The CMS Board met at 6:00 pm in the chamber of the government center on May 14^th, 2013. All nine board members were present.

The agenda passed 9-0. The CMS Board voted on the 2013-2014 budget. After a brief time of discussion, the board voted to adopt the new budget by a vote of 9-0. This budget will now progress to the board of county commissioners. The CMS Board hopes to have more firm numbers from the State of North Carolina in mid-June, 2013.

Ann Clark and Anna Renfro gave a presentation on the New Read To Achieve Program being instituted by the State of North Carolina. The cost for this program is anticipated to be $1 million dollars. CMS has placed the cost of this new program in its new budget. The state is not paying for their new reading program, instead the payor is CMS. In addition to not paying for this program, several board members expressed regret that the state is also taking away vital help in the classroom. The governor’s budget removes 3,000 teacher’s assistants state wide. This translates to a minimum of 400 teacher’s assistants who will not be in the classroom in CMS. New testing for this reading program will begin with an evaluation for all CMS kindergarteners. Thereafter, this new reading program is anticipated to test the skills of all CMS K-3 students at the end of every school year. The details of this program are still largely unclear. It will be a huge challenge to make this program successful with fewer teacher’s assistants in the classroom.

The next regular meeting of the CMS Board will be May 28^th, 2013 at East Mecklenburg High School at 6:00 pm. East Mecklenburg High is located at 6800 Monroe Road, Charlotte, North Carolina.

The CMS Board held its regular meeting on April 23^rd, 2013 at 6:00 pm in the chamber of the government center. The agenda passed 8-0. At-Large Representative Ericka Ellis-Stewart was not yet at the dais for the vote on the agenda.

The consent agenda only had one item pulled. This was #9 on the agenda and dealing with a Title I office. Ann Clark explained that Druid Hills, Walter G. Byers and Hawthorne normally have SIG(School Improvement Grant) Grants. #9 was approved 9-0 by the board.

Giving the first presentation was Dena Diorio. Diorio is on staff with Mecklenburg County. Diorio tried to explain the new county rubric for bond and capital dollars.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan asked Diorio about measuring Mecklenburg County against other entities. Why the big difference between Wake County and Mecklenburg County? Wake County currently has a bond referendum for $600 million-$2 billion. Mecklenburg County is limiting bonds to $100 million per year. This is a $300 million bond referendum(for 3 years) for Mecklenburg. Diorio explained that Mecklenburg County revenue losses have been significant. She also stated that Mecklenburg believes that long (bond) referendums are not good.

Morgan also asked Diorio if it would be better for CMS to give a washed list to the county, meaning a list that has already been put through the county rubric. Diorio does see the benefit of this idea.

District 1 Representative Rhonda Lennon asked Diorio about the track record of CMS for on time and under-budget projects. The first time she was asked, Diorio stated that CMS had gone over budget to the tune of $39 million with a previous bond package. After Lennon asked Diorio about this same supposed overage later in the meeting, Diorio then stated that the problem with the $39 million happened on the county side. At that time, Mecklenburg County was not able to issue debt. This change in an answer from Diorio is interesting.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan reminded all to pay attention to the appendix in the back of the capital plan book. This appendix has a map of Philip O-Berry and the Old Smith Campus. Morgan hopes that student can take advantage of O’Berry and Smith. Morgan also has a goal that the north side of the county can realize the need for a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program.

Ann Clark and Guy Chamberlain gave the presentation before the vote on the Capital Plan. The vote on the 18 project capital plan passed 8-0. The vote on the entire capital plan passed 6-1. Here are the of the top 9 of the 18 priorities: Oakhurst and Starmount STEAM Magnet Schools, Additions/Renovations at Olympic High, a replacement school for JM Alexander Middle, a new K-8 magnet that might be relief for Albemarle Road Elementary and Middle, renovations at NW School of the Arts, a new special school for a new middle college at CPCC’s Harris Campus, a new Pre-K-8 ( a potential replacement for Berryhill/Reid Park), a replacement school for Nations Ford Elementary at Waddell and renovations at Myers Park High. Another priority of note is number 15, a new STEM K-8 Magnet that potentially will be relief for Ballantyne/Elon/Hawk Ridge/Polo Elementary and Community House/Jay M Robinson Middle Schools.

