►
Description
Briefing of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on February 7, 2023. The briefing is a chance for Commissioners to review agenda items before the meeting. No motions will take place during the briefing.
A
A
A
All
right
great,
then
we're
going
to
consider
this
the
agenda
for
our
meeting
today.
A
And
we're
primarily
focused
on
an
update
on
educated
and
capable
strategic
priorities,
so
Rachel
Nygaard
and
Karine
Duncan
I
think
are
going
to
get
us
started
today,
thanks
for
being
with
us.
B
Good
afternoon
Commissioners
I'm
Coreen
Duncan
I'm,
the
director
of
election
services
and
I'm
here
with
Rachel
Nygaard
she's,
the
director
of
strategic
Partnerships,
and
we
represent
two
of
five
departments
that
are
contributing
to
the
educated
and
capable
Community
work
group
that
will
be
updating
you
on
today
and
though
there
are
some
places
where
we
can
have
a
direct
impact.
You'll
see
that
the
County's
largest
contribution
is
through
Investments
and
through
funding,
especially
of
K-12
education.
B
So
once
we
go
through
our
initiative
updates
we'll
dive
into
some
education
statistics,
Rachel
and
Max
tainter
from
strategy
and
Innovation
have
gone
above
and
beyond.
Compiling
this
information
to
help
us
understand
the
education
landscape.
In
addition,
we're
very
lucky
to
have
with
us
here
some
experts,
Dr
Jim
Cosby
from
Asheville
City,
Schools,
interim
superintendent
and
Dr
Rob
Jackson,
the
Buncombe
County
school
superintendent.
B
They've
joined
us
here
today
to
deepen
our
perspective
and
hopefully
open
up
the
conversation
for
what
the
schools
are
doing
and
what
their
challenges
are.
I
think
that
you'll
find
this
presentation
informative
and
stimulating.
So
we
suggest
holding
questions
to
the
end
if
possible,
and
we
have
a
lot
to
cover.
So,
let's
Dive
In.
B
Our
agenda
today,
if
you
go
to
the
next
slide
our
agenda
today,
I
will
begin
and
in
an
effort
to
be
concise
here,
I'll
be
presenting
for
all
the
Departments
that
are
contributing
to
the
educated
and
capable
work
group.
B
Oh
thank
you
and
I'm,
not
the
expert,
but
if
you
have
questions
we
will
get
those
answers
for
you
and
we
have
some
of
those
experts
in
the
room
with
us.
So
we'll
first
start
with
a
strategic
plan.
Check-In
and
we'll
go
through
updates
from
all
of
the
Departments
and
and
it
will
go
over
a
broad
lifelong
learning
perspective.
Then
we'll
do
the
education
review
and
we
will
move
in
age
order.
B
B
The
goals
within
this
group
are
four
one
is
to
increase
kindergarten,
Readiness
increase
third
grade
literacy,
improve
College
and
Career
Readiness
and
protect
our
older
residents
abilities
to
age
in
place.
There
are
five
departments
contributing
to
these
goals:
that's
public
libraries,
my
department,
election
Services,
Health
and
Human
Services,
Justice
service
and
strategic
Partnerships.
B
B
This
program
office
offers
a
regular
story
times
story
bags
with
extension
activities
and
puppets
as
well
as
book
crates,
and
the
initiatives
within
this
goal
are
to
increase
the
quality
and
Equitable
access
of
these
services
in
FY
22
pop
served,
109
classrooms,
providing
218
story
times,
circulating
188
story
bags
and
delivering
507
book
crates.
Pop
staff
also
performed
ongoing
Equity
audit
of
the
offerings
continually.
B
So
here
the
libraries
are
doing
well
towards
achieving
their
target
of
of
serving
150
classrooms
by
2025.
and
you'll
also
see
two
themes
throughout
the
presentation.
One
is
that
your
investment
in
Staffing
is
paying
off.
There's
a
newly
created
pop
specialist
position.
Here,
that's
supporting
this
effort
and
you
will
also
see
that
covet
has
a
significant
impact.
So
here
in
FY
22,
you
can
really
see
the
difference
between
FY,
21
and
fy22
pop
suspended
all
book
deliveries
during
covid.
B
And
here
is
election
services.
This
is
my
department.
Our
goal
is
to
increase
High
School
participation
in
the
electoral
process
and
expose
students
to
a
career
in
local
government,
especially
elections,
and
we
will
do
that
through
two
initiatives.
One
is
to
educate
on
an
elections,
career
path
and
participation
in
in
voting
and
then
also
expand
the
student
assistant
program,
which
is
a
state
program
that
allows
17
year
olds
to
be
poll
workers.
B
We
have
partnered
with
Buncombe
County
Schools,
as
well
as
the
Asheville
City
Schools
through
this
program
and
and
our
Target
is
not
being
reached.
B
So
in
FY
21
we
had
12
students
participate
in
the
program
and
then
FY
22
was
the
midterm
primary.
The
one
that
happened
this
last
spring.
The
election
was
moved
from
from
the
original
date
by
three
months
to
a
day
where
school
was
in
session.
So
we
had
no
participants
for
that
election
and
then
FY
22.
B
We
were
able
to
get
five
students
for
the
general
election
and
I
I,
really
think
that
we
can
reach
our
Target
now
that
we
have
an
Outreach
team,
so
we
can
formalize
our
our
outreach
program
and
I
I
really
think
that
we
can
reach
those
goals.
Now
that
we
have
the
resources
we
need
to
do
that.
B
Health
and
Human
Services,
so
this
is
looking
at
our
elderly
population
and
you've
recently
been
briefed
on
this
goal.
So
we'll
stay
high
level
on
this
one
as
well.
There
are
many
programs
that
contribute
to
this,
and
the
idea
here
is
to
consolidate
that.
So
the
developing,
an
active
aging
Center,
is
the
main
goal
here:
a
federal
funding,
State
funding,
County
funding
and
Aging
Services
providers
are
all
contributing
groups
to
this
goal
and
we
are
in
partners
with
the
age
friendly
Buncombe
County,
towards
this
idea
of
an
active
aging
Center.
B
B
But
the
comparison
here
for
understanding
how
aging
adults
are
faring
in
Buncombe
County
is
the
AARP
index
score
and
there
are
several
categories
within
this
score
and
we
see
that
housing,
environment
and
engagement,
we're
above
the
national
average
in
neighborhood,
Transportation
health
and
opportunity
we're
either
at
the
average
or
below
the
average
engagement,
which
is
what
we
are
the
highest
at.
Are
categories
such
as
Broadband
cost
speed
opportunity
for
civic
involvement.
The
voting
rate
I'll
take
credit
for
that
one,
social
involvement
index,
Cultural,
Arts
and
entertainment
and
institutions.
B
So
we're
doing
well
there
environment,
that's
drinking
water,
air
quality,
roadway
pollution,
local,
you
know,
pollution
in
general
and
then
housing
that
one
might
seem
surprising
in
this
climate.
But
this
housing
is
specifically
about
things
like
zero
step,
entrances,
availability
to
multi-family
housing,
housing
costs,
burden,
availability
of
subsidized
housing.
B
So
so
it's
likely
that
the
retirement
communities
are
contributing
to
keeping
that
score
up
we're
lower
in
neighborhood,
which
is
access
related,
primarily
so
that's
grocery
stores,
Parks,
libraries,
access
to
jobs
by
transit,
those
sort
of
things,
crime
rate
vacancy
rate
and
and
we
can
go
into
more
details
into
each
of
those
categories.
