Board members present: Chairman Todd Sutton, Lyn Andrews, Al Byrd, Kay Carroll, Ronald Johnson, Mike Wooten Absent: Terri Sessoms  In a brief
ceremony prior to Tuesday's meeting, Al Byrd took the
oath of office as a new member of the board following
his appointment by a 5-1 majority of the other members
last week. He will serve the remaining 21 months of a
four-year term previously held by Tracie Zukowski, who
resigned in January after moving her place of
residence to Brunswick County.Chairman Sutton announced that board member Terri Sessoms was absent from Tuesday's meeting in order to be at home with her husband, who was recovering from surgery. (Screenshot of Mr. Byrd is from live-streaming of Tuesday's session) |
||
ENROLLMENT FORECAST SETS TABLE FOR TUESDAY'S BUDGETING SESSION WITH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Chief of Facilities and Construction Brooks More presented a report from the school system's research consultant forecasting enrollment increases for Johnston County Public Schools over the next 10 years. It projects a continuation of overcrowded schools in fast-growing suburban areas of northwestern Johnston but also raises immediate "red flags" for elementary schools in Pine Level and Selma. The forecasting for Johnston's schools is an ongoing service of OREd, the Operations Research and Education Laboratory associated with N.C. State University. The data presented Tuesday is likely to be at the core of discussions during a joint meeting of the Board of Education and the County Commissioners at 6 p.m. next Tuesday (March 16). With public attendance restricted by coronavirus concerns, that session to address the school system's near-term and long-term budgetary needs will be live-streamed on the schools' YouTube channel> VIEW the complete OREd enrollment chart on the school system's website> CONTRACT APPROVED FOR EXTRA CUSTODIAL HELP The board approved a contract with Corestaff Services of Smithfield to provide extra custodial help for Johnston's school "as needed up to $250,000." In response to a concern from board member Ronald Johnson about "stepping on toes" of the school system's custodial employees, Chief of Facilities and Construction Moore said there"s "definitely a need, especially on Wednesdays" for the extra help (Wednesday is the day all schools are closed to students for "deep cleaning"). Mr. Johnson advocated more overtime pay for school-employed custodians to address the issue, then went on to voice complaints that they're being pulled away from their regular duties to drive buses since there's currently a shortage of school-employed bus drivers. That led to a discussion about raising pay for bus drivers to help with recruitment, and perhaps higher pay for teacher assistants as well. Superintendent Eric Bracy said he would get together with his staff and "let you know what the financial ramifications are" for salary proposals to be considered at upcoming board sessions. SCHOOLS' "DAY OFF" SWITCHED FOR VACCINATIONS Heeding a recommendation from Chief of Human Resources Brian Vetrano, the board approved a change in the school system's calendar to make Friday, March 26 rather than Wednesday, March 24 a stay-at-home day of remote learning for students at all schools except North Johnston High, where the county's Health Department will administer second-dose COVID-10 shots to school employees. Vaccinating on Friday rather than Wednesday, Mr. Vetrano explained, will give staff time over the weekend to recover from "side effects" that may be experienced after second doses are given. CENERGISTIC SETTLEMENT YIELDS BIG SAVINGS The board took note of the settlement of a dispute involving termination of a contract dating from 2016 with Cenergistic, LLC for consulting services related to making Johnston's schools more "energy efficient." The settlement terminates the agreement as of December 31, 2020 rather than June 30, 2021. Board member Kay Carroll pointed out that the settlement saves the school system more than $637,000 in fees that would have gone to the contractor. Mr. Carroll raised questions about the value of Cenergistic's services as he campaigned for election to the school board last year. PRINCIPAL NAMED FOR NEW THANKSGIVING SCHOOL The board approved the appointment of Chad Jewett as principal of the new Thanksgiving Elementary School that will receive its first students later this year. Mr. Jewett has more than 20 years of experience in education, including service as principal of West Smithfield Elementary, McGee's Crossroads Middle, and River Dell Elementary schools. The new Thanksgiving school is located on Lynch Road just north of NC 42 east of Flowers Plantation. TOUCH-SCREEN PANELS BOUGHT FOR NEW SCHOOL The board approved a $116,043 contract with Troxell Communications of Phoenix, Arizona to provide 51 mobile Truetouch interactive panels at the new Thanksgiving Elementary School scheduled to open later this year. "Do we have these in other schools?" asked board member Lyn Andrews. In "most," replied Chief of Facilities and Construction Brooks Moore. PARENT: WHY AREN'T OLDER STUDENTS BACK FULL-TIME? No one appeared before the board during the time set aside on Tuesday's agenda for "Public Comment," but one parent did submit an e-mail complaint: "One year ago this week was the last time our children attended any kind of normal classes. They are failing miserably," wrote Erin Braundel, a parent (whose address was not given). "For the majority, virtual learning does not work! You have now allowed our K-5 back to four days a week. But our middle and high schoolers are still suffering. Two days of in-person learning is simply not enough. My son CANNOT learn this way. He is failing one class and struggling in his other classes.... "Meanwhile, we can count on a phone call each Sunday night from our principal with important information for the week --- IT'S ABOUT SPORTS! Kids have been allowed to participate every single day in sports but not in-person classes! Do we have our priorities straight, Johnston County Schools?" As is customary, the board did not respond to the complaint. Nor was there any discussion at Tuesday's meeting about allowing middle and high-school students to return to classes more than twice weekly. |
||
