The State Board of Education voted on Wednesday to conduct a study in the coming school year to examine whether their proposals are doable. George Olsen has more.
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The policy approved Thursday requires school bus drivers to use standard hand signals to tell students when the road is safe to cross. Then, the driver will point his/her index finger in the direction students should cross.
As president for the last two years and board member for three, Picini has been recognized by the School Board Association and has been lobbying on behalf of not only the South Country School District but also Suffolk County as a whole.
The Board said in a statement that one of the reasons for this change is the fact that five North Carolina students were injured during the past school year by motorists that illegally passed stopped school buses.
School District 47’s provisional budget for next year shows a deficit of $161,000, but officials say the books will look different when the district’s financial plan is revisited in the fall.
“For the benefit of the students we serve, I do not think this is an unreasonable request”, she said. With the “natural decline” of student numbers, Hopkins said two fewer teachers will be required at the school next year. “The board is pleased that the process has now been completed and that we can all get back to our collective mission of serving the community, students, etc”. “Even though the kids hadn’t been trained yet, when they saw the hand signal, I saw them stop right in their tracks and wait until the student transporter signaled to cross”.
In addition, he is responsible for developing the Local Control Accountability Plan, negotiating a new contract with the classified and certificated bargaining units, district-wide facility planning, hiring and retaining employees, budget development, and supervising technology and pupil services.
Under a new safety policy, school bus riders throughout Sampson County will have to pay more attention to their driver before crossing the street.
If Bryant declares an emergency, the state would appoint a conservator to run the district, deposing the school board and interim superintendent. That applies to those who are not riding the bus as well.
Lancaster City Schools Superintendent Steve Wigton said the district was appreciative of what it will receive under the funding formula.
The policy becomes effective January 1, 2016, but districts may start sooner of they wish.
Marlon Watson, the Durham Public Schools’ director of transportation services, said Tuesday that the new policy will provide an extra layer of protection for school children, coupled with the recent state push to add cameras to catch motorists who pass stopped school buses.
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Reach Chase Jordan at 910-249-4617.
