[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-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",[32,76,88,100],{"_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",6558087,"mediaKeyId","3276663-826efb9fe2dd6926ec0c09044f0f51ba","parentId",3276663,"title","Board approves AIG plan, $140,000 repair request, field trips, mascot/colors, summer hours and budget amendment","audioSeconds",601,"startMs",8612000,"endMs",9213000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3276663-826efb9fe2dd6926ec0c09044f0f51ba&start=8612&end=9213","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3276663-826efb9fe2dd6926ec0c09044f0f51ba/thumbnail_8612000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6558087/North-Carolina/Board-approves-AIG-plan-140000-repair-request-field-trips-mascotcolors-summer-hours-and-budget-amendment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558087-9b360ce30b279223b6b4c621e72c82d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771193023&Signature=ITaPkMmBlCprVtkeXh30FSPuM2SLun3MPadMqGTOO2IBzBmkF5gWtX8IyENVdtHTIq5v2KdR967qk4OzmvMHlAulZmw44tM~b-t2HkSSr8vtI4Y7~~2tYNhMnaCyXJQD3lcU67~bKnjMo-T0EB2eZvugsuuXrMC0jCkYwekyxi3r9Ds536UUUP7gIWpng4SRZuHPQdKf7cq44fHrD8de6RN5NRdEmOalV1nGZSe93picywgSsB6EOZSGn9fGmuZ8SqDbziqD1kWGN79fgTKB~dRPTtpN7pI8p1asFCjAEx5cs8m9tiE47Xms2w6zlbX7X6A9xb1Lj6LmhtgaB-AsIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Columbus County Schools","date","2025-05-12T21:26:12Z","article","The Columbus County Board of Education voted on several formal items at its May 12 meeting. All motions recorded in open session were approved by voice vote.

Local AIG plan: The board approved the Columbus County Schools 2025–2026 locally adopted Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) plan. The plan, presented by AIG coordinator Cassie Hoffman, expands identification criteria for services (for example, adjusting EOG‑based identification to include level‑5 results in two of the most recent three years and a universal second‑grade screener). The superintendent recommended approval; the motion was made by Mr. Worley and seconded by Mr. Enser. The board approved the plan by voice vote.

Public School Building Repair and Renovation Fund (parking/bus lot): The board approved a distribution request to the North Carolina Public School Building Repair and Renovation Fund (lottery funds) totaling $140,000 to repair a teacher parking lot and the bus parking area in front of the Economy (Economics?) building. The superintendent recommended the request and said the state will cost‑share on the project; the motion was moved by Dr. Strickland and seconded by Mr. Worley. The motion passed by voice vote.

Out‑of‑state field trips: The board approved two night/overnight out‑of‑state field trips — West Columbus High School JROTC cadet leadership challenge at Fort Jackson, S.C., and South Columbus High School senior Beta Club and student government leadership retreat to Washington, D.C. Motions were made and seconded in open session and approved by voice vote.

Mascot and colors for new East‑end preK–8 school: After a district‑run survey and staff discussion, the board approved “Lumberjack” as the mascot and sky blue and forest green as the official colors for the new East‑end preK–8 school projected to open in August 2027. The motion was moved by Ms. Grama and seconded by Mr. Enser and approved by voice vote.

Summer hours: The board approved a summer compressed schedule for district employees beginning June 16, 2025 and ending in August 2025 — a four‑day workweek (Monday–Thursday) with either 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. or 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. options and a working lunch up to 25 minutes; the board noted the July 4 holiday would be observed. The motion was moved by Mr. Worley and seconded by Mr. Enser and approved by voice vote.

Budget amendment number 2: The board approved Budget Amendment No. 2, which adjusted state and federal allotments and moved appropriations among expenditure categories to align the budget with year‑end transactions. The superintendent and finance director reviewed the changes; the motion was moved by Dr. Strickland and seconded by Mr. Worley and approved by voice vote.

Closed session: The board then voted to enter closed session under the North Carolina open‑meetings statute to consult with counsel and discuss privileged/confidential matters. The motion to enter closed session referenced the applicable statutory authority; the motion was made by Mr. Enser and seconded by Ms. Grama and approved by voice vote.

