Board Notes - Regular Meeting for September 14, 2026

Board Notes

Regular Meeting for September 14, 2026

The Orange County Board of Education held a regular business meeting on September 14, 2026. 

View all the business items below here

Watch the September 14, 2026, meeting here

The Board posts all meeting materials to Simbli and also displays a calendar of Board and committee meetings on the OCS website. Visit the Board’s page on Simbli for agendas and minutes. Minutes are attached to each meeting after approval by the Board at a future meeting.

Recognitions

Start of Traditional Schools

Orange County Schools proudly welcomed traditional-calendar students back to classrooms on Monday, August 24, marking an exciting start to the 2026–2027 school year. 

Patriot Day/National Day of Service and Remembrance

As we mark 25 years of remembrance, Orange County Schools joins communities across the nation in honoring the lives lost on September 11, 2001. Each year, OCS shares commemorative communications with schools across the district to encourage meaningful reflection and ensure the significance of this day is remembered by future generations. 

Hispanic Heritage Month

Every year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 through October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. 

2026 Attendance Awareness Month

Orange County Schools recognizes the importance of regular attendance in school and supports its students and families in improving and/or maintaining good attendance through awareness and educational opportunities not only during the month of September, but all year long. 

Superintendent Comments

Dr. Danielle Jones commented on the start of traditional schools, 2025-2026 District Accountability Data and more: 

“I am proud to report that all of our traditional schools opened successfully this year. This achievement is a direct result of seamless cross-departmental collaboration—including Operations, Transportation, School Nutrition, Safety and Security, Maintenance, Curriculum and Instruction, Student Support, Communications, HR, and Finance. Successful openings rely heavily on strong school leadership, and our outstanding principals continue to lead with confidence and collaboration.

The collective hard work of our departments, principals, assistant principals, teachers, support staff, and dedicated students is why we are able to share very promising academic results this evening. I will always be the first to acknowledge that our work is never complete, and I have never promised perfection. However, when I assumed the role of superintendent in 2024, I made two explicit commitments:

1. A relentless push toward excellence through authentic, continuous improvement.
2. Zero low-performing schools.

As I shared in the News of Orange in February of 2024: “Our goal is to have no low-performing schools, and for every child to graduate with all options available to them for the future. That’s why we all come to work every day. We need systems in place now so we can all contribute directly to those goals for every student.”

I am extremely proud to report that through our district-wide commitment to continuous improvement, Orange County Schools currently has zero low-performing schools.

This major milestone is just one of many accomplishments made possible by every educator (that includes all employees) playing their part. While we have expanded professional learning, invested heavily in curriculum, and tailored support for our schools, our momentum spans several key areas:

• Financial Stability: Thanks to district-wide coordination, we successfully navigated the ESSER funding cliff and established a streamlined budget process that ensures long-term fiscal stability and job security for our staff.
• Supportive Workplace Culture: Our Teacher Working Conditions Survey (TWCS) showed improvements or steady metrics across nearly every area compared to two years ago, affirming our focus on a collaborative work environment.
• Student Well-Being & Discipline: By expanding mental health partnerships, SEL resources, and restorative practice training, we achieved a minimum 10% reduction in suspensions overall and across every subgroup.
• Community Engagement: We successfully launched our community-driven strategic plan, Engage Orange, following a year of authentic public input, while creating expanded touchpoints for family involvement.
• Teacher Leadership & Support: We expanded leadership pathways that directly drive student achievement and staff morale, increased support for beginning teachers, grew our cohort of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs), and aggressively filled vacancies through proactive HR efforts.
• Seamless Operations: School leaders report that this opening was operationally the smoothest they have experienced.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our students for their hard work, and to our teachers, teacher assistants, operational teams (custodians, bus drivers, nutrition workers, maintenance), and support staff who keep our schools running every day. Thank you also to our school administrators, department heads, and leadership team for their steadfast commitment to excellence.

My thanks go to our broader community and county leaders—especially our County Commissioners—for providing the financial support needed to offer our students a world-class education.

Finally, this progress would not be possible without the Board of Education. How this Board functions sets the tone for how our district functions, and I am grateful for your ongoing partnership.

One of the foundational lessons of educational leadership is that it is not about us. As educators, we know that individual preferences must give way to compromise. Ultimately, every decision must serve one primary goal: improving outcomes for students.

As we work together over the next five years to achieve the goals outlined in Engage Orange, this Board will face tough decisions. Community members, staff, and parents will naturally hold diverse opinions, and that dialogue is vital. During those moments, remembering that "it's not about us" keeps our focus where it belongs. I have full confidence that this Board will continue prioritizing the best interests of our district, our students, their families, and our staff.”

Consent Agenda

The Board approved Consent Agenda items, with amendments, including meeting minutes, personnel report, MOU agreements, and contracts.

Work Session (Information Items)

Summer 2026 Impact Highlights

Chief Communications Officer Jazmine Kilpatrick highlighted the impact of OCS Summer 2026 through programs, partnerships, and community engagement that advanced student success and district priorities.  

Summer 2026 Programs Report

Ambra Wilson, Executive Director of Elementary Education provided the Board with an update of all summer programs offered in 2026.

Summer Programs Update (Presentation)

Strategic Plan 2021-2026 Final Performance Report (Priority 1; 2026 State Accountability Results)

Kumar Sathy, Director of Student Achievement, Assessment, and Accountability provided the Board with a final update regarding Priority 1 of the 2021-2026 Strategic Plan and the State Accountability results for the 2025-2026 school year. 

2026 State Accountability Results, 2021-2026 Strategic Plan Final Performance Report: Priority One (Presentation)

Bond Update & Operations Research and Education Laboratory (OREd) Community Engagement Plan

The Board received updated information on the status of the 2024 Bond Referendum Projects and the 2026 CIP summer projects. 

Bond and Capital Planning Update (Presentation)

Discussion/Action Items

2026 NCSBA Board of Directors Nomination

The Board was provided the opportunity to nominate a member of the Board to possibly fill a vacancy on the North Carolina School Board Association Board of Directors. No Board member volunteered for nomination. 

No further action required.