh motion to approve the proclamation. >> Is there a second? >> Second. So, the motion's been moved by the Vice Chair, seconded by Ms. Edmonds. Any discussion? Vice Chair Hershey. >> Thank you for being here. Uh I just want to say, you know, from the perspective of an athlete, a coach, and an official that there we don't have sports without athletic trainers. And they put up with so

018much because they're doing it in the heat of battle and in the heat of competition, whatever the sport is, intense athletes, parents, everything, and they're such professionals, and they're always putting our students' health first. And they are so underappreciated that I'm I'm really thankful we're doing this. Um and I want them to know that collectively as a as a board, as a school system, you know, we are so appreciative. It's how we have our great sports in Wake County Public Schools. >> Thank you. So, I believe the voting has up Ms. Edmonds. >> Sorry, Chair. Um my voting box popped up and then went away. >> That's what Yes, I was getting ready to like that to where we're on the same page. Ms. Ed- um Ms. Allen, is there Okay. Perfect. So, the voting

019is going to restart. All right. So, the proclamation passes unanimously. >> Thank you. All right. So, we will now turn to our next information item, um which will be the preview of the superintendent's proposed budget for the 26-28 operation operating school year. And just to clarify, this is just the budget has not been released yet. This is just a preview of what to expect at the next upcoming board meeting. So, I just want to clarify that. So, welcome Mr. Neider. >> Thank you, and uh good evening, Chair Swanson, members of the board, and Superintendent Taylor. Um and yes, tonight we're just going to share with you a glimpse into what we do know will be included within the superintendent's proposed um proposed budget. The proposed budget is still in the process being finalized, but we

020are now in position to bring it to you at your next board meeting. I believe that's on April 7th. And it too will be presented as an information item. Um and I'll go through at the end of my presentation today what that timeline looks like from April 7th through the time that the board is required to approve their proposed budget. Um So, tonight like to just share some highlights of what will be included in the proposed budget and they're just highlights or glimpses. Um share with you the landscape leading up to the development of the budget. Share with you what we currently are aware of as far as concerns or potential risks. And um give you an update about federal funding and as I said, um review the timeline. So, I've been doing this almost

02120 years now. And so, I've been through a lot of cycles including through the Great Recession and through the years the early years of the pandemic. And this is perhaps the most challenging cycle I've been through so far. And a lot of it has to do with uncertainty. We had a lot of uncertainty about our federal funding and that makes up almost 10% of our budget. Um there's still uncertainty about the state funding. We don't have a state budget. I'll speak to that in a couple slides. Um and that challenges our capacity to forecast certain cost increases. Um there's a changing landscape even in the potential for local funding in that capacity. And I believe that your joint board's meeting tomorrow night, you'll hear a presentation from the county on that. Um and we have

022lower carryover amounts and lower unassigned fund balance amounts um to use towards the budget. So, again um challenging budget preview tonight, formal presentation in a couple weeks. So, what's in the superintendent's proposed budget? It will have um funding requests for operating costs to open one new elementary school. Hilltop need more. Um, projections for student counts continue to show the trend of the ratio of charter school students to total Wake County students is increasing. So, there's a request for additional local funding to pass through. It comes from the county, it comes to the Board of Education, but then it goes back out to the charter schools. And just as a reminder, for every local dollar of county appropriation that comes in, I believe it's about 11%. So, 11 cents of every dollar comes goes right back

023out the door to the charter schools. Um, another request that will be in the proposed budget, um, increasing funding to support the payment of a salary differential to our teachers with a master's degree. That's something the board many years ago approved, but as our current master's degree teachers who were held harmless by the state when they changed that legislation, they're still getting that differential through the state, but they're retiring. And as we hire new teachers who happen to have a master's degree, it's no longer provided by the state, so we have to have local funding for it. And if the state makes no changes to its current structure, at some point in the future, if the board continues to have teachers with this supplemental or differential compensation, 100% of our teachers would require local funding

024if they had a master's degree to receive that differential. Um, there's funding needed in the budget to maintain the existing dental insurance program, not proposing changes to the program, but we require additional funding to maintain it. Um there are estimated increases for the cost of health insurance the employer portion of health insurance premiums and the employer portion of our contributions to the state retirement system. Those are one of the things that we are having to look backwards on and estimate what those would be in a normal situation with a state budget and it would have been a biennial budget, we would have what those rate increases were. Now they're just a projection. Um we have contracts for leases and other things, multi-year leases that have escalation rates that will require additional funding. Our insurance premiums

025will continue to rise as we add additional property. We're opening a new schools, that's additional property that has to be covered and just in general, as everyone I believe is aware, insurance rates nationally, actually internationally, are increasing. Um and then we have a magnet grant that's ending. In order to continue those magnet programs at those schools, it will require local funding. That's what's in the budget. What's not in the budget? There's no funding for any new programs. There's no funding requests for prior year multi-year initiatives. There's no funding requested for expansion of existing programs. And there is no funding being requested for expansion of any existing support structures. The budget the superintendent's proposed budget will include an increase in county appropriation in the $25 million range. And again, we're still working through the final details

026of that. The additional local funding that is required by all of our needs is far in excess of that $25 million. Meaning if we're only requesting $25 million, we need more. There going to be budget reductions included in the proposed budget as well. And again you'll see those details in a couple weeks. Some of what that $25 million uh ish number is based on is what is projected to be the county's capacity to fund. In order to fund Wake County more, the county has to take in more revenue. Their two primary sources of revenue are property tax and sales tax. Property tax, I believe, makes up about 75% of it, so the lion's share. And again, I think you'll hear in tomorrow night's presentation that their estimates are being lowered for what their revenue projections

027are for next year. And just to give you a sense of what this coming year's budget is compared to, let's say, recent years the superintendent's proposed budget will include an increase request of about $25 million. If we look back over the last 4 years, including this year, the average increase in county appropriation was $49.7 million. So, you see a stark difference. And I believe staff and the board had challenging times trying to balance a budget with a $50 million increase. So, I think we're going to have challenges this time around, too. But, the good news, for now, it appears that the uncertainty surrounding federal funding for next year, we believe has gone away. And our understanding, again, I'm going to keep qualifying it based upon what we know now, is that our funding should be

028stable, our federal funding. We do, however, have lower carryover amounts. We're allowed to carryover most federal funds as long as the grant's not ending. And our total revenues for any given year are what we carryover from the prior year plus the amount received in that year. If the carryover amount is going down, when we add that to what we get in the next year, even though that's the same as the prior year, the total available amount is going down. And so, that means expenditures must be reduced. And it when you reduce expenditures, something must be given up or you do less of it. Special education, one of the budget pressures we're facing next year as we come into it is within special education services. With rising student needs and rising service costs continue to grow

029faster than funding is available. So, again, details about how we're going to close those gaps will be presented beginning in 2 weeks when we present the formal budget. State funding, I think everyone knows, North Carolina is the only state in the nation without budget for the current year. And again, as I've shared earlier, that challenges some of the projections we need to do to forecast expenses, and the health benefits and the retired benefits are good example. Normally, we would have legislation speaking to that second biennial year with what the rate increases would be. Um there's apparent disagreement over how to address the current state income tax structure. We don't know if that will be discussed in the short session or not, but it's my understanding that's one of the primary reasons we don't have a

030state budget. So, this next graph you've seen, I think, in a recent finance committee presentation, but I think it's appropriate to share it again with you this evening. And it's it's put together by the um Office of State Budget and Management, and it basically outlines a looming challenge. And if you look, I'll I'll describe the graph to you. That orange line, our total is represents the estimated total state revenues, and it's in billions. And this graph starts with fiscal year 25, and it runs out through 2034. The blue line is the cost of providing current levels of services to the state citizens, and communities. And you see currently that orange line or revenues is greater than or over the blue line expenditures. That creates a little surplus. But when those lines cross and the orange

031line dips below the blue line, and that's showing is happening somewhere between fiscal year '26, which is in the year we're in right now, that ends in June, and next year, June of '27, that means revenues are under expenditures. Unlike the federal government, which can print money or basically issue debt, the state cannot do that. None of the states can. Um so, one or two things will have to happen when that happens. And one is reduction in services. Another option, increase taxes or some combination thereof. And I I would say putting it simply, the genesis of this was a desire to change the tax structure and had good basis, and it has done some good things for the state. Um but it basically says when state total revenues reach a certain threshold, income taxes uh

032corporate and personal will drop to certain points. And conceptually that makes sense, but what was not factored in or put into the legislation was other things change along the same time. Inflation changes things, and population increases require additional amounts of fiscal resources to provide the same level of service to more citizens. So, I think we're going to have to wait and see on this one, but it's got I think big implications, especially considering the majority of our budget comes from state funding. >> So, Mr. Neider, before you move forward, I think it's important just to highlight this a little bit more, and could you just put it in layman's terms for for those what concerns this this particular slide shows and why we should be concerned as a whole, not just Wake County Public Schools,

033but all of us here in the state of North Carolina with this one. >> Yeah, um I'll I'll start with the school, but then expand it, but the state's capacity to provide all the services that it does and the infrastructure that it does, the road systems, the bridges, um support for a medical infrastructure, transportation, public schools, community colleges, um the university system. Those are all largely supported through state revenues and state funding, but if nothing changes in the tax structure that's in place now, the forecasts are such that there will not be enough state revenue to continue to provide all those services. So, if that were the case, the state would be placed into the decision-making mode of either raising taxes or if they're hesitant or reluctant to do that, budget cuts. And budget cuts

034perhaps, I'm not saying quantifiably, but budget cuts similar to what we experienced during the Great Recession. The revenues weren't there. You can't print money. You can't go into debt. Budget cuts were pushed out to universities. They were pushed out to public education. And there were repercussions as a result of it in the services we are able to were able to provide. And to some degree in certain areas, we're still digging out of that hole from over 10 years ago. >> As Mr. Chair, I just want to add one additional thing that when we look at the state budget, we see that K-16 education is a substantial part of that budget. And so at any point that the state would have to consider budget reductions because there's not enough revenue. I've never seen that happen where

035it didn't impact the large part of the budget, which is K-16 education. So it becomes almost impossible to make those kind of reductions without impacting education. >> Did that help, Mr. Swanson? Okay, thank you. So and this is a a recent study. You know, North Carolina has consistently for many years ranked towards the bottom of public school funding. And now it has the dubious honor of not just not having a budget, but also ranking 50th out of 50 states. Um And in terms of per pupil spending, North Carolina spends about $6,000 per student less than the national average. Just to give a some context. And just for some additional context, and I'm the first to say money does not solve all problems. $6,000 a kid times 160,000 kids is about $960,000,000. Some other pressure points

036that we have looking into next year, and this is the good news challenging news. Our staff vacancy rates continue to drop. We've made some significant improvements in our capacity to recruit. Um we are obviously retaining better as well. So, that's the good news, and I think the fact that over the past 6 years we've been able to get our compensation levels to be more competitive both with other districts and in some degree to some degree with the private sector, but that puts fiscal pressures on. We don't have vacant positions that lapse salaries at this point. That used to be a source of savings. Funds that carry over have been used in recent years to smooth through funding gaps, including the fiscal transition when the pandemic era funds were were um stopped. So, that's creating some

037challenges. And then another one, and I believe we mentioned this to you um during your December retreat, the unassigned fund balance reserves um are declining. And this is a graph that shows them. And there two lines on here. The orange line is the total unassigned fund balance. And again, just as a reminder, unassigned fund balance is just one component of the overall fund balance, and it's the component that the board can use to manage through emergencies by appropriating it. And it can also be used to balance a subsequent year's operating budget. Traditionally and historically, the district has used it to balance a subsequent year's budget, but when there's less there, there's less that can be used. And board policy 8101, I believe, directs the board not to invest any more than 50% of that unassigned

038balance in a subsequent year's budget. So, when that subsequent year's budget has less in total than the prior year, there's less to invest, and there's a revenue gap there as well. Also, on our landscape, child nutrition, and I think we'll have a lot of discussion about this as the board works through this aspect of the budget. And I believe at a recent, I think it was a policy committee meeting, suggestion was made to do that concurrent with the budget discussion, but perhaps separate from the actual overall budget. But, again, without revenue changes, the CNS operation is just teetering on not running a balanced budget. An enterprise fund needs to have revenues equal to expenditures. And if it is running at a deficit, the school must use other sources of funds to balance it. We can't

039use federal funds for that. We can't use other state funds. So, we would have to use local operating budget funds. And so, again, how did we get here? A lot of different things, but recent meal prices over the last few years, the board has approved increases, but those increases have not fully covered the cost increases. And again, there are two drivers, primary drivers, for child nutrition operations for as cost, food cost, labor cost. Those are going up. The good news is the labor costs are going up because we're able to pay our employees more through adjustments to their salary structure, and we have fewer vacancies. Um but when and if we get to the point where we're required to use local operating dollars to support the child nutrition system, something else will need to be

040cut that is currently paid out of the operating budget, and I believe those will be very difficult decisions. Um and you will see, I believe in talking with Mr. Strickland, and I think this normally happens in the spring, another request to increase meal prices. Um the last thing on the landscape looking forward, and this was there before early March, but now it's got a exclamation point stuck on it, is inflation. Um we know that the country has taken steps to enter into a war in the Middle East, and we know if you've filled up your car with gas, the price has gone up. Um and prices were creeping up before the decision was made to enter into uh a war-like situation, but since over the last 6 months, oil prices are up 60%. They were

041up over $100 barrel last week. I think they came down to mid-90s. I haven't looked this week. Um but they're up, and every forecast I've read has them staying up and then depending on what happens in the Middle East, sliding down gradually through the rest of this calendar year and next, but that's all forecast based on a conclusion of the current engagement in a very short order, which may or may not happen. Um and I think it's important for everyone to realize that when oil prices go up, that doesn't just drive up the cost of purchasing diesel fuel for our yellow bus fleet. It drives a whole slew of other things up. Oil is used in a phenomenal amount of different products that are manufactured. And about 80% of the school's budget is for people.