The next regular board meeting will be at 6:00 pm on May 14^th, 2013 in the chamber of the government center. The next meeting of the board will be a budget workshop on April 30^th, 2013 at 3:30 pm on the 5^th floor of the government center. The government center is located at 600 East Third Street, Charlotte, North Carolina.

The CMS InterGovernmental Relationships Committee met on the 5^th floor of the government center at 9:30 am on April 11^th, 2013.

Both committee co-chairpersons, Mary McCray (CMS Chairwoman) and Tim Morgan (CMS Vice-Chairman) were present. Also present were: District 3 Representative Joyce Waddell, District 5 Representative Eric Davis, District 4 Representative Tom Tate and CMS Attorney George Battle. At-Large Representative Ericka Ellis-Stewart was on her way to a conference in San Diego, California. District 1 Representative Rhonda Lennon and District 2 Representative Richard McElrath were both absent.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan led the discussion with a summary of some of the recent legislative activities in the General Assembly in Raleigh. Several of the bills that might benefit CMS could be marred by the political aspirations of either Senator Pro-Tem Phil Berger or Speaker Thom Tillis, since both are running for the same US Senate Seat. Right now, several education bills are poised to pass one chamber this year and then the other chamber in the short session next year.

CMS Attorney Battle went over the excel spreadsheet built by CMS Associate Attorney Jonathan Sink. Here are a few bills that align with the CMS Legislative Agenda: HB435, HB469, HB560, HB464, SB654, SB546, HB509, HB129 and HB258.

HB 464 and SB654 are companion bills that would move teacher salaries to the national average by 2019-2020. HB435 includes student growth as a factor in the actual grading of schools. HB469 is a bipartisan bill that would maximize LEA’s(Local Education Agency) ability to transfer funds between departments, except for transfers into central office administration.

HB560 would redeploy funds back to LEA’s who keep high-mileage school buses in operation. For those beyond 250k(k=1,000) miles, the LEA would get $2k and for those buses beyond 300k, the LEA would get $5k per bus. Funds may be used for any school purpose. Another bill to keep an eye on is HB775. This bill would put a moratorium on high-stakes testing. It was filled yesterday(April 10^th, 2013) in the House of Representatives in Raleigh.

Vice-Chairman Morgan would like to see CMS provide more depth of information to the City of Charlotte for zoning hearings. Morgan stated that in the past that the changing population has been a challenge for CMS.  Morgan further explained that the city sometimes does not understand the full impact that multiple zoning changes make on CMS.

Four action steps of this committee were outlined by Vice-Chairman Morgan:  1.  Meet with the Individual Planning Liasion – District 4 Representative Tate will be meeting with them at the liason meeting on April 26^th, 2013.   2.   Review the legislative agendas of all local elected groups in Charlotte.    3.   a.) Identify the areas in common with the group of local elected officials;  b.)  Ask city and county staff to be at a meeting of the CMS IRC Committee.   4. Planning: Need to meet with Scott McCully and Dennis LaCaria and ask both to bring examples. Would also like to meet with City Council Members Patrick Cannon and David Howard. Would like to get this committee on the city’s email distribution list and the city’s intergovernmental committee’s email list.

Vice-Chairman Morgan asked how HB775 will impact AP(Advanced Placement) and IB(International Baccelaurate) students and classes. How will this affect the PSAT(Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test)? Perhaps these questions will soon be answered.

The next meeting of the CMS iGov Committee will be at 9:00 am on May 2^nd, 2013 on the 5^th floor of the government center.

The CMS Board of Education met on April 9^th, 2013 at 6:00 pm in the chamber of the government center. District 6 Representative Amelia Stinson-Wesley was the only board member not present. The adoption of the agenda was followed by the pledge of allegiance. There were no speakers for the new policy JRA but there were twelve public speakers talking about the new capital plan.

District 3 Representative Tom Tate explained and read two motions for the new policy JRA. Both passed by a vote of 8-0. Valerie Truesdale, Ann Clark and Sheila Shirley gave the 2013- 2014 Proposed Budget Presentation.

Valerie Truesdale was the first to present. One of the biggest proposed changes is a state mandated upgrade of the NC Wise Data System. The new name is Power School and it is expected to cost $190,000. This would transfer all information about every student and staff member to the new Power School Data System.

