OCS Board of Education expands lunch programs, approves extra pay for bus drivers

The Orange County Schools Board of Education met on Monday night to discuss school nutrition, teacher retention and after-school programs.

What’s new?

• Mariah Morris, the OCS K-12 literacy facilitator, gave a presentation on the 2023-24 superintendent’s Teacher of the Year Roundtable, a group of district leadership established in 2022. The roundtable provides a space for the superintendent and OCS teachers to discuss issues pertaining to teacher recruitment and retention.
  • According to a survey about teacher working conditions, there was a 14.1 percent increase from 2022 to 2024 of teachers who felt professional development was adapted to meet their individual needs.
  • Recommendations in response to teacher feedback included strengthening structures to recruit and train substitute teachers, strategically building a strong employee culture to retain teachers and prioritizing staff wellness.
  • “I’m inspired by the reframing of it as building a sense of community and strengthening just the overall experience as a human being a staff member in Orange County Schools,” Sarah Smylie, a board member, said.
• Chris Gammon, the OCS executive director of curriculum and instruction, gave an update on the OCS after-school program in collaboration with the YMCA of the Triangle.
  • Gammon said the primary areas of focus have been communication between OCS and YMCA leadership, completing required licensing for all staff members and supporting staff hiring and family registration.
  • Forrest Perry, the YMCA regional vice president, said the YMCA will provide scholarships for families in need and families are also able to apply for vouchers.
  • Board member Bonnie Hauser voiced concern about inaccessibility to transportation back home for students.
    • “It’s been something that keeps kids who need access to after-school out of after-school,” she said.
• Sara Pitts, the OCS child nutrition director, gave a presentation on OCS’s implementation of the Community Eligibility Provision, a meal service option for school districts in low-income areas created by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  • Partnership Academy High School is currently the only OCS school participating in the Community Eligibility Provision.
    • “Since becoming a CEP school, participation in the school nutrition program at Partnership — for both breakfast and lunch — has doubled, as students can receive a meal and not have to worry about the balance on their meal account,” Pitts said.
  • Pitts requested to expand the service to Central Elementary School, Efland Cheeks Elementary School and New Hope Elementary School.
    • The expansion would follow initiatives such as focusing on highest-need schools and analyzing reimbursement rates in comparison to paid meal rates to maximize program revenue. 
• Pitts also gave a presentation about changes to Policy Code 6220, which delineates operations of school nutrition services.
  • The first change was adding inclusive wording required by the N.C. School Boards Association to clarify that the identifiers of sex encompass pregnancy, childbirth, sexual orientation and gender identity. 
  • The second change regarded meal charges in OCS, which occur when students do not have money for their meal and incur a negative balance on their account. The change provides guidelines for the collection of funds for meals and removes the charge cap for elementary and middle school students. The change also allows high school students to charge a meal. 
• Rhonda Rath, the OCS chief finance officer, gave a presentation regarding additional pay supplements for OCS bus drivers.
  • House Bill 259, passed in October 2023, allocated funds to increase bus driver pay rate. OCS additionally received around $25,000 in support of this legislation.
  • Rath requested OCS bus drivers be given an annual pay supplement drawn from the funds based on their years of experience. The supplements would equate to $25,000.

What decisions were made?

• The board voted unanimously to approve expansion of the Community Eligibility Provision to include Central Elementary School, Efland Cheeks Elementary School and New Hope Elementary School.
• The board voted unanimously to approve the recommended changes to Policy Code 6220.
• The board voted unanimously to approve additional pay supplements for OCS bus drivers.

What’s next?

• The board will meet again after its summer break on Aug. 5 at 6 p.m.

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