The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will consider taking the lead to solicit a new study analyzing the feasibility of merging Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools at its meeting Tuesday, Oct. 17.
Tag: Asheville City Schools
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Asheville school board considers policy changes to comply with state Parents’ Bill of Rights
Representatives from the Asheville-based Coalition for Southern Equality, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, asked board members at their Oct. 9 meeting to hold off on changing policies related to the recently passed Parents’ Bill of Rights while legal experts analyze how districts should implement the law.
Letter: Join in to rebuild playground and forge unity
“The project motto has become: ‘The community builds a park; the park builds a community.'”
Asheville City Board of Education sets performance metrics for superintendent
The metric, drafted by Superintendent Maggie Fehrman, will focus on her progress in three categories: strategic plan development; strategic facilities planning; and leader accountability, transparency, governance and policy.
Buncombe Schools superintendent touts improving grades
For the first time since 2015, students at 20 Buncombe Schools exceeded growth expectations during the 2022-23 school year, eight more than last year.
Letter: Voucher change would hurt public education
“The end result will further dismantle public education, where learning is already under attack.”
New Asheville City Schools superintendent outlines priorities
Amidst meetings with principals, administrative staff, board members and various ACS stakeholders over her first month on the job, Fehrman developed a three-pronged promise to “help focus and bring people together” in the upcoming school year.
Letter: The numbers don’t add up for teachers
“As a professional educator with a college degree, will she be able to purchase the house in: (A) five years, (B) 10 years, (C ) 15 years or (D) never?”
N.C. legislature prioritizes private education, Buncombe schools impacted
Private schools likely will become more affordable for families of any income next school year at the expense of public schools. The N.C. General Assembly is set to pass what amounts to a veto-proof bill removing the income cap for the private school voucher program. Buncombe County’s two public school districts could be out a […]
Buncombe Schools can’t redraw electoral lines as mandated
House Bill 66, which was passed into law June 7, requires Buncombe County Schools to redraw its electoral districts based on population rather than traditional attendance zones, as they’ve done since 1975.
“They have given us a task that is fundamentally impossible,” said Board member Amanda Simpkins.
Year-round schools remain rarity in WNC 30 years after they began
In July 1991, educators from Asheville, Haywood County and other districts traveled to Hendersonville on a fact-finding mission. Bruce Drysdale Elementary and Hendersonville Middle had just become the first public schools in Western North Carolina to offer year-round schedules, and the officials wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Bruce Drysdale Principal Noland […]
Asheville City Schools outsources school meals
The Asheville City Board of Education voted 6-1 to enter into an annual contract for the fiscal year starting July 1 with Chartwells, a subsidiary of Compass Group USA, at a special called meeting June 29.
Local recruiters face headwinds reaching enlistment goals
While military enlistment has long been considered a patriotic and meaningful means of employment and education, national reports indicate that all branches of the military have experienced declining enlistment in recent years.
Citing education, Buncombe raises property taxes
The $430.4 million general fund budget increases the property tax rate one cent to 49.8 cents per $100 of taxable value, or about 2%, resulting in the county’s highest tax rate since 2021.
Letter: How can instructional gaps be closed at Asheville High?
“We are hemorrhaging teachers, and I know the administration is in a hard spot, but leaving kids uninstructed is unacceptable.”
School staff and advocates speak out during budget hearing
The red-clad advocates filled the commission chambers and two overflow rooms, with about 25 speaking during the county’s budget hearing. They said the 10.3% increase for both Asheville City Schools and Buncombe County Schools in the proposed $423.6 million fiscal year 2023-24 budget was far below the level needed to meet local education’s needs.
Commissioners to hear from public on budget June 6
The meeting represents the public’s last opportunity to speak directly to commissioners about the $423.6 million general fund budget proposed for fiscal year 2023-24.
A little respect: Teachers and school staff hold breath for increased pay
“If I don’t have the resources I need, I can’t do [the kids] justice. It’s impossible. I’ve tried to twist myself and do educational yoga for the last 20 years. And I can only do it so much longer,” says Matthew Leggat, a sixth-grade teacher at Montford North Star Academy.
Buncombe unveils proposed budget with modest bump for schools
The $423.6 million general fund budget for fiscal year 2023-24, as presented by County Manager Avril Pinder during the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting May 16, represents a roughly 6.4% increase over the budget adopted last year.
ACS board recommends pay raises for school employees
The Asheville City Board of Education approved budget recommendations that include a 7% increase to each pay level for certified staff, which include teachers, and starting pay for all hourly employees, including bus drivers and custodial workers, to $20 per hour.
As costs soar, an end to federal support leaves students and families searching for food
Federal funding that allowed schools to provide free breakfasts and lunches to all students ended last year. Now, area families face rising meal costs and tight subsidy restrictions.