Bryan Newton has a full time job managing facilities at Camp Cedar Cliff. Still, he gets up at 5 a.m. every morning to drive about 22 students to school at Charles C. Bell Elementary School. Like the 225 other drivers in Buncombe County and Asheville City schools, Newton doesn’t do it for the money.
Staff will submit an application to join the federal Community Eligibility Program, which reimburses the district for ensuring every student can eat breakfast and lunch free at school without having to fill out any paperwork.
“The BCS system is simply far too wide, and as locals, we’re aware that it might be snowy and icy 15 minutes from the heart of Asheville and not at all in Asheville proper.”
“I’m frustrated by the repeated closure of our city schools without an adequate plan for making up lost learning time.”
“Community members deserve detailed findings, transparent discussions and opportunities for meaningful input.”
“Based on the literature review, constituent input, local environmental factors, the current operations and academic outcomes of each school system, Prismatic does not recommend consolidation of ACS and BCS,” concluded a report from Charlotte-based education consultants Prismatic Services.
Mandated by the N.C. General Assembly in 2023, Buncombe County hired Charlotte-based Prismatic Services in March to analyze the feasibility of merging the county’s two public school districts based on finances, student enrollment, policies, procedures, student well-being, personnel, operations and facilities.
The Asheville City Board of Education voted 4-2 at its Dec. 9 meeting to provide bonuses to employees who volunteered in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene.
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.
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.
Asheville City Schools Superintendent Maggie Fehrman said the district is aiming to reopen its schools to students by Monday, Oct. 28.
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:
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.
“It escapes me how this could impact overworked, underpaid and probably unappreciated teachers interacting with students in classrooms.”
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.
Candidates talk about spending, support for education and what regulating short-term rentals should look like.
A new EMS base and library could be coming to the corner of Haywood Road and Interstate 240 in West Asheville if the county can figure out how to pay for its plans on land owned by Asheville City 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.
“Today, North Carolina ranks 48th in the country in per-pupil funding ($4,655 below the national average and dead last when it comes to school funding effort).”
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.
