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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-04-27 Special Meeting NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF JOINT MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 216 APRIL 27, 1999 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners held a joint meeting with the New Hanover County Board of Education on Tuesday, April 27, 1999, at 6:00 p.m. in the School Administration Building, First Floor Conference Room, 1802 South 15th Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present were: Commissioner Buzz Birzenieks; Commissioner Ted Davis, Jr.; Commissioner Charles R. Howell; Vice-Chairman Robert G. Greer; Chairman William A. Caster; County Manager, Allen O’Neal; County Attorney, Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board, Lucie F. Harrell. Members present from the Board of Education were: Chairman Edward B. Higgins, Vice- Chairman Donald S. Hayes; Steven M. Bilzi; James A. Wells; and Nancy Wigley. Mr. Oscar Graham and Ms. Deborah Keck were absent. Chairman Caster and Chairman Higgins called their respective boards to order. Chairman Higgins welcomed the Board of County Commissioners and announced that the joint meeting was called to continue communication between the two boards. He reported that Chairman Caster and he were meeting monthly to exchange dialogue in an effort to better understand issues that could become problems for both boards. Chairman Caster agreed with the comments by Chairman Higgins and he emphasized the importance of good communication between the two boards. He said that education was a high priority with the Board of County Commissioners and advised that New Hanover County will continue to support the schools. PRESENTATION OF THE PRE-K PROGRAM AT HOWE SCHOOL Dr. John Morris, Superintendent of Schools, reported on the Pre-K Program and introduced Ms. Charlene Leister, Director of the Howe Pre-K Program, who will comment on the success of this program. Ms. Leister reported that 240 four-year-old students were enrolled in the Pre-K Program. There are 15 classes with 15 teachers and 15 assistants. Every child that enters the Pre-K Program is given a screening test, called the Dial R test, to measure the development of each child. At the end of the year, the Dial R test is given again to measure improvements. The results indicate that scores significantly improve during the year and that students are ready to enter kindergarten. In order to monitor the success of the program, students enrolled in the Pre-K Program during the 1993-1994 school year were located in the third grade, and the test scores administered to these students at the end of the year were examined. The scores showed that Pre-K students were at the grade level expected for third grade students. Also a comparison was made on the percentage of Pre-K students that were proficient in mathematics and reading. It was found that 68% of the Pre-K students were proficient in mathematics and 62% were proficient in reading. These percentages are above the State average of 61.1% and almost equal with the New Hanover County average of 66.4% for third-grade students. One program offered in the Pre-K Program is parent involvement. At the Pre-K Center, parents sign an agreement to comply to the following terms: (1) agree to spend one hour once a month in their child’s classroom; (2) agree to participate in two parenting workshops during the school year; and (3) agree for the teacher to make two home visits during the school year. The parents have kept their commitments and often the parents go beyond the minimal commitment. Another program offered in the Pre-K Program is a character building class. Children are taught behavior patterns that help them to build character and traits that will benefit them throughout their education. In closing, Ms. Leister introduced Ms. Lynda Earp, a member of the Howe Pre-K Staff, to discuss the character education program entitled, Skills Streaming. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF JOINT MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 217 APRIL 27, 1999 Ms. Earp advised that when children first enroll in the P-K Program, they are accustomed to playing alone or with two siblings or a small group of neighborhood children. At the age of three to four, children do not play well with other children. In order to address this issue, the Parallel Play Program is used to train children to play side by side. This process continues with the two children learning to play together and finally learning to play with a group of children. Most children at this age do no have the social skills to handle play situations in a large group. In the Skills Streaming Program, a child is taught pro-social skills. The steps of behavior are explained so they understand what it means to sit down and be quiet. Toys are provided so the children can lean to share. These types of skills teach children to follow rules and guidelines that will benefit them throughout school. In closing, Ms. Earp informed the Board that Cape Fear Community College provides a teacher four days a week to the Pre-K Center to assist parents in learning parenting skills and work on attaining their GED. Currently, there are three parents who are ready to take the GED examination. Another program offered is teaching children from other counties to speak English. Dr. Morris invited the County Commissioners to visit the Pre-K Center at Howe School to see the methods used to develop listening and social behavior skills. He commented on the success of the program and said it had greatly benefitted the children and parents in moving through the educational process. Chairman Higgins spoke on the need to prepare students at the Pre-K level to perform at an accepted level of proficiency when entering the first grade. He said the Board of Education is now in the process of trying to establish a second Pre-K Center if space can be found. The success of the program has been proven, and there are approximately 400 pre-school children in need of this assistance. The program is federally funded, but the County will be involved with providing the facility. PRESENTATION ON CRISIS PLAN Dr. John Morris commented on the Columbine, Colorado incident and reported that in October 1998, Dr. William Atkinson, President/CEO of New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Dr. Al Lerch, Assistant Superintendent of New Hanover County Schools, Dan E. Summers, Director New Hanover County Department of Emergency Management, Chief of Police John Cease, Sheriff Joe McQueen, Fire Chief Samuel Hill, and he met to review school emergency crisis plans. After the meeting, it was decided that a unified plan should be developed. Dr. Morris requested Dr. Al Lerch to comment on the progress being made with developing a plan. Dr. Lerch reported that on October 22, 1998, the YWCA sponsored a half-day workshop to examine crisis management in New Hanover County Public Schools. During the work session, discussion was held on the fact that each school has a crisis plan but