If
you
would
like
later.
B
So
the
two
initiatives
here
really
focus
on
research
and
network
and
investment,
so
here
we're
developing
Partnerships
to
prevent
involvement
in
the
justice,
justice
involvement
and
support
alternative
Pathways
for
justice.
The
this
group
is
also
reviewing
and
allocating
juvenile
crime
prevention,
Council
Community
Investments.
B
The
data
here
is
a
little
bit
different
than
the
charts
that
you
have
been
seeing
as
the
you
want
the
blue
to
be
below
the
orange
in
this
case,
and
that's
not
what
we
are
seeing
here
again.
The
trend
for
fy21
covid
was
a
a
drastic
drop
and
that
was
because
students
were
learning
remotely.
So
there
was
not
a
lot
of
reporting
for
that
for
fy21,
then,
when
students
went
back
to
school,
we
see
a
big
spike
there
and
there
are
many
contributing
factors
for
why
that
is
happening.
C
Pause
for
a
quick
question
on
that:
can
you
clarify
with
what
the
offense
what
qualifies
in
offense
as
an
offense.
D
So
a
school-based
offense
is
an
offense
that
occurs
on
school
grounds,
school
property,
including
buses
at
a
school
bus,
stop
or
at
an
off-campus
School,
sanctioned
event,
field
trips,
athletic
competitions,
Etc
or
where
the
impacted
party,
the
victim,
is
a
school,
such
as
a
false
bomb
report.
School
includes
any
public
or
private
institution,
including
Elementary,
depending
on
the
year
and
and
the
age
range
of
the
Juvenile
Justice
jurisdiction
during
that
year,
secondary
and
9
through
12
are
post-secondary,
Community
College
trade
school
college.
D
D
It's
at
the
discretion
of
the
administration
of
the
school-based
resource
officer
as
to
when
how
to
respond
to
behaviors,
and
so,
unless
it's
a
certain
mandatory,
reportable
offense
and
so
some
of
the
lower
level.
Things
are
at
the
discretion
of
the
individuals
involved
in
the
incident,
and
then
there
are
a
number
of
mandatory
reports.
Thank.
E
D
Are
specifically
school-based
defense
complaints
that
are
filed
from
the
schools
to
referred
to
the
Department
of
Juvenile
Justice
Court
counselors,
so
the
court
counselors
May
dismiss
the
case.
They
may
divert
the
case
or
they
may
approve
the
case
on
for
court,
but.
B
F
Great
thank
you
Rachel
Nygaard,
here,
director
of
strategic
Partnerships.
Our
department
also
supports
the
education
goals
within
the
County's
strategic
plan,
and
we
do
that
primarily
by
stewarding
Community
Investments,
rather
than
through
the
delivery
of
services
you
can
see.
There
are
several
funding
initiatives
listed,
two
of
which
are
education
specific.
So
that
means
everything
within
the
early
childhood
education
grants
and
the
education
support
funding
is
targeted
toward
this.
We
also
have
other
Grant
programs,
which
include
some
education
funding
where
you
may
see
in
the
Strategic
partnership
grants
or
in
Tipping
Point
grants.
F
Here
are
some
of
our
Learners
from
Early
Childhood
through
High
School,
County
Wide,
so
not
specific
to
only
the
Strategic
Department
Partnerships
department,
but
county-wide.
We
have
106
million
dollars
worth
of
education
investments
in
K-12,
so
we've
narrowed
this
down
to
K-12
to
be
focused
for
the
a
particular
slide.
F
F
F
Foreign
County
Wide
supports
37
different
organizations,
community-based
organizations
working
in
the
in
the
field
of
education
and
the
work
that
they
do
is
diverse.
It's
everything
from
after
school
programs,
Arts,
education,
career
exploration,
College,
access
support,
literacy
programs,
stem
programs,
there's
a
lot
of
work
being
done
by
our
public
and
our
non-profit
partners,
and
we
Track
Performance
metrics
for
each
project
that
gets
funded
and
they
report
back
on
things
like
how
many
students
did
they
serve
and
how
many
professional
development
hours
were
provided
and
things
of
that
nature.
F
We
want
to
pause
before
we
get
into
the
data
slides
and
set
the
stage
with
a
comment
about
Collective
ownership.
So
we
know
that
no
single
organization
and
no
single
system
can
take
responsibility
for
the
educational
success
of
students
in
our
community
and
while
we
contribute
more
than
a
quarter
of
the
County's
budget
toward
education,
each
year
you
heard
earlier
the
amount
of
Direct
Services
that
we
deliver
is
is
smaller
than
in
some
of
our
Focus
areas.
On
the
Strategic
plan,
it
takes
the
collective
action
across
all
sectors
and
Collective
ownership
across
all
sectors.
F
Two
examples
that
we'll
call
out
that
we
participate
in
as
collaborations
one
is
mentioned
already,
my
the
United
for
youth
Network,
that's
spearheaded
by
the
United
Way
as
a
backbone
organization
and
has
participation
from
the
school
systems
and
many
different
partners
from
students
themselves
and
families
and
other
community
stakeholders
who
are
engaged
in
Student
Success,
coming
together
around
a
shared
Community
goal
and
shared
accountability.
To
try
to
accomplish
that
goal
and
then
on
the
Statewide
level,
we're
part
of
a
broader
Network
called
my
future
NC
and
both
of
these
partners
and
data
sources
were
helpful.
F
We
want
to
include
the
charter
data
homeschool
data,
private
school
data,
to
really
see
how
our
students
in
our
community
as
a
whole,
doing
we
are
using
a
lens
of
covet
impact.
That
is
something
that
you'll
see
on
every
data
slide
that
we
stop
on
and
we're
using
a
lens
of
equity,
particularly
looking
at
race
and
ethnicity,
which
we'll
spend
a
little
time
on
at
the
end.
Once
we
run
through
some
of
the
other
information.
F
The
primary
data
sources
for
these
for
those
who
are
following
along
are
listed
on
the
screen
and
I
do
want
to
acknowledge
and
thank
the
Public
School
Systems,
both
Asheville
City
schools
and
Buncombe
County
Schools,
were
in
data
collaboration
with
their
teams,
which
was
very
helpful
in
getting
this
information
together.
For
you.
F
There
were
almost
39
000
students
in
Buncombe
County
kindergarten
through
12th
grade
for
the
2021-2022
school
year,
ly
23
000
of
these
students
or
59
attended,
Buncombe
County
Schools
over
four
thousand
or
eleven
percent
attended,
Asheville
City
Schools.
So
that's
a
combined
70
percent
in
public
schools,
Charter
Schools
represented
eight
percent
of
the
population
in
their
six
schools,
and
we
do
have
definitions
and
information
about
what
constitutes
a
charter
school.
F
If
you
would
like
that
info
and
as
you
see
as
you'll
see
later
in
the
presentation
as
we
go,
Charter
Schools
tend
to
have
students
that
are
less
economically
disadvantaged
than
some
of
the
public
schools.
Also
of
note
here
is:
is
home
schools
representing
13
of
total
enrollments
in
our
community
that
year
and
we
have
information
again
about
what
home
schools
are
defined.
As
one
note
about
that
is
in
the
recent
legislation,
home
schools
can
include
learning
cooperatives.
