The Buncombe County Association of Educators delivered a three-pronged request to the Buncombe County Board of Education at its April 11 meeting that had the support of nearly 1,200 teachers and more than 100 community allies.
Tag: Buncombe County Board of Education
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School library book bans come to Buncombe
Until recently, local school districts had largely avoided the national wave of book bans. Despite some activists making noise in local school board meetings last summer, there had been no formal requests to remove books from school libraries in Asheville City or Buncombe County schools. But by November, 20 books had been challenged by a group of parents at Enka High School.
Letter: Ripple effects of BCS book ban
“Reading here about the new Buncombe County Schools board book ban, I might run for the board instead of the Soil and Water Conservation District in opposition and also to represent childless residents against the parental ‘rights’ dictatorship of sociobiological ideocracy.”
BCS board rejects requests to remove nine books from district schools
One month after banning a book from all district high schools, the Buncombe County Board of Education unanimously agreed at its March 7 meeting to keep nine others available to students at Enka High School.
Buncombe advances school district consolidation study
While one local public school district redraws its district lines and the other considers merging its two middle schools, Buncombe County is moving forward with a study to explore consolidation of the two districts.
BCS board bans book from all district high schools
At its Feb. 8 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Education voted unanimously to remove author Ellen Hopkins’ fictional 2009 book, Tricks. Three other books under consideration — Hopkins’ Perfect, Patricia McCormick’s Sold and Sarah Gruen’s Water for Elephants — remain on county high school library shelves, based on recommendations from the Buncombe County Schools’ Media and Technology Advisory Committee.
School board seeks more public input on new voting maps
The Buncombe County Board of Education doesn’t particularly like any of its options for new voting maps, as required by a law the N.C. General Assembly passed last fall. As a result, several attendance zones might see up to 30% of its population reassigned to other districts.
WTF: How a library gets its books
Some parents have made frequent appearances at school board meetings to argue that various books — usually related to sexual health or depicting LGBTQ+ students and families — don’t belong in libraries accessible to children. The latest edition of Xpress’s WTF — “Want the Facts?” — series looks at the policies and procedures that determine how books are chosen for school and county libraries.
Buncombe schools passes new Parents’ Bill of Rights policies
After collecting a month’s worth of feedback from parents, teachers and community members, Board member Rob Elliot said the board did its best to mirror the community’s wishes in the policies while still following state law.
BCS board delays updating policies related to Parents’ Bill of Rights
Representatives from the Asheville-based Campaign for Southern Equality asked board members to slow down approval of policies related to Senate Bill 49 during public comment. They believe the bill contradicts Title IX, a federal law that prohibits discrimination in schools on the basis of gender.
New report shows Buncombe schools outperformed state in most metrics last year
The report shows that Buncombe County Schools cohort graduation rate is nearly five points higher than the state average.
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.
Buncombe Schools’ board recommends pay raises for school employees
More than 20 teachers, staff members and parents spoke during the three-plus hour meeting in the Minitorium at 175 Bingham Rd., advocating for higher pay for all school employees in front of a crowd that at one point overflowed into an adjacent room with a live stream of the meeting.
Buncombe Schools seeks raises for some staff
Classified staff — school employees without teaching certifications — would get an average increase of 17.4% over 2019 pay, starting July 1, if the plan is fully implemented, said Tina Thorpe, chief financial officer for Buncombe County Schools.
‘Smart bus’ system coming to Buncombe County Schools
The new technology will include GPS tracking of school buses, onboard cameras and an accompanying parent app.
‘Blended learning’ here to stay in Buncombe County Schools
Janet Frazier, the school system’s media technology specialist, explained that even prior to the pandemic, BCS had begun incorporating more technology for both staff and students.
Buncombe school board supports control over academic calendar
During their meeting of Jan. 12, members of the Buncombe County Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution that supports amending the state’s school calendar law. The document blasts the current law for a range of woes, from learning loss to difficulty in providing teacher training.
Five takeaways from Buncombe’s 2022 general election
Complete Democratic control of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, a better-than-expected performance by Jasmine Beach-Ferrara and $70 million in new spending for county initiatives all emerged from this year’s midterm election results.
Buncombe schools welcome Superintendent Rob Jackson
Jackson’s selection had been announced in September, but his oath of office Nov. 3 marked the official start of his tenure as superintendent. Jackson follows former Superintendent Tony Baldwin, who retired Nov. 1 after serving over 13 years in the position and almost 40 years as an educator in North Carolina.
Xpress holds forum for Buncombe school board candidates
The event, supported in part by the American Press Institute’s Election Coverage and Community Listening Fund, also aimed to uplift community voices regarding education issues. As moderator Aisha Adams revealed through conversations with the audience, many concerns about the school system are shared among voters with different views, even if they may disagree about how best to solve those issues.
2022 General Election Voter Guide
In preparation for the 2022 general election of Tuesday, Nov. 8, Xpress sent questions to all candidates in contested local races representing Buncombe County voters. Responses from candidates for the N.C. General Assembly, Buncombe County-level races, Asheville city government and local school boards are all collected here.