Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Founder of Sallie B. Howard School asks Wilson County for $450,000 to finish new high school building
Summary
Joanne Woodard, founder and executive director of the Sallie B. Howard School of Arts and Science, used the public-comment period to request $450,000 in county support toward a new two-story high school building and to offer to provide detailed expansion and budget information to commissioners.
Joanne Woodard, founder and executive director of the Sallie B. Howard School of Arts and Science, addressed the Board of Commissioners during the public-comment segment and asked the county for $450,000 in financial support to complete a new two-story high school building scheduled for completion in June.
Woodard described the school as a free public charter serving about 1,200 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, with a student population the presenter said was 52 percent African American, 40 percent Hispanic and 63 percent economically disadvantaged. She cited recent recognitions and awards for the school, including a National Building Hope Impact Award, distinguished-school recognition for performance among special needs students and a 2021 National Blue Ribbon. Woodard also noted a $2.5 million award from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation in 2022.
Woodard described the planned high school building as housing biotech labs, health science, food and nutrition, computer science and business pathways in a career and technical education (CTE) program and said the school seeks county financial support of $450,000 for those expansions. "I am here to request your support in helping us continue to grow and build the successes of Sallie B. Howard School and, in turn, the success of Wilson County," Woodard said.
The request was made during the public-comment portion of the meeting; commissioners did not take immediate action on the request during the session. Woodard said she and her team could provide more detailed expansion and budget information at the commissioners’ convenience.
Ending: Commissioners received the public comment; no vote or directive was recorded in the meeting minutes. County staff or commissioners may request follow-up briefings or documentation to evaluate the request during upcoming budget discussions.