Ann Clark talked about new choice options and new STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) magnets. Another change will be the new iMeck Academy at Cochrane. There will be 100 students in this new program initially(Fall 2013). All of the 9^th grade at Cochrane will be added in the 2014-2015 year.

Sheila Shirley gave some of the budget details. The county reductions/redirections should total $8.958 million. Here are some unavoidable increases: CMPD SRO contract increases, utilities rate increase, fuel costs increase, telecommunications(bandwidth increase), insurance and unemployment insurance increases. These total approximately $9.698 million.

The entire CMS proposed budget total is just shy of $1.237 billion. The board will be meeting on April 30^th to look at budget priorities and possibly look at tiers. The tier system will be important if cuts to the budget are necessary.

The CMS Board now has information about Governor Pat McCrory’s proposed budget.  The board still needs final information on the General Assembly Budget, The Mecklenburg County Budget and the Federal Budget. This lack of information makes the entire budget process more fluid and complicated.

The board will need to meet with the county commissioners to work out the details of the Proposed 2013 Bond Referendum. This is a proposed three year bond that should be on the November 2013 ballot. The approximate total cost is a $600 million. $400 million of the $600 million is proposed to go for the New CMS Capital Plan. If all goes well, the top twenty projects in the capital plan will be funded by the 2013 Bond.

Here are a few budget dates: April 23^rd, 2013, at the next regular board meeting, will be a public hearing on the budget; April 30^th at 3:30 pm in room 267 is another budget workshop and May 14^th, the first board meeting for May, is the final CMS Budget vote. Based on last years schedule, CMS might get final NC General Assembly budget numbers in mid June 2013. Look for more information on the CMS Budget in the coming weeks.

The next regular CMS Board meeting will be April 23^rd, 2013 at 6:00 pm in room 267 in the government center. The government center is located at 600 East Third Street, Charlotte, North Carolina.

The CMS Board met in room 267 of the government center at 6:00 pm on March 26^th, 2013. The agenda and consent agenda both passed by the unanimous vote of the board.

Millard House and Valerie Truesdale gave the enhanced version of the security presentation. CMS is going forward with the following new/updated security items: secure electronic access identification badges, security cameras and bi-directional amplifiers. The total projected cost of this security project is $20 million. The electronic access licenses cost $75,000. The Bi-Directional Amplifiers(BDA’s) will cost $16,905. The additional bandwidth to support the cameras costs $777,000. The maintenance and repair of the cameras is projected to cost $240,000. The data center hardware is projected to cost $54,480. The electronic access hardware system is projected to cost $3 million. The BDA’s are projected to cost $4.14 million. The cameras are projected to cost $12.045 million(6,500 cameras). The temporary planning and installation support is projected to cost $123,600.

This security proposal should come before the Mecklenburg County Commissioners on April 16^th. The student and staff ID cards are expected to be in place before the start of school in the Fall of 2013. By January 2014, the visitor management systems, entry video systems and panic buttons will be installed. The visitor management system must follow an upgrade to the VoIP that is scheduled for November 2013. By June 2014, BDA’s should be installed in 69 sites. Training and implementation will start in the Summer of 2013. This new security plan passed by unanimous vote of the board. Not in this project at this time are the fences needed to secure each CMS campus. This new fencing project is expected to happen in the next 6-9 months.

Part two of the capital plan was given by Ann Clark, Scott McCully and Guy Chamberlain. Here are the top 20 projects in this capital plan. Please note the total on each project is the cumulative total NOT the total for each project:

PROJECT DESCRIPTION &  CUMULATIVE TOTAL:

1.    Oakhurst  STEAM  Magnet  Elementary  & Starmount Elementary Conversion:                                                                                             $5.94  million.
2.    Olympic High School Additions/Renovations: $14.904 million.
3.    Replacement school for JM Alexander Middle:  $45.576 million.
4.    New K-8 Magnet/Language Immersion Relief for Albemarle Road Elementary/ Middle:   $74.952 million.
5.   Renovations at NorthWest School of the Arts:  $87.372 million.
6.   New Special Schools at CPCC for Middle College Program:   $93.312 million.
7.   New Pre K-8  #1: Potential Berryhill/Reid Park Relief:    $122.688 million.
8.   Replacement School: Nations Ford Elementary at Waddell:  $142.128 million.
9.    Renovations at Myers Park High:  $164.376 million.
10.    Additions/Renovations at East Mecklenburg High:  $177.120 million.
11.    Pre K – 8 Conversions: Phase II:   $201.852 million.
12.    Renovations at South Mecklenburg High:  $220.212   million.
13.   CTE: Career and Technical Education: Phase I: Garinger/North Meck/Independence:  $228.852  million.
14.   K-8 Conversion: Davidson K-8:  $236.412   million.
15.   New STEM   K-8  Magnet:  Potential Ballantyne/Elon Park/Hawk Ridge Elementary;Polo/Community House/JM Robinson Middle Relief:  $265.778   million
16.   Replacement school for Berryhill Pre K – 8: $295.164   million.
17.   Replacement school for Statesville Road Elementary:  $314.604   million.
18.   Renovations at Selwyn Elementary:  $317.196   million.
19.  New High School #1:  $360.396   million.
20.   New Elementary #1:   $379.836   million.

