Monday night’s meeting of the Burke County Board of Education put the new elementary school in the eastern end of the county at the forefront.
Board members unanimously approved buying two pieces of land for $675,000 off Third Street and U.S. Highway 70 in Hildebran to house a new elementary school that will combine Hildebran and Icard elementary schools.
Keith Lawson, finance director for the district, said the two parcels would be about 14 acres combined to build a new elementary school. The district received a $42 million grant for the school’s construction.
The purchase price for the property was approved by the Burke County Board of Commissioners at their March 17 meeting.
Board members also voted to use a construction manager for the new elementary school. This process differs from the typical design, bid, build process by involving the construction manager early on in the design process.
Bob Acord, director of auxiliary services for the school district, spoke to multiple districts that have recently completed construction projects. Several districts who used a construction manager early on cited better project timelines using the method.
School board members voted unanimously to use the construction manager, which school staff recommended.
New grading policy
A new policy implemented by the board Monday night clarifies what is expected of students when dealing with missing or late assignments. Policy 3400 says students are responsible for completing all assignments and tasks. Parents must be notified of any missing work or assignments that are incomplete, and teachers must work with parents to develop a plan for the work to be completed by the student.
Specific documentation procedures will be in place to record any contact with parents and plans to complete work. Middle school and high school students may receive zeros if work is not completed, parents have been contacted and students have been given time to complete the assignment.
Elementary school teachers will be encouraged to give students alternate assignments to measure a student’s knowledge of the same standard for any missing assignments.
Students who are absent will be given at least three days to make up work. If absences are extended, teachers will work with the student and their parents to determine a reasonable due date. Extended due dates and exemptions will be determined by the teacher.
Chrissy Murphy is a staff writer and can be reached at cmurphy@morganton.com or at 828-432-8941.
“My biggest goal is to out compete myself, make sure that whatever I do at the national level, I do better than I’ve done in the past,†Harris said.
