001As you know, we have um an agenda day with a lot of important information. We'll be talking about we'll be introducing the superintendent's budget. I'm wondering if the uh cut to the air conditioning tonight is part of those budget recommendations. So, I apologize for anyone's discomfort, but uh we'll get through it as fast as we can. Okay. So, um, one of the first things we do at these meetings is, um, again, we have I have a little precy I go through here just to remind everybody that the board of education meetings are conducted for the purpose of carrying on the official business of the Wake count of the Wake County Board of Education. The publicly is cordially invited to attend the board meetings and observe the board as it does it as it conducts its
002official business. Persons who willfully interrupt, disrupt, or cause disturbances at an official meeting may be directed to leave by the presiding officer. Members of the audience should show respect for the speakers by refraining from loud comments or other noises or other disruptions while others are speaking. Disruptions by any person or persons of a public meeting will be subject to action in accordance with North Carolina General Statute 1431817. So with that, I will announce we have seven members here and present. We do have a quorum. Uh Miss Mafy and Miss Rice will not be here for the duration of the meeting. Um both both attending to personal issues. So we'll begin. Those of you who are able, I invite you to stand as we recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States
003of America and to the republic for it stands one nation indivisible. Liberty and justice for all. All right. So, the first item on our agenda tonight is consideration of our meeting agenda. Board members have an have had an opportunity to review. Is there a motion at this time? So, moved. Second. We have a motion from Vice Chair Swanson to approve the meeting agenda. We have a second from Miss Edmonds. Any discussion? Any debate? All in favor of approval of the meeting agenda, please say I. Any opposed? All right. The meeting agenda has been approved. So, tonight we'd like to start with an important information item uh from finance. This is the presentation of the superintendent's proposed budget for the 2526 fiscal year. Uh both our superintendent, Dr. Robert Taylor, and Mr. David Neer will present.
004Uh Superintendent Taylor, I'll kick it over to you. Thank you, Mr. chair and thank you all for being at our board meeting tonight as we present uh the superintendent's budget. Uh I do want to share that uh this budget is for information purposes. Uh our goal has been to develop a budget based on what we believe uh the revenues will be uh from our county commissioners. Uh we put a lot of effort into this process. It is not a process that we do in a short amount of time. It is a continuous u exercise that we do. Uh this budget is absolutely focused on fiscal responsibility uh as well as program continuity. Uh uh the big things that we have coming up this year are the opening of four new schools. Uh we certainly have
005to look at uh rises in compensation. We've uh estimated at 3% raise. Um again uh that budget from the from the general assembly is is well away. Uh and so that number could be higher, it could be lower. Uh but most districts are looking at uh about a 3% increase. Uh as well as uh any program continuity, those things that we do know we want to continue as we go into the new school year. I will also share with our public that after the presentation of the budget today, uh we will take a number of opportunities to talk with our public uh uh not only at the board meeting here uh but three different locations throughout the county where you will have an opportunity to provide feedback to the board. uh uh more information will
006be shared with that later. Uh after that uh the information that we garner or gather uh we will share that with our board of education who is also responsible for developing the board budget uh that will be submitted to the county commissioners by the 15th of May. Uh that is when we statutoily must do that and then the county must uh give us their budget by 30 June and that's normally within the first uh 10 days that we receive that. So, we want to share with our public uh that everything that we've done in this budget is about uh reducing the impact on our schools so that we can ensure that quality education continues. And so, with that, I will uh now uh have Mr. Neater to go through the details uh of the superintendent's
007budget. Mr. Neater, evening, Chair Hagerty and members of the board, if I could ask There we go. Um, what we'd like to do with you this evening is give you an overview presentation of the superintendent's 2526 proposed budget. Again, as Dr. Taylor shared, tonight is for information purposes only. I'm going to go through a timeline in a few minutes to help everyone understand what the various steps are. there'll be plenty of time for questions, staff responses, and board discussion, um, as well as input from the public. So, before we actually get into the budget, I'd like to give some context and review a bit about the landscape, if you'll go back to a retreat that the board held in December of this past calendar year. We shared with you a highlevel estimate of needing approximately
008$60 million of additional local funding to support a number of different initiatives. Perhaps the one that stands out is the opening of four new schools um to support our operations in the coming year. We also are aware that Wake County government's revenue forecast for next year will not support that level of an increase in county appropriation. We also presented similar information at your joint board's meeting last month when this board met with the county commissioner board. Um, and now layering on top of all of that, we've got significant uncertainty as it relates to federal funding. So, as Dr. Taylor mentioned or alluded to, this budget includes what we are referring to as strategic repurposing where we look very closely and very through very difficult process about what areas of the current budget we will reduce
009to create funding for the needs that we've got in the coming year that we do not believe we will at county appropriation to support. And if I had to um have one overall characteristic of the landscape and context is that this budget is presented in uncertain times. Um federal funding supports Wake County schools. about 8% of our budget is made up of federal funding, just under $200 million. But as I believe you heard in the towards the end of your work session today, federal funding makes up a significant portion of both the state budget as well as the county budget. So implications for state revenues based upon any federal reductions and implications for the county budget based upon any potential federal reductions can definitely have a trickle effect onto Wake County school system. Um we
010receive our funding directly from um well from the federal government for things like title one, title 2, title 4, IDEIDA funds um as a pass through from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. We've also heard whispers that the state legislature may mirror some of the things that are happening at the federal level. And again, I'll conclude with what I think is the overarching characteristic. Only one thing we know is certain, and that's uncertainty. And I believe that will prevail throughout this budget dei development cycle. So, we must identify local funding in next year's budget to support the opening of four new schools. We don't typically open that many schools all in one year. Um, one could say that's a happy problem or a happy challenge. We'll need to identify local funding to support state
011legislated increases to employer benefits that we as an employer are required to pay on behalf of our employees. And the two primary ones are the state health plan and also retirement contribution. We while the legislature has not made any decisions or even to my knowledge had any discussion on those rate increases looking back historically we see that we believe they will increase and our estimates are based upon a 5-year look back on history. um will be required to identify local funding for any state legislated increases to compensation and we are using a 3% estimate within the superintendent's proposed budget. Obviously, the state could do more, could do less. They may not do a 3% across the board. They may be higher perhaps on teachers if they want if they look seriously at going to the
012$50,000 starving salary for teachers. but all TBD. Um, we also have included in the proposed budget increases to legislative required payments to charter schools. We're required by law to pay a portion of every local dollar passing along to charter schools. So, the amount we've included in the proposed budget is based upon the county appropriation increase because every dollar that the county appropriation increases, I think it's right around 11%. So, 11 cents of that dollar is going to pass through the charter schools, while it's in our budget, it's not available for our use. Um the other component of that increase to charter schools is a continuing shift in ratio of charter school students to Wake County students with the percentage shift the percentage of total students on charters is increasing at a higher rate. And our
013budget includes uh funding for program continuity for behavioral health service uh support services for our students. Those are counselors, social workers, school psychologists, um nurses. We had a number of these positions on ESSER funding in the current year and it funded the first quarter of the current fiscal year. um th those funds ended at the end of that quarter, but again, we have to identify local funding if we're going to continue those positions. The proposed budget does not include any funding requests for new programs or services. And while the proposed budget does have funding requests to be able to maintain the locally funded master's degree compensation differential for our certified staff and it also includes a 3% increase to the local supplement. So if the state legislates a 3% increase, a certified member would see
014a overall 3% increase, while it includes those two items, it includes no other funding requests beyond our estimated state legislative amounts. And to contrast, for the past several years, we've been fortunate enough to include in a proposed budget and receive local funding support to far exceed what was legislated at the state level. And over a period of I believe now it's been six years, get our starting hourly rate from $11.80 an hour to $17.75 an hour. and we've seen results in our ability to attract, recruit, and retain staff in different categories. There also in this budget are no other funding requests for the multi-year initiatives that have been in recent budgets. So, I'm going to go through a timeline now. Um, tonight we're giving you just the formal presentation. A week from today, you have
015a finance committee meeting next Tuesday afternoon on the 25th. And our plan for the meeting on the 25th will be to make a presentation specifically focused on the strategic budget repurposing. You're going to get a very high level overview of it tonight, but very high level. You're not going to have the opportunity for Q&A tonight, but we intend next Tuesday to give you a more detailed level about just what are the implications of what we have in this proposal and the opportunity for questions and responses. Subsequent to that, at your April 8th and 22nd board work sessions, the board will conduct a budget work session. And we also have targeted the April 29th finance committee meeting for you to be able to conduct a budget work session. And during that period of time, board members
016will be able to ask staff questions. We ask you to direct them to senior director of budget Terry Kimy who's over there in the corner. Um, and her email address is in here. Um, and then she will work with chiefs and the other staff to develop responses. will provide those responses beginning at your April 8th work session and at each additional work session. We'll also post them online for the public to see board member questions and staff responses. Um a public hearing will be held April 8th at your board meeting to get input from the public and as Dr. Taylor shared the board plans to hold three additional regional meetings across Wake County to gather additional input from the public. The work sessions ultimately are the opportunity for board discussion and direct potential direction to
017the superintendent and staff to make revisions to the superintendent's proposed budget as it transitions from the superintendent's proposed budget to what ultimately becomes the board's proposed budget. We're targeting the board approve their proposed budget at your May 6th meeting and that is targeted in order to be able to allow the board of education to deliver your proposed budget to the board of commissioners by the statutoily required May 15th deadline. So now jumping into the budget itself. This budget is the first year of a 2-year banial budget. So, more time will be spent on the general assembly by this. Um, we don't have any detailed budget proposals. We've got bits and pieces. You heard in your work session there's a bill out there looking at a starting teacher salary of $50,000 per year for teachers and
018some other things, but there's no cohesive budget proposal at this time. So, as we have in prior years, we've included in the proposed budget estimates, and they're just that. They're estimates or even perhaps forecasts of what we think the legislature might do. As we go through this budget development process and we get better information about what the state might do, we may make adjustments to better align the budget, the Wake County budget, with what the state's doing. But ultimately, we won't be able to make final adjustments to the budget for next year until the state finalizes its budget. And frequently that is well into the next fiscal year. I think in one recent year was in late November and the board was not in a position to adopt the formal budget till December. Uh but
019we will work through that with you. Um based upon what we know now, the state assuming they legislate salary increases would provide funding for state funded employees for that. The state would provide based upon historical practice funding for state funded employees for any employer benefit rate increases. Wake County is responsible for locally funded employees. Um the state will provide some resources for the opening of four schools but we still need significant local funding. The state will provide a principal and certain other positions but after that um for as far as operating costs of the school and other staffing needs of the school. It's incumbent upon us to use and look for local funds. Um, the state will provide resources for student membership changes, but I want to make a note of that. And one of
020the very last slides speaks to uh potential risk of the budget. The state shifted for this year, beginning this year to funding in a rears, which means they will fund us at the beginning of the year based upon our last year's funding. Prior to that it they had forecast what our student population would be and our initial aotment would be based upon that forecast student count. Now funding in a rear says we're just going to do whatever you had last year and then if after the first couple months you actually grew if there is funding available we will increase your aotment. We were fortunate this year in that funding was identified but the legislation is such that if and it's really beyond legislation if DPI does not receive the funding for the student growth they're
021not in a position to increase our a lotment we are projecting student growth so that is a potential risk for us at the federal funding area in the federal funding area again as I shared a minute ago, all of our pandemic relief funding is now no longer available for use. That ended September of 2024. We are looking for our USDA grants to increase based upon the number of schools um qualifying for C. Our federal funding in this year's proposed budget represents 8% of the overall operating budget, 178 million. Last year it was 200 million. We already have received notice of termination of one federal grant back in late February. Um we have terminated the grant or we have followed the instructions we received. uh and this has in turn displaced staff and is impacting our
022capacity to recruit teaching staff. That's what the grant was aimed at. Further federal reductions could have a material impact on our student services and support. Discussion at the federal level continues and very little is known and I'll go back to my mantra of the only thing that we know is certain is uncertainty. local revenues. A few a few tidbits here. Um, our tuition and fees are decreasing by $2.5 million due to the use of carryover to support the extended care program. Um, John nutrition revenues are decreasing as a result of the USDA grant that I mentioned a few minutes ago, but in some ways those offset each other. Our fines and forefeitures that we estimate for next year are decreasing and that's based upon the receipt of one-time funding in the past year and I
023believe that had to do with the um anti- vaping settlement. So what's included in the superintendent's proposed budget? It includes an increase in county appropriation request of $40.3 million. And you'll recall I said we are in the $60 million range of additional local funding being required to meet our needs for next year. So that's the delta we had to make some strategic budget uh decisions on. How do we close that almost $20 million gap? The other thing I'd like to point out in this slide, if you look in the right column under percent increase under student membership, you'll see that Wake County student growth is 1% relative to itself. Charter school student growth is forecast at 5% relative to itself. That's part of the reason additional funds will be due to charter schools beyond just
024an increase in county appropriation. And again, I want to share with the board, we have some new board members in the public. These student count forecasts are jointly done by Wake County government staff, Wake County school system staff, and third-party demographers. It's not something we're doing on our own. We have historically used a certain amount of fund balance, unassigned fund balance to balance the board's budget. Um, it's been done for at least 18 years, as long as I've been here. It is a it is a reasonable fiscal practice. Um, the unassigned fund balance as of June 30th, 2024, when the last fiscal year ended and the books were audited, was just over 39 million, which brings it slightly below the targeted 6% threshold of the subsequent year's county appropriation. The proposed budget invests $21.4 $4
