School board notebook

Replacing AVID
According to Director of Secondary Instruction Linda Carlton, a tutoring/mentoring program has been created to reinstitute the best of AVID, which was one of the programs eliminated during budget sessions earlier in the year. Locust Grove Middle School Principal Martha Roby expressed her approval of the newly created program to the school board.
"I am very excited," she said. "We have had great success in the existing program. It is definitely worth the time and money."
The school board approved the program unanimously.

Middle School Update
Construction Manager Henry Miller updated the school board concerning the construction of the new middle school on Rt. 601. According to Miller, improving the intersection of routes 601 and 20 is still being discussed and an acceptable plan should be drawn up soon. Also, the building pad is complete and the footings have been completed.

Summer Transportation Requests
Justin Sarver, Orange County Public Schools Director of Transportation, presented requests that he had received from groups wishing to have summer transportation. He had received three requests. The Boys and Girls Club requested transportation for their summer program, parks and recreation requested transportation for their summer program at Locust Grove Elementary School and social services requested transportation for Camp Happyland. According to Sarver, the schools provide the bus and the driver with all costs being charged to the organizations making the requests. The school board members approved the requests unanimously.

Early Head Start Grant
Beckie Phillips, the director of head start, requested permission from the school board to move forward with applying for a national grant to expand the Early Head Start program.
The grant, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, would allow the program to expand to 26 students in two rooms. It would also allow for the purchase of a modular unit to be placed at Gordon-Barbour Elementary School, which according to Phillips, is not currently being served well. She said the program needs expanding at the Taylor Education Administration Complex because, currently, 250 children are eligible for the program and only 10 percent, or 25 children, are being served. She said the program is very popular and there is a long wait list.
Phillips also said that the grant would pay for a bus-not for transportation-but for the home-based program where children are brought together inside the home. Plus, the money could provide for some needed renovations.
The grant is a national competition with the application being sent to, and reviewed in, Washington D.C. If granted, Phillips hopes to get started with the expansion as soon as possible, most likely within the first four months of receiving it.
The school board approved moving forward with the application unanimously.
"[An expansion] is needed," District 2 School Board Member Donna Waugh-Robinson said. "I'm excited."

Clerk and Deputy Clerk Appointments
Laura Byram has been elected to serve as school board clerk beginning July 1. Yvonne Dawson, the current clerk, will serve as the deputy clerk.

Next meeting
The next regular meeting of the school board will be held July 7 at 7p.m.