Buncombe County Board of Education Packet Summary — 2026-08-06
Meeting: Regular Board Meeting
The August 6 packet includes proposed financial actions, school safety contracting, student fees, employee compensation, instructional-resource procurements, capital spending, school operating schedules, advisory council appointments, personnel matters, and a group of board policies presented for first reading.
Key Items on the Agenda
Unarmed Security Services for Six High Schools
The packet recommends awarding RFP 10-26 for unarmed security guard services to Signal of Asheville. Buncombe County Schools received three bids and held presentations on July 16 before a nine-member district evaluation team, which unanimously recommended Signal.
- The recommended contract amount is $231,516.00, contingent upon attorney review.
- Services would cover the district's six traditional high schools.
- The proposed contract would run from August 6, 2026 through June 30, 2028, covering fiscal years 2026-27 and 2027-28 at the same cost, with an option to renew for 2028-29.
- Duties described in the procurement materials include traffic control, campus patrols, visitor and security checks, incident reporting, emergency support, and other campus-specific responsibilities.
- The recommendation cites Signal's tracking and reporting system, training, de-escalation focus, local management, staffing practices, and employee benefits among the evaluation factors.
The Board is scheduled to consider authorization of the contract; the packet does not establish that the Board has approved it.
Substitute Teacher Pay Increase
District staff proposes higher daily rates for licensed substitutes and math/science interim substitutes, citing recruitment and retention and alignment with salary schedules approved July 7, 2026.
If approved:
- Licensed substitutes: $165 per day, up from $145.
- Math/science interims: $170 per day, up from $150.
- Non-licensed substitutes: $120 per day, unchanged.
- The new rates would take effect August 17, 2026.
2026-27 Student Fees
Under Policy 4600, principals submitted proposed school fees for Board approval. The packet says schools will publish approved fee schedules and notify families about the process for requesting need-based fee waivers or reductions.
Among the proposed fees and ranges:
- Middle-school athletics: $45.
- High-school athletics: $60.
- High-school parking: $80.
- High-school attendance make-up sessions: $5 per two-hour session.
- Middle-school yearbooks: generally $35–$45.
- Traditional high-school yearbooks: approximately $70–$125, depending on order date.
- High-school graduation fees: $25–$86.
- High-school band fees: $100–$550.
- A.C. Reynolds High School and T.C. Roberson High School PE uniforms: $20.
The packet also addresses A-B Tech course textbooks. For 2026-27, some schools expect to use prior-year A-B Tech reimbursement funds for textbooks for courses taught on high-school campuses. BCEC/BCCI, as a Cooperative Innovative High School, will pay textbook costs regardless of course location and charge $10 per course. Beginning in 2027-28, A-B Tech reimbursement funds are expected to be collected at the district level for more equitable distribution across schools.
Major Financial and Procurement Items
Budget Amendment #9 — Child Nutrition
Budget Amendment #9 would increase the Child Nutrition Fund by $658,600, aligning the budget with expenses for the summer feeding program.
The amendment would increase Child Nutrition ancillary-services appropriations from $18,021,484 to $18,680,084. The associated revenue adjustment includes $634,600 in federal revenue and $24,000 in local revenue.
The packet states that Budget Amendment #9 makes no changes to the State Public School Fund, Local Current Expense Fund, Federal Grants Fund, Capital Outlay Fund, Childcare Program Fund, or Other Specific Revenue Fund.
Erwin High Baseball Field Fencing
Clyde A. Erwin High School requests authorization to use athletic capital outlay funds for new outfield baseball fencing.
- Three quotes were obtained.
- Fence Scapes submitted the lowest quote at an all-inclusive $3,800.00.
- The project calls for removing approximately 140 feet of six-foot chain-link outfield fencing and installing a 10-foot fence in the same location with tapered sections returning to six feet.
- District athletics and facilities staff support the request, and the Purchasing Department reports that applicable purchasing requirements under Policies 6430-R and 6440 have been satisfied.
Staff recommends approval of the purchase request.
Federal Title I Sole-Source Procurements
The Federal Programs Department is seeking Board approval for multiple noncompetitive procurements under Policy 8305, Federal Grant Administration Procurement Procedures. The packet identifies the products as proprietary or otherwise available from their respective sole-source providers.
The requests include:
- DreamBox Learning: renewal of DreamBox Math and DreamBox Reading, including professional development as needed.
- Great Minds: renewal of Wit and Wisdom teacher and student curriculum materials and professional development.
- Flyleaf Publishing: renewal of the Emergent Reader series, Learning Cards, teacher guides, and related training/professional development.