Clark expressed her excitement with this new plan. The total projected cost of this capital plan is $260 – $300 million. CMS outlined a number of renovations and new buildings. The top 20 ideas in this plan are expected to be financed with this bond money. The others are ideas for the future. The CMS Board expects to have a 2013 Bond Referendum on the ballot in the Fall of 2013. This is projected to be a 3 year bond.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan asked Dr. Morrison how the public can find information about this new bond.  Morrison explained that this is information is on the CMS Website. Morrison also stressed than CMS has more needs than are listed. Morrison expects the top 20-25 needs listed to make it into the 2013 Bond. Morrison announced that the public will be able to attend community meetings on this 2013 Bond and local CMS schools where principals, facilities staff and executive staff will be present to answer questions.

Morgan cut his teeth with CMS projects sitting on the CMS Long-Range School Facilities Master Plan Task Force in 2003. Morgan is excited to now be on the other side of the dais with another long range plan for CMS. Morgan thanked staff for answering his questions and listening to his ideas. Morgan is also happy that these help with Dr. Morrison’s Goal #6.

Morgan stated that staff hit a home-run with this new capital plan. Morgan is especially thrilled about repurposing empty buildings and building new buildings to hold more students. Morgan has heard much about the crowding at Albemarle Road Elementary, McClinton and Bain. These schools should all see relief from this capital project. This new capital plan also gives much recognition to several popular magnet schools. This will bring magnets to new parts of this county and Morgan is happy about this. Morgan is also anxious for the K-8 model to expand into suburban areas of Mecklenburg. He is  ready for the STEM, STEAM and CTE programs to expand as well. This new plan will also help address the need for the new diplomas as mandated by the general assembly. Morgan also applauds the new plan for expanding the partnership with CPCC. Morgan is smiling and likes that CMS staff is recommending expanding existing programs. Morgan is excited about what this new plan will bring for CMS.

The next regular board meeting is April 9th, 2013 at 6:00 pm in the chamber of the government center. The government center is located at 600 East Third Street, Charlotte, North Carolina.

The CMS Board of Education held it’s second budget workshop for the 2013-2014 Budget.  This  workshop was held in room 267 of the government center on Monday, March 18^th, 2013. All of the nine board members and most of the executive staff were present for this important priority meeting.

After Chairwoman Mary McCray opened the workshop, Dr. Morrison and Scott McCully talked about how a larger student enrollment impacts the budget. Since 2003, CMS has experienced an extra 27,312 students. The projected enrollment for CMS for the 2013-2014 year is 143,836. This is an increase of 2,665. The cohort survival method is the way the student growth projection number was reached. The economy is always significant in driving student enrollment. Another driver of increased enrollment will be the new charter schools slated to open in the Fall of 2013. The projected enrollment for these four new charter schools is 1,653 students. This year, 2012-2013, student enrollment exceeded expectations. The projected enrollment for the 2012-2013 year was 140,010 but the actual enrollment on the 20^th day was 141,171. This is an increase of 1,161 students. The yearly increases in enrollment will continue to impact the budget.

Sheila Shirley and Dennis Covington had a major part in this budget presentation. Sustaining Operations(operating budget) are projected to be $7.6 million. Increases are expected to occur in the following areas: health insurance, retirement, CMPD School Resource Officers, utilities, fuel prices, response to instruction, telecommunications, Communities In Schools, property & casualty insurance and unemployment insurance.

