001I see you. >> All right, good evening everyone. It is Tuesday, March 3rd, which is also a primary day. So, hopefully you can get out here and go vote if you have not done that. You have till 7:30. And I'm calling the Wake County Board of Education meeting to order. I want to welcome those of you all who are watching at home and those of you all are here in person. The Wake County Board of Education meetings are conducted for the purpose of carrying out the official business of the school system. The public is cordially invited to attend the board meetings to observe observe the board as it conducts its official meeting. Any persons who willfully interrupt, disrupt, or cause any disturbance at any official meetings will be directed to leave by the presiding officer.
002Members of the audience should show respect to the speakers by refraining from loud comments or any other disruptions. Disruptions by any person or persons of the public will be subject to action in in accordance with General Statute 143-318.17. So, we have eight out of our nine members here, which means we have a quorum. So, at this point I would ask everyone to stand so we can recite the pledge. 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. All right. So, board members, hopefully you all are logged into Assembly and that our folks in the control booth are also logged in. So, we have been voting using some features on Assembly, so it's more
003conducive and transparent for the public. And so, while board members are getting logged in, I will entertain a motion to approve tonight's meeting agenda. Mr. Vice Chair. So, I have a motion by Ms. Rice. It has been properly seconded by the Vice Chair, Mr. Hershey. Any discussion regarding tonight's agenda? Hearing none, seeing none, the votes have now been uh should be open and you can record your votes to approve tonight's agenda. Um Chair Swanson, my pop-up didn't come up. Got it. So, what is your vote, Ms. Dr. Joe? Uh I. Ms. Allen, can we record that I for Dr. Joe? Thank you. So, the voting has been closed. And tonight's agenda has been has passed unanimously. So, uh our first recognition item comes from our Human Resources Department for the recognition of the 25-26 Teacher
004of the Year semi-finalists. So, welcome. We'll welcome uh Dr. Mitilu, our Assistant Superintendent for HR. Good evening, Dr. Mitilu. Good evening, Chair Swanson, Vice Chair Hershey, board members, Superintendent Taylor, all of our guests behind me. It is my pleasure to present our 20 semi-finalists for 2025-2026 Teacher of the Year this evening. These finalists were nominated by their schools and selected based on evaluation of the portfolios and videos they submitted. We know how hard our teachers work and we're thankful to all of the school level Teachers of the Year who participated in this process and we are excited to recognize these semi-finalists tonight. I I I them sort of backstage before we came out today that there truly is no greater honor than being recognized by your amazing colleagues at your school. So, they should be
005very proud of that honor as well as being named semifinalists of the 11,000 or so teachers in our district. So, it's a great honor. Each of these semifinalists will receive their own personal Chromebook compliments of Lenovo. And semifinalists, when I call your name, please come to the front and be greeted by Dr. Taylor. Um when you do come, we ask you to remain standing, and the first group come over here to my right so we can get you all in a row. Um and then we'll have you recognized by the board once we call you all up. So, our first teacher Amal Bennani, English as a second language teacher, Reedy Creek Elementary. >> [applause] >> Drew Malcolm, social studies teacher, Panther Creek High. Jennifer Andorfer, sixth grade science and social studies teacher, Holly Grove Middle.
006>> [applause] >> Amy Crump, CTE drafting teacher, Apex High. Emily Bunn, cross-categorical resource teacher, Horton's Creek Elementary. >> [cheering and applause] >> Martin Money, seventh grade social studies teacher, Apex Friendship Middle. >> [applause] >> Teresa Howard, first grade Barton Pond Elementary. >> [applause] >> Sarah Green, Spanish teacher, Vernon Malone College and Career Academy. Nicole D'Arcy, sixth grade math teacher, Wendell Magnet Middle. >> [applause] >> Sarah Cronenwett, chorus teacher, South Garner High. >> [applause] >> Jessica Black, this is a long list, second through fifth grade English as a second language and AIG teacher, Creech Road Elementary. Catrice Cradle, cross-categorical resource teacher, Rolesville Elementary. >> [applause] >> So, I see that this gentleman asked to make sure that you put a picture of him. Krista Dinges, third grade teacher, Combs Magnet Elementary. >> [applause] >> Claire Johnson,
007kindergarten teacher, WASHINGTON MAGNET ELEMENTARY. >> [applause] >> ELIZABETH ROEBUCK, FOURTH GRADE TEACHER, FORESTVILLE ROAD ELEMENTARY. >> [applause] >> KRISTEN MYERS, 7TH GRADE social studies teacher, Moore Square Magnet Middle. >> [applause] >> Rachel Lawrence, 7th grade English teacher, Heritage Middle. >> [applause] >> Shana Barr, music teacher, Swift Creek Elementary. Megan Baker, 2nd grade teacher, Lynn Road Elementary. >> [applause] >> Lindsay Martin, social studies teacher, Sanderson High. >> [applause] >> Guests, one more chance to take a quick picture while they're facing your way. And then I invite our semi-finalists to turn and face the board so that you can be congratulated by Tess Swanson AND OTHERS. >> [applause] [cheering] [applause] >> WELL, I WILL BE VERY BRIEF, UM, because we know many of you all have many great things to do tomorrow, um. But, on behalf of
008the Board of Education, it's my honor and pleasure just to say thank you all for the work that you do each and every day to impact the lives of our youngest learners, our brightest learners, and our future. Um this year we mark the 50th anniversary of the merger of Wake County Public Schools. So, for you all to be standing in that legacy in that gap educating our folks, our students, our future teachers, doctors, lawyers, you name it. You all are shaping their their future just like many of those educators that that merged with Wake County Public Schools and Raleigh City Schools did 50 years ago. And so, our legacy is really you all's legacy of what you all do everyday. So, again, thank you all so much for what you do and we look forward
009to celebrating each and every one of you all in May. So, best of luck um and it is an honor take this moment in. And again, you all are are eight great great folks. Thank you all and you don't have to stay for the entire board meeting. We will not We will not bore you with that, but we'll give you all another round of applause and just thank you. >> [applause] [applause] >> And so, if those supporters and uh family members and guests are um well, I might do the informate the next information item, which is celebrating our arts and then we can give the room a moment to transition. So, that's what we'll do. Um so, I'll welcome Mr. Tucker or Dr. Hill um as we celebrate Arts in Our Schools Month. Good evening,
010Chair Swanson, Superintendent Taylor, board members, Chief Academic Officer Hill, Assistant Superintendent Latin Jowers. Tonight, as we recognize Arts in Our Schools Month, we celebrate the impact of arts education across every region of our district. In classrooms, rehearsal spaces, studios, and performance halls, students are developing discipline, collaboration, communication, and confidence. They're discovering their voices, and they're learning to innovate, and they're building skills that prepare them not only for graduation, but for life. Our communities often speak of the desire for a triple A school. Schools that excel in academics, athletics, and in the arts. Because of your leadership and continued support, that vision is becoming a reality. Arts in Our Schools Month gives us the opportunity to celebrate that progress while recommitting ourselves to ensuring equitable access to dance, music, theater, and visual arts for every student
011in Wake County schools. The arts strengthen school culture, increase student engagement, and connect students to one another and to their learning. They're a powerful driver of academic success and community vitality. This evening, we're proud to recognize March 2026 as Arts in Our Schools Month in Wake County Public Schools, and express our gratitude to each of you for your continued partnership in advancing arts education for all students. At this time, I respectfully request the opportunity to read the 2026 Wake County Schools Arts in Our Schools Proclamation, and after we ask for your approval. Sounds good. You saved me cuz I was going to ready to read the proclamation, but glad that This is a part of your remarks. I have it right here. All right. So, what do you get for speaking too soon? I forget
012Mr. Tyker is a teacher. >> [laughter] >> So, whereas, the month of March has been nationally designated as Arts in Our Schools Month to recognize the value and the positive impact of the arts education, including dance, music, theater, arts, and visual arts on student learning and achievement. And whereas, Wake County Schools cons- considers the arts as a core subject area and places strong emphasis on providing equitable access to the art high quality arts courses and after school programs for all students across the district. And whereas participation in the arts enriches students' lives by fostering fostering creative creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, problem solving, cultural understanding, self-expression, and personal confidence. And whereas arts education contributes to academic success and social emotional development, nurturing the whole child and preparing students for success in college, career, and life.
013And whereas Wake County schools is one of the few districts in North Carolina to have adopted an arts education framework endorsed by the Board of Education in 2025, providing a clear pathway for properly funded and high-quality arts education to all students. And whereas Wake County Public School System takes pride in the accomplishment of our students, educators, and the visual and performing arts, and acknowledges the many ways arts learning strengthens and strengthens our schools and our community. And now for now, therefore, be it resolved that the Board of Education of Wake County schools does hereby proclaim March 2026 as Arts in Our Schools Month in Wake County schools and urges educators, parents, students, community partners, and citizens to celebrate and support arts education during this month and throughout the year. In witness whereof, this proclamation is
014adopted by the Wake County Board of Education on the 3rd day of March 2026, and it will be signed by the Superintendent, Dr. Robert P. Taylor, and the Board Chair. So, is there a motion to approve the Arts in Schools Proclamation? Um Sorry. Chair Swanson, I wholeheartedly vote move to approve this proclamation. So, we have a motion by Dr. Joe. I'll second that motion. And it's been seconded by Mr. Haggerty. Any discussion? Hearing none, seeing none. Oh, Ms. You had discussion, right? I was seeing if there was discussion. I didn't Not about not passing it, but it's discussion. Correct. So, is that Yes, do you have a comment? Okay. >> You know I love the arts. Um it's been very integral in my life. Um being a student at um Carnegie um Magnet Middle School,
015uh where I won multiple um symposium contests and and sang and could not dance, but um I could act. Um I just want to share how important our arts programs are at our schools, and I'm looking forward to us as a board, and hopefully in some good budget seasons, being able to um expand our budgets that where we offer these instruments in every school, so that it can be accessible and equitable for all students, so that they can experience something more as they grow academically and in their arts. Thank you, Mr. Tucker, for always always moving in excellence. >> Thanks. Any other discussion or comments? I think we'll just get to the most exciting part where we get to vote and pass this Proclamation. So, board members, you will see the votes The tally should
016have The votes should be open. Um and we'll go from there. >> All right, so the proclamation passes unanimously. Thank you, Mr. Tucker, and looking forward to seeing our great students tomorrow in Pieces of Gold. Thank you. Thank you, board. THANK YOU. >> [applause] >> SO, BEFORE WE GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT, I'LL GIVE the room an opportunity for our finalists and our finalists to go forth with their great evening, and then we'll start public comment. So, we'll give the room about 5 minutes to adjust. So. Yes. So, we'll go and recess for 2 minutes without objection. >> All right. All right. So, we Can we shut Mr. Scott, is it possible to close that door for us so we can get started? Mr. Scott. Thank you. All right. So, we're going to resume with our
017agenda. Um we will now turn to the public comment portion of our agenda. Students will be heard first following speakers commenting on items for on tonight's agenda and then persons commenting commenting on other topics. Only one only the person speaking at the podium will be able to stand. Again, all attendees that are not speaking are to remain um seated, not silent. Seated, excuse me. Um concerns related to personnel issues, student matters may be addressed through WCPS's applicable policies, whether it's the grievance policies or any other applicable policy. The board welcomes all points of views including criticism directed at substantive ideas, actions, or procedures. However, the board's public comment policy also that there will be order and decorum will be maintained. In the interest of maintaining order and decorum, speakers are encouraged to address their concerns
018to the Board of Education and must refrain from personal attacks, insults directed at board members, individual board members, staff, or members of the general public. All commenters are asked to remain or are to be reminded that children are often attending these meetings and their comments should be substantive and civil. So, please remain at the podium during your time of speaking. Any materials that you would like to give to the board should be handed to our board attorney, Mr. Malone, either before or after your comments. During the public comment, you may speak up to 3 minutes. Please note that the microphones are adjustable. When you begin, the green light at the podium will illuminate showing that your 3 minutes have begun. A yellow light will light up with an audible tone when there are 30 seconds
019remaining in your time. When your uh when your speaking time is up, you will see a red light and then you will hear another audible tone. When your time is up, the next speaker will be called upon to the podium. Speakers are asked to respect the time limit and to speak no more than 3 minutes. And you will also see that we will be displaying our public comment speakers um on the screen. So, I will give staff a moment to There we are. So, this is the um tonight's speakers. So, we will start with our first speaker. Please make sure that you uh state your name before you begin. Thank you. Good evening, board members and Tiffany Taylor. Taylor? My name is Michael Tomsic. I'm the student body vice president at Broughton High School, brass
020captain for marching band, and bronze representative on the Arts Ambassadors. I'm here tonight because I care deeply about the future of arts education both at my school and across the county. This past week, Broughton had the privilege of presenting our annual musical. On Friday night, what our arts teachers remember most wasn't just the applause, it was seeing Dr. Taylor in the audience alongside our principal Ms. Dilts and our director of arts education Mr. Tucker. Their presence meant something. It meant students and staff that their work, their art, mattered. We're deeply grateful for the unwavering support of the Wake County Board of Education. Your presence at performances, your advocacy in meetings, and your public affirmation of our students and teachers sends a powerful message. The arts matter in Wake County. This support is seen and felt
021in every auditorium, gallery, stage, and rehearsal room across this district. We understand that it's unrealistic to expect all of you to attend every arts and athletic event at every school. I myself struggle doing this at Broughton. I forgive me. What matters most is that you are present where you can be, that the schools in your district feel your support. When you show up even once, it reminds students that their dedication is valued and that excellence in arts is part of our shared vision for success. So, why does this matter? Because the success of Wake County seeks for its students is found in the arts. Why? Because the arts produces success. This year, Broughton's National Merit Finalists were both members of our instrumental program. In 2025, a Wake County student was selected as one of the
022four music scholars earning a full ride scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Across our district, arts students consistently lead in academics, in service, and in character. Their arts programs do not compete with achievement, they fuel it. I know that what that this has been true because of what I've seen in my own life, and remains true for countless youth across the county. As you begin your budget considerations, we respectfully ask for your continued partnership and advocacy. If the arts are to remain accessible to all students, not just those who have resources or proximity, we must protect and strengthen the systems that make them possible. Access to arts education is not an extra. It is an essential pathway to excellence. Thank you for your standing with our students and teachers. With your
