By Holly Fesperman Lee

Salisbury Post

Newly elected school board members will participate in their first meeting Monday.

Karen South Carpenter, W. Jean Kennedy and Patty Williams will be sworn in at 6 p.m. in the Long Street Administration Office boardroom by Rowan County Clerk of Court Jeff Barger.

Once the new members are installed, they will join Kay Wright Norman, Bryce Beard, Dr. Jim Emerson and Linda Freeze.

After the ceremony, the new group will get down to business at 7 p.m. — electing a board chairman is the first order of business.

Beard is the current board chairman and Norman serves as vice chair. The group will decide if the two will keep their spots.

There are 10 discussion items on the new board’s agenda.

They’ll hear a plan for raising student achievement at North Rowan High School that includes educational and remediation opportunities as well as parent involvement and staff incentives.

The high school curriculum guidebook has been reviewed and revised for the next school year. Courses have been added and deleted based on principal recommendations and student needs. The board will review a draft of these changes.

Superintendent Dr. Judy Grissom and Alesia Burnette, director of school improvement, will give a presentation on the ABC and AYP status of the Rowan-Salisbury Schools.

The new board will vote on a proposed calendar for next school year and the November budget amendments.

An amendment to the transportation policy to restrict activity bus travel to destinations in North Carolina is also up for approval. If the policy is approved all out of state field trips using bus transportation must use an approved carrier from the Rowan-Salisbury Schools approved list.

The board will also consider a resolution allowing the system to transfer the new Ethan H. Shive elementary school property to Rowan County so the county can secure financing for the project.

Contact Holly Lee at 704-797-7683 or hlee@salisburypost.com.