Votes: The minutes record “ayes have it” for each action; the meeting transcript records motions and seconders by name for the items above but no roll‑call tallies. If a roll‑call vote is required for any item, the board will provide it in the official minutes.

Provenance: Each item listed above corresponds to the agenda segments and motions recorded in the meeting transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","May 25 Board Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Columbus County Board of Education approved multiple district items by voice vote on May 12, including the local AIG plan, a $140,000 repair request from the state lottery repair fund, two out‑of‑state field trips, selection of a mascot and colors for a new school, summer hours and budget amendment #2.","taxTitle","Columbus County Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",38694,"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},6558097,"Columbus County schools present arts programs, call for funding, staffing and schedule changes to protect arts and CCP participation",1616,2678000,4294000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3276663-826efb9fe2dd6926ec0c09044f0f51ba&start=2678&end=4294","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3276663-826efb9fe2dd6926ec0c09044f0f51ba/thumbnail_2678000.jpg","/articles/6558097/North-Carolina/Columbus-County-schools-present-arts-programs-call-for-funding-staffing-and-schedule-changes-to-protect-arts-and-CCP-participation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558097-2552a6ba4e2e0f521bcd95d7584ac1f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771193023&Signature=WmdwrzF3AMfTmQmJNllDIR83PQVpsiL-pCSnGZ2d-NcZsgHWqt~KfzzFugfElGIRDLyqHAdFWEeQnsF8FKa9JE-XPGL-tf3dxMUWCzy8t6eHm3x3ic4mTWza1wFuLYPBLJHwYka-PRQTrtwqyitRC3n-dd7Esy2wwd90oB-dbqu90~27T5mpAn3n3kuvd3fl35xlxV7RiQIhYWJfiFfuR2t2rWJA4GbFJL3Ipdoowp1oUbyREW~RljBCq-pd6Xv-GSdMs3OraCUvX1d~MqAG-Wp0a04z6OY~rLNdarx4pgMmykp4J5glZ0Ww2Y7Wk09xnzcnh1Ssq7hIWR0ypAPhiw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kelly Jones, Columbus County Schools arts coordinator, told the board on May 12 that the district’s arts programs — including music, theater, dance, visual art and poetry — have produced measurable student outcomes but face funding and staffing challenges.

Jones said Columbus County requires an arts credit for high‑school graduation and offers a broad set of disciplines, including piano labs in four schools and a long‑running Celebrate the Arts festival that he described as the largest student arts festival in the state. Jones said grant support from the State Arts Council, International Paper, the Sykes Foundation and other partners has exceeded a quarter‑million dollars over the past 20 years.

Jones gave operational details: 23 arts staff are in place with two positions open; the district currently spends about $8 per student on arts programs (roughly $40,000 total); grant funding pays for residencies and after‑school programs (notably at Tabor City, funded by the North Carolina Museum of Art). Jones cited constraints in replacing staffing lost during COVID and difficulties filling music and band openings, despite extensive recruiting.

Jones and several alumni speakers described long‑term payoffs: former students who participated in governor’s school, musical productions and arts residencies have gone on to college degrees and careers that rely on the creative and interpersonal skills they learned in school arts programs. Jones cited a McKinsey Global Institute study to argue that arts instruction builds nontechnical skills that employers seek, such as communication, agile thinking and coping with uncertainty.

District leaders also discussed the interaction between Comprehensive College Program (CCP) college courses and arts participation. Laura Hunter, implementing lead for schedule redesign, said the district will pilot a five‑period high‑school day at West Columbus High School and East Columbus High School next year. “We are reimagining what a high school schedule could look like... We create a flexible period where CCP classes can be taken… and also where kids can utilize the space in their schedule to add arts classes and to add more CTE classes,” Hunter said.

Jones asked the board to consider reinstating pre‑COVID arts fees (previously $20 for high school, $10 for middle school) because suspending fees removed about $21,000 in high‑school program revenue and $11,000 in middle‑school revenue. He also asked the board to help address certification and recruitment barriers that keep qualified music candidates from accepting positions.