042The other 20% is for stuff. Purchased goods or contracted services are provided to generic drivers. And the purchaser or the purchased products or supplies, those prices will go up with the increase in oil. And the contracted services, whatever services are being provided, the cost of those providers are going up from that oil inflation. And they, to stay in business, will need to increase what they charge us. So, it This has the potential to really provide some significant buying power erosion above and beyond just normal inflation. And when costs go up and revenues remain flat, something has to be given up. So, to the timeline now. Again, 2 weeks from tonight, we'll share the details and the formal uh superintendent's proposed budget. Then on April 8th, there'll be a community input session at Holly Grove Middle

043School. And then a week later on April 15th, there'll be a community input session at Wakefield Middle School. And then at the board's April 21st board meeting here in Crossroads 1, there'll be a formal public hearing on the budget where community members can come in and provide the board and staff input and feedback. And then in both budget work sessions, whether it happen in the work session, the finance committee meeting, or both, will take place between the time we present the budget and when the board is ready to pass a budget, a proposed budget I should say. And Mr. Swanson, I'll speak with you and the superintendent and the chair of the finance committee to coordinate that process and procedure. And then we'll target May 5th, which is a board meeting, for the board to

044approve a proposed budget. But if for some reason the board is not able to is not ready to do it then, there may be a need for a special meeting or an additional work session, knowing that the target has to be to get the proposed budget, the board's proposed budget, to the county commissioners no later than May 15th. And again, as we've done in years past, board members will have the opportunity, as they've seen the budget and heard about it, and dive into it, to ask whatever questions they have about it. And staff will respond to those questions. We will present responses to the board in your budget work sessions. And as we have in the past, the budget documents as well as all the board questions and staff responses will be posted publicly to

045the website. Um and that'll happen throughout the discussion. And with that, this was intended as a information item, but if there are any questions. So, thank Mr. >> Nader. I do want to again thank Mr. Nader and his staff for preparing this presentation. And as always, our goal will be to submit to the commissioners what we believe is an appropriate ask based on what we know their ability to give is. I would also remind the board that when you develop your budget, which actually goes to the commissioners, any kind of changes that we may need to make based on the revenue that they give us. Their budget is usually not finalized until the first week in June. And so, that means that even when you send your request as the board, there still will be

046some additional time before they approve their budget and what we know the impact of what the state will be. So, there are some things that will occur in the state budget that can impact the local budget. But ultimately, when they give us a number, we know that's what we have to work within with the local budget. And so, with that, I will entertain any questions. >> Thank you. I see a couple, so we'll start with the vice chair and then Ms. Edmonds. >> Thank you. Um You might know what question I'm going to ask, but before I ask the question, I just want to emphasize when you were talking about the Great Recession and the comparison today, the difference is that was external factors impacting country in the world that our state and federal governments

047well, our state government had no control over. Today is 100% a choice. North Carolina is flush with money. I was there is a ton of money in the state. We are top two or three in business all the time. We have We see about high-paying jobs coming in here. It's a choice to underfund public education and other services in the state. I was talking with one of my very close friends who works in Fairfax County and he met literally said, "They're flush with money up there." Because they made the choice to properly invest in education, public school education. Um So, and and same goes for the federal government. We are spending billions every day on a war, we have endless money to drop bombs, and we are told we don't have enough money for services

048that impact us as citizens of this country. Residents of this country. My question is and because we are going to get questions in a tight budget about central services. When is our organizational study coming with this budget? >> Great question, Mr. Hershey, and that study is well underway. In fact, it's on coming towards its conclusion. I don't have an explicit date to give you, but it's our anticipation that we will receive the organizational study report during this budget development process, not at the outset. We won't have it by April 7th. >> Follow up? >> And And so, Mr. Hershey, I know that one of the things that you had stressed is being able to have that before the bud- the board submits his budget. Uh and that is the timeline that we do anticipate that

049the the study will be done before the board is asked to approve its budget. >> Ms. Adams. >> Thank you, Chair. Um Mr. Neeter or whoever's controlling the the screen, can you go back to slide 12, please? Because I want to expand on um Vice Chair Hershey's comment about um the state situation being that of a choice, and I want to provide some a few details about that. So, the there have been warnings for more than a year that North Carolina was headed off a fiscal cliff. And the media has not covered it that much. There's a story here and there, and there's you know, lots coming at us at once, but this is well reported and well documented by the Office of State Budget and Management. That is a non-partisan professional group within the

050legislature, and they have issued warnings to this General Assembly about this fiscal cliff. It is very serious. It is a four-alarm fire, and the public needs to be aware of it. Governor Stein mentioned it prior to his release of his budget. It was early in the year um when he gave an economic update of sorts. He talked about this fiscal cliff. And I want to talk about some of the specifics that caused these lines to look this way. This is a decision to completely erode the tax structure, personal income taxes, and corporate income income taxes in the state of North Carolina. The corporate income tax rate is now in law to to completely go to zero by 2030. In the last within the last decade, I don't know if it was 2017 or 2019, the

051corporate tax rate in North Carolina was 6.9%. It they have eroded it with every budget cycle at the state level. Today it's at 2.0% and by 2030 it will be 0%. That means that corporations in this state will no longer contribute a dime to health and human services, infrastructure, public public goods and services including public schools. It is also a result of investment of more than hundreds of millions of dollars per year into private school vouchers. All of that is what we are looking at on slide 12. So the public needs to be aware of it and as we go through these impossible budget decisions that we're going to have to make, this needs to be understood that this is what is lying beneath. And by the way, the Wake County government, who we will

052be working with, our Board of Commissioners, they will be impacted by this state fiscal cliff, too. Thank you. >> Any other comments or questions? All right, well, thank you, Mr. Neider. We look forward to the difficult task that's ahead of us. Um >> Thank you. >> We will now move to our public comments. Um Students will be heard first followed by speakers commenting on tonight's agenda and those speakers commenting on other topics. Only the person speaking at the podium will be able to stand. Again, all attendees that are that are not speaking are to remain seated. Concerns related to personnel issues or student matters may be addressed through the applicable WCPSS personnel and grievance policies or other applicable policies. The board welcomes all points of views including criticisms directed at substantive ideas, actions, or procedures.

053However, the board public comment policy also requires that order and decorum must 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 and insults directed at the board, individual board members, staff, or members of the general public. All commenters are asked to remember that children are often attending these meetings and to keep their comments substantive and civil. Please remain at the podium during your time of during your speaking time and any materials that you wish to share with the board can be handed to our board attorney, Mr. Malone, either before or after your comments. During public comment, you may speak up to 3 minutes. Please note that the microphones are adjustable. When when you begin the green

054light at the podium will illuminate showing that the 3 minutes has begun. A yellow light will light up with an audible tone when there are 30 seconds remaining in your time. When your speaking time is up, you will see a red light and hear another audible tone. When your time is up, the next speaker will be called to the podium and speakers are asked to respect the time limit and speak for no more than 3 minutes. You will also see speakers list that should be displayed um I believe. And that's how we will determine the order of the speakers. So, um please review where you are and I will ask that you just repeat your name um as you come forward and we will start with our students who are not with our students. Um

055so, we'll start with Arlo Rowe who will be speaking on the arts. >> Um, my name is Arlo Rowe. I'm a senior at Apex High School. Good evening to all of you guys. It's a huge honor to be able to speak to you. I wanted to talk today about the importance of arts education and exactly why we need to keep it stable and keep it protected. My entire life has been filled with incredible arts education educ- sorry, educators and and programs. And I believe that I couldn't be the the successful confident communicative student that I am today without that guiding light. I'm primarily a visual artist and my high school experience has been especially valuable in my artistic journey. Since freshman year, I've had four teachers. We now have two at our school. Um, which

056is a halfway drop. Um, and each of them have helped me to tackle my biggest issues in adolescence. Um, communication is one of the key components in the arts and I feel sustained knowing that my work allows me to speak to how I see the world and how my peers feel about the arts as well. Um, I'm a member of the Wake County Student Arts Advisory Board um, and I'm very honored to be here to share my experience with my peers. Um, and I'm asking for you to share with our principals exactly how valuable our arts programs are. Um, we have a state graduation requirement for our arts courses right now and we need more offerings um, at each and every one of our schools to fulfill that diploma requirement. Funding the arts is a

057choice um, and we ask you to encourage our principals and use your leadership um, to fulfill that choice. Um, supporting the mental health, attendance, and communication opportunities for young people is also a choice that needs to be honored. I'm grateful to each and every one of you, and I look forward to seeing how you support and choose to out loud speak for the arts. >> Thank you. Our next speaker our next student speaker. >> Uh, good evening uh, Superintendent Taylor, um, Chair Swanson, Vice Chair Hershey, and members of the board. My name is Rejoy Rajesh, a sophomore attending Enloe High School. Some of you might know me through my um, NC Youth Advocacy Council, where I've gotten the opportunity to collaborate with members of this board for student-led initiatives. I was fortunate enough to work

058with peers across the state and work with legislators to make a real impact in our community. Tonight though, I stand before you to represent our school's speech and debate club. This school year our speech and debate club has complete competed in numerous tournaments both in the local and national level. Personally, speech and debate has instilled in me skills that are unique, building what we do in our classrooms. In fact, a big part reason for why I'm here today is because of debate. Debate has taught me to think critically and advocate for myself, allowing me to step outside of my comfort zone. Now, Enloe has won various awards and trophies to show off our um, success, but we haven't we've been competing in an uneven playing field. Uh, other private schools speech and debate is often

059an elective coached by professional coaches. Here at Enloe, it's only an after school club that meets every week. Upperclassmen are often that the ones that teach other students that are interested in the club. A private coach is simply too inexp- expensive, so in essence we help each other out. We aren't here today to ask for funding or budget. Instead, we hope to start projects that connect teachers and district educators with the budget that we have in sharing their expertise. So, for example, this could simply look like an English teacher helping us write a speech or social studies teacher helping us with research. Now, it doesn't have to be a huge time commitment, just 15 minutes out of their day would go a long way in helping like our debate students learn about get feedback on

060their cases and practice their skills. Now, I also want to highlight some of the programs that our organization has also taken. We have started the middle school coaching program working with students at Martin and Carnage Magnet Middle Schools. Volunteering as one of the coaches, I saw firsthand the passion that students were able to nurture. As we progress through our sessions, the students became more confident and actively engaged in discussions with their peers. Now, one of the greatest barriers we face today is how late people become exposed to speech and debate. So, when they come into high school, they're often at a disadvantage because they didn't have that opportunity in middle school. Um so, an easy way to fix this or by giving more exposure is through establishing a local middle school circuit or a league.

061This way, cost and transportation would be much less of a hassle, and debate would be more accessible. Instead of just learning about debate, they could actively debate other students in other schools and get exposure to what competition really looks like. And providing them with a structured, safe environment for students to take risk and learn from failures empowers them to become more successful. Now, with your help by establishing a middle school league and using educators to help with coaching, we can empower the next generation of leaders. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Sophie Abbott. >> Good evening, members of the Wake County School Board. My name is Sophie Abbott, and I'm from I'm senior at Heritage High School here in Wake County. And I'm here tonight to speak in support of allowing cycling

062clubs in our schools. I first joined a cycling club when I was in middle school and at the time I simply just loved riding my bike. But over the years cycling became much more than that. It became a place where I learned discipline, leadership, resilience, and confidence. Through organizations like the National Interscholastic Cycling Association or NICA, thousands of students across the country are discovering those same benefits. In fact, NICA now supports over 30,000 student athletes across 30 states. And it continues to grow every year. Programs like these are built not only around competition, but around community, character development, and inclusion. One program in particular that has impacted me is GRIT, which stands for Girls Riding Together. GRIT was created to encourage more girls to participate in cycling and build confidence in a sport that has

063historically been male-dominated. Through GRIT, I've had the opportunity to mentor younger riders and watch them grow in confidence both on and off the bike. Despite these opportunities outside of school, when I entered high school I discovered there was no pathway to bring cycling into my school community. During my freshman year I worked with a faculty member to try to start a club at my high school and unfortunately we were denied. But instead of giving up, I continued advocating for this opportunity. In 2024 I returned here with my teammate Wilton to present risk management research to the school board showing that cycling programs can operate safely and responsibly without with the right structures in place. Now we are closer than ever to making this opportunity possible. Students across Wake County are excited about riding bikes, building

064friendships, and gaining confidence through the sport. By approving the insurance that allows cycling clubs in Wake County schools, you are opening the door for students to participate in a positive and active community. While I may be graduating soon, I hope that the efforts of so many riders, families, and advocates will not be wasted, but instead will pave the way for future students to experience the same opportunities that have shaped my life. Cycling has taught me grit, the ability to keep going when things get hard, to push up steep climbs, and to keep moving forward even when the trail gets rough. I hope Wake County schools can give that same opportunity to students who come after me. Thank you for your time and for considering the future of cycling in our schools. >> THANK YOU. >>

065ALL RIGHT. >> HI. MY NAME IS AARON BRASWELL, AND I GO TO Abbotts Creek Elementary School. I'm in the Abbotts Creek Cycling Club, and one of my favorite pastimes is riding my bike. It's so much fun. In our club, we had a good time learning how to repair and fix a bike. Bike club was one of the most fun activities at ACES for me and my friends. Our bike club wanted to host a bike rodeo for the whole school, but we weren't granted permission to do it because of insurance. I would be appreciative if you at least consider allowing bike riding at school. Thank you. >> THANK YOU. >> HI. MY NAME IS LILY KHAN, AND I'm a 16-year-old and an 11th grader at Garner Magnet High School. I'm a Wake County Arts Ambassador, and

