District proposes three‑tier bell schedule for Topsail feeder, cloud bus‑video system and K–8 construction updates

Operations staff recommended several operational changes to improve transportation, safety and construction outcomes and asked the board to consider action items at the May meeting.

Bell schedule: staff proposed a three‑tier bell schedule for the Topsail High feeder pattern after a third‑party analysis. The original recommendation had middle schools at 7:30 a.m., high school at 8:15 a.m. and elementary at 9:00 a.m. Following stakeholder feedback, staff proposed moving middle schools to 7:20 a.m. (no net earlier pick‑up time for some stops) and elementary start to 8:50 a.m. with dismissal at 3:50 p.m. Staff said the small time adjustments would align middle‑school start times countywide and reduce a concentration of traffic in a small area. The board was asked to consider the item for an action vote in May.

Cloud‑based bus video: staff proposed adopting a cloud‑based bus video archive platform to permit remote retrieval of footage without physically removing SD cards. Staff said vendor encryption and Amazon Web Services protections would secure video files and that approved district users would access footage through district software. The first‑year capital cost for equipment and installation was corrected during the meeting to $125,308.74 (to be funded from capital), with recurring cellular and service costs expected to be covered under transportation funding allocations in future years. Staff recommended the item be placed on the May consent agenda.

K–8 construction and natural gas easement: staff presented pay application No. 10 for the K–8 project totaling $1,935,032.41 (to be paid from bond funding if approved) and reported five remaining proposed change orders that staff expect will be among the final NCDPI/DOI comments. The district also presented a proposed natural gas easement and map; Piedmont Natural Gas (referenced) would run a service line to the new school and staff recommended coordinating with county property staff to finalize easement terms. Staff recommended moving these items to consent or action at the May board meeting.

Ending: the board asked staff to continue stakeholder engagement on bell times and noted public comment and emails will inform the final decision. No final votes on these operational items were recorded at the Committee meeting.