Board members thanked Jones and staff for sustained programming and asked for follow‑up on strategies to fill open positions and to preserve funding. No formal board action was taken on funding or staffing during the May 12 meeting; Jones said he would return with proposals for fee reinstatement and other steps.

Provenance: presentation and discussion occurred in the special‑presentations and curriculum segments of the May 12 meeting.","Kelly Jones, Columbus County Schools arts coordinator, told the board on May 12 that the district’s arts programs produce postsecondary outcomes but face funding, staffing and scheduling pressures.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6558102,"Parents, civil-rights attorney press Columbus County board over alleged slur at Williams Township School",786,1169000,1955000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3276663-826efb9fe2dd6926ec0c09044f0f51ba&start=1169&end=1955","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3276663-826efb9fe2dd6926ec0c09044f0f51ba/thumbnail_1169000.jpg","/articles/6558102/North-Carolina/Parents-civil-rights-attorney-press-Columbus-County-board-over-alleged-slur-at-Williams-Township-School","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558102-fcbf54273999d3691d08c0055376faf1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771193023&Signature=K9~DxOxKLNBlsTAIwKXZyO41xjvDl1cRc4ERpmib27WsvBfZR~8a2c-HoO05Z4LcOl5NaoAXiXj5GPaVDS4DXaleY0bj1GkXxeBCXXe8UEspgcc6iQkS472X1b3ZtA0jMv0la9WjmOTDK8SmABVJ5gwzT4cxlbeSwBYRSNZ5HdxI9KDhmKSn8s0LkcMcMvlEb2MN11c8C77KCkWlmMcNnxoDb-pQe0VTASGJneZvQkdSZybFc6R1KsLbn3iL4QoMkr1gEyBBMibA33w7293AsYWBRUhYZzhwcjR6Yr8kaHVcYEk4tMMhPxxkJvKHTbdJayHwAyN5kup757cDXTg1CQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several parents and an attorney urged the Columbus County Board of Education on May 12 to take further action after they say a substitute teacher at Williams Township School used racially offensive language in a classroom. Speakers said district responses so far — including reassigning one child to another school and arranging counseling — fall short and that families are pursuing legal remedies.

Morgan Cribb, identified at the meeting as president of the Williams Township PTO, said she spoke “as a voice for the 765 small hearts and minds that deserve safety.” She defended the school staff and said the teacher involved, “Miss Iris,” worked under an on‑call contract and “has not been suspended or terminated,” and that she had personal ties to many students at the school. Cribb said the controversy had “single handedly turned our school into a target” and that media involvement and protests had increased risk to students.

John C. Barnett of Civil Rights of North Carolina told the board he has been assisting two families whose daughters reported hearing the word “monkey” in class. Barnett said the families had exhausted attempts at local resolution and that a demand letter had been sent to the district’s attorney. He criticized the district for transporting one child to another school and for paying for two counselors for a student, saying the remedy should be accountability: “In order to kill cancer, you have to take, take take the cancer and address it with chemotherapy. The cancer is the teacher.” He said further demonstrations and press conferences were possible.

Other parents described the effect on their children. Sharnissa McCray, who identified herself as a Williams Township parent, said her daughter “has never been suspended from school” and said the district had failed to assure the child’s mental‑health stability while the substitute remained at the school. Miriam McCoy, mother of another student involved, said that after an earlier meeting in February she received no follow‑up calls and described the situation as “not about someone losing their job… it’s just about what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Board chair and staff cautioned speakers about student privacy rules earlier in the meeting; director of school operations Mr. Phipps reminded the room of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and asked commenters to avoid naming students during public comment. The board did not announce any disciplinary findings or personnel actions during the public portion of the meeting; after public comment the board said it would “take them under advisement.” The meeting later moved to a closed session under the state open‑meetings statute for privileged matters.

The speakers asked for clearer, transparent next steps from the district and indicated they were pursuing outside legal review; one attorney said a demand letter had been issued. The board did not vote on policy changes or personnel actions during the May 12 open session.