There are costs associated with student enrollment growth and the opening of new schools(operating budget). These total costs are expected to be $7.8 million. New staff and non-personnel(to help with the additional 2,665 students)are expected to cost $3.9 million. Charter School Growth is expected to cost $2.7 million. The maintenance on the new schools is projected to cost $1.1 million. The additional position allotment is projected to cost $0.1 million.

The priorities for the 2013-2014 budget(not in order): technology, choice & personalization, professional learning, partnerships, teacher salaries, safety and security. The order and addition of the priorities have not been determined by the board at this time.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan asked Sheila Shirley why the per student costs for charter schools is larger than for other CMS students. Shirley explained that when LEA’s figure per pupil costs for charter they must figure the full allocation from state and county. This makes the per student cost for charter schools $3,992. Part of this $3,992 is caused by overhead costs. This is the county portion of the per pupil cost. Not all new CMS students cost $3,992. The full cost to CMS per pupil for a student not in a charter school is $8,565. The county portion for these CMS students is $2,410. Charter students get an additional $1,582 per pupil from the county. The charter school dollars are pass through dollars. This means CMS gets an exact amount for charter schools and that exact amount of dollars is then given to the charter schools.

Valerie Truesdale talked about her visit to Miami-Dade Schools and a new innovative type of school they have. This is called iPrep Academy. This is not a traditional school. There is no traditional cafeteria partly due to the students bringing their own food. Because the students are responsible to get themselves to school, there is no busing. There is no traditional gymnasium, track or stadium. The principal is the superintendent. Each classroom has inside and outside windows, due to the number of observers.  Each child is given a Mac-Book Air. The students spend their time in small groups or working independently. This is a high tech and independent learning oriented model.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan asked Valerie Truesdale about the per pupil expenditure for this type of schools. Truesdale explained that the cost of the computer for each child is key. The Miami-Dade School System was given the Mac-Book Air Notebooks at no cost. The lack of busing does help save money. Truesdale explained that the per pupil expenditure is not increased inside the Miami-Dade District for this type of school.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan asked Dr. Morrison what major challenges CMS has with this budget. Dr. Morrison listed these challenges: raises for staff, the bell schedule, technology, professional development and the number of nurses in each school.

The next CMS regular meeting is March 26^th, 2013 at 6:00 pm in room 267 of the government center. The next budget workshop is Tuesday, April 30^th in room 267 at 3:30 pm. The government center is located at 600 East Third Street, Charlotte, North

The CMS Board of Education met at 6:00 pm in the chamber of the government center. After the pledge of allegiance, two public speakers addressed the board.

Kim Edmonds is a vendor from a group that offers Middle School Social Behavior Solutions. Melody Sears is the principal at North West School of the Arts. Sears used to be the principal at Olympic High School. She does not want the board to change the late bell schedule. She is very aware that if this bell schedule changed that North West School of the Arts would suffer under cuts in order for this to happen. Sears does not want cuts to affect the improvements that classroom teachers have made with students, especially with EOC’s (End-of-Course Testing).

Dr. Morrison is happy to talk about a new administration building and a new gymnasium at Independence High School. Morrison hopes this project will be finished by 2014.

The consent agenda passed 8-0. Dr. Morrison announced three new principals. Jacqueline Barone is the new principal at Piedmont Middle School. Amy Mirco is the new principal at Piney Grove Elementary. Ann Marie Laszewski is the new principal at Marie G. Davis Military Academy.

Ann Clark and Guy Chamberlain gave the 10-Year Capital Project Presentation. Dennis LaCaria was present to answer any questions from board members. Current board members District 2 Representative Richard McElrath, District 1 Representative Rhonda Lennon and Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan were all on the School Building Solutions Committee. The 2005 Referendum failed but the recommendations of this committee greatly helped the 2007 Bond Referendum to succeed.

All projects are ranked and prioritized according to core capacity and the projects with the most significant needs are started first. Clark explained that this is not meant to be a study in equality but a project to prioritize the most urgent needs.

CMS Attorney George Battle explained that a New North Carolina Senate Bill, SB236, was just introduced late last week. If passed this would change the way CMS works. All school properties across North Carolina would belong to the local county and not to the local school district. This sweeping bill would give the county control of all school properties for ten year time periods. This bill is now in a senate committee.

