The Alamance-Burlington School System announced the first-ever ABSS Star Student and Star Staff honorees Monday night at the Board of Education meeting. These recognitions spotlight outstanding students and staff members who exemplify the District's values.
The October Star Student is Hector Perez, a student at Alamance Burlington Early College High School. According to his principal, Hector embodies the qualities of an ABSS Star Student, including adaptability, balance, self-reliance, and being solution-oriented. He recently volunteered at the Allied Churches of Alamance County Food Bank and the High School Options Fair.
The Star Staff honoree for October is Cooper Watt, a 6th grade ELA teacher at Turrentine Middle School. His principal and colleagues praised Mr. Watt for his energy, dedication, positive spirit, and strong relationships with students saying he goes above and beyond as a teacher and cross country coach.
ABSS will recognize one student and one staff member each month throughout the school year. Principals and leadership teams nominate individuals based on specific criteria. District leadership reviews nominations from each school and selects the Star Student and Staff to be recognized at the Board of Education meeting.
B&H Trophy in Burlington generously donated trophies for the monthly recognitions which will be given through May. Nominated students and staff will also be showcased on their respective school sites.
“We are proud to showcase the accomplishments of these individuals and all of the incredible students and staff that make up the ABSS community,” said Dr. Dain Butler, Superintendent.
Vacant Board Seat
The departure of longtime Board of Education member Patsy Simpson left a vacancy that numerous community members hope to fill. Twelve applicants for the open seat each had up to five minutes to make their case Monday evening before the Board. The applicants spoke passionately about their qualifications and desire to serve on the Board. Later this week, a video of their speeches will be made available on the ABSS website. After considering the applicants, the Board plans to vote on an appointment at the November 14th meeting.
School Funding
The District will be returning to the Alamance County Commissioners to request replenishment of funds after tapping into its Pay-Go account for recent mold remediation efforts. The Pay-Go account, established by the County, originally allowed the District to fund projects like playground upgrades, building maintenance improvements and upgrades, and repairs at various schools. That fund was depleted earlier this year as the County Commissioners agreed to repurpose those funds for mold remediation. Now, the District is going back to request that that money be reinstated and additional funds be given to cover the recent mold remediation costs after receiving final invoices. Here's the total the District will be requesting from the County:
Reinstatement of Repurposed PayGo Funds: $3,300,000.00
Remaining Mold Remediation Invoices: $5,700,515.71
Total Request from Alamance County: $9,000,515.71
Calendar Change
The Board agreed to make one minor change to the current traditional academic calendar.
December 21 was changed from an Annual Vacation Leave Day to an Optional Workday. The adjustment ensures the traditional calendar's scheduled annual vacation leave days remain at ten (10) as required in the state’s calendar law.
New Initiatives
Chief Academic Officer Revonda Johnson presented steps and strategies the District plans to implement to improve low performing schools. New initiatives include launching a new elementary math curriculum, placing reading tutors funded by federal dollars in every elementary school, implementing a tiered support model to focus more district resources on those schools identified, and expanding credit recovery programs to improve our drop-out rate and increase our graduation rate.
The District also plans to utilize data from various assessments to determine where students have individual needs and provide differentiated instruction to help all students achieve proficiency and growth. Analyzing the assessment data will allow teachers to form focus groups to target instruction for students working below, at, or above grade level.