F
The
number
of
students
overall,
which
is
the
number
above
the
chart,
has
increased
slightly
over
the
past
four
years,
growing
about
two
and
a
half
percent,
or
just
shy
of
1
000
students
across
the
years
that
are
represented
here.
During
this
time,
charter
schools
in
yellow
have
grown
from
an
enrollment
of
23.25
to
29.93.
F
Homeschool
enrollment
also
grew.
During
this
time
there
was
a
spike
in
the
you'll
see
in
the
green.
There
was
a
spike
in
the
2020
2021
school
year,
presumably
due
to
covid,
which
has
returned
to
a
lower
rate,
although
it
is
a
slight
net
increase,
Asheville
City
schools
and
Buncombe
County
Schools
have
had
a
net
loss
of
population,
three
percent
and
two
percent
respectively.
F
F
We
begin
with
kindergarten
readiness
we're
holding
this
meeting
on
the
same
afternoon
as
the
Early
Childhood
committee
had
its
meeting.
So
three
of
the
Commissioners
here
participated
in
that
session
and
that's
a
group
that
really
focuses
in
on
this
data
and
looks
at
it
more
deeply.
But
I'll
do
a
high
level
overview
for
this
presentation.
F
So
quick
intro
about
how
we
measure
kindergarten
Readiness,
there's
a
lot
of
info
on
the
screen,
but
essentially
know
that
we're
using
an
assessment
called
nce
Eli.
It's
now
used
in
it's
it's
done
in
cooperation
with
the
State
Department
of
Public
Instruction
and
used
in
both
of
our
local
public
school
systems
and
it
while
the
overall
assessment
has
16
different
objectives
in
it.
There
are
seven
that
are
considered
to
be
core
core
objectives,
as
defined
by
the
Department
of
Public
Instruction
at
the
state
level
that
address
the
requirement
for
screening,
early
literacy,
math
and
language.
F
As
of
the
current
school
year,
65
percent
of
kindergartners
demonstrate
Readiness,
which
is
the
definition
of
meeting
or
exceeding
four
or
more
out
of
the
seven
core
objectives.
So
the
majority
of
the
core
objectives
meeting
or
exceeding
this
figure
is
rebounding
from
a
low
the
prior
year
of
58,
again
likely
as
a
result
of
the
covid-19
pandemic.
We
are
not
yet
back
to
the
68
Baseline
that
had
been
set
the
first
year
that
NC
Eli
was
available.
F
So
we
looked
at
kindergarten
Readiness
and
now
we
move
on
to
math
proficiency.
So
this
is
the
next
high
level
education
performance
measure
that
we
will
look
at
which
parallels
reading
that
we'll
look
at
in
a
moment
in
this
case,
math
proficiency,
is,
is
measured
by
using
the
end
of
grade
or
EOG
mathematics
assessment,
which
begins
in
the
third
grade
and
Carries
through
the
eighth
grade.
So
this
is
third
through
eighth
aggregated
looking
at
this
chart.
F
B
F
The
numbers,
similarly
to
what
we
saw
with
kindergarten
Readiness
began
to
rebound,
however,
have
not
reached
pre-pandemic
levels.
We've
included
here,
a
gray
bar,
which
is
the
state
of
North
Carolina,
demonstrating
that
the
overall
the
state
experience
similar,
Trends
and
demonstrating
that,
on
the
whole
we
tend
to
be
at
or
above
that
state
average.
F
F
Reading
proficiency
is
the
next
performance
measure
we
look
at,
and
this
looks
very
similar
to
the
math
proficiency
slide
and
it's
calculated
similarly.
So
it's
based
on
end
of
grade
English
language
arts,
reading
assessment
based
on
the
North
Carolina
standard
course
of
study
for
a
third
through
eighth
grade,
aggregated,
to
show
an
overall
snapshot
of
reading
performance.
F
All
systems
for
which
there
is
data,
met
or
exceeded
the
state
average.
However,
like
we
saw
with
math
proficiency,
we
see
significant
declines
correlating
with
the
pandemic.
F
F
F
Math
and
reading
we
saw
that
students
in
our
community
typically
performed
at
or
above
the
state
averages,
which
is
also
the
case
with
act
data.
This
is
a
snapshot
from
the
most
recently
available
year
with
65
percent
of
charter
school
students,
again
in
yellow
59
of
city
school
students
in
Orange
and
47
percent
of
Buncombe
County
Schools
students
in
blue,
attaining
that
score
of
19
or
above.
F
And
here
we
do
have
information
for
City,
County,
Charter
and
private
schools
in
comparison
to
the
number
of
graduates
from
said
schools,
quick
note
that
in
our
County
and
while
we
do
have
six
Charter
Schools
reporting
data
for
the
overall
presentation,
only
two
of
them
go
all
the
way
to
12th
grade.
So
this
there's
a
very
small
number
of
graduates
overall
in
those
percentages.
F
F
Here's
a
look
at
the
information
over
time.
Graduation
rates
are
trending
up
for
Charter,
as
well
as
public
schools,
with
the
most
dramatic
rate
for
Charter
Schools,
but
you
heard
me
mention
with
a
small
number
of
graduates.
Small
tweaks
can
really
change
percentages
more
drastically,
and
for
this
we
don't
have
the
ability
to
Trend
the
data
for
home
or
private
schools.
F
Okay,
so,
in
addition
to
academic
specific
data
and
like
test
scores
and
graduation
rates,
there
are
a
few
other
performance
metrics
that
help
give
a
more
complete
or
whole
picture
of
Student.
Success
and
attendance
is
one
of
these
I've
seen
it
presented
as
percent
of
schools
that
attend
school
regularly
here
in
the
information
that
we
have
from
the
public
data
set,
shows
chronic,
chronically
absent
and
there's
a
definition
of
chronic
absentee
and
absenteeism
which
is
included
here,
which
essentially
boils
down
to
students
missing
10
percent
or
more
of
their
enrolled
time
within
the
school.
F
We
see
a
dramatic
increase
in
chronic
absenteeism
over
the
past
two
reported
school
years,
presumably
due
to
covid
the
10
is
regardless
of
Reason
excused
or
unexcused.
So
when
we
think
about
the
impact
of
quarantines
and
illnesses
isolations,
certainly
we
understand
that
there
would
be
spikes.
G
F
F
F
Much
time
on
the
discipline
data,
this
again
is
part
of
adding
that
holistic
picture
to
Student
Success
Hannah
shared
some
great
details
about
how
this
data
works.
On
this
slide,
referrals
to
law
enforcement
equates
to
the
information
that
she
had
shared
previously.
We've
also
included
short-term
suspensions
here.
It
shows
a
five-year
trend
for
suspensions,
as
well
as
those
court
system
or
law
enforcement
referrals
and
for
the
ease
of
comparison.
This
is
displayed
as
their
rate
per
1000
students.
F
It's
a
lot
of
data
to
take
in
on
one
slide.
One
thing
that
stands
out
is
that
Buncombe
County
does
tend
to
have
higher
rates.
Buncombe
County
Schools
than
Asheville
City,
Schools
and
you'll,
see
when
we
look
at
some
of
the
demographics
of
students
that
are
enrolled.
Other
information
that
may
contribute.
H
F
F
Okay:
this
is
where
we
left
off,
which
is
when
we
transition
to
look
at
some
of
this
information
by
race
and
ethnicity.
