[00:00:01]
CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BEAVER COUNTY.
[4:30 pm Executive Session]
CALL IT BOARD OF EDUCATION AND BUSINESS MEETING OF AUGUST 17TH, 2021.THE ORDER YOU HAD A LITTLE DELAY IN THE START OF THE MEETING BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST TIME YOU'RE USING IT, HELPED HIM GET OUT OF SCHOOL FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS MULTIPURPOSE FOR IN-PERSON MEETING, THE MEETING IS BEING CONDUCTED BY A HYBRID VIDEO CONFERENCING, AND IT IS ALSO BEING LIVE STREAM BY THE COUNTY JAIL CAPACITY.
AND THE HILTON HEAD MULTIPURPOSE JUNE IS LIMITED TO 60 INDIVIDUALS AND COMPLY WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING DEPARTMENTS.
INDIVIDUALS MUST STAY AT LEAST THREE FEET APART AND SENIORS ON A FIRST TIME BASIS.
REQUEST FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION WILL BE ACCEPTED BETWEEN FIVE AND FIVE 30 THIS EVENING BY SENDING AN EMAIL WITH YOUR NAME, PHONE NUMBER AND TOPIC TO ROBIN DOT CRUSHING BARRY HUBERT.K12.SC.US.
AND ROBIN IS SPELLED A LITTLE, Y YOU ALWAYS SEEN A PHONE CALL DURING PUBLIC COMMENTS WHERE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SPEAK AND ADDRESS THE BOARD FOR A MAXIMUM OF THREE MINUTES ON ISSUES WITHIN THE BOARD'S DOMAIN.
THE FORUM WILL BE LIMITED TO 30 MINUTES.
IF YOU ARE IN PERSON, YOU MAY ADDRESS THE BOARD FOR A MAXIMUM THREE MINUTES ON ISSUES WITHIN THE BOARDS DOMAIN, AND EACH SPEAKER MUST FILL OUT A PUBLIC COMMENT CARD AND PLEASE DO THE BOARD CLERK FOR ONE OF THOSE CARDS REQUEST FOR THE SECOND PUBLIC COMMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED BETWEEN SEVEN AND SEVEN 30 THIS EVENING IN THE SAME MANNER.
THE SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT WILL TAKE PLACE PRIOR TO A GERMAN NO LATER THAN 9:00 PM.
THE SECOND FORM WAS WE'LL BE LIVING AT THE 15 MINUTES IN THE EVENT.
THE BOARD HAS NOT FINISHED ADDRESSING ALL ITEMS LISTED IN THE AUGUST 17TH, 2021 AGENDA.
THE BOARD WILL RECONVENE AT 6:00 PM ON AUGUST 18TH, 2021.
TO FINISH THE AGENDA ITEM, I WILL ASK THE BOARD MEMBERS TONIGHT TO PLEASE RAISE YOUR ELECTRONIC HANDS IF THEY WANT TO BE RECOGNIZED.
AND AS I WILL RECOGNIZE YOU TO SPEAK.
SO WE NEED A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AND THEY'LL TAKE OF THAT MOTION.
PLEASE READ THE ITEMS AS LISTED MS. BUILT RIGHT INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO ADDRESS EMPLOYMENT MATTERS REGARDING APPOINTMENTS FOR PROMOTION COMPENSATION, PURSUANT TO SOUTH CAROLINA, SECTION 30 DASH FOUR DASH 78 FOR RECEIPT OF LEGAL ADVICE RELATED TO TWO PENDING CLAIMS COVERED BY THE ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGE.
I HAVE NO TROUBLE HEARING YOU, BUT OFF THE FRONT OF DOCTRINE,
I BELIEVE WHAT YOU ADVOCATED WAS, WHO WOULD BE ADVISING THE BOARD ON THESE MATTERS FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION AND IT IS DISTRICT
YOUR QUESTION WAS ASKED AND ANSWERED.
[00:05:07]
PRIVILEGED AFFECTION FOR THATI WAS WONDERING THAT WHAT IS THAT CORRECT ON THE AGENDA THAT WAS POSTED.
YOU WANT ME TO DO THE WHOLE THING? ALL RIGHT.
WE ENTER EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR EMPLOYMENT MATTER REGARDING APPOINTMENT AFTER APPOINTMENT, PROMOTION COMPENSATION, PURSUANT TO SOUTH CAROLINA CODE SECTION 34 70 DISCUSSION WITH NEGOTIATIONS INCIDENT TO PROPOSAL ROBERT SMALLS, INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY, GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE PROPOSAL.
NUMBER TWO WITH JAMIE DUNN CONTRACT PURSUANT TO SOUTH CAROLINA CODE ANNOTATE, A SECTION 30 DASH FOUR DASH 78, 2 DISCUSSION AND NEGOTIATIONS INCIDENT TO PROPOSE TO ST.
HELENA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, GYM RENOVATION, GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE PROPOSAL, AMENDMENT NUMBER 11 WITH HD REYNOLDS COMPANY, FOR SOMEONE TO SELL FOR A LOT OF CODE ANNOTATED, SECTION 30 DASH 4 78 TO RECEIVE LEGAL ADVICE RELATING TO TWO PENDING CLAIMS COVERED BY THE ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGE, PERSONA TO SELL FOR A LINE OF CODE ANNOTATED, SECTION 30 DASH FOUR DASH 72.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT.
THE MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION IS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY
ALL YOU NEED IS A LIBRARY CARD AND IT'S AVAILABLE ON IOS, ANDROID, AND DESKTOP COMPUTERS.
I HAVE AN IPAD AND WE'LL DOWNLOAD THE HOOPLAH APP.
YOU CAN GET UP TO 10 TITLES PER MONTH FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT US@BUFORDCOUNTYLIBRARY.ORG.
[00:10:16]
GOOD EVENING,[2. 6:00 pm Public Session]
AND WELCOME TO THE BUFORD COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING OF AUGUST 17TH, 2021.THIS IS OUR FIRST MEETING SOUTH OF THE BROAD AND OVER ONE YEAR.
SO WE'RE KIND OF EXCITED, BUT WE'RE WORKING OUT LITTLE KINKS IN THE, UM, THE MEETING.
UH, THE CONDUCTION OF THE MEETING, THE MEETING IS BEING CONDUCTED BY A HYBRID VIDEO CONFERENCING AND IS ALSO BEING LIVE STREAM BY THE COUNTY CHANNEL.
THE BOARD WAS JUST AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AND NOW WE'VE COME BACK OUT INTO PUBLIC SESSION.
SO DO WE HAVE ANY ACTION IS NECESSARY OR APPROPRIATE REGARDING MATTERS, DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, MR.
MADAM CHAIR ITEMS COMING OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION ONE, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE AMENDMENT NUMBER TWO FOR A NEW ROBERT SMALLS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY SCHOOL, INCLUDING THE MULTIPURPOSE ROOM ALTERNATE WITH JAKEY, DONE CONSTRUCTION FOR A GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE IN THE AMOUNT OF $61,698,567.
SECOND, MR. SMITH, AS ANNOUNCED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, I WOULD ASK ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS TO PLEASE RAISE YOUR ELECTRONIC HAND RATHER THAN SHOUTING OUT FOR A SECOND.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SECOND, UM, ON THIS MOTION, MS. BOAT, RIGHT? THANK YOU.
UM, WITH REGARDS TO THIS MATTER, WE ARE LOOKING AT ADDING THE, UH, MULTIPURPOSE ALTERNATE AND THE BALL FIELDS AS WELL.
IS THAT CORRECT? THE WHOLE KITTEN CABOODLE.
I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE MOTION IT'S DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN.
SO THIS INCLUDES JUST THE MULTIPURPOSE ROOM AND NOT THE BALL FIELDS.
NOW THAT DOES HAVE THE BALL FIELDS, I BELIEVE.
I THOUGHT SO IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THE BOTTOM OF MY EXECUTIVE MATERIALS WITH SUBMIT, CAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS 60 WITHOUT THE MULTIPURPOSE ROOM, BUT WITH THE BALL FIELDS.
AND NOW WE NEED A CLARIFICATION CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE MATERIALS IN FRONT OF US ANYMORE.
UM, TO CLARIFY WHETHER OR NOT IT HAS THE BALL FIELDS, THAT NUMBER THAT WAS IN THIS, UM, MOTION DOES NOT HAVE THE BALL FIELDS.
THE PLAN IS TO ADD THAT LATER WITH CONTINGENCY FUNDS, OUR PLAN IS STILL TO DO THEM, BUT IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THAT GMP NUMBER.
CAN I HAVE A FOLLOW UP JUST, I WAS JUST TRYING TO CLARIFY, SO I WILL VOTE IN FAVOR OF THIS MOTION, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND THE DISTRICT STAFF THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT BUDGET ISSUES FURTHER ON DOWN AND THAT I EXPECT THE SAME LEVEL OF COMMITMENT TO GIVING THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL PROJECT, EVERYTHING THAT WE PROMISED THEM AS WELL.
MY QUESTION WOULD BE STUCK THERE FOR THE BALL FIELDS.
THEY WERE NOT, THEY WEREN'T, THEY WERE NOT INJURED IN THERE.
CAN YOU REPEAT YOUR QUESTION? GOTCHA.
SO MY QUESTION WAS THAT THE BALL FIELDS WERE NOT IN THERE.
THEY'D BE WHAT TO DO WE WANT TO PUT THAT? WE WANT TO ADD THAT TO THE MOTION OR NO, THEY ARE NOT CURRENTLY IN THE MOTION.
CAN YOU REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID, MR. STRIVEN JER? YES.
IS THERE A GUARANTEE THAT PAYROLL GET HIT BALL FIELD? YES, SIR.
[00:15:01]
OUR INTENT IS TO USE CONTINGENCY FUNDS, IF NEED TO, WE WILL COME BACK TO THE BOARD, UH, FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS IF NEEDED.IF WE FEEL VERY COMFORTABLE THAT THE CONTINGENCY FUNDS WILL BE ABLE TO COME FROM GOVERNMENT.
