June 9th Board of Education Meeting Summary

[Gene Galin]

The Chatham County Board of Education held a meeting on Monday, June 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the central office board room.

Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Carl R. Fox administered the oath of office to Robert Logan, an act that is required by state law for an incoming school superintendent.

The Board revised its meeting policy 2300 to reflect changing its meeting schedule to the first and second Mondays of each month.

The Board decided to change its June 23rd meeting to June 19th at 6:00 p.m. at the central office.

The Board discussed its transfer fee policy and chose to leave its policy as is.

Many school systems utilize summer work hours that allow for better use of extended summer daylight and reduced travel. Due to rising fuel costs, Chatham County Schools will utilize a ten-hour day/four day work week during the summer months. All summer employees (schools, transportation department, maintenance department, central office, etc.) could operate on this schedule. (The choice is optional for these employees.) All offices would be manned during the full five-day work week by allowing staff to rotate through the five-day work cycle. Office hours would be from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with thirty minutes for lunch. This would extend hours of operation and save fuel cost for those who participate. The Board agreed with Mr. Logan’s recommendation. The summer schedule will begin on Monday, June 16.

The Board heard from central office staff and Chatham New School staff about ideas and suggestions for how long-term suspended students who are currently served by Chatham New School may be served in the upcoming school year. No decisions were made during the Board meeting.

Dr. Robin McCoy, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, discussed how district PreK programs can become more uniform. Fees for students in the programs were the primary focus of the discussion. The Board will consider the PreK agenda item again at its next meeting.

Bennett School and J.S. Waters School will continue to be the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) school choice designations. Chatham Middle and Siler City Elementary are currently in school improvement under the NCLB. Their students can, within a designated deadline, can transfer to either of these schools.

George Greger-Holt, Director of Student Services, presented preliminary results of the 2008 Alcohol and Other Drug Survey taken by students in grades five thought twelve in March. There were a total of 3,558 respondents.

The Board discussed an internal review of classified salary schedules after a preliminary presentation in January. Following that presentation, next steps by central office staff included: costing out the implementation of new salary tables and including the figure in the 2008-2009 expansion budget; completing job descriptions for publishing; and identifying overlooked inconsistencies during the first review. The Board will address this issue again during its next meeting.

David Moody, Assistant Superintendent of Auxiliary Services, discussed district capital outlay projects for the 2007-08 school year and summer projects.

Moody discussed a three-year expansion of the district’s custodial services contract with Saffelle. The Board will vote on this agenda item during its next meeting.

The contract with CRZ for new high school on Jack Bennett Road was not ready by the time of the meeting. The item will be placed on the next Board meeting agenda.

The Board approved the 2008–2009 budget resolution presented by Susan Little, Chief Finance Officer.

The Board approved the following fundraiser:
• Chatham Central High School – wrestling camp
• Moncure - summer camp