The sum total of the weighted criteria divided by the product of the category number and category priority equals the project score. Some of the weighted priorities are health and safety, mandates and capacity. The Johnston-Oehler Replacement Elementary Project has been put on hold due to a new priority list from Mecklenburg County. This is one of the challenges of this entire project. After careful consideration on the part of CMS, Mecklenburg County has now decided to second-guess which projects are priority.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan asked if the new security plan will jeopardize any of the 2007 Bond Package Projects. Dr. Morrison explained that none of the 2007 Bond Projects will be in jeopardy due to the new security plan. The New CMS Security Plan has been altered by Mecklenburg County. Recently the county put on hold the project to place fences around each school campus. All the rest of this new security plan will be enacted as planned. Morgan asked Guy Chamberlain about how CMS ranks schools when there are multiple buildings on one campus. Chamberlain explained that South Mecklenburg High School and Myers Park High School are both good examples of schools with multiple buildings. Morgan asked if a science lab is in serious need of an upgrade, will CMS work only on the science lab as a stand alone project. Chamberlain stated that yes, CMS can do stand alone projects.

Morgan also asked Chamberlain to give the cost for CMS to build a typical new elementary. Chamberlain stated that it the projected cost for a new elementary is $17-$18 million. Morgan talked about a new initiative in Fort Mill, South Carolina to build a turf field and a new elementary. In Fort Mill, the cost of a new elementary projected to hold 850 students is $25 million. Morgan is happy that CMS can build an elementary for less money than their South Carolina counterparts.

Ann Clark, Valerie Truesdale and Kathryn Block gave a presentation on the Common Core Testing. CMS is anxious about where the money will come from in order to meet these standards. The new testing will be done online.  Some of the required tests each last over 10 hours. More wireless access points and computers are needed in order for this mandatory state testing to happen.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan asked Ann Clark if the state is providing money for this testing. Clark explained that The State of North Carolina is requiring the Common Core but not providing funds for upgrades in order to bring this to fruition. Morgan asked about the new computers needed for this testing and if these same computers can be used for multiple purposes. Clark explained that all of the technology purchased will need to be for multiple purposes.

At-Large Member Ericka Ellis-Stewart thanked Ray Eschert for planning and preparing the recent Ballantyne Breakfast Club Meeting at the Ballantyne Hotel Lodge. This meeting featured CMS, the Charlotte Fire Department, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the City of Charlotte and State General Assembly members just to name a few groups.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan explained that two CMS school athletic teams have advanced to state competitions. Harding High School Women’s Basketball Team and Olympic High School’s Men’s Basketball Team have both advanced and soon will be competing at the state level. Morgan is hopeful both teams will do well and sends good wishes.

The next regular school board meeting will be March 26^th, 2013 in room 267 of the government center. The location of the government center is 600 East Third Street, Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Intergovernmental Relationships Committee of the CMS Board met at 9:00 am in room 528 of the government center. Chairperson Mary McCray, Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan, District 5 Representative Eric Davis, District 2 Representative Richard McElrath, District 3 Representative Joyce Waddell, CMS Attorney George Battle and CMS Associate Attorney Jonathan Sink were all present. Due to health issues, At-Large Representative Ericka Ellis-Stewart was on phone conference. District 1 Representative Rhonda Lennon was absent.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan was at his first North Carolina School Board Association (NCSBA) Board of Directors meeting on Friday, March 1^st in Raleigh. In the past, this NCSBA Board has been tightly aligned to the Democrats in Raleigh. The board of directors now is finding their footing with the new Republican Leadership in Raleigh. This board is leaning on locals in Raleigh to help with this New Republican Leadership.

Morgan talked about changes in block grant funding for education. Right now there are about 20 pots of money for the block grants. The General Assembly is in the middle of decreasing this to five or six block grants. When Morgan and McCray last spoke to House Speaker Thom Tillis they did not learn from where this grant money is coming. Morgan is happy to say that he is hearing from the general assembly about more flexibility with salaries and how money is spent. The cons are as follows: a negative impact on lower wealth districts, no support for local tax dollars, the state might follow the federal model, the money will be held harmless and the amount of each block grant will be decreased over the next few years.  Morgan talked in Raleigh about the need for taxing  authority. Morgan explained that when these block grants sunset the taxing authority will help continue to fund Local Education Agencies(LEA). When Morgan mentioned the LEA’s getting taxing authority in Raleigh, loud gasps were heard from the public audience. The following are now indicating they might be willing to sponsor a taxing authority bill: Representative Hugh Blackwell, Representative Bryan Holloway, Representative Rob Bryan and Representative Dean Arp.