025million of fund balance into balancing next year's budget, which is just over that 50% threshold that is in the same policy that says you shouldn't invest more than 50% of the fund balance into a subsequent year's budget. And the thought behind that is you could do that two years in a row sustainably. Um staff is supportive of going just over that 50% threshold. We have been supportive of that in the past as well. So, we will see how that goes. But it would ultimately require the board to wave its policy. So, local budget adjustments. These are some of the requirements of additional local funding in next year's proposed budget. And they under employee compensation, it assumes the state would legislate a 3% increase for all staff. um that we would, and this is not required
026by the state, that we would continue the local pay for M's pay differential, that we would increase the local salary supplement for our teaching staff by 3%. Those all total $16.4 million of local funds. Something else though that in the board's propo, excuse me, the superintendent's proposed budget is making no changes to the extra duty pay schedule. The extra duty pay schedule has been based on step zero of the teacher a scale. And when that goes up, the extra duty schedule goes up, making it a living schedule. Before we had that in place, it was a fixed dollar amount. But the proposal, one of the strategic recommendations is to freeze it for this year at the current levels even if compensation goes up. Another requirement for next year, the as I mentioned, employer matching retirement
027hospitalization and transfers the chart. That will require an estimated $14.3 million. New schools and school changes. Again, opening the four schools you see here. Bowling Road Elementary, Pleasant Plains Elementary, Rex Road Elementary, and Felton Grove High School. a long- aaited high school to support growth in that area of the county will require just under $12 million of additional local funding. We also have two schools changing calendar from multitrack to traditional that has negligible fiscal impact. And finally, based on student membership changes and funding we provide to schools that is local, the four new school, excuse me, the the additional students would require $2 million of additional funding. Program continuity. We have $3.7 million in the proposed budget of additional local funding to continue two programs. You already heard me mention one that is to continue
028the behavioral health support positions that were partially funded by ESSER funds in the current year, but also to provide a bridge year because we are receiving less title one funding and that is independent of the other things going on in Washington. We have been providing East Wakeake High, Southeast Raleigh High, South Garner, and Nightdale High Schools Title One funding. We want to give them a one-year runway. So, this $3.7 million number includes continuity there to provide Title One funding that well, local funding that would have otherwise been provided by Title One. We've got increasing property costs and increasing insurance premiums. Most, if not all of our lease contracts, have escalation rates contractually legally obligated to pay. And currently, both the property and casualty insurance markets, both residential and commercial, are having significant year-over-year increases. And
029I don't think that trend is going to stop anytime soon. Then as we get into the actual strategic repurposing of the budget, before we get into what it is, I want to again give a little context. The request to county appropriation in the superintendent's proposed budget will not meet the full needs for additional local funding required next year. We are choosing repurposing existing budget to provide funds to fill that gap. The superintendent and chiefs and area super two area superintendents representing all the area superintendent had numerous meetings over the past two and a half months. Nashing of teeth comes to mind. um working through what we felt would be the least painful and least impactful repurposing. It was not easy. Um there were some heated yet professional moments and you will see what we arrived
030at. One of the reasons it was so difficult is effectively 90% of our budget goes directly to the schools and I'll show this chart again for size later. um 87% goes directly to the schools and another slice of the pie facilities and operations that 3% for all intents and purposes we have to account for it separately based upon what DPI tells us to do as far as our accounting but that's for utilities for the schools maintaining the schools transporting children to and from the schools whether it's on yellow buses or special needs transportation CNS program and and the like. So any decisions for all intents and purposes will either have a direct or indirect impact on our core business. So the first of these all of these undesirable recommendations for strategic budget realignment one is
031systemwide and that would remove the employer portion of contribution for employee dental insurance that would become effective January 1. It has to begin at the beginning of a calendar year. So if that continues, that would become effective January of 2026 and would yield $2.5 million of budget that could then be repurposed in our schools. We've identified a number of items that will total up to $9.1 million of budget that can be repurposed. And again, I'm giving you a very high level overview tonight. We will get into much more detail a week from today at your finance committee meeting and be in a position to share details about what the implications are and allow the board to ask questions and answers about these. But, and this came up during your budget discussions last year when it
032came time to reconcile the budget, removing the building substitutes that were put in place during the pandemic and they would be replaced with regular substitutes. a school would not have that one person to go to immediately. They would call the subpool. Um at the high school level, remove an additional secretary position and revise the bands for clerical months of employment based on school size at the middle and high schools. No impact on positions such as lead secretary, data managers, bookkeeper, registar, receptivist, or any other front office staff. And this would only impact a handful of our high schools. Again, details when we get done next week. Uh we would reduce resources available for area superintendent to use to a lot beyond formula for our restart schools from $6 million down to 5 million. We determined
033that in the current year $5 million was used to all lot resources, human resources, and that additional million dollars was for non-personnel. That was some of the basis behind that recommendation. We're recommending adjusting the AP formula by 100 students per tier at high schools. And again, at your finance committee meeting, we'll let you know what that looks like, what schools are impacted. The recommendation includes reducing the supply allotment that each school receives on an ADM basis by $5 per student. We would redefine the formula for counselors and social worker positions. And again, we'll get into the details of that. Um, and you can see additional details actually in your budget book. I just don't have the time to cover them tonight. And you should all have the budget book at your place. And this as
034we speak is posted online for the public to see and they can download it as well. Um, and as I mentioned already, the exit duty schedule would be fixed year-over-year. Turning to central services in the area of chief of schools, there' be a $600,000 reduction. And even though these numbers are smaller as a percent of the total reduction, they're much higher. Central services as a percent receives about this much of the budget, 5ish%. So on a percentage basis, I believe central office is picking up half of the total, a little over half, a little under half of the total recommended adjustments even though they only receive 5% of the budget. Um, we would remove what was a planned expansion and a very needed expansion to add a 10th area superintendent and the additional resources that
035would surround him or her. We will look at our magnet area, look at a 10% reduction in non-personnel. The office of student assignment would have several reductions um in real estate services as well. We would we would remove a vacant director of school choice position and we would move student assignment to the building program funding and we believe there's basis for that. In administrative services, a similar $600,000 reduction. We would remove a current vacant senior administrator for talent acquisition that was aligned with adding the 10th area superintendent. So it while it's not desirable, it aligns with the reduction under chief of schools and we're fortunate that the position is vacant and we would take the remainder out of contracted services. In the area of academic advancement, we would reduce their budget by 2.3 million. That
036would be through removing 10 digital learning coordinators. Currently have I believe 18 or 20. Um reduce instructional supplies and materials within that central office by 20% and remove five central vacant certified nurse positions. Facilities and operations would have a $2.7 million reduction. Communications, a $200,000 reduction, and technology services, a $300,000 reduction. I want to spend a minute though speaking about these recommendations, and I hate to call them recommendations because a recommendation sounds like it's something we would like to do. It's not something we'd like to do. I stated it's the least of all the worst possible reductions. But as it relates to personnel in these different strategic repurposings, we will do everything within our power to look for placing these people in different positions. We believe that will be possible in many if not most
037ideally all um of these situations but that will depend on various things. Some of these positions we have a contractual obligation to find a landing spot for because they may be on a teacher contract for example. But we have a legal obligation. But regardless of whether they're on a contract or not, as we work through this, employees are a business, so we need to make sure we can do everything possible to work with them. Continuing, the superintendent's office would receive a $56,000 reduction, the board of education a $6,000 reduction, and the chief of staff a $400,000 reduction. So last few slides just going into the overall budget. This shows kind of where it comes from. If you look at the pie chart on the right, 56% of the proposed budget would be funded by the
038state, 8% by the federal government based upon what we currently know, and 36% locally funded. Now that 36% is not all the county appropriation. The county appropriation represents 32%. And to get from 32% to 36%, we have some other local funding that we receive, fines and fort fixures through the Wake County court system, any remaining red light camera fees, and some other miscellaneous revenues. That would all total though for a $2.28 28 billion operating budget. And again, I want to stress, I know we have some new board members, perhaps new people in the public listening, what we're talking about here tonight is just the operating budget. It covers the costs of operating the school system. It does not include anything associated with the capital improvement program. That is a separate budget. And the capital improvement
039budget is what is used to support the building of new schools, the renovation of existing schools, life cycle projects, um support technology refresh in our schools, and some other things. So again, tonight and through the next several months, we're focusing on the operating budget. And this again is how it um the budget looks as far as where it's destined to. Again, 87% going to schools, 4% of the overall budget, but closer to 11% of our local budget going to charters. And the way that works, charter schools receive their state and federal funding directly from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. they receive their local funding by sending us a bill each month. So that's a distinction. That's why it looks like 4% of the total budget, but they're really getting about 11% of our
040local funding. And then you can see the other categories. And we have benchmarked, let me just go back to this chart, this against other districts in the state and across the country. and we find ourselves very well aligned with the vast majority of funding going straight to the schools and the amounts that are being used to support the schools in central office. The only distinction I would point out between Wake County and other schools outside of the state is although the percents are similar, the total dollars are much larger in all but a couple states in this country per pupil. We have some potential risks. I'm not going to go through each one of these, but I I'll hit a few of them. Um, charter schools. It's possible the number of charter students rises more
041than we forecast. We would owe that money to them. It's not included in the budget. Child nutrition services. We beginning this year were below a threshold of a two-month reserve. and thus cannot charge indirect costs which was a source of revenue general revenues for the school board and our budget. we will be in that same position in 2526 we anticipate and it's possible at some point those reserves will be exhausted at that point the district will be faced with having to use local funding to support the child nutrition program that can be offset partially or fully through meal price increases. That's a decision, a future decision the board will likely need to make. And again, every dollar of our operating budget that goes to support the child nutrition program is a dollar that cannot be
042used to support the operating budget. No easy answers. We all know the federal funding uncertainty. We're going to watch that very closely. Um, I've already mentioned to you potential challenges with funding in a rears. Um, a drop down to salaries and benefits. It would be a happy problem if the legislature decided to fund even greater increases than an average 3%. Such as a $50,000 starting salary for certified staff, maybe a four 4.5% increase for classified staff. We don't know. But again, those would all require additional local funding that are not in the budget. That's why we note them as potential risks. And we can get into more of these in more detail again as we go through the budget development process. So, as I said, the budget is online now um for the public to
043see. And very quickly, I just want to run through a timeline again. A week from today at your finance committee meeting, we'll get into much more detail about those strategic repurposings and implications and take questions on that particular area. And then on April 8th, we'll open up the Q&A to the entire budget. Same thing on the 22nd and the 29th. Again, please submit any questions to Miss Kimy directly and she will uh take lead in discharging them. And again, more information on the regional hearings for public input. And with that, Dr. Taylor, I will turn it back to you if you want to make any closing comments. Thank you, Mr. ated and I do want to share with our public that uh when you see the details in this budget, it is clear uh that
044a 60 million plus uh amount was needed to do next year what we do this year. uh and we balanced this with uh what our anticipated revenues and so it's clear that uh there's a focus on opening four new schools uh compensation um uh the pass through the charter schools program continuity uh and the benefits uh I will say to the board that uh you will have uh detailed information or questions that you can ask at the March 25th meeting uh and then after that period uh everything will be about working with you as a board to identify any changes that you would like to make uh in this budget. Uh and so again, these are the recommendations uh that I have made as superintendent. Uh but our final responsibility is working with you as
045a board um to make those changes that you deem are necessary uh that will continue to move this uh this uh school district forward. uh and we do want to share with our public that you will have those opportunities uh as listed to give feedback to us as well. Uh I can tell you that uh as Mr. Anita has shared um the we have taken a um a large portion uh of this work at central services uh to try and protect programs in our schools. But I can tell you that our principles uh they are in lock step with us to to say to everybody that both central services and schools work uh collectively to do what's uh in the best interest of children and one cannot exist without the other. And so with with
046that, Mr. Chair, I'll turn it back to you. Thank you, Superintendent Taylor. So board members, I know we've been talking about what might be coming. This is the first time you've gotten the full document. I know it'll take some time to go through it without, you know, we know that we do have some time for some um, you know, more research, some more questions, but uh, for the purpose of the information item tonight and knowing we haven't had a chance to go through all of it, I wanted to recognize Vice Chair Swanson as the budget chair to talk about any next steps or what we might do as far as more public hearings and public input. Vice Chair Swanson. Thank you, Chair Hagerty. And yes, our first public hearing will take place here on April
0479th at the boardroom before during public comments. We will have two and three in the community. Um those dates will be the 11th at the Fugquay Verina Middle School, the 16th at Abbottz Creek Elementary School, and the Southeast Raleigh location will be to to be determined. That information will be getting out relatively soon with dates and times, but those are three dates that we will have in addition to the avenues that we have here. We felt that it was important, Chair Heardy and I uh felt that with this budget being as tight as it is and difficult choices we'll have to make um that we wanted to make sure that we got out in the public to hear concerns, to share what's at stake. Um so, thank you and look forward to those continued discussions.
