Board Minutes July 2, 2012

MINUTES

DURHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

BOARD OF EDUCATION

ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING

July 2, 2012

The Durham Public Schools Board of Education held its organizational and regular monthly meeting on Monday, July 2, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. in the Fuller Administration Building, 511 Cleveland Street, Durham, North Carolina.

Board members present:

Natalie Beyer, Leigh Bordley, Minnie Forte-Brown, Heidi Carter, Nancy Cox, Pastor Fredrick Davis, and Omega Curtis Parker.

Administration members present:

Dr. Eric Becoats, Superintendent

Attorney present:

Ann Majestic

Superintendent Becoats called the organizational meeting to order and stated a quorum was present.

Moment of Silence

A moment of silence was observed.

Swearing In of Newly Elected Board Members

Dr. Becoats introduced Michael Perry, Director of Durham County Board of Elections. Carol Anderson, Chair of the Board of Elections, introduced herself. Both approached the podium and Ms. Anderson thanked the board members for their service to Durham County and congratulated the newly elected board members. Mr. Perry also thanked the members for their service and stated that it was his privilege to present the Certificates of Election to the newly elected board members Leigh Bordley, Heidi Carter, and Minnie Forte-Brown.

Oath of Office

Superintendent Becoats introduced the Honorable Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Orlando F. Hudson, Jr. who thanked the board for their service and commended them on the important work they do for the community. He administered the Oath of Office individually to board members Leigh Bordley, Heidi Carter, and Minnie Forte-Brown. Family members present joined the board member as their oath was taken.

Superintendent Becoats thanked Judged Orlando F. Hudson, Jr. for his service.

Election of Board of Education Chairperson and Vice Chairperson

Superintendent Becoats stated the next order of business is to elect a board chair. He reminded board members that nominations do not require a second. He called for nominations for the office of board chair.

Ms. Forte-Brown nominated Ms. Carter to serve as chair of the Board of Education. Superintendent Becoats called for additional nominations; hearing none, the nominations were closed.

Superintendent Becoats called for a motion and a second to accept the nomination of Heidi Carter for chair of the Board of Education by acclamation. Ms. Parker made a motion to accept the nomination as stated; second by Ms. Bordley, the motion passed unanimously.

Dr. Becoats congratulated Ms. Carter as Chair of the Board of Education and passed the gavel to her

Chairperson Carter called for nominations for the office of vice chair of the Board of Education. Ms. Parker nominated Minnie Forte-Brown for the office of vice chair of the Board of Education. Chairperson Carter called for additional nominations; hearing none, the nominations were closed.

Chairperson Carter called for a motion and a second to accept the nomination of Minnie Forte-Brown for vice chair of the Board of Education by acclamation. Ms. Bordley made a motion to accept the nomination as stated; second by Ms. Parker, the motion passed unanimously.

Chairperson Carter asked if Vice Chair Forte-Brown would like to make some comments.

Vice Chair Forte-Brown read a prepared statement as follows:

For six consecutive years since 2006, I have been honored to chair the Durham Public Schools (DPS) Board of Education and I thank you, Durham, for that opportunity. I have grown immensely and it has not gone unnoticed. In January 2013, God willing, I will transition to chair the Steering Committee of the Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE), an affiliate of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) which represents over 100 districts, 35 states including the Virgin Islands, over 12,000 schools, 7.5 million students and a collective budget of approximately $99B. DPS is a CUBE district which means we are committed to directing policy that provides equity and excellence for urban school children. Additionally, I have been appointed to the NSBA’s Action Center which is the 501-C4 organization that lobbies and engages related activities on furtherance of the NSBA’s position on legislation. Lastly, I will remain as a member of the Board of Directors for the N. C. School Board Association (NCSBA). I am pleased that the gavel is being passed to Heidi Carter, who has served admirably as vice chair for the past 4 years. I always say, when I go out, this board is the hardest working and smartest working board in the nation (and that’s true). The key work of school boards established by the NSBA states that student achievement and community engagement - to promote student achievement – is and will continue to be the primary agenda of Boards of Education. It has certainly been the primary agenda of this board of education. This board clearly understands and expects that shared responsibility for the well-being of schools and how well our schools and students perform is our purpose. I am pleased that for the first time since I have been on the board of education, that our preliminary data states that there are no low performing schools in DPS. Clearly we understand that we are the “up front” leaders and that we are ultimately responsible for results, but we also hold others accountable as well. As we articulate the mission of the district, we work hard to gain the support and resources needed to achieve that mission.

