Articles written by John Lanier
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McDaris: Data Shows Decrease In School Funding
Transylvania County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff McDaris provided the Transylvania County Board of Education with various data, including comparisons of two sets of peer counties, at the board meeting last Monday evening. “We really have such a...
School Instruction Coaches Explain Their Job
Four elementary school instructional coaches – Barbara Grimm of Brevard Elementary (BES), Anne Hardy of Pisgah Forest Elementary (PFE), Crystal Whitman of Rosman Elementary (RES) and Kimberly Moore of T.C. Henderson (TCH) – informed the...
Academy Board Discusses Student Performance
The Brevard Academy: A Challenge Foundation Academy Board of Directors received reports from school director Ted Duncan on student performance. Duncan said that Moby Max, a program to assist students struggling with math, is boosting student...
Ballard: Humankind's Survival Rests In The Seas
If humankind is to survive, the solution is in the seas, not the stars. That was one of several messages renowned oceanographic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard delivered to a packed house at Brevard College’s Porter Center for Performing Arts last Th...
Academy Board Approves Calendar
At its March meeting, the Brevard Academy: A Challenge Foundation Academy Board of Directors unanimously approved the calendar for the 2018-19 school year. School Director Ted Duncan said the calendar’s vacation days align with the other public...
School Capital Projects Placed On Hold
Last Monday evening the Transylvania County Board of Education voted to defer some of its current capital projects to pay for advance planning by architectural firm Clark Nexsen for the upcoming $68 million school bond referendum. In January, the sch...
School Board OKs New Teacher Contracts
By a 4-1 vote, last Monday evening the Transylvania County Board of Education approved Policy 7410, which calls for teachers new to the county to receive three one-year contracts and then receive a two-year contract if they are in good standing. At t...
School Dropout Rate Hits An All-Time Low
The dropout rate for Transylvania County Schools hit 0.7 percent last year, an all-time low for the county and one of the lowest in the state for the 2016-17 school year. A dropout is defined by the state of North Carolina as “any student who...
'Guis' Siniard Called A 'Gentle Man'
Hale “Guis” Siniard Jr., who passed away Friday, March 16, is remembered as a gentle man who quietly worked behind the scenes in diverse ways to improve the quality of life in Transylvania County. “What a gentleman he was,” said Artie...
Academy To Hire School Resource Officer
Last Wednesday evening, a month to the date after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla., the Brevard Academy: A Challenge Foundation Academy Board of Directors voted unanimously to employ a school resource officer for the remainder of...
School System May Need More Money For Insurance
The Transylvania County School system could need an additional $50,000 in local funding to cover projected increases in retirement and health insurance for the 2018-19 school year. In discussing the 2018-19 budget at the Transylvania County Board of...
School Board Approves The 2018/2019 Calendar
The Transylvania County Board of Education board unanimously approved the school calendar for the 2018-19 school year at a regularly scheduled meeting last Monday evening. School for students will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The last day for...
School Board Approves Policies, Including Wireless Communications
From wireless communication devices to character education, the Transylvania County Board of Education approved several policies last Monday evening. The board approved a policy that would allow wireless devices such as cell phones to be used on...
Board Moving Toward Teacher Contract Changes
By a 3-2 vote Monday evening, the Transylvania County Board of Education approved the first reading of Policy 7410, which covers contracts for non-career status teachers. For decades, teachers in North Carolina worked on one-year contracts for their...
McDaris: School Safety The Top Priority
While tragedies such as the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., could happen anywhere in the United States, Transylvania County Schools has taken numerous steps over the last several years to lessen the chances of such an event occurring here....
Principal, Teacher Contract Changes Discussed
Changes in principal and teacher contracts were discussed last week at the workshop held by the Transylvania County Board of Education. In July of 2017, a new pay schedule for principals went into effect. In the past, a principal’s pay was...
Board Sees Draft Budget
The Transylvania County Board of Education received it first draft of the local portion of the budget for the coming 2018-19 school year during a board workshop session last Monday evening. Superintendent Dr. Jeff McDaris informed the board the...
BMC Looks Toward Its 'Best' Season - Brevard, NC
"Stupendous," "extraordinary," "astonishing," "exciting." Those are just some of the words Mark Weinstein used to describe the upcoming summer festival at the Brevard Music Center. "I've never been...
Rural School Funding Decrease Explained
School Superintendent Jeff McDaris said he received an explanation from U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows’ office as to why Transylvania County is no longer eligible for rural school funding, even though counties with larger populations receive such money....
Suicide, Student Homeless Shelter Discussed
The need for a suicide prevention awareness program and efforts by Isaac’s Home to provide shelter for homeless students were both brought before the Transylvania County Board of Education last Tuesday evening. During the first public comment...
School Board To Request Bond For $68 Million
Tuesday evening the Transylvania County Board of Education voted unanimously to pass a resolution requesting that county commissioners seek a $68 million bond for school construction. The bond referendum would be held in November during the general e...
Academy Calendar To Stay The Same - Pisgah Forest, NC
Despite missing two days of school and starting school late five days due to inclement weather since the beginning of December, Brevard Academy: A Challenge Foundation Academy currently does not have to make up those days. School director Ted Duncan...
Board Discusses Restrictions On Student Numbers In K-3 Grades
State restrictions on the number of students per class in kindergarten through third grade were discussed at the Transylvania County Board of Education meeting held on Monday, Dec. 18. Nearly two years ago the state General Assembly passed a law...
BRCC, Schools Discussed At Board Meeting
The Transylvania County Board of Education received information on its partnership with Blue Ridge Community College and discussed potential changes to policies regarding student dress and wireless communications usage at its recent meeting. “This...
School System Picks Architectural Firm Clark Nexsen
The Transylvania County Board of Education selected Clark Nexsen as the architectural firm to continue working on the school system’s Master Facilities Plan in preparation for a possible bond referendum, but postponed signing any contract until a...