048Thank you, Vice Chair Swanson. Of course, as Mr. Neer said, there's a lot out there that we don't know. And you know, as your chair, I'm going to continue to advocate for our school system with both our state government and our federal government and going out to the public as we look at potential cuts or increased mandates for new expenses from the federal and the state government. Um, with what you all have seen so far and what's been presented specifically just about timeline and next steps, do board members have any questions about how we'll proceed? Okay. If not, then Superintendent Taylor, we will take your proposed budget, go through all of it, and then following the the process that Vice Chair Swanson has laid out, we'll continue our deliberations. And of course, this document that's
049been shared with us has been shared now electronically. So you can get it on the schoolboard site. So anyone that's watching either in person or remotely, you can get a copy of the budget and then go through it yourself and then be able to provide recommendations both to the superintendent and his staff and then directly to us as board members. All right. Okay. Thank you. So, I'd make another air conditioning joke about all the air being sucked out of the room. Um, but it's only fitting that we now go to public comment. So, uh, moving into the public comment portion of our meeting. For those of you who are new, we do have a full house today. Um speakers commenting on items on our agenda are given priority for speakers who are coming to speak
050to us about items off the agenda. And we do give priority to our students as these meetings can kind of run long. We want them to be able to speak first um so that they can get home especially if they have homework or other activities. Couple ground rules. All attendees that are not speaking are asked to remain seated. We do have a number of speakers tonight. So what we'll do is we will take a break after the conclusion of the speakers to let everyone leave if they're not staying for the full meeting. Um but please especially while someone is speaking don't stand up try we want to give every speaker the opportunity to present without distraction. Again, in the interest of maintaining civility and decorum, speakers are encouraged to address their comments to the board
051of education and must refrain from personal attacks or insults directed at the board, individual speakers, but spec specifically members of the public. It takes a lot of courage and bravery to get up here to put yourself out and make these comments. And whether you agree or disagree, please show everyone the same courtesy that you would like extended to yourself. Um, any materials you may have brought, please share them either before your comment or after your comment by giving them to our attorney, Mr. Malone, here at the end of the table. Um, during the public comment period, you may speak for up to three minutes. The microphones are adjustable. Go ahead and adjust them before you begin speaking. Your time will begin once you begin speaking. So again, if you go up and you have papers
052that you give to Mr. Malone, that doesn't come out of your time. But once you do begin speaking, the green light will light up to let you know that your time has begun. After that time, proceed to speak. When you see a yellow light and you hear an audible tone for the first time, that's your warning that you have 30 seconds remaining in your time. When your time is up, you will see a red light and hear another audible tone. At that point, if you're still speaking, I'm going to ask you to stop. Please refrain because we're going to move on. We're going to call the next speaker and they will come up to the podium. Um speakers are asked to respect the time limit, speak no more than three minutes and again because we
053do have a lot of speakers. If there is public support for various speakers that extends the meeting and with as many speakers as we have, we do want to make sure that the speaker who ends up last on the list can get home at a decent hour just like the speaker at the beginning of their list. That might be ambitious, but we're going to do our best. All right. So, with that, um, we'll begin starting with our students tonight, and we have several students, and I would ask that you give them your your full and polite attention. The first student we'll hear from tonight is Harper Rossy, who will be followed by Bailey Owens. Good evening, Harper. Thank you. Uh, my name is Harper. I have been in the Wake County public school system for
054most of my life. Currently, I am attending Kerry High School. I have come up here today to tell you the facts about an extremely contentious issue in our schools. No, this isn't about the poor state of school bathrooms or the epidemic of illiteracy or the low pay for teachers or how our academic and honors classes create a disadvantageous situation for students of color or those with lower income. We're not going to be talking about the real issues plaguing our school system. Instead, we're going to be talking about a non-issue which has been blown up and politicized in order to target a minority which makes up not even 1% of our population. The that issue of course being transgender people in sports. The president of the NCAA, Charlie Baker, has estimated that out of 500,000 college
055athletes, fewer than 10 are transgender. That is a ratio of 1 in 50,000. This number is across both men's and women's college sports. According to the Wake County Public School System, there are currently around 160,000 students in this district. Let's assume for the sake of argument that every single student is in school sports. The actual percentage is around 50%, slightly lower. Um, assuming we have the same ratio as the NCAA and that every student is in school sports, there are currently three transgender athletes across all Wake County public schools. This isn't even just in high schools. This includes middle and elementary schools as well. In fact, um, a further bit of information I've learned is that between 2019 and 2022, there was a requirement that transgender students needed to uh, apply in order to uh,
056audition to join a sports team of their gender. Only two people sought waiverss to play these sports. Why then are people coming up here to talk about a policy which affects roughly three people? Well, it doesn't just affect athletes. It affects all transgender people. This isn't a problem because trans people are taking over women's sports. This is a problem because people are using it as an excuse to spread transphobic rhetoric. If you change Title 9, you will be giving into this hate. You will be telling every bigot that it's okay for them to target trans people. Thank you on your time. Our next speaker is Bailey Owens, who will be followed by Katherine Stevenson. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking a moment to listen. Today, I want to talk to you about a deeply
057personal issue that impacts the lives of so many. The ongoing battle against anti-trans bills. While trans people already knew of the hatred that they face in society, so pervasive in every aspect of their life. The invasive questions asked about their body, the lack of representation in media, the questioning of their sanity, and the stereotypical gender norms that, let's be honest, none of us really fit. These laws just make it so much more obvious and dangerous. More than 20 states have introduced or passed laws that restrict the access of transgender people to public restrooms. matching their gender identity. Anyone These policies do not protect anyone. They only create harm. Transgender people, particularly trans youth, are already at an elevated risk of mental health crisises, including anxiety and depression because of the discrimination they face. Speaking from
058personal experience, my friends are hurting. They are scared. I cannot think of a single one of my trans friends who has not expressed thoughts of suicide. These laws pervate prep perpetuate stigma and violence. Transgender individuals are already more likely to face harassment and assault and the bathroom bills make it worse by saying this is okay. Essentially, in states where these laws have been enacted, we have seen troubling rise in bullying, discrimination, physical violence against trans people. These laws send the message that they are less than and that they are unworthy of respect and protection. But here's where where we come together. It doesn't have to be this way. We can speak out. We can write to our lawmakers. We can share stories. We can stand up against those who are mar for those who are
059marginalized. It is up to us to challenge the lies and the hatred behind these laws. Trans people are not asking for much, just respect, dignity, and safety. No one should fear for their life or well-being just for simply existing. Transgender people are our neighbors, our friends, our children, and they deserve the same rights as anyone else. And they should be able to access public spaces without fear of ridicule or violence. So today I urge you stand with the transgender community. Be a voice for those who have been silenced. Thank you. Our next speaker is Katherine Stevenson and Katherine will be followed by Phoenix Bido. Hello. All right. Hello everyone. My name is Katherine Steven Katherine Luna Stevenson. I am a transgender girl at Kerry High School. Over my time in Kerry in high Kerry High,
060I have realized the true value of places like GSA, BSAs, and ASAs. GSA being gender sexuality alliance, aka a place where basically queer kids can hang out and chill and essentially as and honestly any other similar to those have in our schools and around the country. I am the vice president of my school's GSA and I am thoroughly familiar with the kinds of people that these students these student organiza that need these student organizations my bad for many of these students they struggle to fit in with the rest of their peers. I myself am one of them and places like GSA allow these students to have a safe haven away from the rest of society. I want to continue I want schools to continue ha to have these places of safety and maintain policies that
061protect these legis these pockets of safety. However, with recent legislation and governmental regulations against things like DEI and minority inclusion, it becomes increasingly harder and harder to well keep these places afloat. That is why I advocate for you here today to resist these dangerous policies and and because otherwise minority students lives will already become far more miserable than they already are. And these students will feel less alone meaning in an unforgiving world in an unc caring system that actively tries to suppress who they are. This will lead to increased rates of depression and even suicide in these students. That is why we it's so important that we resist these policies and create our own to protect places like GSA. I know personally that if I didn't have this place of belonging, I wouldn't even be
062standing here before you today. So, thank you and I hope everyone has a nice day. Thank you. Our next speaker is Phoenix Bilo, who will be followed by Marley Dixon. Good evening, board members. I'd like to talk to you a bit about Title 9. In 2024, it was updated to clarify that it applied to gender identity and sexuality, too. I was honestly taken aback by how many people were so strongly opposed to that? Why would you oppose something that prohibits discrimination? Are some people just okay to torment? Although, these are, of course, the same people who want to outlaw diversity, equity, and inclusion. These both come from a huge lack of true information. So, here's a true story. I was physically assaulted and battered at school, which I say with a full understanding of North
063Carolina General Statute 1433. The assault and battery was followed by slurs, which was all caught on camera. Yet, when I reported it, I was told that I was exaggerating because I was hyper sensitive and I was not allowed to leave admin's office until I agreed with them. This is when Title 9 still applied to me. And it was very clearly sex-based discrimination. Nothing was ever done. And get this, did you know that schools are required by law to send any report that falls under Title 9 to the district coordinator? Any and all reports? Crazy considering that I alone have filed at least 20. But the the only report that Title 9 has ever gotten from my school is the one that I filed against admin. Nobody takes it seriously. They were breaking the law and
064turning their backs on me when I was explicitly protected by Title 9. So, I am rightfully disturbed by being excluded because it'll just be taken less seriously. I'm sure nobody thought about that. Nobody thought about the kid who every day hears people say that they want to hit me, kick me, punch me, shove me, beat me, rape me, and kill me. Did you think about that? How about how I was already being ignored when Title 9 did protect me? That it's just going to happen more and there's no legislation that protects me anymore. I'm sure people like the anonymous teacher we heard from last time didn't too worried about if what's in your pants matches the non-existent genitals on the little stick figure on the bathroom door. Well, everyone with that concern can rest easy
065knowing that I'll be using the women's bathroom because that's what y'all wanted, right? Of course, this does nothing to address the bullying and violence and harassment, and my mental health is definitely poor, but let's be real, that was never the real concern. All right, our next speaker is Marley Dixon, who's follow who will be followed by Jet McNeely. Hi, my name is Marley Dixon. I'm a freshman at Enlo Magnet High School and an Enllo PTSA student leader. I'm here to talk about the proposed cell phone policy. Schools should be teaching us how to responsibly use cell phones instead of banning them altogether. I believe phones are crucial to the learning experience. The banishment of cell phones will be absolutely detrimental to the learning of many students. There are many situations where we use phones in
066the classroom. For starters, phones are very important for classes that require projects. For example, in some classes, you have to be able to film and edit videos for classes. It is virtually impossible to film a dynamic video using a school Chromebook and there are very limited editing tools available on those devices. I use my phones many times in a day for other instructional purposes like photographing important information shared on the board by teachers. Not having access to a cell phone would make sharing important information much more difficult for teachers and students. My most personal concern about a cell phone ban is the effect it will have on neurode divergent students. I have struggled with anxiety and ADHD since I was very young. Having my phone on me is something that gives me a sense of
067security and makes me feel safe. I cannot imagine how awful a school day would be if I was constantly on edge of having a panic attack due to not having a way to contact people if I start feeling anxious. Being able to text my parents in the middle of a school day is enough to prevent me from having a full-on panic attack. It's difficult to describe, but when I get anxious or start to have a panic attack, I feel like I'm being suffocated. But my phone really helps me cope with it because I can just text my parents for support. On multiple occasions this year, I have been able to use my phone to help me calm down, which has kept me from having to leave the learning environment due to my anxiety. If I
068were to have a panic attack in class, that would be much more of a distraction than a cell phone could ever be. My learning experience would be absolutely destroyed and I would not be a successful student. There are so many other students like me who need to have something to calm them down when they feel anxious. Being deprived of such a crucial tool to help with it would be cruel. I also have 504 accommodations that allow me to use my phone during school to track my assignments and to have an AirPod in one ear to suppress a part of my brain that is easily distracted due to my ADHD. I am able to immediately add assignments to my calendar and set reminders on my phone in real time so I know when I have tests,
069quizzes, or projects due. Using built-in tools on my phone helps me make it possible to pay attention in class and keep up with my assignments and maintain my grades. I would not have be able to access these accommodations without my phone. Cell phones are critical for learning purposes and for being able to stay calm and learn properly. Without my phone, I would feel unsafe. Not only is a no phone policy unfair to people like me with anxiety and ADHD, but it's also unfair to people who have disabilities, and it would stunt the learning experience for many people. I understand some people feel phones are too much of a distraction in the classroom, but banning them will do more harm than good. Instead, we should be guided towards responsible device use. In the real world world,
070we will we will do I'm sorry, that is the end of your time, but you can always email us directly with additional comments if you have them. Okay, thank you. Uh, our next speaker is Jeff McNeely, who will be followed by McKenzie Cutler. Jet, my son, fell asleep and was not able to come tonight. May I have permission to speak in hisstead? My name is Gretchen McNeely. I think that's fine. Go ahead. Thank you very much. Uh my uh my story is simply that I am the the queer mother of a queer child and uh I am 54. I had absolutely no community and no role models in my situation, but I was cisgendered and and when I did come out, I had structures and people in place to support me. Uh my son is
071trans, uh came out at 12 and is dependent upon the activities of the GSA at Apex High and the wonderful students and teachers who have reached out to him. Uh he has not attempted suicide. I I cannot say the same for many of his friends. And I do want to tell you that a reminder of something you all know that the the the root of phobia is fear. And it seems so silly to be afraid of children who are trying to live. And I would ask you to lead not with fear but with curiosity and with love. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is McKenzie Cutler, who will be followed by Charlie Pine. Hello. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me today. My name is McKenzie Cutler and I recently just
072joined the WCPSS family. I am at Alustin Ridge Elementary, which is like right down the road, teaching in first grade. I grew up attending Wake County Public Schools and graduated from the WCPSS future teachers program to come back and teach here. The program itself is open to high schoolers who are pursuing careers in education who commit to teaching with Wake County upon completion of their teacher preparation program at whichever university in North Carolina that they attend. This program is not a scholarship. Just like other eager high schoolers that were selected for this program, I was one of them. It was something I applied for my senior year of high school and only a select few get in. So, it is a very prestigious program. While it is not as big as the teaching fellows program
