The Community Reparations Commission will hold their next meeting TONIGHT, Monday, October 16 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center Banquet Hall at 87 Haywood Street in Asheville. The public is welcome to attend. Meeting materials are available here. The meeting will be recorded and streamed here.
The Buncombe County Commission meets this Tuesday, October 17, 2023 at 5:00 pm, at 200 College Street, Room 326, in downtown Asheville. You can watch the meeting online (or a recording of it) via Buncombe County’s Facebook page. The full agenda is here.
URGENT
- 0 Items
PROBLEMATIC
- 0 Items
EMAIL TEMPLATES
Use our prepared email templates to take action on this week’s items.
YELLOW:
Things of concern, more information needed
County Commission Agenda – New Business: Approval of Details for School Consolidation Feasibility Study (presentation)
From the presentation: the “North Carolina General Assembly has passed legislation that mandates that the Asheville City and Buncombe County school systems jointly study the feasibility of a merger (House Bill 142).” Both City and County school boards “voted to designate Buncombe County Government as the lead entity for the project.” The County Commission is being asked to accept this role, and to “direct staff to solicit a firm to complete the study.”
We are concerned that there are no racial equity considerations included in the parameters for the study being presented to the County Commission. We think the firms bidding on this work should be directed to analyze the implications of a merger on students of color in City and County schools.
Things to do
Write to the Buncombe County Commission and ask them to expand the scope of work described in the staff presentation so that it includes a racial equity analysis of the proposed school system merger.
We have prepared an email template that addresses this issue. You can (a) use our County Commission template to open up an email to adapt, (b) copy and paste the content below, or (c) write your own message to brownie.newman@buncombecounty.org, jasmine.beach-ferrara@buncombecounty.org, alfred.whitesides@buncombecounty.org, amanda.edwards@buncombecounty.org, terri.wells@buncombecounty.org, martin.moore@buncombecounty.org, parker.sloan@buncombecounty.org
GREEN:
Things that sound like a step in the right direction
Asheville Equity and Engagement Committee recommends additional $50,000 for PEAK Academy, October 13, 2023 (Meeting Minutes, Staff Report)
The Asheville Equity and Engagement Committee discussed what to do with $50,000 in remaining funds from the first round of the revised Strategic Partnership Grant. Council Member Sheneika Smith, who chairs this committee, recommended that the funds be allocated to the Peak Academy, and her colleagues Council Members Kim Roney and Sage Turner joined her in making that recommendation to City Council. In raising this option, Smith said “PEAK Academy has some outstanding improvement in growth areas in math proficiency and in reading.” From the PEAK Academy website: “At PEAK, we strive to close the achievement gap through personalized instruction and character education to ensure youth from all demographics and backgrounds receive a quality educational experience that will allow them to achieve success in their academics and in life.”
We want to salute the leadership of Council Member Smith here, and appreciate the affirmative votes of Council Members Roney and Turner. In just a few years, PEAK Academy has demonstrated an impressive and important capacity to shrink the longstanding opportunity gap between Black and white students. We would encourage the full Asheville City Council to adopt this recommendation when it comes before them.
Things to do
Write to the Asheville City Council, appreciating the action of this committee, and encouraging all Council Members to vote to approve this recommendation..
We have prepared an email template that addresses this issue. You can (a) use our City Council template to open up an email to adapt, (b) copy and paste the content below, or (c) write your own message to AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov
COUNTY COMMISSION EMAIL TEMPLATE TEXT
You can open this email in your own email program by clicking here. To proceed manually, you can copy and paste the text below into an email and then address it to the addresses listed. Please consider making edits that reflect your personal interests and concerns on this issue.
Send to: brownie.newman@buncombecounty.org, jasmine.beach-ferrara@buncombecounty.org, alfred.whitesides@buncombecounty.org, amanda.edwards@buncombecounty.org, terri.wells@buncombecounty.org, martin.moore@buncombecounty.org, parker.sloan@buncombecounty.org
Subject: School merger analysis should include racial equity analysis
Dear County Commissioners,
One of the items on your October 17 agenda relates to the state-mandated feasibility study of a possible merger between the Asheville and Buncombe County school systems. In the staff presentation slides, there is a scope of work outlined for this study. It doesn’t include consideration of the racial equity impacts of such a merger, and I think it should. Can you suggest to County staff that they include a racial equity analysis in the scope of work, and give that appropriate priority in choosing the firm that will perform this study?
Thank you for your leadership,
CITY COUNCIL EMAIL TEMPLATE TEXT
You can open this email in your own email program by clicking here. To proceed manually, you can copy and paste the text below into an email and then address it to the addresses listed. Please consider making edits that reflect your personal interests and concerns on this issue.
Send to: AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov
Subject: City Support for PEAK Academy
Dear City Council Members,
I was pleased to hear that the Equity and Engagement Committee voted last week to recommend that $50,000 in leftover funding from the Strategic Partnership Grant process be allocated to PEAK Academy. I appreciate the leadership of Council Member (and Committee Chair) Sheneika Smith in bringing this proposal forward, and her colleagues, Council Members Kim Roney and Sage Turner, in joining to approve it unanimously. PEAK Academy has already established an impressive record in shrinking the opportunity gap between Black and white students, and deserves more City support. I encourage you to vote to approve this funding recommendation when the matter comes before City Council.
Thank you for your leadership,