School Board

The role of the school board can be summarized in the following areas:

• To provide vision and direction for the school system.
• To create policies in accordance with state law to establish standards, accountability and evaluation of essential operations of the school district.
• To prepare the budget for presentation to the county commissioners.
• To hire, support, and evaluate the Superintendent.
• To perform judicial functions by conducting hearings as appropriate.
• To advocate for the school district, staff, and especially the students in all interactions with other governmental entities and the public.

What the Board does not do:

• The Board does not oversee the day to day operations of the school system.
• The Board does not interfere with the personnel operations of the school system:
  • The Principals hire the teachers and make the teaching assignments.
  • The Superintendent hires the Principals and makes the school assignments.

Board members are elected by the registered voters of Brunswick County. Elections are partisan and are held in even-numbered years in the November general election. Members serve a four-year term on a staggered basis so that no more than three positions will expire every two years. 

Board members are encouraged to participate in professional development activities designed for them. New Board members attend orientation programs sponsored by the school district and the North Carolina School Boards Association.

There is a Board Member code of Ethics. Each Board member must fulfill the legal requirement to receive a minimum of 12 hours of training every two years. The training shall include, but is not limited to, public school law, public school finance and duties and responsibilities of local boards of education. Training may be provided by the school district, the North Carolina School Boards Association, the School/Institute of Government, the Department of Public Instruction, or the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network. High quality training is necessary to help Board members effectively fulfill their responsibilities as leaders of public education in North Carolina.

The Superintendent along with the Board Chair establish the agenda for each meeting. All Board meetings are held in accordance with the Open Meetings Law, including notices of meetings.

All public meeting notices are posted at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting, except in the case of an emergency. The public is welcome to attend.

Board meetings are conducted for the purpose of carrying out the official business of the school district. Regular meetings of the Board of Education are held at 6:00 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month (unless otherwise advertised) in the Cape Fear room of the Center of Applied Sciences and Technology (The COAST), located at 1109 Old Ocean Hwy, Bolivia, NC.  Meeting agendas and minutes and a full list of meeting dates are available on the school system website under Board Meetings. 

Periodically, the Board will meet in a special called meeting, work session, or planning meeting in the Board Room of the Brunswick County Schools Administrative Offices, located at 35 Referendum Drive NE, Bolivia, NC.

The Board organizes standing committees for the purpose of conducting thorough deliberations and investigations of issues and informing and recommending action to the Board as appropriate. Each committee will be made up of two Board members, a Chairperson and member selected annually. Standing committees of the Board are:

• Curriculum/Policy
• Operations
• Finance/HR
• Liaison

Committee meetings are held as needed at 9:00 a.m. on the third Tuesday of the month (unless otherwise advertised) in the Board Room of the Brunswick County Schools Administrative Offices, 35 Referendum Drive NE, Bolivia, NC. Committee agendas and minutes and a full list of meeting dates are available on the school system website under Committee Meetings. 

The Board of Education, as an elected representative body of the school district, wishes to provide a forum for citizens to express interests and concerns related to the school district. Each regular meeting agenda will set aside up to 30 minutes for this purpose. 

Any individual who desires to speak on a school-related issue must notify the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent/Board Clerk, Board Chairman, or Superintendent by 12:00 noon on the day of the Board of Education meeting. Individuals requesting to speak should include their name, address, telephone number, and topic of address so that information will be available after the Board meeting for follow-up, if appropriate. Each speaker will be limited to three minutes to address the Board. If the matter is presently under review by the administration, then the Chairman may defer the individual's appearance to the next Board meeting. Speakers will be called upon in the order they were scheduled.

Review the policy on Public Address here.

The most productive method to resolve a concern or receive more information about a school-related issue is to first speak to your child’s teacher or principal. Teachers and/or principals can resolve most issues and address your concerns in a timely manner. However, if you are unable to resolve matters at the building level, you should submit your concerns as outlined on our website's Submit a Concern web page. The appropriate district administrator will respond to your complaint within 24-48 hours. If your issue remains unresolved to your satisfaction, you will be referred to the Board of Education and informed of the options for further review.

The chief administrator of Brunswick County Schools is the Superintendent. Serving directly under the Superintendent are the Deputy and Assistant Superintendents.