SO MR. SMITH AND MR. CAMPBELL, CAN YOU LOWER YOUR ELECTRONIC HANDS PLEASE? WELL, ACTUALLY THAT WAS THAT'S THE QUESTION I WAS WAITING ON MY CHAIR TO BE ANSWERED.
UM, ACTUALLY I I'M GOING TO LET SOMEBODY, IF, DOES ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO SPEAK THAT IS NOT SPOKEN THUS FAR.
UM, ACTUALLY, UH, WHAT MR. CAMPBELL IS STATING IS, IS, IS A CONCERN OF MINE.
UM, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD GO AHEAD AND PUT THAT IN THE MOTION TO GO AHEAD AND INCLUDE THE BALL FIELD BECAUSE I WAS, I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THE SAME AS MRS. BOATWRIGHT THAT THE BALL FIELD WAS ALREADY INCLUDED IN THERE.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD GO AHEAD AND INCLUDE THAT IN THE MOTION.
SO THEN I STARTED THINKING OR WONDERING SO THAT WE ALREADY KNOW THAT THAT'S, THAT WE WOULD NEED TO JUST START IN THE PROCESS OF GOING THROUGH AN ADDY AND GETTING OUT, WORKING ON OUR PROJECTS THAT WE'LL BE NEEDING TO BE MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE MONEY ALLOCATED FOR THAT BALL FIELD.
SO I WOULD, I WOULD FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE KNOWING THAT W THAT THAT IS IN THE MOTION.
UM, SO SIR, WOULD YOU AMEND THE MOTION AGAIN? MA'AM WOULD YOU LIKE TO AMEND THE MOTION? YES.
NOW I I'M IN THE MOTION THAT THE BALL FIELDS, IF I CAN GET A SECOND.
IS THERE A SECOND FOR THAT? PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU WANT A SECOND.
THERE NOT BEING A SECOND THAT MO THE AMENDMENT, UM, IS NOT BROUGHT TO THE, TO THE FLOOR FOR THE BOARD.
SO WE'RE STILL WITH THE ORIGINAL MOTION.
THAT IS, THAT IS DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION, MR. SMITH, COULD YOU PLEASE LOWER YOUR HAND IN HAND PLEASE? YES, MA'AM I'M CHEVY.
THAT'S WHAT I'M IN THE PROCESS OF DOING RIGHT NOW.
THE QUESTION IS NOW CALLED I'M MS. CHRISTIAN DERRY ON MY SCREEN FOR BOARD DOCS.
IS THE MOVE INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION THEN THE CORRECT? MOTION'S NOT UP THERE.
YES, MA'AM MIKE WAS RIGHT, CORRECT.
YOU, THE MOTION CARRIES, UH, KEN 0 1, 1 ABSTENTION DOCTOR WAS NEVSKY.
DO WE HAVE FURTHER ACTION AS APPROPRIATE OR NECESSARY MR.
MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE AMENDMENT NUMBER 11, WITH HG RENTALS FOR THE ST.
HELENA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, GYM RENOVATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $1,431,953 USING FISCAL YEAR 2022, 8% FUNDS.
[00:20:01]
SO MR. STEVEN D YEAH.OKAY, SO NOW PUT DOWN YOUR HAND, PLEASE.
AND THEN I DID ALSO, UH, MR. SCOTT SPEAK NOW, MR. SMITH, CAN YOU PLEASE, THANK YOU.
NOW, IS THERE ANYBODY THAT WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THIS MOTION ON THE FLOOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR ELECTRONIC HAND NOW, DR.
UM, ROBERT, CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT THE AMOUNT IS CORRECT OF WHERE THE FUNDS ARE BEING ALLOCATED FROM? CAUSE I BELIEVE THERE WAS A BUDGET AMOUNT AND THEN 300 OR SO THOUSAND WAS COMING FROM A DIFFERENT PLACE.
SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AMOUNT ARE THE FUNDING SOURCES CORRECT IN THIS.
THEY'RE BOTH COMING FROM THE SAME PLACE, WHICH IS FYI 2022 FUNDS.
AND THE DOLLAR AMOUNT IS CORRECT.
MR. SMITH, AND, AND ALSO, UM, IN REFERENCE TO THE, THE, THE, THE FRONT, UH, FOR THE SAFETY SAFETY AND, UH, OF THE, OF THE FRONT ENTRANCE.
UM, WE'LL WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND ADD THAT IN THERE IS, OR ARE WE STILL WAITING FOR THEM TO COME BACK WITH THAT? HELLO, GO AHEAD, MR. SMITH.
UH, THAT NUMBER DOES NOT INCLUDE A SECURITY VESTIBULE, UM, AS YOU DESCRIBED THAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS, UH, AMENDED OR THIS GMP NUMBER.
IS IT THAT, UM, IS THAT YOU'RE WAITING ON THE, ON THE ESTIMATE TO BRING BACK FOR THE BOARD OR YES, SIR.
WE ARE GOING TO BRING A PROPOSAL OF A REVISED, UH, CANOPY STRUCTURE AT THE FRONT DOOR.
AND I WOULD JUST, UH, STATE THE OBVIOUS, UM, THAT WHEN, WHEN WE, WHEN WE DO BRING THAT BACK, UM, I'M HOPING THAT WE WILL, THE BOARD WILL GO AHEAD AND WE WILL SUPPORT THAT BECAUSE ONE THING WE'VE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT STAY SAFETY FIRST FOR OUR STUDENTS AND SAFETY FIRST FOR OUR STAFF AS WELL.
SO, UM, I'M, I'M HOPING THAT I'M A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED THAT WE COULDN'T GET THAT IN END TODAY, BUT I'M LOOKING FORWARD FOR THAT TO BECOME, TO COME BACK BEFORE THE BOARD SO THAT WE CAN, UH, PUT TO KEEP SAFETY FIRST.
THE MOTION IS APPROVED 10 0 1 DOCTOR WAS NEVSKY ABSTAINED.
MR.
BEFORE WE APPROVE THE AGENDA, I'D JUST LIKE TO REVIEW OUR CURRENT POLICY REGARDING GOVERNING COMMITMENTS.
GC TWO, I'VE READ THESE PREVIOUSLY AT A MEETING, UH, UH, SEVERAL WEEKS AGO TO ENSURE THAT THE BOARD'S BUSINESS MEETINGS ARE CONDUCTED WITH MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY.
PLEASE SPEAK ONLY WHEN RECOGNIZED DO NOT REPEAT WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN SAID, AND PLEASE DO NOT MONOPOLIZE THE DISCUSSION SUPPORT.
THE CHAIR'S EFFORTS TO FACILITATE AN ORDERLY MEETING MEMBERS ARE COMMITTED TO HOLD MEETINGS THAT ARE CONDUCTED WITH MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY.
MAKE COMMENTS GERMANE TO THE MATTER BEING ACTIVELY DISCUSSED.
THE CHAIR MAY INTERRUPT A BOARD MEMBER WHO COMMENTS ON OR MOVES FROM THE TOPIC NOT BEING DISCUSSED OR DEBATED RESULTING IN THE SENSATION OF THAT BOARD MEMBERS, COMMENTS ALLOW BOARD MEMBERS WHO HAVE NOT YET SPOKEN ON A TOPIC BEING DISCUSSED OR DEBATED TO COMMENT.
THE EQUAL PARTICIPATION OF ALL
[00:25:01]
MEMBERS IS VALUED UNLESS A PROCEDURE PROCESS OR RULE IS OTHERWISE EXPLICITLY PROVIDED IN THE BOARD'S POLICIES, GOVERNING ITS OPERATIONS AND PROCEDURES.THE BOARD MAY UTILIZE ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER PROCEDURE AND SMALL BOARDS AS AN ADVICE GAR GUIDE FOR THE CONDUCT OF OFFICIAL MEETINGS.
THANK YOU, BOARD MEMBERS FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THESE COMMITMENTS.
WE NOW NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA MISSPELLED, RIGHT? OKAY.
WE APPROVE THE AGENDA, MR. CAMPBELL, MELVIN CAMPBELL.
SO GO AHEAD AND LOWER YOUR HANDS AND THANK YOU, MR. SMITH.
YOU HAVE THE FLOOR, SIR? YEAH.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, I WOULD LIKE TO, I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, UH, UM, FOR THE, FOR THE, UM, DEFINITELY TO, UH, UM, TO RATE WINTER'S A ORY COUNTY BOARD MEMBERS WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY, UH, ONE OF OUR COLLEAGUES, UM, THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND THERE'S ALSO MRS. DOROTHY YOUNG, SHE WAS ALSO TEACHER
AND WE WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO KEEP BOTH OF THOSE FAMILIES IN OUR PRAYERS ARE THERE.
I'VE DONE THAT DURING THE TIME OF BEREAVEMENT, UH, DURING THE, DURING THE MOMENT OF SILENCE.
WE ESTABLISHED SIR, UH, POLICY, UH, WE SET OUR PRACTICE WOULD BE THAT YOU WOULD GET THE NAMES TO MS. CUSHING BARRY OR MYSELF AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING.
AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO RECOGNIZE THE PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE RECOGNIZED, BUT IT WILL BE AT OUR NEXT MEETING BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT WE HAD ALREADY DETERMINED AS A BOARD.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE GUY FROM ORANGE COUNTY WAS GOING TO DIE TODAY.
SO HE DIDN'T SEND ME THE MESSAGE, BUT THANK YOU.
THE QUESTION IS CALLED THE AGENDA IS APPROVED TO 10 0 1.
WE WILL NOW STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND WE HAVE A FLAG BEHIND OUR CURTAIN HERE.
MAYBE WE CAN MOVE IT OUT SO EVERYBODY CAN SEE IT.
DOCTOR WAS ASKING AND DOM, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, PLEASE BE SEATED.