Shared responsibility and accountability is best described in DPS, and in this community, by the inclusion of county commissioners on the budget advisory committee so they know up front what budget demands are before us and they are a part of that process from the very beginning. Another great example in the involvement of the Superintendent’s Business Advisory Council, the Chamber of Commerce who help us fill the gaps in preparing students for workforce competencies. The Partnership for A Healthy Durham, by citing high school graduation as a central component of health, is key to the concept of shared responsibility and accountability.

We are breaking down silos here and territoriality. We are system thinkers and we are trying to live the vision that we cherish the children of Durham. That is One Vision – One Durham.

Congratulations Heidi!

Chairperson Carter read her prepared comments as follows:

I want to begin by thanking all of you for allowing me to serve our community (and you) in this capacity. I wouldn’t want to do that if I didn’t know I had all of your support and that means a lot to me.

I want you to know that I will be devoted to helping each of us be the best we can be at this work in the pursuit of our mission that we all believe in so firmly: to ensure all of our children reach their full human potential.

I would like to take a minute to talk about Minnie and how appreciative I am, we are, for her leadership and long-standing service as our board chair. Minnie first became our chair back in 2006, during a time when Board relations and Board-Superintendent interactions were rather strained. Our community wanted and deserved a board with a strong unity of purpose, a Board that could work together to achieve better outcomes for all of Durham’s children. Minnie helped bring stability and civility back to this Board in a way no one else had been able to do, and for that we should always be grateful.

Also, the district has had many successes and has done so many things well under Minnie’s leadership and I would like to list a few of these as follows:

Opened many new schools with exciting and innovative programs including City of Medicine Academy, Hillside New Tech, Southern School of Engineering, J. D. Clement Early College High School, Middle College High School at Durham Technical Community College, W.G. Pearson Elementary, W.G. Pearson Middle School, Spring Valley Elementary School, Holton Career and Resource Center, Performance Learning Center, Sandy Ridge Elementary School, and Lucas Middle School.
The district has also passed $194M bond referendum back in 2007 and undertook our most aggressive facilities program to date with improvements to nearly every school.
The district began hosting Be Our Guest dinners, Walk the Red Carpet, and Kitchen Table Conversations - all of these were Minnie’s brain children and wonderful programs for engaging our families and community.
Supported Positive Behavior Intervention and Captured Kids Hearts.
Started a Full Release Teacher Mentor Program which we one day hope to re-establish.
Opened the Office of Advanced Academics and expanded opportunities for Academically Intellectually Gifted students.
Increased school-based supports for physical, mental, and social needs of our students.
Overseen the hiring of 2 very capable Superintendents.
Seen continuous improvement in indicators of student learning, including our highest ever graduation rate at 76%.
Increased transparency with school and district scorecards and other measures of success, as well as an Annual State of the Schools report.

In addition to these school district successes, everyone knows Minnie is a superb stateswoman and spokesperson for DPS. She has been our inspirational and intellectual leader and will continue to act in those roles. I have enjoyed my role as the vice chair with Minnie, and I am lucky to have apprenticed under her. I know Minnie will continue to be a mentor for me. We have been a team for 6 years now, and I am happy to take on the challenge of the board chair position knowing that Minnie and I will continue working closely together as we go forward. Minnie, we are also proud of the way you will represent DPS in your many leadership roles on state and national education committees.

I also look forward to working with my other board colleagues, all of whom bring unique strengths and different perspectives to our common charge.