F
We
won't
spend
a
lot
of
time
on
each
slide,
but
want
you
to
see
that
we
have
this
information
available
disaggregated
by
race
and
ethnicity
and
first
we
will
look
at
the
enrollment
where
it's
available,
which,
as
you
have
seen
the
most
readily
and
a
reliably
available
data,
is
for
the
public
school
systems.
We
don't
have
complete
data
about
the
demographics
of
our
Charter
students,
not
us
not
all
charters
report,
so
we
didn't
feel
like
we
could
include
that.
F
F
So
a
couple
of
things
stand
out.
While
we
are
a
majority
White
Community,
with
students
of
color,
representing
about
30
to
35
percent
of
the
population,
there
are
differences
in
the
demographics
between
the
school
systems.
Asheville
City
schools
has
a
greater
percentage
of
black
students
than
Buncombe
County
Schools
20,
compared
to
seven,
but
keep
in
mind
scale.
The
number
of
black
students
in
Asheville
City
Schools,
was
841.
F
compared
to
1495
in
Buncombe
County
schools.
In
that
same
year,
Buncombe
County
schools
has
a
greater
percentage
of
Hispanic
students
than
Asheville
City
Schools
21
compared
to
nine
percent,
and
the
actual
numbers
are
displayed
here
on
the
screen
and
that's
and
if
you're,
looking
at
the
number
of
Hispanic
students
in
those
two
school
systems,
it's
48.79
compared
to
389.
F
I'm
trying
to
carefully
just
press
it
one
time,
okay,
economically
disadvantaged,
is
a
category
that
is
reported
to
the
state
by
both
school
systems
based
on
the
definition
that
is
on
the
screen.
It
is
not
the
same
as
school
lunch
program,
essentially,
economically
disadvantaged
students
can
be
eligible
for
the
Nationals
school
lunch
program
or
other
public
benefits
like
Snap,
which
is
the
supplemental
nutrition
program
that
sometimes
referred
to
as
food
stamps.
F
I'm
saying
that
we'll
go
look
for
it.
Try,
okay,
so
just
quickly.
Buncombe
County
schools
has
the
highest
percentage
of
students
fitting
into
this
category,
almost
half
followed
by
Asheville
City
schools
and
charter
schools
with
just
under
a
third.
This
is
not
a
trend.
This
is
a
snapshot
point
in
time
and
can
be
pretty
volatile,
as
we
were
in
discussion
with
our
School
superintendents
in
advance
of
this
meeting.
They
both
looked
at
school
lunch
enrollment
for
the
current
year
and
can
add
some
kind
of
some
more
context
to
that.
F
F
F
You'll,
remember
when
we
showed
you
this
kindergarten
info
earlier,
we
said:
65
percent
of
kindergarteners
met
the
Readiness
threshold
on
nce
Eli,
however,
of
the
156
black
kindergartners
assessed
in
this
year.
It's
actually
the
current
school
year,
52
percent
were
at
or
above
that
Readiness
threshold
and
for
Hispanic
kindergartners.
It
was
51
which
is
roughly
a
20
percentage,
Point
difference
in
their
white
counterparts.
F
We
previously
told
you
that
55
of
Asheville
City,
Schools
and
48
of
Buncombe
County
Schools
students
overall,
were
at
that
proficiency
level
and
when
we
disaggregate
the
data
by
race,
we
see,
for
example,
in
Asheville
City,
Schools
13
of
black
students
and
then
Buncombe
County
Schools
21
of
black
students
demonstrated
that
level
of
reading
proficiency,
whereas
for
white
students
in
those
school
systems,
those
percentages
are
75
and
57.
F
F
We
have
graduation
rates
which
shows
similar
trends.
Black
and
multiracial
students
have
lower
graduation
rates
in
Asheville
City
Schools
in
Buncombe
County
Schools.
F
C
On
the
absenteeism
data
for
just
to
pause
for
a
second
to
make
sure
we're
interpreting
it.
So
let's
look
at
the
Asheville
City
Schools
data.
The
percentage
refers
to
what
percent.
F
C
It's
a
percent
of,
for
instance,
with
white
children,
20
20
percent
of
all
the
absent
all
the
kids
who
meet
that
threshold
of
absenteeism.
20
are
white,
no.
C
F
H
F
I'd
like
to
offer
some
summary
and
then
share
the
microphone
with
are
guests.
Who
can
add
some
some
depth
and
additional
information.
F
I
do
want
to
say
that,
where
we
started
in
terms
of
this
Collective
ownership,
we
know
that
no
single
organization
or
system
can
be
responsible
and
we
think
about
what
we
as
County
Government.
What
is
our
role
in
trying
to
impact
this?
So
you
may
remember,
almost
two
years
ago
the
Board
of
Commissioners
voted
to
sign
on
to
the
United
for
youth
Network
partnership,
and
as
part
of
that,
we
had
a
partnership
agreement
where
we
went
through
an
exercise
of
saying.
F
We
committed
to
being
a
funder
to
budget
budget,
our
annual
General
funds
in
support
of
Education,
including
the
various
ways
that
we
do,
that
to
promote
Equity
through
systems
and
policies
and
practices
that
support
equity
for
everyone
and
to
provide
that
collaborative
leadership
which
is
really
about
what
we're
doing
here
today
is
setting
the
stage
having
this
community
conversation
and
forum
for
the
questions.
On
your
mind,
commissioner,
this
data
really
represents
a
snapshot
of
information
that
didn't
speak
to
causation.
F
What
led
to
this
and
the
data
doesn't
answer
the
question
about
where
we
go
from
here,
and
so
those
are.
Those
are
the
questions
at
hand
for
us
as
a
community
and
for
us,
as
a
County
government,
to
figure
out
what
actions
we
can
take
to
create
better
outcomes
for
our
students.
So
with
that
I
wonder
if
you
would
be
good
with
me
passing
to
Dr
Cosby
and
Dr
Jackson
and
then
coming
back
for
questions
and
discussion
or,
if
there's
anything
that
you
specifically
want
me
to
answer
before
we
switch.
J
J
I
was
doing
lots
of
things
in
other
places
during
that
time,
so
I
tried
to
stay
as
Anonymous
in
Buncombe
County,
as
I
could
of
the
last
eight
months
has
gotten
beyond.
That
seems
like
I,
make
the
news
about
once
at
least
once
or
twice
a
week,
so
I'm
taking
a
little
bit
of
the
heat
off
of
you
when
it
comes
to
me
but
I.
J
There
are
some
counties
doing
it,
but
very,
very
few
that
are
doing
it
to
the
depth
that
you're
doing
it
at
the
to
the
tense
that
you're
doing
it
and
with
the
commitments
that
you're
making
to
back
that
up.
So
we
we
very
much
appreciate
that
I've
been
in
this
role
in
a
row
for
for
eight
months
now,
it's
gone
very,
very
quickly,
most
of
my
jobs.
So
this
is
my
sixth
interim
superintendency.
J
So
that's
been
some
of
my
role
in
Asheville
City
Schools
this
year.
Repairing
some
damaged
relationships
and
I
want
to
say
how
much
I
appreciate
your
your
County
Manager
and
the
great
cooperation
that
I've
received
from
her
and
from
all
of
your
staff.
