PITTSBORO — The Chatham County Board of Education met on June 5 at the new Chatham County Schools Central Services Office to honor student-athletes and explore potential collaborations between the district and Wolfspeed.
The majority of the meeting was dedicated to recognizing student-athletes who excelled at their sport, including, golf, track and field and lacrosse. The board also honored the parents of the Parent Advisory Committee who have given suggestions and ideas to improve the district.
Following the honorees, Michelle Burton, executive director for secondary education & CTE, and Delisha Hinton, Wolfspeed relationship manager for K-12 & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, conducted a joint presentation explaining the collaboration between both entities.
Wolfspeed and CCS’s partnership aims to inform Chatham County students on the educational and career tracks available to them through Wolfspeed’s growing job market, especially with its new John Palmour Manufacturing Center for Silicon Carbide coming to Siler City.
The facility promises to invest $5 billion and add 1,800 jobs to the county over the next two decades. It is the largest economic development deal in state history.
The board also heard a presentation from Assistant Superintendent Chris Blice who introduced the design for the new Northwood High School sign. The new sign’s right side would include a digital display visible on both sides, and its left side will include a more modernized logo of the school's name.
Vice Chairperson Del Turner raised concerns regarding maintaining components of the original sign, built by Northwood masonry students who had attended the school. She said it was important to keep and honor Chathamites’ work with the surging changes to Chatham County population.
Blice said part of the original sign will be demolished — including the current lettering, top circle Chargers sign and left insert, which were not built by the masons. The original masonry of the planter on the bottom right, however, will be kept.
To remedy this further, Wilson proposed adding a plaque commemorating the significance and work of the masons to the original masonry on the new sign.
With this resolution discussed, the board agreed unanimously to accept the resolution pending final attorney approval with an additional commemorative plaque to construction plans.
Finally, the board discussed the resolution to pledge to prioritize public school funding to the 2023-2025 biennium budget in light of the recent Senate budget proposal.
“The resolution before you tonight speaks to, again, advocating for a respectable wage for teachers,” Superintendent Dr. Anthony Jackson said. “As well as a pathway for continuing to ensure that public resources are used on public schools to support and to continue to support the needs of public schools, and specifically stating some concern about the new opportunity scholarships that are being promoted at the state level to go to non-public schools for the students.”
This resolution was unanimously approved by the board.
The next scheduled Chatham BOE regular meeting is at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, July 10, at the CCS Central Services Office.