Summary:

• The meeting was held virtually due to public health restrictions in place as a result of COVID-19;
• The School Division staff was praised for spectacular performance during challenging times;
• The Board noted that April was Military Child Month, Autism Awareness Month, and School Library Month;
• There were no citizen comments or emails;
• The final discussion item was presented by Ms. Pitts (HR Director) concerning the health care and wellness of Division employees.

Meeting Notes:

All members of the NKC School Board were present.

The meeting was scheduled to start at 1730. It was called to order at 1745. The meeting was held virtually due to public health restrictions in place as a result of COVID-19. Since the meeting was held via the internet, it was not possible to determine the number of citizens actually tuned into the event. Audio quality was much improved compared to the 30 March public hearing meeting.

The meeting opened with general comments from Superintendent Nichols and Board members. Comments were predominately generic and casual in nature. The School Division staff was praised for spectacular performance during challenging times. The Board noted that April was Military Child Month, Autism Awareness Month, and School Library Month.

Dr. Pollard outlined the pre COVID-19 planned activities at the elementary schools to honor and recognize military children. She mentioned proposed PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) participation in the program but noted all activities were suspended due to pandemic restrictions. She also spoke about Autism awareness highlighting successful activities completed in previous years.

Ms. Bailey made a short presentation on the School Division’s Libraries recognizing the four Librarians in the Division.

There were no citizen comments or emails. Dr. Pollard presented the first reading of the Division’s annual Special Education Grant. Dr. Bishop followed that with the first reading of the Continuing Technical Education Plan. Detailed slides for each presentation can be found on Board Docs utilizing the link provided above.

The final discussion item was presented by Ms. Pitts (HR Director) concerning the health care and wellness of Division employees. She noted medical claims were down but pharmacy claims had risen. She also spoke about COVID-19 related issues and their potential unknown cost impact to Division’s health care plan.

A virtual work session is scheduled for 27 April. The meeting was adjourned at 1810.

OTHER NOTES OR COMMENTS:
As of this writing, funding for the new elementary school is still in question. The BoS continues to assess the potential economic damage to the County caused by the COVID-19 response. The BoS is considering their options. There has been some social media commentary both pro and con on the topic. (These comments provide external context from additional sources surrounding the elementary school project and were not discussed in the meeting detailed above).

Prepared by Paul Ross

School Board Meeting Agenda: https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/nkcps/Board.nsf/Public
(Click Meetings, select 13 April 20, click Agenda)