023continued support, we can ensure that every child in Wake County has access to the transformed power of the arts. Thank you so much. Thank you. >> [applause] >> We'll now hear from our next speaker. Good evening to all the board members. My name is Nimrat Nijjar, and I'm a student at Panther Creek High School and a co-founder of the project initiative Bright Futures NC. We want to thank the board for the 2026 Arts in Our Schools Month Proclamation. It is encouraging to hear this district prioritize the transformative impact of the arts. However, for the staff we surveyed at schools like Barwell Road Elementary, those high-quality arts experiences are often the first thing to be cut due to funding gaps. My partner and co-founder Siri is speaking on the staggering disparities of underfunding in public education
024and how it affects children. Building on that, we had to ask, "What is actually happening in the brain?" According to our consultation with local NC librarians, we found out electives such as art, music, and authentic in-person literacy are the most underfunded areas of education. We consulted a renowned expert in the science of reading and executive function. She provided the scientific backbone of our case. Arts and music electives are not extras. They are the primary tools for building executive function, which are the brain which are the brain's main skills. When a child learns a rhythm how to paint on a canvas, they are practicing working memory, task persistence, and cognitive flexibility. To bridge this gap ourselves, we launched Bright Futures NC Education Drive and several arts and music workshops that emphasize cognitive strengthening. We collaborated with
025industry experts like such as Duke Professor Dr. Kate Born, who shared that a lack of early support almost derailed his career in music production. He tells us that he was a child with ADHD whose grades were dramatically improved when he began regular music, acting, and dance classes. All workshops, which are currently proposed to partners like Marbles Kids Museum and local elementary schools, prove that you can teach high-level concepts using free digital tools. But, we shouldn't have to do this as a special project. This should be the standard for every Wake County Public School System student. Our request to the board is to protect the essential electives and view art and music through the lens of child development and executive function. We also ask to ensure that Title 1 schools have the same access to digital
026production tools and specialized clubs that we see in top-tier charter and private institutions. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Our next We'll now hear from our next speaker. Good evening to all board members. My name is Siri Shu Harsha, and I'm a part of the FCCLA club in Panther Creek High School and a co-founder of Bright Futures NC with my partner Nimrit. According to the North Carolina Association of Educators, North Carolina ranked dead last in public school funding, even when student enrollment grew significantly. Students in North Carolina have been affected by challenges such as low funding, the increased learning gap due to socioeconomic disparities, and limited access to learning resources and specialists. Due to this issue, my partner and I decided to construct an initiative to make basic education in Wake County a level
027playing field. We took this to the executive director of the nonprofit organization NCFPSC, who confirmed the reality of underfunding. Some of Wake County's most common student needs include seizure meds, band instruments, dental emergencies, and eyeglasses. NC's funding for these essentials lags behind the national average, leaving Title 1 schools to compensate for more needs with less funding to provide their students the best learning experience. A Wake County elementary teacher who teaches art shared that her current school with 14% low-income students is significantly better resourced than her previous school, where 88% of her students were low-income. This directly relates to the ongoing court case Leandro vs. State of North Carolina. Since 1997, the courts have highlighted that our state is failing to provide a sound basic education promised to every child. Our concern is the drastic difference
028in funding within our county alone. Regarding specialists, the funding crisis is personal. My younger brother is diagnosed with ADD and autism. He was supposed to attend a transitional school, which is a vital bridge for neurodivergent students, but that program was recently cut due to budget constraints. Now, he's being forced into a standard classroom that isn't equipped to support him. Teachers who are highly trained to support neurodivergent students no longer have the resources to give them the attention they need. If this is a reality for my family, what happens to the low-income families who can't afford private therapy? When we prioritize infrastructure like roads over the human infrastructure of our schools, we aren't just saving money. We're stopping a child's ability to progress and effectively telling students like my brother that their future may not be
029a priority. Therefore, we're asking the board to implement the following three actions: mandate a resource floor for Title 1 schools, ensure that ensure that no school has to choose between medical essentials and elective resources such as art and music. Next, to restore the transitional kindergarten bridge. Protect funding for specialized small ratio environments for neurodivergent students so they aren't lost in standard classrooms. Audit the elective gap. Conduct a district-wide review of the disparity in art and music equipment between our highest and lowest funded schools to ensure art in our schools month is a reality for all, not just a proclamation. Please prioritize the people who make up our future. Thank you. Thank you. We'll now hear from our next speaker. Good evening, school board members. My name is Anne Dr. Taylor. My name is Abigail Holland.
030I'm a senior at South Garner High School and the one consistent thing I have had in my four years of high school has been the arts. I and many other students have been given a safe space in arts programs across the county. Not only are we given a space with supportive instructors where we feel safe and cared for, but we are also given an outlet to express ourselves. Not every student is given an outlet to express themselves since everyone does it in their own way. For those of us who are creatively minded and choose to look for outlets, we can often find it in the arts. The arts give us a different perspective on things. They allow our creative brains to roam free and give us a chance to explore the depths of our minds
031and share our gifts. And in sharing these gifts, we are also able to share our unique perspectives, our struggles, and our successes with the world. We share the challenges we face to help others feel like they are less alone in their struggles and we share how we overcome our challenges to inspire those around us to do the same. This is why the arts are so important, not just to me, but to students all around. During such a tumultuous time in our lives, being given a space to share and simply be can be the thing that changes everything. They give students a reason to keep going, to keep trying, to keep sharing their voice with the world that so desperately needs people to share widely differing perspectives and to be confident in who they are. Without
032the arts, we would live in a drastically different world, one where people do not know the power they have, the power in their voice, the power in their minds, and the power in their souls. During this March, Arts Appreciation Month, I thank you for allowing me and many students like me to have the arts, to have the opportunity to express who we are and learn to be confident. I would also like to thank all the arts programs and arts instructors who give students the space to learn and grow into themselves. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker. Good afternoon school board members and Superintendent Taylor. My name is Joshika Jayamula and I am a junior, flute section leader, and arts ambassador at Athens Drive High School. The biggest thing that arts provide in our schools,
033from my personal experience, is community. A safe space where self-expression is the norm and like-minded, passionate individuals come together to create something greater than themselves, whether be a production, a concert, or an arts installation. Art is perhaps one of the only universal languages, perhaps even the only universal language. Something that doesn't care about where you're from or who you are, only what you can bring into this world. It's got an incredible capacity to connect people that way. When I first came to Athens Drive, it was in a completely new area. I knew nobody, I had no previous connections to rely on. It was just me against the strange new beast that was high school and teenage. Um but I did have my flute. So, I joined the band program and it was in that band
034program that I was able to find my identity and my kind of people. Since then, I found myself participating in the arts wherever I can, from playing Jetsam in my school's production of The Little Mermaid to participating as a member of the choir and the wind ensemble, presenting artworks at shows and competitions whenever I'm able. Not only have I met some of the most driven, passionate, and excellent individuals across these departments, but it's also it's also a welcome reprieve for my more academically rigorous courses, while still challenging me to be my best and building my work ethic. Performing in any capacity is what carries me through my most difficult semesters, and the friendships and connections it's brought me will forever stick with me for the rest of my life. And I know this is a
035sentiment shared by most, if not all of my peers across the district. Thank you, Dr. Taylor and school board members, for treating the arts equitably as you would every subject in Wake County schools, because I'll forever be grateful for this community. Equitable access to the arts education ensures our students will always have a place to go and achieve their greatest successes, and it's crucial that such a wonderful opportunity remains available to our students moving forward. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Good afternoon, um, council. My name is Micah Ferguson, and I am a Dance Honor Society vice president, and I'm co-chair to the student equity team at Millbrook High School. I'm here to talk about the importance of the arts in our schools. All throughout my childhood, the arts have been a major [music]
036part of my development, and looking back, I've realized they've shaped me into the man, human being, and student that I am today. From watching my mother sing on the big stage at church to belting 2010 pop songs in the backseat with my older brother, I was exposed to the arts from a very young age, and I'm forever grateful for that exposure. And when I got to elementary school, I was extremely excited to discover that I had entire classes dedicated to the arts and each branch of them. I was creating skits in theater class, learning music skills in choir, the foundations of dance, and how to play string and percussion instruments in band. Now, obviously, those are things that you expect from any student taking a class. You learn the basics. But with the arts, it
037is so much deeper than that. Theater class allowed me to express myself in new ways and grow outside of my box. Choir gave me a voice and introduced me to ideas of unity among diverse voices and individuals. Band allowed me to expand my understanding [music] and passion for music, and dance gave me a space where I could release negative emotions through bodily movement and allowed me to lean into personal creativity and artistic individuality. These precious life lessons continue to [music] be present in my life as I stay connected in the arts, but it was harder as the opportunities became slimmer and slimmer and I had to go seek them out for myself instead of them being handed to me. I stand here to you, Dr. Taylor, and all of you on the board, and thank
038you for supporting the art courses being accessible to all Wake County students just as they have been accessible to me. And I want to advocate for even more attention and care in the arts as they are so important [music] to the many lives of students here in Wake County. The education of the arts is so important because arts education serves as the cornerstone of a well-rounded curriculum. It gives students a productive outlet for stress while diversifying their daily learning [music] experience and fosters deep and meaningful connections by introducing versatile cognitive tools and fostering a culture of meaningful collaboration. The arts ensure that our schools and environments are where students don't just perform, but they truly thrive. Continuing the arts through my high school years have done nothing [music] but good to my life, and I
039wish that upon all Wake County students. Thank you for your time. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Hello, my name is Lily Ngyuen, representing Felton Grove High School. I wanted to start by saying thank you for being here and listening to my words. My school was made last summer, so we are starting from scratch when it comes to everything. It's at the beginning of school's life well, when support matters. With all these kids coming from many different schools and backgrounds from the county, it's fundamental to build communities such as the ones that you can find in the art. Uh the arts department is starting strong with several arts clubs and wonderful teachers leading our population of only ninth and 10th graders so far. My school has one art teacher has one art teacher for every kind
040of visual art, one art teacher for choir and dance, one art teacher for band and theater. These three arts teachers run everything when it comes to art, and it is my job as the ambassador for our school to be their assistant whose job promotes our school and keeps our 10 arts clubs active. Thank you, Dr. Taylor and board members, for continuing to prioritize arts education and arts programs for all of us at Broughton Grove High School. Thank you for listening, and any support that you can give us is appreciated. Thank you. >> [applause] >> So, that concludes our student speakers, and so now we will hear from our on agenda speakers, and we'll start with Mr. Henry. And then other speakers will follow in the order that's on this displayed on the screen. Evening, board
041members. Thank you for receiving me. Uh obviously, I'm here to speak on behalf of the Ligon renovations. I I think I've spoken on several of the occasions, and I think my comments and thoughts are are probably already on your records, but it does it's very important to come and stand in front of you to to stand behind those words because I'm I'm standing behind Ligon. And I'm not standing just behind the building, I'm also standing behind the fact that Ligon is just one of those wonderful institutions that has provided uplift and opportunity for so many. So, this is tough, right? Uh, no decision is easy. Um, I speak as both an alumni and a parent of children in flight. Um, and so I I don't take the words I say lightly. Um, that school matters
042to me. It was impactful to me. Um, when I look at the murals behind you, I can actually see the impact uh that that school spoke to. The arts, the sciences, uh the multifaceted look to it. That's what Ligon was. Um, but I also know my position in the end uh puts me at odds, especially with the alumni that came before me. It is challenging. And I do respect their position. Um, I would love to see that building stay. Um, we all want Ligon to endure, and I think that's why the board itself has committed to this renovation. Like, it's important. Um, Ligon should exist. It should continue. It should be in place um to provide educational opportunity for generations to come. But that struggle I have, and this is very simple, um when you
043look at the options that are in front of us, preserving that building puts at jeopardy the academic programming. Um, it puts at jeopardy a whole cohort of kids who would be displaced. So, to me, that's an easy decision to make. A building or we're going to sacrifice the academic program that took four de- uh you know, four generations, excuse me, four decades to build. Um, we're going to displace a group of kids, putting them in that village of learning. I call it a trailer park. But what it really does is um it lowers the academic offerings. It diminishes the opportunities that those kids will have. I don't think anybody would want their child to be subject to that. We want the best that we can provide. And so my appeal to the board is I
