By Rose Laudicina
Staff Writer
CHAPEL HILL – The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education had a fresh face joining them at their Dec. 1 meeting, as the board prepares to make some important upcoming decisions regarding the education of the district’s children.
That fresh face belonged to newly elected board member James Barrett, who was sworn into office at the beginning of the meeting, along with Mia Burroughs, Jamezetta Bedford and Mike Kelley, who were all reelected.
Annetta Streater was also reelected, but was unable to attend the meeting and will take the oath of office at a later date.
Not long after being sworn in, Burroughs was chosen unanimously to replace Bedford as chair of the board, after serving this year as vice chair. Michelle Brownstein was chosen unanimously to serve as the board’s vice chair for 2012.
Once the pomp and circumstance was completed, it was back to business as usual for the board, as they turned their energies to the evening’s agenda.
Barrett seemed at ease, jumping right in with comments and asking questions on the first item of the night regarding recommendations for approval of new and revised courses for the 2012-13 school year.
“I met you during the superintendent search and you seemed like a really nice guy,†Barrett said to Rodney Trice, director of the instructional services division, who was presenting the recommendations.
“And then you throw this at me for my first board meeting, and now I’m not so sure,†Barrett joked.
The board of education also discussed delaying the expansion of the elementary school dual-language program. The board agreed with recommendations from the dual-language advisory board that the program should not be expanded for the 2012-13 school year. A more comprehensive approach to looking at the program was needed, Superintendent Tom Forcella said.