WE WILL HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE THIS EVENING FOR AIDEN HARRISON, WHO IS A RISING NINTH GRADER AT BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL WHO DIED TRAGICALLY LAST WEEK.
THE MEDIA HAS BEEN PROPERLY NOTIFIED.
[Points of Celebration]
OF CELEBRATION, DR.THE SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL BOARD ASSOCIATION, BOARDMAN SHIP RECOGNITION IS FIRST ON OUR AGENDA TODAY IN POINT TO CELEBRATION FOR BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS EARN RECOGNITION BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA BOARDS ASSOCIATION FOR IN THE ASSOCIATIONS 20 20, 20 21 BOARDMAN SHIP INSTITUTE, THE SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION, BOARDMAN CHIP INSTITUTE ESTABLISHED IN 1982 OFFERS A YEAR ROUND TRAINING CURRICULUM TO HELP BOARD MEMBERS DEVELOP SKILLS AND STAY ABREAST OF STATE AND NATIONAL EDUCATION ISSUES.
[00:30:01]
CHAIR DR.CHRISTINA QUADS AND BOARD SECRETARY, MR. DAVID STRINGER HAVE REACHED LEVEL FIVE BY EARNING 300 POINTS WITHIN FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS OR LESS LEVEL FIVE RECIPIENTS RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE AND A PEN WITH A RED STONE.
THIS IS INGRID BOATWRIGHT AND MS. PATRICIA FIDRYCH HAVE REACHED LEVEL ONE BY EARNING 25 POINTS WITHIN ONE YEAR LEVEL ONE RECIPIENTS RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE STATEWIDE TO SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION REC RECOGNIZED 79 SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS FOR REACHING ONE OF SIX LEVELS FOR THE 20 20, 20, 21 YEAR WITH CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT.
AND THEY LAPEL PIN DESIGNATING THEIR LEVEL OF ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THE INSTITUTE.
CONGRATULATIONS, BOARD MEMBERS.
AND I HAVE A PIN AND CERTIFICATES FOR YOU FOR, UH, FOR THOSE OF YOU HERE AND I'LL BRING THEM TO YOU NOW,
ONE POINT OF CELEBRATION IS PRINCIPAL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR.
AND WE WANT TO RECOGNIZE TODAY.
UH, THIS YEAR WE BEGAN A NEW TRADITION TO HONOR OUR PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, THE PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR AND THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR PROGRAM.
THE EXTRA MILE IN THIS PROGRAM IS IN RECOGNITION OF THE WORK THAT THEY DO, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS LAST SCHOOL YEAR.
AND LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 20 21 22 SCHOOL YEAR, THE APPLICATION AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR ARE ALIGNED TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR GUIDELINES SO THAT THEY CAN QUALIFY FOR PRINCIPAL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ON A STATE AND NATIONAL LEVEL APPLICATION QUESTIONS WERE ALIGNED TO THE SC PEDESTA STANDARDS.
THE PRINCIPALS OF THE YEAR WERE ANNOUNCED DURING THE PRINCIPAL INSTITUTE EARLIER THIS MONTH, THIS YEAR'S INAUGURAL ELEMENTARY OF THE YEAR IS DR.
KATHY CORLEY FROM RED CEDAR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
AND THIS YEAR'S SECONDARY PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR IS MR. MATT HALL AT BLUFFTON MIDDLE SCHOOL.
THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS OF THE YEAR WERE ANNOUNCED EARLIER THIS SUMMER DURING THE AP SUMMER INSTITUTE AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS ARE A CRITICAL PART WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE HELP MOVE STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
THIS YEAR'S INAUGURAL ELEMENTARY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR IS PRICHARD VILLE ELEMENTARY IS MARY BETH ROLSTON.
AND THE SECONDARY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL OF THE YEAR IS MR. JEREMIAH YOUNG, WHO IS SERVING IN THIS ROLE AT BUFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL THIS YEAR, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FIRST EVER PRINCIPALS OF THE YEAR AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS OF THE YEAR.
RODRIGUEZ AND CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PRINCIPALS AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS OF THE YEAR.
WE ARE NOW DOWN TO PUBLIC COMMENTS
[Public Comments]
AND I WILL READ THE RULES FOR SPEAKING, UH, DURING OUR PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, PORTION OF THE MEETING SPEAKERS ADDRESSING THE BOARD MUST CONFINE THEIR COMMENTS TO ISSUES WITHIN THE DOMAIN OF THE BOARD, REFRAIN FROM RACIAL COMMENTS, OBSCENITY, VULGARITIES, AND REFERENCES TO SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS BY NAME AND NOR COMMIT OTHER BREACHES OF RESPECT, NOT EXCEED THREE MINUTES, AND THERE'LL BE A VISIBLE TIMER DEVICE.AND YOU MAY NOT YIELD YOUR TIME TO ANOTHER SPEAKER.
THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN PERSON HAVE FILLED OUT THE PUBLIC COMMENT CARD AND WHICH GIVES THEIR CONSENT TO ABIDE BY THESE SPEAKING RULES.
SO OUR PUBLIC COMMENT TONIGHT IS MR. RUSSELL WHITEFORD, WHO WILL BE SPEAKING ABOUT COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, PLEASE COME TO THE PODIUM.
RODRIGUEZ, BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS.
[00:35:01]
OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND.AND FOR THE LAST 11 YEARS, I HAVE SERVED THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF THE LOW COUNTRY.
CURRENTLY I HAVE THE PLEASURE AND HONOR OF SERVING AS THE BOARD PRESIDENT OF THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND, BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB.
I'M HERE TO STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, SPECIFICALLY THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF HILTON HEAD.
OUR MISSION IS TO ENABLE ALL YOUNG PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO NEED US THE MOST TO REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL AS PRODUCTIVE, CARING, RESPONSIBLE.
WE FOCUS ON ACADEMIC SUCCESS, HEALTHY LIFESTYLES, AND GOOD PRODUCTIVE CITIZENSHIP.
ASK A KID WHY THEY ATTEND THE CLUB AND THEY TELL YOU IT'S FUN AND SAFE.
I BELIEVE THERE IS A MISPERCEPTION WHEN IT COMES TO UNDERSTANDING THE NEEDS OF CERTAIN KIDS AND FAMILIES WHO LIVE ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
THE REALITY IS OUR CLUB FAMILIES NEED THE SUPPORT OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB.
64% OF OUR CLUB KIDS QUALIFY FOR FREE OR FEE REDUCED LUNCHES.
45% OF OUR FAMILIES LIVE BELOW THE PINE POVERTY LEVELS.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR KIDS' PARENTS WORK SIX OR SEVEN DAYS A WEEK IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY AND ARE STRUGGLING TO FIND A PORTABLE HOUSING.
ALTHOUGH WE HAVE A MEMBERSHIP FEE, WE DO NOT TURN AWAY ANY FAMILY FOR INABILITY TO PAY A FEE FOR THEIR CHILD.
OUR ETHNIC MIX IS 47% LATINO, 24% AFRICAN AMERICAN, 20% CAUCASIAN AND 9% MIXED RACE.
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS A GAME CHANGER THAT HAS HAD AN EXTREMELY NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE KIDS AND FAMILIES OF OUR CLUB.
LEARNING LOSS WAS A CONCERN PRE PANDEMIC, BUT NOW IT'S A CRISIS YESTERDAY.
WE STARTED OUR FALL AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL 325 KIDS COVID PROTOCOL HAS FORCED US TO LIMIT ATTENDANCE TO 150 KIDS.
THAT LEAVES 175 KIDS WHO ARE NOT RECEIVING ACADEMIC SUPPORT FROM OUR ORGANIZATION.
OUR STAFF AND OUR BOARD ARE CURRENTLY WORKING TO OFFER SATURDAY PROGRAM AND TO HELP BRIDGE THE LEARNING LOSS GAP AND PROVIDE A SAFE HAVEN FOR KIDS WHOSE PARENT OR PARENTS MAY BE WORKING ON SATURDAY.
WE ARE NOT EDUCATORS, BUT WE CERTAINLY CAN PROVIDE SUPPLEMENT ACADEMIC SUPPORT WITH YOUR PARTNERSHIP.
IF WE CAN COMMUNICATE AND COLLABORATE.
I AM SURE THAT WE CAN OVERCOME THE SATURDAY PROGRAM CHALLENGES, WHICH INCLUDE FUNDING AND STAFFING.
SPEAKING ABOUT STUDENT RIGHTS.
I WAS SUPPOSED TO DANCE TO THAT GOOD EVENING.
MADAM CHAIR, BOARD MEMBERS, DR.
RODRIGO SAYS, AND DISTRICT STAFF, THANKS FOR GIVING ME A CHANCE TO SPEAK THIS EVENING.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HARD WORK.
UH, IT'S BEEN A REALLY DEMANDING 17 MONTHS AS A PARENT IN REGARDS TO PROTECTING OUR RIGHTS TO CARE FOR OUR CHILDREN.
AS WE SEE FIT AND TO PROTECT THEM FOR BEING SUBJECTED TO THE INCONSISTENT ARBITRARY BEHAVIOR OF SCHOOL STAFF.
LAST SPRING WAS A NIGHTMARE FOR MY KIDS, AND I DON'T WANT TO GO INTO IT BECAUSE WE ALREADY IRONED OUT THE SITUATION AND THE SCHOOL YEAR'S OVER.
AS YOU CONTINUE TO GET REQUESTS TO MANDATE MASKS AND SCHOOLS FOR ALL CHILDREN, FROM PARENTS WHO WANT THAT TO HAPPEN.
YOU DO NOT HAVE HEALTH CARE RIGHTS OVER OUR KIDS.
OUTSIDE OF HANDLING AN EMERGENCY.
AS PARENTS, WE HAVE THE DIVINE RIGHT TO PROTECT AND DEFEND OUR CHILDREN.