044know that this is a weighty decision. I know that it's going to impact and and probably cause um discomfort to many, but just consider the children. Just consider that academic program that took so long to establish and let's try to maintain it and keep that opportunity in place for these children that are in flight. Thank you so much for your time. THANK YOU. >> [applause] >> ALL RIGHT, WE'LL NOW HEAR FROM OUR NEXT SPEAKER, MR. ALLEN. I'm sorry, Mr. But Miss But Mr. Bethea? Yes. I'm sorry. Bethea is some place and Bethea here. So sorry. It just depends on where you're from. Oh, what? Please forgive me. >> just go with Bethea. Thank you. Thank you so much school board members, chairman. Um I have spoken at most of these listening sessions and I have
045worked with LS3P. And what I came to do was to say that documents matter. LS3P did their homework. They have documents to support their side. A lot of you have done your homework and you may be support something else. But we don't have it documented. So what I would respectfully request is that you use the talented real estate services department that you have on your website and have a statement from them to balance out the paper if nothing more. You have paper over here, you have none over here. So what I was respectfully respectfully uh requesting is that you have whoever it is that's supposed to be in charge of the real estate to document what they have done and their findings before you make your final decision so that you'll have two sides to
046put paper to paper and then make a decision. Um I'm a 1968 graduate of J.W. Ligon High School, an NC State graduate. I currently hold a valid North Carolina residential real estate license. I know about paper cuz you get yourself in a whole lot of trouble selling people's property and you don't have the paperwork straight. So I just encourage you to get the paperwork straight before you make the decision so that you have all the information at one place. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Our next speaker, Mr. Allen. Good evening. My name is Bobby Allen and um I come to you, board members, superintendent, chair, vice chair, to say that I am in line with proposal three. And I'm going to look at it from three different angles and I want you to open your
047eyes and look at it at different angles, not just one set of eyes. Don't just look at the alumni, just don't look at the the students, just don't look at the parents, just don't look at every Look at everything through everybody's eyes. I have I'm a lifelong resident of Southeast Raleigh. I am a graduate of W.G. Enloe High School class of '64. And I also am a retired school principal at West Cary Middle School in Enloe High School. So, I have been through what you are going through. I have been through construction. I have been through trailer city. And I'm telling you if you have not lived it or been to a trailer or see what the teachers go through and the students go through, then please open your eyes to that. Education should not
048be disruptive. And this is a disruptive process. And another thing, please please make a decision with your head and with your heart and look at everything in front of you. Legacy need to be upheld. Leesville High School is a beacon of light not only to the community but to to the state. And we can preserve that legacy. But remember, legacy is not brick and mortar. Legacy is what happens in the classroom through those teachers, through the students, through the administration, through the cafeteria workers, through the custodians, through the parents, through everybody that's involved. And I ask you to open your eyes and look at it through everybody's perspective and do what's right for the students. If you want quality students to come out, if you want academically gifted students to come out, if you want
049no kid left behind, give them what they need. And that's the facility that they need and the infrastructure that they need so they can reach their full potential. And I ask you to please look at that. Just don't cast it aside. It's not about brick and mortar, it's about what's in the classroom. So give them what they need. A facility that they can learn in. Now, Ligon long time ago was the premier black high school, but guess what? It was underfunded at the time. It didn't get the same everything that everybody got at other schools that were built. So give the students what they need to get receive a quality educate education and what the teachers need in order to produce the students that we're looking for. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you. All
050right. Our next speaker is Ms. Wimberly I Coffin, excuse me. And please forgive me for the pronunciation. Good evening. Members of the board, my name is Carmen Wimberly Coffin. I am a Raleigh native. Um I did not attend Ligon. I was at Broughton uh because we lived in a white neighborhood and I got bus there. But let me let me say this. Ligon was not simply a school building. It was created as Raleigh's black junior senior high school after Washington high school was reduced to an elementary school in the 1950s. It stood as the only black high school in the city during segregation, a place where academic excellence and leadership were cultivated despite unequal resources. When desegregation began in 1968, the teachers were integrated first. The students in 1971. The decision was made to convert
051Lincoln from a high school to a junior high school, closing the only black high school in the city. That decision reflected a national pattern. As schools desegregated, the black schools were closed and black educators lost their positions. Across North Carolina, out of approximately 280 black high schools during that period, we have five left. If we look back even further, after public education was constitutionally expanded, Raleigh opened a high school for white students. I'm talking about um during the reconstruction period, because we need to go back that far. Black students who wanted education had to go uh if they wanted education beyond the eighth grade, they had to attend a preparatory school at either Shaw or Saint Saint Aug because the students the city did not create a school for a high school for black students
052here. Washington High School did not open until 1923. Again and again, the black community has historically received less, later, smaller, fewer, and had to do the same work. In fact, if you are my age, you heard often even learning, we had to do twice as much to get half as much. And the same thing happened with the institutions and things that we got. When Washington Elementary, Wiley Elementary, and Broughton High School needed modernization, the schools were honored that their legacy and their buildings were honored. And I think that's a key difference. I understand the things that need to be done in terms of facilities, but that can happen here if you make that decision. We can make this work. Um Macon should be no different. Because of that, white students and black students have to
053learn how to lead together, and they will learn that from what you do. Thank you. >> I have extended remarks here. >> OUR NEXT >> [applause] >> OUR FINAL SPEAKER IS MR. DEATON. IN response to to feedback from the last meeting, I have provided the board with a list of common grooming behaviors that must be prohibited. Someone in the school system also told me that some teachers tape artwork or decorations over the window into their classroom. This is one of the things that must be prohibited. I don't know that every teacher who does that has bad intentions, but this tactic was used to hide abuse in quite a few criminal cases. That's why you have windows in the first place. 25 years ago, the extent of the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church became known.
054There was harsh con- condemnation. Even though a small percentage of priests committed abuse, other priests were treated with hostility and contempt in public. Then reports began to appear of widespread abuse in other religious congregations and youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts and public schools, as well as college and Olympic sports. A lawsuit against the NC School of the Arts involved 65 victims. To address its crisis, the Catholic Church instituted rules for safe environments. Since then, there have been very few new cases of of abuse in the church, and most that you hear about now happened year decades ago. But public schools haven't learned from this. In the lawsuit that I recently reviewed for you, school administrators allegedly did something worse than what church officials were condemned for. Last year, there were arrests of school
055employees in nearby districts. In November, a Roseville charter employee was arrested for multiple statutory crimes, including on school grounds. He keeps posting bond and getting arrested again, most recently for violating no contact orders. Roseville charter terminated the contract with the after-school program he had some connection to. That sounds to me like it could likely be another case of somebody saw something suspicious and didn't tell, but passed the trash. You simply must have known grooming behaviors explicitly prohibited and reporting required. Thank you. Good evening. That concludes public comments. And so, we will now move to our to the adoption of our consent agenda. Um board members, please make sure you are signed in to assembly to cast those votes. Is there a motion to approve tonight's consent agenda? Mr. Vice Chair? >> Chair Swanson, motion to
056approve the consent agenda. It's a motion by the Vice Chair. Is there a second? Seconded by Mr. Haggerty. Uh any discussion of the consent agenda items? Not seeing none or hearing none, the votes should be open and we'll cast our votes there. Oh, it didn't pop up. Um yes. Thank you, Ms. Allen. Okay. So, tonight's consent agenda items passed unanimously. So, we will now turn to our action items from the Facilities Department, the Ligon Magnet Middle School project option recommendation. So, uh Dr. Taylor, Mr. Strickland, and or Mr. Burnett, and Mr. Croson, looks like. Thank you, Mr. Chair. As uh as staff comes forward, uh I will share with the board that uh you heard the presentations from staff regarding the three options with uh Ligon Magnet Middle School. Uh and as Superintendent recommend that
057the board adopt option three for this project. Uh this option allows the project to remain in budget, causes no disruption to the existing school program, and can be completed uh in the least amount of time. Um and so, I do have staff that will be available for any questions because I know there's going to be some extended conversations from uh our uh work session. Um part of the things that the board has asked um asked during this session was about swing space. And what I can say is that I know that our staff have done the exhaustive work of trying to find the swing space that's within the adequate zone of Leggett. And everything that we see presents that as an enormous task to be able to lift and not disrupt the learning environment. We've
058certainly heard questions and comments about the cost and project overruns. As a superintendent dealing with budget, that is always one of the things that will be super important to me. We know that since COVID, our projects have come in in line with the budget that they have. >> [snorts] >> This option three, again, we see as from a budget perspective yields the best for the school district in terms of our use of of taxpayer dollars. >> [snorts] >> We've certainly had the conversations about the impact on the base and the magnet population and ultimately what that does to learning. And we do feel that this is that option that disrupts the least. I think what we've heard from our speakers tonight that regardless of the option that the board will support, it has to be
059about the legacy that comes forward. And I can tell you that talking to our past chair, Mr. Haggerty, this is something that he has been certainly leaning into. And and I absolutely respect that. I like and appreciate your comments about West Charlotte. And what I can say is that whatever legacy approach that we take with whatever option, this is something that we as a board and as a superintendent have complete control of. Again, the idea is not that it drives the project, but we know we want that to be an integral part of whatever option that the board chooses. And um we've heard tonight from our speakers about what I call the weight of what black communities have had to bear when it comes to school desegregation. We had an opportunity to attend an event
060at East Garner Middle School. And one of the things that I talked about during that Black History Month celebration is the sacrifice that black schools have had to make. And so we've heard the numbers about only five comprehensive high schools in our large municipalities. And there may be one or two others out there in small communities across North Carolina. Um and so I just want to share that those thoughts with the board. And again, Mr. Chair, I will turn it to you. And I and my staff are here to answer any questions that the board may have. Thank you. Mr. Vice Chair. Understanding there will be robust conversation after this, and I have my own questions for staff, I make a motion to approve option three. There is a motion for option three. Is there
061a second? Second. Second from Dr. Hurteen. Discussion. Comments, questions. Vice Chair. I have some some questions for staff. Y'all can come on up. A a that was raised that um, I had raised to y'all and and said this needed to be addressed. So, I'd like y'all to address it, the question of drainage. You know, we've been to schools where especially around some of the trailers and this is not related to the trailer village, but we've seen flooding at schools. And so, building this building potentially where we're talking about, you know, how do we ensure that have have there any have there been any problems on Ligon Fields? And what's the process for ensuring that there's proper drainage so it doesn't come back and bite us? I think it's most appropriate to have Catherine Peele with
062LS3P answer that. Uh, yes, sir. So, the fields are not in a flood plain at Ligon. There is a significant storm drainage system that is in place, but I can tell you that the Ligon school, like many others in Wake County, were built before there were current storm water regulations in place. So, um, we will have to adhere to both state and local requirements for storm water management, which will include storm water retention. There will be an extensive storm water drainage system put in, and we are also looking at elevating the site approximately 10 ft. So, we have full confidence in our civil engineering team that we will not have flood conditions or problems on the site. You mentioned some of your existing schools around trailers. Again, they're existing schools that likely did not have
063any storm water measures when they were designed and built. Uh, thank you. Um, and also raised uh, and this is probably more for Mr. Strickland or Mr. Burnett. Can you address um, the cost and how the how the costs for the various options were determined, how goes into it, how do you in really in general when you bring a project to us, how you're evaluating what the approximate costs would be for a building? Right. For this particular project >> It you be for in general, but also as part of this, what are the when you bring us a a building and you say it's going to cost X, what's going into that? Right. Yeah, so that that cost estimate was provided by our cement res vendor or contractor. Um, that was in collaboration with the
064design team looking at the at the program, which is the square footage of the building, um, then looking at making basic assumptions on all of the uh options, but the price was provide the prices were provided by the cement res contractor and their estimating department. And I I think it's worthwhile to note that we have a lot of history, recent cost history on projects that we bid, so we align the information that we get from the CM with the historical data that we have to make sure it it is appropriate and lines up. Okay. I understand the vice chair has a couple more questions, but we'll do a round of one round with board members and then follow up. Any other board members with questions? Ms. Rice. Um, I have a question around you were
065talking about our field, but one of the answers I never got back was when we asked some questions around our three on three and that was did we complete any of the soil samples that we requested to be done um, on the field because I know that we're sharing um you know, we don't suspect or we there there shouldn't be any flooding, but what data as the gentleman stated tonight, what do we have on paper that tells us that our field is going to be fine? Uh, yes, ma'am. So, in this particular scheme, the option uh three, um, that has as um, architect mentioned as much as 10 ft of fill on it. So, that will be engineered fill. That will be something that we will specify what that fill material is. That is something
066that we will have a consultant on site looking at that fill material, looking at the placement of that fill material. So, it is a process and and hopefully that answers your question. It does not answer my question unfortunately because my question simply was did we do the soil testing? And so, I got a different answer, but my question was did we do the soil testing and then most importantly what about the downstream flooding after building on that virgin territory even though it is 10 ft. Um, have we done the soil boring yet? Yeah, we had the for this job we haven't started the design process. What we want to do is to do the soil borings where the building is going to be and where those critical areas are. So, we target all the soil