Omega, I appreciate serving with you, with someone who is a model ambassador for our schools, always visiting schools and attending community functions, and for bringing your expertise of 40+ years as a Durham educator (in 28 different schools) to bear in all of our decision-making.
And our Board is stronger because we have Pastor Davis, who we can always count on for his frank ideas and efficiency in conducting the important business of our school district. He helps us keep it moving and never lets us get it bogged down, and he does all of this, usually, with a winning smile, a twinkle in his eye and a dimple in his chin!
And Leigh, who through her work running the nonprofit Partners For Youth, from her training as a social worker, and through her inborn empathy and good social sense, always helps us think about ways to address the social challenges so many of our children and families bring with them. Also, you are adept at helping us focus on our core work in Instructional Services.
The two colleagues I have worked with the shortest number of years with so far are Nancy and Natalie. I have never worked with any “newbies” before who have been so capable of hitting the ground running. Even though I am one of the most veteran board members, I learn so much from you both, starting from your day one - two years ago now.
Nancy, you help us understand the teacher point of view, from your recent work in the classroom. Your energy and ideas for making our schools the best they can be seem endless.
Nancy and Natalie both keep us on point with local, state and federal policy initiatives and help us analyze the implications they have for our schools. I am beginning to think Natalie has an inside line with investigative journalists, tweeters, bloggers, activists, etc. since she sends me links to things I need to know, almost as soon as they happen. Her competence with operational details of the system is very valuable to us.
And of course, our team wouldn’t be complete without our Superintendent Becoats and his Executive Leadership Team. Our administrators never rest, and we as a Board pledge our best efforts to help you be successful.

It will take all of us working together, collaborating when we agree, and compromising when we have different ideas about the challenging issues we face. These are the most trying times for public education. Public schools are being defunded at the state level, charter options are being expanded, tuition tax credits are being offered for private schools, education leaders must race to the top and compete against other school systems for federal funding; and we have growing numbers of children coming to our schools with social and economic disadvantages, disabilities, and limited English skills—all needs which require extra resources to address. Meanwhile, our schools are becoming more dependent on local dollars to plug our gaping budget holes. In the face of these very real threats to the very concept of public education, we remain committed to providing an excellent education to all students who attend our schools.

Our Mayor has said that Durham is a city without a majority. Ideally, our school system demographics would be proportional to Durham’s diversity, and we would be a system without a majority. We believe all students benefit from attending racially, ethnically, and economically diverse schools. We believe public schools are places where we can all come together, to learn about and appreciate each other’s differences, and to recognize our common humanity. It is the collective responsibility of the people of Durham to educate all of Durham’s children. All children have a right to a high quality education that helps them reach their full human potential. When other people’s children get a good education and reach their potential, it benefits one’s own children. Strong public schools promote the general welfare of us all.

While our vision is one of a school system where all of Durham’s families choose DPS for their children, we will educate well whoever comes to us. Our commitment will always be to the children we have in our schools, and to their families. And when are children ready for school? They are ready whenever they walk through our doors. We embrace them and provide for them educational opportunities that help them develop into great learners ready to be of good service in our world.

To do this and to strengthen our schools, I believe, we must have at least 3 main things:

First, public schools must have strong curricular standards to ensure students have proficiency in reading, math, science and social studies. But the curriculum must be enriched way beyond the basics to motivate and to inspire creative thinking and improved cognition, and to develop our young people into compassionate and caring citizens.
Second, public schools need the very best teachers. We must invest in the continuous development of our teachers and principals to have the most effective leadership and instruction for better learning and a school-wide culture of respect, nurture, and high hopes for every individual. We must also provide our educators with the support they need to reach the pinnacles of their teaching profession. All students need teachers who are highly competent in their subject matter and have an unflagging devotion to help their students succeed.
And third, and perhaps most importantly, we as a community must confront, together, our fundamental challenge of weakening the powerful and undeniable association between social disadvantage and student learning. Education may indeed be the escalator up and out of poverty, but factors associated with poverty can stall the escalator. However, poverty’s association with poor school outcomes does not have to be an intractable problem. We know what to do and how to deal with this:

We need early childhood care and education for all in order to close the achievement gap by kindergarten and to assure high literacy rates by grade 3. We must have quality after-school and summer programs to support the learning gains made in the classroom. Children must grow up in safe, affordable housing. Schools need resources for more teachers to keep class sizes low and for interpreters for our Spanish speaking families. Our children must have access to physical and mental health care services, and they must also have access to healthy food, in and out of school. Children do not come to us in pieces, and we must attend to the needs of the whole person, body, brain and spirit.