It's
just
been
wonderful,
I've
enjoyed
it
very
much
and
also
trying
to
especially
this
year
following
covid.
All
of
you
have
read
about
the
issues
with
Staffing.
We've
experienced
those
same
issues
just
like
every
school
system,
probably
everywhere
in
the
United
States.
J
We
may
not
be
quite
as
bad
off
as
some
others,
although
we
have
a
large
number
of
openings
still
most
of
the
folks
that
I
talk
to
in
North
Carolina
are
worse
off
than
we
are
much
worse
off.
In
fact,
I
talked
just
a
couple
of
weeks
ago
to
a
superintendent
and
a
mid-size
system
in
North
Carolina,
who
has
a
fairly
significantly
large
High
School
and
then
at
whole
high
school.
He
had
one
certified
math
teacher
one.
J
So
so
those
statistics
really
don't
mean
much
that
the
statistics
prior
to
that
and
the
statistics
after
that
do
and
we're
pleased
with
some
of
the
things
that
we
see.
We
know
that
we
have
a
real
job
to
do
in
Asheville,
City
Schools,
working
to
close
the
achievement
gap
between
our
African-American
students
and
our
other
white
students.
J
It's
it's
a
big
gap,
but
I
also
would
try
to
put
that
in
context
for
you
to
say
that
it's
it's
an
issue
in
every
Urban
school
system
in
the
United
States
and
I've
worked
as
a
consultant
in
many
of
them.
I've
worked
as
interim
superintendent
in
many
many
of
them.
It's
it's
an
issue
everywhere,
and
it's
because
of
a
number
of
factors,
and
of
course
most
of
it
goes
back
to
poverty,
and
you
know
that
that's
nothing
new.
It's
just
like.
C
J
When
you're
trying
to
raise
proficiency,
it's
it's
a
slow
process
and
there
are
things
you
can
put
in
place
to
make
it
happen.
You
have
to
have
a
school
board
and
a
superintendent
that
demand
those
things
that
set
those
as
priorities.
You
then
have
to
inculcate
that
belief
in
the
whole
system.
You
have
to
constantly
get
people
to
understand
and
believe
that,
yes,
all
kids
are
very
capable
of
learning
at
high
levels
and
you've
got
to
try
to
bring
in
programs
that
involve
the
parents
and
the
community
and
helping
you
do
that.
J
That's
not
a
secret
in
how
you
do
it.
It's
just
putting
all
of
those
ingredients
together
that
make
can
make
it
happen
and
I
think
we
have
some
of
those
going
in
the
right
direction.
I
know
Buncombe,
County
does
also
so
those
factors
you
need
to
consider.
As
you
look
at
how
soon
you
can
move
it,
there's
a
real
opportunity
right
now,
going
on
with
our
state
superintendent
and
state
legislature,
in
looking
at
the
accountability
system
in
North
Carolina
and
how
you
grade
schools.
J
As
most
of
you
probably
know,
schools
get
either
a
b
c
d
or
f
grade
based
upon
two
factors.
One
of
those
factors
is
proficiency.
That's
how
many
students
perform
as
professionals
on
state
tests.
The
other
factor
is
a
growth
score
and
those
are
weighted.
Proficiency
is
80
percent
of
the
score
growth
is
20
percent.
J
Now,
I
believe
every
educator
that
you
would
talk
to
would
tell
you
those
two.
The
most
important
one
is
growth
and
when
students
come
into
school
behind
to
begin
with,
the
only
way
you
ever
get
them
to
proficient
is
to
have
high
growth,
but
you
have
to
grow
them
more
than
a
year
to
be
able
to
eventually
some
point
down
the
road
to
get
a
profession.
So
it's
not
a
very
fast
process.
It
takes
time
to
do
it.
J
That
formula
needs
to
be
adjusted.
Hopefully
that's
going
to
be
done
this
year
to
put
more
emphasis
on
growth.
I
am
happy
to
report
that
our
test
scores
last
year
and
the
looking
at
the
growth
factor
and
our
African-American
students.
We
have
the
highest
growth
ever
in
Asheville,
City,
schools
and
I.
Believe,
that's
because
of
some
of
the
programs
have
been
put
in
place.
J
The
emphasis
now
on
a
really
good,
solid
English
language,
arts
curriculum
a
good,
solid,
Mathematic
Curriculum,
getting
ready
to
adopt
new
science,
curriculums
and
social
studies
curriculum
and
also
the
training
that
goes
on
as
a
piece
of
that
you've
heard
about
letters
training.
Probably
you
heard
about
the
science
of
reading.
That
is
really
really
good
stuff
and
our
teachers
are
going
through
that
this
year
and
we're
getting
seeing
good
results
from
that.
J
It's
it's
frustrating
to
many
of
them,
because
it's
almost
like
in
getting
a
second
master's
degree
on
top
of
whatever
you're
doing,
plus
doing
it
at
the
same
time
you're
having
to
teach
every
day
and
be
prepared.
So
it's
been
frustrating
finding
the
time
that
was
necessary
for
that
training
and
that's
the
piece
of
it
also.
J
J
Some
students
who
just
don't
seem
to
fit
into
a
group
setting
anymore,
don't
want
to
more
more
acting
out
more
physical,
acting
out
more
verbal,
acting
out
the
kinds
of
things
that
make
it
very
difficult,
sometimes
for
teachers
to
control
a
classroom
or
teach.
We
are
donating
a
significant
portion
of
our
Esther
funding
to
that
purpose
this
year.
Just
to
give
an
example,
we
have
nine
schools
every
elementary
school
and
middle
school
and
Asheville
City
schools
has
a
full-time
reset
rope.
J
If
you
don't
know
what
a
reset
room
is,
that's
a
room
where
children
can
go
when
they
just
can't
stand
where
they
are
and
we
have
those
are
staffed.
We
have
them
full
of
equipment
like
punching
bags,
bicycles,
whatever
it
takes
for
that
child
to
be
able
to
to
get
it
out
and
to
reset
themselves.
So
they
can
go
back
into
the
classroom.
We
also
have
in
every
every
school
elementary
Midland
High
School.
We
have
mental
therapy
experts
and
every
one
of
those
we're
doing
that
through
our
mental
health
agencies.
J
We
have
a
total
of
13
of
those
folks
who
work
in
our
schools.
Now,
most
of
that
is
Ezra
funding
and
those
funds
are
going
to
be
drying
up
and
those
are
an
areas
that
we
may
come
back
and
say
to
you.
We
need
some
help
with
so
that's
kind
of
what
we're
experiencing
I.
Don't
have
a
lot
of
answers
with
for
you,
because
it
takes
a
good
year
going
into
school
system
to
really
in
depth,
find
out
all
the
issues
and
what
you're
dealing
with,
but
we
have
a
board
of
education.
J
As
you
know,
we
have
five
new
board
members,
they're,
wonderful
people,
they're
educated,
they're,
they're.
Their
belief
system
is
that
they
really
want
to
tackle
these
problems.
Their
biggest
job
right
now
is
finding
a
new
superintendent
and
getting
someone
on
board,
hopefully
around
July
1.,
but
it's
I've
enjoyed
the
experience
here.
I've
enjoyed
getting
to
know
many
of
you
already
and
listen
to
what
you're
doing,
and
we
so
very
much
appreciate
all
you
do
and
after
Rob
speaks.
If
you
have
another
question,
I'll
be
happy
to
try
to
answer
them.
