Asheville City Schools’ April 4 board brief

Press release from Asheville City Schools:

Jones Park Options
During tonight’s Special Called Meeting of the Asheville City Board of Education, Attorney Chris Campbell presented Board Members with options about Jones Park Playground. He explained the Board can:

1. Do Nothing: The area would remain as a green space, with the district’s Maintenance Department providing routine upkeep.

2. Transfer the Land to the City: However, due to recent parks with The City of Asheville’s Parks and Recreation Department, transferring the land is NOT a viable option at this moment because the City has declined adding Jones Park as a public park.

3. Construct a New Park Open to the Public With or Without Donations: Since Ira B. Jones Elementary School already has playground facilities, this option involves the operation of a public park space separate and apart from the required operations of a school. An important item of note is that existing statutes, policies and case law currently utilized by the district all involve school facilities, not public parks. Therefore, rebuilding a community playground on school property opens the district up for practical, financial and legal liability.

4. Lease the Park to a Separate Entity: Should the district utilize this option, a lease agreement between ACS and an entity that’s secured legal status through incorporation such as a state non-for-profit and/or federal 501(c)(3) would be required. Such an agreement would require annual proof from the entity that they have funding to not only build the park but also operate and replace the park’s structure if/when the time comes. It would also require proof of liability insurance and posted notice that Jones Park is operated under the entity’s jurisdiction, not Asheville City Schools. The agreement would also give the district the right to terminate the lease if such terms were not met.

Additionally, he reminded Board Members that the wooden structure was removed following a safety inspection from a third-party consultant that ranked the structure’s safety at 14.7 out of 100. Essentially, the park was not safe and uninsurable.

He also explained that Jones Park was a community playground on school property, NOT the primary playground Ira B. Jones students utilized during recess. Although the district can permit our community access to school properties for general recreation, Jones Park was NOT considered a school recreational facility but one for community use. Furthermore, state and county governments do not provide funding to Asheville City Schools for community use of schools.

Unless the Board decides to add Jones Park to one of its future meetings, it will remain as a green space.

Calendar Updates
Laura Parks, Director of Secondary Education, gave an update on both the 2021-2022 Calendar and the 2022-2023 Calendar.

-At this time, the district has 12.5 banked hours and two Inclement Weather Remote Learning Days. Therefore, per the feedback and recommendation of school administrators, the board approved changing Tuesday, June 7, 2022 – the last day of school for this school year – to an Early Release Day for all students. This means that elementary students will be released at 12:00 NOON, while middle and high school students will go home at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, June 7th. The calendar has been updated to reflect these changes.

-Additionally, she explained that, due to LETRS Training, we will switch the October Required Work Day and the Fall Parent-Teacher Conference Day for the 2022-2023 school year. Thursday, October 13, 2022 will now be a Required Work Day and, Friday, October 14, 2022 will now be the Fall-Parent Teacher Conference Day. The calendar has been updated to reflect these changes.

Summer Testing Plan
Ian Nelson, Director of Testing, presented the Board with the Summer Testing Plan. He explained that the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction gives students the opportunity to retake End of Course and End of Grade exams following additional instruction. Our elementary principals have opted to utilize this experience. Students will be invited to participate in the summer testing program based on their previous testing record and overall academic performance. If your child is eligible, additional information will come from their principals. Please know the retesting program is occurring the week of June 13th. Monday and Tuesday will be added instruction days, while retesting will occur on Wednesday and Thursday.

Career Fair Update
Dr. Kimberly Dechant, Director of Recruitment and Induction, provided Board Members with an update about the 2022 Career Fair. She explained that, because of the teacher shortage, the global hiring crisis, the Great Resignation and the loss of over a million people in the workforce due to COVID-19, the Human Resources Department decided to try something new to recruit top talent. Therefore, following extensive promotional efforts, a two-day hiring event was held on March 25th and 26th.

In total, over 100 people registered with 90 people in attendance. And, through the Career Fair, 21 staff members and two custodians were offered employment and the chance to join the Cougar Family! Additionally, six people applied to be substitute teachers.

Summer Schedule for ACS Staff
Dr. Freeman made a recommendation about the summer schedule for ACS staff. Similar to years past, he recommended the approval to work four, 10 hour days each week with Fridays being off. The schedule will begin the week of June 13th and conclude the week of July 29th. Therefore, staff will be off on: June 17th, June 24th, July 1st, July 8th, July 15th, July 22nd and July 29th.

Budget Update
Per the Board’s request, Dr. Freeman and Georgia Harvey, Executive Director of Finance, presented several cost-saving suggestions. These are just potential savings options; at this time, no final decision has been made by the Board. They simply reflect the Board’s request to present them with all available ways the district can save money. It will ultimately be up to the Board should they choose to act on one or more of these suggestions. Ideas presented include:

-Reducing the number of ACS employees through attrition (ie. as people retire or leave the district); layoffs are NOT being proposed as part of this option

-Paying dual role employees through just Asheville City Schools vs. two school systems to prevent an overlap of hours

-Paying all classified, non-exempt employees hourly vs. with a salary to reflect actual hours worked; if this option is selected, the changeover would NOT begin during the 2021-2022 school year

-Reducing duplication of services/staff

-Changing when the local supplement is paid (ie. from once a year to twice per year or monthly)

-Reducing temporary contracts

-Consolidating facilities/reducing the costs of utilities

Additional information about the potential cost-saving options presented to the Board per their request can be found here. Once again, at this time, nothing has been decided. Questions pertaining to tonight’s budget update should be directed to Board Chair James Carter, Vice-Chair Martha Geitner, Mrs. Harvey or Dr. Freeman.

As a reminder, the Board of Education will be hosting its next Regular Meeting on Monday, April 18th in the Board Room located at 85 Mountain Street. The meeting can also be streamed on the district’s YouTube page.