Orange
County Schools
Board of
Education
Meeting
Highlights
for
November 19, 2007
Regular
Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
Recognitions by the
Board of Education
Ø The
Board of Educations recognized Casey Ward, an 8th grade
student at
Ø Orange County Schools Finance Department was recognized by the Orange County Finance Director and Orange County State Representative of the National Government Finance Officers (GOFA) for excellence in Financial Reporting and their comprehensive financial report
Public Comment:
Ø Five People addressed the Board of Education –
· 5 members from The Northern Orange Education Task Force (NOETF) voiced their support for Raising Achievement and Closing the Gap report. The representatives of NOETF also expressed their desire to work with Orange County Schools to raise the level of achievement for all students and requested information from the district.
Superintendent’s Comments:
Ø Mr. Rhodes congratulated Ms. Daniels (Principal of ALS), Mr. Thornburg (Principal of CRHS), Mr. Weber (Director of Secondary Instruction), and Ms. Harris (Director of Career and Technical Education) for becoming certified as Professional Learning Community Trainers. Mr. Rhodes also congratulated Ms. Kimball and the staff of Partnership Academy Alternative School (PAAS) for receiving funding for their learning amphitheatre to be built on the campus of PAAS this January.
Consent Agenda:
Ø Was unanimously approved with a vote of 4-0 and included:
· Personnel (New teachers and staff hired)
· Field Trip Request
Reports to the Board
of Education:
Ø Central Elementary School-Hillsborough Elementary School Task Force Report:
·
Dr.
¨ The Task Force reviewed data and brainstormed ways to achieved the BOE’s charge to achieve a socio-economic status of 38% (+/-10%)
¨
The Task Force’s initial ideas centered around two
main areas: investigating Central
Elementary as a Magnet School and revising the application process for
¨ It was the opinion of the Task Force that the merger of the two schools should be tabled for the present
Ø Block Scheduling Report:
·
Mr. Steven Weber, Director of Secondary
Education, provided a summary of the impact of Block Schedule on the high
schools in
¨ Block scheduling is not a panacea, but it is addressing many of the issues faced by our high schools in the past four years
¨ It has allowed teachers to work on Professional Learning Communities, develop common assessments, align curriculum and develop best practices
¨ The extended class periods have allowed teachers to move to more authentic assessments and inquiry-based learning
¨ Enrollment in AP courses, Honors Courses and World Languages have increased significantly
Ø District Technology Budget:
· Ms. Angie Veitch, Director of Technology, reviewed a proposed budget request:
¨ The total requested budget for the technology department is $650,000
¨ The budget does not include laptops, handheld devices, servers, or wiring projects
¨ The bulk of the funding will go to pay for ongoing services and new teacher machines that will be able to run the new NC Wise program mandated by DPI
Ø Support Services Policy Updates, Second Reading:
· Dr. George McFarley, Associate Superintendent for Support Services, presented Support Service Policy Updates for second reading approval:
¨ The Board reviewed the policies and passed them unanimously, 4-0
Ø Support
Services Policy Update, First
· Dr. George McFarley, Associate Superintendent for Support Services, presented Support Service Policy Updates for first reading approval:
¨ The Board reviewed the policies and asked for corrections and clarification on intent and verbiage. Policies will be brought back for a second reading approval at the December 3rd Board meeting.
The Board moved to go
into closed session at 9:54 p.m.