Minutes - March 24, 2021
Certified Staff Advisory
March 24, 2021
The following individuals were in attendance: Miriam DeBerry, TES; Anissa Gillis, MGES; Autumn McNeill, CES; Stacey Crump, SES; Phil Spivey, MCHS; Kirk Watts, MCEC; Christy McIntyre, WMS; Ruby Parsons, MLA; Scott Blue, MCHS; Celia McKinney, GRES. Not present: Casey Galloway, CTE; April Parsons, EMS; Janet Sechrest, PSES.
Welcome/Celebrations
Dr. Ellis welcomed everyone. He thanked everyone for attending and expressed his appreciation that the group was finally able to meet in person.
Everyone was excited that students are back in schools!!
Ruby Parsons, MLA, shared that she is excited that she has seniors meeting their requirements for graduation!
Supplement Update
The Board approved to increase the supplement for teachers. This project has been in the works for several years. There was a significant increase on the front end for recruitment and those with less years of experience. We feel like the supplement is now very competitive with counties around us.
We promised there would be cost savings when the new school opened, and the goal was to ensure those savings would go back to employees. There was an addition of $400,000 to the budget for the supplement increase. It was important to ensure the supplement increase was sustainable, which Dr. Ellis is confident has been achieved. His hope is to review the supplement in 2 years for another possible increase. The Classified staff will also receive a supplement increase from $100 to $500.
Updated Supplement Scale
|
Years on Teaching License |
|
|
|
|
|
0-9 |
$ 2,400.00 |
|
10-19 |
$ 2,800.00 |
|
20-29 |
$ 3,200.00 |
|
30+ |
$ 3,600.00 |
Budget Update
Revenue from online shopping created a huge budget surplus in Raleigh. The Governor proposed his budget this afternoon that calls for a 7.5% increase for all state employees, 10% for teachers and principals. Doubtful that his proposal will be approved, but there will probably be an increase. There was also a $2000 bonus proposed.
Dr. Ellis feels good about the budget for next year. He is confident that jobs will not be cut, but we will have to be strategic about how things are done. There is concern about ADM. We are 130 kids short this year because of students leaving to be homeschooled. ADM affects the amount of funds we receive. This year the district was held harmless by the state of NC. The state gave the district the same amount of money that was received last year despite the drop in ADM. We hope that will be done again for next year.
Plan A/Vaccine
It was inevitable that students would be returning to school. The biggest question was when. We wanted it to be as safe as it could be for everyone. The district will begin Plan A for all students. It officially starts on April 1, by the law. The Board approved for April 1 to be a remote day so that individuals could get their 2nd round of vaccinations. It will begin in person on April 12, 4 days per week with Wednesday serving as a remote day. We understand that miracles won’t happen this year, but our long-term goals are to see growth in the next several years.
Dr. Ellis encouraged anyone who has not received the vaccine to do so, and he encouraged staff to please continue to encourage others to do so as well. We have to continue to wear masks and be vigilant with our safety measures.
Being vaccinated does not mean that you won’t get COVID-19. It means that your body will produce antibodies so that if you get it, your body will fight it off. The vaccine neutralizes the worst part of COVID- 19. You can still be a carrier. For those who are not vaccinated, it could still be deadly. We tried to make it as advantageous to get the shot and to make sure everyone is as safe as possible. We believe around 65 to 70% of our employees are vaccinated based on anecdotal data we have received from FirstHealth.
Virus Protocols
The CDC, late last week, dropped social distancing requirements from 6 feet to 3 feet for kids. Even though this changed for students, it remains 6 feet for adults and the acceptable distance between teachers and students. Dr. Ellis understands it can be challenging to maintain. In the event that you must be closer, please make sure it is not for a prolonged amount of time and that you continue to wear the mask and do not drop it. Masks must also be worn correctly – over the nose and mouth.
In the next couple of weeks, based on new guidance from the StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit, there will be some requirements, like temperature checks, that will no longer be required. There is also a letter on file with DHHS that states if you are in quarantine and can work you may do so and will not have to use your annual leave time.
COVID-19 numbers in the state and the county have started to increase again. Do you anticipate another shutdown? SB 200 does not give the School Board the authority to shut the school system down, only individual schools. The governor does that authority to shut down an entire system if warranted. Dr. Ellis feels that if a Board requests that based on an increase in numbers that the governor would approve.
Questions
Will remote learning be an option for next year? If so, will there be teachers designated for the remote learning students or will teachers continue teaching asynchronously?
We are going to apply for a 6-12 Virtual Academy. We have already received approval from DPI. We will be presenting to the School Board for approval. A Virtual Academy option needs to be an option for students in order to be competitive. Once approved, we will hire a principal and teachers. We will have to look at the K-5 issues.
Based on the wording of the legislation, it would still be possible to do a 4-day school week allowing one day for deep cleaning. There are other districts that are choosing this option. Can Montgomery County try that after Spring Break? School in-person on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. School virtually and clean on Wednesday. It would be very helpful to give our custodians time to deep clean since many of them drive a bus.
This was the plan that was approved at the BOE Special Called meeting.
Will temperature checks be required when students return on April 12? We are looking into that. It will probably not be a requirement for the rest of the year, but we are not sure at this time when it will no longer be required.
In MCHS, since we are observing 3 feet distance, does that mean we can put more students in our classrooms? Yes, administration should share that information with you. Administration have been told that if they have any questions, our maintenance staff will come in to help. If you have any concerns about safety and numbers of students in the class, please let Dr. Ellis know.
We were told to give a number of desks that were needed based on the number of students coming back. Do we know when we will receive those? Dr. Ellis will touch base with Bill Mingin about this.
We will continue to do our best to reward you and your efforts. The past year has been challenging and we are extremely appreciative of each of you! The Board of Education wants everyone to know your efforts have not gone unnoticed and they are very proud of your hard work!