each plan was different. After further discussion, it was suggested that a unified plan be developed to have a structure in place to coordinate the services provided by outside agencies, such s the Police Department, Fire Department, Sheriff’s Department, Emergency Management and New Hanover Regional Medical Center. Since that meeting the School Crisis Planning Team has been meeting to develop a unified plan. Some items that have evolved from this effort are as follows: (1)Placement of circle-centered aerial photography in each school to allow responding emergency units to efficiently access a particular school. (2)Schematics of each school have been forwarded to all agencies involved during crisis situations. (3)The unified plan will maximize the efficiency among all agencies in responding to emergencies. In concluding the presentation, Dr. Lerch presented a list of items that were reviewed by the NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF JOINT MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 218 APRIL 27, 1999 School Crisis Planning Team. Discussion followed on what steps can be taken to avoid a Columbine incident. Dr. Lerch advised that many preventative programs are in place for students; however, it must be determined which services should be expanded. For example, the pupil/counselor ratio must be lowered throughout the school system. This would allow more time for an alienated student to become attached to a counselor and receive help. Funding is needed to properly implement the preventative programs already in place. Mr. Bilzi spoke on the need for an alternative setting in the middle school level where students can work in smaller groups and receive more counseling. Discussion was held on the need for parents to check on activities of their children. Dr. Morris expressed concern for parents not knowing that a child is making a bomb in the family garage. He said that parents should be aware of what their children are watching on videos or accessing through Internet. Without parental involvement and guidance in the activities of their children, the preventative programs will not be successful. Further discussion followed on requiring students to wear uniforms. Mr. Bilzi reported that the opposition to uniforms had dropped during the last two weeks. The PTA Council voted against uniforms and voted for a comprehensive enforceable consistent dress code across the county. Mr. Hayes suggested implementing a uniform policy at the elementary level beginning in FY 2000-2001 and progressing to the middle school and high school levels in the next two years. In closing the presentation, Chairman Higgins advised that the Board of Education will continue to focus on the safety of students and pursue some type of uniform policy. He emphasized the importance of parental support before implementing a dress policy for students. PRESENTATION FROM NANCY WIGLEY REGARDING FUNDING FOR NEW HANOVER COUNTY SCHOOLS Ms. Nancy Wigley, Chairman of the Finance Committee for the Board of Education, commented on hearing some remarks on the radio about County funding for the schools in FY 1999- 2000. She asked if the County Manager had presented a funding recommendation. County Manager O’Neal advised that he made a presentation to the County Commissioners at a budget work session held last night. He stressed the importance of everyone understanding that any information presented was not the funding recommendation for New Hanover County Schools. He stated in his ten years of preparing budgets, the funding gap was the largest he had experienced at the beginning of the budget process. Ms. Wigley reported on serving as a member of the Finance Committee for three years and said she would like to explain why the Committee did not prioritize items in the budget request for schools. In past years, budgets have been itemized and many of the items have not been funded. The funding request presented for FY 1999-2000 is based on actual needs. Due to the lack of funding in past years, maintenance projects and programs have been cut. The citizens are aware of the needs and they are willing to pay for a quality education in New Hanover County. Commissioner Birzenieks commended Ms. Wigley and the Board of Education for their passion in providing quality education to students attending New Hanover County Schools. He said unfortunately, the County Commissioners are responsible for balancing all county needs across the board, including schools, when preparing the FY 1999-2000 budget. He advised with the current shortage of teachers across the country, his first funding priority will be to fairly compensate teachers so the New Hanover County School System can remain competitive in recruiting and retaining good teachers. Mr. Bilzi stressed the importance of opening dialogue with the Board of County Commissioners about the funding needs for New Hanover County Schools. He said that Governor NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 27 MINUTES OF JOINT MEETING WITH BOARD OF EDUCATIONPAGE 219 APRIL 27, 1999 Hunt has passed and enacted state mandates that have severely damaged school budgets. He urged the Board to thoroughly review the school needs when determining funding for FY 1999-2000. Dr. Morris reported on a state mandate that will require educational services to be provided to every student that is suspended from school. He advised that Dr. Sherian was working with Carolina Power and Light Company and other businesses to fund alternative placements for suspended students. A lengthy discussion followed on the state and federal mandates for a reduction in the size of classrooms. Mr. Bilzi advised that the Board of County Commissioners and the New Hanover County Board of Education could not continue to handle federal and state mandates without funding being provided to implement the programs. He suggested discussing this issue with the state and federal legislative delegations. After further discussion, Chairman Higgins stated the purpose for not prioritizing the budget was to inform the County Commissioners and its citizens about school needs. The budget request presented to the County Manager is a realistic account of the amount of funding needed to continue to provide quality education in New Hanover County. JOINT MEETING SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 24, 1999 AT 6:00 P.M. IN FOREST HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Discussion was held on when the next joint meeting should be scheduled between the Board of County Commissioners and Board of Education. Both boards agreed to schedule the next meeting on August 24, 1999 at Forest Hills Elementary School beginning with dinner at 6:00 p.m. followed by a joint meeting. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Caster, on behalf of the Board, expressed appreciation to the Board of Education and Administrative Staff for taking time to discuss items of concern. Motion: Commissioner Birzenieks MOVED, SECONDED by Commissioner Howell to adjourn. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lucie F. Harrell Clerk to the Board