Okay,
thank
you.
I
I
As
an
aside,
I
also
want
to
share
my
appreciation
on
behalf
of
our
Board
of
Education.
I
know
that
later
today,
you'll
be
considering
the
school
calendar
resolution
again
an
opportunity
for
all
of
us
to
come
together
or
to
consider
what's
best
for
our
students
and
families.
I
apologize
for
not
being
able
to
be
here
for
that
portion
of
the
meeting.
We
have
a
town
hall
meeting
in
the
North
Buncombe
District.
So
I'll
be
there
with
parents
and
community
members
this
evening,
it's
a
a
bit
difficult
to
follow.
Dr
Cosby.
I
If
there
were
a
Mount
Rushmore
of
superintendents
in
North
Carolina,
he
clearly
would
be
on
that
Mount
Rushmore.
He
is
a
a
paragon
and
a
hero
for
educators
across
our
state,
and
certainly
one
of
my
great
Heroes
and
I
appreciate
the
opportunity
I've
had
to
work
with
him.
I'd
also
like
to
very
quickly
mention
that
Mr
Rob
Elliott
who's
on
our
board
of
education
is
also
here
this
afternoon
and
I
appreciate
his
presence
again.
Thank
you.
I
For
this
conversation,
one
of
the
things
that
is
absolutely
demonstrated
and
Illustrated
in
the
data
that's
just
been
shared
with
you
is
that
there
are
gaps
in
achievement
in
our
school
system
in
education.
Our
goal
is
that
each
and
every
one
of
our
students
graduate
from
high
school
on
time
prepared
to
be
successful,
prepared,
for
whatever
pathway
lies
beyond
that
High
School
experience
for
them,
and
so
certainly
we
continue
to
work
through
that
I
appreciate
the
questions
that
I
heard
earlier.
I
In
addition
to
that
over
the
course
of
the
last
couple
of
years
as
you're
very
well
aware
and
as
was
referenced
earlier,
we
had
students
who
were
quarantined
from
school
or
who
were
sick
and
not
able
to
attend
school,
and
certainly
that
impacts
our
attendance
data
as
well.
But
we
are
very
clear
that
when
our
students
are
not
face
to
face
with
our
incredible
teachers,
their
instructional
progress
suffers,
and
so
certainly
to
the
credit
of
the
school
system.
I
The
school
system
prior
to
my
arrival
last
year,
recognizing
the
same
achievement
gaps
that
that
you've
noted
the
same
gaps
in
the
over-representation
of
certain
groups
in
our
disciplinary
data
spent
some
time
dedicated
very
closely
to
really
owning
and
understanding
the
data
to
the
point
that
they
brought
in
the
hunt
Institute
to
provide
professional
development
and
provided
in
internal
trainings,
so
that
the
school
system,
teachers,
Educators
administrators,
really
could
dive
deeply
into
implicit
and
explicit
bias
in
our
practices.
That
work
continues
today,
as
the
school
system
is
working
hard
on
our
system
code
of
conduct.
I
I
was
in
one
particular
meeting
when
a
teacher
said
something
very
simple
yet
incredibly
profound.
The
teacher
said:
behavior
is
communication,
behavior
is
a
form
of
communication,
and
so
we
recognize
that
when
our
students
act
out,
they
are
communicating
something
to
us,
and
so
we've
been
working
hard
to
sharpen
our
understanding
of,
what's
being
communicated
to
our
teachers,
to
our
schools,
to
our
community
through
that
behavior,
so
that
we
may
be
able
to
address
the
needs
that
are
there.
I
As
we
continue
in
this
school
year,
we're
certainly
seeing
ongoing
consequences
of
the
pandemic.
We
understand
our
students
away
from
the
support
structures
of
schools
for
a
significant
amount
of
time,
particularly
during
their
developmental
years,
continues
to
manifest
itself
and
some
of
the
behavior
we're
seeing
one
of
the
sharpest
increases
we're
seeing
in
terms
of
disciplinary
Acts
or
acts
that
lead
to
some
sort
of
disciplinary
action
is
the
incredible
increase
we've
had
with
vaping
and
vaping
issues
from
elementary
through
High
School.
I
I
Some
more
vaping
is
an
addictive
behavior,
and
so
certainly
that
feeds
the
behavior
as
opposed
to
help
create
a
situation
where
they
may
move
away
from
that
behavior,
and
so
certainly
that
is
something
that
we're
seeing
today
and
working
hard
on
and
convening
Partnerships
I
do
want
to
take
just
a
moment
to
acknowledge
and
thank
our
partners
with
the
United
Way.
One
of
the
things
that
they
worked
on
was
the
creation
of
what's
referred
to
as
learning
circle
or
learning
circles,
which
puts
together
information
from
four
areas.
I
The
county
commissioner,
is
bringing
together
this
opportunity,
for
Partnerships
is
certainly
something
we've
been
able
to
lean
into
and
leverage,
and
so
we
certainly
appreciate
that
and
appreciate
our
partners,
like
the
United
Way
and
all
of
our
many
partners
who
help
us
in
this
work,
I'd
like
to
for
just
a
few
moments
kind
of
reference,
as
was
mentioned
earlier
in
the
presentation,
the
data
presentation,
the
largest
subgroup
in
our
school
system
in
Buncombe
County
Schools,
is
our
Hispanic
population.
Now,
not
all
Hispanic.
I
I
Because
again,
our
goal
is
that
each
and
every
student
in
our
school
system
graduate
on
time
prepared
for
success
and
then,
if
I
might
I
was
extremely
excited
when
I
first
looked
through
the
goals
and
I
saw
the
strategy
around
kindergarten.
Readiness
I
am
absolutely
personally
and
professionally
convinced
that
the
greatest
lever
to
making
a
difference
in
student
outcomes
is
in
early
childhood.
I
Our
kindergarten
teachers
on
the
first
day
of
kindergarten
can
tell
you
the
first
day
the
students
who
were
involved
in
a
high
quality
four-year-old
program
and
the
students
who
weren't
we
saw
it
in
the
numbers.
Earlier
I
grew
up
in
Buncombe,
County,
I'm,
quite
proud
of
that
I
attended
kindergarten
at
Beverly,
Hills,
Baptist
Church,
because
at
that
time
kindergarten
was
not
a
part
of
the
public
school
system.
Today,
in
2023
we
can't
imagine
Public
Schools
without
kindergarten,
we're
a
K-12
system.
I
My
hope,
my
dream,
my
goal
is
that
Pre-K
or
pre-kindergarten
become
universally
ubiquitously
available
that
we
have
universal
access
for
every
four-year-old
child
in
Buncombe,
County
to
high
quality
four-year-old
program
I
believe
that's
our
greatest
opportunity
to
make
a
difference
in
a
lot
of
the
achievement
gaps.
We
see
when
we
see
our
students
coming
in
significantly
behind
some
of
their
peers.
We
recognize
anything
that
we
can
do.
Early
is
certainly
helpful
and
we
look
forward
to
being
a
part
of
that
work
and
doing
our
best
to
be
great
Partners
in
that
work.
I
I
was
asked
about
the
social
emotional
needs
that
we're
seeing
in
our
students
in
Buncombe
County
schools
in
our
school
systems
across
the
state.
Certainly
in
the
school
system,
I
was
serving
as
we
were
in
the
midst
of
the
pandemic
and
imagining
life
post
pandemic.