DON'T MAKE US DO MORE THAN WE HAVE TO AND PROTECTING THOSE RIGHTS.
LASTLY, PLEASE STOP VIOLATING UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
PLEASE STOP VIOLATING THE RIGHTS OF OUR KIDS.
I STILL THINK THERE'S A LOT WE CAN LEARN FROM IT.
[00:40:01]
TO START THE TIMER OVER NEXT.GOOD EVENING TO EVERYONE ON THE BOY.
UH, MY NAME IS GEORGIA CHAMPION AND MY TOPIC TONIGHT IS SCHOOL.
AND MY QUESTION IS I'M CONCERNED ABOUT MY GRANDCHILDREN IN SCHOOL RIGHT NOW, AND I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE DISTRICT PLAN TO KEEP OUR CHILDREN SAFE IN SCHOOL, DOING THE COVID SITUATION RIGHT NOW THAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH, WHAT DO Y'ALL HAVE PLANNED FOR OUR CHILDREN? ALSO, I WAS AWARE THAT WE HAD SOME STUDENTS AT LADY'S ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL THAT CAME DOWN WITH COVID AND I HAVE GRAND SON THAT GOES THERE AND WE WERE NOT NOTIFIED ABOUT IT.
ALSO, MY NEXT QUESTION IS WHY IS IN HELENA SCHOOL GETTING ALL FURNITURE FROM BUFORD ELEMENTARY? THAT'S THE SECOND QUESTION THAT I HAVE TO ASK ALSO, WHAT ABOUT THE BUSES? HOW SAFE IS THE BUSES FOR THE CHILDREN TO RIDE? THE BUSES ARE THE BUSES BEING SANITIZED EVERY DAY BEFORE THE CHILDREN GET ON THE BUS.
SO THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY FOR RIGHT NOW.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR FIRST PUBLIC COMMENT SECTION SESSION.
WE WILL NOW GO TO THE CHAIRMAN'S
[5. Chairman's Report]
REPORT.AS WE ALL KNOW, YESTERDAY WAS AN EXCITING DAY AND BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND MOST OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE AS IT WAS OUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR THE 20 21, 20 22 SCHOOL YEAR.
AND THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO SINCERELY THANK ALL THE PRINCIPALS, TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF, AND EVERYONE HELPED TO OPEN THE SCHOOLS.
IT WAS NO EASY TASK AND IT SOUNDS LIKE YESTERDAY WENT AS SMOOTHLY AS POSSIBLE.
WE ARE NOW TO THE COMMITTEE REPORTS
[6. Committee Reports]
AND THE FIRST COMMITTEE REPORTING IS THE AD HOC NORTH OF THE BROAD COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, MR. EARL CAMPBELL.OH, WE MADE ON THE 10TH OF THIS PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AND WE CAME UP WITH THE SCOPE.
YOU KNOW WHAT, MR. CAMPBELL, SORRY, I'M GONNA INTERRUPT YOU.
CAN YOU JUST CLIP IT ON YOUR LAPEL BECAUSE I THINK IT'S TOO CLOSE TO YOUR MOUTH OR YOUR TECH.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YEAH, THAT'S BETTER.
AND THE SCOPE IS YOU, THE GROWTH OF NORTHERN YOU'VE ACCOUNTED.
WE WILL REVIEW THE BUILDING CAPACITY OF EACH SCHOOL.
IF YOU THE PROGRAM CAPACITY, THE SCHOOL AND PROVIDE AN UPDATE AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS FOR THE BOARDS.
TAKE ME FROM THAT BALL REVIEW.
SO I WOULD SAY TO THE MEMBERS, PLEASE, UH, BE PRESENT FOR THESE VISITS.
WE'LL GIVE YOU A DATE AND THE TIME THEN THEY'LL DO.
SO MR. CAMPBELL, WE HAVE, UM, IN OUR PACKET TONIGHT, UM, THE, THE COMMITTEE SCOPE.
SO WOULD YOU LIKE TO, UM, MAKE A MOTION OR SOMEBODY ON YOUR, MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVED? UH, THE COMMITTEES, UH, SCOPE PUTTING OFF HIM AND MR. SMITH.
I WILL SECOND THAT SECOND BACK.
I JUST, JUST RAISING MY HAND TO SECOND THAT MOTION.
UH, ALSO, UH, I WASN'T ABLE TO MAKE THAT, THAT MEETING.
MY SCHEDULE DID NOT ALLOW IT, SO I, I W I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE COMMITTEE.
I REMEMBER WHEN WE FIRST, UH, WE, WHEN WE FIRST ATTENDED THIS, I MEAN, WHEN WE FIRST MADE THIS A COMMITTEE, SO THIS IS THE SAME SCOPE THAT THE SOFTWARE, THE BROAD HAS, CORRECT? YEAH.
[00:45:04]
OKAY.BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE MISSION, BECAUSE I KNOW THE SCOPE WAS REALLY THE SAME AS THE SOFTWARE, THE BROAD, NO, FOR THE BRI.
UM, I THINK MR. S MR. SMITH, YOU'RE A LITTLE HARD TO HEAR, BUT I GATHER YOUR QUESTION WAS, IS THE NORTH OF THE BROAD COMMITTEE SCOPE IDENTICAL TO THE SOUTH OF THE BROAD COMMITTEE SCOPE, THE BULLETIN GROWTH COMMITTEE? CORRECT.
AND I BELIEVE AS A CAMP, AS A CAMP, WE'LL SAY, YES, IT WAS, HE ANSWERED IT.
BUT ALSO, NO, MY QUESTION IS, SO MY QUESTION IS, IS THE SCOPE THE SAME? AND IF IT'S NOT, THEN WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE WITH THE SCOPE? SO I'LL LET DR.
NO, AND IT'S BETTER IF I THINK HE CAN HEAR ME NOW.
BUT DON'T HOLD IT SO CLOSE TO YOUR MOUTH.
UM, NOW MR. SMITH, THIS DOESN'T MIRROR EXACTLY THE AD HOC BLUFFTON GROWTH COMMITTEE SCOPE.
UM, THERE ARE SOME OTHER ITEMS THAT WERE APPLICABLE FOR THE BLUFFTON COMMITTEE'S WORK, UM, LOOKING AT IMPACT FEES AND LAND AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO IT DOES NOT EXACTLY MIRROR.
SO WITH THAT, THEN, UH, BEING A TEENAGER, A MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE, I WOULD ASK THAT WE WOULD, UH, WE WOULD POSSIBLY GO BACK AND LOOK, BECAUSE I REMEMBER WHEN WE FIRST, UH, ACCEPTED THE, AND MADE AND MADE THIS, THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THE SCOPE ALIGNING WITH EACH OTHER, AND I WAS NOT THERE AT THE FIRST MEETING TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY.
SO I WOULD WONDER IF WE COULD BRING BACK THE SPRING, BACK THE SCOPE OR UNLESS, YOU KNOW, UM, BECAUSE THE AGENDA IS PRETTY PACKED TONIGHT, UNLESS Y'ALL WANT TO, UH, TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION NOW.
BUT I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO POSSIBLY, UH, REVISIT THIS CALL BY OUR NEXT MEETING, UH, IF, IF WE COULD.
WELL, FOR ME, I THINK ALL COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE MORE ROOM AND EMPATHIZE.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY LOOKING AT DRILLING IN SCHOOLS SAYING, OKAY, HIGH DRAFT, AND WE'LL BE LOOKING AT BUILDING MORE SCHOOLS.
I DON'T THINK WE WILL BE LOOKING AT BUILDING ANY MORE SCHOOLS OR NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY, NOT RIGHT NOW FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
WE WILL PROBABLY LOOK AT HOW WE CAN MOVE AROUND.
SOME STUDENTS MAYBE LOOKING AT THAT, YOU KNOW, LIKE MOVING SOME, SOME, SOME STUDENTS FROM ONE SCHOOL TOGETHER AND WE WILL STARTED AT THE BUFORD CLASSROOM.
HELENA ELEMENTARY, UH, LADIES OUT ON ELEMENTARY AND LARRY'S OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL BEAUTIFUL TO SCHOOL THAT WE WILL VISIT.
THANK YOU, MS. CHRISTIAN BARRIER OR MS. UH, MERCARDO.
CAN YOU DISPLAY THE SCOPE? CAUSE IT'S NOT UP THERE.
SO THE PUBLIC CAN SEE WHAT THE SCOPE IS.
UM, SO I BELIEVE THAT, UH, THIS SCOPE IS FAIR, IS VERY COMPREHENSIVE.
UH, WE DID HAVE THE COMMITTEE MEETING AND THE MEMBERS CHAIR, MR. EARL CAMPBELL, MYSELF AND MR. SMITH.
UM, AND I, AND MR. SMITH JUST STATED HE WAS NOT AT, AT THAT MEETING.
UM, HOWEVER, AS I RECALL, MR.
AND SO I REALLY THINK THAT WE VETTED WHAT THE SCOPE OF THE, UH, NORTHERN BUFORD COUNTY AD HOC COMMITTEE WILL BE.
UM, SO I WOULD JUST URGE MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS TO, TO VOTE FOR THIS SCOPE.
UM, AND AT OUR NEXT MEETING, IF, IF THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT MR. SMITH YOU MIGHT WANT TO BRING TO THE TABLE, UM, WE CAN ALWAYS AMEND THIS, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO, UH, URGE MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS TO, TO AGREE TO THIS SCOPE FOR THE NORTHERN BUFORD COUNTY AD HOC COMMITTEE, SO THAT WE CAN GET OUR WORK STARTED.
AND WE'VE ALREADY GOT A PLAN TO, TO MEET NEXT MONTH AND TO START GOING FORWARD.
THANK YOU, MR. DAVID STRINGER AND COMMANDER CHAIR.
