The Yellow Jacket Report
Julie Thompson
April 9, 2024
Board Committee Meetings
Roanoke Rapids Graded School District returned yesterday, April 8, 2024, from Spring Break. While it is wonderful for our students and staff to have a break, we missed them while they were gone. Our hallways were too quiet without the joyful chaos of children and teenagers excitedly learning!
Tonight is a big night for our Board Members and School District Administrators as we have our April Board Committee meetings. We have worked hard to prepare for these meetings, and we are excited about the work that our Board Members will do on very important topics for the school district.
The Policy Committee, which consists of Board Members Valencia Davis, Carol Dean, Tammy Colston, and Henry Ford and Staff Administrators Jean Thompson and Felicia Few, will meet at 6 PM in the Building A First Floor Conference Room. They will discuss the following policies: (1) Policy 2315: Opening Invocations before Board Meetings; (2) Policy 4240/7312: Child Abuse and Related Threats to Child Safety; (3) Regulation for Policy 7605/8610: Payroll Procedures; (4) Policy 7921: Classified Personnel Reduction; and (5) a combination of policies and regulations connected to domicile or residency requirements, disrectionary admission, and tuition for discretionary admission (Policies 4120, 4130, and 4135).
The Finance and Personnel Committee, which consists of Board Members Cathy Keeter, Steven Ellis, Ed Liverman, and Michael Salanik and Staff Administrators Andrea Midgette and Tracy Kidd, will meet at 6 PM in my office at Building A Second Floor. They will discuss the following topics: (1) March 2024 finance reports; (2) contracts, grants, crowdfunding, and gifts; (3) approved booster clubs; (4) the 2024-25 budget including educational goals, academic achievement, the budget development process, and a temporary freeze on vacant positions until more concrete information is available about federal, state, and local revenues; and (5) state teacher supplements. The Finance and Personnel Committee will also hold a closed session toward the end of its meeting.
The Curriculum Committee, which consists of Board Members Cathy Keeter, Carol Dean, Valencia Davis, and Michael Salanik and Staff Administrators Lauren Hinnant and Krissy Martin, will meet at 7 PM in the Building A First Floor Conference Room. They will discuss the following topics: (1) 2025-26 School Calendar; (2) grants that we have been awarded; and (3) school rostering guidelines.
The Facilities and Safety Committee, which consists of Board Members Tammy Colston, Ed Liverman, Steven Ellis, and Henry Ford and Staff Administrators Sara Council and Robbie Clements, will meet at 7 PM in the Board Room in Building B. They will discuss the following topics: (1) maintenance work orders from March 2024; (2) facility walk-through updates; (3) security cameras; (4) contracts; (5) student discipline; and (6) student athletic conference realignment updates.
With the exception of the time that any meetings go into Closed Session, all of our Board Committee meetings are open to the public. We invite you to come and watch our Board Members as they work hard for our students, staff, and community.
Congratulations are in order for our Roanoke Rapids Early College scholars Hanna Warren and Olivia Ricks for their outstanding achievements. Hanna's poetry piece "Lies or Love" and Olivia's short fiction "Hushed" have earned them the well-deserved spotlight at the first Roanoke Chowan Literacy Festival! We invite you to join us in celebrating their talents on Saturday, April 13, 2024, from 10 AM - 3 PM at Vaughan Auditorium/Marks Hall of Chowan University in Murfreesboro, NC. It is free and open to the public. You can call 252-319-6168 or visit www.thecultivator.org for more information.
We are excited to partner with the Gregory B. Davis Foundation (GBDF) for the third year to facilitate the 2024 Summer STEM Initiative. We are excited that our partners in education, Weldon City Schools and Northampton County Schools, have also joined, so GBDF can offer three distinct summer experiences so students in all of our school districts can gain exposure to STEM and health-related sciences. A special thanks goes to the other partners in this experience: North Carolina Central University (NCCU) BRITE Program, Halifax Community College, Durham Technical Community College, Duke University and East Carolina University. For more information, students can contact their CTE Coordinator.
Lastly, our high school Prom is quickly approaching. April 11, 2024, is the last day for our students to purchase tickets. Prom will be held on April 20, 2024.
