Board of Education Meets

Bethany Stephens
 
At the Board of Education’s January session, three students were recognized from Clarkton School of Discovery for winning first, second, and third place in the Poetry Council of North Carolina Poetry Contest.  Students competed in nine categories in the contest including poetry, free verse, traditional form, humorous verse, and performance poetry.  There was competition in the elementary, middle school, and high school levels.  For the first time ever, all three winners in the middle school division came from the same school.  Allaysha Smith won first place; Devan Stocks won second place, and third place went to Kenneth Mote.  Additionally, Robert Heavenridge, Assistant Principal at Bladenboro Primary School, was recognized for earning his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.  Attendance awards were also presented and Elizabethtown Primary won in the elementary school division with 96.5% attendance; East Arcadia School won in the middle school division with 95.75% attendance, and West Bladen won in the high school division with 93.25% attendance.  

After coming back from a closed session, the board received the financial summary form Sharon Penny, finance director, and heard an update on A.P. (Advanced Placement) grants from Danny Price, Director of the Advanced Placement Program.  Jose Rodriguez spoke regarding the duties of counselors, test coordinators, and media specialists.  Counselors meet monthly to compare notes on what is working and what needs improving.  Ophelia Munn-Goins expressed concerns that she had heard regarding missed scholarship application deadlines, and Rodriguez explained that counselor accountability is largely left to each principal and that he hadn’t heard anything about it at their monthly meeting.  

Doug Evans, Technology Director, addressed the board regarding a Technology Use Contract.  A pilot program for the 1:1 Laptop Program (a program that would eventually provide computers for every student to use at home and at school) is set to start soon, and the computers chosen are Lenovo Android tablets.  Though the pilot program will not require a usage fee, a fee for students when the program is implemented school-wide is being considered, and students will have to sign a contract stating their responsibilities for their individual computers.  Additionally, there was talk of the state’s progress in developing the cloud for the school’s to access internet, but the county has to wait on state level developments before it can be accessed properly.  The yearly audit contract with Anderson, Smith, and Wike was approved along with two overnight field trips to the State Beta Club Convention and an annual fundraiser at Bladen Middle School to fund their traveling to the State Beta Club Convention.  

The board approved of giving formal support for a revised election district which annexed the Happy Valley Community into another district and tabled a credit card usage policy until they could further review it.  It was agreed that Dr. Robert Taylor, Superintendent, send a letter of support for the Golden Leaf Grant, and a policy regarding the use of service animals in the schools was approved.  A policy outlining employee use of social media as recommended by the School Board Association was tabled.  Taylor informed the board that EOC testing is set to start January 10 and asked board members interested in attending the National School Board Conference in Boston to contact him.  Lastly prior to adjourning, board members were invited to participate in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade as well as to a reading of Gail Thompson’s works at Bladen Community College.