Jonathan Sink explained that Representative Blackwell has stated that LEA’s will have complete flexibility over the dollars allotted before the end of this legislative session.

There will be an increase in education money available from the state in the amount of $102.6 million. Unfortunately, this committee does not yet have a feel for the amount expected from the federal government. This committee also does not have any idea how much money is expected from Mecklenburg County. Morgan is not sure if there will be flat funding for LEA’s from the state. This year in the general assembly, the budget will start on the senate side. At this point, there is a wait and see attitude from the North Carolina House, when it comes to the budget. Morgan emphasized that it is already March but this committee is still not sure of the state budget.

Sink recently had excellent meetings with the following: Senator Jeff Tarte, Representative Blackwell, Representative Alexander, Representative Bryan and Representative Arp.

Representative Blackwell is working on the wording of the Human Resource Personnel Appeal Process to allow for a designee of the superintendent to attend the appeal hearings if needed. This would allow Ann Clark or other staff members to attend the appeal when Dr. Morrison is attending other meetings. Representative Blackwell has also indicated to Jonathan that he will be working to take out the need for a meeting with the hearing officer in this process.

Morgan spoke to Carol Stamper about HB 117. Stamper is very concerned and does not want governor’s to be taken off of school buses. Morgan is also concerned that buses would not be required to run flashers while on the interstate. Morgan explained that in the dark, the flashers help with safety in traffic.

Sink explained that HB 144 is a bill in committee and would give a home school tax credit. He further stated that this is being sponsored by four house freshman.

Sink if also concerned that there is no teeth to the current school drop out law. HB 235 is sponsored by Representative Ruth Samuelson. The goal is to get students back in school. Right now, students are not returning to school because they can not be sent to Juvenile Detention if they skip school. Sink had good conversations recently with Senator Tarte and Representative Jacqueline Schaffer about re-instating the Juvenile Detention piece to this law.

It is possible that since SB 27 and SB 59 are similar they might become one bill before this session is over. Both bills deal with volunteers and/or security personnel receiving fire arms training in order to carry a gun in a school district.

Morgan explained that a challenge with this legislative session is the lack of one large comprehensive education bill. What is the best way to review all of the bills that will impact CMS? What is the best way to make sure all of the new bills/laws are comprehensive in nature?

Sink explained the bills to watch are: HB 144, HB 235, SB 10 and SB 14. District 5 Representative Eric Davis added HB 117 to this list.

The next meeting date will be changed due to Spring Break. The next iGov Committee Meeting will be on April 11^th at 9:00 am on the 5^th floor of the government center. The government center is located at 600 East Third Street, Charlotte, North Carolina.

The CMS Board met at 6:00 pm in room 267 of the government center for it’s regular meeting. Both District 1 Representative Rhonda Lennon and District 6 Representative Amelia-Stinson Wesley were absent due to health issues. The agenda and the consent agenda both were passed by a vote of 7-0.

Dr. Morrison made the announcement naming the new school that will replace Torrence Creek Elementary. This new elementary will be Grand Oak Elementary.

Millard House gave a presentation on the new security plan for CMS that will soon go before the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. CMS has camera systems already in high schools and administrative offices but part of the plan is to have cameras in at all CMS sites. Some CMS sites have ID badges but the goal is to put ID badges in all CMS buildings. Due to paying cash for some projects and some projects coming in under budget, there is $40 million left from the 2007 Bond Project. One of the other security goals is to have cross-functional departmental communication. House talked about making sure CMPD and The Charlotte Fire Department have clear communication with all of the CMS schools and buildings. Another upgrade will be to  buy bi-directional CB’s for all of the CMS buildings. This will allow CMPD and The Charlotte Fire Department to communicate with all of the CMS sites. All of these new security ideas will be customized for each CMS campus. One of the unintended consequences of all of the new security will be reduced flexibility. The total cost for this upgrade in security is $33.7 million. In August of 2014, all of these projects should start.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan talked about the fact that CMS now has to pay more of the cost of SRO’s(School Resource Officers) each year. The City of Charlotte decided in 2011 to reduce the amount they pay to help keep the students at CMS safe. Dr. Morrison explained that CMS now has to pay an extra $2 million out of the operating budget for the SRO’s. Morgan reminded all that the six towns in Mecklenburg County have chosen to keep paying their portion of the SRO’s for CMS and have not followed the lead of the  city. The six towns have decided to stick with CMS 100%. Morgan asked House if the upgrade in the CB radios would help with problems at schools such as Rocky River. Rocky River, when it first opened, had CB repeater problems. House explained that yes this will give CMPD access to CMS CB communications. CMS Security Chief Bud Cesena explained that he personally has had a conversation with Mint Hill Police to inform them that CMS will be upgrading their CB communication technology.

