PSRC Board of Education Meeting Highlights ✨
📌 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE LEADERS 📌
Union Elementary Beta Club members
RECOGNITIONS 📣
📌 NC Beta Convention 📌
PSRC Chief Communications Officer Jessica Sealey gave an update on the NC Beta Convention, sharing that students brought home more than 50 awards from the convention including multiple first-place awards. The Senior Beta Convention was held Jan. 26-27 and the Elementary/Junior Convention was held Jan. 28-30 at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.
● Keely Deal, North Carolina Junior Beta State President for the 2023-2024 school year, spoke during the Elementary/Junior Beta Convention. Deal is an 8th-grade student at Prospect Elementary School.
● Terrell McNeill, a South Robeson Middle School student, was elected to serve as the state secretary for the Beta Club.
● Academic Coach Jamie Burney also was selected as an NC Beta Council member and became a lifetime status sponsor after serving as state sponsor-elect and sponsor for two consecutive terms.
🏅 NCSPRA Blue Ribbon Awards 🏅
Sealey told board members that the PSRC Communications Department received multiple Blue Ribbon Awards for outstanding communications from the North Carolina School Public Relations Association this past Friday during a ceremony in High Point.
The awards included the following:
● 1 Gold Award in Marketing
● 5 Silver Awards in Excellence in Writing
● 1 Bronze Award in Electronic Media
🗓️ Black History Month 🗓️
Sealey also shared that February is Black History Month, a time when we celebrate the culture, traditions, and contributions of African Americans to our world. There are observances and programs happening at the school level this month in honor of Black History Month, she said.
📝 2023 Year-Over-Year State Analysis Report 📝
The report was presented by Dr. Windy Dorsey-Carr, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, & Accountability, and Dr. Debra Dowless, Director of Curriculum and Instruction.
The 2023 Year-Over-Year State Analysis Report affirms that PSRC and North Carolina students are steadily continuing to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, with gains virtually across all grades and subjects. In most areas, PSRC is recovering at a faster pace than the state.
On average, the data shows that PSRC schools are showing signs of academic recovery in nearly every subject – with the strongest gains measured in EOG Reading Grade 3. Notable gains are also found in Reading and Math for grades 3-5.
ACTION ITEMS 💼
Playground Project Approved ✅
The PSRC Board of Education approved the KABOOM!, Inc. Playground Contract that allows for the construction of a playground near Lumberton Junior High School.
During the January Board of Education meeting, Kewanda Merritt, founder and executive director of CONNECT Community, Inc., told board members that the proposed playground would be community-centered and have a lifespan of 12-15 years.
Board members to revisit request concerning Kiwanis Playground 📌
After a 5-5 vote to table the request for funding support of the Kiwanis of Robeson Lumberton’s project to build an inclusive playground at the Raymond B. Pennington Athletic Complex (formerly known as Northeast Park) in Lumberton, board members split in a 5-5 vote to give $50,000 to the project. Due to the split votes, the motions failed. Board members may revisit the item at a later date.
Other Business 💼
In other business, board members approved:
🔴 The Summer Program Plan. The plan includes summer testing and a remediation period.
🔴 A request for playground equipment to be moved from the site of the former Green Grove School (which is closed) to Reedy Branch Baptist Church for use by the church and community.
🔴 Policy Updates that include items related to the Parents Bill of Rights.
🔴 The 2024-2025 School Calendars for PSRC and PSRC Early College High School.
🔴 Using funds from PRC 056 to create a permanent structure for bus drivers by adjusting the pay scale. The approval adds 40 cents per hour to bus driver pay. The allocation from the state required the funds to be spent on bus drivers.
🔴 The Monthly Financial Report.
🔴 Closed Session Minutes.
🔴 The Personnel Report.
Click here to view the board meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-A7Jrjp-kY