We
believed
that
we
could
predict
a
greater
need
for
social,
emotional
support
of
the
mental
health
of
our
students.
I,
don't
know
that
anybody
was
accurate
in
that
estimate,
I
believe
we
underestimated
the
great
needs.
I
F
Chairman
Newman,
passing
back
to
you
and
to
the
board
for
any
either
discussion
that
you
all
would
like
to
have
questions
for
presenters
information
or
direction
that
you'd
like
to
provide
to
staff.
As
we
have
with
other
strategic
plan,
focused
area
meetings.
We
can
leave
and
gather
additional
information
and
come
back
and
continue
the
conversation
going
forward.
But
the
rest
of
this
time
is
at
your
discretion.
Okay,.
A
Thanks
Rachel
all
right,
Commissioners,
great
presentations,
everyone
staff,
folks
from
the
school,
it's
great
great
job,
lots
of
really
interesting
information,
so
I
know
that
was
putting
this
together
is
you
know
a
lot
of
work,
so
thank
you
for
for
for
everything
that
went
into
this
really
substantive
presentations
commissioner's
questions,
any
follow-up
questions,
I.
H
Do
have
a
question
and
a
comment:
I
wanted
to
follow
up.
First
on
Dr
Cosby's
comment
about
the
growth
within
the
black
students
in
Asheville
City
Schools
I
was
chatting
with
him
beforehand
and
mentioned
that
at
our
budget
hearing
from
the
schools
back
in
May
Ashley
Michelle
thooblin
had
presented
to
us
that
some
growth
data
I
was
actually
able
to
find
the
slide
of
the
14
tested
areas.
Last
year,
Asheville
City
Schools
black
students
experienced
growth
in
13
of
the
14
areas.
H
I
feel
like
during
our
budget
presentation,
I
think
that
glossed
over
due
to
a
myriad
of
factors
at
time,
but
that
was
up
from
8
of
14
to
13
of
14..
So
just
wanted
to
say
thank
you
for
addressing
that
as
part
of
your
comments
to
us,
but
also
did
not
want
that
data
to
get
glossed
over
again.
That
I
think
you
are
starting
to
see
some
significant
improvements
in
addressing
the
achievement
and
opportunity
gaps
within.
Thank.
J
You
very
much
for
mentioning
that
I
did
mention
just
quickly
the
kind
of
growth
that
we
saw
and
it
was
really
significant.
I
wouldn't
mentioned
it,
so
it
really
made
our
staff
feel
very,
very
good
about
the
direction
that
we're
going
with
that
we
know
we
have
a
lot
of
work
to
do
there,
yet
we
know
how
it
has
done.
It's
a
matter
of
getting
everyone
together
to
do
it.
J
J
I
thought
he
was
going
to
talk
about
me
being
his
daddy
and
I
thought
when
I
was
first
setting,
slides
appeared
I'd
be
much
more
appropriate
to
talk
about
the
old
folks
piece
of
it
and
I
was
about
education
piece.
Yes,
thank
you
for
mentioning
that.
H
Thank
you,
Dr
Cosby
I
appreciate
that
and
Dr
Jackson,
while
you're
there
I
do
have
a
follow-up,
I'm
curious
as
you're
talking
about
the
code
of
conduct,
the
behavioral
challenges
that
are
experienced
within
our
students,
and
we
know
that's
happening
everywhere
right
now.
H
I
am
curious
when
you
look
at
the
social,
emotional
learning
aspects
within
the
behaviors.
How
are
you
addressing
those
so
that
they're,
not
punitive
and
disciplinary
toward
the
student
as
part
of
your
code
of
conduct.
I
Absolutely
so
Dr
Shane
Casta
who's,
our
director
of
student
Support
Services,
is
here
as
well,
and
one
of
the
things
or
one
of
the
ways
that
he's
really
kind
of
described
the
work
is
the
system
is
setting
up
guard
rails,
and
so
we
want
to
make
sure
that
a
consequence
is
not
too
heavy-handed
and
a
consequence
is
not
without
consequence.
I
So
we
change
the
behavior
and
So
within
those
guard
rails,
though
we
give
the
the
administrators
the
opportunity
to
really
look
situationally
specific
at
what
happened
so
that
we
can
find
out
if
there
was
a
communication
happening
through
that
behavior.
But
the
big
piece,
though,
is
pairing
the
consequence
with
the
intervention,
whether
that's
more
time
with
a
counselor
or
time
with
a
mental
health
therapist
or
having
the
opportunity
to
use
I.
Believe
you
called
it
a
reset
room.
I
We
certainly
have
rooms
like
that
in
our
schools
as
well,
so
that
working
with
and
through
our
counselors
and
our
student
support
team
we're
trying
to
meet
them
needs
of
the
student,
while
also
encouraging
them
not
to
engage
in
those
misbehaviors
as
well,
because
we
certainly
want
every
single
parent
who
sends
a
child
to
Buncombe
County
Schools,
to
know
that
they're
sending
their
child
to
a
safe
school.
And
so
when
they
are
misbehaviors.
J
Let
me
just
comment
also
we're
doing
similar.
We
redid
our
code
of
student
conduct
this
year.
We
changed
the
name
of
it.
We
call
it
now
the
code
of
Student
Success,
which
is
a
much
more
positive
spin
on
it.
It
also
does
the
same
kind
of
thing
identifies
the
different
kinds
of
issues
it
sets
parameters.
It
gives
a
series
of
consequences
from
milder
to
harsher
for
first
offense
to
second
offense
and
so
on
and
I
think
our
principles
have
found
it
very
effective.
I
know
you
live
with
one
of
them.
J
He
probably
talks
about
it
every
night,
but
they
they've
I
think
they
have
felt
really
good
about
the
results
that
we've
gotten
from
that
it's
very
firm,
but
it's
also
very
fair
and
it's
very
I
think
consequential
to
looking
toward
positive
things
for
students,
but
there
are
just
some
times
that
you
have
to
do
some
things
that
no
one
really
wants
to
do,
and
it
allows
that
also,
if
necessary,.
G
Okay,
I
was
going
to
ask
a
wonky
data
question
but
which
I
think
is
for
Rachel.
You
know
I'm
I'm
staring
at
some
of
this.
G
Some
of
these
bar
graphs
around
proficiency
and
math
or
Proficiency
in
reading
or
the
the
absent
students
chronically
absence
students,
data
points,
and
it's
it's
really
showing
us
this
disruption
over
the
pandemic.
That's
sticks
out
dramatically:
I
guess
I'm,
just
look
I'm,
looking
I'm
hoping
for
looking
for
a
some
other
data
point
that
we
can
look
to.
That
shows
that
things
are
improving.
G
I
know
it's
only
across
two
fiscal
years:
I
can't
count
in
academic
years.
You
know
is:
is
there
a
data
point
around
I?
Don't
know
kindergartners
to
second
graders
that
we
can
look
at.
J
Yes,
we
we
have
like
Readiness
once
coming
in.
We
were
very
pleased
that
those
those
numbers
are
up
this
year.
We
will
have
test
results
now,
we'll
be
doing
a
mid-year
kind
of
diagnostic
kind
of
tests
and
we'll
have
that
data
to
see
and
so
far
we
we
think
that
that
will
show
Improvement,
but
you'll
have
to
wait
till
the
end
of
the
year
to
really
get
the
those
those
other
pieces.
