May - Pittsylvania County Schools

May 15, 2013
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Principals
James E. McDaniel, Division Superintendent
HIGHLIGHTS OF ACTION TAKEN AT MAY MEETING
1. The Board approved the donations received by the Pittsylvania Career & Technical
Center and Tunstall High School.
2. The Board authorized the application of the following grant:
o Carl Perkins Grant for Career & Technical Education
3. The Board approved the Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted as presented.
4. The Board approved the following individuals to serve on the Gifted Advisory
Committee for 2013-2014:
Ann Cassada
Scharlotte Cassell (Secretary)
Melanie Chappell
Elizabeth Craig
Vera Glass
Jackie Hammock, Vice-Chairman
Carolyn Harris
Josie Loomis
Ann Mayo
Cathleen McGarvey
Brian Pace
Teresa Petty
Bobby Shields
Brenna Takata
Eston Toler
Dr. Gary Tucker (Averett University)
Wanda Vaughan
Darlene Watson
Avery Wyatt, Chairman

5. The Board expressed appreciation to the Student Representatives for their service on the
School Board during the 2013-2014 school year. A certificate of appreciation was
presented to each Student Representative as follows:
Ms. Ashlee R. Pickrel, Chatham High School
Ms. Rebecca-Ann R. Shelton, Dan River High School
Ms. Keri A. Holt, Student Representative for Gretna High School
Ms. Erin E. Marshall, Tunstall High School
6. Ms. Erin E. Marshall, Student Representative from Tunstall High School, introduced the
Character Word of the Month for May/June which was “Citizenship.”
7. Ms. Jessica Jones, President of the Pittsylvania Education Association (PEA), addressed
the Board with reflections of the accomplishments and goals for the students and
employees of Pittsylvania County Schools.
8. Mr. Moon asked about the status of the chicken pox in the schools. There were several
cases of chicken pox that were addressed by the school nursing staff.
9. The Superintendent provided the following reports:
The school system is exploring the possibility of a partnership with the New
College Institute in Martinsville, Virginia, and the Institute for Advanced
Learning and Research to implement an engineering and technology program for
Pittsylvania County students. There would be no cost to the school system to
implement this program which would not compete with the current Governor’s
School program. Students completing the program would earn a certificate in
Advanced Manufacturing that would be transferrable to four-year
colleges/universities.
The Board endorsed this partnership to move forward with the initiative to
implement the engineering and technology program at the Institute for Advanced
Learning and Research at no cost to the school system.
Congratulations were expressed to the following teachers who were recognized by
the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce as the Educators of the
Year:
o Ms. Retha McGuire, Twin Springs Elementary School
o Ms. Tommie Evans, Dan River Middle School
o Ms. Stephanie O’Brien, Chatham High School
Ms. Retha McGuire was also recognized as the Overall Educator of the Year for
Pittsylvania County Schools. Also, Ms. Evans and Ms. O’Brien were recipients
of a $2,500.00 grant for teaching excellence.
An update from the recent Student Leaders Forum was provided. The Student
Representatives stated that the Forum was a great experience for students to
provide feedback and was very informative. A copy of the report card from the

Forum was provided to the Board. The students were asked to grade the school
system on its response to areas such as school safety plans, dealing with gangs,
fighting, weapons, dealing with drugs/tobacco and alcohol and feeling safe at
school.
The annual review of student disciplinary cases needs to be scheduled. It was
suggested that because of the July 4 Holiday, the meeting should be scheduled on
Monday, July 8, 2013, at 6:00 p.m. Members of the Committee include: Mr.
Miller, Chairman, Mr. Oakes and Mr. Sanders.
The Board scheduled the July Disciplinary Committee meeting on Monday, July
8, 2013, at 6:00 p.m.
The student tuition costs for the 2013-2014 school year will not increase and will
remain at $1,650.00 per child.
The Board members were reminded of the following upcoming VSBA
Conferences:
VSBA School Law Conference, Charlottesville Omni, Charlottesville,
Virginia, June 7, 2013
VSBA Annual Conference on Education, Richmond Marriott,
Richmond, Virginia, July 23, 2013
10. The Board approved the second and final reading of the following School Board policies:
GCBFB-PC, Voluntary Donation of Sick Leave Days
GCAB-PC, Employee/Volunteer Dress Code
GDAB-PC, Employee/Volunteer Dress Code
IICCA-PC, Employee/Volunteer Dress Code
11. The Board approved the Joint School Facilities Use Agreement to include a $40,000.00
payment from the Pittsylvania County Parks & Recreation Department with the
stipulation that $5,000.00 would be returned to the recreation department.
12. The Board approved the continuing membership through June 30, 2015, of the following
Minority Advisory Council members:
Drew Robertson, Chatham/Blairs District
Kim Rice, Callands/Gretna District
Rev. James E. Wimbish, Banister District
Tanja Staton, Dan River District
13. The Board approved the following Student Representatives for the 2013-2014 school
year:
Chatham High School

