(Press release from YCBOE) The regular monthly meeting of the Yancey County Board of Education was held in the boardroom of the Yancey County Schools District Office on Monday, July 15, 2024.
Policy #3620
Superintendent Kathy Amos presented the changes to this policy recommended by the NC School Board Association. She informed the Board that they would need to choose one of the three options in regards to homeschool students participating in extracurricular activities and student organizations in YCS. Mrs. Amos stated that her recommendation would be for the Board to choose Option #2 which allows homeschool students to participate if they enroll part-time with YCS. There were questions about which school system would receive the funding for these participants. Mrs. Amos stated that she would discuss this topic with her colleagues at the Early College and report back to the Board. Discussions will continue and the policy will be voted on at the next regular meeting.
BRES – Easement at Driveway
Mrs. Amos stated that Mr. Donny Laws was unable to attend the meeting due to a prior commitment. She presented drawings to the Board regarding an expanded driveway into Blue Ridge Elementary on the back side of the property. Mrs. Amos stated that she is working with the architects and will bring more information for the Board to vote on in the coming weeks.
BRES – Testing and Inspection
Mr. Derek Murphy reported that this testing was in regards to the construction soil, lighting and HVAC. The architect has sent out RFP’s for this work and received responses, however, no action will be taken until construction begins on this project. The tentative start date for this project will be late August.
Clearmont Elementary Property
Mrs. Amos reported that the agreement has been signed. The advertisement for upset bids has been submitted to the newspaper and will be in the July 24th issue. The 10-day upset bid period will begin on that date.
MHHS Stadium Update
Mr. Wes Presnell introduced Mr. Steve Parks from WNC Engineering regarding the stadium updates at MHHS. Mr. Parks presented the Board with drawings and an estimated engineering cost of the project. The Board will take this proposal into consideration and make a decision in the near future.
Orr Building Update
Mrs. Amos reported that the architects have been meeting with the team at MHHS to create new drawings which will be submitted to NCDPI for approval soon.
Ag Barn Update
Mrs. Amos and her team met with the architects to review elements to be included in the design.
Discussion about Existing Barn at MHHS
Mr. Fortner stated that he has spoken to many different stakeholders to learn the history and explore funding options to restore the existing barn on the MHHS property for use by the Agriculture department. Mr. Fortner reported that a team will evaluate the state of the structure to determine if it is suitable for student use.
Welcome & Pledge of Allegiance
Chairman Edwin Fortner welcomed everyone to the meeting. Mr. Ronnie Randolph led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Good News
Mrs. Amos thanked Mr. Jeff Burns for donating hand sanitizing wipes to YCS. These will be distributed to classrooms.
Mrs. Amos congratulated the following students who participated in the national FBLA competition in Orlando, FL.
- Mountain Heritage High
- Future Business Leader:
Isaac Autrey
- Digital Design (team):
Sydney McCurry & Riley Gouge
- Parliamentary Procedure (team):
Makenna Carroll
Couper Dale
Ava Gillespie
Hollie Hughes
Cadie Proffitt
- Introduction to FBLA:
Kai’ana Stella
- Top 15 finalists–
Partnership with a Business (team):
Isaac Autrey, Chloe Deyton, & Emmet Oesch
- Cane River Middle
- Elevator Speech
Madison Holt
- Video Game Design – Placed 9th in the nation
Shooter Fox
Andrew Remillard
Jackson Banks
Superintendent Updates
PowerSchool End-of-the-Year Transition
Mrs. Amos reported that the end-of-year transition in PowerSchool was successful. She thanked Mrs. Andrea Allen and the data managers for their work with this system.
End-of-the-Year Finance Close-out
Mrs. Amos thanked Mrs. Kim Bennett and her team for a successful close-out of the fiscal year.
CEP Application Submitted to NCDPI for Approval
Mrs. Amos reported that the state has changed the formula to qualify for free breakfast and lunch to all K-12 students. Mrs. Lynne Deyton has submitted the CEP application and reported that the application has been accepted and reviewed. Mrs. Amos thanked Mrs. Deyton for her diligent work on this process. The district will release details to our families the first week in August once the particular details are confirmed with NCDPI.
New Student Desks
Mrs. Amos reported that grades 4/5, 7/8 and ELA/Math classes received new student desks thanks to ESSER funds. Each year, the team will evaluate classroom and student needs to spend YCS funds most effectively.
Thank You to Yancey County Commissioners
Mrs. Amos thanked the Yancey County Commissioners for approving the budget requests from YCS. This will ensure a long range plan to keep all YCS students with up-to-date technology and devices. Mrs. Amos also noted the new athletic signs on each end of the county that recognize the 2019 women’s MHHS basketball team state champions.
New Business
Policies/Procedures on Classroom Movies
Mrs. Amos stated that her team is looking into policies and procedures regarding classroom movies. She will present her recommendation to the Board in an upcoming meeting.
STES Fire Department Resolution
Mrs. Amos presented a proposed resolution for the Board to review regarding the land to be given to the South Toe Fire Department. Once the resolution is approved by the Board, the property that is declared surplus will go to the County Commissioners who will then donate the parcel to the Fire Department.
Public Input
Grady Brooks spoke
Kitchen Equipment Grant
Mrs. Lynne Deyton reported that she had applied for three separate grants for needed kitchen equipment. YCS was awarded all three grants that totaled $26,880.76. These funds will be used to purchase a double convection oven at EYMS, a reach-in refrigerator at CRMS and a convection steamer at MHHS. These new appliances will replace ones that are 18-22 years old.
Informational Items
The Board will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, July 31, 2024 at 7:30 a.m.
Teacher Workdays are August 9-16, 2024.
Back to School Bash on Burnsville Town Square will be Saturday, August 17, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
First day of school will be Monday, August 19, 2024.
The next regular meeting of the school board will be held on Monday, August 19, 2024 in the BoardRoom of the Yancey County Schools District Office. Work Session will begin at 5:30 pm, followed by the Regular Meeting at 6:00 pm.
PUBLIC INPUT – To sign up for public input, please call 828-682-6101 ext. 102 by 3:00 pm on the day of the meeting. A sign-up sheet will also be available at the meeting location from 4:00-5:50 pm prior to the meeting.