I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THIS SCOPE, UM, FOR THIS COMMITTEE SATISFIES A REQUIREMENT
[00:50:02]
FROM THE REFERENDUM, UM, THAT WE WOULD EXAMINE CAPACITIES NORTH OF THE BROAD.UM, SO IT'S, IT'S A VERY ANCHORED, UH, SCOPE.
UM, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO DO, SO I'M CERTAINLY GONNA APPROVE IT, MR. MELVIN CAMPBELL.
I'D LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, ASK THE CHAIR OR ROBIN TO REFRESHING OUR MEMORY ON WHAT THESE AD HOC COMMITTEES WERE CHARGED TO DO.
AND WHEN WE, WHEN WE APPOINTED THESE AD HOC COMMITTEES, I MEAN, THEY HAD, THEY HAD SOME KIND OF DIRECTIONS I'M SURE.
WELL, IN THE PAST, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS THE BOARD HAS TYPICALLY, UM, VOTED, UH, FOR THE CHAIR TO, UM, FORM AN AD HOC COMMITTEE.
AND THE AD HOC COMMITTEE VERSUS A STANDING COMMITTEE HAS, YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT, UH, A LIMITED TIME PERIOD DURING WHICH THEY WILL NEED TO MEET.
AND THE, UM, AND THEN THEY BRING TO THE BOARD AT THEIR FIRST MEETING.
TYPICALLY THEY, UH, FORM WHAT THE SCOPE IS BASED ON WHAT OUR CONVERSATION HAS BEEN ABOUT, FORMING THE COMMITTEE AND BRING THAT BACK TO THE BOARD AS WE'RE DOING TONIGHT TO, UM, YOU KNOW, SAY HERE'S OUR CHANCE TO PUT INPUT.
NO, WE DON'T WANT THEM TO DOING THIS, OR YES, WE DO WANT THEM DOING THIS.
SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THE SCOPE DISCUSSION FIRST, TYPICALLY.
SO, UM, THAT'S HOW IT'S, IT'S WORKED IN THE PAST.
AND, UH, SINCE, UH, AS MR.
SO DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YEAH, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT, THAT THEY DID HAVE A DIRECT, UH, UH, DIRECTION IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING TO DO.
APPARENTLY AS, AS THE SCOPE INDICATED, IT DOES TALK ABOUT THE SCHOOL SIZES AND THE, THE GOOD POSSIBILITY AND LACK OF GROWTH POSSIBILITY AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO WITH THOSE RESOURCES.
SO, AND THE SAME THING IS THAT'S THE COMPARATIVE THING TO BLUFFTON EXCEPT BLUFFTON IS IT'S COURSE ADVANCING AND QUILT A LOT MORE.
SO THEY MAY HAVE TO DO SOME OTHER STUDIES.
SO I DON'T SEE, YOU KNOW, WHY THESE, UH, THESE ARE PRETTY COMPATIBLE IN TERMS OF WHAT THE BOARD EXPECTS TO GET FROM THESE, FROM THESE, UH, COMMITTEES.
OKAY, MR. O'BRIEN, KATHY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN HEAR US, MR. WELLDYNE.
I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT THAT I THINK THE LAST BULLET PROVIDE UPDATES AND POTENTIAL ACTION ITEMS STEMMING FROM THE ABOVE REVIEW AND FROM COLLABORATION WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND BCSD STAFF JUST REALLY, UM, SUMS UP THE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE IN THE SOUTH OF THE BROAD COMMITTEE.
ACTUALLY, IT PROVIDES FOR THAT, THAT LAST BULLETS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
I WILL SUPPORT THIS MOTION MS. BELT.
UM, I ALSO SUPPORT THIS MOTION.
I AM VERY GRATEFUL THAT EARL CAMPBELL IS THE CHAIR BECAUSE 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS AREA, I THINK WE'RE IN VERY GOOD HANDS.
THE ONLY POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS I DON'T THINK THIS FULLY, UH, UH, IS OUR COMMITMENT FROM THE REFERENDUM BECAUSE IN THE REFERENDUM, WHAT WE COMMITTED TO WAS A COMMUNITY COMMITTEE TASKED WITH NORTHERN BREW FOR COUNTY SCHOOLS.
SO I DO THINK THIS CAN LAY A LOT OF GROUNDWORK AND GET SOME STRUCTURE, BUT I DO HOPE THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE WILL INVOLVE MORE OF THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, MR. WILLIAMS SMITH, UM, MT.
CHAIR, UM, AND, AND, AND BORGE, AND I'M QUITE DISAPPOINTED.
I ALMOST FEEL LIKE WE'RE UNDER ATTACK BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, THERE, THERE'VE BEEN A LOT OF TALK IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT SHUTTING DOWN OUR SCHOOLS AND, AND MY DISTRICT.
AND WE'RE STARTING OUT WITH, UH, ST.
AND, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THAT, AND I'VE HAD THAT AT MY LAST COMMUNITY MEETING THAT I'VE HAD PUBLICLY, AND THAT QUESTION THAT CAME, AND IT JUST MIGHT AS, MIGHT AS A VERY COINCIDENTAL THAT THE FIRST PLACE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A DISTRICT THREE.
AND I WAS NOT AT THIS MEETING.
SO IT WAS, I, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M, I'M A LITTLE
[00:55:01]
CONCERNED, UM, COMING OUT OF THE GATES.AND THEN I'M ASKING, BECAUSE I, I DO REMEMBER THAT WE, WHAT WE DISCUSSED WAS, UH, AS MR. CAMPBELL SAID THAT THIS WOULD MIRROR THE SOUTH, THE SOUTH, UH, AD HOC COMMITTEE, THE STOCKTON SOUTH PREACHER KIND OF AD HOC COMMITTEE, THIS, THE SCOPES WILL BE THE SAME.
AND TO TODAY TO COME TO THE MEET TODAY, AND THE HEAD OF THE SCOPES ARE NOT THE SAME AND I COULD NOT MAKE THEM CAUSE I HAD A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT FOR THEM TO STILL HAVE THE MEETING AND NOT, AND NOT, NOT TO INVOLVE ME IN THE, BRING THE SCOPE AND FORCING SCOPE DOWN OUR THROAT.
IT REALLY CONCERNS ME WITH LIKE, THERE'S AN INTENTION AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE INTENTION IS, YOU KNOW, BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT, THAT WE ARE PUSHING THIS FORWARD.
AND I, AND I'VE ASKED TO GO BACK BECAUSE THE QUESTION, WHAT I KNOW THE DAY THAT WE, THAT, THAT WE APPROVED IT, WE SAID THAT THE, THAT IT WOULD MIRROR THE OTHER COMMITTEE.
SO IF IT WOULD MIRROR AND IT'S NOT MARRIED TO DATE, THEN I, I'M ALMOST CONCERNED THAT WE SHOULD GO BACK TO THOSE NOTES BECAUSE THIS IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
AND TO COME BACK WITH THE FIRST MOTION I BACKED OFF THE FIRST MEETING, AND I'M ASKING AS THE ACTUAL COMMITTEE MEMBER, I'M ASKING TO GO BACK IN AND HAPPEN TO LOOK AT THAT AND TO HAVE A PUSH BACK ALREADY.
THAT CONCERNS ME IS THAT, IS THERE, UH, AN AGENDA LIKE MY COMMUNITY HAS ASKED ME, UH, AT THE, UH, AT THE EIGHT CURRENT PRESENT, UH, I MEAN, ANY, ANY COMMUNITY MEETING THAT WE HAD NOT LONG AGO, IT WAS THEIR INTENTIONS TO SHUT DOWN SCHOOLS IN OUR DISTRICT.
SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST, I JUST WANT TO BRING EVERYONE UP TO SPEED ON THAT.
LET THEM LET THEM KNOW MY CONCERNS GOING IN GOING INTO THIS.
UM, THEY ARE VERY, THEY ARE VERY, VERY CONCERNED.
AND TO KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S DIFFERENT IF MS. MR. THE CHAIR JUST STATED THAT WE WERE WORKING ON DISTRICT THREE ALREADY, HE DIDN'T SAY THAT WE WEREN'T GOING TO GO TO ALL, BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT THE OTHER, THE AD HOC IS THE OTHER AD HOC COMMITTEE SERVES ALL THE, ALL OF THE SCHOOLS OVER THERE, AND THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT THE GROWTH, BUT ALL, BUT TO SAY THAT, AND THEN TO HAVE ANOTHER BOARD MEMBER SAY THAT THEY WILL BRING FORTH A DEBRIS FLOW FOR A RESULT OR A RESOLUTION ALREADY THAT'S CONCERNING AND THIS AND THIS AND THIS.
AND I HAD THE ALARMS GOING OFF THERE AS WELL.
UM, I'M NOT SURE THERE'S, UH, THERE'S KIND OF AN ECHO BACK IN HERE.
I WASN'T, I COULD NOT HEAR EVERYTHING THAT MR. SMITH SAID, AND I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT, BUT I DID JUST WANT TO ADD TO THIS, THAT, UM, MS. BOATWRIGHT.
AND ACTUALLY, UM, UH, WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT THE REFERENDUM, IT BEING A PART OF THE REFERENDUM AND THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED IN THAT, IN THAT SENTENCE RIGHT THERE, IT SAYS KEY STAKEHOLDERS THAT THAT WAS FRONT AND CENTER THE COMMUNITY WITHOUT A DOUBT, THEY ARE THE ULTIMATE STAKEHOLDERS IN ALL OF THIS.
UM, SO I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT THAT IS THE INTENTION BEHIND THAT WITHOUT A DOUBT.
UM, AND AS FAR AS WELL, I'M NOT GONNA SAY ANYTHING CAUSE I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTOOD MR. SMITH CORRECTLY, BUT SO THANK YOU.
I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT, UH, THE NO OVEN AREA IS A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT THAN SOUTHERN IN HERE.
THEY HAVE A LOT OF BUILDING GOING ON IN THAT AREA DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTHERN AREA.
