Board forms committee to look at Brunson Elementary's future

FEBRUARY25, 2011 – The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education decided Tuesday to form a committee to look at the future of Brunson Elementary.

Brunson’s building is more than 50 years old and in need of replacement or renovation.Options for the building are limited because it sits in a floodplain.

The school system had proposed plans to make Brunson a magnet school, starting with next year’s kindergarten class. Plans called for Brunson to eventually merge with Cook Elementary in a renovated facility on Cook’s campus after a future bond referendum for school construction.

• heard naming suggestions for the auditorium at North Forsyth High School and the training room at West Forsyth High School.
• recognized Wiley Middle students who participated in the Students@Work event on Feb. 3.
• recognized students in the Academy of Finance at East Forsyth and West Forsyth high schools.
• heard a report on career and technical education.
• voted unanimously to approve school improvement plans for 2010-12.
• voted unanimously to approve a budget amendment and transfer.
• voted unanimously to give final approval to affirmation of Policy 9000BY: Bylaws and Committee Appointments. The revisions would clarify the length of terms of office and election schedule since the board went to non-partisan, staggered elections in 2010; clarify maintenance of documents and consultation with the school attorney; adopt a new standing committee, the Policy Committee, which would replace the current staff policy committee; insert language previously contained in Policy 8344: Board of Education Rules of Procedure for Board of Education Meetings; and add and delete language in Section VI to add powers and duties as reflected in the board’s rules of procedure.
• voted unanimously to give preliminary approval to a revision to Policy 4113: Staff Development Program and Licensure Requirements. The revision would cause the policy to reflect State Board of Education policy granting 5 units of renewal credit for an independent study instead of 6 units.
• heard an overview of contract offers from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and Winston-Salem Police Department to provide school-resource officers and a proposed contract from the to provide officers. Most officers are currently provided by the sheriff’s office, but the police department has proposed that it cover almost all schools. The board did not make a decision and asked for time to review the proposals.