The Granville County Board of Education will hold its regular meeting on Monday, May 1, 2023 at 6:00pm at the Mary Potter Center for Education, 200 Taylor Street, Oxford, NC 27565.

Members of the public are invited to view the open session via livestream. To join the livestream meeting, please use the following link: https://live.myvrspot.com/st?cid=MDhkZj.  

Public comments for this meeting can be made in person at the Board Meeting, or in writing by using the following link: https://tinyurl.com/y37evl6z Comments made using the link must be submitted between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on May 1, 2023.  A copy will be distributed to the Board of Education members.  A maximum of 30 minutes in total will be allotted for public comment. 

We have partnered with the county and made arrangements for anyone without access to WiFi who wishes to livestream the meeting. They may visit the Oxford Public Library, 210 Main Street, Oxford, NC 27565 and use the library’s WiFi services. 

Metal Detectors will be in use upon entry to the building.  No bags will be permitted in the building.

LinkedIn Learning Available to All Granville Library Users 

GRANVILLE COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM: All Granville County Library System users can now access LinkedIn  Learning for free! LinkedIn Learning offers over 16,000 courses including leadership, customer service, Microsoft  Office skills, information technology, coding, marketing, project management, resume building, and so much  more. Users can enroll in courses in seven different languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese,  Portuguese, and Mandarin) and follow customized learning paths at their own pace.  

“LinkedIn Learning is one of the top online professional development curriculums available,” said Library System  Director Will Robinson. “We are excited to offer this resource for free to all residents with the added benefit of  making the same training available to all county employees. It was an easy win-win decision to provide this valuable resource to Granville County residents while simultaneously improving the professional training  available to county employees.” 

The addition of LinkedIn learning aligns with several priorities identified in Granville County’s 2021-2025  Strategic Plan including improving resident services with online access, retaining local talent through skill  development for the workforce, creating community and employee education opportunities, and improving  training resources to ensure Granville County is a preferred destination for the top public service employees in  this region. 

Granville Library users can login to LinkedIn Learning utilizing their library card number and Personal  Identification Number (PIN). If you need assistance logging into your account, contact the Thornton Library at  919-693-1121 or the South Branch Library at 919-528-1752.  

To begin your LinkedIn Learning journey, visit www.granvillecounty.org/linkedin.  

LinkedIn Learning is also available for mobile devices allowing offline access and learning on the go. Download  the IOS version in the App Store (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/linkedin-learning/id1084807225) or for  Android devices visit the Google Play store 

(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.linkedin.android.learning&hl=en_US&gl=US). When  utilizing the mobile app, select “Sign in with a Library Card” and enter “granvillecountylibrarysystem” as the  Library ID. You will then be prompted to enter your library card number and your PIN. 

Granville County represented with Graduates from Leadership Development Program

RALEIGH, NC— Lauren B. Roberson, Executive Director for the Granville County Chamber of Commerce and Dahne Walker, Principal Consultant of TenTwelve Consulting, LLC recently graduated from the NC Rural Center’s Homegrown Leaders program, a three-day regional leadership and economic development program that develops and supports highly motivated leaders committed to regional collaboration.

The training held in Pittsboro from April 18-20 attracted existing and emerging leaders from a 13-county region including Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Johnston, Granville, Lee, Moore, Orange, Person, Vance, Wake, and Warren counties.

“Our Homegrown Leaders curriculum showcases the critical importance of innovation in leadership development and regional collaboration,” said Rural Center Senior Director of Leadership and Engagement Bronwyn Lucas. “It is vital to lift up our rural leaders and the critical work they do to enhance their communities. We are thrilled these talented graduates will now be joining the Rural Center’s leadership alumni network of more than 1,400 rural leaders across the state.”

Graduation certificates were presented to the program's 33 participants upon completion of the training.

“Leadership development is at the core of the Rural Center’s work, and now more than ever it is important that our leaders are equipped with the skills and tools to foster growth and innovation,” said Rural Center President Patrick Woodie. “We’re excited to see the impact our Homegrown Leaders graduates will have in their communities and regions to create a thriving future for generations of residents.”

Class participants included economic development and health professionals, educators, and civic and nonprofit leaders.

For more information about Homegrown Leaders, visit https://www.ncruralcenter.org/leadership/.

###

About the NC Rural Center The NC Rural Center has worked since 1987 to develop, promote, and implement sound economic strategies to improve the quality of life of rural North Carolinians. The Rural Center serves the state's 78 rural counties with a special focus on people with low-to-moderate incomes and communities with limited resources. To learn more about how the NC Rural Center is developing and supporting rural leaders across the state, visit ncruralcenter.org.

GRANVILLE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: Over the last year, the Granville County Board of  Commissioners has worked to provide fair and competitive compensation to employees of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO). As work continues on the 2023-2024 fiscal year budget, members of the Board are  working with management and Sheriff Robert Fountain to ensure that the GCSO is able to attract capable and  qualified employees to staff all vacancies, particularly the critical law enforcement and detention officer  positions. The information provided below details past and future initiatives by the Granville County Board of  Commissioners to attract and retain the best personnel for the GCSO. 

In April 2022, the Board approved a 2.75% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for all county employees, which  resulted in the average GCSO employee receiving a salary increase of $1,400. In July 2022, the Board approved  $5,000 recruitment and retention bonuses for Detention Center staff. That same month merit raises went into  effect for eligible employees, providing the average GCSO employee with a 3.37% raise equaling $1,793.  

The night before the 2022 election, November 7, the Board of Commissioners approved recruitment and  retention bonuses for all GCSO law enforcement personnel as a preventative measure aimed at retaining employees no matter the outcome of the election. The bonuses ranged from $1,500 to $5,000 depending on the  current salary. This bonus was shortly followed two months later with the implementation of “overlap” pay in  January 2023. This “overlap” pay eased the county’s transition to a new payroll schedule and in effect, delivered  another bonus to GCSO staff at an average of $2,000.  

All these initiatives add up to an average of $8,217 in additional compensation for an “average” GCSO Deputy in  the last twelve months. However, the Board of Commissioners does not believe their work is done. The draft  fiscal year 2023-2024 budget is being developed to make sure that pay for GCSO employees remains competitive in the current market. The United States has seen unprecedented changes in compensation for  government employees in the last few years, and Granville County is committed to ensuring that the GCSO and  all departments in Granville County government are a preferred destination for the best employees on the  market. The upcoming fiscal year 2023-2024 budget is slated to include additional compensation increases and  short/long-range improvements to county benefits for all county employees. 

For more information on recent enhancements to compensation for GCSO employees, visit the Granville County  website: www.granvillecounty.org/granvillepay 

***NCDOT***

The Granville County Board of Education has finalized the naming of school property following the January 23rd, 2023 decision to close Creedmoor Elementary School and relocate GC Hawley Middle School to that campus effective in the 2023-2024 school year.

At their work session on March 20, 2023, the Board voted unanimously to rename the current Creedmoor Elementary School to GC Hawley Middle School.  This effectively made the name of the school follow the students to their new campus.

At their regular scheduled meeting on Monday, April 3, 2023, the Board voted 4-3 to name the current GC Hawley Campus “The GC Hawley Historical Annex”.  This decision followed the sharing of a family and community survey asking for input on this topic, the results of which were shared prior to the vote.

At this same meeting, staff provided updates on the progress of the transition of school reorganization.  Progress was reported to be on schedule.  Final enrollment numbers will be shared at the upcoming April Board of Education work session.  Families can expect communication about final enrollment and registration decisions for the 2023-2024 school year by the end of April, 2023.  Staffing decisions and transfer placements are occurring during this same period of time.