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OCS Board News | September 2023

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The Onslow County Board of Education held a special meeting on Monday, September 11 at 6 p.m. at the Eastern North Carolina Regional Skills Center.  

The Board went into closed session pursuant to Open Meetings Law, § 143-318.11(a)(3, 7, and 8): (3) to consult with an attorney employed or retained by the public body in order to preserve the attorney-client privilege between the attorney and the public body, which privilege is hereby acknowledged. (7) to plan, conduct, or hear reports concerning investigations of alleged criminal misconduct, and (8) to formulate plans by a local board of education relating to emergency response to incidents of school violence or to formulate and adopt the school safety components of school improvement plans by a local board of education or a school improvement team. 

This meeting did not have any action items on the agenda, and there were no business items on the agenda for open session.

 

The Onslow County Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting on September 5 at the Eastern North Carolina Regional Skills Center. Agenda items included an instructional services update and an award of contract for a window replacement project.  

Before the start of the meeting, Board member Louis Rogers made a motion that the Board add to the agenda a discussion about making changes to the letter the district issues to those who have been banned from campus after disruptive behavior. After discussion amongst Board members, the motion did not carry.  

After a Good News Spotlight segment, which highlighted the accomplishments of OCS staff and students, and a public comment period with sixteen speakers, Dr. Chris Barnes took to the podium for an instructional update.  

Dr. Barnes, along with Executive Director of Secondary Education Will Laine, CTE staff, and Director of College and Career Readiness Dr. Michael Elder, presented to the Board progress being made in the areas of Career and Technical Education and parent academies.  

The goals of the CTE program include increasing opportunities for students to earn industry credentials, strengthening our relationships with regional business partners, and increasing opportunities for students to participate in work-based learning.  

This summer, CTE hosted Summer Accelerator, which allowed students to earn credentials, tour industry sites, participate in CTE camps, shadow jobs they are interested in, and more.  

CTE program expansions in 2023-2024 include advanced manufacturing, agriculture education, coding in Minecraft, construction trades, counseling and mental health, drafting, exploring safety and tools in the trades, firefighter, network security, Project Lead the Way, and teaching as a profession.  

Dr. Elder shared with the Board that another initiative that aims to help families make the most of their time with OCS and plan for their students’ futures is the OCS Parent Academies.  

Parent Academies are information sessions held for families that help them plan courses for high school, learn how to apply and pay for college, and more. The first session of this school year will be held on September 28 and will focus on finding college funding.  

Next, Dr. Brendan Gartner, Chief of Operations, presented to the Board a request for an award of contract for an upcoming window replacement project at Clyde Erwin Elementary School.  

Only one contractor submitted a bid for this project. After bid opening, Waters Construction was identified as the lowest responsive, responsible bidder with a bid of $862,600.00. 

The Board unanimously approved Waters Construction.