THE ONLY AREA THAT I LOOK AT RIGHT NOW IS PROBABLY OLD LADIES OUT AND A LITTLE BIT IN THE BATTLE CREEK CLUSTER IN THE WELL-BRANDED CLUSTER, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT ALSO, BUT IT'S NOT ON THE SAME LEVEL THAT IT IS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE, I MEAN, SOUTHERN PARTY AREA.
UM, AND WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT, UH, STAKEHOLDERS.
WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING TO PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.
YOU'RE GOING TO BE TALKING TO SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL, YOU PAY INPUT ALSO BECAUSE THAT'S, WE DIDN'T DO THAT THE LAST TIME WHEN WE CLOSED, UH, SHELL POINT, THEY DO NOT DO THAT, BUT WE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO IT THIS TIME.
WE'RE READY TO CALL THE QUESTION, PLEASE.
[01:00:03]
THE MOTION IS APPROVED TEN ONE.UH, MR. MEL CAMPBELL, YOUR HAND IS RAISED.
SO MR. UM, EARL CAMPBELL, DOES THAT COMPLETE YOUR COMMITTEE REPORT? OKAY.
AND THANKS TO YOUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
NOW WE'RE ONTO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AS REPORTED BY THE CHAIR, MR. RICHARD GUYER.
MADAM CHAIR, WE START OUT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT WITH A MOTION.
I MOVED AT THE 20 21, 20 22 DEBT SERVICE FUND BALANCE EXPENDITURES BE AMENDED TO AMOUNT OF $79,274,891 SECOND FROM MR. CAMPBELL, THIS, THIS WAS BROUGHT AND DISCUSSED AT SOME LENGTH WITH, UH, OUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR, BRIAN NORICK AT THE COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED BRINGING IT TO THE FULL BOARD FOR APPROVAL ON A THREE ZERO VOTE.
UM, AND WE'RE AMENDING IT TO 79 TO 74, 8 91 FROM, OH, YOU'RE GOING TO SHOW WHAT IT USED TO BE.
I DIDN'T, I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THE ORIGINAL, UH, APPROVED BUDGET WAS, AND THEN HE S I BELIEVE, AND THEN HE SAW IT.
IT WAS A 72,977,989 IS MR. NORICK ON THE, UH, AS HE SIGNED IN MS. CRA, MS. CROSBY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COMMENT? YES.
UH, THE ACTUAL MOTION, UM, WAS MADE TO INCLUDE AN AMOUNT OF 75 MILLION, 304,947.
THAT WAS THE AMOUNT IN THE MOTION.
MS. CROSBY, CAN YOU, UM, CLARIFY THAT? CAUSE WE HAVE SOMETHING DIFFERENT, UM, DISPLAYED.
I'M A, UM, I WAS JUST PULLING THAT UP AGAIN HERE.
UH, LET ME, LET ME VERIFY THAT ON MY, HAVE YOU SPOKEN? UM, UNDER, OKAY.
70, THE ORIGINAL MOTION WAS APPROVED, UM, ON THE MAY 18TH BOARD MEETING OF 75 MILLION, 3 0 4, 9 47 WITH A DEBT MILLAGE RATE OF 36.3.
THAT WAS THE ORIGINAL, UH, MOTION THAT WAS MADE.
THERE'LL BE NO FURTHER HANDS UP.
THE MOTION IS APPROVED 10 0 1.
MADAM CHAIR, THE COMMITTEE DISCUSSED WHAT SHOULD BE THE DISTRICTS 8% DEBT CAPACITY THAT WE RETAIN AS A TARGET FOR THE FUTURE.
CURRENTLY, WE HAVE A DEBT CAPACITY OF $79,796,274.
[01:05:04]
THE COMMITTEE DISCUSSED INCREASING THE 8% DEBT PLAN TO HAVE IMMEDIATE FUNDING FOR EMERGENCIES.THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOOKING AT HIGH, BUT A HIGHER, UH, BASE OF HOW MUCH DEBT CAN, UM, THAT WE CAN BORROW WITH 8% MONEY.
WE ARE CURRENTLY INSURED FOR ALL THE BUILDINGS IN THE DISTRICT FOR ABOUT $800 MILLION.
WE SHOULD HAVE ABOUT 10% OF OUR TOTAL INSURED PROPERTY AS A LINE OF CREDIT OR BORROWING CAPACITY.
THIS WOULD AMOUNT TO ABOUT $80 MILLION.
SOME OF THE SUGGESTED REASONS FOR THIS ARE EMERGENCIES LIKE HURRICANES SITE PREP AND ENGINEERING WORK TO PREPARE FOR RAPID CONSTRUCTION AFTER A POTENTIAL REFERENDUM INCREASE OF CAPITAL PROJECT LIMIT FROM 20 MILLION TO $25 MILLION EVERY YEAR, THAT $20 MILLION A CAPITAL PROJECTS LIMIT WITH 8% MONEY HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR SEVERAL YEARS, BUT THIS AMOUNT HAS NOT KEPT UP WITH INFLATION OVER THE YEAR.
AND, UH, MR. ERIC SHARED WITH US OTHER DISTRICTS LIKE GREENVILLE COUNTY HANDLES THEIR 8% DEBT PLAN.
AND WE THINK THAT WE WILL BE READY TO COME TO THE BOARD WITH A RECOMMENDATION, UH, AFTER WE'VE HAD A LITTLE MORE TIME TO LOOK AT THIS AND BRING YOU A COMPREHENSIVE MOTION ON HOW THE 8% DEBT CAPACITY SHOULD BE LAID OUT.
THE COMMITTEE ALSO AGREED TO DISCUSS A ALWAYS SIX DASH SIX IN MORE DETAIL, AND THAT CONCLUDES MY BRIEFING.
AND THANK YOU TO YOUR COMMITTEE.
NEXT UP, WE HAVE OPERATIONS WITH CHAIR, TRISHA FIDGET REPORTING.
UM, THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE COMPRISED OF MS. BOAT, RIGHT.
AND MR. SMITH, UM, MET ON AUGUST 11TH AND WE REVIEWED, WE LOOKED AT SEVERAL THINGS.
UH, WE DID A REVIEW OF THE REVISED ARCHITECTURAL CONTRACT USING THE A I A, A NEW STANDARD FORM.
AND, UM, I'LL JUST SHOW EVERYBODY IT'S A, IT'S A LENGTHY DOCUMENT.
AND WE, WE REVIEWED THIS WITH THE, UM, ASSISTANCE, UH, MR. BECK HALLIGAN AND MR. ALLEN SMITH.
SO THEY WERE INCLUDED IN THE ZOOM CALL AND WE WENT OVER IT AND OF COURSE OUR OWN COUNSEL, WENDY CARTLIDGE.
UM, WE WENT OVER IT LINE FOR LINE AS TO THE CHANGES THAT ARE GOING TO BE MADE FOR ANY FUTURE AGREEMENT WITH AN ARCHITECT BETWEEN US AND AN ARCHITECT.
SO THAT'S FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
UM, WE ALSO FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, UH, MR. ADIM PRESENTED AND SAID THAT AN RFP WAS GOING OUT FOR A CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AT RISK FOR, UH, CAPITAL RENEWAL, UH PRE-CONSTRUCTION AND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES FOR THE SUMMER PROJECTS OF FISCAL YEAR 2022.
SO, UM, AFTER THAT, UM, WE HAD A DISCUSSION AND WE BRING FORWARD A MOTION TO THE BOARD TODAY.
AND, UH, SO I'LL BRING THE MOTION FORWARD.
AND IF THERE'S A SECOND, WE CAN DISCUSS IT A LITTLE BIT MORE LENGTH AFTER THAT.
SO, UM, THE MOTION STATES, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVED THE USE OF FISCAL YEAR 2023, 8% CAPITAL FUNDS FOR THE USE OF A PROPANE BUS FUELING STATION.
THIS SHOULD NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF $200,000.
THIS ITEM SHALL BE LISTED IN THE FISCAL YEAR, 2023, 8% CAPITAL FUNDS LIST OF CONTINGENCY RECOMMENDED PROJECTS, MS. BELT.
WE HAVE THE MOTION MADE BY MS. FIDRYCH AND SECOND BY MS. BOATWRIGHT, MR. SMITH, CAN I SAY, YEAH, ACTUALLY GO AHEAD.
I JUST WANTED TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE EXPLANATION THAT THE, UM, THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT CONTACTED US AND SAID, WOULD YOU LIKE 17 NEW PROPANE BUSES? AND OF COURSE WE SAID, 17 NEW PROPANE BUSES.
UM, BUT THE ONLY GLITCH IS THAT YOU HAVE TO BUILD A PROPANE STATION FOR THOSE BUSES IN, UM, SOUTH OF THE BROAD.
SO, UH, WHAT WE'RE BRINGING FORWARD TODAY ARE FOR THE FUNDS IN ORDER TO BUILD THAT PROPANE STATION.
THAT'S IN A NUTSHELL, THANK YOU, MR. SMITH.
WELL, YEAH, YOU JUST CALL THEM.
AND, AND YOU'RE KIND OF ECHO-Y CAN YOU, I DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.
[01:10:01]
WAS THAT, ARE YOU CALLING THIS BOWL RIGHT? UH, AND CURVE FOR ELABORATING ON THAT BECAUSE WHAT, SHE JUST WENT OVER, I WAS GOING TO ELABORATE THAT, THAT TH TH THERE WAS A, UM, AN OFFER TO US THAT MADE, THAT MADE US SUPPORT THIS MOTION, THAT THE STATE WAS GOING TO GIVE US SOME BUSES.SO, UH, AND, UH, WITH, IN RETURN GETTING THE, UH, YOU'RE GETTING THE PROPANE TANKS.
UM, I RECALL IN THE PAST THE PROPANE FUELING STATION, DO WE HAVE ONE PRESENTLY THAL, AND THEN ALSO, UM, DID US HAVING ONE SOUND IN THE BROAD KIND OF PROMPT THIS, UH, DISCUSSION FOR NORTH OF THE BROAD, CAUSE I REMEMBER THAT WITH A FEW YEARS.
