Unsure of exactly how much it would cost, the Asheville City Board of Education voted 7-0 Nov. 12 to table a decision on bonus payment for nearly 200 district staff members who volunteered their time in the immediate aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene.
“The bottom line is that education influences everyone and everything,” says Brianne Hudak, founder and head of school at Journeys School for the Gifted and Talented.
All 45 of the district’s schools now have nonpotable water, power and internet service, BCS Superintendent Rob Jackson told the Buncombe County Board of Education at an emergency meeting Oct. 18.
Superintendent Maggie Fehrman told the Asheville City Board of Education at its meeting Oct. 14 that she still wants to explore drilling wells to increase the district’s resiliency, but is shifting her focus to obtaining enough drinking water to reopen schools by Monday, Oct. 28.
Schools remain closed in Western North Carolina’s largest school district as officials scramble to get portable toilets and hand-washing stations shipped to Buncombe County Schools’ 45 campuses.
Asheville City Schools Superintendent Maggie Fehrman said the district is aiming to reopen its schools to students by Monday, Oct. 28.
No colleges have reported any injuries or fatalities, though UNC Asheville is still working to account for some of its students. A tree fell on a student-filled residence hall at Lees-McRae college in Avery County, but no one was hurt.
The following is an ongoing list of news about education-related resources in Western North Carolina in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene. This list will be updated as new information comes in:
Systems are still assessing damage to school buildings and confronting the transportation, energy and supply difficulties that will likely plague them for weeks to come.
This November, voters will, for the first time, make the Asheville City Board of Education a fully elected board.
In one of the more crowded races in recent history for seats on the Buncombe County Board of Education, nine candidates are running for four seats on Western North Carolina’s largest school board.
Asheville City Schools Superintendent Maggie Fehrman reported that the well-documented achievement gap between Black and white students closed slightly last year, while overall achievement for ACS students increased by 2.5% in 2023-24.
In was a chaotic year for Western North Carolina’s largest school district in 2023-24. This November, ten candidates are vying for four seats to lead Buncombe County Schools into a future full of question marks for public education in North Carolina.
At its meeting Sept. 5, the Buncombe County Board of Education unanimously (7-0) passed interim policies that broaden the school district’s interpretation of what constitutes a complaint as defined by Title IX, a federal law passed in 1972 that bars sex discrimination in education.
On Aug. 22, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners called a first-of-its-kind joint meeting within the Asheville City and Buncombe County boards of education to identify the three elected bodies’ shared purpose.
Asheville City Schools (ACS) Superintendent Maggie Fehrman said the district was able to close its $5.7 million budget deficit just in time for the new school year, largely through cuts in central office and by consolidating the district’s two middle schools.
After the Asheville City Board of Education decided to consolidate the district’s two middle schools for the 2024-25 school year, the families of Montford North Star Academy students were left with a choice: Send their children to Asheville Middle School or leave the district.
While the programs will be eliminated, classes in those areas will still be offered, van Noort repeatedly told the board’s Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs before the board’s action.
Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina’s Career Quest program uses a combination of video interviews and tours to introduce high school students to the Asheville job market.
Even after making some cuts to increased expenditures and allocating $3 million from reserves, the district may need to cut staff to close the $1.2 million budget gap, she said.
The Buncombe County Board of Education is not happy with the direction state legislators are taking in funding schools.