067borings for this specific areas. So, we haven't done the soil borings yet for this because we don't have the design yet. So, the challenge that I have with that particular answer as well as I've been tasked as a board member that how long I've had to ask questions about this process. I've asked questions about this process 2 months ago. I asked it, another board member asked specifically about the soil testing to be done before we made the decision and we still don't have it. So, I'm still having challenges around being confident in staff with sharing with me the full disclosure of what is and what isn't before we have to make a crucial decision on where you have suggested that we build. If I may, Mr. Rice, two things I I think to note. First
068of all, um a project on an existing site is different for those on a on a new school where when we go and purchase a new site, we are able to do some due diligence before the purchase of the property. Obviously, this is an existing site. As Mr. Burnett pointed out, we'll do the soil borings as we move forward. Ms. Piro has shared with me on this particular site, there are existing soil maps available and at present their review does not indicate any problems with the soils on that site. How long ago were those um testings done? I don't know, but um once it was tested, the soil type wouldn't change. So, even if it was tested 5 or 10 years ago, those soils would still be there on the site. So, the challenge again
069that I constantly have is that we asked for something and now it was we don't know or we were going to well, we can get it done for you, it's not a problem and now we have an answer. I'm just trying to make sure that I can keep trust in staff as I advocate with community. That's that's all I'm simply asking for for with that piece. But, I'll I'll move forward with the soil testing piece because that was a question that I had. So, I'll move with my next question. So, as far as I'm going to do one round and then another round. One round of answering asking one question? That's what I did with the vice chair, but let him raise a question and follow up and then make sure that everyone has a
070enough ample um just being mindful of the time and I want to make sure that every board member has an opportunity to raise whatever question and then I'll do another follow another round of questions. >> Right. Point of order, but is it about time or is it about us getting it right? >> So, there is no time, but it's about fairness and consistency. >> work with that, but That's what it's about. So, is there any other questions from this side of the room? Ms. Gordon. Thank you. Um, I asked this question in work session, but I think we were we were coming to a close. I don't think it got answered. Um, but my question is um about the the square footage of the current designs around the ball fields. Um It It just It
071looks to me that we are putting ball fields on what you all have stated is already um in process of con- consolidating the footprint as much as as much as possible. So, the proposed square footage of the ball field on option three, how is it different from the proposed square footage of the ball field in option two? Um the existing ball field area Ligon at the lower area um has a really large just grass area that's larger than a typical soccer football field. So, what you see on two probably is just that existing area remaining. Option three shows regulation softball and soccer {slash} football fields at the at the area where the existing school is. So, we're showing those as regulation in that option three. Option two is just showing that large grass area that
072already exists, if that makes sense. It's It's just a larger area that's already there. Okay. Follow up? No, no follow up. Okay. Ms. Edmonds. Thank you. This is along the the lines I don't I'm not asking about soil soil bearings, but Mr. Strickland said that um you've said it a couple times now that you know the topography of the existing site, which is different than the process of getting new a new site like the as the Morrisville example that was raised earlier, and I'm struggling to understand that. So, if I I'm fully understanding your your question and what you want me to answer, um the existing site has been there for a long time. We have some soil maps at that site. So, let's set that aside and as Ms. Peel had mentioned, um there
073doesn't seem to be any problems with those maps. Um the Morrisville site, um there were problems with that site, uh with the extensive amount of rock. Um we didn't know about that, we being FDNC, until we were given the the reports, and were able to go out and do soil borings at the appropriate locations. Um that process has since changed. So, we now, um are on the front end of getting the soil boring reports on any piece of new property that we're looking at. So, that process has changed, and and we wouldn't have that again. So, as we move into looking at new sites, we'll have better information up front in which to make decisions. Follow Yes. Follow up. So, because of the age of Legan, and I I hear you about this the soil
074maps. I've I've got no issue with that. But, because of the age of Legan, and with new building standards, new code, how do you know that you won't be surprised when you do more top topography examination, what have you, for the building that you want to build in 2026? So, I mean, I can go with this. Um So, um there will be 10 ft of structural fill on that site. So, if there are any issues encountered when the soil borings are done, once there's a foundation plan put in place, we'll address it at that time. But, with that fill that will be placed on the site, that gives us the opportunity to handle most anything that we would encounter there because it will be structural fill that we will be be building on. It won't
075be peat moss. It won't be sand. It will be structural fill. Thank you. All right. Dr. Job, and then Dr. Ink. Um we've heard a lot about how um option one and two would disrupt student learning. Um which I understand. But, can you talk a little bit and clarify how going to school right next to the construction site at will disrupt the usual school processes? Like and especially like ingress and egress, and that kind of I'll take the first stab at that. Um we will absolutely have to have separation between the construction site and the existing school. Keep in mind, we we do this all the time as we swing on site. Many of our projects we have to swing on site. So, it's not a a new concept to us. Um some of the
076the the pathways and egress areas from the existing building um will be dictated by the local authorities having jurisdiction to make sure that we ensure those pathways are are clear and safe for kids to exit the building. Meaning, we couldn't put a fence up right next to a door where someone couldn't get out. Um certainly there is in a construction project a a lot of stuff that goes on. I can tell you that um we are always mindful that there are testing days at our schools. And we get that calendar from the school at the beginning of the project, and make sure we coordinate any obtrusive work at that time. Follow up, Dr. Joe? Okay. Dr. A? Uh thank you. Um uh I've already stated earlier in the uh work session about uh my concern
077about uh construction um in [clears throat] a in a um uh hill um and the the area uh of um having the construction on on the top of the hill versus on the bottom of the hill and the impact on um uh potential of flooding um during a time of construction. Uh but my question um to you guys now is um being that the the fact that the building current building is quite old um you know and and in my simple understanding of building codes of building is that uh you know older homes older older buildings have asbestos and lead in the paint. Um what would be the difference in the impact in terms of cost and effort to contain such contaminants um between the two options. I I You know, I'm just trying to
078figure out, you know, what is the what is the safest way for us to to to contain any kind of contaminants that it may be as a result of of uh disturbing the whole building and you know, in the process of renovation or demolition. Okay. So, really addressing your first issue uh as far as your erosion and erosion control, we will be required to do uh numerous erosion control measures. So, uh we and the city Raleigh and NC DEQ do not want um um um silt and mud and and negative uh aspects of a construction site to be flowing off of the property and untreated. So, all that will be treated. That will all will be again with erosion control measures and erosion control devices. As far as environmental issues with the building, uh we
079will be having a consultant. We will be doing separate packages um for any abatement here that is required. Uh with that, there are protocols and there are procedures that we that we follow that we have to follow. That's for the safety of the worker. That's for the safety of the outside environment. Uh so, all that is very >> [clears throat] >> uh very structured um and uh and we'll be hiring specific contractors that do that type of work. Sure. Um it's just a comment you know, for the rest of the board to think about in terms of the impact of of uh having a uphill the construction on the uphill versus downhill and what that means in terms of containment of um anything silt water uh runoff from the construction site. Um that concerns me
080uh to be to to do a building on the on the top of a hill versus on the bottom. So. Um we share those same concerns, but please rest assured if there are issues with silt or other debris leaving the site, uh we'll hear about it really quickly um from the local authorities. And we we have to meet the plan that they provide to us to provide containment for that as well. All right. Mr. Haggerty. Okay. I'll go with the same order. Uh Mr. Hershey. Two two final questions. Um At one point I'd asked about why we couldn't keep like the auditorium and the gym and build the new uh classrooms kind of where the tennis courts are, where the current trailers are, I think, and further down. Can you speak to that a little
081bit? We actually looked at that option early on and asked our construction manager to price that because it would increase the length of time um for the project. So, we would have to basically build most of the new school uh move the kids in, tear off everything north of the auditorium, rebuild the walls that would be basically gaping holes right where the existing building connect to the auditorium, and then renovate that portion of the project. So, it it it ended up extending the project longer and actually was more expensive than building a new auditorium. Uh the gymnasium and well, both of them actually are from the 1950s, and so they're both in the seven 70-plus years old, and that was part of the consideration as well uh for, you know, whether we could really integrate
082that well into a new school design versus it still being the sort of add-on uh that was not fully integrated. There's also the grade difference between where the auditorium and the gym is as finished floor versus if you build at even with the elevation of where we're talking about building 10 ft up, we still have about a 10 to 15 ft grade difference. So, we'd have to figure out how to bridge from the auditorium gym lobby over to that new building and deal with that grade difference. It's fairly complicated just speak We're We've got 40 ft of grade change on this site, so Mhm. So, but it was looked at. Okay. With that in mind, I'm going to change my follow-up question. If the board directed because design hasn't been done yet, and we're going
083to have uh um historic or legacy committee and the board can kind of direct some things. If we directed that say we wanted an auditorium on that same street with that same and still have the new building where option three is. Would that be problematic? Um again, we did look at that. It's more expensive, but we could certainly look at it >> No, not looking at keeping Oh, okay. Building a new auditorium up there. >> brand new auditorium, but some people and I understand why there's a beautiful entrance to the auditorium off that street. And I think that's one thing that I've wanted to see and and I've talked to staff about that is how do we kind of honor that and um you know, as we if we select option three, are we able
084to provide that kind of direction to staff as well to say, "Hey, look at this beautiful auditorium entrance. We'd like something like that as part of this design as part of the legacy honoring as one aspect." We could certainly look at it again. I think the challenge is that it would displace where the ball field was going to go. So, uh we'd have to look at rearranging things on the side if we if we move the a new auditorium up there. Yeah. So, Mr. Hershey, I just want to get clarity on the question. Is it that with the new auditorium uh in that option three building uh something dealing with uh an entrance that uh emulates the existing? Are you saying a separate auditorium um from the option three building? I just want >> No,
085not a separate auditorium, but we when I met with staff, we talked about the presence. Did you want to Yeah. Well, cuz I talked to Okay. And what Mr. Hershey is saying is that he would like just a front facing like an auditorium just like it is now, a new auditorium. I think that's what might be getting confused. So, it would be just a new auditorium on the Haywood Haywood Haywood side of the building and the front could still be on Martin Luther King. But in thinking about kind of the legacy and how we I mean it is a wonderful presence as Mr. Haggerty has brought up. I walked in, I loved it and it's one of those features where we we look for compromise and how we what we can do the best of.
086Those are the types of things we you know, I'd be looking to for the committee and for board members to bring to this if we go with option three. Thank you, board chair. Ms. Rice. I know we've had a lot of discussion around this. Um So, I'll be brief in this question. Um Did we ever consider any other um options than what we have right now? And this is just so that public might can know I'm asking these questions. I know we've had this discussion, but um did we consider any other options or to mix and match the options that we see? Have we Did we research or So, did we ever Now, that's the question. Did we ever develop any other designs other than what has been presented to us now? Did we ever
087create anything else other than what we see? So, designs, no, because we don't have any designs. It's just their concept at this point in time. I think we've shared with you all that we looked at the three options. There were numerous conversations about other things. I'm not sure if we mentioned tonight as we talked about swing space opportunities. Uh maybe Glenn said it, we talked about um both Spring Forest and uh the Garner 9th Grade Center. Of course, that would involve splitting the campus apart, which isn't good and and those sites don't have the amenities that that we would need. Um we did look around at our inventory of properties uh that we had to see if there was something available. Um I hope we have shared with you all that we had the the
088appropriate conversations with Saint Aug. Again, I mentioned I had one as recently as uh a meeting with them and and some other people as recently um as last week. Um and and and for me, the swing space piece, we have had swing space available in those areas where we've had high growth and we were able to build a school earlier than we needed and then swing into it and come back. And we just simply don't have that opportunity here. Um I I I feel like we've looked at at many many options. Maybe some of them, I can't think of any right now, just weren't viable in the very beginning. I think we mentioned earlier tonight um the distance of of traveling traveling and sending them somewhere else. So, I I feel like we've looked at
089the the good viable uh options and alternatives that were out there. Um the only follow-up that I have is um a statement, I guess, and a question. I know that we mentioned Saint Aug, but what I don't see is a listing of where you went. I don't see where you've shown us this is where we've looked. This is what we've done. I just hear well, we went here and it did not work. And so, that's a concern that I constantly have about um spaces and creating keeping the school at the particular heel spot um of where I where I am. I think that I've said all that I can say or ask what I can ask. You raised some great questions in session that um Mr. Haggerty raised that were very important. Um what I
090do know is no matter where the school is, we do know that Legacy is beyond the building. So, I'm not against that at all. Um but I will do everything to ensure that um what we say is going to happen really does happen. And the only thing that I have left to ask is about how sure are we about the cost estimates that has been laid before us. How sure, how confident are we with the decisions of cost that you have given us for all three options and particularly your option three. Are we confident in that? And that's the last thing I have. So, so Mr. Rice, um you know, my comment to that would be that uh projects have come in um at the budgeted numbers that we've had for the last several years.