MR. ROTTING, CAN YOU STEP FORWARD AND TAKE THE QUESTION? YEAH.
SO I THINK I HAVE ANOTHER ITEM COMING UP ANYWAY, SO I'LL JUST STAY UP HERE.
UM, SO MR.
AND MAYBE IT'S THE MASK HOW'S THAT, IS THAT BETTER? MUCH BETTER.
SO YES, WE DO HAVE A PROPANE STATION CURRENTLY IN NORTHERN BUFORD COUNTY.
IT'S ACTUALLY AT THE, AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE AND MAIN POINT.
UM, THE, UH, SINCE WE HAD ONE NORTH, THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS THE ONE THAT REQUESTED THAT WE PUT A S UH, A SECOND ONE, SOMEWHERE, SOUTH ABROAD, AND THEY ACTUALLY REQUESTED THAT WE PUT IT ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND IS WHERE THEY ASKED FOR THAT TO GO.
SO THAT WAS WE'RE FOLLOWING THEIR DIRECTIVE AS FAR AS WHERE THEY WANT THAT LOCATED.
THIS ONE WOULD BE THE ONE SOUTH ABROAD, WHICH WOULD BE OUR FIRST CHOICE WOULD BE HILTON HEAD.
WE'VE STARTED THE PERMITTING PROCESS OF TALKING WITH THE TOWN, AS LONG AS ALL THAT CAN GET WORKED OUT.
THAT'S WHERE WE WILL PLACE IT.
BUT THE 17 NEW ONES ARE GOING NORTH OF THE BROAD, CORRECT? THE BUSES THEMSELVES.
WELL, UNTIL WE GET THE STATION BUILT, THEY WILL HAVE TO GO NORTH ABROAD.
WE ALREADY HAVE FROM 2020, WE HAD 17 PROPANE BUSES IN NORTHERN BUFORD COUNTY.
UM, UNTIL WE GET THE FUELING STATION BUILT, WE WILL PUT THEM NORTH ABROAD SO WE CAN FUEL THEM.
BUT AS SOON AS THE STATIONS BUILT, THEY WILL THEN MOVE TO, SO THIS WILL ALLOW US TO HAVE ALL OF THOSE BUSES THAT WE NOW WILL HAVE IN SERVICE TO BE ABLE TO REFUEL ALCOHOL.
THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I WAS TRYING TO GET TO IS THAT THIS IS MAKING US SERVE THE ENTIRE DISTRICT, AS OPPOSED TO JUST, YES, THAT IS CORRECT.
I KNOW, I REMEMBER A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN WE WE'VE, UM, THE BOARD VOTED TO PUT THE PROPANE STATION NORTH OF THE BROAD, UM, SO HOW MUCH DO THESE, UH, UM, UH, PROPANE STATIONS, WHAT'S THE, UM, THE COST JUST TO, UH, MAINTAIN THEM ANNUALLY ROUGHLY? WELL, AS FAR AS MAINTAINING IT, THE STATE MAINTAINS IT.
SO THE STATE FILLS IT ONCE WE HAVE IT IN PLACE, THEY PAY FOR EVERYTHING ELSE.
SO IT'S REALLY, WE DON'T HAVE ANY COSTS AFTER THAT POINT.
SO THE COSTS THAT YOU SEE THERE ARE ACTUALLY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION COST, AND IT DEPENDS ON THE SITE.
YOU PICK IT, UM, WHERE WE PUT IT IN MINK POINT, UM, WE DIDN'T HAVE A DRIVEWAY AND EVERYTHING WERE THERE.
SO THERE WERE SOME EXTRA COSTS WE'RE HOPING HERE ON HILTON HEAD.
IF WE PUT ONE, WE CAN PUT IT IN AN EXISTING PARKING LOT OR SOMETHING AND HOPEFULLY GET THOSE COSTS DOWN.
SO THE MOTION IS PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
QUADS ON THE NEXT PART OF THE OPERATIONS REPORT IS THE CONSTRUCTION UPDATE.
IS MR. PORTMAN ON WITH US, MR. AUDEN? UNFORTUNATELY, NO, I AM FILLING IN FOR MR. CORBIN TODAY.
SO, UM, AND, UH, I BELIEVE KEVIN KELLY WITH HERE, HE IS AVAILABLE ONLINE IF NEEDED AS WELL.
SO I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH, THERE'S A LOT MORE INFORMATION HERE THAN I'M GOING TO TOUCH IN ITS ENTIRETY.
I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH IT AS I DID IN THE APP, AS IT WAS GONE THROUGH IN THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HIT ON THE HIGH POINTS, MAINLY THOSE THAT HAVE YELLOW LIGHTS OR SOME SORT OF ISSUE.
[01:15:01]
ON BUFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.NOW I'LL ALSO STATE THAT THIS REPORT IS THE JULY REPORT.
SO SOME OF THIS INFORMATION, UM, MAY BE A LITTLE DATED, BUT I'LL TRY TO UPDATE YOU WHERE WE ARE CURRENTLY.
SO BUFORD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ON, UM, MONDAY, WE DID ACCEPT CHILDREN IN, UH, YOU WILL SEE DOWN THERE, WE HAD A, A ROUGH TWO WEEKS AS FAR AS GETTING THE BUILDING READY, AND THAT WE WENT THROUGH OSF AND OVERHEAD INSPECTION.
ON AUGUST 3RD, WE HAD FINAL INSPECTION ON AUGUST 11TH, UM, WHICH WAS THE WEDNESDAY TEACHERS WERE TO BE BACK, UH, ENDED UP, DID NOT PASS THE INSPECTION ON THE 11TH, BUT PASSED IT ON THE NEXT DAY ON THE 12TH.
SO TEACHERS WERE A LITTLE DELAYED TO GET INTO BUFORD ELEMENTARY.
UM, BUT EVERYBODY WAS VERY EXCITED TO GET IN TO THE BUILDING.
UH, ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON, A LOT OF HARD WORK AND EFFORT BY A LOT OF PEOPLE WAS PUT IN TO GET THAT BUILDING, UM, COMPLETE.
UM, IT DID, UM, W WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON IT FOR THE NEXT MONTH.
THERE'S STILL LOTS OF ITEMS GOING ON.
UM, I'LL, I'LL MAKE ONE CALL OUT.
I, I KNOW, UH, TEACHERS WERE WORKING THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND, GET EVERYTHING DONE, AND, AND I HEARD THAT THERE WAS A CERTAIN SUPERINTENDENT AND HIS FAMILY THAT WERE THERE HELPING CLEAN UP BOXES AND MOVE, UH, TEACHERS IN OVER THE WEEKEND AS WELL.
SO, UM, JUST LIKE TO POINT THAT OUT, MR. ROTTING, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT THERE WERE MANY, UH, DISTRICT STAFF MEMBERS WHO DESCENDED ON THE BUILDING ON, UH, FRIDAY AND TOOK CARE OF BULLETIN BOARDS.
SO TEACHERS WOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE BULLETIN BOARDS IN THE HALLWAYS, UH, WORK TIRELESSLY, UH, TO REMOVE BOXES AND THINGS.
AND, UH, AND OVER THE WEEKEND, OUR, OUR TEACHERS DID AN AMAZING JOB AND TRANSFORMED THEIR ROOMS. UH, SO JUST TO SHOUT OUT TO THEM, THEY WERE PHENOMENAL.
AND DISTRICT STAFF STEPPING IN, UH, IT WAS SEAMLESS AND IT WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE.
SO MOVING ON, UM, BATTERY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL IS ALL GREEN LIGHTS, SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE BEYOND, UH, BATTERY CREEK.
UH, ROBERT SMALLS IS ITEM SEVEN.
AS YOU HEARD EARLIER, UM, YOU AS A BOARD JUST PASSED THE GMP, WHICH MEANS THAT PROJECT IS GOING TO BEGIN.
UM, THE STEEL HAD ALREADY BEEN ORDERED.
UM, THE SCHEDULE THAT WE ARE NOW ON IS THE PHASE ONE BUILDING, WHICH WILL BE THE NEW BUILDING WILL BE COMPLETE, UH, JULY OF 2023, UH, AND THEN PHASE TWO, WHICH WOULD BE THE BALL FIELDS.
AND ALL THE SITE WORK WILL BE COMPLETED AT THE END OF DECEMBER, 2023.
AND, UM, EVERYTHING PHASE TWO FINAL BY FEBRUARY, 2024.
SO IF YOU'LL GO ON TO SLIDE NINE, I'M GOING TO JUST BRIEFLY MENTION SLIDES NINE, 10, AND 13.
THESE ARE SEA BLUFFTON, L AND 18 MCCRACKEN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
THESE ALL HAVE YELLOW LIGHTS FOR SCHEDULE AND BUDGET ON THE TECHNOLOGY PACKAGE.
AND THOSE HAVE BEEN BEEN IN PLACE FOR SOME TIME.
SO ARE THOSE HAVE BEEN IN OUR LAST REPORTS AND I'M NOT A LOT HAS CHANGED THERE.
I'LL GO ON TO SLIDE 12 TO HILTON HEAD MIDDLE SCHOOL, UM, JUST TO KIND OF UPDATE EVERYBODY ON WHAT'S GOING ON THERE.
UM, THE COST ESTIMATE THAT YOU SEE IN THE FIRST BULLET ISLET ITEM THAT WAS SCHEDULED TO BE RECEIVED BY AUGUST 13TH WILL NOW BE RECEIVED ON AUGUST 18TH.
SO WE'RE STILL LOOKING FORWARD TO GET THAT FIRST PRICING EXERCISE IN, UH, FROM THE CONTRACTOR THOMPSON TURNER.
I WILL SAY THE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT DRAWINGS WERE SUBMITTED LAST THURSDAY TO OSF.