073in North Carolina, it is still very much growing. Throughout this program, future teacher participants received annual summer professional development stipens beginning the summer following their freshman year of college, a WCPSS job offer for a teaching position for which they are licensed and highly qualified, but most importantly, the opportunity to develop a professional network with WCPSS staff and peer. That being said, I have a quite a few concerns. I know we all don't know the budget where that's going right now, but I do hope that we continue that program because it made a really big impact on me. Thank you. Thank you. All right, we have one final uh student speaker, Charlie Pine. And after um after we hear from Charlie, we'll move to our on agenda speakers. Uh my name is Charlie. Obviously, I'm a
074senior at Kerry High School and the president of our GSA. and I'm here as a student and a proud product of public schools as an advocate for the safety, dignity, and rights of LGBTQ plus and minority students in our schools. Across the country, we are seeing legislation that threatens the rights and well-being of marginalized students. Laws that restrict discussions of race and identities, limit access to inclusive education, and attempt to erase LGBTQ individuals from school environments. These policies are not just abstract debates. They have real harmful consequences for students like me and my peers. School should be a place where every student feels safe, where we can focus on learning without fear of discrimination or exclusion. However, when policies are passed that ban books about diverse identities, force teachers to out students, or deny our
075right to exist openly and authentically, they send a clear message that some students are less worthy of respect, protection, and representation. This message is not only wrong, it's dangerous. Studies show that LGBTQ students and minorities who experience discrimination are at a higher risk of mental health struggles including depression, anxiety, and suicide. But we also know the solution. Schools are actively if schools are actively inclusive and affirming, they can reduce these risks dramatically. The presence of supportive policies, inclusive curriculum, and faculty who affirm students identities can literally save lives. Sorry. Um, safe spaces such as GSAs provide a place for these kinds of students to have a place to be authentic. So, I ask you, what kind of school district do we want to be? Do we want to be one that gives in to fear
076and censorship or one that stands up for all of its students? Do we want to ignore the real struggles of LGBTQ plus and minority students? Or do we want to ensure that every student see feels seen, valued, and producted? I urge you to take action not just in words but in policies. Continue supporting safe spaces like GSA. Ensure that teachers have the freedom to discuss history and identity openly and honestly and reject any attempts to strip students of their dignity. Our future depends on it. Thank you. Thank you. We'll move next to our on agenda speakers. And with our on agenda speakers, we'll start first with Jane Miller who'll be followed by Emily Malpass. Hello port of ed members. I'm Jane Miller. I'm the librarian at Fquwayina Elementary and I have been a teacher and
077a librarian in Wake County for over 20 years. Um I'm here today on behalf of all of our students in Wake County. There is currently no policy regarding funding for school libraries and the difference between our school libraries is shocking. Uh some libraries in our school system receive zero dollars in funding uh while others receive tens of thousands and the location of these schools is not always where you would expect. So there there are schools that reside in wealthy neighborhoods who provide their libraries with very little to no funding. The problem is that the funding decisions are made by principles and PTAs. Some of them see the value in funding school libraries like mine. I have an amazing administration, but some do not. And um in every one of our schools, the library is the
078primary, if not the only source of books for our students. So, we have to take that responsibility seriously. In addition to research, digital citizenship and other valuable programs offered by our libraries, children use the library to read for fun. And time and again, studies have shown that reading for pleasure drastically increases students academic performance. cognitive abilities, psychological well-being and motivation in school. So, what does a student need to engage in pleasure reading? A high-quality library and a high qualifi highly qualified librarian to ignite students passion and connect them with the books that they will love. I know that this is a difficult night to have this discussion, but this has been a long time coming and libraries around us, counties around us, they have policies in place. So, it's time that Wake County took steps
079towards having a policy to make sure all of our libraries are funded for the sake of our children. Thank you. Our next speaker is Emily Malpass, who will be followed by Mindy Coven. Good evening. Good evening. Uh, my name is Emily Malpass. I am the parent of a third and fifth grader at our neighborhood school, which is Lyn Road Elementary. My husband and I are also both lifelong products of public schools and universities. We're deeply invested as a family in our school and in the movement to shore up public education in North Carolina against decades of deliberate underfunding. We've been treading water for years in this state and a federal level tsunami is looming large. I don't have to tell anybody in here what we're facing. We've heard all of the numbers tonight. Although I
080will reiterate that last year alone the general assembly poured $50 million of our money into private school vouchers. So just put that there. Um you've had enough numbers tonight. So I want to offer the board a question instead. I'm curious. What would it feel like to live in the world that you want most? And how can we align our budget decisions with that goal? Some words from the writer Nurgear. Let us transform our focus from exploitation to regeneration. From greed to reciprocity, from individualism to community, from dominance to love. Our path forward in the face of oppression and defunding is to invest in community by identifying and meeting essential needs. I want to talk about two of those. One is uh nutrition is an area I want to highlight. Um right now the budget presentation
081is a little bit reassuring. uh we don't think child nutrition services are being cut, but I just want to cast a light on that that um let's use caution in the proposed revision to the formula for school social workers. Um at our school, aside from pre- reduced uh lunch programs, we have a free food pantry. Um traffic there has doubled in the last month for families um just to keep food on the table. and our social worker is the one who connects families to that resource, to backpack buddies, all kinds of other things above and beyond free school lunch. Um so just to put that um out there as we consider that revision. Um I'd also like to talk about something I recognize as part of the capital improvement plan. Um that is the prioritizing
082of repairs needed to HVAC systemwide. Um especially in our oldest school buildings. My daughter was hospitalized with bacterial pneumonia last month. Um, attendance is down everywhere due to illness. I know we all know somebody who is sick right now. Um, the more we improve the air that we breathe in our schools, the safer they are. When kids are sick and kids are hungry, behavior issues increase, decision-making is affected and everyone's safety is at risk. With every email about a lockdown or weather emergency, we're told, and I do believe that safety is the top priority of this school system. Please continue to make this a reality by prioritizing these meals and maintenance. And please tell families and PTAs and PTO's what can we do that you cannot where else can we show up where other decisions
083are being made that can help us make uh the culture that we need and deserve in Wake County. Thank you guys so much. Thank you. Our next speaker our next speaker is Mindy Coven who will be followed by Megan O'Neal. Okay. Hello, my name is Mindy. I'm here as a WCPSS parent and educator speaking to board policy 40407310 which states WCPSS employees must maintain the highest professional moral and ethical standards in their interactions with students and provide an atmosphere conducive to learning. I firmly agree with this policy, but have concerns about how the zeitgeist of a zeitgeist of a small but loud and powerful group of citizens is working to require employees to go against forward policy and break these ethical standards and interactions with students. How can educators provide an atmosphere conducive to learning
084and maintain moral and professional ethical standards if they are required to spend instructional time policing children's gender? An executive order issued on January 29th is attempting to withhold crucial funding from educational institutions that respect the identities of trans and gender non-conforming students. Telling any child they should not be seen and they are not welcomed or wanted is emotional abuse. A clearly immoral and unethical act that takes away from an atmosphere conducive to learning for any child. How am I the parent of a transgender child supposed to send my son to a place where adults and students are encouraged to emotionally abuse him? As a sophomore, he's taking two AP classes. His intelligence is voracious, but he is also kind and fair. His teachers tell me he keeps the AC academic conversation going in class while
085still looking at his classmates to make sure they have had a chance to speak. Are the people fighting to abuse my child able to contribute to their community schools in the same positive way my son is? No child should be abused or neglected. If I continue to my to send my son to a public school, I risk spreading that neglect to every other child in the building in the event that the federal and state funding is revoked, causing students to lose crucial services, teaching staff, and more. These cuts affect every single student as educators cannot provide an atmosphere conducive to learning when our schools are already understaffed and underfunded. The staffing shortages perpetuated for over 20 years by the blatant neglect of the North Carolina General Assembly are already destroying the learning environment by physically
086harming our education our educators. I sustained a traumatic brain injury trying to run an entire school library by myself and also cover two positions that the North Carolina General Assembly cut the media assistants and technology teachers. This injury injury has left me in chronic pain. Unable to speak publicly, without pain, unable to read more than 20 minutes. I'm a librarian without a and that is with a magnifying glass due to the damage to my occipital lobe. I have gone through speech, vision, and physical therapy because of this injury. You cannot ask me to risk my son's safety as well. School funding for his school and even his teacher's physical well-being. Though Rally is the only home my son has ever known, I and I am a single mother. I am having to look at you
087spending tens of thousands of dollars I don't have to move to a country with a school that welcomes and supports my child. Have I not given enough by being forced to live with a disability acquired by the NCGA's ignorance in the needs of the schools? And that is your time. Thank you. Our next speaker is Megan O'Neal who will be followed by Christina Cole. Good evening. My name is Megan O'Neal. I'm a Wake County resident, a graduate of North Carolina public schools, and a former recipient of North Carolina public school special education services. I was diagnosed with a learning disability in 1987. Don't do that math. Um, IEPs, individualized education plans, for those not in the know, were not as commonplace in 1987 as they are now. Without the constant perseverance and advocacy from my
088mom, I would have fallen through the cracks. I would have been one of the kids that was told to just sit up, shut up, try harder. We've come an incredibly long way from then to now in terms of what we know about cognitive delays, processing disorders, attention disorders, and the many other nuanced learning differences students walk into our schools with every day. I'm so grateful to the people who recognized that I was capable of doing everything I was being asked, but just simply needed to look at the material a different way, needed more time to process it, and strategies to decode it. It's an incredible thing to finally feel smart when you are so sure that you were dumb. My experience with having an IEP led me to earn my master's degree in elementary and
089special education with a certification as a learning behavior specialist. I was determined to not only help students as a learning resource teacher, but to take away any stigma that comes along with needing services. Our classrooms are different now than they were when I was a kid. Differentiated instruction is not solely for IEPs. It's simply best practice. You walk into any mainstream classroom and you can find multiple kids utilizing a variety of accommodations. I hope they feel nothing but seen and supported. That the sheer volume of difference in how everyone learns means that no one's bothering to notice how the kid next to them does something different during tests or has a different kind of chair or pencil or listening device. Now, I spend a fair amount of time counseling friends through the IEP process when
090they encounter the need for it with their kids. One of the main things I tell them when they are nervous and overwhelmed that their child's needs won't be met is that our public schools will always be the best place for students with IEPs. But I worry deeply for those kids now. As we look at massive budget cuts at the federal level and as our own state legislature guts our public school funds, I know it will be students with IEPs who will get hit hardest. I was enraged but not shocked that our newly confirmed secretary of education went on TV last week and admitted that she does not know what IDA stands for. The Individuals with Disabilities and Education Act is the bedrock of special education in our schools. And to not know that tells me
091that her leadership has no plans to prioritize or accommodate those students. Our legislature giving millions of dollars to private school vouchers under the guise of parent choice tells me that they have no plans to prioritize or accommodate those students. So, I look to you. There's so much for you to fight for and a very limited well for you to draw from to fund these fights. But as the faucets of funding slow down and turn off, I implore you to prioritize our IEP students to prioritize our special ed programs when you make your legislative agendas. My darkest fears are that those in power and government who do not believe in science or cognitive development are happy to tell kids to go back to a time where they should sit down, shut up, and try harder. Thank
092you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Christina Cole who will be followed by Christine Zakardi. Good evening everyone. I'm Christina Cole, formerly Spears going back to my family name and I believe people should be able to change their names for whatever reason they choose. I am a proud product of North Carolina public schools, a Wake County special ed teacher currently serving as the Wake NCA president. Happy Women's History Month. Yesterday we celebrated St. Patrick's Day. Sending love and hugs to all transgender folks, especially kids who are Wake County Public School students. I see you and I stand with you. You will not be silenced or erased. Naming these celebrations and affirming certain groups of people is diversity, is equity, is inclusion. Tonight, I wish to speak on the superintendent's budget proposal, the information item, and
093democracy. A slight remix on a comment I did almost a year ago to the date. I attended my union's annual convention where hundreds of delegates from across the state came together to do our union business through a democratic process. It was powerful and reminded me that democracy includes what happens between elections and rooms like this. Because our democracy is under violent attack by moneyhungry billionaires, we've forgotten what it means to make decisions together about what is best for the most of us. In our union, we often say democracy is an endless meeting. We meet a lot. We plan. We debrief. We vote just like you do and you will. You will meet for work sessions, your board meetings, etc. around this budget. Practicing democracy in this room is how we resist authoritarianism and fascism. The
094word democracy comes from Latin and Greek roots from deemos meaning the people, all the people across difference. Cratia meaning power or rule. Democracy meaning the power to the people. The people have the power to rule. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to engage in endless meetings in embodied democracy. Democracy invites us to engage and welcome struggle. As Dr. Betatina Love would say, and I'll close by saying, as the local union president, I will never stand up here and speak for strategic repurposing. I hope you'll do your part for the upcoming budget session to welcome struggle to do democracy and ask for what we need in the budget document that demonstrates our values and needs as a local school system. Despite federal implications and budget shortfalls, I hope district leadership and this school board will at
095least ask for what we need. Asking the commission to fund what's necessary to maintain staffing levels and fund necessary maintenance and operations costs, to continue to address facilities issues, and make a plan to fund those school libraries. Then let the commission decide what they will or won't do. And if you make it so, we the union will continue to commit to the messiness of democracy and show up at the county commissioner meeting this fall to demand a fully funded request. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker, Come on. Our next speaker is Christine Zakardi, who will be followed by Katie Rodriguez. Good evening everyone. I'm Christine Zakardi. I'm the librarian at Farmington Woods Elementary School and I came here tonight to talk about the importance of funding our school libraries. Last time I was here,
096I spoke about um funding our school libraries within the existing budget and how it's directly tied to our strategic plan here in Wake County. We know from years of research and studies that well sourced school libraries are directly tied to student achievement, including increased test scores and graduation rates. We also know that currently North Carolina is 48th out of 50 in per pupil spending. This past election cycle, Wake public the I'm sorry, Wake County residents passed the public's library bond with 56% approval. And the goal of that is to have 87% of the residents within 10 minutes of a school library of a public library, I'm sorry. Um, our school libraries serve every all students within the county. at Farmington Woods. Over the last three years, through advocacy to increase funding available from our principal,
097our PTA, and um other sources, we were able to radically refresh the collection and increase the amount of books circulated to our students by 49%. That's almost 19,000 books checked out last year to students alone in our school across a range of topics such as inquiry based research, curricular support, and independent reading. The excitement students have coming into the library is priceless. And while there is no dollar amount that will ever sufficiently allow me to purchase enough Garfield or Dogman books for them, we need to ensure that all schools across the district are having the opportunity to continue growing and refreshing their collections. As informational texts age out, well-loved copies need replacing, and new items are published that keep our students excited about coming into the library to read. The return on the investment is
