041717ssmJOINT MEETING
HARNETT COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
HARNETT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
Minutes of Special Meeting
April 17, 2017
The Harnett County Board of Commissioners met jointly with the Harnett County Board of
Education in special session on Monday, April 17, 2017, in the Board Room of the Lillington
Education Center, Lillington, North Carolina.
Members present:
Staff present:
Board of Education Members present:
Staff present:
Gordon Springle, Chairman
Joe Miller, Vice Chairman
Barbara McKoy, Commissioner
Howard Penny, Commissioner
Abe Elmore, Commissioner
Joseph Jeffries, County Manager
Paula Stewart, Deputy County Manager
Dwight Snow, County Attorney
Kimberly Honeycutt, Finance Officer
Margaret Regina Wheeler, Clerk
Brian Haney, Director of Community Relations
Bill Morris, Chairman
Eddie Jaggers Vice -Chairman
Vivian Bennett, Board Member
Roger Farina, Board Member
Jason Lemons, Board Member
Aaron Fleming, Interim Superintendent
Brookie Ferguson, Assistant Superintendent
Dr. Nancy Holmes, Assistant Superintendent
Vera Jones, Assistant Superintendent
Brooks Matthews, Assistant Superintendent
Monica Thompson, Assistant Superintendent
Charles Bullock, School Board Attorney
Tammy Magill, Finance Officer
Terry Byrd, Clerk
Patricia Harmon -Lewis, Director of Public Relation
Chairman Morris reconvened the Board of Education. Chairman Springle called the meeting of
the Harnett County Board of Commissioners to order. Commissioner Penny led the invocation
and Vice -Chairman Miller led the Pledge of Allegiance. The Board of Education amended their
meeting agenda.
April 17, 2017 Special Session Minutes
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
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Thomas Dudley and Mathew Palmer from the Operations Research and Education
Laboratory (OREd) provided a presentation covering the Harnett County Land Use Study,
membership forecast and school out -of -capacity tables. They presented a data -focused
membership and utilization forecast study for Harnett County Schools by using membership
forecasts, GIS analysis/land use studies, out -of -capacity analysis, school site optimization, and
attendance zone optimization. The next steps for OREd and Harnett County Schools are:
• continue to monitor changes in residential growth and student generation rates in the
district, and
• continue to monitor current and potential charter school impact in„ and in proximity to,
the district, and
• explore potential school site and attendance boundary optimization scenarios.
Superintendent Fleming presented the following proposed 2017-2018 Draft Budget for Harnett
County Schools:
2017-18 Current Expense Additional Request $4,398,454
Total 2017-2018 Current Expense Request $27,073,792
Total 2017-18 Capital Request $5,626,917
Total 2017-18 Current & Capital $32,700,709
New Current & Capital $10,025,371
The 2017-18 Current Expense Additional Request totaling $4,398,454 included:
- SS & Retirement for $1,055,200 for original $1000 teacher supplement $263,589
- $1000 Supplement increase for certified staff not included 2016-17 appropriation $527,580
- $500 additional supplement increase for certified staff including benefits $791,390
- $500 supplement for classified staff including benefits $316,220
- Early College Start Up $581,617
- 28 Teachers to reduce class room size (Pending K-3 Legislative change) $167,0816
- 1 Dual Immersion — HPS (based on 2016-17 avg. with benefits per DPI) $59,672
- Pending state approved salary increase — 4% $187,570
Mr. Fleming and staff responded to several questions by commissioners regarding these
additional requests.
The group discussed teacher's supplements. Chairman Springle said when they first talked about
this program they wanted to reward classroom teachers who were staying with us. He said the
agreement was to pay $1,000 to every classroom teacher who was here September 1, 2015, they
had to be here the whole school year, and teachers who were not here the previous September
were not eligible for it.
Chairman Springle stressed that the Board of Education's supplement is different; this $1000 is
not part of their supplement plan. Commissioners said they have a certain amount of money that
they are going to spend on this program. Commissioners reiterated the $1000 is in addition to
April 17, 2017 Special Session Minutes
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
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the school' supplement plan and will be paid separately in November. Superintendent Fleming
said they do not have the Finance staff to manage all of this.
Chairman Springle asked that we come up with a way in which we all agree this is going to be
handled from now on. He said we need to agree on the definition that we are going to use for
classroom teacher or certified teacher and how to show measured improvement from one year to
the next. Chairman Morris said staff would e-mail a definition of a classroom teacher and how
many there are before the close of business the following day. Commissioners will discuss this
information at their next meeting. Chairman Springle said, regarding the additional $500, we are
looking for a definitive way of measuring improvement. Superintendent Fleming responded his
recommendation would be district improvement because some teachers may be in a school that is
low performing but they themselves are a high performing teacher or vice versa, a low
performing teacher in a high performing school. Chairman Springle asked that they not get it to
where it is going to be easy or an automatic thing.
The group discussed the Board of Education's request of $263,589 for social security &
retirement for $1,055,200 for original $1000 teacher's supplement. Commissioners stated it was
not their intent to pay social security and retirement benefits on the $1000 supplement.
Chairman Morris discussed a draft packet distributed that provided the Board of Education's
outstanding project debt service of about $15,000,000 of capital needs and various things. He
said they had broken it down into what they feel are their immediate needs. Commissioners said
that the capital improvement plan was exactly what they needed so that the County's Finance
Officer could start putting money aside so when things do happen we will have it.
Superintendent Fleming mentioned school buses as an immediate need. He also noted they had
gotten a quote on the Overhills High School dining expansion for just over $503,000. Chairman
Springle said there is a possibility the Overhills cafeteria expansion could be done with the
money we are getting for the Benhaven School project.
Chairman Springle recessed the meeting of the Harnett County Board of Commissioners. They
will reconvene for their regular meeting :,�.!!� in the County Administration Building.
t Regina W1*eler, Clerk
April 17, 2017 Special Session Minutes
Harnett County Board of Commissioners
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