Provenance: public comments began at the May 12 board meeting’s public‑comment period and ended when the chair closed the public comments portion of the meeting.","Several parents and an attorney urged the Columbus County Board of Education on May 12 to take further action after they say a substitute teacher at Williams Township School used racially offensive language in a classroom.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6558092,"Project ADAM presentation urges AED coverage; district says it already has devices but will review field coverage",1215,6905000,8120000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3276663-826efb9fe2dd6926ec0c09044f0f51ba&start=6905&end=8120","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3276663-826efb9fe2dd6926ec0c09044f0f51ba/thumbnail_6905000.jpg","/articles/6558092/North-Carolina/Project-ADAM-presentation-urges-AED-coverage-district-says-it-already-has-devices-but-will-review-field-coverage","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6558092-4cbe64484727f10245a36cb1aec525dd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771193023&Signature=k4sstjrKB4wOvNxhQ7sKtHytA-QfgvU7pgr3cTiiBBis9Uvk2JPaPn6eAXgvzaCZOTWSuF8uaXDjyzdgmpple4uAepIJoJDHnQRraVmYBcgLkipbnUlmSanVxg9SWN7G2apFYwLxnsfedN1o7fOHAs4M1SkjxpLlnFbORtBqDHjr3aeCvxpMbKNEiT73KQk3hNL6e5dzzbkpkkf0ZHmIMfB2lz2edt9o4zVnHvVwtKR~F46JvWFrO-XQ1oaw63CpxTIdljxRZ6vBBB7ysisZ4YMmmvvgYGwMXX5wZJThIE6ZscxE2TDWe3DpYf5EfI2se9MyYBNDf8E4QATcCJtXyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Project ADAM representatives and a Duke Children's nurse practitioner told the Columbus County Board of Education on May 12 that equipping schools with automated external defibrillators (AEDs), routine CPR training and regular AED drills can materially increase survival from sudden cardiac arrest.

Danielle Sturkey, nurse practitioner and Project ADAM North Carolina program coordinator, described Project ADAM’s origin and mission and said early defibrillation is the critical, life‑saving intervention for cardiac arrest. She cited national survival statistics from Project ADAM efforts and told the board that average EMS response times (about six to seven minutes) can exceed the window when an AED shock is most effective.

Project ADAM recommends an AED be reachable within three minutes from anywhere on a campus, and the program provides a “heart safe” checklist that covers AED placement, an emergency response team, a written cardiac response plan, annual review and AED drills that include scenario practice. Sturkey said Project ADAM partners with children's hospitals and offers implementation support and school drills.

Board members and district staff discussed the district’s current readiness. The district’s nurses and administrators said Columbus County Schools has about 25 AEDs located at main entrances and key buildings; high schools typically have two or three units and some campuses place AEDs in field houses and main buildings. The district conducts monthly inspections and has a central replacement process, although staff said replacement pads and batteries can be backordered.

Board members asked about the number of AEDs per campus and funding options. Project ADAM staff said some vendors offer discounts for schools pursuing the heart‑safe designation and grant funding opportunities exist; typical high‑school coverage can range from eight to 10 AEDs depending on campus size. District nurses said they would run site tests to confirm three‑minute access at baseball/softball/soccer fields and work with Project ADAM on a prioritized plan.

No vote occurred; the board asked Project ADAM and district staff to produce a site‑level assessment and plan for improved field coverage and to explore funding to add AEDs where needed.

Provenance: presentation and wide discussion during the student support services and auxiliary‑services portions of the May 12 meeting.","Project ADAM representatives asked Columbus County Schools on May 12 to certify campuses as “heart safe,” citing survival gains from early CPR and defibrillation; district staff said the system has about 25 AEDs, performs monthly checks and will map gap locations on athletic fields and high‑traffic areas.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves AIG plan, $140,000 repair request, field trips, mascot/colors, summer hours and budget amendment

Columbus County schools present arts programs, call for funding, staffing and schedule changes to protect arts and CCP participation

Parents, civil-rights attorney press Columbus County board over alleged slur at Williams Township School

Project ADAM presentation urges AED coverage; district says it already has devices but will review field coverage