098well worth it. My high school daughter is currently learning about compound interest in her math class. She's learning how to increase her savings and have a high return on her investment. The more she adds to her savings account, the more interest she earns until she's earning interest on her interest. If we look at her school libraries as our savings account, funding and supporting them is allowing us to put money into that account. The more we invest, the greater the benefits we see earning interest on our interest. When we support the library, more students have access to great books. We increase learning opportunities and the library becomes a dynamic and integral part of the student success putting us well on our way to achieving our strategic goals for 2028 of graduating 98% of our students with
09990% of them meeting or exceeding the statewide average for growth. Wake County Public School libraries serve all students in the county. Thinking about the exponential possibilities for growth that funding our school libraries can prov provide. The question isn't should we make a plan to allot existing funding to our school libraries across the district, but how can we not? Thank you. Thank you. Our final on agenda speaker is Katie Rodriguez. Good evening. Sorry. No worries. All right. So, um, the superintendent's budget indicates that transfers to charter schools have reached 81 million, reflecting a 7.3 million increase for the upcoming school year. This substantial allocation raises critical questions about the resources available for our traditional public schools. For the first time this year, there are no income limits for school vouchers, allowing families earning over $260,000 annually
100to receive a $3,360 voucher for their child to offset private school tuition. In contrast, families with lower incomes can receive up to $7,460 per child. As a result, applications for these vouchers have surged to a record high with 55% coming from families that would not have qualified in previous years. This shift raises significant concerns about equity and access within our education system. Um, private schools, especially those with few or any students who previously qualified, have um capitalized on this opportunity. Um, for example, there's a Metrolina Christian Academy in Union County is set to receive port $4.6 million in taxpayer funded tuition, which is a $3.7 million more than last year when the income limits were in place. The top five beneficiaries of the new rules have all seen increases of at least 2.6 million and
101taxpayer funded tuition for the 2024 to 2025 school year. um with high school tuition rates ranging from 11,000 to 21,000 dollars per year. Um statewide trends reveal that these voucher increas increases are heavily concentrated in urban and suburban areas which further strains resources for rural areas that already struggle to fund their public schools. tax tax dollars that should have been al allocated to teacher raises or other programs benefiting public education in our communities are instead flowing to unaccountable private schools. At the same time, we're giving money to rich families do not need them. Wake County Public Schools spends less on its students compared to other counties. Um, as we saw in the budget, Wake County Public Schools ranks 114 and 106 out of 115 districts in the state and federal funding despite being the largest
102district in North Carolina. Larger districts often receive less state and federal support and must rely more heavily on our local sources to bridge the funding gap. Looking at our per people spending, the most recent data from 2021 shows the national average was 14,347 while North Carolina's average was 10,655 and Wake County only spent 9,899 per student. Um, which is 7% less than the state average and a staggering 31% less than the national average. This disparity in funding directly impacts the quality of education our children receive. Thank you. Thank you. So at this point in our public comment agenda, I do want to let you all know that we have uh close to 20 more speakers and but we have reached a gap between the off agenda and on agenda. We don't have a heavy business
103agenda. So I would like to go through and power on. But I did want to give everybody who might have spoken already a chance if they do want to leave to go ahead and uh say your goodbyes now before we get into the next 20 speakers. Thank you. [Music] All right. Okay, we're going to come back proceed with the agenda. If you're remaining, I would ask you to take your seat and if you are leaving us, I would Oh, thank you. uh direct you to the doorway. All right. Thanks everyone. We now are moving to our off agenda public speakers tonight. Our first off agenda speaker is Margaret Bilo who will be followed by Heather Reading. Good evening, members of the board, superintendent. I'm here tonight as a parent and community member to speak about
104the importance of the upcoming International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31st. This day exists to celebrate transgender people, recognize their contributions, and raise awareness of the discrimination they face. Unlike transgender day of remembrance, which mourns those lost to anti-trans violence, this day is about affirming their lives and dignity. But let's be honest, right now being trans, parenting a trans child, or loving a trans person is terrifying. Every day we see new efforts to strip away the rights and dignity of transgender people, especially children. Bookbans, bathroom restrictions, curriculum censorship. These are not about fairness or safety. They're about erasure. When transgender rights are stripped away, entire school communities suffer. Discriminatory policies don't just target transgender students. They create a culture of exclusion that affects everyone. They signal to students that some of their peers are
105less worthy of respect. They encourage bullying and harassment. They fuel mental health struggles, increasing rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide among trans youth. and they make schools hostile and unsafe, not just for transgender students, but for their friends, their families, and their teachers, and anyone who believes in inclusion and dignity for all students. Tonight, I want to express my gratitude. I'm so thankful for every single person here who felt comfortable enough or stepped outside of their comfort zone to be present. I'm also thankful for those who needed to remain anonymous for their safety or well-being. To every ally who is standing besides beside transgender students, thank you. and most importantly to the trans kids who may not be out, who may not feel safe being out or who may not have felt safe coming here
106tonight. Board claimed to care about bullying, yet rather than addressing real issues, underfunded mental health programs, staff shortages, and the growing challenges students face, some continue to embolden the very culture of bullying they claim to oppose. You don't get to pick and choose which forms of bullying are acceptable. And right now, your actions send a clear message, all bullying is okay. We see board members more interested in manufacturing outrage than in creating safe, inclusive schools. We see the hypocrisy of those who use their elected title to demand justice for violent insurrectionists who drive while impaired with weapons and ammunition in their vehicle but refuse to support justice for transgender students. Kids who simply want to go to school, learn, and exist in peace. Those kids are who that title is supposed to advocate for. You
107have a choice. You can be leaders and stand up for all children or you can align yourself with those who would rather see vulnerable students suffer. The choice is yours and rest assured we're all watching. Thank you. Our next speaker is Heather Reading who will be followed by Kelly Kuniff. Good evening. In recognition of the upcoming trans of visibility, I'll be reading on behalf of a current student. Hello Wake County School Board. While I am not able to be here in person, I still believe my opinion deserves to be heard. To preface the speech, I am a 16-year-old straight white male. While writing this, I thought back on the times I have been bullied, made fun of, or even called names due to me being straight or a white male. I haven't. I have been
108fortunate enough to not face the struggles and hardships of being oppressed, such as insults thrown at me for no reason besides prejudice, constant bullying for my mere presence, and other factors. This is what happens every single day for transgender people. I witness it every single day at the high school I attend. Alongside this, from 2018 to 2022, 48 anti-transgender laws were enacted across 19 different states. This caused um this caused transgender suicide rates to sore by an increase of 72% according to the Trevor Project. Including that transgender teens are amongst the highest group of people who commit suicide. Imagine being in the greatest years of your life just to have it taken away because of your choice to be yourself. to always live in fear of having your rights taken away despite our ancestors having
109fought so hard for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Including that, why should naturally born citizens of the US be affected for a mere belief in gender, a social concept? Regardless, my heart goes out to all those and all those families who have been affected. Despite my lack of experience, that does not affect my view on trans rights and recognition. Phoenix is my best friend and whenever I hang out with him, the stars and disgust we get for simply being around is immeasurably harmful and hurtful. No matter your standing in life, you should not bring yourself to cruelty based on hatred and violence just because of a mere difference in perspective. While I may not be have many rights to speak on these issues, I do want my voice to be heard for others
110that oppress the oppressed. I simply wish for all to not change but to understand we are all human. We are we are not the same people. Thank you. Thank you. [Applause] Our next speaker is Kelly Knunn who will be followed by Julie Pena. Hi, I'm here advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools. DEI education plays an important role in helping build a better society for all our citizens. In the United States, all citizens are protected by law from discrimination. There are nine protected characteristics: age, sex, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy status, gender reassignment. DEI education exposes students to these concepts which are critical to ensuring that every citizen no matter the traits that describe them have the opportunity to live meaningful lives in our society. We live in a multicultural society.
111Most citizens of this country are immigrants or descendants of immigrants. We live amix pe amongst people from all over the world who bring with them a broad diversity of customs, experiences and perspectives. This diversity forms the fabric fabric of our society. It enables us to create and sustain our development as people. Think of all the advances of science and technology that have been led by citizens from diverse backgrounds. Given that diversity defines us, why would we not want to educate our children in such a way as to understand and appreciate the experiences of our fellow citizens? In a similar way, why would we not want to educate our children on the contributions senior citizens can make or the challenges faced by those with disabilities? In order to understand and experience of others, we need to
112understand the reality of the lives they have lived. DEI education assists students in expanding their perspectives so as to understand the experiences of people in the past. The of the people in the past does have an impact on the on the life on their lived experiences today. Education is not meant to assign blame. Education is a meant to stimulate thought and understanding. Our nation is filled with experiences that must be understood in order to recognize the impact of some of our fellow citizens today. I'm in the later part of my life. I've benefited from many priv privileges due to my station in life. I've also faced obstacles most notably as a woman in a scientific profession. In retrospect, I recognize the value of openly recognizing our differences and creating paths of understanding which permit each
113of us to be seen as the people we are. each in our own unique beauty. For this reason, I advocate for DEI in schools. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker tonight is Julie Pena, who will be followed by Nicole Baldridge. I did bring a visual aid to help with my comments and I do have a copy for the record. Um, no. I'm sorry. That's against our rules. Okay. She can have it and she can hold it up, but we can't have anyone else at the podium. But thank you for your offer. All right. So, I'm going to start with a definition. Victim, a person or thing that suffers harm, death from another, or from some sort of adverse act or circumstance. So we have I think a definition about what a victim is, right?
114And I've come to previous meetings and there's been a lot of conversation about the actions of board members, what they're saying, and how they're representing the interest of students and parents. Um, I'm a product of the New Jersey public schools, one of the best public school systems in the country. I'm also a firstg generation immigrant who went through ESL school. I got to where I am because of the love and support from my teachers and my community. And I recognize that I wouldn't have gotten there without that. Um, you can imagine my frustration when I came across information online. Being a critical thinker, skills I learned in New Jersey public schools, I decided to consult the internet, right? And so what's concerning to me about this here, and I want it to be on the
115record, so there's not questions about what people are doing outside of their membership on this board. This sign right here says that our sitting board member from district 1, who Cheryl is here, right? She's going to an event with a victim of January 6th. So, as I read that, I'm a critical thinker, right? I just looked up the definition of what a victim is. This person is not a victim. That's not my opinion. I decided to do further research. So again, for the record, for those that are here in person and online, please recognize that the person here who is named as justice for J6 victim, James Grant, J6 victim, who lives in Kerry, North Carolina, the town that I live in, where I send my kids to school, um is a 31-year-old resident of
116Kerry, North Carolina. He played a significant role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US capital. He was among the first riers to breach the police perimeter, leading to confrontations with law enforcement. He was convicted of assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon, rioting, and other charges. He's a victim as endorsed by one of our board members. But the people who come here, like myself, who have benefited from DEI policies, wouldn't be considered victims. We're being told, "Ignore this. This is victimhood." But the people who stand here who are getting bullied, whose money's taken away, who are afraid of their immigration status and being taken away into jail, we shouldn't think about that. They're not the real victims. This gentleman is All right. Thank you. Our next speaker tonight, come on, let's let's
117bring it back to order. Our next speaker tonight is Nicole Baldridge. She'll be followed by Laura Heg. Good evening board members. My name is Nicole Baldridge. I'm a resident of Apex, North Carolina. I have three students in public school and I'm here tonight to speak for my students um my children. First of all, thank you for all of those people who came in support of our students and our staff and are just loving on our trans students. Imagine or think about if you've ever cut your hair short as a girl, as a as a female had short hair, or if as a man at some point in the 1960s perhaps, or in the 70s, you had long flowing locks and you were proud of them. Imagine you as a young woman were considered somebody with
118manly features. Maybe you have bigger hands, you're a little bit more masculine, have larger feet, things that would be traditionally be stereotypically male. Flash to you're going through menopause and you don't have access to health care to treat those symptoms. There's medications that you can take, but you can't get them anymore. Or perhaps unfortunately you were diagnosed with breast cancer and you had surgery, you had a double masectomy, and now you want to have surgery to make yourself the person you remember yourself to be. So sorry, can't do that anymore. That's gender affirming care. Sorry, not allowed. Maybe you have you have cancer and your hair starts to fall. And as a female, we often because of societal pressures um put a lot of value in that having a full head of hair and so
119you're embarrassed or you're you're feeling stigmatized because of gender norms. At first glance, it may seem that anti-trans bills only affect and impact transgender people. After all, these laws are targeted at gender- affirming care, public restrooms, their right to exist in society as they are. But as we take a closer look, we can see that these laws also create a culture of fear and division that harm everyone. These anti-trans measures create an environment of increased violence and vulner vulnerability for all women. The 19th News reports that anti-trans violence and legislation has increased existing racial and gender violence. Laws that restrict gender- affirming care or access to public spaces are often wrapped up in a much larger campaign that undermines the rights of women, non-binary individuals and other marginalized groups. Ultimately, we are all the victims
120of sexism and racism, even if we experience it in different ways. Think about the saying, "Boys don't cry." It is crucial to recognize that anti-trans laws do not just divide us into an us and them. The fight for equality and respect for transgender people is tied to the fight for justice for all people. These laws undermine the very principles of freedom, dignity, and safety that we all deserve. And the pre push to restrict trans rights does not protect anyone. It only deepens the divide between us and weakens our overall fight for equality. Thank you. That is your time. Our next speaker is Laura Hey, who will be followed by Elaine Thunderberg. So, thank you to the previous speaker as a manly looking woman who just had a full hyctomy and has been on gender affirming
121care since basically the day first day of puberty and just had stage 4 endometriosis taken out of my body. So, I had to have gender affirming care. My name is Laura. I'm here because of the trans day of visibility. I'm speaking tonight on behalf of a high schooler in district 5. They cannot be present here tonight, but their words are too important for them to not be spoken and hopefully heard with open hearts and minds and more than anything with basic human decency and kindness towards everyone in our classrooms and greater society. marginalized people are being pushed further and further back into these those margins and most of us fear that the leaders of this county or state or country are going to just rip those margins off the paper and throw us all away.