- IXL Learning: renewal of online math, language arts, science, social studies, and Spanish programs, including reporting/data analysis, remote student access, and professional development.
- Just Right Reader: renewal of decodable texts and take-home decodables. The supporting procurement request lists a cost of $100,000, with purchases to be made by multiple school sites as needed during 2026-27.
- Wilson Language Training: renewal of Wilson Reading System, Fundations, Wilson Fluency, and Just Words materials, including professional development.
Each item is presented as a recommendation for Board approval rather than as an already-approved purchase.
Year-End Financial Report
The packet includes a June 30, 2026 budget-spending report. It shows a total FY26 budget of approximately $427.15 million, with approximately $349.82 million expended and an overall reported spending rate of 81.89%.
The State Public School Fund was 98.41% spent at year-end, compared with 98.19% at the same point for FY25. The packet explains that the lower percentage for the total budget reflects funds such as federal, capital, and childcare programs that carry over.
School Operations and Governance
School Start and End Times
The packet presents school start and end times for Board approval. The supporting material states that Board approval is required annually and that the listed school day includes activities occurring during the school day, including instructional time, required physical activity for grades K-8, and lunch.
Yellow Bus Field Trip List
The packet includes a proposed 2026-27 yellow bus list. Under the district's stated guidelines, yellow buses may be used only for educational, curriculum-related field trips. The list was reviewed by a principal and supported by the Curriculum & Instruction and Transportation departments before being submitted for Board review.
School Advisory Councils
The packet contains proposed 2026-27 school advisory council memberships from schools across multiple Board districts, along with some council meeting schedules and requested membership changes.
These materials identify principals, parent or PTO representatives, teachers, students where applicable, and community or lay representatives. The packet includes a request from Johnston Elementary to remove one member and add new representatives, along with advisory council rosters from several other schools.
Personnel Report
The personnel report covers administrative assignments, administrative/director renewal contracts, licensed and non-licensed hires, reassignments, separations, and substitute personnel.
Among the administrative information included in the packet are an interim associate superintendent assignment beginning September 1, a chief technology officer assignment, a director of transportation assignment, assistant principal assignments, and a four-year principal contract for the Progressive Education Program. The report also lists Superintendent Robert Jackson with an effective separation date of August 31, 2026.
Policy / Governance Items
Policies Presented for First Reading
The packet identifies several policies as being submitted to the Board for first reading on August 6, 2026. A first reading places these policies before the Board for review; it should not be treated as final adoption.
Policies included in the packet are:
- Policy 1310/4002 — Parental Involvement
- Policy 2330 — Board Meeting Agenda
- Policy 2340 — Parliamentary Procedures
- Policy 3105 — Home School Dual Enrollment for Athletics
- Policy 3225/4312/7320 — Technology Responsible Use
- Policy 4318 — Use of Cellular and Other Personal Wireless Communication Devices
- Policy 4353 — Long-Term Suspension, 365-Day Suspension, Expulsion
- Policy 7130 — Licensure
The extensive Parental Involvement policy addresses parent communication and participation, annual notifications, access to instructional information and student records, consent and opt-out provisions, student health-related notifications, procedures for parent concerns and information requests, and other parental rights and responsibilities.
Among its provisions, the version presented for first reading addresses parental notification concerning student physical, mental, and emotional health; procedures for certain student well-being questionnaires; parental access to records; and curriculum restrictions concerning instruction on gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality in kindergarten through fourth grade.
Energy Conservation Policy
An Energy Conservation policy is separately marked in the packet as submitted for Board approval on August 6. The policy directs district employees to conserve energy in areas including heating, cooling, lighting, hot water, material resources, and equipment operation, and calls for energy conservation committees and facility-level energy goals and records.
What to Watch at the Meeting
Several items would have direct operational or financial effects if approved:
- Whether the Board authorizes the proposed $231,516 unarmed security services contract covering six traditional high schools.
- Whether licensed substitute pay rises to $165 per day and math/science interim pay to $170 per day, effective August 17.
- Whether the Board approves the proposed 2026-27 student fee structure.
- Whether Budget Amendment #9 adds $658,600 to the Child Nutrition Fund for summer feeding expenses.
- Whether the Board approves the $3,800 Erwin High baseball fencing request.
- Whether the Board authorizes the group of Title I sole-source instructional procurements.
- How the Board handles the package of policies presented for first reading, including policies covering parental involvement, technology use, personal wireless devices, athletics, student discipline, meeting procedures, and employee licensure.
The substantive information in this summary comes from publicly available meeting materials provided by the Buncombe County Board of Education for the August 6, 2026 Regular Board Meeting.
Civic Translator summarized publicly available meeting materials.
