Karee Mackey

The 2025-2030 Strategic Plan for North Carolina Public Schools aims to achieve educational excellence by making the state's public schools the best in the United States. It is built upon eight transformative pillars: preparing each student for their next phase in life, revering public school educators, enhancing parent, caregiver, and community support, ensuring healthy, safe, and secure learning environments, optimizing operational excellence, leading transformative change, celebrating the excellence in public education, and galvanizing champions to fully invest in and support public education. The plan seeks to foster high academic achievement, character development, and ensure every student is prepared for a life of purpose and possibility.

This document outlines the strategic direction for Blue Ridge Elementary, guided by a vision to encourage dreams, inspire hope, fulfill needs, and prepare students for success, with the motto 'Dream. Believe. Become. Lead.' Its mission is to educate, nurture, and challenge students through a safe, child-centered environment, high expectations, individualized support, data-driven and systematic instruction, and dynamic learning experiences. The strategic goals aim to eliminate opportunity gaps by decreasing office referrals, improve school and district performance by increasing reading and math proficiency, and enhance educator preparedness to meet the needs of all students, particularly those with disabilities, with all objectives targeted for completion by 2027.

The board discussed 2024/25 budget requests, including the upcoming ground-breaking for a new track and high school football field. Other projects reviewed include window replacements, HVAC upgrades, and a chiller project at the high school. The board also addressed $12 million in funding for the new middle school project, reviewed fund balances for capital projects, and discussed necessary roof repairs for the old middle school and the pool. The Finance Officer was directed to submit final budget requests to the County Commissioners.

The Board convened to review and consider policy updates and to appoint delegates for the NCSBA conference. Key actions included the approval of delegates for the NCSBA conference and the review of various board policies, including the acceptance of several new policies and policies requiring updates due to recent legislation.

The board conducted meetings that included a regular board meeting and a special called meeting. During the sessions, the board received updates on various school achievements, including grant success, National Board certifications, and HOSA competition results. The board addressed personnel items, approved a contract for nursing care services, approved an overnight HOSA competition event, authorized the 2025/2026 budget calendar, and approved a paid pre-k program at the Early Learning Center. Additionally, the board discussed calendar logistics regarding weather waiver days and exam schedules, reviewed select policies from the 2000 series, and participated in school board member ethics training.