J
We
believe
that
the
we
can
give
you
numbers
like
what
percentages
are
of
absenteeism
right
now
and
we're
running
right
now:
Nashville
city
schools,
about
92
percent
of
our
students
and
and
school
every
day,
and
that
that's
a
fairly
normal
and
that's
up
from
what
it
was
before.
So
that's
returning
more
to
normal
and
we're
pleased
with
that,
but
that
also
we've
run
into
times
this
year.
That's
been
lower
because
we've
had
bouts
of
folks
with
covet
and
flu
and
RSV,
and
you
know
all
all
the
the
viruses
that
are
out
there.
J
Excuse
me
and
when
you
have
that
you
have
a
lot
of
folks
out.
In
fact,
you
don't
want
them
in
school.
You
know
I've
been
out
twice
myself,
I
had
coveted
once
they
didn't
want
me
around.
My
wife
didn't
want
me
at
home
either,
but
she
hadn't
put
up
with
me.
So
there
are
times
that
you
don't
want
them,
so
those
numbers
right
now
are
really
difficult
to
say
what
they
mean
and
what
they
don't
mean.
J
I
think
a
lot
of
the
absence
this
year
is
more
of
an
indication
of
illnesses
and
viruses
and
sickness
and
those
kind
of
issues
and
we've
had
not
only
students
the
same
thing
in
staff.
You
know
I
know
one
day
at
Asheville
high
school.
If
I
remember,
we
had
something
like
almost
30
30
staff
members
out,
all
of
them
with
covet
or
flu
or
whatever.
Now
that
is
letting
up
now.
F
I
appreciate
your
question,
commissioner,
and
we'll
admit
that
the
information
we
included
in
here
is
sort
of
the
headline
high
level
measures
and
there
are
a
lot
of
opportunities
to
go
into
more
depth.
So,
for
example,
in
kindergarten
entry,
we
showed
you
the
entry
assessment
that
it
gets
administered
within
the
first
couple
of
months
of
a
kindergarten
experience.
F
They
also
have
what's
called
m-class,
which
are
assessments
that
happen
at
the
beginning,
in
the
middle
and
the
end
of
the
year
same
with
each
of
the
sort
of
phases
of
a
student's
participation
in
school,
where
we
may
have
course
course
level
grades
that
tell
a
part
of
the
academic
picture.
We
might
have
grade
level
promotion
so
any
of
those
areas
if
you're
curious
and
want
to
us
to
come
back
and
bring
more
information.
You
can
certainly
articulate
that
now
and
or
anytime,
and
we
can
dig
deeper.
E
No
I
I'll
start
and
say
thank
you
for
all
the
work
that
you
all
are
doing,
particularly
when
it
comes
to
the
intersection
of
school
and
Justice.
Your
task
is
something
really
unique
in
addressing
this
in
a
trauma-informed
way,
addressing
the
multiple
mental
health
and
best
services,
safe
schools,
approach
here
and
I,
don't
envy
y'all
having
to
to
navigate
what
that
looks
like
day
by
day.
E
E
Taking
that
individualized
approach
that
you
mentioned
with
your
great
staff
and
Dr
cassida
included
of
folks
who
are
looking
at
every
individual
case,
to
determine
what's
most
appropriate
for
each
student,
while
also
balancing
consistency
across
the
board,
because
it
inherently
is
a
subjective
kind
of
assessment
for
what
we're
doing
here,
which
is
needed,
but
also
makes
it
hard
to
track
across
all
metrics
of
did
this
person
who
had
this
specific
issue,
get
the
same
service
or
treatment
different
needs,
different
situations,
so
I'd
love
to
keep
that
conversation
going
and
find
out.
E
K
You
know
I
would
like
to
thank
you
for
our
staff,
for
the
information
that
everybody
has
bought
for
us,
but
I've
got
to
be
perfectly
honest
with
you
as
a
black
man,
I'm
appalled
at
what
I
see
when
I
look
at
the
numbers.
You
know
I've
been
on
the
commission
now
for
seven
years
and
every
year
the
schools
come
before
us
and
every
year
we
hear
the
same
song
we
spend
over
a
hundred
million
dollars
a
year.
K
Go
and
look
at
other
counties
in
the
state.
Would
love
that
in
the
state
would
love
to
have
the
funds
that
we
spend
for
students.
So
it's
no
question
that
Buncombe
County
is
committed
to
our
students,
but
my
concern
is
what's
happening
with
both
school
systems.
I
just
don't
see
the
results.
I
just
hope
and
pray.
I've
got
three
well
accounting
this
year,
four
years
left
and
that
I'm
often
the
sunset
but
I
want
you
folks
to
do
me.
A
favor,
surprise
me
and
come
forward
with
some
numbers.
K
That'll
show
that
we
are
doing
a
rule.
You
know
sure
the
numbers
are
up
some
but
cow
when
they're
as
bad
as
they've.
Been
you
can
only
go
up
it's
hard
to
go
down
anymore,
but
I
just
hope
that
I
will
see
something
that
will
impress
me
and
it's
not
only
I-
remember
a
conversation.
I
had
with
Dr
King,
eight
months
before
he
died.
K
A
All
right,
gentlemen,
thank
you
for
being
here
thanks
to
all
the
members
of
your
team
and
the
county
staff.
For
again
the
really
substantive
presentation
you
know
we
are
just
beginning
the
budget
process
for
this
year.
We
know
that
the
past
several
years
and
still
the
schools
are
in
a
very
unique
environment
right
now
coming
out
of
covid
and
hopefully
transitioning
into
something
that
has
a
lot
more
feel
to
normalcy
to
it.
A
But
we
know
it's
still,
although
the
schools
are
doing
in-person
instruction,
that
the
the
effects
of
the
pandemic
and
the
disruptions
of
schools
that
all
those
effects
are
still
are
very
much
being
felt
in
the
way
the
schools
are
are
operating
today.
So
thank
you
for
all
that
you
do
thanks
to
all
the
members,
your
teams,
the
educators.
A
We
really
appreciate
it
and
look
forward
to
taking
the
information
you've
shared
today
and
working
with
you
over
the
coming
months
as
we
go
through
the
budget
process
to
make
I
think
a
lot
of
difficult
decisions.
You
know
there
were
a
very
tough
time
during
the
pandemic,
but
there
was
also
a
lot
of
resources
provided
and
those
resources
are
not
going
to
be
here
long
term.
A
So
we've
got
a
lot
of
important
priorities
to
set
around
what
we
keep
and
what
are
the
most
important
Investments
for
this
period
of
transition,
but
also
just
thinking
about
what
are
those
high
impact
areas
where
we
really
can
make
a
difference
on
these
important
issues,
including
the
ones
that
commissioner
Whiteside
just
talked
about.
What
can
we
do
to
really
to
really
move
the
needle
on
some
of
these
issues
that
that
are
not
easy
to
do,
but
which
is
really
our
job
to
do
so.
Thank
you.
A
All
for
being
here,
we
look
forward
to
working
with
you
in
the
months
to
come.
Yeah
all
right,
Rachel,
anything
else
on
this
item
all
right:
okay,
well,
Commissioners!
That's
everything
that
was
on
our
agenda
for
the
briefing
meeting,
so
we
will
adjourn
and
we
will
reconvene
for
the
regular
meeting
at
five
o'clock.