Feb. 22, 2021 — The Buford Board of Education meeting was called to order at noon at the Buford City Schools Central Office by Chairman Phillip Beard. Following the pledge, winners of the inaugural Black History Month Poetry Contest were introduced and the students each read their winning poem to the meeting attendees. The agenda and meeting minutes from Jan. 25, 2021, were approved.
The board voted to surplus numerous carts that were at the Buford Academy. A pay request for new soccer goalpost for the high school turf fields was approved. The third installments of the roof replacement projects at Buford Academy and Buford Elementary were approved.
Two field trip requests, two fundraiser requests and a new club were approved. The board approved the CARES Act 2 budget that maps out how BCS will spend the $1.6 million received. The state is giving certain school employees a $1,000 bonus. The board doesn’t want any employee left out, so it has pledged to award employees who did not receive the bonus $1,000. BHS textbooks were put into surplus.
Dr. Lacrecia Smith gave an update on the Diversity and Inclusion Program that included the numerous activities Buford City Schools have held to celebrate Black History Month. Smith will be participating in a virtual recruitment fair to share with potential hires the wonderful environment BCS has to offer. She announced that the media centers in the district will receive new books authored by African Americans to increase students’ exposure to more diverse works.
Mr. Graves gave an update on Buford Elementary. The enrollment for BES is 397 with 19 students still learning digitally and 86 enrolled in the day care. BES celebrated Valentine’s Week and Black History Month. Next week, they look forward to celebrating Read Across America week. BES will soon hold a virtual pep rally to kick off its new fundraiser, the Wolfie Games.
Mrs. Poole revealed that the current enrollment for the Buford Academy is 1,192 with 117 students still learning digitally. They have been celebrating Black History Month and recently recognized the hard work of their counselors. They look forward to Read Across America week. BA has been averaging 100 students during its Saturday school sessions and 30 students for its after-school tutoring sessions. BHS students created a Wolf Pal Program, which is essentially being “pen pals” with third graders at BA.
At the Buford Senior Academy, the current enrollment is 862 with 80 students learning digitally. Students have been learning about Black History Month. The PTO treated teachers with boxed lunches. The book fair is in full swing. They, too, will celebrate Read Across America next week. Band and chorus have been practicing hard for their upcoming spring concerts.
The current enrollment for Buford Middle School is 1,316 with 97 students still learning digitally. They recently participated in a virtual STEM field trip. Students have celebrated Black History Month with numerous activities and projects. The boys and girls soccer teams have been successful, and they have been collecting food for the North Gwinnett Co-Op.
Mrs. Hagelthorn updated the enrollment numbers at BHS to be 1,633 students with 344 students still enrolled in virtual learning. She went over the ways in which students learned about and celebrated Black History Month. The Academic Team will participate in several virtual quiz bowls coming up. BHS had five students advance to the semifinal rounds in hopes of participating in the GHP over the summer. Those students are Dylan Appling (chorus), Maya Joshi (science), Paul Kwak (band), Barbara Machado-Requeño (English) and Caroline Henderson (art). The dance department will hold in-person shows March 4 through 6. Tickets are limited and available through GoFan.
This concluded the February meeting of the Buford Board of Education. The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. March 22, 2021, at the central office.
