[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6274742,"mediaKeyId","2986046-eff5284d5b536b78f9e95d5ac151ad66","parentId",2986046,"title","Henderson County school board accepts clean audit, approves bleacher replacement, policies and other actions","audioSeconds",155,"startMs",8934000,"endMs",9089000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2986046-eff5284d5b536b78f9e95d5ac151ad66&start=8934&end=9089","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2986046-eff5284d5b536b78f9e95d5ac151ad66/thumbnail_8934000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6274742/North-Carolina/Henderson-County-school-board-accepts-clean-audit-approves-bleacher-replacement-policies-and-other-actions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6274742-a13713a3dae9127d5d82e6612ba3815a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445625&Signature=ZjtcBpvg~AqDtL3L8kaNYN7lTBiVbeI3dvtQVED1qQLi3~1np8yCHZ4LM-n9vg8aCbMs3N~PPEqm3M52IfkiTAlItjSomuGrYggB8rF5v-wLKGTFmk6eepdwakB~rYRzICCjjg50gnfBgJvggIhVXTYmv6xigfREsVp3JjQNbRfezB5lwgqPw950pYdNlKCQw4uve8IffAavho2BMePQmAklWkM0ZZ-hYCVtVNjNrnLj0GaO1TneHLWprBSTCZDbwHh7L0QwmCB~g5HpoQ0-EhVFYfsyBILfwoGlHQOqwGrSiLv~bvCr1gs35WbxfNr9nb-oW7CYJnpFVfsQjGykYw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Henderson County Schools","date","2025-04-15T01:07:02.123Z","article","The Henderson County Board of Public Education on April 14 accepted a clean financial audit for fiscal year 2023–24, approved a lottery application, awarded a $450,000 contract to replace hurricane-damaged visitor bleachers at East Henderson High School, and adopted a package of policy updates that align local rules with federal guidance and raise certain micro‑purchase thresholds for federally funded projects.

Audit and finances: The board’s external auditors reported an unmodified (clean) opinion on the district’s financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, and found no single‑audit findings on state or federal awards. The auditors noted governmental fund revenues of about $158 million for 2024 (down from the prior year after excluding the prior‑year construction spike) and an unrestricted general fund balance of roughly $4.8 million (about 14% of general fund expenditures).

Lottery and capital: The board approved submission of a North Carolina Education Lottery application covering an available distribution of $967,183.14; staff said the funds will be applied to debt service previously dedicated to Hillandale and Mills River elementary school construction bonds. On capital projects, the board voted to award a low bid to Jay Bartholomew Construction to replace the visitor bleachers at East Henderson for $450,000. Staff said insurance, FEMA and a recently announced state Helene‑damage allocation (about $500,000) will cover much of the project; insurance is expected to cover roughly half the cost but a $100,000 deductible will apply.

Policies and committees: The board approved updates to multiple policies to remove parenthetical definitions tied to Title IX language and to align procurement practices with federal uniform guidance. The package included policy numbers 1720, 5240, 7100, 7232, 8305 and 9110 (as presented). As part of the governance work, the board established an ad hoc policy committee (to operate through December) and appointed three board members: Sheila Dale, Beth Campbell and Alyssa Norman. The committee will review updates from the North Carolina School Boards Association and bring recommendations back to the full board.

Other action items: The board approved a class‑size waiver request for Bruce Drysdale Elementary (the waiver covers a small, temporary exceedance in first and third grade that staff attributed to post‑storm student mobility); it approved an international trip request for North Henderson High School Air Force JROTC (an 11‑day educational trip to the U.K., France, Luxembourg and Germany); and it accepted a revised testing plan that allows the state’s newly announced re‑administration option (students who do not score proficient may receive remediation and a second administration before the end of the school year or in summer).

Votes at a glance (motion text as recorded in the meeting):
- Accept audit report as presented — motion: \"I move that the Henderson County Board of Public Education accept the audit report.\" Mover: not specified in transcript; second: not specified; outcome: approved.
- Approve North Carolina Education Lottery application ($967,183.14) — motion: \"that the Henderson County Board of Public Education approve the North Carolina Education Lottery application as presented.\" Mover: not specified; second: not specified; outcome: approved.
- Award contract for East Henderson visitor bleachers to Jay Bartholomew Construction ($450,000) — motion: \"that the Henderson County Board of Public Education approve staff to proceed with contracting with Jay Bartholomew Construction as presented.\" Mover: board member (name not specified); second: recorded; outcome: approved.
- Approve policy updates (policies 1720, 5240, 7100, 7232, 8305, 9110) — motion: \"the Henderson County Board of Education approve the following policies...\" Mover: a board member; second: recorded; outcome: approved.
- Establish ad hoc policy committee (appoint Sheila Dale, Beth Campbell, Alyssa Norman) — motion and second recorded; outcome: approved.
- Approve North Henderson High School JROTC out‑of‑country trip — motion: \"approve the North Henderson JROTC out of country trip to Europe.\" Mover/second recorded; outcome: approved.
- Approve Bruce Drysdale Elementary class‑size waiver — motion: \"approve the class size waiver request for Bruce Drysdale Elementary as presented.\" Mover/second recorded; outcome: approved.
- Approve 2024–25 school year re‑administration (summer testing) plan — motion: \"approve the 2024–2025 school year re administration program plan.\" Mover/second recorded; outcome: approved.