066I am here to speak on the importance of arts education. This is a topic that I could speak about for days on end, but since I can only speak for 2 and 1/2 minutes, I will try to keep it short. I won't be the same I well, I wouldn't be the same if it weren't for arts education. I'll be honest, I was incredibly scared to start high school. My middle school experience was difficult largely because I never found a true community or support system of like-minded peers. I was coming into high school alone, and that's what scared me the most. I had no idea that the fall play would change that so fast. On a whim, after watching High School Musical, I decided to audition for my very first theater show. I remember walking into

067the auditorium terrified. What if I couldn't make friends? What if they immediately rejected me? What if this is the start of a lonely year? Those thoughts were immediately interrupted by welcoming voices. I met so many new people that day and it was the most welcomed I had felt in a long time. I never knew an art could give such a community. I ended up being cast, but more importantly, I found the community I had been waiting for since elementary school. Since then, I've been involved in every single production and event our theater department has offered. I'm not the same person I was 2 years ago. The arts gave me a platform, a purpose, and a sense of belonging that no other subject could. The arts change lives. And I know I'm not the only one

068that has experience has had an experience like this. I see it every day in my peers, whether it's through bands, orchestra, dance, or chorus. These programs turn schools into communities. This experience is not only possible because of Wake County arts education. This experience is only possible because of Wake County arts education, sorry. I want to thank you for supporting the educators and programs that changed my life. I urge you to continue prioritizing the arts so that every student in Wake County has their chance to find their welcoming voices, just like I did. >> THANK YOU. >> GOOD EVENING, FOLKS. >> GOOD EVENING. >> MY NAME IS AIDEN BARAJAS. I'm a 17-year-old and I also attend Garner Magnet High School. I'm here to speak on the importance of the arts of myself and my peers. Recently,

069I was very lucky to be casted in a musical and I have had the time of my life. I really wish you all could have seen it, but you know, I'll invite you next time, I swear. Now, doing this musical, I have met some incredible people. Truthfully, I can't describe them to you. You just got to meet them. Um and I think that goes to show that the community that arts builds is important. I know that me personally, I've had a very very tough year. And without theater and without the arts, I would be discouraged to go to school. You know? So I think it's important that we continue our arts programs as they encourage attendance, they encourage community, they give people an opportunity to make friends. I Now of course, I know everything you

070guys do. And I really appreciate that you support the arts as much as you can. Now, I'm up here to advocate that you support the arts more. And well, that's what I'm trying to do. So, I appreciate y'all and I just want you to know that. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Um Good morning, members of the Wake County Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Taylor. Thank you for proclaiming March as Arts in Our Schools Education Month. My name is Savitha Robbie and I'm a student at Green Hope High School in Cary. I'm a violinist in the Green Hope Orchestra and a board member of the WCPSS Arts Student Advisory, as well as a member of Tri-M Music Honor Society. It's an honor to speak with you tonight about the impact that arts education has

071had on my life, on students across our district, and on the community we're building in our schools. The arts have always been a core part of who I am. And while I tried different creative outlets, such as painting or drawing, I eventually realized that music was where I felt most at home. I started playing the violin around the age of 11, but because my middle school didn't have an orchestra program, I didn't have many opportunities to play with other students or experience what it was like to be part of an ensemble. At the time, I was learning and growing, but I was also missing the sense of collaboration and community that comes from making music in a school setting. That changed in eighth grade when I heard about the Green Hope High School Orchestra Mini

072Camp. For a week, high school musicians volunteered their time to help middle schoolers grow as players and performers. Being part of the program showed me what I had been missing by not having an orchestra at my own school. It wasn't just about learning notes. It was about being part of a community and having a place to belong. The high school mentors helped me gain confidence, not just in my playing, but in myself and performing with them in their spring concert made me realize how powerful arts education can be when supported and accessible. This experience is mainly what pushed me to continue with orchestra in high school, because it showed me what strong school arts program can do for its students. Once I got to Green Hope, I finally had a chance to be part of

073this kind of community every single day. Being in orchestra has given me a place to grow, to take risks, and to find my voice. It's where I've learned to work with others, to lead, and to express myself. And I see the same thing happening to so many students around me. Arts classes gives us space where we feel supported, challenged, and connected. The arts programs in our public schools are the very reason many students like me often choose public education over other options. We know there's no competition with our public schools' arts programs. As this is Arts in Our Schools month, I want to thank thank you for continuing to support a well-rounded arts education and strong arts programs. Your commitment makes it possible for students like me to discover who we are and feel seen

074and supported. I hope you will continue investing in arts in the future, so future students can going to the same opportunities that I had and brought me here today. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. All right. Our next student speaker. All right. Our our next two student speakers here. All right. So, now we will turn to our honored and non-students and we'll start with Miss Book. And then we'll proceed in the order that's on the screen. >> If only I could sit here and talk about arts education. Hello. My name is Susan Buck and as a special education parent in Wake County, I've seen the best and the worst you all have to offer. I personally know the impact of short-term suspensions as well as restraints on a family. I know what it's

075like for a child to be only viewed, observed, and judged based on outward behaviors. He was more than that then and he's more than that now. I'm appalled to read that special education will be impacted by budget cuts. This is especially troubling after having watched the student achievement committee meeting in late February. I'm not seeing significant progress in the data and our short-term suspension numbers are rising. The data shows the greatest impact on African American students with disabilities. We should be doing better. Do you think that cutting the special education budget will do anything to help this? You say that students' needs and rising service costs continue to outpace funding. So, what is your plan? Are you going to go down to a pre-K special ed class and tell them to knock it off? You

076all cost too much. Another thing I I see mentioned, especially this morning in an N and O article, is 1.3 million paid off in settlements for special education um lawsuits. Yet that will only continue to grow if you cut services. Settlements are paid because services, resources, and accommodations remain unmet. Right now, can you assure me that all spec ed students are being transported to school on time and arriving home on time compared to their general education peers? That's a problem and that's unacceptable. Meanwhile, I'm supposed to be reimbursed for my transportation for my own kid across town, and I haven't seen a paycheck since October. You all promised me in this very room that you would make the process more accessible and easier. That has not happened. The process and the forms are more cumbersome

077and even more and some ways they're harder. You have issues with special education. It's going to take investment to fix them. It's going to take growth mindset on your part to move away from just behaviorism and listen to multiple and and the solution is listening to multiple community voices and those with lived experiences. You don't cut the budget of your most vulnerable population and expect better results. If you really cared, show me with action and show me with funds. Fund the future of special education and you will again see the best of Wake County and not the worst. Thank you. >> Thank you, Ms. Burke. And Ms. Burke, Mr. Strickland is going to meet with you regarding the payment. Mr. Strickland is sitting over there, so he'll connect with you regarding that process. All right.

078Our next speaker >> Members of the board, Chairman Swanson, Vice Chair Hershey, Superintendent Taylor, good evening. My name is Steve Sweeney. I am a high school CCR teacher. I'm a member of NCAE, and I am the parent of a middle school ECS student. I'm here tonight to talk about the proposed budget and the um demands that NCAE has made with our special education petition. I've already shared some of my experiences with Dr. Taylor and several of the members of the board. So, I won't repeat everything I said at that point, but I want to share the most important point with the rest of the members of the board. As the parent of a child with autism and ADHD, I participate in several support groups with local families with special needs students in Wake County. In

079those spaces, I see what parents are saying about our district. And the truth is, many of them no longer trust us. They don't believe that the district has their children's best interests at heart. They don't believe that we are capable of providing the services their children need. In these forums, I constantly see parents asking for recommendations for IEP advocates or special education lawyers. I see families from out of state asking if they should relocate to Wake County, what our services are like here. And the overwhelming response to those parents is, "Don't come to Wake County if you can avoid it. Stay where you are or find somewhere else to relocate." As a teacher in the district, this is very discouraging. As a parent, it's devastating. It because it forces me to ask whether my own

080child's needs are being met. Truth is, I already know the answer. And I'm saying this not to file a complaint, but just to give you an example of what's going on and why we've lost trust with the parents. Past 3 weeks, the uh transportation vendor assigned for my son has repeatedly failed to pick him up. Sometimes we'll get a call from them in the morning saying, "Oh, we'll send the double back after 10:00." Sometimes, most of the time, we don't get any communication at all. You know, he's already on a shortened day cuz he has ABA therapy and he's not been getting if he's not getting to school till 10:30, he's losing 2 hours in an already shortened day. He's not getting his FAPE. Fortunately, my recently retired father is able to help us out

081getting him to school on time, but not all families in the district have those resources to help them out. And if they don't have those kind of resources, they're just out of luck. Their kids not going to school that day. You know, this is this is why families no longer trust us. You know, in the email that we just received, the special educators just received from Assistant Superintendent Allred is very discouraging telling us that we're going to there's going to be an $18 cut next year. 130 teachers will be cut. This is scary for me to talk to you guys. You guys hold my son's education and my potential future employment in your hands, but I'm here asking for the things that I think my son and most students like him need. The bare minimum

082that we can do, the county commission may say no, but the bare minimum we can do is ask them for the things that we know our students need. Thank you FOR YOUR TIME. >> ALL RIGHT, OUR NEXT SPEAKER. >> MS. GRANT. >> GOOD EVENING. My name is Anna Grant. I'm a pre-K IA in a blended special education and Title 1 classroom at Olson Ridge Elementary School and a proud union member. Um I I'm going to go by the script I wrote cuz I don't like to go off the cuff, but I received Dr. Allred's email just like minutes after pulling in and it does what I wrote feels inadequate uh for the moment that we're in. Um but uh when I shared Wake NCAE's petition with six priorities for improving special ed and behavior support

083with my co-workers. Every single person I spoke to eagerly signed. The response was equally enthusiastic across special ed and general ed and even included a CNS manager whose own son is a special needs student in WCPSS and who has noticed the availability of services to meet his needs sharply decline in recent years. The energy behind these recommendations is not coincidental. It's because these educators have diligently spoken to thousands of staff across a diversity of schools about what to prioritize this year, right? We go to our colleagues and we say, "We can't ask for everything. We can't fight for everything. What should be top priority? What is most urgent?" And overwhelming numbers of people said special education. So, it's just it's a gut punch to have started this campaign before we heard even about the CCK

084middle school essentials cuts, not to mention the the email that we just received about the 18 million cuts and the over 100 positions cut. So, um it's very difficult. Uh thousands of staff and community members have now signed on to these requests. I urge you to do everything in your power to prioritize them. Uh briefly on CCK, our teams work very hard to manage the transition from pre-K to kindergarten. Uh we rely on the bridge program to do that. District admin has cited that 85% of CCK students go on to general ed as if to say therefore the program is not necessary. One could as easily say that data indicates the program is working. We've been told that cutting CCK is not a fiscal decision, but we've yet to receive a satisfying answer for why

085it is being cut. Um so, we're asking to please not cut CCK or middle school essentials. Um lastly, educators know we feel every day that we are being criminally underfunded at the federal and state levels and I want to thank uh board members Edmonds and Hershey for your comments on that. Um we are also fighting for our students at the state level. NCAE always has, we always will. Recently we launched our Kids Over Corporations campaign targeting the GA and we invite you to join us in that fight by passing a resolution in support of the Kids Over Corporations demands. So the school boards have, we can talk about it later. Uh tonight, I know this is not what you want to hear, but we are asking you to uh include these recommendations in your budget

086even if it means asking the county commission for more than $25 million. We will joyfully organize at the commission for a fully funded request that includes these interventions. Educators are willing to fight for our students. Thank you. >> WE'LL NOW HEAR FROM OUR NEXT SPEAKER. >> HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS can see me over the podium. I'm kind of short. Um I agree with the previous speaker about what I have to say in these 3 minutes being inadequate, but I will do my best. Um my name is Laura Huntington. I am a pre-K instructional assistant at Carver Elementary and I am also the parent of two children who um go to school here in Wake County Public School System. Recently the Office of Early Learning told us that CCK will no longer be an option for our

087students next year. Our students will be placed either in general education classrooms or self-contained settings. I want you to understand what classrooms like mine actually look like before these decisions are finalized. This year I have 18 preschoolers and half of them have gone through the IEP process. Uh there are many examples I could give, but I'm just going to speak on one. Uh one day last fall my class was playing on the playground and there was a substitute teacher that day. A few children got very elevated and were having issues and then another student got so elevated that I had to separate him from everyone else um to try to attend to his needs. Uh he was hitting, kicking, pinching, spitting. No one could come close to him without being hurt. Anything he could get

088his hands on he destroy and I was able to get him safely into the classroom. Um but in the process, I had to leave the substitute teacher outside dealing with three other children who were elevated and 14 others, many of whom had been triggered by this child's behavior. Even once I got him inside, he was wrecking the classroom and it was breaking my heart that I couldn't, you know, alone meet his needs in that moment. I tried calling for support on the walkie, but no one was responding and no one came. I later found out that it's because they were all already dealing with other students in the school. And I remember feeling helpless and I remember thinking that if we had more behavior support in the school and we had more support in general

089that this wouldn't have had to happen. And I want to be very clear, this situation is not out of the ordinary for me, nor many, many of my co-workers across the district. These teaching and learning conditions aren't sustainable. I can't live every single day of my life like this. It just won't work. There are days I go home and I immediately go upstairs and lay down in the dark and silence. Some days I have nothing left for my own family because I'm so burnt out. And then I get up every morning and go back to a classroom full of children who deserve more than we're able to give them. There are many days I go home and cry because I feel like I'm failing my students, not just those high needs students, but all my