122Quote, I first came out in my freshman year of high school and I didn't know what I was supposed to do with that information at school. My dead name made me uncomfortable and I didn't want to be continue to be called it. So my first move was to tell my teacher that I would like to be called something else. But because of the new policy put into place that same year, she refused to call me by my name unless she got explicit go-ahad from my parents. That scared me. So I just continued to get called by a name that made me uncomfortable. It wasn't until halfway through my sophomore year that I was able to freely get called by my chosen name. And that was only because a teacher informed my mother that I was
123trans without even telling me. Fortunately, my mother was okay with it. Just imagine what could have happened if to someone who didn't have a safe space at home. That could put them in serious danger both physically and emotionally. I had a friend who didn't even want to go to class because they couldn't get called by their chosen name since their parents were not at all supportive. If their parents were told about them being trans, I have no doubt that they would be cruel to my friend, their own child. This has to change immediately because mixed with the current laws that are going against trans individuals, we can't even be called by our names out of fear of violence. At least give us one place to feel safe." End quote. Now, I'm going to read you
124a list of names until I finish or until my time is up. These are individuals under the age of 18 or under who were simply murdered for being trans. Some at school or by their peers. It's always important to say their names. Briana Gee, 16. Ariana Mitchell, 17. Paulie Lyens, 14. Tay Dior Thomas, 17. Jasine Johnson, 18. River Goddard 17. Next, Benedict 16. Thank you. Our next speaker is Elaine Thunderberg who will be followed by Holly Atkins. Dr. Taylor and Chairman Hagerty and board. Thank you for all that you do for the Wake County Schools. Uh it's a long meeting. I know you're tired, so I won't take so much of your time. I am Elaine Thunderberg, a former teacher and substitute teacher in the Wake County Public Schools. The mother of four uh Broton
125High School graduates and a grandmother of Wake County students with eight great uh eight students and three that pre presently attend Broton, Oberlin, and Lacy schools. I am here to continue what I began two weeks ago and request that you approve and implement an academic Bible history elective for our schools. This is not a religion course. It is a history course. We have seen many unfortunate things disrupting the education of our children today, especially the safety in our schools. We have seen a rise in criminal activity with shootings, lockdowns, and test scores falling. In his recent state of the schools address, Superintendent Taylor uh wisely called for school safety to be the number one priority for Wake County schools, s stating that when students don't feel safe, they don't focus on instruction. As a substitute
126teacher, I worked with atrisisk students who were in gangs, selling drugs, angry and explosive young people from troubled homes. I was called to one school to comfort uh the students in a drama class after the killing of one of their members off campus. His mother had been a member of my Bible class in the North Carolina Correctional Center for Women. One day I was locked in a classroom with three gang members and a girl who brought scissors to school that day to get even like with someone like her mother did on the street. Later, after seeing many students convicted and expelled from Wake County schools for dealing in drugs, I formed the UK Care School for these students to get them back to graduate with their classes. We ran it for three months and it
127worked. A year later, I encountered two of these students at their workplaces and asked, "What helped you the most in this school?" And they both responded, "The Bible class." Their lives were changed. Students need to learn right from wrong to avoid hurting themselves and others and the consequences of breaking the law. I suggest this board consider implementing a pilot Bible history elective this spring as an alternative school to evaluate the change in behavior. I represent um the National Council on Bible. I don't represent them, but I recommend them. The Bible Council on Public uh uh curriculum in public schools and I have that here. It is offered to every Bible history teacher uh that will be teaching the class free of charge. and I have it here and I'll leave it for Dr. Taylor and
128you can review. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Funberg. We appreciate it. Our next speaker is Holly Atkins who will be followed by Joseph Deon. Good evening. My name is Holly Atkins. pronouns she, her, and I am the founder and president of Hope for Teens. Hope for Teens was founded in 2010 and is Wake County's only anti-bullying organization dedicated to the advocacy and support of our LGBTQIA plus youth truncated to Q plus going forward. I started Hope for Teens because six teens committed suicide over a 12-week period that made the news, which made me wonder how many teens didn't. How many students sit in fear every day and get bullied every day because people choose hate over asking questions and being supportive? One thing that didn't occur to me is the bullying and exclusion from the
129adults they would receive. We are watching basic rights and human human decency be ripped away by those who don't care to understand and don't want others to care either. Adults can help change things adults can vote. Those that I worry the most about can't. Sure, their families can if they're supporting and loving, but for many Q plus youth, that if can sometimes be pretty large. Instead of asking questions and getting to know people, society piranhas try to eliminate them. Instead of understanding how important and smart and beautiful they are, there is a drive to demonize those you don't know. This isn't progress, it's bullying, and it's ugly, which makes those people ugly. When 74% of the Q plus youth don't feel safe in their classrooms, what do you do? When 90% of the Q plus
130youth report being bullied, how is that safe? When 86% of the trans youth consider suicide, why would you want to try and increase those numbers instead of trying to bring them down? The Q plus youth are four times more likely to consider suicide, which equates to more than 1.2 million per year in the US, and suicide is the second leading cause of death for our youth. With numbers like this, please pay attention to your Q plus students in your school system. You currently have approximately 54,000 high school students per year 202425 report. Since more than 12% of high school students identify as part of the Q plus community, that equates to a little over 6,500 students. And if you're looking at transgender, which would be 2 and a.5%, that's a little over a thousand students
131in Wake County. Fun fact, adult support, especially in the homes and schools, reduces suicide rates by as much as 56%. Hopefully that statistical alone will encourage you all to show your support and advocacy. So, how can you, the school board, help these students? Celebrate them. Don't shrink from them. Acknowledge they exist and matter. March 31st is trans day of visibility. Let those students know you see them and support them. Again, over a thousand students in Wake County Public Schools are trans. Your support matters. If you have a longer range appreciation for your students, think about becoming a chaperone for our queer prom for high school students. To the students, I say it does get better. We're hoping after 14 years it would have happened a little faster, but it didn't. Look at all the people
132that were at this meeting tonight. Most came to support you. Attend queer prom and see it for yourself. It's free. For the uh board members, I do want to let you know I'll be emailing you the uh registration link for the chaperone attendees if you wish. And please make sure that you know what it means to understand and support your neighbor. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker, Oops. Sorry about that. Our uh screen just went black there. Our next speaker is Joseph Deon, who will be followed by Jen Smith. I am providing the board a copy of the 1927 Supreme Court decision, Buck versus Bell, that upheld state laws for involuntary sterilization of persons thought to have hereditary mental h handicaps. Miss Carrie Buck was one such individual whom the state of Virginia planned
133to sterilize. Her defense attorney warned that if eugenics laws were upheld, they could be extended to target other classes of people whom the state deemed undesirable, even entire races. The court ignored that warning and Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes concluded quote three generations of imbeciles are enough. He justified eugenic sterilization by the same principle as mandatory vaccination. This was the con concept of a living constitution in action bending laws a little bit at a time. It came at a time when theories of eugenics, social Darwinism, scientific racism, and Malthusianism were widely held in universities in America and Europe. These theories reached the limit of their perverted logic in in Nazi Germany. Here, the NC Board of Eugenics operated until 1974 and hired a black man to go into poor black communities looking for people to
134sterilize. Several victims of the NC board were interviewed on UNC TV about eight or nine years ago. One was a black lady who lived all alone in her house filled with nice new baby dolls. She said she bled all those because when she was in the orphanage, she only ever got dirty and broken used ones. This this was so sad because what those doctors did to her destroyed her chance to have her own family and now she was all alone. Today, I fear that many troubled adolescents will end up like that lady as a result of so-called gender affirming care. Wake County must end complicity with this medical scandal by the active psychological intervention of social transition in schools. Toward this end, you must remove gender identity from Title N policies. Thank you. Our next
135speaker tonight is Jen Smith, who will be followed by Sarah Jackson. Hello everyone. Um, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. I want to say I'm been extremely impressed with all of our speakers, our young adults that have had great courage and hope that people reflect on their words. Um, I have two teenagers currently enrolled in Wake County Public Schools. I've been a regular volunteer since preschool. Um, so I'm in the schools a lot and I've gotten to know like some of these kids that actually spoke. I was like, "Hey, I know you." And I've watched them grow up and they are good people and I so I decided to come today because I specifically wanted to show my support for trans students and staff because again I'm actually in the school. I'm
136interacting with staff and students. I see what is happening. Um I I've talked to their parents and these are good people. I recognize that uh my privilege that I don't have the same concerns for my kids that my friends who are parents of kids who are trans do. Um we have so much in common that we worry about our how our kids' grades are doing. Are they hanging out in a good crowd? Making good choices? Are they growing up to be young adults and be good for their communities? But I don't have to worry about the things that I read online that I hear from other people um that is hateful and ignorant about some basic science um and erroneous about that are statements that are made against trans people. And so I feel really
137lucky that I don't have to worry about that with my kids. But I know the people who are the parents of kids that are trans and I know kids who are trans. And these are good people that are making our communities better. I see their effort. I see their work and I am very thankful that I know them. So, just want to say thank you to those people in my life. Thank you. Our next speaker tonight is Sarah Jackson, who will be followed by Caitlyn Trader. I'm speaking tonight for a Wake County student who could not be here. A large majority of transgender individuals are minors, so it's hard for them to start HRT or come out to their parents in fear of being abandoned and disowned. And even though trans people make up 1%,
138even less than that, of the population, we are still in the highlight of media and are ridiculed by right-wingers and conservatives. It's so dangerous because for trans people that don't pass, they can be attacked or denied opportunities in jobs, schools, and just in overall life. It feels odd being shunned, turned away, and outcast by others, even people close to you. Being transgender isn't a choice. You just have a choice whether or not to embrace it, which is hard to do when others around you are telling you negative things about people who are transgender. What is currently going on, not just in the United States, but around the whole world towards transgender people is not okay in the slightest bit. We have to work together to destigmatize being part of the LGBTQ plus and learn how
139to live without all this hatred and toxicity. And since I have a moment, I just want to add that the budget the budget looks bleak. Do not let that threaten you into sacrificing your humanity. That response only leads to a deficit in both funding and humanity. If we are willing to forego doing the right thing in the interest of seeking someone's favor, that only buys us time at too high a cost. Instead, we will address a lack of funding one step at a time together, and we will do it without sacrificing an ounce of our humanity. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker, our next speaker is Caitlyn Trader, who will be followed by Heather Rossi. Good evening, Caitlyn. Good evening. Nice to see you all again. Uh, today I am here to address the
140board regarding the essential rights of our transgender students. Trans Day of Visibility is on March 31st. I want to talk about the importance of this day and go through some things we can do to show our students our support. Trans Day of Visibility is an annual awareness day that is recognized and celebrated around the world. It is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of transgender and gender non-conforming people while raising awareness of the work that still needs to be done to achieve trans justice. Let's be clear, this isn't a complex issue. It's about fundamental human rights. Some may present this as a matter of debate, but I'm here to say that basic respect and dignity shouldn't be up for discussion. Transgender students are not a debate. They're not a controversy. They're students, human beings, and they
141deserve the same rights and respect as everyone else. To ensure our transgender students feel valued and protected, I recommend the following. Respecting gender identity. Implementing a policy in schools that respects students chosen names and pronouns. It's a matter of respect. If you can remember your own name, you can remember theirs. Inclusive restroom and locker room access. Transgender students should have access to restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. If your biggest fear is that a man might dress up as a woman to gain access to the women's restroom, you're not afraid of trans women. You're afraid of men. Participation in sports and activities. The opportunity to participate should not be denied based on gender identity. Denying someone the joy of being part of a team because of their gender identity is the
142exact opposite of sportsmanship. Comprehensive anti-discrimination policies. Establishing clear anti-discrimination policies that explicitly protect transgender students from harassment and bullying. If implementing this policy sounds wrong to you, I think it's time to take a good hard look at yourself. Protecting all kids from bullying is not controversial. Faculty education. Implementing training programs for faculty and staff to enhance their understanding of transgender issues and foster a supportive school climate. The more a child feels seen and respected in the classroom, the safer they will feel, which leads to a successful learning experience. Change can be scary. I get it. Especially when it involves something people don't always understand. However, I don't understand it. Therefore, no one else can have it isn't exactly a valid argument in any sense. History will not look kindly on those who choose to stand
143on the wrong side of progress. Trans rights are human rights and anyone who thinks otherwise is frankly on the wrong side of history. At the most basic level, we are simply asking people to be kind. Literally, that's it. How is this even up for debate? How are we, a group of people asking others to be kind versus another group of people asking for the right to be cruel? Creating an inclusive environment benefits everyone. It fosters a culture of empathy and understanding. I urge the board to prioritize the well-being of our transgender students and to implement policies that ensure their rights are protected. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Heather Rossi, who will be followed by Tina Coltus. I've been involved in schoolboard meetings across the country since I was 15, so maybe more
144than a decade. Um, and I wish that they felt different now than they did when I spoke the very first time. I am a parent of a transgender child. When I say this, the first question people often ask is, "When did she tell you? Were you scared?" If I'm honest, I don't really remember when she told me. It was years of talking and listening and not really a big revelation. Um, but lots of little ones. Maybe because I wanted my kids to always know that I'm 100% for them. As a teen, I watched a church I love fracture over a lack of understanding, but rebuild stronger after realizing that love is in fact love. I served in the military at a time when people had to cover their identity and saw the damage that it
145did. I knew I never wanted to perpetuate that fear. Before my kids told me all the things, I had already built a life rich with diversity. I hoped to be a lighthouse to my kids that they would always know who I was, even if they didn't know who they were. And even with all of that, I wasn't the first person who knew. Um, after all, family's complicated. Kids at school knew, teachers had heard a different name, other adults knew. The school was a place where she could test out her identity and values with her peers and other trusted adults. That has always been what school is. It's a place to find out that you are in fact terrified of public speaking and how to overcome it. It's a place where you can find out that
146you actually are great at sports or terrible but still enjoy them. You get to explore ideas and places and things that were previously foreign to you. We've all had teachers who help cement ideas and a world view either by showing us who we were not going to be or showing us what we could be. This is the magic of school. Parenting a t child in a time of crisis is awful. Every day I have to look at how to keep her safe. Will we have to change states? Possibly. Will we have to change countries? Perhaps. Will her life be criminalized? Already up for vote in Texas. Can you imagine people being so invested in your genitals that they seek to criminalize you? I mean, yeah, actually I can. Um, this is a world that I'm
147forced to parent in, constantly evaluating if I can trust people. I've learned over time that facts don't always matter. But I do want you to consider how is another child better off if my child is eliminated from existing. How is another child's identity threatened if my child exists? Thank you to the Wake County schools and teachers and principles and other parents that my kid has encountered for 10 years that every day give her language and value. At the last meeting, people asked me to be civil and congratulated my child on speaking while at the same time turning around and advocating against her. She deserves more. That is your time. Thank you. All right. Our next speaker is Tina Kus who will be followed by Bennett Chapman. I'm reading on behalf of a high school student
148who couldn't be here. And she says, "I believe there are people who transition because it's genuinely their identity. I believe they should be treated as humans like every other cishat white person. I feel like they should be accommodated because they're people, too. It's not an illness. It's an identity. I know there are concerns, but I think it's unfair and unsafe to get rid of certain protections that are in place. I remember the LGBTQ panic defense law. Homosexual and transgender people were killed under the excuse I feel threatened. Are we going back to that again? On top of that, so many children have taken their lives because of the fear that they'll lose every right they have. And Trump's reinstatement to office made people feel more free to say horrid, unreasonably cruel things. I have a
149friend who has talked about death threats and cruel words and people saying, "I want to rape him." Think about this. If you were just going about your day wearing an outfit that makes you comfortable and may be confident, that totally matches your style, and you hear someone say, "I'm going to rape them." only because you're straight, wearing clothes that they don't wear and are a sis hat. That would feel crappy. I'm sure it would. Imagine constant insults and slurs, being yelled at by girls for using the boys' bathroom. If you're FTM, trying to accommodate yourself only to go to the girls restroom to be yelled at by the same girls. Imagine having to walk from one side of a large building to another because it's the only place you feel safe enough to pee. I
150care about trans issues because someone should. Children are losing their lives, whether through suicide or murder. I'm going to speak Bible because that's the only language some of you know how to speak. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:28-31. Maybe this. Imagine your child, your baby, tells you that they're trans or gay. And then some stranger who didn't even know your child put a bullet through their head because they were trans or gay. Would you not feel loss? Sadness. There are parents out there who tragically know this devastating loss. We aren't back in the 1950s. We're in 2025. We're supposed to be the greatest, freest, most incredible country of the world. How can we be that when people are suffering because of hate? One in