091Um well, one of the things that always always alarm me uh when it comes to construction projects is what could change in the market uh that when uh you know, a project starts. Is there something that is out of our control that could change that? And you know, when I think about you know, what's taking place in the Middle East right now. Is Is there something that could cause construction costs to go up, steel to go up, any of those materials? Uh and so there are contingencies that are built into a project. Um and so um you know, we feel confident with those numbers for this project. Uh but having said that, um I I think you're spot-on point in terms of what could potentially change that and those are the things that uh that
092I recognize are things that are not necessarily in our control that can impact the market. Yeah. Follow up, Ms. Price. There is a follow-up and and I I very much respect uh my superintendent and my staff, but when we frame statements and narrative of that nature to say we've done this and done that, there are instances that it did not fall in the way that we projected it to be. Even as recent projects that we've um just had, I think we What was the name of the the one we mentioned earlier? Morrisville. And so the challenge that I have with us and I say us because the the staff and the board we're we're all Wake County Public Schools, right? The challenge that I have with us is that we present narratives in a way
093and we shape these narratives in the way, the same way that we shape these narratives with these three options. We only provided these three options and didn't look at other other ways to shape this narrative. We shaped the narrative as if option three was the only one. I said it in board session. We showed no cons about option three. I'm not saying we don't need a new school and that Ligon deserves to be a new school that's fitting for students, but we only showed and and community is only responding to what's been given before them. And that is the question I will continue to put before our staff is that we shape narratives and we say things that we want to say in Wake County schools that makes us look in this beautiful spotlight and
094we never want to shed light on areas of improvement. We always talk as if we've got it all together and we do not. And I think that is the place of transparency and trust that community wants us to lean into more to be honest. That's from staff to the board to be honest about where we are. We're going through 50 years of history and we're still not being honest about who we are and what we're doing. Thank you, chair. So, Mrs. Rice, one of the things I'll say is is I appreciate the comment about the numbers and what we say and what we don't say. One of the things that I would direct staff to do is to go back and look at the last 10 building projects that we completed and and I think
095that will be the data that you're talking about. And so it will, you know, correct all of us to where we can say what the project was originally budgeted at and what was the final number with contingency and everything else. I think that will certainly answer that question to say what have the last 10 been like and you all you may be able to do it for the last 20. I don't want to put a whole bunch of work on you, but you'll be able to do that. Certainly I think with the with the Mars Hill project, that is something I think all of us as board members came in on. So that was certainly one of the early conversations that I had was I said are we sure we want to build a 200
096million dollar high school that only has 1200 students. I said I don't know if I could go to the taxpayers with that. And so luckily we're in a position where we could do something else. And then, you know, the last thing I'll say is that and kind of what I've talked about before that while staff has looked at multiple things when they went through this process, throughout all of those reviewings, that's how it was narrowed down to these three options. It could have been five options, it could have been two options, but I think those are the things that they've done. One of the things I know that we will now learn from the conversations about this project is how we document the things that we do. And so, I do believe that as a
097part of the natural work that staff may do, those may not be necessarily things that you document like who we talked to about swing spaces, those kinds of things. And so, we take that feedback and that is something that we will have to use as a part of documentation that we've heard other people talk about tonight and so that we can have that available to answer questions that might come up. This happens. Um Thank you, chair. Um more of a comment, an observation. So, I'm I am struggling with this decision. I walked in here this afternoon thinking I knew what I was going to do and now I don't know what I'm going to do, to be honest. I think it Lots of discussion came up today for the first time with absent one board
098member, with the full board. I attended the 3 by 3. I've read materials put before me. I attended one of the public info sessions. But I feel like we've not had this discussion until today. And I feel more discussion is warranted. And I'm thinking of, you know, in very special circumstances such as when we've had to look for a new superintendent or, you know, for a new board member, we have we have really stretched ourselves and risen to the call um to the gravity of the decision and and had an extra meeting. I know I remember when um Superintendent Moore um you know, uh resigned that that we had a meeting on a Friday just to develop the questions for the interview. And I know that that's a huge challenge for staff and all of
099us to get our schedules in order, etc., but I just want to to suggest that we may need a special called meeting, at least one more conversation um and I do understand the urgency of of that people are waiting, and and I get all of that, but that's my that's my observation. And I Thank you, Ms. Edmonds. Now, I hear that, and I will remind the board that we are getting ready to go into a budget cycle. So, any time that we thought we would have had to do special called meetings, in fact, I had a intense conversation not intense conversation a long discussion with Ms. Allen looking at the calendars for possibility. And we spoke for about 45 minutes 1 hour laying out all these scenarios, there's no room in our calendar for any
100special called meetings. As we go into the budget cycle, as we're moving through public hearings for the budget, that's going to be slated in August I'm April um to meet our deadline on the 15th, which we don't have a board meeting on the 15th, so that March 1st would have to be that. There's no there there there's just no option for that. Um and so I think if we need to keep having a discussion, I'm prepared for us to be here as long as it takes, because I think that is our our duty is to raise the questions, get to it, but I don't want to prolong the discussion, because I don't think it's fair to the families that have went through the magnet program and the base families to determine where we are with
101this discussion. So, I'm prepared for us to be here as long as it takes to get questions answered so we can move forward with this. But, I think we've had many discussions on this to uh you know, lay this out. But, I see the vice chair's hand, but I also want to stick to the order. So, it was uh Ms. Gordon, Dr. Eng, and then uh Dr. Joe. So, we'll go in that order and then I'll come to the vice chair. Thank you. Um I would like to I am interested in entertaining Mr. Hershey's idea. Um I feel like option three is not the only option. Um And I also hear what um the conversations around, you know, how we preserve legacy and honor it. Um Is it possible for us to do what Mr.
102Hershey is is proposing? And let me, just for clarity's sake, I I want to make sure that I understand what he's asking. Okay. Are you asking to keep option three, that means build a new build a new site on the ball field, but the auditorium will be a new auditorium located on the hill, and we would have to reposition the ball fields? Sure. Mr. Hershey. I wasn't asking specifically for that cuz I don't know maybe they could slide the auditorium over. I wanted the auditorium to be on the entrance on Haywood. Right. And I was going to what I was going to suggest when I got around to me as part of a process to your point with since you brought it up Often times staff brings to us the design and it's like here.
103When we when we comes to facilities but as part and I can wait till everyone has their comments but I was going to suggest that as part of this process staff needs to bring to us if we go with option three three different actual designs cuz we haven't got to the designs at all yet and so it ensures that we to Miss Rice's point of ensuring do we get what we're looking for with something like that that we can then have more say or make it clear to staff that there are very specific things that we expect in the design. Point of clarity follow up please. >> Sure I Would that mean would that mean we would have to change the the motion made? No. No. Okay. As with many of our projects during the
104first initial phase of the schematic design phase we bring different options of different things so you can see how the site may lay out differently. Um we could potentially accommodate the auditorium in a different location than it is right now but keep in mind the auditorium is an instructional space and so there are certain advantages obviously having attached to the building. We could bring you a schematic design where it is close to and I'm I'm not looking at her but I know that they can do something like that. They can propose a plan where there may be different options of where different things are located on the site and that's during the design process and that's what we typically normally do. And just to follow up on that I think it'll be appropriate as we're
105having these discussions to continue add this to the work session so therefore all board members can have voice to this versus having it to a committee where not everyone is able to to have that. So, that's what I'll offer. Um Dr. Ing. Yes. Thank you. Um You know, you all know that I'm a conservative and and one of the things that people say in the conservative world is you know, question about trusting the experts. Okay. And and you know, in in in this case, you know, knowing that I don't know everything, um I do have to rely on people who do. And um and I would be fooling myself to think that the amount the estimate that you provide of the cost will be the final cost. Um it's going to be you know, different
106based on, you know, the economy, based on the the the cost of materials, um based on and a lot of different factors. The one thing that I I do have I I I ask for your experience um opinion on. In terms of renovating a an existing building versus um building a new building and tearing it down as such as in the option three. So, we're looking at option one versus option three uh in essence. What is the likelihood of unexpected costs, unexpected um a a a bump in the road in in terms of your construction uh um time frame, um but mostly the cost uh that I'm thinking about. I mean, um in in between the two options. Um I think that that there's some uh some of us who are worried about the cost,
107um which I am one of them, um certainly, and I don't want to have um those unexpected things pop up that would cost us millions of dollars, if not more. Um and so, in your opinion, what is the the one that would be uh less uh the fewer unexpected uh scenarios that come up? So, the comparison is between option one, renovation, and option three, which is a new construction. Uh with the renovation, you certainly have to be mindful of building code and thresholds and your scope of work and what might make you go over the the threshold for bringing a whole lot more scope of work to the building. So, that's that's a a big item that you definitely want to to know about and be very careful about. There's less under your control on
108the renovation because you do have those surprises. You may have you may discover a a material that you haven't seen before. You didn't expect it to be in this particular area. Um and on the side of environmental side, we very much could encounter more than what initial surveys would indicate you know, from from the consultants who go through. That does happen um often. So, you have to know that. As far as new construction, you have much more under your control. So, it is new construction. You're designing everything from basically from scratch. Now, given that this is an existing site, no matter what we do, there's still going to be some unknowns with the site, site related, where there might be some utilities where we did not expect them to be or did not know that
109they were they didn't appear on surveys, they didn't appear in past documentation. So, that really can occur on on any on any site on any project um and could happen even in the case of a renovation. So, you're saying that in terms of comparing the two, the uncertainty is less with option three. Is that true? That's correct. Thank you. And Dr. Ring, and I would have LS3 repeated to to speak to this if they could as it relates to the renovation. And so, we want to be clear that we're talking a renovation that would be around $77 million. Uh and uh and then the construction of that mobile village uh would is what boosted up to $102 million. Uh and so, perhaps you can speak to renovation costs that you've seen and I can tell
110you um professionally what I've seen both as a superintendent and as a deputy state superintendent looking at um dealing with funding for school districts um to build new facilities or renovate. Uh in my opinion, $77 million is is an extremely high amount to renovate anything. Uh and so, when I look at uh the option one of doing a renovation knowing that that is the cost and that's $102 million versus uh a new building at $121. Uh I clearly see, you know, why that makes that um not a a good option or a viable option, if you will. Uh and so, I don't know if there's something that you could add about uh renovations and and what those costs normally are um and and why that $77 million at Leggett. Well, again, they're high-level pricing because
111we haven't done design yet. We have the assessment that was done in 2021. So, we understand that all of the HVAC systems, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, all of those systems are going to have to be replaced. Um So again, you know, the challenge with Leggett is that it has been added on to and renovated so many different times over the years. There's 17 different buildings that are stitched together now. And so trying to open all that up, open up ceilings, um and in many cases these additions, you know, they were added on cheaply and uh how the systems were added to the existing HVAC is not necessarily clear. Um so you're trying to unravel that whole puzzle of all those different pieces and come up with a cohesive plan. And as we've said, the challenge
112also is that so many of the classrooms in this building are well undersized. And so even if we did a big renovation with all these systems, we're still going to get left with undersized classrooms and not being able to meet the current program. Yeah. Dr. Joe. Um I'm going to lean on on Mr. Haggerty a bit for this question cuz this came up at the end of our work session and I want to come back to it. So uh West Charlotte was brought up as an example and I think you all did that one. And there were there were extensive conversations about preserving the historic nature of the site and the buildings and everything much earlier in the process than we're getting to those conversations now. Can you speak to why that happened? Like what
113happened with our process or what why those conversations I'm correct in restating what you said, right? Um so I'm curious as to why we are um getting to this so late or not so late, but why West Charlotte was afforded these conversations earlier than we had them. I'm happy to address that, but a lot of those conversations did happen in design. Mhm. And bringing the community in around design elements and how the building was going to get laid out. So we started that process in May. We had all these community meetings. Um the alumni asked us to form a steering committee uh to be able to have more intimate conversations, which is why we went down that path. I know that they would come back to bigger community meetings. So, all of that work will
114still happen. Um and again, I you know, I can go back to what we did at West Charlotte, but the legacy and the history was part of the design process. We haven't gotten to the design process yet. So, um I'm just going to follow up with that comment. Um thank you very much. Um so, I think there are actually three issues here, and one is the one we need to vote on um from the way I'm seeing this. Like put teasing out like really getting Leggett to the next step. And I think that we have a responsibility to the community, the families, all of Wake County really because we need to move along other projects to and with how long these conversations have been going on to get to some sort of um decision tonight.