090students because there's just not enough support. I've seen firsthand the huge difference CCK has made for my students and I can guarantee that without them they would not have been successful. Like the previous speaker said, at a meeting with Lisa Allred and Dr. Taylor, Ms. Allred said that 85% go on to gen ed and I think that is proof that it is working and necessary. Um please do not cut programs that are essential to our students and their well-being. It is not your job to ask for what you know they will give you. It is your job and responsibility to tell the truth about about what the students under your care need. Thank you. >> Thank you. OUR NEXT SPEAKER >> UH GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS EMILY HOOKS. I'm the vice president of Wake

091NCAE and I've been a middle school math teacher in Wake County for 16 years. I'm here today because we are facing a special education crisis and the people who have the power to address it are sitting in this room. In my own 16 years as a math teacher, I had a new in-class resource teacher every year. Every August, we started over from scratch. New teacher, new relationship, new systems. They had to learn the curriculum, learn our students, learn how to work together, and then before we could even build trust, they were gone the next year. There was one year where I did have the same sped teacher for the second year in a row and it changed everything. We hit the ground running. We knew each other's strengths. We knew how to plan together. We

092trusted each other. The class ran smoother. The collaboration was stronger. And most importantly, our students benefited. When students see teachers who trust and support one another, they feel stability, too. That's what our students deserve, but the system that we have right now makes that impossible. When I talk to special special education teachers across the district, I hear the same thing over and over. They love their students. They are deeply committed to them, but they are leaving faster and faster because the workload is unsustainable. They are drowning in paperwork. They are prepping for IEP meetings when they get home to their families. They are trying to keep up with a system that is burying them under compliance tasks. The problem is not the teachers' ability to do their job. The problem is the system and giving

093them more training is not going to magically fix these issues. Right now, the district admin is basically saying, "We don't have enough gauze to stop the bleeding, so why don't we just let the patient bleed out?" Well, our special education teachers do know how to stop the bleeding. It is more staffing, it is less paperwork, smaller caseloads. This crisis affects teacher retention, it affects morale, but most importantly, it affects our students. Wake and NCAE has put forward real solutions, solutions that would stabilize departments, retain educators, and give students the consistent support they deserve. But solutions only matter if we choose to act on them. You have the choice to fix the system. You have the choice to stop the bleeding. You have heard from public school workers about how necessary it is to invest in

094special education. So, I'm going to frame a choice for you. Are you going to listen to a few out-of-touch administrators who sit on the sidelines and not ask the county commission for the funds that they actually need to stop the bleeding? Or are you going to do what's right and listen to what thousands of workers on the front lines are saying that is needed? Are you going to stand up for your 160,000 students and fulfill your duties by asking the county commission for what Wake actually needs? >> All right. We'll now hear from our next speaker. >> Good evening. My name is Raven Holcombe. I am a full-day developmental delayed pre-K teacher at Carver Elementary School. I'm here today to urge Dr. Taylor and the school board to include NCAE seven recommendations for sped and

095behavior support in their budget proposal. I am deeply concerned to hear about even more cuts for to sped. I currently have eight students in my DD pre-K classroom. Each of my students have different types of delays, learning styles, and needs. One student struggles with sensory overload. Sounds and specific words can trigger her. Lately, her trigger is animals. A few weeks ago, I was pointing to a picture of an elephant on the board and she started saying, "No elephant. No elephant." before I starting to scream. She screams when she gets excited or upset. There are days she screams or cries the entire day. But, her academics are excellent. She knows how to write her name, how to identify shapes, and even more and even read. She struggles with communication, but with the right support she can

096succeed. I know that in order for her to succeed next year in kindergarten, she needs the support offered by CCK classroom, but I have no choice but to send her to a regular Ed. ECS isn't the right fit for her because she's not lacking cognitive skills. The district admin mentioned some creative solutions to address getting rid of CCK offering one offering a one-day AU training for regular Ed kindergarten teachers and CCR support. Our CCR teachers are already overwhelmed and a one-day AU training does not make up for a trained special education teachers. Without CCK, I am worried that I'm setting her up for failure. There's no option for her to succeed and it really it really makes me upset and frustrated. I know how hard her parents work with her and I know how hard

097my classroom team works with her. When my student is given the support she needs, she's able to move through activities with no issues. She's not alone, though. I have at least four students I would recommend for CCK in a regular ed classroom. I worry these students would get lost or ignored or they or they would be sent home for or face disciplinary action because their teacher or IA can't deal with their needs on top of the needs of 14 other students. I know what I know that my students and I know what they need. I do my best to support their development with the resources we have, but our students deserve more. My students deserve kindergarten sped services that are least restrictive and also meet their needs. Thank you. >> Thank you. We'll now hear

098from our next We'll now hear from our next speaker. >> Hi, my name is Bethany Pergerson and I'm a speech therapist at Poe Elementary. I've been working in North Carolina public schools for 23 years and I'm a proud member of the North Carolina Association of Educators Wake local. I wanted to speak today in favor of NCAE's seven recommendations to address the behavior in special education crisis affecting all of our students. Last year, I entered my first semester with Wake County Public Schools with a caseload of 72 students. I spent a total of 70 hours in before and after school meetings, IEP meetings, uh in one semester. I've since received support and I have a lower caseload, but I'm haunted when I think about that semester and I worry that I wasn't able to provide my

099kids the support that they need. I know I wasn't able to because my plate was overflowing. A few weeks ago I joined my co-workers in a delegation meeting with Dr. Taylor and Lisa Allred. In that meeting, Dr. Taylor, what I heard you say is that you already know the amount of funding that the County Commission wants you to ask for, so you're not going to ask for more. I heard you say, "Quote, part of our responsibility when we make these demands is to think about how that impacts these people who are responsible for funding." And I keep coming back to this. What about the impact on the 160,000 children in this district? What message does that send to our students if we don't even ask for what they need? Honestly, it was hard to hear.

100We're already at the bottom in school funding. Our students and our staff are already being asked to do more with less every single day. Everyday I'm blown away by the amazing job that our teachers are doing with the very little that they are given. The dedication and tenacity of our staff against all odds is unbelievable. We need that same dedication and tenacity from y'all. It's the job of top district administrators to look out for the learning conditions of 160,000 students and the working conditions of 20,000 staff, not to protect the public image of seven County Commissioners. The truth is whether the County Commission will be willing to raise and allocate the funding is a political decision. Your choice to ask for what students desperately need should not be. When I When I've heard When I've

101shared back what I heard in that meeting with my co-workers, they've been confused. They've asked, "Who's going to advocate for our students if not the people whose job it is to do so?" Lisa Allred mentioned some creative solutions to deal with this bad crisis, one of which involves hiring a few staff based out of central office to support students and classrooms in our 200 schools on an as needed basis. This is not a realistic solution and some of my co-workers have laughed in utter astonishment when I've told them that this was floated as a serious suggestion. We have crises where we need someone there right now. >> Thank you. Our next speaker. >> Good evening, board members. My name is Tanille Thompson. I have been an educator in Wake County for 7 years. I worked

102in general ed and in CCK. Right now, the future of CCK program is in being threatened. I'm here because I want you to understand what this program actually does for students before you decide its fate. During my time as a kindergarten teacher, I saw how powerful CCK can be. When students were truly ready academically, socially, and emotionally, they flourished in a general education classroom. They participated. They were engaged. They gained the confidence. However, the keyword was ready. General education teachers are often not exposed to the starting point of many CCK students. Many arrive developing basic regulation skills, needing regulation skills, and communication skills. In a large classroom with limited support, which the teachers do in general ed, usually have one IA, um cannot manage this on their own. As a lead teacher of CCK, I

103manage a classroom of 11 kids along with the support of two IAs. And there's there's days that it is challenging. One of my first quarter, I was bitten. I was punched for 2 and 1/2 hours every other day. The classroom was regularly destroyed and students cried from overstimulation. These weren't acts of defiance. This was a distress. They were under stress adjusting to a new school, new routines, new expectations, and new adults all at once. The demands of kindergarten are very different from those of home and preschool. For students with autism and developmental delays, the transition can be incredibly difficult for them. When they do not have yet have the regulation or the communication kid skills to cope, their behavior becomes their communication. They need a classroom designed for predictability, regulation, communication, and skill building. They

104need a safe place. Our CC class classroom was a safe place and is still a safe place. When I look back in August and I compare it to now, the growth is undeniable. The same students who struggled to sit, attend to a task, or transition are now raising their hands, participating in group lessons, engaging with peers. They did not happen over by chance. It happened because they were given time, structure, and specialized support at their own pace. Our students deserve to enter general education confident, regulated, and prepared, not distressed and defeated. Cutting this program would not eliminate the needs of these students. It would shift the burden to old already overwhelmed classrooms. I'm here today to ask you to protect what our students need. CCK classrooms, enough support positions, manageable caseloads. Please do not Please

105do the right thing and protect the programs that protect these kids. >> Our next speaker >> Good evening. I'm Elliot Brody. I work as a school counselor at Baileywick Elementary. I'm a proud Wake NCA member. I'm a new dad to a beautiful baby girl who is turning 1 next month. I'm a product of Wake public schools and I've been working in this county as a teacher and now a counselor for 13 years. I would like to speak today in support of Wake NCA's seven improvements to address the behavior and spec crisis in our schools. Right now, I'm the lone counselor at my school and we serve 340 students. Just to put make it clear that American School Counselor Association recommends 250 to 1. Many of the children I work most closely with are receiving special

106education. Some have serious mental health concerns and or present severe behavioral challenges at school. At Baileywick, we have a teacher vacancy in ECS 1 and IA vacancy in ECS 2. Our administrators are helping with IEP writing. Our school psych and our SLP are spending countless hours coaching the beginning teachers through data collection and goal setting. We are overloaded leading to staff burnout and students being underserved. Every single day, I am pulled to support students with behavioral needs. Some days, it's up to five times. And it could be 10 minutes or it also could be hours. I have one student with intense trauma and severe mental health issues. When he spirals, he often starts punching himself and has suicidal thoughts. When he's not spiraling, he's a funny, empathetic, curious, and kind person. Each morning, he hops

107out of his cab and looks for me. We share an embrace and I make time to check in with him. I've counted 13 staff members who work with this student on a daily basis. We all work hard and loving to ensure his basic needs, address his mental health concerns, provide special education services, and support him through significant behavioral incidents. I am by default serving as a behavioral support position. Taking me away from all the other students that need access to their counselor. My students ask me to meet to support their everyday problems, and I have to tell them I'll meet with them tomorrow at at some set time. But sometimes the next day comes, and I'm pulled to deal with a behavioral crisis, and I become unavailable. I run small groups, which is like my

108favorite thing to do with kids, and um sometimes there's a behavioral issue, and there's the principals are caught up, and there's no one else to help. So, um I have to run over to to help with that student. Sometimes a student will come up to me and say, "Hey, Mr. Brody, I missed our group today." And I feel really guilty for letting them down. I want to be able to show up for all our students when they need me, but the reality is I'm being pulled in too many directions. Thank you. >> Thank you. We'll now hear from our next speaker. >> Good evening. Um I'm Jeremy Lipitsky. I've been with ECS IA Holly Springs High School for 6 years. I've worked in Wake schools for 13 years, and in public education for 20 in

109NC. I love my job. I'm here to speak in support of Wake NCAE's solutions to address the sped crisis here in Wake County. In 2020, I started a book club for our students that has become a big part of my job, and gives our students a chance to grow. I I have to prepare a lot. I teach three separate groups, plan different lessons, and write notes to monitor my students' progress. One student started the year goofing off in each meeting. Now he's on the right page. He's following along when other students are reading. He's actually able to answer questions when he couldn't before. Seeing my students Seeing my students learn and grow their skills is why I do this job. When I started this job in 2019, we had four IAs in our classroom. Last

110year, we had 13 students and two IAs in our classroom, one teacher. The open IA positions never got filled. It's an honor to do this job, but without addressing the turnover and vacancies, I'm with my students from 6:50 a.m. to 1:50 p.m. I barely have time to take notes, let alone plan. Every morning we do a journal entry. My students are operating at different levels. One student is nonverbal but can write. Another student needs hand-over-hand and assistance. Still another can write well but needs constant direction. One student can speak in complete thoughts but needs help sounding out every sentence. The other IA in my classroom has to take two of our autistic students out to the track by 9:35. If it's 9:46, one of the students starts yelling and pounding on the table, which upsets

111a lot of the other students. This time of the day is the most stressful part of my job, but it's also such an important developmental exercise. At the same time, it's hard to give them the attention they need to really grow when they're stretched when we're stretched so thin. I feel disappointed that I can't do as much as I I would like with our students. And I hate feeling like I'm not fully able to do the job I've been hired to do. I know that I'm doing everything I can so my students can grow and succeed, but our students need more support. It is your job to ask funding we need to address vacancies and turnover at speed to ensure they get that support. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. So, now here

112for my next speaker. >> Good evening. I'm Christina Cole, a special education teacher by trade, currently the proud president of Wake NCAE, the local affiliate of the North Carolina Association of Educators, my public school staff union. I started my day with a school administrator who had to cut our meeting short to talk to her CCR teachers about allotment changes and the possibilities of staffing cuts. When there are growing student needs, to quote your budget presentation, no school administrator should have to tell special education staff they might not have a position next year. Wake NCAE has been petitioning Dr. Taylor and the school board's leadership to develop a budget budget proposal for next year that addresses the special education crisis and includes the union's request by asking for what our most vulnerable students need. Wake NCAE

