Dr. Marty Lenard, NBISD Director of Fine Arts, presented an update on NBISD’s CREATE at County Line. Since the last board meeting, several key initiatives for CREATE have been established. Some of the keys that have occurred:

• Curriculum Writers Hired – The district has brought on curriculum writers to support instructional planning and development.
• Student Services Collaboration – Leadership met with the Student Services team to discuss application design and the enrollment process, ensuring a smooth experience for families.
• Branding – Branding for the campus has been established to help create a clear and consistent identity. It includes all of the district’s colors from Carolina Blue to Unicorn Blue and Dragon Green as the campus will consist of students from across the entire district. It also includes a flame as the campus will ignite its learners as well as the district star.

These steps represent important progress as we continue preparing for the future of CREATE at County Line. Dr. Lenard also mentioned that the CREATE website will be published by the end of September and will include more details on the school.

Applications are expected to be live in November with the goal of students being notified of acceptance in the Spring of 2026. CREATE at County Line will open its doors in August of 2026 to kindergarten through 2nd grade students.

At the August 11th meeting, the Board approved EFB (LOCAL), a policy update that introduces important changes to how library books and donations are reviewed and approved in NBISD.

What NBISD Already Has in Place

What’s New?

A key change under this policy is the Board’s expanded role in the approval process for library books and donations. Moving forward, these approvals will take place three times a year — at the October, February, and June board meetings.

This new reporting structure will ensure both the Board and the community are updated on library materials and the procedures connected to the revised policy. The district will continue to share updates as this process begins implementation in the coming months on the Library Services webpage.

NBISD has outlined the updated process for reviewing and approving donated and purchased library titles under the recently adopted EFB (LOCAL) policy.

How the Process Works

• Librarian Review: Librarians add donated and/or purchased titles that meet NBISD’s Book Selection Guide and EFB (LOCAL) criteria to a shared spreadsheet.
  
• Public Access: In September, January, and May, this spreadsheet is shared with the Board of Trustees and made publicly available on the district’s Library Services webpage 30 days prior to the corresponding board meeting.
• Board Approval: The Board reviews and approves submitted titles during the October, February, and June meetings. Board members can submit questions about listed titles through a Google Form no later than four days before action is taken.

Purpose of the Policy

The intent of this new policy is to provide the Board and community an opportunity for feedback before any book is purchased or added to the district’s collection.

NBISD librarians will continue following the standardized Book Selection Guide, which has been in place for years. This guide ensures consistency, transparency, and alignment with both district expectations and board policy.