Several teachers and Millard House gave a presentation on the Teacher Compensation Task Force. The presenters who are also teachers are: Allison Moore, Erlene Lyde, Michael Pillsbury and Steven Oreskovic. CMS is one of only a very few school districts working on how specifically to improve Pay For Excellence. The entire task force is encouraging the state to increase the base salaries of North Carolina Teachers. North Carolina Teachers make $10,000 below the average. This makes it difficult to attract and keep excellent teachers in our state. Vice-Chairman Morgan was very happy with the presentation by this same group in January at Rivergate Elementary. Morgan stressed the importance of a salary increase to keep high performing teachers.

The next CMS meeting will be in the chamber of the government building at 6:00 pm on March 12^th. The government center is located at 600 East Third Street, Charlotte, North Carolina.

The CMS Board of Education met on February 12^th, 2013 at 6:00 pm in the chamber of the government center. Two boy scouts from Troop #395 led the pledge of allegiance and talked about the character trait of the month, citizenship.

There were 27 public speakers who spoke about: 12 month pay for teachers, crowding at Albemarle Road Elementary, late bell schedules, black history month, safety on field trips, substance abuse, mentoring programs and summer camp/fun art camp.

There was one item pulled from the consent agenda by District 3 Representative Joyce Waddell. This item was the Cato Calendar. All but this item passed by a 9-0 board vote at first. After some discussion about the Cato Calendar, this item passed by a 9-0 board vote. The one action item was on sequestration. 58 school districts in North Carolina have already adopted resolutions against sequestration. Cabarrus County, Guilford County and Durham City Schools are just a few in this state who currently have resolutions against sequestration. Sequestration will occur at the federal level if more permanent budget measures are not passed in Washington DC before March 1^st. A board vote of 9-0 was reached on the resolution against sequestration.

Guy Chamberlain gave a Management Oversight Presentation before the board. When building a new building or repairing an old one, Chamberlain is proud of the CMS recycling incentive. CMS recycles 82% of construction materials.

Vice-Chairman Tim Morgan asked several questions of Chamberlain about CMS and LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) ideas. Chamberlain explained that CMS now uses LEED ideas for all new buildings.  For example, the new elementary in Pineville is LEED certified. This initially costs $200,000 extra but in the end, there are many energy and environmental savings. CMS also uses LEED processes in all building designs. CMS won the award of Duke Energy Power Partner two years ago by using these ideas.

Sheila Shirley and Kathryn Block did a presentation on the new 2013-2014 budget. In the USA, North Carolina is ranked 42^nd for per pupil expenditures. In this state, per pupil expenditures are $8,666. The national average is $10,976. In CMS, the per pupil expenditures are $8,589 for the 2012-2013 year. In the 2012-2013 year, the operating budget funding comes from: state – $58% – $696.9 million,  county – 28% – $337.4 million, federal/other grants – 12% – $144.3 million and other local/special revenue – 2%  – $23.9 million. The total operating budget in 2012-2013 is $1.2 billion. Other information given was a 2013-2014 budget process calendar. The first budget workshop will be on February 26^th after the regular meeting.

Dr. Morrison reminded all that the public is invited to coffee with the superintendent. Morrison’s next coffee meeting is at 7:00 am on March 6^th at South Mecklenburg High School. Morrison will also be attending the next Ballantyne Breakfast Club Meeting on February 23^rd.  This meeting of the Ballantyne Breakfast Club will feature local elected officials, including Morrison and the CMS Board. This breakfast meeting starts with a social time at 8:30 am on February 23^rd followed by a 9:00 am program start time.

The next Regular CMS Board Meeting will be held in room 267 of the government center at 6:00 pm on February 26^th, 2013. The government center is located at 600 East Third Street, Charlotte, North Carolina.