113members have delivered over 2,000 petition signatures, met with six of nine board members, Dr. Taylor and Lisa Allred. And in these meetings, workers were appalled to hear Ms. Allred's creative solutions as they are deeply out of touch with the needs articulated by frontline workers every day. Also wonder what special education parents will have to say in response to these cuts and creative solutions. We need our superintendent to stand with frontline workers who know what's best for their students as the union team has so eloquently expressed tonight with their stories. Not only did we hear about sped cuts in our meetings, we heard a lot of deflecting to the state. Thank you, Mr. Hershey and Ms. Edmonds for your comments earlier. The legislative agenda up for up for vote tonight is less than impressive for all

114the kicking the can down the road to Jones Street. With weak verbs like calls upon or encourage and zero mention of private school vouchers siphoning money out of our public schools or the lack of a state budget or ending corporate tax breaks, it's like you're unserious about the advocacy to the bad actors you continue to name. Wake NCAE member leaders and workers across the district and all across the state are well aware of the inaction and attacks by the General Assembly and quite frankly, it's patronizing to hear in meetings with you when we're making direct requests. We are collecting signatures for you in sped and for our legislators under the banner of our kids over corporations campaign. We're planning local actions to pressure you all to do the right thing and statewide actions to apply

115pressure on vulnerable legislators who are not funding our schools. The lackluster agenda tonight and foreboding budget presentations with proposed cuts is just as egregious as the politicians on Jones Street. And today, sped workers received an email with about $18 million in budget cuts and cuts to 130 positions. This whim, we haven't even seen a budget proposal from the superintendent in weeks before you all vote. I hope you'll do the right thing. You can do something tonight about the special education crisis by standing with workers and our budget solutions rather than creative solutions from the district. Thank you. >> Thank you. All right. We'll now turn to our off-agenda speakers. I'll start with Mr. Deaton. Yes, Mr. Deaton. Policies and training have little success in preventing sexual misconduct if the school culture is not aligned. The

116abuse described in the Wake County lawsuit that I recently reviewed happened because a victim from back in Durham did not feel safe in coming forward until she was at a new school two or three years later. In 2023, one survey reported that 11.7 and another 17.4% of students experienced educator sexual misconduct. Those high numbers, while relatively few teachers ever get fired or criminally charged, tells you that something about the school culture makes kids afraid to report. In her research, Shake Shaft found that they are afraid they will not be believed and afraid of retaliation from other staff and students. I was not motivated to study Shake Shaft's work until a little over a year ago when I witnessed at these meetings the response to an incident at a at a middle school. A parent and

117a and student had complained about a teacher's remark and and dress and something was posted on social media. In response, a large number of people rallied to this meeting and were joined by board members in defending the teacher and denouncing those who complained. Retaliation was alleged subsequently. Now, I don't want anyone to be falsely accused. That would be against the eighth commandment. And I'm against doxing anyone's home address or any name calling. As far as I know, none of that happened. But no matter who was right or wrong in this case, that full-throated backlash I heard here will only make students in completely unrelated situations more fearful than they already are to report sexual misconduct and teachers more fearful to report suspicious behavior. In so doing, WCPSS fit the pattern identified by Safe Schools of

118a school culture that cares more about the rights of adults than the protection of children. This needs to change. Thank Thank you. >> All right. All right. We'll now hear from our next speaker. Mr. Milam. >> Good evening. I'm Jocelyn Peace and I'm here today to talk about restraint and seclusion, two archaic procedures used primarily in marginalized student populations of disabled and minority children in Wake County. Children who struggle to communicate and be heard about what they experience in school. These procedures have devastating consequences and can cause permanent and mental physical trauma including death and do so every year in the United States. Schools who have actually decreased restraint and stopped seclusion have been documented dramatic decreases in staff and student injuries workman's comp claims, injuries to lessons, referrals of peer aggression and defiance and

119disruption. They have seen increases in global mastery and assessment scores, staff retention and satisfaction. And while I'm at it, I'll also tell you they saved millions of dollars. In July 2021, an NC court decided overwhelmingly against Wake County for illegally restraining and secluding an elementary student. The sped staff involved were trained at Bridges program in Wake County. The fundamental practices used in Wake County EBS program at that time were the same as Bridges. Wake County staff testified to this under oath. There is currently no available student population data for Bridges available. No info on disability, gender, or race, no achievement scores, no data showing that their policies or methods result in less restraint or seclusion, or any improvement at all. So imagine my shock and dismay when the special ed leadership at the recent student

120achievement meeting shared their dream of using Bridges program to model restraint and seclusion practices district-wide. Also shocked to see that the EBS policy and procedures manual on the Wake County website for parents has shrunk. In 2024, it was 10 pages of specific information with 10 links to more information. Today, we have two pages of general information and one link to an email address. You paid special ed staff to cut these crucial links to special ed parents' rights handbooks, restraint and seclusion data, sped program services, among other things. Even the form of reporting restraint and seclusion so parents knew what to look for. Sped leadership has not met with any committee of parents or community leadership that would provide oversight. These are against the requirements that you agreed to in the US District Court settlement of

121July 2023. In fact, when you search for the words restraint or seclusion in the Wake County website, you get zero results. >> Thank you. We'll hear from our next speaker. >> Okay. >> Hi. Good evening, and thank you for this opportunity to address my concerns. My name is Crystal Capellini, and my daughter is a senior at Apex High School. On March 9th, I submitted an escalation packet to the board regarding my concerns about the investigation of a serious injury that occurred during a school-sponsored golf event. My daughter was struck by a golf cart and sustained injuries that require ongoing medical treatment and months of recovery. My concern is not only the incident itself, but whether the investigations that followed were complete, considered all pertinent information, and were consistent with board policy. One of my concerns

122is that two students who witnessed the incident and were identified that day were not contacted during the initial investigation. Their statements were later obtained independently and corroborate my daughter's account and the driver's statement that the passenger took control of the golf cart. It remains unclear whether those eyewitness statements were formally incorporated into the investigation. I am also concerned about the scope of the reopened investigation. The student who had been driving the golf cart immediately prior to the incident provided a written statement that same day indicating that the passenger had taken control of the vehicle. However, that student was not interviewed as part of the reopened investigation while my daughter and the passenger were interviewed. I was told that the driver could not be interviewed because parental permission had not been obtained, yet I later received

123I later confirmed, excuse me, with a superintendent that parental permission is not required for administrators to interview a student as part of a school investigation. Given the seriousness of the incident and the severity of my daughter's injuries, I struggle to understand why key witness testimony would be omitted during the reopened investigation. Finally, I would like to raise concerns about how my daughter was treated following this incident. Her orthopedic doctor provided a note requesting that she be allowed extra time to get to class due to her mobility limitations. Despite that documentation being on file with the school, she was repeatedly marked tardy and approached by administration on three separate occasions instructed to report to lunch detention for those tardies. This raises concerns about how medical accommodations are communicated and implemented particularly for students recovering from serious

124injuries. While I understand that student discipline outcomes cannot be shared due to confidentiality laws. The contrast between the handling of the incident itself and the repeated efforts to discipline my injured daughter for tardiness directly related to her documented injury has been extremely difficult for our family to reconcile. Several specific questions regarding investigative decisions remain unanswered. I respectfully ask the board to review whether the investigation process and response met expectations. >> And before you take your seat, Dr. Robson is going to speak with you regarding um your speech tonight. So, he'll connect with you over there. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> All right. >> Hello. My name is Brian Ciccarelli and I'm here because uh I uh I saw a uh your story about >> bus stop arm cameras >> and uh speed zone cameras

125on WRAL-TV last week. And uh so, I'm an expert in this field. Um I'm the one, by the way, that got rid of all the red light cameras in North Carolina. I just so happen to live in Lynn's district. So, um what is going on here essentially is I implore you do not adopt them. Uh they they are charlatan fraud schemes based on that prey upon your fears that drivers are actually responsible for these infractions, traffic violations. Or in fact, for red light cameras anyway, the problem is engineering malpractice. And the NCDOT admitted about 2 years ago that they're responsible for 90% of all the red light violations. It's a math problem. It's a physics error. I'm a physicist and a licensed professional engineer. So, uh I hope that means something. Uh bus stop arm

126cameras exploit errors of bus drivers. NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says that nine that 72% of all child injuries are not caused by caused by a passing vehicle, but by the bus driver. This is NHTSA. So, in speed zone cameras, I'm an expert with the photos in Georgia. And they place speed cameras in locations where the speed cameras where the speed zone signs are invisible to people who are who get onto the road in between the zone. This This whole topic is better discussed in a work session. And I gave uh Mr. Malone there my business cards with a QR code to my website. If you want to know more, please contact me. Thanks. >> We'll now hear from our final speaker. >> I came here tonight to advocate for changes to policy

1274309, uh parental notifications for in-school suspensions, to ask you guys to require written notification. But after listening to your speakers tonight and looking at the proposed budget, um I want to lend my support for the NCAE and their request. Uh Ms. Cole was kind enough to invite me to one of their meetings. Um what they have seems practical and it seems efficient. But I also want to discuss some of the other things that were mentioned tonight. The lack of trust or the declining trust among parents is real. I'm one of them. When he talked about seeing families on forums talking about avoid Wake County. That's me. I sacrificed my physical health and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring my family here in hopes of having a better life. And when we got here,

128the school system repeatedly mistreated my son. We reached out for help and we were ignored. In fact, I caught the school red-handed locking my kid in the room. I reached out to the superintendent for help and she ignored me. I asked the school system in February to investigate that. I had to lobby the government for 9 months in order for you to open that investigation. And that investigation found out that I, according to them, I never filed that complaint and my there's no evidence to suggest my son had been in the room for hours. We have an apology text message from the teacher in talking points. Beyond that, there is a April 15th police report that I submitted showing the principal lied to lied to the cops. School investigators found that that in the police

129report I supplied you only contained information that I have on it. That police report says en route to South Lakes Elementary School for follow-up. That police report says vice principal X told Bridgers this. That police report also contains names that I didn't have and dates that I didn't have. And I supplied the investigators text messages to teachers, to other parents saying, "I don't know the substitute teacher's name." In fact, I only found the substitute teacher's name when you told me it several months later. Which is to me insane. Why would you tell an angry parent that, "Hey, this is the person who hit your kid." So, yes, when you make these budget decisions, I know you're going to make these cuts, but please try to avoid cutting special education to the best of your ability.

130And please take steps to actually address complaints about investigation processes. I'm one of seven parents in the last year who's come up and said the exact same scenario. Parents are not the enemy. We are vested members of this community and we want the best for our kids. >> Thank you. So, that concludes um public comments. So, board members, if you've logged out of uh simply, please log back in. Um is there a motion to approve tonight's amended consent agenda? >> So moved. >> It's a motion by the vice chair. Is there a second? >> Seconded by Dr. Job. All right. Any discussion on the motion that is before us? All right. Hearing and seeing none, the voting has been opened. You may now record your vote. Yes. Okay. But we do have five. Well, okay.

131I think we can move forward cuz Mr. Posen's been sitting here for a while, so I want to recognize him. All right. >> And they're all going to be on my list. >> All right, so 1 2 3 4 So, tonight's agenda our consent agenda has passed, so I will now recognize Mr. Poston to speak on one of the consent agenda items that we just passed. Welcome, Mr. Poston. >> I appreciate it. Thank you so much. Um Yeah, one of the consent agenda items was an extension of our lease um for Wake Ed Partnership's building over on Capital Boulevard where we run our Tools for Schools free classroom supply. I'm Keith Poston, the president of Wake Ed. And basically, I'm just here to express gratitude and to thank you. This is Look, we have a

132lot of challenges. Yeah, we've heard a lot tonight of challenges that we have to deal with, but I also I don't know, I find that um you know, when you've got all these challenges and the world is basically on fire, it's it's very important to say thank you and to also express things that we're thankful for. And so, on behalf of Wake Ed, thank you too for approving the lease extension. On behalf of the teachers that are there, when I came over tonight for the meeting, there were there we were packed with Wake County teachers getting free school supplies. And I think all of you know um the idea behind Tools for Schools was simple, that teachers should not have to spend their own money for on basic school supplies. That seems to be a

133pretty obvious thing, but they do. And so, because of this partnership and your support, we've been able to provide more than $2 million in new classroom supplies for teachers. So, I just want to thank some people on the on the district team that really helped out a lot. Uh Margaret Sutter, Dave Burnett, Trisha Posey in finance, Deborah Wallace in purchasing, all my good friends at the warehouse who who grab pallets and get things over to us. We really appreciate it. Um and we appreciate all of you who have come out to volunteer both on this board. Dr. Judd, you're new so you got to get you over there to Tools for Schools. But the community we could not do what we do. Very small non-profit but we have hundreds of volunteers and a generous community.

134So on behalf of us, thank you. Thank you for what you are doing to support our schools and our teachers and our students and we appreciate the space that we're able to provide that support for our teachers. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you Mr. Poston and we appreciate your partnership and friendship in dozens for everything that you do to support our educators across the district. So thank you. And if you need to make some donations, please go by and give some donations. How can they do that Mr. Poston? >> Oh that's nice thing for you to ask. Well, we're over on we're at 1816 Capital Boulevard where the old Bobby Murray Chevrolet for for those who are old like me that didn't know that area. But I yeah, we'll put in a plug.

