Board of Education approves 2025-26 calendar
By ANGELA FARR KING
The Alexander County Board of Education met on Monday, January 13, 2025, for their regularly scheduled meeting. After working on the upcoming school calendar for months the County Calendar Committee posted two calendar choices on the Alexander County Schools Webpage one month ago for public awareness and for public comments. Those two calendar choices were presented to the school board at the meeting for a vote.
Superintendent Dr. Bill Griffin explained some of the differences in the two calendars. Calendar 1 has a start date of August 25. That is in step with NC State law, which does not allow schools to start before that date in order to keep tourism flowing for the month of August. The end date and graduation for that calendar is May 22. He noted that students are required to complete 1,025 instructional hours per school year and this calendar only adds in 6.25 additional hours, so there is very little leeway in it, but there are five remote learning days allowed in this calendar, as well as in Calendar 2. If there is an amount of inclement weather that exceeds those days, then instructional hours will have to be made up on teacher work days or even on Spring Break days.
Calendar 2 also has a start date of August 25 with an end date and graduation date of May 29. The difference is that there are 22.25 extra hours built into this calendar in case of bad weather or other emergencies. Both calendars have Alexander Central High School students taking exams after Christmas. This was a request from the high school because their first semester was actually 16 days shorter than their second semester. This was due to the law designating August 25 as the first date schools in NC can officially start. If the high school wants to hold exams before Christmas, they must cut their first semester short. This is why the decision was made for high school students to take exams after Christmas. This means that the semesters would be more balanced no matter which calendar is selected.
After Dr. Griffin’s explanation of the calendars, Board Chairman Matthew Reese asked the board for questions or discussion. The exam schedule was discussed briefly. Then Board Vice-Chairman Josh Dagenhart made a motion to select Calendar Number One. Board member Rob Arguelles seconded the motion. A vote was taken and the Board voted unanimously to choose Calendar Number One for the 2025-26 school year. Chairman Matthew Reese thanked the Calendar Committee for working so hard to present a calendar early so that parents can plan accordingly.
During his Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Griffin discussed the NC School Athletic Association Realignment Process. He said many people may be aware that Alexander Central High School will be in a different conference next year. He said nothing has been made official yet, but as of right now, ACHS is part of a 6A/7A Conference and the conference is labeled as Conference H. The teams currently in the conference are McDowell (the only 7A team), Freedom, South Caldwell, St. Stephens, Watauga, and Alexander Central. Griffin noted that all of these schools are within reasonable traveling distances, which should make for a good conference. He stated again that this has not been finalized.
Griffin also added that Alexander County Schools has received a grant to have Dr. Bill Daggett, Ed. D., come to share words of inspiration about technology to the community and to teachers. Dr. Daggett is from the Successful Practices Network, Inc. According to his online consultant profile, Dr. Daggett is “recognized worldwide for his proven ability to move preK-12 education systems toward more rigorous and relevant skills and knowledge for all students.” His focus in Alexander County will be Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Implications for Education. Griffin said he and Dr. Amy Bowles, Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, have been working on this grant project together for some time.
ROBINETTE HONORED — At the January 13, 2025, Board of Education meeting, Mrs. Andrea Robinette, who is the District Finance Assistant, was recognized for completing the NC Association of School Business Officials’ (NCASBO) School Business Management Academy Director Certification Program. Dr. Denita Dowell-Reavis said that Mrs. Robinette has completed the 36 required courses and assessments in just one year. Mrs. Robinette will be formally recognized at the NCASBO Conference in Greensboro on Feb. 12. She is pictured here with her family from left to right, Don Robinette, Liza Robinette, Andrea, Chief Financial Officer for Alexander County Schools Sharon Mehaffey, and Superintendent Dr. Bill Griffin.
During the Honors and Recognition portion of the meeting, Dr. Denita Dowell-Reavis recognized Mrs. Andrea Robinette, who is the District Finance Assistant, for completing the NC Association of School Business Officials’ (NCASBO) School Business Management Academy Director Certification Program. Reavis said that Mrs. Robinette has completed the 36 required courses and assessments in one year. Chief Financial Officer Ms. Sharon Mehaffey added that Robinette has completed these courses while also studying accounting. Mrs. Robinette will be formally recognized at the NCASBO Conference in Greensboro on Feb. 12.
January is School Board Appreciation Month and Dr. Griffin recognized the board members for the jobs they do each and every day. The schools and their staff members had put together gift baskets for each of the board members to show their appreciation. They also received some nice Alexander Central “swag” to wear as well.
BOARD APPRECIATION — January is School Board Appreciation Month, so Superintendent Dr. Bill Griffin recognized board members at the meeting on January 13, 2025. He thanked them for their service to the students and staff of the Alexander County Schools system. They were each given “Thank You” baskets full of items and some Alexander Central “swag” to wear. They are pictured above, from left to right, wearing their new Alexander Central toboggans: Corey McLain, Rob Arguelles, Shannon Oxentine, Chairman Matthew Reese, Vice-Chairman Josh Dagenhart, and Jesse Bowles. Not pictured: Board member Anthony McLain.
Dr. Griffin noted during “Committee Reports” that the Board had voted in their last work session not to have Board Members serve on separate committees. They will discuss each issue and Board endeavor as an entire Board at their work sessions. Therefore, there will no longer be Committee Reports on the agenda at School Board meetings.
Chief Financial Officer Ms. Sharon Mehaffey gave a monthly financial report. She reported that 50% of the year has passed and the Alexander County School System has used 47% of its budget. She added, “This remains at a constant 3% below the budgeted amount.” Mehaffey went on to explain a budget amendment, which was an increase of $404,582. $22,142 was given by the State of NC for Third Grade Read to Achieve Teacher Bonuses. $74,440 was given by the State of NC for Other Teacher Performance Bonuses. $308,000 was awarded as a School Safety Grant for School Resource Officers. The board unanimously voted to approve this budget amendment.
Dr. Griffin thanked the team that has been working diligently during the inclement weather to make sure that the best decisions are made for the safety of staff and students. He said, “There are no weekends when there is inclement weather. The transportation and maintenance teams have been traversing the roads for hours each day to try to make the appropriate call about school closings or delays. I want the general public to understand that we can’t predict the weather. We do the best we can. Even with the technology out there, it’s not perfect. We err on the side of caution, especially for our student drivers and our bus drivers. We want our students and staff to be safe.”
Sharon Mehaffey brought forth three Board Policies for approval upon second reading with no changes. They were: Policy No. 3400: Evaluation of Student Progress, Policy No. 4329/7311: Bullying and Harassing Behavior Prohibited, and Policy No. 4334/5035/7345: Use of Unmanned Aircraft (Drones). They were approved unanimously.
In new business, she brought forth three Board Policies for first readings. They were: Policy 3227/7322 – Web Page Development, Policy 3410 – Testing and Assessment Program, and Policy 3420 – Student Promotion and Accountability. They will be reviewed prior to the next meeting.
Dr. Griffin announced the upcoming dates: January 20 will be the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, so there will be no school. January 31 will be a work day for staff and no school for students. The County Spelling Bee will be Feb. 4, 10 a.m. – 12 noon, in the Alexander Central Auditorium.