We have been elected to serve the people of this community, to listen to the voices of the people to whom our schools belong, and most importantly to FIGHT for the resources, programs, people, and policies that will give our children the most excellent education they all deserve. I am honored to be able to join with you all, and to serve as your chair, as we begin another year of this difficult but glorious work.

Chairperson Carter stated that today is Superintendent Becoats’ birthday. She led the group in singing happy birthday to him.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at approximately 11:35 a.m.

MINUTES

DURHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

BOARD OF EDUCATION

REGULAR MEETING

July 2, 2012

Chairperson Carter called the meeting to order at approximately 11:40 a.m.

Agenda Review and Approval

Upon agenda review, Ms. Bordley made a motion to approve the agenda as presented; second by Pastor Davis, the motion passed unanimously.

Public Comment:

None

Standing Committee Appointments

Chairperson Carter explained that the board members have discussed the standing committees and the recommendations are as follows:

Administrative Services Committee:

Ms. Natalie Beyer, Chair
Pastor Fredrick Davis, Vice Chair

Instructional Services Committee:

Ms. Leigh Bordley, Chair
Ms. Minnie Forte-Brown, Vice Chair

Support Services Committee:

Ms. Omega Curtis Parker, Chair
Ms. Nancy Cox, Vice Chair

Although the members have not discussed the liaison positions, due to the excellent job done by both Ms. Beyer and Ms. Cox this year, Chairperson Carter recommends the following:

Federal Liaison for Advocacy: Ms. Natalie Beyer
North Carolina Liaison for Advocacy: Ms. Nancy Cox

The board unanimously agreed upon the standing committees and the federal and state liaisons for advocacy as presented.

Adoption of the 2012-2013 Schedule of Board of Education Meetings

The following schedule was presented for consideration:

Administrative Services Committee	Support Services Committee	Instructional Services Committee	Board of Education Regular Monthly Meeting
			July 2 organizational meeting
August 9	August 7	August 6	August 23
September 6	September 11	September 10	September 27
October 11	October 2	October 8	October 25
November 1	November 6	November 5	November 15*
December 6	November 27**	December 3	December 20*
January 10	January 8	January 7	January 24
February 14	February 5	February 4	February 28
March 14	March 5	March 4	March 28
April 11	April 9	April 8	April 25
May 9	May 8	May 6	May 23
June 13	June 24	June 10	June 27

*Regular Monthly Meetings are held the 4^th Thursday of each month with the exception of November and December.

** December Support Services Committee Meeting Scheduled in late November

Meeting Location:

Fuller Administration Building, Room 307

511 Cleveland Street, Durham, NC

Meeting Times:

Monthly Meeting – 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise posted

Standing Committees– 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise posted

On a motion made by Vice Chair Forte-Brown, second by Ms. Bordley, the 2012-13 schedule of Board of Education meetings was unanimously approved.

Discussion:

Due to prior commitments, unless his schedule changes, Pastor Davis stated that he will not be available to attend the following committee or board meeting dates: September 6, 2012, February 14, 2013, February 28, 2013 or April 25, 2013.

In the future, if a committee meeting does need to be rescheduled, Administration was requested to consider choosing an alternate week since it is difficult to have three committee meetings in one week.

To avoid long, inefficient committee meetings, board members were encouraged to consider staff when drafting meeting agendas.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at approximately 11:45 a.m.

________________________________________

Heidi Carter, Chairperson

Durham Public Schools Board of Education