135We accept new supplies and gently used supplies year-round. We will be announcing our big school supply drive soon which will be in July and August. But we accept you go to wakeed.org and you can see our most needed items. You can purchase supplies through Amazon and ship them directly to us. You can bring them over to the store. And I'd make a special plug. If you know companies that are relocating or closing down, literally this afternoon a company that had not reached out to us, they were shutting down an office because they were going fully virtual and they brought over a big truckload of like everything from their supplies closets, posted notes and notebooks and highlighters and all brand new stuff and they were and we were of course we literally did a little dance

136around in the foyer and they're coming back tomorrow for another. So this stuff is needed. I wish we didn't have to do this for our teachers. I wish that Carolyn and others who have said things that our state fully funded our public schools and that we didn't have to rely on charity for supplies. But you know what? Our teachers need it and we're going to do it as long as well, we need to. >> Thank you, Mr. Poston. >> Thanks, sir. >> All right, so we will now turn to our action item, uh board policy 7910, retirement on first reading. And so we will welcome Dr. Mutillo and Dr. Crane to the podium. >> Good evening, Chair Watson, Vice Chair Hershey, members of the board, Superintendent Taylor. Tonight, I'm bringing revised policy 7910, retirement, uh

137for board approval on first reading. Board policy 79 retirement is revised based on recommendations from the North Carolina School Board Association and staff, and we did discuss at the February 24th policy committee meeting. The blue text struck through is a revision that was recommended by the School Board Association that we removed to simplify and add the the blue text below. Based on discussions at the policy committee meeting, we also added the phrase highlighted in yellow to clarify that general statute sets forth requirements for when the board is responsible for any retirement benefit reduction for those employees who do exceed the contribution based benefit cap. Uh those requirements can be found within the statute already mentioned in the policy text. I think I was also asked to do some research on the January 1, 2015 date

138that is referenced in statute, and I do want to clarify that as long as the employee who is subject to the the contribution based benefit reduction became a member of the retirement system prior to January 1, 2015, the board would be responsible for um any benefit reduction. There was there was discussion about was it hired by the district versus became a member of um of the retirement system, so it is that they were a member of the retirement system prior to January 1, 2015, board would be responsible for paying the reduction under the current law. Um and this policy clarifies that as required by law, the board would not be responsible for paying the reduced retirement if the employee became a member of the retirement system after January 1, 2015. So tonight with the addition

139of the yellow highlighted text, I am requesting the board's approval of the first reading of policy 7910, retirement. >> Ms. Edmonds. >> Thank you, Chair. Um I move that we adopt 7910 on first reading. >> All right, there's a motion on the floor. Is there a second? >> Second. >> All right, second it. Any discussion? Ms. Edmonds? >> I actually had a question um for Dr. Taylor cuz and Dr. Matala, I thank you for giving that summary of what was discussed in the policy committee meeting. Um Dr. Taylor, did does this satisfy your questions that you you also raised, you know, wondering about the teasers and the you know, where we were with that? And I And for any board member, too. I just want to know if everybody's um if everyone feels satisfied with

140their that their questions were answered. >> Yes, yes, ma'am, it does. I know that state legislation has changed as relates to teasers and and what the board is responsible for. Um um and what's clear is that the board can choose not to pay that penalty. And any person that the board hires will come in recognizing that that is a part of what the board can choose to do. It is really up at that point for them to decide whether or not they want to be a member of the district. So it does satisfy the questions that I had. So thank you. >> Okay. Any other questions or comments? All right. Seeing or hearing none, well, the voting has been open and we'll record our votes. All right. This is where we need the jazz band

141to just come and entertain us while we're waiting on votes to tabulate. So, it looks like the the policy passes. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. So, our next action item is our Wake County Board of Education short session legislative agenda and I will look to vice chair and the superintendent to drive this discussion. Thank you all for working on this and going from there. So, vice chair. >> Sure. You know, we were asked in some ways to keep this short because there's no budget and this is a short session. I certainly acknowledge the criticism and respect and hear where you are coming from. I am holding fire on this particular one and it will be held until, you know, given I like to give an opportunity which, you know, fool me once,

142you know, fool me twice, it's on me. We shall see, but, you know, we we could have gone very in-depth and we're going to have a much more in-depth one for the standard long session next year. >> Superintendent. >> Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you, Mr. Hershey, for working on this particular legislative agenda. We do feel confident that it reflects the wishes of the board in the short session what it is that we will focus on. And with this any members of the the board delegation and the superintendent would have a clear document that we can share with members of the General Assembly when we do meet with them so that we can express those top three items that remain relevant for the board, but also those items that are still bulleted that

143have not gone away that we want to continue to see addressed in the long session. So, we appreciate the feedback on on this document. >> Is there a motion to approve the 2026 Wake County Board of Education short session legislative agenda? >> So moved. >> It's a motion by the vice chair. Is there a second? Is there a second? If not, the legislative agenda will die because of lack of second. Is there a second? So, I will violate Robert's Rules, which I simply do not do. I will second this so we can move it forward. I know that's not appropriate with Robert's Rules, but I just did not want the work that we have knowing that there's a short session and we have to get this to Brubaker and Associates relatively quickly prior to the

144short session. So, Ms. Allen, I'll make the second. >> Point of order, can we can Can we violate Robert's Rules of Order? >> Well, there was no second. >> policies that we are to be governed by Robert's Rules of Order? >> You are correct, but I have seen previous chairs second motions and make motions at the table, and so I will defer to the board attorney. >> I'm looking right now. I I want to say some boards some policies say that the chair can second, but not make a motion. So, I'm just trying >> What? Chair. >> That's me. >> Swanson, um I'll second, um >> our motion. >> Thank you. Miss Allen, can that be reflected in the Thank you. Any discussions? Vice Chair. >> Um obviously, uh I sent an email asking for

145any any changes. Um Yeah, you know, I talked to Miss Edmonds at length. I'm totally understand and respect exactly where she's coming from, and I heard nothing else. And you know, if you have something you want to change, you know, you we can talk about it right now, but we have to put I guess we don't have to put forward a legislative agenda, but it would be a pretty good idea as a board for us to do that to lobby for something. >> Thank >> Mrs. Parfitt. >> Yes, I was just and hold on, I just clicked right off of it. Hold on a second. The only thing that I was hoping that we can discuss is um and I know it's not in our top three, but in regards to hunger, I know we've

146spoken about this before. I just have a real challenge with um the way we set it up that our children are not receiving the proper protein and nutrition when it comes to it. So, I would And I know it says adequate nutrition, but that leaves it so open that they could give them the apples and and and the vegetables and send them on their way and I just that I would love to have said that. And Sam, I did type out a email and I looked at it. It's in draft. So, sorry about that. I must have got sidetracked. Um but that was the only thing that I was hoping that we could um possibly add to it is to be more specific about having a protein in the meals that we provide. >> Thank

147you. Vice Chair. >> Um well, I think this for the legislative agenda, this is simply about funding. I mean, I we want them to fund it and then we would obviously have a protein and all of that stuff. So, I think it's really just about if they can put some money towards the funding or but I'm with you like that's what we ultimately want for the meal. >> Total agreement. >> Yeah, I know for me it's really not about funding every single meal. It's more about what we do have to provide that it is the proper meal. >> All right. Miss Miss Rice. >> Uh Chair, thank you. Um I can't say that I sent revisions. Um I can't say that I I I sent revisions to what we see. I did I did know

148that you asked if we had suggestions. Um but for me, um I know that some colleagues had certain concerns. Um but so far as a short agenda to the legislature, um I think that we've hit some important topics. Um they may not be everything, but as Vice Chair said, it is something and one that is important to me is modernizing special education funding formula. Um and raising our teachers compensation toward the national average and just funding our schools period. And then most important for me is the local flexibility part and our bottom tiers that we have with our six bullet points. That is important. In my opinion and particularly reducing the barriers to teacher licensure because we have a teacher shortage in funding. I've had to advocate literally for administrators or teachers who need to

149be transitioned but are not getting the support they need in HR, Dr. Taylor. And having to follow through. So I think that it's important. I apologize, Mr. Swanson. I was still on the fence about the agenda. I'm I'm sorry with our legislative agenda. Wasn't quite sure but I prefer that we not violate policy. So I had to shift my thought process and second that motion for you. Sorry about that. >> Thank you. And um I Dr. Joe. >> Um First of all, I'm sorry for missing your email. That Well, and because I missed it and because I missed my chance to send feedback, I'm going to vote for this because I think we need to move it forward but also because I didn't provide the feedback I should have provided but I was going to

150vote no because I think every single legislative agenda we send forward has to talk about the voucher issue and the fact that they are draining money from the school system in ridiculous ways and we it feels not genuine to talk about what we want them to do and we know that we can't that they are continuing these policies that cut education funding to the bone. And so, um I've next time I over the full session and every time I'm sitting in this chair after it, if it doesn't have something about vouchers and other types of, you know, charters, things like that, I'm not going to vote for it. >> Thank you. Um Ms. Sorry, Dr. Eng, did you have anything that you wanted to to add to the discussion? Got you. Sorry, didn't want to

151put you on the spot there, Dr. Eng. I apologize. Um I'll make a comment. Well, I'll I'll go to the vice chair then I'll make a comment. Um I will be there with you. I am giving grace, and if nothing changes from this General Assembly and we get no budget and we get no teacher pay increases and all of that, and we have some actual funding and some victories, I'm going to do the same every single time. I think it is very clear that the district does oppose. Um I know that our previous leadership, and it was Chair Hegarty and Vice Chair Johnson-Hostler when the legislative was moving forward with that, did something Wake County's never done, which was a press conference. But I I also want to just acknowledge that it's not We're not

152surrendering the entire legislative agenda, is knowing that this is a short session, and based on conversations that we've had on Jones Street, these are items that we can move forward with and hopefully get some traction. Um And again, it's standing with the community and advocating on Jones Street, which what we're doing. And so, I think these are very doable. Um and I look forward to figuring out how and, you know, the ways that we advocate for them and meeting with the Wake delegation, as well as a the members of the um Well, the members of the Wake delegation to go through our legislative agenda, especially as it talks about special education. And so, um I think that is the work, and I thank everyone for their input, and the superintendent and the vice chair for

153taking the previous legislative agenda and feedback and moving forward. So, if there are no more comments, we can move forward with the vote. And I believe the vote has been opened. on assembly. Okay. All right. With that, 6-1, the legislative agenda passes. So, the final item on our legis- on our Well, the North Carolina School Boards Association's legislative agenda committee nomination. So, there was an email that was sent, um gosh, a couple of months ago, earlier in the month, I believe, um that required uh Wake County to nominate Wake County Board of Education nominate um a member to serve on the uh North Carolina School Boards Association's legislative committee. So, individuals must have been nominated through a vote in open session during the school board meeting. The committee's primary task are to develop the survey

154that is distributed to every school board member statewide, and then create a 2027-2028 North Carolina School Boards Association legislative agenda top priorities for consideration and adoption by the delegation I'm Yes, by the delegate assembly at the November's annual conference. The committee's comprised of a subset of North Carolina School Board Association Board of Directors and an at-large applicant representing the eight education districts. The at-large members are selected by the North Carolina School Board Association president. Nominees are to attend the following three meetings. Monday, July 20th from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in person in Raleigh. Monday, September 14th, 2026 from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Raleigh in person. And finally, uh Wednesday, October the 7th, 2026 from 3:00 to 4:00 and that meeting will be held virtually. So, the deadline for this is Friday the

15527th, but the fact that this will be our last meeting um before that deadline, we are bringing it here. So, at this point, I will entertain nominations from the floor. >> Vice Chair. >> Uh Chair Swanson, I'd like to nominate Ms. Lynn Edmonds to serve in this capacity. >> Is there a second on the said name? >> I'd like to second. >> Second. Is there any discussion? Oh, I'm sorry. The motion has been moved. I'm I've gotten caught. I was waiting for Ms. uh Bryce to call me out again on Robert's Rules, but the motion has been made by the Vice Chair. It's been properly seconded by Ms. Bryce. Are there any discussion? All right, hearing none, uh the votes have been The voting is open. >> I would hope. >> It says it's being

156recorded. >> I would hope. All right, so it passes unanimously. Ms. Edmonds will represent the Wake County Board of Education on this. Ms. Edmonds. >> Thank you. I'll be brief. Um, thank you so much. I appreciate everyone's support. Um, I look forward to doing this. I have these dates secured, um, if I'm chosen, cuz I did make a note that it's ultimately the, um, selection is up to the, North Carolina School Board Association President. So, I hope that I will be chosen and I'm prepared to do the work. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. We will now turn to the last information item on our agenda, uh, which is Superintendent and Board Member Comments. We'll start with the Superintendent. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, I want to start out my comments by, uh,

157thanking members of the NCAE and teachers that came to share, uh, their thoughts concerning, uh, special education and funding, um, by the school district. And, um, I want them all to know, uh, that my number one job is to make sure that I continue to meet with them, uh, to hear their concerns, uh, and never shy away from that. So, I do want to share that with you all. Um, in addition, I also want to offer a counter, counter narrative, uh, to what some may feel about special education in the Wake County Public School System. Um, and while I know that we will continue to have individual challenges, uh, and in some cases collective challenges as it relates to special education, uh, I can tell you that overwhelmingly parents are satisfied, uh, with the services

158that we provide in the Wake County Public School System, even with the challenges that we have with funding this particular program. One of the specific things that I know is that parents choose to come to Wake County when they have high need students because of the services that we do provide. We have over 22,000, over 20,000 students that are special needs students. And that is as a district would probably be the seventh or eighth largest district in the state. So we recognize those challenges. We know that our goal is to continue to provide the supports that all of our students need within the district. I do want to initiate and recognize that um all of the things that they shared in those demands that they have there's not a single one that I or my

159administration disagree with. When we talk about state ratios, you know, there's a request that we fund five to 10 below the state ratio. In many cases, we're already 15 below the state ratio. We recognize that our goal is to make sure that we have the proper funding both from state and federal to address those issues. When we talk about behavior support, there is not disagreement that you have that is our responsibility to continue to see that those kind of supports are in place. We do recognize that there are challenges with special transportation, but we tell everyone everyone that that is an entity that is a contract um several contract organizations or companies that work with the district. And so we are having conversations with them about reviewing their services and making sure that if they