15110 cisgender youth attempted suicide in 2024. One in five transgender youth attempted suicide. Be a be a decent human. Treat transgender people like normal people because that's what they are. They're humans just like you and me. And I can say as the mother, proud mother of 40year-old gay male. I have lived with fear for my child for over 25 years after he came out. And he's a wonderful human being who anybody should be proud to know. And it's a terrible way to have to raise a child. and I feel for the trans community and the parents of these children. Just please do what you can to keep them safe. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Our next speaker is Bennett Chapman. Um I understand Lisa Johnson was not here. So then following Bennett, we'll hear
152from Grace Nichols. Uh hello, my name is Ben Chapman. Uh, Milbrook High, go wild cats. Yeah. Uh, I am a local library and history professional. So, I also support the librarians who spoke. Our neighboring county, Franklin, is named for the inventor of the American Library. And I can't say enough to say, please fund and support libraries. With IMLS funding being threatened, uh, there could be some interruptions in services and something to keep an eye out for. Uh I'm here for a student who invited me to be here tonight. Um transgender students, staff, and faculty deserve respect from this board. All members have an obligation to at the bare minimum treat all people in Wake County as the equal citizens under the law that we are. During the February 18th meeting, in prepared remarks, Member Caulfield
153failed to treat non-binary North Carolinians with basic respect. She took time to express concern about children being exposed to new ideologies. She immediately followed this with an anecdote of a second grade school play. Her claim was that the inclusion of a non-binary character is an example of social influence and/or seal or DEI maybe. Um board this anecdote is a red herring of far greater concern is that transgender students, teachers and staff in our community are under attack by ideologues. When I consider the most dangerous ideologies, I don't think of elementary school educators, oddly enough. Um board allow me to be direct. The Johnson County Board of Education very narrowly, very nearly removed discrimination, bullying, and harassment protections, not only from policies affecting students, but for employees of the largest employer in Johnson County. We're going
154to respond by encouraging the Johnson County Board of Education to consider Crown Act protections that this board passed last year because we believe policies should be expanded, not curtailed. Um, I appreciate the members who spoke about uh self-esteem and and hair and how it impacts all of us in different ways. Um, I once had long locks uh which was my choice. Uh, I donated them to Locks for Love. Um, with the 30 minutes left I have left, I'm going to leave you. It's been a long night. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you. Our next speaker will be Grace Nichols, who will be followed by Heather Griffin Doseni. All right, just making sure. Grace Nichols. All right. If Grace is here or stepped out and gets back before the end of comment, we can
155add Grace to the end of the line. Uh, next, Heather Griffin Doulsi, and I apologize if I mispronounced your last name. Everybody does. Thank you for the for the time. Um, I came tonight to show our support for trans children in the school system. I have two children in the Wake County school system and it's my desire for them and every child attending school to experience our public schools as a place where they can safely be seen, heard, and valued for the unique personalities and strengths they bring to the table. Where the adults who see them every day will function as the real heroes and role models in their lives and where they learn that our that celebrating our differences makes the world infinitely more interesting, resilient, and safe. However, according to the research by
156the Trevor Project, 47% of North Carolina's trans children and non-binary children have considered suicide in the last year. The rate is not inherently linked to gender expression, but as a result of social and familiar pressure, to deny their reality, and too often rejection by their families and at school. Bullying both in and out of school also plays a large contributing role. As a social worker who's worked with marginalized people for over 25 years, I fear as what amounts to federally forced eraser of the visibility of trans and gender diverse people, our children are at great risk and that those numbers will climb even higher from their already unacceptable levels. As all institutions with federal funding begin to feel the pressure of conforming to unjust federal legislation for fear of losing necessary dollars, I implore the
157school system to find creative ways to resist discriminatory mandates that make any child feel erased. And finally, I come tonight to tell our children that they're seen, heard, loved, and respected for exactly who they are, and to let them know that there are many, many adults here in the community and at school who stand by their side. Thank you. Thank you. And then our final speaker tonight for public comment will be Daniel Grant King. Alrighty. Good evening. It has been a long time since I've been in this room, so bear with me as I get my remarks. Chair Haggedy, Vice Chair Swanson, members of the board. I am here this evening as an educator, as an educational advocate regarding our threat, the threat currently proposed by our federal level regarding our public schools. It is
158indeed no secret as the current secretary of the US Department of Education has made it clear again that she will follow through with the Trump Vance administration to threaten and undermine funding authority given to our public schools ultimately at the local, state, and national level. But I want to make clear this evening that we cannot have cuts to our public schools. Why? Because without our public schools, I don't know how the even it would even exist. Quite frankly, I am a product of Wake County schools and product of higher education. And so what this does is that we need to continue advocating to make sure that not only funding is there but the resources that go along with that funding to remain. So I am encouraging all board members regardless of where you stand politically,
159regardless of where you stand on the political side of the educational realm. We need to continue on advocating and holding our legislators accountable. I cannot emphasize that enough. To hold them accountable for what they promise to do, and that is to make sure our students have the sound basic education under the North Carolina Constitution and under the federal constitution of the United States. So I'm going to leave you board members with a challenge and a quote by my famous professor and that is when one when the world is silent when the world is silent even one voice is powerful. So I'm leaving you to challenge you please make your voice powerful for our educators students and families. Thank you so much. Thank you Mr. Grant King. And that will conclude our public comment period. Thank
160you. So turning to our agenda, the next item on our agenda tonight. Um see we have additional comments from the superintendent. I see we uh put those here after the public comment. So Dr. Taylor, um we'll turn to you and then we'll move to our consent agenda. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We'll keep it short. Uh, Governor Steinage proclaimed the month of March arts in our schools month and we certainly have plenty of reasons to celebrate here in Wake County. We have over 600 arts educators helping students hone their talents in a wide array of visual and performing arts. But we know arts education is about more than increasing artistic ability. All arts disciplines help students develop their allimportant 4C skills of creativity, creative thinking, collaboration, and communication. What's more, the arts helps students find connections
161and community within their schools, a critical element in keeping students engaged with all of their school work. It's no wonder that students who are enrolled in arts courses are 20% more likely to graduate. The great news is that our arts programs are second to none. For proof, you need to look no further than the Peaches of Gold Performing Arts Showcased held earlier this month are the Gifts of Gold Visual Arts Gallery on display at the North Carolina Museum of Art. On March 5th, more than 700 students representing 50 different schools performed at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts as part of the Pieces of Gold, an annual tradition in Wake County going back decades. Through song, dance, and theatrical performances, the district's best talent was on display. You can find a video of
162the spectacular event on YouTube. In addition, from now through April 13th, you can see exceptional student artwork at a special ex exposition exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of Art, thanks to a partnership with Raleigh Arts and United Arts Council of Raleigh in Wake County. More than 100 Wake County students ranging from kindergarteners to high school seniors are represented. I hope you'll take uh time to pay a visit and appreciate our students creativity firsthand. We are indeed fortunate to have so many gifted students who are guided and encouraged by dedicated arts educators each and every day. So my thanks to everyone who makes our school school district a more vibrant and dynamic place through the arts. Before closing this evening, I'd like to share this video we have prepared in observance of women's history month.
163We ask several district leaders to tell us about the women who have inspired them. These li uh this living history serves as an important reminder of the power of positive role models for young women. When I think about female leaders who've empowered me, um the first one would easily be my mom. Um so that's that's a hands down. And um thinking just about her, my great-grandmother, the matriarchs in my family specifically in Wake County in high school. Um, her name is Jocelyn Bradford. She was my teacher, my cheerleading coach, student council advisor. Um, and she just taught me so much about just the power of a good educator. Definitely Mrs. Moore at the time was Principal Moore. People like her, Dana King, you know, there just weren't a lot of women in secondary leadership. And
164so when they stepped in a room and when they walked into a meeting, they had this presence about them that just commanded the room, commanded the space. So a role model for me would be um a woman called Deborah Jones. She was my principal leader. At that time I was a teacher on loan. That relationship was instrumental to my growth. She was the one who really talked to me about making sure that I could articulate my ideas and my thoughts and that I could uh not only support someone uh with where they are, but to also be able to give them some really good ideas about where we needed to go. She was the reason why I decided to go into administration. I've had a lot of people um be absolutely inspirational for me in
165my career. Um, I think I would certainly start with my older sister who's about 12 years older than I am. Um, when I was a young child, I grew up in a very small town in a rural area and she immersed my life with culture and literature. So, she really um set my sights into a a world that I never knew I could even engage in. So I've also had many many women leaders who have been encouraging of me and have supported me. If I had to share some words of wisdom to women in leadership, I would say that there are times when you may have to prove that you can do the job. Many women in leadership are also moms. It is heavy, but it's certainly not anything that women should shy away from
166because we are more than capable of leading a building and taking care of our loved ones and our family. Really something that stands out to me is just a concept that in helping one woman, you inadvertently help all women. There's so many amazing women in our district that we have to celebrate and to just really shout out. And then of course just continuing to see women um achieve and and grow to new levels of district level leadership and support. It's it's really phenomenal to see. I have learned that it is so important to trust yourself and know who you are and know that what you have and who you are is valuable. I think that the value that women share with one another um lifts each other up so that we can be successful and
167be the answer to some of the problems that we have in the world today. All right. Thank you, Dr. Taylor. So, with that, uh, the next item on our agenda is consideration of our consent agenda. Board members have had an opportunity to review the items, and I'll entertain a motion at this time. So, moved. We have a motion from Vice Chair Swanson to adopt the items on the consent agenda, a second from Mr. Hershey. Any discussion, any debate? Hearing none. All in favor of adoption of the items on the consent agenda, please say I. Any opposed? All right. The consent agenda has been adopted. We have one item on our business agenda tonight, the 2025 2026 instructional calendars and uh this is really I think more of a technical change. This was something that had
168been presented to us in committee and would have been on our consent agenda but for uh some double-checking. Yes. And Miss Anderson Powell is going to uh describe is going to explain those results to us. Sure. Thank you. Thank you for having me and happy women's history month. Um and so the two calendars, two of the three calendars for our early college um high schools um are the same as were presented in the work session. So the Wake Leadership Academyy's calendar is the same as was presented. The Wake STEM Early College calendar is the same that as was presented. There are two minor changes to the um calendar that supports the schools that partner with Wake Tech. The first day of school moved from Wednesday, August 6th to Wednesday, August 5th to accommodate a teacher
169workday on Wednesday, November 12th, which aligns with a professional learning day for Wake Tech. And that is it. And that is it. All right. So, does anyone have any questions for Miss Anderson Pal? Seems pretty pretty direct, pretty uh self-evident. So, at this time, I'd entertain a motion. Mr. I'll defer to Miss I was going to move that we adopt the calendars as presented. We have a motion from Miss Edwards. I'll second Miss Edmonds motion and a second from Vice Chair Swanson. I'm going to look around. I'm obligated to ask if there's any debate, but I think we're probably ready to vote. All right. All in favor of Miss Evans motion, please say I. And are there any opposed? All right, the motion passes. Thank you. Thank you kindly. Have a good evening. Thank you.
170And we appreciate the diligence on that. All right. Thanks everyone. So, at this time, what we'll do is we'll move into that concludes our business agenda. So, we'll hear comments from the board and then we will move into then we I will entertain a motion to go into close session for the items on our agenda. Um, I'm going to change it up a little bit today and I'd like to start with Vice Chair Swanson if he's ready. Thank you, Chair Heggery and my remarks will be very brief and thank you Dr. Taylor for highlighting pieces of gold. It was a outstanding performance and every year we are in awe of the amazing talent that our students um display for us and I think all of them were great but the one that I thought had
171the most energy that stuck out was Nightdale. Um the ladies at Nightdale, the dance team was outstanding. Um and so congratulations to all of them. And also a great thank you to not just to our partners at the Wake Ed partnership to our arts director um uh Mr. Tucker and uh Dr. Norman and and academics team for putting all this together to also to ensure to the public that we can't just talk about going back to the basics without including the arts because for so many of our students the arts is where those students feel seen, heard, and valued. I also want to thank uh Miss H Miss Haywood and the Kerry Kildair Rotary Club and the Kerry Act Inner Club and the volunteers that participated in the beautifification day that took place I think
172last Saturday at West Kerry Middle School. Um I was able to go by and look. It's a it was beautiful what they've done and it also shows how communities come together to pick up the gap and fill in the gap of our schools. And so thank many thanks to them. Um, I also wanted to kind of take a moment to kind of I know we'll have more discussions around the budget. I want to keep it very brief, but I just want to remind the public that um legally we we are funded by three different pots. The local, the state, and the federal. And now what we're seeing is uh due to legislation, the the local has been the bulk of our funding. And so when folks are saying how can what they can do and
173how can they do to help fill in the gaps, number one is vote for folks who believe in public education um and do your research on that. But number two is going down to Jones Street to meet with folks on both in both chambers, the state house, the state senate um to talk about the impacts that they're going to have, what we're going to face. Um we've passed a legislative agenda that is going to be our guide. We've heard from our lobbyists of some pieces, but those are pieces that we are doing as board members to to to advocate. That's our job is to advocate for our public schools, but there's so much more we can do as a community. And I also want to say, and I've said this every year, and I thank
174our commissioners for filling in the gap because legally they are responsible for brick and mortars. That's it. But because we have a community that is investing in public schools and invest and sees the benefit of having a strong public school system that is able to recruit and retain strong businesses. That is the commitment that we've seen from our commissioners. So I thank them for being great partners and thank them for this. And I know that no one is coming with this budget. Everyone's leaving with this budget with concerns. There is nothing in this budget that that gives me p well it gives me pause but I also understand that the superintendent and and and staff did their due diligence and we have a duty to to look into this budget and do what we feel
175is best. Yes, we ask what we need for, but we also have to be mindful of the climate that we're in and the economic impact that so many so many of our communities are facing due to cuts and what we're seeing play out in in government at all levels. Um, so there's that and I look forward to having Dr. Taylor present the budget. Um, great segue there, Dr. Taylor. um to my to district 9's uh final board advisory committee meeting for the year that will take place at 6:00 at Kerry High School. Um and while I'm on that piece for Kerry High School, I promised Principal Nolan Bryant that I would give a great kudos to the culinary arts team who won first place in a prize this past weekend, which is why they will
176not be cooking for us on on uh Thursday. But I want to give them a great kudos for their hard work. And again, um, looking forward to having Dr. Taylor and the community come to talk about the budget. And again, we will do our due diligence over the next couple of weeks to, um, to pass a budget. That concludes my remarks, Mr. Chair. Thank you. Thank you, Vice Chair Swanson. Miss Cfield. Thank you. Good evening, everybody. I just wanted to say happy St. Patrick's Day. Um, hope everybody enjoyed that and happy woman's month. Um this week, um I met with some legislators, um down on Jones Street, um and would encourage our community to reach out to your senators and your House representatives. They've been working quite hard and putting a lot of bills out
177there. Um some of the things that we are trying to um advocate for are the education funding bill which talks about our teachers pay um and the calendar flexibility that helps us align with our dual enrollment especially for our high schools. Um flexibility in spending and the cell phone bills today if you were able to see during our work session we tal we got we met with our lobbyists and they were able to give us an update on some of that. So, the only thing I would ask is that while they're all getting busy to open up that discussion that everybody reach out to their legislators and um express their thoughts and help us advocate for our children. Thank you. Thank you. We'll come around the table to Miss Gordon. Good evening. Um I will
178also be brief. Um I just wanted to uh send a shout out uh to Wilburn Elementary for inviting me. Well, thank you for inviting me for ReadAcross America Week. Um, I got to visit two third grade classrooms, Miss Stewart's third grade class and Miss Hash's third grade class. Um, and I got to read to them, but my favorite part was actually after I read to them, I asked the students um for their perspective on what they wanted to let the school board know. Um, their answers were very surprising and very honest. Um, but I will say that they are they are quite the advocates, those third graders. Um, I also wanted to um speak to North Garner's first track meet of the season. Um, I got to attend. Um, and I really want to speak
179to the incredible power of community displayed at that at that track meet. Um, there were two sisters, Maya and Mackenzie Wallace, and their mom knows that I am lifting their names here at the board tonight. Um, Maya got a little tired on her last leg of her race. And her sister, um, even though she was not competing in that part, she ran alongside her and was encouraging her. Um even after that the entire track team started to cheer her on and that spoke volumes to me. Um it it touched me because it reminded me of how much um the board is you know sometimes we can get with all the things coming at us um we can get tired sometimes and we need the community to really run alongside us and support us. Um, and
180so I really wanted to wanted to lift um Maya and McKenzie Wallace and the whole North Garner track team um up at our board meeting this evening. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hershey. Thank you. Um, first want to just say that reminder that we have a BAC meeting at Sanderson High School on March 24th, which is this Monday at 5:30. The budget will be the topic. Um I encourage all uh members of the public to swing on by PTAs especially along with our board advisory representatives. Um want to lift up uh the early feedback we in this um I'm really proud of this board for supporting the um share pilot uh program which is collecting food that uh can be re um handed back out if we're following all the safety procedures. everything's going great.