115I agree with the chair on this. Um but the and I think what's clouding a lot of this is um and I'm making an observation based on someone who's been sitting here 3 months. So, I I've I'm apologizing in advance. But I think there's some board process that we probably need to look at as to how late in the conversation we come into these things and you know, and what um and what information we're fed when. Um and I think there's you know, I think there are some real shaky faith in facilities at this point, you know, with some um history of very recent history of some issues. And I'm not just talking about Words for High School. I mean, we're we just voted also or we're about to vote on other issues with contractors
116and stuff that have arisen that perhaps should have been taken care of way earlier. So, um so, those things hopefully we can separate out, you know, and and deal with them. But also but still come to some sort of decision about Leggon tonight. Mr. Haggerty and then I will make some comments since I've Thank you, Chair Swanson. I had spoken to all of you in work session about my reservations and as you know, I've spoken to you all for months about this project. So, I did not intend on speaking tonight. But I do want to address the point that Dr. Joe Brayes because this is something we haven't heretofore discussed. In my conversations with the board members from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools the distinction here is that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board members made very clear to
117the staff of the importance of the historical legacy of West Charlotte in the community in Charlotte's history in North Carolina's history and it's personal importance to its alumni, its current students and the future story of the community of Charlotte. That was conveyed by the board to the staff and as I understand it from the staff presentation, sorry, from the from the contractor presentation that I witnessed that was conveyed by staff to the architects early in the process and they understood early in the process that this was a very important priority and that allowed them I think to get a head start in designing their community engagement program. And again, I commend them for the community engagement that they put together in Charlotte. I thought there were brilliant um masterful ways to collect memories um to
118incorporate historic parts of the building and the school's history into that design. But I think the difference is that there the board made those expectations clear very early to staff and staff conveyed that to the contractor. And I don't believe that happened here. Thank you. I wanted to speak on the the legacy and the history part, too. And you know, I shared my story about being in a modular trailer back in not as long as Leggett, but a couple of decades ago, give or take, when I was in high school and understood the importance of the of the history and building that legacy. And so, one thing I've said to the superintendent and I'll go on record tonight by saying that as we move forward the historical the historical relevancy of Leggett has to be
119front and center. One thing that I've heard from a lot of the alums and the community is telling the story of Leggett. You know, we've heard about so many educators that impacted the lives of those Leggett little blues that are contributing to society today and teaching young folks like myself the history of this. That should be displayed throughout that entire campus of whatever of the new building. Um so therefore, as teachers and students can understand the shoulders that they're standing on, the folks that have paved the way for them to be where they are. Highlighting some of the the the alums, you know, uh that have impacted the state and beyond. So, I do think there is opportunities for us to correct that and to go on record of saying what our expectations are and
120what we want to see and if they're not here then we can have these discussions and bring it back to the public so their voices are in this as well. And a part of that historical legacy committee will [music] be able to help identify those those stories. You know, we learned at the at one of the meetings the name of the sharecropper who donated the land for Ligon to be shared to be shared there. That is a story that I don't think is out there. That folks don't know that should be out there. So therefore we understand where and how these stories were taking place. Um there's a beautiful mural on West Cary Middle School which used to be a black school um that was integrated from 60 I'm not going to get the dates
121incorrect but that was a black school but that mural is there that tells the story around that and that should also be there at Ligon. Um I think it was a student at one of those forums stated that every classroom should be dedicated to those teachers so therefore they can see and read and hear about them in every aspect of that building. So I think that historical piece has to be be there and I hope not I hope I know after tonight's discussion I'll change that cuz hope is great but I'm not the great Reverend Jackson I'm telling y'all what we're going to do and how we want to see this. Um what we want to move forward to build that trust and move because I was going to say Chair Haggerty um but the
122chair was was sitting in the seat when we saw what happened with Mooresville and so I do think those reservations and I know you all don't want us to keep referencing that but I think those are legitimate concerns that this board has because we the two of us who do represent Mooresville got a lot of pushback and flak and had to own that so we have to look at the lessons and correct and rewrite and do what's best to preserve that trust. Um because then we just have options and if we want them to continue to choose Wake County public schools, then we have to lead that way. Um, and so a couple of questions that I have is if this was to go to over price like Morrisville or Felton Grove or some of
123those others, how is that information going to be how is that going to be shared with the board? I don't know if that's Mr. Crozier or Mr. Strickland. You know, what's the process if things were to go awry? How are we going to share this transparently with the public? Sure. Um, if I may, the the Morrisville project was a a different a different project than this. Right. Well, that's what we have on to go by for those of us sitting here. >> the processes that were involved with that project, we don't do anymore. Okay. Same with Felton Grove. Felton Grove is an expensive high school. The processes that were in place then, we do not follow anymore. We we don't do those. We do something different. I think that's something that that we as staff
124need to to make sure we convey. Um, I'll also say that at each stage of the process, we receive estimates from the construction manager. So, just like we do would on any project that we do. Um, they would submit um, cost information based on the preliminary designs. At this early stage of the process, the designs aren't done. They're concepts. And so the the budgets that are put together are based off of concepts, big bigger picture concepts that get refined as the design is completed. It's the same thing we do on each and every project. Right. So, we will have that information, um, if you'll think through when we bring you all schematic design or design development documents on the prices, it it mentions budget information. And so, we are are open and forward with that
125information at each stage of the process. I appreciate that and I know that we're we're laying this out because again, it's doing this thing correctly. I know when Legan was founded in in open in '52, there was no choices. The district at that time directed what they were going to do and the Legan that was there was not equitable. So, we're trying to do our part, all nine of us to correct the wrong and pay for a new Legan for the next 50 plus years. That's what we're trying to do. So, if we're harping on issues, it's not personal, it's the political and everything is political. Just like how it was in '52 when I think it was a million dollars that was given to the school and they said make this work. So, we
126have 140 million that we're trying to redo and rewrite those wrongs. So, I'm going to stop and I I'll open it back up for questionings or comments. Mr. Vice Chair. So, I'm going to restate the motion or restate the motion and add some stuff to it because even though I can be a cold and calculating board member at times, I also listen and I hear Ms. Rice and I hear Mr. Haggerty, Ms. Gordon, and Dr. Job, and Ms. Edmonds, I hear you, too, also. Um and before I restate the motion, this is what I'm going to restate I want in place as the facilities committee chair for Hunter and East Gardner so we improve our processes and we can discuss that um it and later this month because this is important and those are going
127to be similar builds. So, to restate the motion, if Dr. Ing will still second, would be that we that I move that we select option three and that comes with a legacy building or tribute on Haywood as part of the design and that the board will approve final design after seeing design options. Are you amenable to that? We do that anyway when we I understand, but I'm I'm going to build this in because we need to build this in and I don't want any uh steps skipped and I want the community to understand that we are building it in not blame but we're going to do it at the board table so the board is followed. Point of clarity, chair. Yes, ma'am. >> For the motion. Do I understand the motion that uh Vice Chair
128Swanson is saying I don't know, I'm not Vice Chair anymore. Vice Chair Hershey. I'm sorry, Vice Chair Hershey. I was looking at >> similar. No, YOU DO NOT. BUT >> [laughter] >> UM THIS I'M SORRY, my apologies. Seriously, um do I understand the motion that you're that you stated around the piece on the hill, I need clarity on that, please. So effectively that we are looking for a legacy building {slash} tribute is the way I'm phrasing it on Haywood where option three would be and that the board will approve final designs, which we do, but after seeing design options that would include that kind of tribute {slash} building, whatever we end up picking. Okay, I think I hear your heart and your intention. The only challenge that I have It's not even a challenge, the
129only concern that I have with that is that I need staff to not think that that is the only tribute No, no. What is >> within the motion is just You see, because the way we're wording the motion and giving them direction, because I think Chair Swanson says the way that we're moving now is we're giving direction and then they complete task. Um And so, I just want to make sure that we are not leaving here tonight with the thought we're going to give them a nice little monument on top of a hill as part of the gymnasium versus making sure that we're going to embed the legacy throughout the school. And I know we don't have to necessarily make that motion or change that motion to say that, but I do want to make
130sure it's on the record that it's understood that as this design process unfolds and um your Superintendent Taylor, right? Yes. Um has built this committee. Um thank you for allowing me to be a part of the committee. I do sincerely appreciate the invitation. Um that those will be a part of it. So, that's all I wanted to make sure, but I'm okay with your motion, um Vice Chair Hershey. I just wanted to make sure that we're clear on that that part. Okay. Mr. Dr. Enger, you have a >> And I'll second the motion. Okay. So, there are to vote. The Vice Chair has your motion, so you 100% agree. The committee is still going to give a lot. This is more for the exterior. Okay. But we're still going to have a, you know, the
131community input and all of that, for sure. Dr. Joe? Yeah, I'm a little uncomfortable with the way that the motion is stated because it still feels like then we're telling the community what it's supposed to look like. Like the Legacy Committee might meet for a couple of months and decide that it doesn't need to be on Hayward. Um and so, but they still want something different. And so, I feel that saying that we want option three and we will, you know, defer, you know, heavily to the legacy committee's input would probably do it. So Dr. Taylor, can you specify the leg- Ligon Legacy Committee and the functionality of the committee versus the board, excuse me. Absolutely. And so I I do want to go back to the motion that our vice chair Hershey has made
132and and as I understand it is that when we start the design process, it is about an auditorium that would have an entrance facing Haywood Street. It doesn't have to be an auditorium. It doesn't have to be an auditorium. We can figure that out. Say say like so. Yeah, yeah. And so you know, um the task for the Legacy Committee is to say as we begin to construct this building that these are the things that we believe are important to the legacy of John W. Ligon in the school. And so I've been clear that their job is not to drive the design process, but to say that as you begin to construct this building, these are the things that we believe are important. If If If If that thought is um we want as a
133committee uh physical pieces from the existing building to be incorporated into this new building. And we've done that in several schools. I know uh Apex Friendship. I think there may be some things. I do know at Garner High School the the original gym floor is part of that design. It may Oh, no. I I completely understand. I mean, I'm just saying going back to Ms. Rice's comment and to just even how we don't have a design at all yet. I don't want to hamstring us and tie us to a to a decision that what happens if the if the design committee comes back and says, you know, okay, yeah, we can do this thing, but it's going to cost an extra $20 million or something. Dr. Taylor, can you Yeah. And so and I think
134as as Mr. Strickland was saying, that is part of the process that happens now that whenever we have a design that is brought to the board and there's a review and questions are asked and redirections were given. And so again, knowing that the legacy is going to be an integral part of what happens here, we also know that that has to be done within the budget that exists. And so it doesn't, you know, I don't expect the legacy committee to come back and say build a three-story structure totally dedicated to the legacy of the building. Under completely understand. I'm agreeing with you. Yeah, okay. [laughter] Cuz I I think it's important to to differentiate the Ligon Legacy Committee and the functionality of the board. Okay. The board will derive that the the feedback. We'll receive
135the feedback from the committee and follow what is applicable in the contracts contracts that we have. But it's it's a way which I'm grateful for the superintendent's feedback and and we push back on the Ligon Committee because it's it's it's important to get this thing right. I I totally understand and that's why I'm concerned with the motion. I I'm concerned about having this this is something that's specific in the motion is all I'm saying. And if it cannot be done, the great thing about motions and boards and votes is it has to come back. It has to always come back. So if there's an issue and then I think the the the spirit of the vice chair's motion, if I'm incorrect, please correct me, is to ensure that there is accountability and conversations on both
136ends. If I'm Okay. Didn't want to speak for you since we're twins. >> [laughter] >> Um So, that is Dr. King. Um just a point of clarity. Um the legacy committee um will be reporting to the board, correct? To the superintendent and then uh we're sharing it with the board as as we go through the entire process. But yet I mean and we're still going to preserve the ability to um hear from the rest of I mean the community um on their uh opinion on the proposals and all that. >> Yeah, and so uh what we envision is that the members of this committee are still going to be in a position where uh they talk with constituents about uh their thoughts and beliefs uh of what we believe is the proper uh legacy uh
137for Leggett. And so that all will be part of the feedback that we want. So, that's why we tried to make sure we have members that are reflective of the community. Uh but I will just say to the board that at the end of the day uh the board is always going to have the final say so when we get to that design process. Uh and so what we now know is that whenever we have that conversation, uh part of that will be about uh what the legacy portion of the design looks like. Um and and I think [clears throat] that what we take from this process is that uh that has to be will be uh an integral part of what happens in that uh you know my task is not to bring something
138to the board that I don't feel properly reflects um what is the legacy uh of the school and the community. And so regardless of what the committee does and if the committee feels hey, we've done our work and it's great and if me, I look, I'm not taking this to We're not doing this. And but I don't expect that to happen. Um but um I can tell you uh as a student of history uh and a student um of segregated schools, I know the importance. And um I think this is a unique opportunity that we have to reflect that legacy that many um communities may not do to that degree. Uh but this is one I think that stands out uh in an enormous way. And and as the chair said, we have to get
139it right. Yeah. And if I may, and Dr. Taylor, if I'm uh out of line with the committee uh you know, you can gavel me out of order. Um but we've asked I've asked the superintendent to ensure that the committee comprises of elected officials that that represents um Southeast Raleigh. So, Ms. Rice will be a part of the committee as the district four member, the vice chair as in his capacity as the vice chair and as facilities, um Commissioner Waters, as well as uh at-large member Stormy Forte and council member Branch, who is an alum of Ligon. So, therefore, it is a representation from all different constituent from So, we're hearing from all of our constituents. Um as a way of getting that and I'm not sure if they've I know I've called them all.