160are not meeting the standards of the contract, then that is an additional conversation that we have to have with them. We recognize the need for support with paperwork. So we talked about a model where we want to begin to introduce case managers so that we can support the tremendous paperwork that teachers face each and every day. Uh, I do want to reaffirm to every person under my listening voice that my duty and responsibility is to talk with our constituents about the funding request that we have as a school district. It is never that the superintendent does not ask for what is needed. My job is to ensure that I develop a budget based on a request that I know the citizens in this community are able to support from a tax perspective. And with that

161request, we still recognize that there may be an additional need for tax increases by the county because we do recognize that revenues in the county are way down from what they anticipated. And so, um, the responsibility is to make sure that there is an appropriate ask and not that we don't want to ask for what we need. That is a part of the process of being an administrator, to administer a district, to know and recognize that there are needs that we have, but there are also limitations to what we are able to do that is circumscribed by the funding that we have. And and I lastly want to say that um, know and understand that the superintendent is not out of touch. That is why I spend a tremendous amount of time in classroom so

162I can know and understand how hard our teachers work, how hard our students perform to show up each and every day, and all the work that our administrators do. I especially applaud Mrs. Allred, our exceptional children's director, because she is recently from the classroom. So, she knows and understands the hard work that our teachers do. So, I do want to offer that as a counter narrative that while we may have individual challenges and collective challenges, I am overwhelmed by the work that our special education teachers do and I'm overwhelmed by many of the responses that I get from parents about the tremendous work that is done and how they are more than happy to have that children in the Wake County Public Schools and they thank us for the work that they do. And with

163that, I'd like to begin by recognizing Molly Todd, a special education teacher at Panther Creek High School who last week was named the 2026 North Carolina Beginning Teacher of the Year. The state right on the recognizes outstanding early career educators who demonstrate exceptional skill, leadership, and dedication to their students. Ms. Todd works with students who face some of the most significant learning challenges and she partners closely with colleagues across the school to ensure those students have meaningful opportunities to learn alongside their peers. Colleagues describe her as a trailblazer in special education and a passionate advocate for accessibility and inclusion. Accessibility and inclusion. She believes in her students' abilities and has created a classroom atmosphere where they feel encouraged and supported. Her work highlights the critical role special education teachers play in helping every student succeed

164and in strengthening the culture of our schools. It also speaks to the importance of supporting our beginning teachers who represent the future of the profession and the next generation of leaders in our classrooms. So, again, congratulations to Ms. Todd. We can't wait to see where she'll go from here and we're so so very proud of the accomplishments she's made so early in her career. I also like to congratulate Kaylee McColl, a junior at Knightdale High School, who was recently named the 2026 North Carolina Poetry Out Loud State Champion. Another state championship for Wake County. Poetry Out Loud is a national program supported by the National Endowment for the Arts that helps students build public speaking skills, confidence, and an appreciation for literary history through the performance of poetry. Um Kaylee competed competed against more than

16530 students from across the state, impressing judges with powerful recitations of three challenging poems. Uh her teacher noted that after finishing as runner-up 2 years ago and missing the competition last year, she returned with determination, dedication, and remarkable growth as a performer. Uh as the state champion, Kaylee will represent North Carolina at the Poetry Out Loud Out Loud National Finals in Washington, D.C. this April, where she will compete for the national title. Her achievement reflects not only her talent and hard work, but also the strong support of her teachers and the vibrant arts education happening in our schools. So again, congratulations to Kaylee and to the educators at Knightdale who have supported her along the way. Lastly, I'd like to invite all our family, staff, and community members to attend the 2026 Family and Community

166Engagement Summit, which will also include this year's State of the Schools Address. This event will take place this Friday and Saturday at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School. It will feature 2 days of learning, collaboration, and conversation about how we support student success together. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from keynote speaker Tommy Mayberry, attend a variety of breakout sessions, and connect with community partners and resources that support students and families. In addition, I will deliver the state of the schools address on Friday at 3:00 p.m. where we will reflect on our progress and share our vision for the future of the Wake County Public School System. Remember, this summit is open to families and students and staff members and community partners and it's a great opportunity to strengthen the partnerships that help our schools

167thrive. You can find more details, breakout session information and registration link on our website. So, we encourage everyone to sign up and join us for two days of learning, community building and and celebration. And with that, Mr. Chair, I'll leave my comments. >> Thank you, Dr. Taylor. We'll just start considering on that side and we'll start with Ms. Caulfield. >> Thank you. Um I listened to something this morning and it resonated with me because it was the whole purpose of me coming to sit here on the board. It was an educator online. She spoke about how teachers worry about our children that they're lacking skills needed to succeed and they see it in the classroom and it affects them now and it will affect us later. She spoke about basics, literacy and raising the bar.

168Her point was that children may feel it now, but we'll all feel it later on. It's what I've been pushing for and focusing on serving on this board. When children have the tools and proper mentorship and skills being provided, they can find success. That is at school, at home and at in our community. Well, it's not always about money. It is always about the classroom. Sometimes that requires making sure that the money goes into the classroom, but it may not there may not be anything left over to go elsewhere. These decisions are what our priorities are. Starting with the student, the classroom, the teachers and the families and that is my priority. I do wish that we were uh not getting our budget so late because it we're at a disadvantage because there's not significant

169time that we could have good conversation around vital things like special education and facilities and the other resources in our school that really capture our students growth and potential. It's been mentioned how it was this this one in particular has been the hardest budget in a while. And we have less than a month to vote on it. It's not just a It's not just that it's not a lot of time. We only meet certain times during that month. So it's really limiting our conversation and solutions that we may have, but I do understand our challenges. I think we do have to be fair and transparent to our taxpayers and our families. And to say that we're losing special education services, we're hearing them say 130 teachers rather than rearranging how we are providing services to

170our special education students in a more effective way and placing them in effective spaces that that where they're needed. That's how I understood it. If we are truly cutting services, taking away from our children, I do not feel that any board member here will be okay with approving that. These are our most vulnerable children and families and our teachers need more, not less. We would need to cut back on funds elsewhere before taking away from classroom needs. Spending money doesn't mean getting better results. Of course, an endless bottom an endless bottom of money would always be nice, but it it does not necessarily lead to better proficiency scores and growth either or the growth in the ways that we need to. But I do still feel that we need to fund the necessary things required

171that make our classrooms run smoothly and hope that we will be seeing that happening from our state soon. I do also really appreciate the reevaluation of where we are spending our our and putting it in places that we are effective. This is really important cuz sometimes saving is just as effective as spending. It is troublesome that we are presenting it that we are cutting off services and we're not providing our students with care because of not increasing our budget. So, I think that that is definitely some clarification that we need to have. Um, I think all of us sitting here do not agree with cutting any special education services. Being more effective, yes, but I think this needs more conversation and we're hearing from teachers here tonight speaking about a program, something that I understand

172that Wake County created and it's not a state program that might actually be helping. And the way I understood it is that we're being more efficient and more effective with this program, CCK, that might not be showing effectiveness. So, I I'm not sure if we can have more discussion on this before we actually discuss how it's going to affect our budget. In regards to all students, I will add that we should be increasing, not just in special education, what we should be increasing is the amount of bodies in our classroom, the resources in our classroom, and the dollars provided directly to those teachers who are in the classroom. Whether it's county, district, or state, that should be our priority and I do not believe we should it should be sacrificed. Rather, that is where the

173priority starts. But back to the video where I saw that teacher, I hope that we continue to find innovative ways to teach our children important life skills like what the teacher spoke about and I've included it on my Facebook page for people to view because I think it's very insightful what she had to say. I hear similar message from teachers all the time and as a mother, I wholeheartedly agree. And that is what motivated me to be here in the first place. I hope that we will continue to get offers for resources like we heard uh before that somebody had provided all those things for our teachers and resources like I received from one of our local churches that is willing to come in and help our students. A free resource. Retired educators and even

174other teachers that were willing to help out, come into our schools and assist us with literacy. These are volunteers, educators, and willing to spend the time. And I couldn't be more grateful for having resources like that in our community. I hope that we will continue to see more from our community and for those that are looking for direction on how to get started or participate in our mapping initiative, please contact Broxy and I hope I'm sorry to interrupt. I just didn't want to say it incorrectly in our strategy planning department or contact me and I'll connect you. Our community coming together, our parents, grandparents, schools partnering with organizations and mentors. This is one way that we can overcome where we are and how we truly can help our children. It's a team effort and I

175encourage everybody to reach out to their school to see how they could be more involved in their student success or just their community's school if they don't have children in the school right now. Like this teacher stated, our students may be feeling it now but we will all feel it later. We are all vested in their success. It's a vital step for us to move the needle forward. Some of the most meaningful changes do not require money, rather time invested and they will appreciate yours. Thank you. >> All right. Well, now turn to Dr. E. >> Okay. Thank you. Um good evening. I hope that everyone made it through yesterday okay. Um I'm sure that you hear frequently from the community about why schools would have to close for inclement weather and I am sure

176that goes through your mind how in the world did the school system come to a decision to close school or have a later start time? I know it came across my mind on Sunday night when I heard about the the announcement. Um, and when Monday morning came and I was driving to Rocky Mount for work, I was thinking that the roads are pretty dry. I don't know what what's going on, why it's it's not that bad. But as the day went on, I was in Rocky Mount in the morning and then went to Henderson during the lunch hour and then went to Cary came to Cary in the afternoon all in one day. I came to the realization that it was the right decision to close schools because I encountered a lot of different conditions

177during the day in one day. The rain, the gusts of wind and downpours at some at some time and then at other times it was completely nothing. Um, and it seemed to change by the moment. So, and I was glad that I was driving an all-wheel drive car yesterday. Um, so the point is that Wake County is a big county and and it's easy to imagine that conditions in one side of the Wake County would be different than the other opposite side of the county. And when Dr. Taylor and his team had to make a decision about school closure, they do have to weigh all factors and how it may impact all parts of the school system, not just one part. So, I want to thank Dr. Taylor for his leadership and for willing to

178uh stick your neck out and to take the criticism from a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks. Um, so I know it's not easy um for all the parents, especially uh those who are single parents who drop everything and change what they have to do the next day when there is a school closure. Um, please know that we all understand the impact of these decisions and I'm sure that Dr. Taylor wishes that he has a crystal ball or at least a direct line to the meteorologist. Um, they are doing the best that they can with the information that they're given and I appreciate that. Um and I was listening to while I was uh at stepped away, I was listening to the public comments, and I will reserve some of my um feelings and decision opinions

179about special education um at a later time. Um but as for the legislative agenda, um I know this is kind of discouraging when it appears that that we are not being heard on Jones Street. However, we should still keep up the efforts to advocate to those in the General Assembly to ask for what we need, starting with what we asked for last year. And we have to keep the pressure, but it doesn't have to be adversarial. Um keep in mind that we have elected officials on both sides of the aisle in the house who advocated to improve funding for our teachers. And we need to continue to focus our uh on finding friends in the Senate uh on both sides of the aisle who can bring a budget forward that is in line with what

180the house has already proposed. Um so, I look forward to helping out in any effort uh that Chairs wants in uh wishes to um uh have me in, and um I hope that uh we can uh make a a dent in in this uh uh uh uh plans. So, thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Dr. Joe. >> Um thank you. I was blown away by Pieces of Gold at the beginning of the month. Seeing the joy, confidence, and expression that students got from their craft was the perfect example of just why the arts must continue to be an integral part of our schools. Thank you to Apex Middle School and Love Chapel Middle School for hosting me this month. I It was so much fun to meet with the student ambassadors, especially at

181Apex Middle, and hear about their school experience while seeing it in action, and I look forward to visiting Green Level High School and Old Chapel Elementary School on April 16th. In honor of Women's History Month, I want to lift up some powerful women who changed the face of education, like Mary McLeod Bethune who championed the belief that education is the ultimate tool for racial and gender equality, especially eventually founding what is now Bethune-Cookman University. I also want to honor Maria Montessori, whose revolutionary Montessori method shifted the classroom focus from rigid instruction to a child's innate curiosity. And finally, Septima Clark, who developed the citizenship schools that taught literacy to adults across the deep south to help them bypass discriminatory voting tests. These women didn't just teach, they dismantled systemic obstacles and rebuilt the educational landscape

182to be more inclusive, compassionate, and empowering for generations of learners. So, that brings me to education today. I firmly support everything in the legislative agenda that we're putting forward, but I still think we are sorely remiss in not specifically calling for an end to the voucher program that's draining our education system. We're facing one of the tightest budget cycles in memory, and yet we're spending $700 million this year alone on private school vouchers. And let's be clear, these aren't one-to-one reimbursements for tax dollars paid into the system. A voucher that someone making an average salary in Wake County and paying average property taxes is approximately three times what they actually paid into the system. That means there's two of us paying for every voucher that gets handed out that isn't using it. And worse, studies

183are showing that private schools have raised their tuition proportionally to the vouchers. In other words, we're all paying for these vouchers in more ways than one. 70% of Wake County residents don't have kids in public schools, and there's no talk of reimbursing them for their taxes that go to educate our kids. That's because we know in our hearts that public education is a public good, that our schools help build our community. They help prepare the people who will do everything from change your oil to perform your open heart surgery. They help children develop a sense of civic engagement and responsibility to Wake County. They open their doors to every single child, no matter the circumstance or need, and they don't just educate them. They feed them, they help build their self-worth, and they even transport

184them back home at the end of the day. North Carolina decided more than 150 years ago we were going to provide our kids a free public education. For a long time, we were in this middle ground. Yeah, schools could use more money, but we were squeaking by. That's just not happening anymore. We have major repairs that are going undone because we can't afford them. Essential staff positions that are that are frozen unfilled. We're looking at higher costs and less money every day. A recent poll showed that three out of four of us believe that public schools need more funding. And when was the last time that three out of four of us agreed on anything? But as Mr. Neider showed earlier this evening, what we believe and the actions we're taking are two totally different