Ms. Natalie Grace Nicholson
Dan River High School
Ms. Jamie Katherine Hodnett
Gretna High School
Ms. Rebecca Mae Varnadore
Tunstall High School
Ms. Jordan Ashby Moorefield
14. A motion was made and seconded to direct staff to change deadlines and allocations of
instructional funds for band and fine arts. After further discussion and by unanimous
vote of all members present, the Board continued the motion for further discussion at the
June 11, 2013, School Board meeting.
15. The Board approved the request for special project for the installation of football goals
and the clearing of brush and undergrowth at Brosville Elementary School.
16. The Board approved the request for special project for re-routing the power underground
for the scoreboard at Chatham Middle School.
17. The Board adopted the following series of textbooks to support the educational programs
within the science curriculum to be purchased based on the availability of funds within
the next two (2) years:
Science a Closer Look, School Education Group (SEG)/a division of the McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc., digital 2012/print 2011 (Science K-5)
Virginia iScience, School Education Group (SEG)/a division of the McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc. (Science 6-8)
Holt McDougal Earth Science 2013 VA student edition, Holt McDougal (Earth
Science)
Holt McDougal Biology VA student edition, Holt McDougal (Biology)
Holt McDougal Modern Chemistry, VA, Holt McDougal (Chemistry)
Virginia Physics: Principles and Problems, School Education Group (SEG)/a division
of the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (Physics)
Campbell Biology, AP Edition, Pearson (Advanced, AP Biology)
Chemistry, Zumdahl (AP), 9 th edition, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Cengage
(Advanced/AP Chemistry)
McGraw-Hill Environmental Science: A study of interrelationships, School Education
Group (SEG)/a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (Environmental
Science)
Living in the Environment, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Cengage (AP Environmental
Science)
Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology, 10 th Edition, Pearson (Anatomy)
Astronomy (ASTRO), Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Cengage (Astronomy)

It was noted that Mrs. Wanda E. Vaughan, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, will
provide a report at the June 11, 2013, School Board meeting relative to the availability of
funding for the purchase of textbooks.
18. The Board approved the first reading of the following School Board policies:
1. AA School Division Legal Status
2. BB School Board Legal Status
3. BBAA Board Member Authority
4. BCA School Board Organizational Meeting
5. BCB School Board Officers
6. BCE School Board Committees
7. BDC Closed Meetings
8. BDCA Calling and Certification of Closed Meetings
9. BDDA Notification of School Board Meetings
10. CBD Superintendent’s Contract, Compensation and Benefits
11. CF School Building Administration
12. EBCD/
Emergency Closing
EBCD (REG)
13. EEAC School Bus Safety Program
14. EEAB School Bus Scheduling and Routing
15. IA Instructional Goals and Objectives
16. IE Moment of Silence
17. IF Curriculum Development and Adoption
18. IFE Curriculum Guides and Course Outlines
19. IGBC-PC Parental Involvement
20. IGBE-PC Remedial Instruction Program
21. IGBEA-PC Remediation Recovery Program
22. IIBD School Libraries/Media Centers
23. IICB/IICC Community Resource Persons/School Volunteers
24. IKF-PC/
IKF-PC (REG)
25. IKH-PC Grading System
26. IKHA-PC Retaking SOL Assessments
27. JECA Admission of Homeless Children
28. JFB Student Involvement in Decision Making
29. JFC-PC Student Conduct
30. JFCA-PC Teacher Removal of Students from Class
31. JFCB Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity
32. JHCB Student Immunizations
33. JHCF-PC Student Wellness
34. JN-PC Student Fees, Fines and Charges
35. KH Public Gifts to the Schools
Standards of Learning Tests and Graduation Requirements /
Graduation Requirements
19. The Board approved a salary increase of 2% plus the 1% Virginia Retirement System
(VRS) salary offset for the Superintendent and Clerk of the Board for the 2013-2014
school session.
20. Mr. Robertson stated that the School Board needs to be more pro-active in addressing the
issue of drugs in schools. The Superintendent indicated that the passive dog has been
outlawed. However, discussions have been held with the Sheriff’s Office about having
the drug dogs to come into the schools.