140Um they've all responded and accepted it. Um and Chair Mayo. Yeah, and and we've only had um one person to decline membership on the committee. Uh and so, we're still hearing from others, but um uh for the most part, we've had really good feedback. And um you know, again, I think it's uh there would be 21 people that we would have. Plus students. Yes, students being a part of, correct? And staff. Yes. Miss Miss Gordon, I feel like you had a question. >> I do. Um this this may be a very simple question, but I feel like I need to put it out there for myself and for the public. What is What is the difference between a partial renovation of let's just say the auditorium that's on that that's on the hill versus tearing
141tearing it down and building up a brand new one. I know you said that it would cost more. How so? Like how does Help Can you help me understand how that's possible? Um from the construction manager's perspective, it extends the schedule. Because again, it adds another phase. And so, the longer they're on site, the more expensive it is. So, it's really the time and labor that it would take and it would just extend the schedule. Okay. And I'm happy to share more detail of of how we looked at that, Sam. Okay. Okay. Thank you. It's my pleasure. You can sit if you want. Any other questions or comments? Um I'll just say to Dr. Joe, the key part was really design options. I want to see what they have, you know, that's and trying to
142build bridges with all the board members and the community for that specific place. And with that, um I'll give the chair one moment. Oh, Miss Edmonds. Vice Chair Hershey, I don't want to miss the vote and I need to excuse myself. Can we take 2 minutes since they're conferring? Sure. Uh I won't um fill time. We'll go into recess for 2 minutes and be back. Without objection. I think I can take that back. >> Thank you. Sam. Okay, Sam. Sorry if I shouldn't So Where were we talking to It's good to see you. So we can see the line. I'm Jewish. There's a big gap. But there isn't another Jewish Trainers on the tennis courts. That's pretty close. I don't think we can get it all the way up to this position. And saying you
143won't have >> Yeah, I think I just left that there. We need to leave it right there. It's not going anywhere. Just hoping there's some mints or something in there. So, I have an idea. Yeah. I have an I have an idea. I have an I know. Just like I can't process it. I accept. No. I'm just trying to get No. That's the way to do it, man. I'm telling you, man. Solar panels are awesome. >> No, I'm I'm actually pleased. I told the man before that she gave me a call. I said, "Listen, this will be a great opportunity for her cuz she's really brilliant." But I think she's shaking with her voice >> Woo! >> How was everyone? All right, everyone. Thank you, Vice Chair, for facilitating that while I was uh uh
144having a little sidebar with our District 4 colleague. Um are there any other comments, Yes. questions, on easement before we take the vote. Any final comments? Okay. With that, whenever you're ready, I'll just say that, you know, I think well, the vote is there. I'll save my comments, and we'll go from there. Dr. Taylor, I was looking for your civil, but I realized you don't have that. I don't think they come in >> Thank you. Okay. Thank you, Ms. Allen. All right, so the voting is All right, so option three passed unanimously. And so we look forward to the work that's going to take place in the Ligon Legacy Committee as they help give input and guidance and the follow-up with that. I do want to thank, you know, the feedback that we received from
145the community, the feedback we received from the current students, the little blues, um the mighty little blues, um and as well as the staff for for for the work that's gone into this. And I understand that this is not easy. But I I I I believe that we will get through the other side and ensure that Ligon lasts for another 70 plus years when none of us are sitting on this board. Um that that work will continue. So thank you all. So with that, we will move to board comments. So, Superintendent Taylor? Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um before I get into my comments, I do want to uh thank the board for um your questions and your expectations as it relates uh to this Ligon project. And I do hope this is an affirmation to
146our community uh of the commitment to this board uh to the work that takes place. And do want to thank you for that. Uh this week we join school districts across the country in recognizing National School Social Worker Week, a time to celebrate the dedicated professionals who help remove barriers to learning for our students. As part of that celebration, I'm proud to recognize Camille McDaniel of East Garner Magnet Middle School, who was named the 2026 WCPSS School Social Worker of the Year. Uh Ms. Daniel has strengthened attendance systems, supported families in accessing critical resources, and created what her colleagues described as a safe and inclusive space where students feel heard and valued. Her assistant principal shared that East Garner would not be the same without her presence and leadership, praising her ability to build systems
147while also building meaningful relationships with students. I'd also like to congratulate the other four finalists for this year's award. Madison Bowser of Briarcliff and Cary Elementary Schools, Jenny Mann of Scotch Ridge Elementary, Brittany Wynn of Harris Creek Elementary, and Lori Van Ostrom Reed of Dillard Drive Middle. School social workers serve as a vital link between home, school, and community, supporting mental health, improving attendance, and advocating for students and families every single day. Their work strengthens not only individual students, but entire communities. This week especially, I encourage families and community members to take a moment to thank school social workers for the invaluable work that they do. I'm pleased to share that 23 of our high schools have earned national recognition on the AP School Honor Roll. This award goes to schools that are expanding access
148to advanced placement courses, while also helping students achieve strong test results. Schools are recognized at the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels based on the following criteria criteria. How many students take AP exams? How many earn scores of three or higher? And how many complete five more AP courses during high school. Of our winners, eight earned platinum status, five earned gold, and 10 earned silver. Uh these recognitions speak to the hard work of our students, teachers, and counselors, and school leaders who are expanding access to rigorous coursework while building a strong college-going culture across our district. So, visit our website or Facebook page to see a full list of our winners. And I know there are not many people here, but I do think that deserves a round of applause because it IS ABOUT ACADEMICS.
149>> [applause] >> I'D LIKE TO INVITE ANYONE INTERESTED IN MAKING A difference in public education to join us for our spring job fair on Saturday, March 14th, uh from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Felton Grove High School in Apex. We are hiring for a range of positions across our district, including teachers, instructional assistants, bus drivers, accountants, data specialists, HR professionals, and more. Attendees will have the opportunity to speak directly with recruiters and school leaders, explore current and upcoming openings, and in some cases, participate in on-site interviews. Uh we know that the quality of our staff directly impacts student achievement, school culture, and long-term success. So, I encourage interested candidates to learn more and register on our website. Uh we uh would love to welcome more talented, dedicated professionals to our team. Finally, I'd like to
150share a video recap from the Black History Month event called Legacy in Motion that was held last week I was at Garner Magnet uh at East Garner Magnet Middle. You're going to see why I'm laughing in a minute. Uh over 3 days, more than 700 students from eight of our schools took part in this experience, an engaging combination of history, music, and dance. The overarching message is that everyone's culture matters, and that black history is American history and world history. And I will say that there was a video captured some gentleman giving some stepping lessons, and I don't know if that's going to be in this video or not. But if you happen to see my picture there, do know that for a brief moment I recaptured 1987 stepping performances, but I don't know if
151that's a part of this video or not. I I hope it is. >> [laughter] >> So today we have Legacy in Motion, Beat, Dance, History, and Joy. We partner with Academic Advancement to provide a performing arts and learning experience for third graders all across the district. We're planning on 700 kiddos coming to celebrate Black History with us. So they heard a story from storyteller Judy [music] Allen Dotson about the Ash brothers. They learned about Irwin Holmes, who is from Raleigh. He went to Ligon High School, and he was the first black person to integrate NC State. [music] And then we had Mama G to come and teach them how to play African drums and some other African instruments. All my sons of Africa. And then we concluded with an affirmation to let everybody know we
152are stronger together. This is Monday through Wednesday. We have eight schools coming and over 700 third graders. What I hope the students gain from this event is learning about culture, and that everyone's culture matters, and that black history is American history and world history. And not only that, when we learn about each other, it makes us stronger together and it forms unity. I am proud of who I am. I am proud of WHO I AM. I COME FROM STRENGTH AND GREATNESS. I COME FROM I CAN LEARN. I CAN WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. CAN MAKE A >> [cheering] >> MY VOICE MATTERS. MY VOICE WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER. WE ARE I'M SORRY YOU MISSED IT. You're recognized, Mr. Chair. Dr. Taylor, you might have paid someone to to delete that. But that's okay. I think
153Ms. Gordon has some photos. Um Perfect. So we'll start with the uh we'll start with Ms. Ryan since she's back. Welcome back. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm so excited to be back um with you amazing folks. Thank you, Dr. Taylor. You all have been amazing. So good evening. I would like to begin by thanking Ms. Smalls at Riverbend Elementary School for allowing me the opportunity to read to the kindergarten and first grade classes um in celebration of Read Across America Week. Um it was truly a joy to spend time with um our youngest learners and to see their excitement around reading. Moments like these remind us why literacy and early learning are such um critical foundations for lifelong success. I would also like to invite um our District 4 families and community members
154to join us um for our next District 4 Board Advisory Council meeting on April 13th at 6:30 p.m. at the amazing Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School. These meetings are an opportunity for families and staff and community partners to stay informed, share ideas, and continue strengthening the connection between our schools and our community. Our conversations continue around the future of Ligon. I want to reiterate that I have heard clearly from many alum and community members who desire to see the school remain at the top of the hill. I have advocated for honoring that request and preserving that historical significance. At the same time, we also recognize that a new building does not have to mean a lost legacy. I will continue to advocate that the legacy of J.W. Ligon lives on, ensuring that every student who
155walks through those doors understands who J.W. Ligon was and the powerful legacy of the alumni who helped shape our community. I would also like to personally thank everyone who called, text, and reached out with support while I was recovering. Your encouragement meant a great deal to me, and I am grateful, so very grateful to be back continuing the work alongside this board and our community. As part of our ongoing focus on the eight dimensions of wellness, you thought I lost it, but I did not. Um tonight's wellness tip um highlights environmental wellness. The environments The environments where students learn and where staff work matter deeply. Healthy, safe, and supportive environments help everyone thrive both in school and at home. Two simple ways we can all contribute to healthier environments include students and staff taking shared
156ownership of their spaces, keeping classroom, hallways, and campuses respectful, clean, and welcome welcoming for everyone. Board members and leaders continuing to prioritize safe, well-maintained facilities and supportive learning environments, ensuring our schools are places where both students and educators can do their best work. When we care for the environment surrounding us, we strengthen the conditions for learning, teaching, and thriving together. Why? So that everyone can have what? A positive and productive day. Thank you. We'll go to Dr. Joe. We'll just do a little zigzag. So hopefully no one gets dizzy. Thank you, Chair Swanson. First, I want to thank the Raleigh Islamic Institute for inviting me to their annual community leaders Iftar dinner two Sundays ago. It was a pleasure to meet other area community members for this meaningful evening. One of the imams in attendance
157talked about the importance of authentic leadership and the adherence to to genuine values, and I hope we all continue to strive for those characteristics. I wish all who celebrate Ramadan Mubarak. I'm really excited to attend Pieces of Gold tomorrow night and celebrate the incredible talent and hard work of our Wake County students. There's a reason why the arts have been an integral part of high-quality education for literally millennia. Arts underpin academic success, design and innovation, and citizenship. In other words, everything we want from our students. Now I get to talk about something I really like I really that's really close to my heart. I'm so glad to see how many District 8 schools and schools across Wake County celebrated Read Across America Day yesterday. I saw town officials, firefighters, business leaders, and parents come to
158our elementary schools to read to the children, celebrating the power of the written word. Due to increased screen time and access to ever more online content, the percentage of parents who read to their young children has dropped from 64% in 2012 to just 41% now. Once kids get to school, only one in three kids say they read for fun. Regular reading isn't just good for student achievement, although it's very good for student achievement. Reading for fun has been proven to have physical and mental health benefits for adults and kids. Just 6 minutes of pleasure reading lowers heart rates it lowers heart rates and decreases muscle tension. Long-form reading for fun, and I mean books and magazines, not doom scrolling on Facebook, has been proven to increase concentration, grow vocabulary, and even improve social and emotional
159capability. Social media and video gaming do not produce the same results. In fact, we are more and more learning the harms of extended screen time, but there's no limit to how much reading we can do. We should be encouraging regular dedicated reading time in the classroom and in our homes, both for our kids and for ourselves. It's National School Breakfast Week, and tomorrow I'm going to join Ms. Edmonds and Holly Springs officials, Mayor Mike Contradick and Councilwoman Annie Drees, to serve breakfast at Woods Creek Elementary School, which I'm super excited. Um nearly one in five children in our country live in households without adequate access to food, and we also know that kids who eat breakfast achieve 17.5% higher scores and attend more school days. It's so important that we're able to provide breakfast to