185things. We can't continue to cut taxes at the state and local level and meet the needs of our kids. We can't keep pouring money into voucher programs and meet the needs of our kids. We can't keep deciding that other things like corporate tax breaks are more important and meet the needs of our kids. We're at a real tipping point here. It's time to make a real investment in public education. We all have the power to make that happen if we're willing to do it. A little bit of a change. I wanted I wanted to take a moment to thank the Students Against Destructive Decisions Club uh from Apex High School who came to talk to us today. These kids are working every day to help promote wellness amongst their peers and it's really cool to

186see. One thing they spoke about that I want to lift up is sleep deprivation. I read that 38 According to the CDC, 38% of North Carolina kids between the ages of 6 and 14 years old are not getting enough sleep. This causes anxiety, irritability, decreased ability to learn, and physical health problems. Kids need 9 to 11 hours of good quality sleep, and that means a good bedtime routine, and at least an hour of screen-free downtime before. So, if you're listening, go crack open a book with your kid. And if my kids still awake, go to bed right now. >> Thank you. We will come over to the left side of the table, and we'll start with uh Ms. Rice. >> Good evening, everyone. So excited about uh Knightdale High that got to perform today. But

187before I get started, I just asked that everyone indulge me really quickly because we've had a lot of high energy in here tonight. Just take a deep breath. I That helped me. I don't know about anybody else, but I needed that. And so, um District 4's upcoming Board Advisory Council meeting will be held on April 13th at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School, located at the 2600 Rock Quarry Road in Raleigh. So, at 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. I encourage all family, staff, and community members to attend and stay engaged. Great things continue to happen at the school-based level across District 4 and Wake County as a whole, and I remain grateful for the dedication of our student, staff, and families. I'll also continue strengthening family and community engagement through Talking with T. Rice on Education, now

188held on the second Monday of each month from 6:15 to 7:00 p.m. virtually. You can join us by visiting tishibarice.org. As we continue this work, I will remain committed to sharing the importance and benefits of embedding wellness into the culture of a district as large as Wake County. As you saw, we just did something very simple, breathing. Um there are many stressors when navigating a school system. Tonight, one of those is the budget. Staff, students, and families all have valid concerns. Special education funding, school construction, teacher pay, professional development, classroom resources, and the list continues. For a true culture of wellness to exist from the boardroom to the ballfields, we must focus on what we can control, do our best within our roles, and trust the process. When each of us does our part, we

189move closer to a shared destination of success together. I encourage everyone to advocate appropriately by connecting with those responsible for budget decisions, while continuing to do what we can where we are. I will certainly continue to advocate for special education needs within my role and responsibility. I hear the community's concern regarding the lost of trust. That is why during last Tuesday's meeting, I brought forward a request for the community engagement committee to engage in meaningful conversation focused on fostering confidence by deepening trust and transparency with families and community stakeholders. As we approach mental health awareness month in May, it is my hope that each of you will bring will begin now to prioritize your personal well-being by creating a wellness plan grounded in the eight dimensions of wellness. Staff can access support through our HR

190wellness teams. Students can seek support from their school counselors. Families and community members can access tools and resources at the sheetalrice.org aligned with federal wellness guidelines through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, also known as SAMHSA. So, here is your tip this week. Take care of yourself. Self-care is not selfish. Boundaries are healthy. So, students, I want you to keep showing up even on the hard days. Your voice matters. Your future is bright, and every step you take toward learning and growth is building something powerful inside of you. Staff, thank you for your unwavering commitment and heart for service. You are making a difference far beyond what you can see, and your presence is the in the lives of students is shaping generations. For my board members, my fellow board members, let us continue

191to lead with courage, compassion, and clarity. The decisions we make today impact the lives of many tomorrow, and together we can model what it means to serve with purpose and unity. And I leave you with this question, everyone. If you take care of everyone else, who is taking care of you? So, I invite you to create your wellness plan before May so that you can have a positive and productive day. >> Thank you, Ms. Rice, and we'll come over to Ms. Edmonds. >> Thank you. Um I want to thank uh Ms. Posey, Ms. Kimsey, and Dr. Maria Rangel Rangel, Dr. Rangel, um for coming to my BAC last week, and uh we had a great discussion about budget and about the Family Academy. The My next BAC will be April 27th at Centennial Magnet Middle

192School at 5:30. Um Pieces of Gold always just just knocks my socks off, and and this year was no different. And then I was so thrilled that I got to squeak in at the last minute to the gifts of gold um exhibit last when Thursday Wednesday Thursday and it was excellent. I really I'm just so in awe of the talent of the students in our district and also in awe of the work that our arts department does and our arts teachers across the district. The day after our last meeting Dr. Jeb and I went to Woods Creek Elementary School for National School Breakfast Week and she and I ate a new menu item they were debuting that day. It was a breakfast egg roll that had protein and cheese and I don't remember what all

193was in it, but I'm telling you Dr. Taylor and and my CNS friends if they sold that thing in a in the frozen food section at the grocery store, I would buy them on the regular. It was really good. So I was impressed and parents and students you should check out the breakfast egg roll. I don't know how widespread it is now, but I'm looking forward to the family engagement summit. I'll be there you know some of Friday especially for your state of the district address Dr. Taylor and then some of Saturday. I'm I'm looking forward to that. I was two two final things. When I was talking about the state fiscal cliff during the the budget presentation I meant to make another comment um in regard to the erosion of both personal income tax

194taxes at the state level and that corporate income tax. So when Mr. Neider and this is not a criticism of his words, when he mentioned you know one of the the solutions that the state could do is to increase taxes and at the state level I would argue that we really need to change our language is actually restore restore taxes. Restore some of these um personal income tax cuts and restore that corporate tax rate. Um it would mean billions annually for North Carolina goods and services. Lastly, I also want to thank um all the members of Wake NCAE that came tonight and spoke. Um I was really, really touched and I'm I'm giving serious consideration to everything that was said. In particular, I I really was um compelled by one of the speakers commented about

195the sacrifices and the extra work and the extra miles that our special education teachers do and go through every day. And so why why shouldn't we? And that that it's hard to argue um or it's hard to uh make an argument against that. So I really appreciate them um and I hope they'll keep coming back. Thank you. >> All right. Vice Chair Hershey. >> Thank you. Um I'm going to start with comments that I'm sure Mr. Haggerty would make uh because uh Cub Scout Pack 28, which is my son's pack, was repainted the mural at Jeffries Grove uh this last weekend and a bunch of tables and yes, I painted the state of North Carolina or helped and a couple of other states and I know Mr. Haggerty would have wanted me to point that

196out. Cub Scout Pack 28. Um on to my comments. Uh m- Our next BAC for District 6 will be April 20th. The location to be determined um, which is a message to, I'm sure the area superintendents who are listening, who have schools in District 6 to want and told somebody to host our next BAC meeting, please. That would be appreciated. Um, couple of things from board from not board comments, but from comments tonight. I am very interested in I don't know if it's an audit on how we handle investigations. Um, but we hear enough about investigations not getting it right initially and then being reopened and and I don't know anything about the the like the actual processes. I I don't need to know everyone who's doing it, but we seem to be missing some

197things and I would like to take ensure that we take steps to correct what we are doing. Um, I probably should have said that a while ago, but better late than never. The comments about medical accommodations when things happens, that's basic. We cannot have that. I mean, that's that's as simple as it gets. Um, to move on from that, we had a so we had a poetry state champion and we don't have video or and we haven't invited this person to our board meeting yet cuz that would be amazing. Um, I and by the way, I want to give a huge shout out to the band that played tonight. They have a concert. I believe it's May 7th. I told them that they needed to send us an invitation, but it was fantastic. I enjoyed

198it. Um, anyone in the audience who looks at me now knows that I jam in my car to music all the time because I couldn't sit still. So, I really appreciate them being here. Um the last bit on special education, I think that for for my perspective as a board member, it's always a concern when you know, we hear one thing from central service staff and another thing from staff in schools. And because I don't you know, we don't go into the weeds on that, I feel the disconnect. I don't know if there really is a disconnect. So, I I would like to get some more information on that as a board member, particularly as we're going into budget session. Um I also want to make sure that you know, we have parents uh who

199are throwing themselves at the district to give feedback for special education. Are we meeting with them? Are we hearing not just hearing when their 3 minutes are here, but they have a lot to offer and I was hoping by now and maybe we have had meetings with parents or we've set up a a committee where parents can join. I would I would like to see that happen because it's it's imp they they represent, you know, everything about the school district and if they're constantly telling us that we're not listening, maybe we have to make a change there. It's not a criticism of any staff here, but it's a way to kind of build some bridges, which is what we need to be doing. And that concludes my comments for this evening. Thank you, Chair Swanson.

200>> Thank you, Vice Chair, and thank you for letting that out cuz I've been advocating for that for 3 years since I joined the board about that special advisory group for special education as well as some of the demands that we heard tonight. So, I know firsthand what it feels like being a special education teacher in this district and knowing the challenges and the nuances, my experience is different. I taught before the pandemic, during the pandemic and that transition there and I I get it. I Hence is why I'm not in the classroom because I thought that there was more work to be doing and sitting here to advocate and doing what's best to address the concerns, but I I I empathize with my fellow colleagues are still doing this work. I also understand that

201this issue, this crisis is bigger than all of us sitting at this table. And it's not just going to be Wake County alone that's going to be able to fix this. It's going to take all of us coming together and that's why I appreciate that the special education was lifted up in the legislative agenda. I know there's been some energy moving with New Hanover County with their advocacy around changing the formula that we spoke with the lobbyists about to include that and join into that advocacy and so there to the superintendent's point that was made, there is nothing on that agenda that I do not agree with. In fact, those are pieces I've been lifting up for 3 years and so I I do I do understand, but I also know that we have some

202tough choices given the financial state of affairs that we all are witnessing and also reading the tea leaves that knowing um and we'll learn more about this tomorrow, but knowing that the county's revenue was drastically decreasing due to the the loopholes that they're going to talk with us more and more of the community about, but let me I get to my remarks and so my final BAC meeting for this year can't believe it's already been four of them that um will be uh on the 25th, March 25th at 6:00 p.m. at East Cary Magnet Middle School and we'll hear from the budget and finance team. Um also just want to thank Mr. Tucker and Ms. Culperson for the amazing work that they did with the Pieces of Gold and the students and the you know,

203the art educators and the the team that put all this together and all the work that goes into all of that. I I was just blown away um at all of them. I also have to give a shout out to Reedy Creek Elementary School cuz it was the first year that they participated in so it was great. Everything was great about that and so looking forward to that as well. Um this weekend I had the opportunity of attending the Mooresville Community's Holy Celebration and I was joined or thanks to the town council members for the invitation. Um had opportunity to really celebrate the community and um enjoy always the the festivities that takes place. Um that same afternoon this past weekend I joined Davis Drive Elementary School uh whose for they celebrated their 30th anniversary

204and I told them that I would add their purple sticker um on my laptop so my sticker collection keeps growing. Um but really got an opportunity to understand the history and of Davis Drive and their founding principal um retired former principal Patricia Andrews gave a great history lesson of of how they became the dolphins, the color scheme that went along with it and learning and you know, I learned that um Davis Drive's the Davis's actually used to be a farm. The school sits on a farm and her office or the principal's office was the pig where the pigs used to be. So it was a great history lesson um about that and so they got to celebrate former principal that retired Chip Mack and the current principal uh Principal Fair. So just grateful for all

205the work that goes into that and to the PTA for really lifting that up and so Dr. Chavis and I provided remarks and it was just a great celebration. Um and then finally, I uh had it's just been a very busy weekend. Um but I I was recently had opportunity to be a part of the Flood Flood Groups uh Image Awards um and was honored with the Harriet B. Webster Education Award, which um uh Ms. Webster was a former board member um for many years and uh I shared that award with Ms. Rice was a record was recognized a year before and uh former board member uh Monica Johnson Hostler um was the first to be recognized with that. And so just it was just amazing hearing the history and and always I'm always in

206awe when Dr. Flood drops his one-liners. Um and I want to get this one correct because it stood out to me and I'm still resonating and chewing on the this. And he talks about his time when he was an educator and he said that what he learned throughout his experience is students will become what they think you think they will become. And so I'll I'll say it again cuz it it was it was mind-boggling. But he said, "Students will become what they think you think they will become." So that is the power that all of us hold here and in the classrooms and beyond because again, we are shaping the lives of students and oftentimes students, teachers, and community members are their opportunity to see themselves beyond that, beyond where their current environment is, beyond

207what their their lived experiences the situation that they're facing. And so um you know, just an an always an honor to hear and and be in the presence of Dr. Flood and and Dr. Garrett. Um and just hearing the great things that they've done and understanding where we are and what more we have to do. And I will say this again, it is not something that we can do alone, but it's what we can all do collectively is how we will will win. And so, um that concludes my long remarks. And so, at this point, I will entertain a motion to go into closed session for the information that is on the agenda. Um I I'm learning. I'm taking history I'm taking notes. Um that is listed on the agenda. Vice Chair? >> I make

208a motion to go into closed session for all the reasons stated on tonight's agenda. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> So, there's a motion by the Vice Chair. It's been properly seconded by Dr. Eng. Is there any discussion? All right, the voting should be on your screen by now. And I'll just say thanks to the comms team and the the sound the our friends in the control panel for all of they're doing to make sure that this system is working. And so, I I thank them for indulging me with all these wild ideas. Um as we talk about being transparent, this is our way of being transparent with our votes. So, thank you for that. That was me filibustering for since the Jazz Band has left. All right, looks like the voting is

209closed and we are now in closed session. >> Mhm.