181A couple examples of the su early success um which is the intended purpose but also highlights how desperately we need to make reforms as a country as far as feeding our our kids uh at Lincoln Heights on Friday. 50 bananas were uh collected donated during breakfast. Of those bananas, 44 uh were taken during lunch, which is fantastic. That's the purpose. We're reducing food waste and feeding our kids. um at Davis Drive, 43 bags of apple slices were donated. I'm sorry, 49 were donated. 43 were taken by other students during the lunch line. And there are other examples of that. Um we're having we have eight schools in total, I believe, that are doing the pilot program. We'll continue to get feedback if you have the opportunity to make it uh to any of the schools
182as they launch. They're almost done. They only have a few left, but um just a a good positive uplifting start. And of course, we'll see if it has s sustained success. Um, last uh during our work session, we uh good good topic talking about the track meet. We had a athletic presentation and I just wanted to thank all the coaches, the parents, the volunteers, everyone who stays late, um the custodial staff who cleans up after. There's a tremendous amount that goes into our athletics that um a lot of people show up on Friday night and see the game and they don't see everything that maybe goes into it. And uh just great appreciation for oh I better say the officials too and uh of course our our um our boss and or our leader and
183all that uh Mr. Darren Co, who has done an excellent job of um while he's been at in a Wake County the county ad uh and he was at Wake Forest when I was there. So I've known him for a while and he's just done a tremendous job and um hopefully in the future when our budget is has a little bit more flexibility we will be able to provide a bit more support to him. And on that note with the budget, I just want to state that as people have and as speakers did tonight that out of 115 public school uh districts, we are 114th in funding from the state. If we went up $500 per pupil, which would still leave us pretty low, that's uh about $80 million, and that would alleviate a lot
184of pressure on the local budget um if we ever got anywhere near the national average. Oh boy. Uh that would that really takes a lot of pressure off our county commissioners, allows us to do more, allows us to have schools staffed as the way um you know the superintendent and his team would like to have them staff, which is really what we're we're trying to execute up here. And that ends my comments. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Hershey. Dr. Ray, good evening. Um first, um I want to um just um say thank you to Baywick Elementary. Uh we had our district 3 BAC uh meeting last month. Um and appreciate uh principal Greg and the PTA for hosting the meeting and making us feel welcome. Um I also like to thank Dr. Crane for facilitating
185facilitating a lively discussion on our plans for a cell phone policy in our schools. Um, we did receive a lot of feedback from both parents and staff and uh some useful insights and ideas on ways that we can best help our children to stay off the phone and be focused on learning uh while they're at school. Um, I was uh quite ill um at our last uh meeting and I was unable to be at the last board meeting and it appears that other people were similarly um absent. Um but I was able to watch it on the YouTube channel. Um I I tried to see it from the standpoint of the public um watching the meeting and not knowing the background behind some of the discussions that took place. Um so first there was a
186discussion on naming of the school in Windendell. Um and as an observer I came away kind of puzzled by the whole thing. Um because I mean there was already an established process for the board to name a school but because the board couldn't decide the the comm the community was presented with several options but as it turns out the options were incorrectly presented so we had to do it all over again with the right name list of names. So the final survey result was Lizard Lake Elementary. Uh but then the motion was to name it Marshburn Road Elementary. So, you know, as an observer, I thought, why did we bring this question to the community in the first place? Um, and as Miss Rice had commented, the intent of the survey was never to give
187the complete power to the community to name it, but instead it was to gather a um a useful p piece of information. Uh, Miss Rice also mentioned that there was other information that was brought to the board's attention, but um that was never um actually publicly stated. Um it would have been good to know what that piece of information was. Um Miss Cfield did make an effort to petition on behalf of that community which wanted to honor their community's history. Um after closing discussion, um the board just moved on to the next agenda item. Um and it appeared that everyone was glad that it was over. Um, except for Miss Caulfield, there was no sincere acknowledgement of the efforts by the community to honor its history. Even if the board was not going to take
188up the community's preference, it would have been nice to let the community know that their voice was heard. Instead, the tone was, "Yeah, we heard you, but it's not customary for us to do this. Let's move on." Does the board truly embrace the idea of community engagement or is it just a bunch of platitudes or does the board pick and choose which voices that they want to hear from? After that, I saw the board me I I saw that the um Miss Caulfield made a motion to present a letter from the board to Attorney Jackson uh General Jackson to urge him to take action against P school and to bring attention to the issue of data breach that would potentially expose our personal data to identity thieves. And I was truly surprised again as an
189observer to see that no one, not one board member, seconded the motion which caused the motion to die. But more importantly, it did not allow any discussion as to what people thought about the issue. What are the pros and cons of legal actions, if any? Is it enough just to investigate? What is power school's responsibilities when it comes to security breach? What about the school systems responsibilities? What precautions should the citizens take to protect themselves? All these questions were left unanswered because the motion was never seconded and it was left to die. This is an issue that everyone that is affects everyone on both sides of the political spectrum and having our attorney general know that the largest school system in North Carolina has something to say about it was important. Instead, the board chose
190to remain silent on the issue. We als we also um talk about education being nonpartisan but in in this case it appears that the action or inaction of the board was entirely partisan. Is it so hard to let the conservative on the board take the lead on a proposal? Or perhaps you just don't want Miss Caulfield to get the credit for it. In fact, Miss Cfield has actually done the work to lay the groundwork to talk to several Republicans on the general assembly to petition for better education funding. And as you recall, she was the one asking for all of us to sign onto a letter to the general assembly advocating for $50,000 starting pay for teachers. Many of you signed it, but some of you did not. It is nice to know that there
191is actually a bill now proposed by a Republican Representative Erin Pereé to raise the starting teach to $50,000. Yes, you may not agree with Miss Coughfield's political views or mine for that matter, but at least you should give her the respect uh and take her efforts seriously. Despite what we may hear in public comments, there are big supporters of public education in the general assembly on both sides of the aisle. Whether people like it or not, the Republicans in the general assembly hold the purse strings for education. And we need board members like Miss Cfield who have the ability to reach the hearts and minds of those in leadership on Jones Street. So, we have to face reality that we are not nonpartisan. We are bipartisan and we need to we need each other to
192weather the storms that we are facing right now. Thank you, Miss Edmonds. It's pretty short. Uh, congratulations to the teacher of the year finalist. Um, I'm sorry that I missed honoring you here last meeting, but I definitely look forward to celebrating you at the teacher of the year banquet in May. And thank you, Dr. Taylor for recognizing Arts in the Schools Month. I'm going to eliminate that part of my comments. A couple of things to share from Wake County Public Libraries. Um first, they have lots of programming for adults and children spotlighting Women's History Month. Today is March 18th, but you know, so we're halfway through the month, but there's still time to enjoy these free programs. And you can find these programs at wake.gov. Search libraries. Wake public libraries are also having a bookmark
193design contest open to all ages. Four winners will be chosen. Those are divided into four different age groups. And the winning bookmarks will be printed and available at all library um Wake County Public Libraries. The submission deadline is March 31st. So hopefully you've already know about this, but if this is your first time hearing about it, get busy um creating. March 31st is that deadline. And again, you can go to wake.gov/summerreading for all the details about the bookmark contest. Lastly, I want to thank everyone who came out tonight to speak in support of our trans students and to recognize trans day of visibility. Um, trans day of visibility, as you heard, is March 31st, followed by week of no silence from April 1st through April 4th. This happens during um, traditional calendar spring break, but
194you can learn more at glisten.org. That's glen.org. There is no executive order or law or policy that will erase trans people's existence. Tonight, we saw trans students, parents, family members, and allies speak about their experience. And I hope we all leave here with a resolve to stand with them and advocate not just for their rights, but for their well-being, for their safety, and for their joy. They deserve that just like any other human being. So, thank you to all those who spoke tonight, especially our students. You did a brave thing, and I am honored to support you. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Edmonds. I'll conclude tonight. Again, I want to thank Dr. Taylor and Miss Evans for both lifting up the arts funding, particularly this month, and the wonderful job we do in WCPSS trying
195to make arts available to all of our students countywide. We've seen the countless benefits, which I won't go into here. Um, but especially at budget in budget season, it's always good to remember hearing from the students, the parents, the staff, and the faculty in the community how much Wake County as a community does support the arts and arts in our schools. Um, I will also wanted to report, you've heard oftentimes from some students coming to advocate for several environmental advocacy positions. Um, I wanted to thank Mark Strickland who joined me at Panther Creek High School last week to meet with the students, talk to them about what it was that they wanted to do and and wanted us to do as a school board, and then answer questions about what we can do, what we
196can't do, and how we might get to some closer to the goals that they were seeking. And it was a wonderful conversation. Uh, I know Mr. Strickland back there was was going uh we we stayed late into overtime, but I appreciate that dedication um coming out and listening to our students and engaging them on these important issues. They're showing up to our meetings, taking time out of their day to do it, and I thought just as a courtesy, out of respect, we we should go and meet with them at at a location convenient to them. U Miss Rice was unable to join us, but I hope that she's watching and she hears because I want to lift up one of her schools today. We had the wonderful opportunity to be hosted by Principal Dorsy at
197the amazing Hajj Road Spanish Dual Immersion Magnet School. And while it's always great to get in, Superintendent Taylor was with us. It's always great to go and visit our schools. We also had the honor of hosting Congresswoman Deborah Ross. and Representative Ross took the time to meet not just with staff and students but also families who were visiting the school that day so that we could talk about important programs like prek, like title one. We talked about special education funding especially through IDA. We talked about our magnet programs and we talked about C, you know, our our community engagement pro or our community eligibility program. I'm going to get these acronyms right. And how wonderful is it that that was one of the schools benefiting where we could offer universal meals. All of those things
198were especially relevant. You all around the table know why. Because those are all programs that receive important federal funding. And I've talked and talked and I'll continue to talk about the 20,000 Wake County public school students that receive special education funding through IDA and the federal government and over the the more than 30,000 sorry $30 million we receive in Title One funding. And these are programs that we continue to hear about being potentially moved, relocated, or eliminated by the federal government. Title One in particular, if you look at some of the advocacy that's taking place, at the very best, they're talking about phasing it out. And in some cases, there's talk about, well, we might provide it as a block grant eventually, but what what will happen in the interim? Being able, like Representative Ross
199did, to go to the school, to visit the school, to talk to the students, talk to the parents, talk to the staff, and see how these programs are working and benefit our families is, I think, incredibly important and responsible. And I invite other members of our congressional delegation who are so interested to come out and visit some of these schools and do their again do their own research, do their own investigation, and I hope they too will see the benefits that these important federal programs provide to all of our students. Now, Panther Creek High School is one of our largest schools and it serves some of our most affluent families. Hodgej Road is a smaller school and serves some families that uh have there's a high percentage that qualify for free and reduced lunch. At
200visits to both schools, I was approached by staff to talk about important facilities and maintenance needs. And even with all of the other program cuts that we're facing and important issues that we see, issues that tend to be more hot buttons that tend to generate more people coming out to speak on public comment. These were the issues that the staff and in some cases the students came to us to talk about. And so we know we have some very hard decisions to make as we go through our proposed budget documents. And I know all of you and you've all told me individually and you've you know that that you are going to do your best your due diligence and really come up with the best proposal for Wake County schools and our students and our
201staff and our the families we serve. We might not all come at it from the same perspective, but it is important that our budget reflect our priorities and that we do address important issues that are facing our children. our children's learning environment and our teachers working environments. So again, I want to thank you for your dedication and your promise and commitment to go through this very carefully and to work with our you work work with our budget committee and with each other to come up with the best possible budget. The last thing I just want to say is that, you know, as contentious as adults get sometimes, you know, we have to remember, especially in nights like tonight, that our trans students, our trans children are children first and foremost. And it is our duty
202and our obligation to educate all children in our schools and protect all of our children from bullying and harassment. And I'll end with that. So at this time, that'll conclude our board comments and I'll entertain any motions. Mr. Chair, I move that we go into close session to address the issues that are on our agenda. Thank you, Vice Chair Swanson. I had them all printed out for you, too, and I forgot to give it to you, so that's on me. Uh, we have a motion from Vice Chair Swanson to move into close session, a second from Mr. Hershey. All in favor of moving to close session, please say I. Any opposed? All right, we'll now move into close session. Thank you very much.