Onslow Connection
Keeping you informed
Providing a summary of the Board of Education budget hearing and regular meeting May 10, 2016
Budget Hearing
Board of Education Regular Meeting
There were several action items on the agenda.
FY 2016-2017 Local Current Expense and Capital Outlay Budgets were presented by Jeff Hollamon, Chief Financial Officer.
The county appropriation for fiscal year 2017 will be $46.7 million, an increase of approximately $1.7 million over last year due to student growth. The capital budget will be $3 million, an increase of $425,000 over FY 2016.
A summary can be found in last month's newsletter.
The approved budget will be submitted to county commissioners by May 15. The county commissioners must adopt their budget by July 1, 2016.
Temporary Easement
The board unanimously approved the request.
2016 - 2019 Academically or Intellectually Gifted Strategic Plan
The plan calls for increased web-resources, increased enrichment opportunities, increased awareness through collaboration with school counselors and other district staff, and advocacy.
The Board unanimously approved the plan.
Career and Technical Education Strategic Plan for 2016 -17
Plans for 2016-17 include continued effort to achieve career academy status through National Career Academy Coalition, begin automotive collision pilot, update food labs, increase classroom technology, increase the number of STEM centers, improve career literacy, bring Health Science back to Southwest High School, develop and implement mathematics professional development, continue to develop Career Pathways with CCCC and investigate Mechatronics at Miller-Motte College.
The Board unanimously approved the plan.
Board of Education Policy Considerations
Board members will have time to study the new policy and decide whether to adopt it at a future meeting.
The process provided in this policy is designed for those individuals who believe that they may have been discriminated against, bullied, or harassed in violation of policy 1717/4021/7230 or policy 1730/4022/7231.
The new policy includes definitions, reporting procedures and the process for addressing complaints.
No action was taken.
Erwin asked the Board to consider revisions to Board of Education Policy 2120: Code of Ethics for School Board Members as recommended by the North Carolina School Board Association.
Under "Board Member Ethical Requirements" there are five standards to guide members in their performance of duties, and there are 15 "Specific Board Member Commitments."
All newly elected board members are expected to sign a code of ethics statement that includes these provisions at the organizational meeting of the board.
By a six to one vote, the Board adopted the revisions.
Erwin presented revisions to Board of Education Policy 2123: Board Member Opportunities for Development.
Under the revision Board members, to fulfill legal requirements, will have to receive a minimum of 12 hours of training every two years instead of annually.
The Board unanimously approved the revision.
Erwin presented revisions to Board of Education Policy 2341: Quorum
Under the revision a quorum is defined as a majority of the members of the Board, instead of one more than half of the members of the board.
The Board unanimously adopted the revision.
Erwin asked the Board to consider revisions to Board of Education Policy 4050: Children of Military Families.
Basically the policy addresses the Board recognizing that children whose immediate family members are deployed by the military may be at increased risk of emotional, psychological, or other harm and the Board is committed to supporting these children in the school system and undertaking to serve their unique needs.
It also requires principals annually to identify all military-connected students enrolled and develop a means for serving their unique needs.
Military-connected is defined as a student whose parent, step-parent, sibling, or any other person who resides in the same household serving in the active or reserve components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard or National Guard.
It includes that the school system shall ensure compliance with the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children to adopt procedures to promote the children of military families well-being and assist these children in achieving educational success in their new schools.
The Board unanimously adopted the policy revisions.
All policies and adopted revisions can be found on the district website under Board of Education.
Message from the Superintendent
The Onslow County Schools’ proposed budget for 2016-2017 highlights and summarizes our financial plan for the coming year and reflects our commitment to academic achievement and success for all students. The first priority in this proposed budget is to support classroom instruction as evidenced by the financial commitment to expand the 1:1 technology initiative and add devices in grades 4, 6, and 11.
The capital outlay budget increased to 3 million dollars total. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) appropriate capital outlay funding to the school system to purchase needed equipment and furniture, maintain and improve facilities, and complete projects, which assure the health and safety of students and employees and enhance the learning environment.
We are thankful to the BOCC for their commitment to education. For two consecutive years, the commissioners have maintained the funding formula, which is based on the state’s average local appropriation per student. Funding allotments from the county are based on the number of students in attendance – a number that continues to grow by over 300 students per year.
A special thanks to the OCS finance staff for creating a budget that the Board of Education supports and a budget that focuses on teaching and learning, student safety, and student growth.
Sincerely,
Rick Stout
Message from the Chairwoman
Board members look forward to Good News Spotlight each month. It is wonderful to recognize and celebrate student and staff achievements. We have so many smart, talented students and personnel in our school district and we love sharing their accomplishments with our community.
It is with much pleasure and pride we serve and commit to supporting and funding the programs that are successful, as evidenced by the approval of the budget. Hearing the plans for increasing student opportunities, we thank our hard working staff for all their efforts to work within the budget constraints yet continue to find ways to develop and grow programs to increase student success.
As Board members we must commit and adhere to ethical guidelines and policies to ensure and preserve public confidence in operations of the Board. We realize our decisions affect the lives of students and their parents as well as the well-being of the community.
As we wind down another school year, we can’t say enough how much we appreciate what each and every one of you bring to the table that make this school district one of the best.
Sincerely,
Pam Thomas