By Rebecca Rider
rebecca.rider@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Monday holds the potential to bring a lot of new changes to the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education.

At its December business meeting, new board member Alisha Byrd, elected in November to represent the board’s Salisbury seat, will be sworn in along with incumbents Josh Wagner and Susan Cox.

The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. in the Wallace Educational Forum board room, 500 N. Main St. Public comment will be held at 6 p.m.

The board will also nominate and elect a chairman and vice chairman to serve in the coming calendar year. The positions are currently held by Wagner and Dean Hunter.

But the meeting itself holds the potential for change. Listed on the meeting agenda is a resolution requesting the North Carolina General Assembly to establish a law that would make Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education elections partisan. Board elections are currently non-partisan.

Should the board approve, the areas for the board’s seven seats will be submitted for confirmation from the Rowan County Board of Elections. Once confirmed, the resolution will be submitted to the general assembly. Should it be approved the change will take effect at the time of the 2018 general elections.

Also on the board’s agenda is information regarding a recent state mandate on class sizes. According to the board’s online agenda, the General Assembly budget for 2016 included a policy and funding provision to reduce class sizes by three students in kindergarten, first and second.

According to Rowan-Salisbury Schools Chief Financial Officer Robin Leslie, the state policy would require the district to add at minimum an additional 30 teacher positions, without increasing teacher allotments and funding.

“They’re giving us the same allotments but they’re tying our hands as to what its for,” Leslie said of the policy.

Leslie and the attachment cited several concerns about the policy including the system’s ability to fill the new positions, space in certain schools and whether or not funding would have to be cut from other programs in order to meet the state’s requirement.

In other business the board:

• Will consider allowing certain schools to apply for a restart model.
• Consider a property exchange with the Cleveland Volunteer Fire Department.
• Will consider roof and safety bids.

Contact reporter Rebecca Rider at 704-797-4264.