160every child who needs it. However, we saw in as we saw in a recent board meeting just how strained our child nutrition services department is. We count on federal reimbursements to help fund this program, but this year at the USDA has cut more than $1 million in funding for child nutrition programs, and we need to be advocating for that funding to be restored. And I will be in Apex Middle School and Lufkin Road Middle School this week, and I look forward to those visits, and my next Board Advisory Council is April 20th at Lufkin. Thank you very much. Thank you. Uh Ms. Edmonds. Thank you. Um [clears throat] Uh Dr. Jeff, thank you. I'm excited about the the breakfast service tomorrow. And I wanted to um lift up Ms. Bright and her first grade class
161at Combs Elementary Magnet Elementary for welcoming me on Friday. Um I they allowed me to read not one but two books to them and they asked great questions afterwards and it was just a really great time and I am overdue to post the photos on my um social media pages. So, look look for those. Uh the Wake County Public Library system is having their bookmark contest again and um so, please look for that. It's for, you know, uh all certainly our K-12 students and I forget, I think there's an adult um piece element to it as well. So, the bookmark contest and you can find information at Wake County Public Libraries. Uh my next BAC meeting will be on Monday at 5:30 at Holly Springs Elementary. We will hear um two presentations, one about budget
162and one um about our Family Academy that's in Wake County Public Schools. And Mr. Henry back there can tell you how wonderful um my BAC meetings are as he visited us um last year, late last year. Uh the last thing I'd like to say is to thank um Wake NCAE. They welcomed um Ms. Gordon and I last week and we had a really um challenging but important conversation about um the special education needs that they're asking for um and we were we we had great dialogue and uh listened to some um very compelling uh storytelling and I just want to thank them for their dedication uh to their work and advocating for what they need. Thank you. Ms. Gordon. Thank you. Um I was unable to be at the last board meeting, but I'm going
163to try to keep my comments short. But bear with me. Um so, before I share my comments on tonight's um vote, I want to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the incredible things that happening across our district. Um we are in the middle of Read Across America Week. Um it's been wonderful to see our students celebrating literacy and the joy of reading, and I want to encourage all of us to read books that reflect the diverse perspectives of our district. Um March is, of course, Arts in Our Schools Month, a time when we uplift the creativity, talent, and brilliance of our student artists, performers, and educators um who we got to see at the Black History Program. Um this week is also School Social Worker Week. Our school social workers are often the quiet
164heroes supporting our students and families, and I want to offer deep gratitude for the crucial work they do every single day. Um and I had the honor of attending our district's Black History Program. We had a time. We went to church. We sang, we laughed. Um students from all across Wake County put on a beautiful and powerful celebration of Black brilliance and resilience. A special shout-out to the students and alumni connected to the Garner Consolidated High School who shared moving stories about what it was like to learn and grow during segregation in our district. Um their voices and their truth and then finally, congratulations to all of our Teacher of the Year um awardees tonight. Uh your leadership, innovation, and love for your students continue to move our district forward. And so, I want to
165say, as far as tonight's vote is concerned, coming into tonight's work session, I thought I knew what my vote was going to be. But, the discussion, one that I regret was not held much earlier in this process, shifted my thinking. Tonight, I did move I did vote to move forward with option three for the future of J.W. Ligon Middle School, a school that holds tremendous historical significance, not only for the Southeast Raleigh community, but for my own family. Uh my parents and my grandparents attended Ligon. Um whenever I face hard decisions, I often turn to the example of my great um educator of a grandmother, late uh and Miss Annie King. She's always been my North Star, and I often ask myself, "What would Annie King do?" I know she would want me to do
166the business of the board with integrity, keeping students at the center of every decision we make. And I know she would want me to honor the rich history and legacy of Ligon and the Southeast Raleigh community. The community that made me who I am today. And I know that she would remind me of what she always told me, "Fight for what's right." So, I want to say, I chose uh this option because it is the least disruptive for current students, and it provides Southeast Raleigh with the high-quality modern facilities this community deserves. Um my vote tonight reflects my commitment um to protect our students, steward our resources, uplift our community, and honor the legacy of those who came before us, including the grandmother whose wisdom continues to guide my steps. Um and then finally, I
167want to thank those who came out uh to our BAC meeting. Um we had a wonderful time together. Um if you haven't been to one in District 2, I invite you to the next one. Um they are very nontraditional. I will say that. And um I also want to thank um, Wake NCAE um, for our conversation that we had last week. It was very insightful and um, it you know, it continues to hold us accountable. Thank you. Uh, Mr. Haggerty. Thank you, Chair Swanson. So, tonight um, I'm going to speak about one topic that I believe I'm going to share with Dr. Ring. I thought I'd have all of you sitting on the edge of your seats. Um, all of you obviously know about um, the horrible incident last week with a student bringing a
168loaded gun on campus at Millbrook High School on February 25th. Um, situations like this we've seen across our district could be every parent's worst fear. Um, it was managed. It was managed safely. It was managed efficiently. And since that time the parents did contact contact me about their fears and anxieties, there was positive feedback as well that I want to share with all of you. A number of Millbrook parents, Millbrook High School parents, specifically reached out about the outstanding professionalism and response from the staff and from the school's SRO Officer Kirk. Um, there was there was swift, calm, and decisive action that helped ensure the safety of all the students and the staff. I've been informed that many of the families, after speaking with staff members and students, are going to approach the City of
169Raleigh and ask Chief Boyce for special commendation for uh, Officer Kirk. Um, and and just again, his name keeps coming up in all of the stories of the day about his outstanding service to the students and the staff. And so I'd like to also extend my gratitude and my appreciation to Officer Kirk and lend my name and endorsing the commendation that he any commendation that he might receive. Additionally, on this the second topic I'd like to raise and I I mentioned it a little bit last last last time. Seems like last week, two weeks ago. You know, people don't like conflict. Most people don't anyway. I can't speak for everybody. Um and it can be uncomfortable to have difficult conversations. But sometimes a problem left unseen is a problem forgotten. So I want to thank
170specifically tonight our chair and our vice chair for listening to my stubborn insistence on um the issue of Ligons Legacy. And I I really appreciate the thought and care that you put into making sure everyone had an opportunity to speak on this issue and listening to what everyone was saying and how you crafted the motion together and managed the debate. This motion was important. Now I could explain why, but someone can do it much better than I. Earlier tonight, Ms. Carmen Carmen Coffin had shared her extended remarks with you. We didn't get an opportunity to hear all of her words and so I just wanted to um share some of those with you because I think her thoughts were really embedded in that final motion that speaks to the heart of what a lot of
171us were really trying to get at. "If a new facility," she writes, "must be built, let the legacy be embedded in its architecture, its programming, its interpretive displays, and its curriculum. This cannot be a quiet erasure disguised as progress. Progress does not require amnesia. And I like to end with that, Mr. Chair. Thank you. >> And again, my thanks to Ms. Kauff. Thank you, Dr. Eng. Thank you. Um good evening. Um last night our district three had our board advisory council meeting at Northridge Elementary School. Um I want to thank Principal Shillings and the PTA for hosting the meeting and making us feel welcome. I want to also give a special thanks to Kendrick Scott, our senior director of the office of security, who came and gave us an overview of the strategies that we
172have implemented to keep our staff and students safe. Um he went over the upgrades of the reporting process through the Say Something Anonymous Reporting app, the Rave mobile panic app, and the new standard response protocol that will be giving greater specificity on how schools will respond to various emergencies. He also went over the resolution that we passed back in 2024 on safer gun storage. Um and then it was he included in educating um giving us an educating um scenarios for us to look at, to ponder. Um and he also gave us some reminder of the legal consequences for parents when students gain unauthorized access to an improperly stored firearm. Um one of the things that really impressed me of his presentation was how difficult it is to distinguish between a real firearm and a toy.
173Um he showed us pictures of various firearms um and asked us to see which one was real. And um I I failed on all all of them. Um the real firearm and the airsoft guns that you can buy online or in the store, they look almost identical. He even pointed out that he surveyed the SROs and many of them got that wrong, too. So, I didn't feel so bad. Um Uh because of that, you know, that is why it's so important for all of us to take it very seriously when there is a report of a firearm um being detected on campus uh because, you know, at the at the uh moment in time, an SRO cannot tell the difference between the real one and the fake one. Um and you know, um and this
174kind of scenario happened um this past week um and um our staff and our students at Millbrook High School, um you know, they they they experienced it firsthand. Um and I want to express my gratitude to everyone who was involved in bringing the crisis to a close safely, um especially Officer Kirk. Um and I want to second the um endorsement. Um and I want to thank really all the SROs that serve in our schools um who um you kind of reminded me of, you know, back in 9/11 when the fire the firemen, you know, the the firefighters went into the building when everybody was running out. And, you know, they bravely go into the crisis situation when everybody is trying to find safety. Um so, I I really thank um everybody who um made it
175possible for everybody to feel safe um afterwards. Um and I believe that the upgrades in technology and the process that the changes will be vital to keep everybody safe on campus. Um even still I I ask for everybody to give us to give us patience and a little grace as we continue to fine-tune our security plans. Um on a different note, on Tuesday, March the 17th, the Special Olympics Spring Games will be held at Green Level High School. I know it's not one of my schools, but I wanted to highlight it. Uh this year they will be hosting 13 other schools and approximately 200 athletes and 200 unified partners at the Spring Games. Uh unified partners are athletes without an intellectual disability who train and compete alongside the uh Special Olympics athletes on the same
176team. Um in 2025, Green Level High School was recognized as a 2024 National Banner and a 2024 ESPN Honor Roll School. And they are excited to support inclusive athletics for students across Wake County. And speaking of Special Olympics, I want to give a special recognition to the Special Olympics of North Carolina. Um I had a chance to attend the Summer Games, uh which is for the adults, um last May. Uh that brought together adult athletes from all across the state. Um just like the uh Olympics that you watched on TV, they have a opening ceremony and it's just an awesome experience to watch all the athletes um walk into the venue and just be so excited about their participation. Um and they are doing some great work to provide opportunities to develop physical fitness, uh
177demonstrate courage, experience the joy of competition, and to foster lifelong friendships. So, I look forward to attending again this coming uh end of May. Thank you. Vice Chair Harshman? Uh no board comments tonight. Thank you. >> [clears throat] >> Well, I'll be brief. I just want to thank the Thank you all for wrestling in conflict, um which sometimes conflict creates creative tension, and that's what we created tonight. And so, this is the work that we have been tasked to do, and I'm honored to be in this work with all of you all. Um And so, I thought the Vice Chair was going to mention that we participated Was it yesterday with Read Across America at Green? I was able to travel outside of District 9 and District 5 to um join the Superintendent, the Vice
178Chair, as and Mayor of Raleigh, uh Chair Mayo from the County Commissioners, as we welcomed the Governor and the First Lady to read to students. And so, um always great to see folks coming into the buildings to participate and to share the excitement that we see every day with with our students. Um I had some other comments, but it has been a long night. Um And with that, I just want to thank everyone that has has that showed here, that came and spoke with us, and understanding that our work does not stop here, and we will continue on with the work ahead. Uh Chair, I'm sorry. Follow-up comment, very very briefly. It is very quick. >> Sure. >> Just a follow-up comment. It would I would be remiss if we walked away from this board
179table by not acknowledging one of our founding board members of our 50 anniversaries, Ms. Carmen I'm sorry. Carmen Wimberly Coffin. We I know she spoke tonight. Mr. Hershey um, some of the things that she said, but I don't know if the audience, as well as all board members, understand this is her daughter of someone that we plan on celebrating this year, and how dare we not acknowledge her legacy, um, Ms. Cliffornia Wimberly, who served on the first board of Wake County's integration, and that her, um, seat is here, and that she walked alongside her mother during those years, and she's still standing. So, Ms. Wimberly's legacy is still here through the representation of her daughter, who is a historian of Raleigh within her own right. And so, I just felt like I needed to mention
180that. Um, she didn't say it, she didn't make it public, but I wanted to make sure that I said it from being in my district. Thank you for the work that you do, continue to do to elevate your mother's legacy, as well as making sure we don't erase history in Raleigh. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for correcting that, and thank you, um, for always keeping us on our on our toes and being honest about the work that we have to do and honoring that. So, thank you. And with that, I will entertain a motion. Vice Chair. Um, following the advice of our board attorney, I make a motion to go into closed session for all the reasons stated on tonight's agenda. All right, there is a motion. Is there a second? Second. Seconded from
181Ms. Rice. Any discussion? Hearing none, I think the voting will be open, so we can head into closed session. All right, voting is open. I knew all those meetings that we were ending early was going to, uh, come to an end. Told you, don't get used to it. All right, votes are being closed. And it we are in closed session. The motion passed unanimously. Thank you everyone. Have a great evening.