What auditors and staff said: Roger, the lead partner from the audit firm (merged firm Gould Killian/Carlin & Anderson), told the board the district maintains appropriate internal controls and segregation of duties, and audit testing of federal and state awards produced no findings. Finance staff noted the general fund’s unrestricted balance had declined from about 16.9% to 14% of expenditures year‑over‑year but described the fund balance as healthy.

Funding notes and next steps: Staff told the board insurance proceeds, FEMA reimbursements and a state Helene‑damage allocation will be used to fund the East Henderson bleacher replacement; the state money will be repaid if FEMA or insurance recoveries cover costs. Staff said the replacement bleachers are expected to be delivered in mid‑to‑late August and that the old structure has not yet been removed. The policy committee will meet as needed and bring line‑by‑line recommendations back to the full board for final action.

Ending: Board Chair thanked staff and community members for their time; several public speakers had urged the board to prioritize issues including Leandro funding, free lunches and responses to incidents of racist behavior at school events.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Education Meeting 04/14/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Henderson County Board of Public Education on April 14 accepted a clean audit, approved a lottery application and awarded a $450,000 contract to replace visitor bleachers damaged by Hurricane Helene.","taxTitle","Henderson County Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",14094,"location","North Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6274747,"Henderson County schools to pilot Sources of Strength peer-mentoring program in seven schools",1031,2492000,3523000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2986046-eff5284d5b536b78f9e95d5ac151ad66&start=2492&end=3523","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2986046-eff5284d5b536b78f9e95d5ac151ad66/thumbnail_2492000.jpg","/articles/6274747/North-Carolina/Henderson-County-schools-to-pilot-Sources-of-Strength-peer-mentoring-program-in-seven-schools","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6274747-4a19c889e5721a107e4f23991f50007d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445625&Signature=fA-OqAjihxV5MycpSwa-rhqg9CBpzx92ZnMA7z7KmxGeEjgzZjfRwYldwEu4N9mNpuII4ZEmSX1-f1mKD43KLSpx6GU9Xi2QmGNdm4R1htyTEd58~6iDuw4etpusPrVagPFvqghAAtwE8zPqpZSbnQgxy2yOwas1VODvgNmL2i-~lTOW2bI0LNapLXQZPcstktLMnjzLRL0oHGKohzWNLHr7vygipiGDARH07x3EYpGntmUY56QW1PwYRxw-qKVRNBZ8GJz19dDMg373P3oEkHV5gjgTHXw9gcWyc9~UdVZfR~gZd6PCaLOMwbxTU-fvWtR~QyVzBhQulH9d~WwZxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Shannon Otten, director of student services for Henderson County Public Schools, told the board April 14 that the district will implement the Sources of Strength peer mentoring program in seven high schools and middle schools over the next two years.

The program is a student-led, adult-advised model designed to build connectedness and protective factors to reduce bullying, substance use and suicidal thoughts, Otten said. She said the district’s student services team completed a weeklong pre‑training and will use a train‑the‑trainer approach to expand the program districtwide.

Sources of Strength trains adult advisors (3–6 hours each) and peer leaders (5–6 hours each). Peer leaders design school-based “campaigns” — for example, “We Belong,” gratitude chains, or social-media videos — that are intended to strengthen student bonds and increase awareness of trusted adults available to students.

Why it matters: Presenters and public‑health partners described the program as “upstream” prevention — connecting students to supports before problems escalate. Melissa Whitmire, public health strategist for behavioral health at the Henderson County Department of Public Health, said national research shows implementation of Sources of Strength is associated with lower rates of bullying, substance use and suicidal thoughts in schools that adopt it.

Funding and timeline: Otten said the district secured training and initial implementation funds through Project Serve and the U.S. Department of Education (covering the expensive training component), plus additional grants from the Community Foundation of Henderson County and local partners including the Henderson County Education Foundation and AdventHealth. The initial package also includes a crisis counselor for at least the first year; the district said it will seek sustained funding and may request additional support from the Community Foundation to cover unanticipated needs.

Otten described a phased rollout: district staff will first seek principal and administrative buy‑in at scheduled principal meetings, recruit peer leaders and adult advisors at each participating school, and then co‑lead training with the national Sources of Strength team. The district plans to start at one school at a time until staff are confident with the model, then scale up.

Board questions and follow ups: Board members asked whether the program is strictly a suicide‑prevention model. Whitmire and Otten said it focuses upstream on connectedness and other protective factors rather than on clinical intervention; students identified as at risk would be connected to counselors or clinical services. Board members also asked which schools would start first; Otten said specific sites were not finalized and that principals’ input would guide the selection.

Next steps: The district will brief principals and the principal supervisors, recruit peer leaders and adult advisors, and schedule the first round of trainings with the national team. Staff said they will report back to the board as sites are selected and campaigns begin.

Ending: Board Chair thanked the presenters and the health department for the partnership and said the board looks forward to implementation updates as the program moves into individual schools.","District staff and the county health department presented a student-led, upstream suicide-prevention and resilience program. Initial funding from Project Serve, the Community Foundation and local partners will cover training and a first-year crisis counselor; program rollout will begin in seven middle and high schools.","actionData","errors"]

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Henderson County school board accepts clean audit, approves bleacher replacement, policies and other actions

Henderson County schools to pilot Sources of Strength peer-mentoring program in seven schools