Summary of "Lee County Schools Board of Education"

The Lee County Board of Education held a regular meeting addressing several key topics and updates related to the school district’s operations, student achievements, and ongoing challenges.

Meeting Proceedings and Formalities:

The meeting began with a moment of silence, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the reading of the district’s vision statement and code of ethics for board members. The agenda and previous meeting minutes were approved without objection.

Public Comments:

A local parent, Mike Savage, expressed concern over teacher vacancy rates, noting Lee County’s high rate of 2.8 vacancies per school. He appreciated the board’s efforts to increase teacher supplement pay but urged earlier salary improvements to retain young teachers. He also praised the formation of a “five on five” committee between the school board and county commissioners aimed at improving communication and collaboration.

Chairman’s Report:

The chairman highlighted recent legal training for board members and upcoming graduation ceremonies at various schools, encouraging community attendance. He noted positive developments in board-county collaboration via the five on five committee.

Superintendent’s Report and Recognitions:

The Southern Lee High School bowling team was honored for winning back-to-back state championships, a rare achievement. The team’s success was credited to dedicated coaches and supportive staff despite the lack of a local bowling alley.
Mrs. Vicky Wilkins was recognized as the district’s longest-serving employee with 47 years in Lee County Schools. She shared her passion for education and commitment to the community.
Two students, Addison Tonard and Larkin McBride, were congratulated for being selected to attend the prestigious North Carolina Governor’s School, a competitive program for gifted students. Both students have strong academic records and leadership roles.
Fourth grader Aubrey Richmond was recognized for winning a county-wide contest to design a new recycling logo, which will be displayed at local convenience centers and on the solid waste website.

Operational and Financial Updates:

The board received a financial report showing current expenditures and budget status, with year-to-date spending at about 61.8%.
Legal counsel provided an update on bond forfeiture collections, explaining that fines collected from bond forfeitures go to the school system’s funds and are proportionally distributed, including to charter schools based on student residency.
The operations committee discussed a new third-party study for long-term facility planning and redistricting, as well as updates on meal program participation and parking lot repairs funded by lottery funds.
Technology purchases totaling approximately $155,000, primarily funded by Title I at the school level, were approved to streamline procurement and gain bulk discounts.
The board approved a contract with Bureau of Veraritoss for a facilities condition assessment at a cost of about $148,500.
Retesting schedules for students who did not pass initial assessments were updated to allow testing during the school year, reducing delays and costs.

Discipline Committee Report:

The committee highlighted concerns over cell phone violations, which account for 5% of office referrals but disproportionately affect middle school students (73% of phone-related referrals). The issue is linked to disrespect and disciplinary challenges, prompting discussions on better managing phone use and fostering respect in schools.
Board members requested that disciplinary data and graphs be made available to the public to increase transparency.

Policy and Committee Meetings:

The curriculum and instruction committee had no recent meeting but scheduled the next for May 14.
The operations committee will continue discussions on student Wi-Fi and device use, coordinating with the discipline committee for solutions.
The policy committee’s next meeting is scheduled for April 22.

Personnel:

The board approved the human resources report and renewed contracts for one-, two-, and four-year teachers.

Closing:

The board thanked members for their participation in recent events and training and adjourned the meeting.

Presenters and Contributors:

Mike Savage (Public Comment)
Mrs. Vicky Wilkins (Recognition)
Miss Stacy Edgars (Student Artwork Recognition)
Mr. Dylan Crockett (Governor’s School Recipients)
Legal Counsel (Bond Forfeiture Report)
Board Members: Mr. Gastra, Mr. Rimmel, Miss Ortiz, Mrs. Hooker, Mr. Casser (Committee Reports and Discussions)
Superintendent and Chairperson (Various Reports and Meeting Facilitation)