SO WE STARTED THE PERMITTING PROCESS WITH THE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
UM, AND THERE WAS A QUESTION ASKED AT THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE OR SOME STATEMENTS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, GETTING THE NEW, UH, PRINCIPAL INVOLVED IN MS. WHEELER IS, UH, SCHEDULED FOR A MEETING THIS FRIDAY WITH THE ARCHITECT AND THE PROJECT MANAGER TO REALLY START DIGGING INTO WHAT'S GOING TO BE GOING ON AT HER SCHOOL.
IF WE MOVE ON TO SLIDE 14 UPDATE ON HILTON HEAD HIGH SCHOOL, UM, THE FIELD PERMIT, UH, WAS, UH, APPROVED AND WORK HAS BEGUN ON THE SITE AS FAR AS EROSION CONTROL ITEMS IN PLACE.
I BELIEVE A CONSTRUCTION ENTRANCE EXIT WAS PUT IN TODAY.
GRADING EQUIPMENT IS COMING IN TOMORROW, AND THOSE ACTIVITIES WILL BEGIN ON THAT FIELD IN EARNEST.
SO, UH, THE HILTON HEAD HIGH SCHOOL, UM,
[01:20:01]
UH, ARTIFICIAL TURF FIELD IS UNDERWAY.UH, YOU DO ALSO SEE A YELLOW LIGHT ON, UH, THE SECURITY ENTRANCE.
UM, THERE'S SOME MATERIALS ORDERED WITH THAT SECURITY VESTIBULE THAT ARE ABOUT 12 WEEKS, UH, WAS THE ORDER TIME.
SO THAT HAS CAUSED A DELAY IN THAT PROJECT.
GO ON TO ITEM 15, BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL BLUFF IN HIGH SCHOOL DID HAVE ITS PERMIT ON THE TURF FIELD APPROVED, BUT WE ARE HOLDING OFF AT BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL DUE TO OTHER SCHEDULING ISSUES TILL AFTER THE FOOTBALL SEASON TO INSTALL THE TURF FIELD.
WE ARE LOOKING AT BEGINNING IN THE NEXT, UM, UH, IN THE, IN PROBABLY IT'LL START IN SEPTEMBER, AS FAR AS WORKING ON THE, UH, THE TRACK AND THE RESURFACING OF THE TRACK, UM, MOVING RIGHT ALONG THERE'S GREEN LIGHTS.
UM, MOST EVERYWHERE ELSE WILL GO AND STOP ON SLIDE 20 BUFORD HIGH SCHOOL.
UH, JUST TO, UH, TALK ABOUT THE, UM, UH, THE NEW BUILDING.
THERE'S THE PICTURE OF THE NEW WEIGHT AND WRESTLING ROOM GOING UP ALSO, JUST TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE GYM BLEACHERS WERE INSTALLED, UH, THIS WEEK, THE LOWER GYM BLEACHERS WERE INSTALLED KIND OF AHEAD OF THE SCHEDULE WE WERE THINKING.
UM, AND ONE HALF OF THE UPPER BLEACHERS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED WITH SOME ELECTRIC WORK NEEDING TO COMPLETE THEM THAT WILL OCCUR TOMORROW.
THERE IS A PART ON ORDER FOR THE SECOND SET OF UPPER GYM BLEACHERS, AND THAT PART IS ABOUT A MONTH OUT.
SO WE WILL HAVE THREE FOURTHS OF THE GYM AT BUFORD HIGH, UH, COMPLETED WHILE WE'RE WAITING ON A PART.
AND THEN, UH, ABOUT A MONTH FROM NOW, WE'LL HAVE THAT PROJECT FINISHED UP.
SO WE HAVE A LOT MORE GREEN LIGHTS.
IF WE GO ON TO, UH, SAINT HELENA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, UH, SLIDE 23, OF COURSE, THAT PROJECT HAS BEEN ON BUDGET AND SCHEDULE YELLOW LIGHT, BUT WITH THE APPROVAL TONIGHT OF THE GMP, THAT PROJECT WILL NOW, UH, GET UNDERWAY.
AND, UH, WE'LL, UH, GO WITH THE, THE NEW SCHEDULE AND BUDGET.
AS FAR AS WHAT'S BEEN IMPROVED WITH THE GMP, WE HAVE GREEN LIGHTS ON 25 ALL THE WAY.
PRETTY MUCH TO THE END, WE CAN GO TO SLIDE 29, WELL BRANCH, UM, ELEMENTARY AND WELL BRANCH MIDDLE SCHOOL.
UH, THE, THERE IS A YELLOW LIGHT ON THE BUDGET AND SCHEDULE AT WILLOW BRANCH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
UM, WE ARE FINISHING UP THE 8% HPAC PROJECT AND WE'RE STARTING TO WORK ON THE IT PORTION OF WELL BRANCH ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE, I MEAN, I'M SORRY.
WELL, BRANCH, UH, MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AND, UM, WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT THROUGH THE FALL AND IS OUR I'LL STOP BEFORE I GO FORWARD TO THE, UM, WELL, I'LL JUST STOP THERE CAUSE THAT'LL BE THE END OF THE SUMMARY PROJECTS.
ANY QUESTIONS ON PROJECTS CURRENTLY IN A WAY MR. SMITH? UH, YES, I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.
I RECEIVED A CALL THAT OUR ELEMENTARY.
I KNOW Y'ALL ARE, I'M NOT SURE IF THIS WAS A PART OF IT, BUT THE BATHROOMS ARE BACKING UP IS WHAT IS A CALL THAT I RECEIVED? UM, ACTUALLY ONE OF THEM, BECAUSE ONCE ONE PERSON TOLD ME IN, IN PUBLIC AND THEN ALSO I ALSO RECEIVED A CALL.
SO, UH, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? I AM NOT AWARE OF AN ISSUE WITH BATHROOMS BACKING UP, BUT I WILL MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE CONTRACTOR AND THEY CHECK EVERY BATHROOM TO SEE IF THEY CAN FIND WHERE THAT PROBLEM MIGHT BE OR SEE IF THEY'VE ALREADY HEARD OF THAT ISSUE.
UH, YEAH, BECAUSE THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
UH, WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, GETTING TO WRAP THAT PROJECT UP IN, WE'RE STILL HAVING PROBLEMS OVER THERE.
UH, WITH THAT, THAT WOULD DEFINITELY BE A WASTE OF TAXPAYER'S MONEY.
WE WILL DEFINITELY WANT TO DO THAT.
AND ALSO, UH, IN TURN, IN TERMS OF ST.
HELENA, WHEN WILL THAT, WHEN WOULD THAT PROJECT, UH, WHEN WOULD THAT PROJECT TAKE UP TO BE SCHEDULED TO TAKE OFF? AND WHAT WOULD THE TIMEFRAME BE ON THAT? SHE'S REBECCA AND TRACK? I, UH, I ACTUALLY HAD THE SCHEDULE.
UM, I'LL, I'LL GET THAT TO YOU.
I DID NOT GO OVER THAT EARLIER.
UM, IT IS GOING TO BE A SPRING TIME COMPLETION.
WE'RE NO LONGER IN THE COMPLETION OF THE DECEMBER TIMELINE.
SO LET ME GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU AND SEND THAT TO YOU.
[01:25:01]
AN ENDING DATE FOR YOU, SIR.I'LL SAY TO YOU ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, FOCUSING ON THE WHALE BRANCH ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL, IT'S UP IN FRONT OF US NOW, AND JUST POINT OUT THAT I'M UNCOMFORTABLE, THE WAY THE SCOPE CHANGES BECAUSE THE NEW SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS WANT TO CHANGE THE FACADE.
AND SO YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK INTO THAT AND THAT MAY RESULT IN ADDITIONAL COSTS AND SCHEDULE DELAYS.
AND DOES DO THOSE REVISIONS COME BACK TO THE BOARD? THEY WOULD NOT TYPICALLY, UNLESS IT'S A, UM, MAJOR CONTRACT, UM, ISSUE.
I MEAN, UNLESS IT'S A MAJOR COST ISSUE, UM, THESE ARE PRETTY MINOR, UM, CHANGES.
WHAT THIS INVOLVES IS WE HAD A PAINTED FACADE IN AREAS WHERE WE WERE DOING SOME OF OUR, UH, HPAC REMEDIATION WORK.
UM, THERE WAS SOME BRICK WORK AND THERE WAS SOME PAINTED FACADE.
THERE WAS A, UM, WE, WE GOT FEEDBACK AFTER WE DID A COUPLE OF THEM FROM THE SCHOOL STAFF AND THE COMMUNITY AS WELL THAT, UM, THEY'D RATHER LOOK AT OTHER ALTERNATIVES.
SO WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT THAT AND KEEP IT WITHIN THE PROJECT BUDGET.
AS FAR AS USING CONTINGENCY FUNDS IN THE PROJECT, IN THE PROJECT TO DEAL WITH ANY COSTS THERE, I DON'T FORESEE THAT IT'S GOING TO BE A MAJOR COST ITEM.
I'M ALERTED WHEN I SEE ADDITIONAL COSTS AND SCHEDULED RELAYS.
THAT'S THAT'S WHAT PIQUED MY INTEREST.
WE DON'T, YEAH, WE DON'T LIKE ADDITIONAL COSTS TO THE SCHEDULE DELAYS, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S A RESULT OF THE SCOPE GROUP.
UM, MR. SMITH, I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY THAT, UH, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF WE EITHER KNEW WHICH EXACT BATHROOMS WERE, WERE BEING REPORTED AS HAVING AN ISSUE, OR IF YOU COULD PUT US IN CONTACT OR GIVE US THE NAME OF WHOEVER, UH, WAS REACHING OUT WITH THAT CONCERN SO THAT WE DON'T SEND CONTRACTORS OUT ON WILD GOOSE CHASE ON ALL THE BATHROOMS WHILE THEY'RE TRYING TO GET THE REST OF THE WORK DONE.
SO IT COULD HELP PINPOINT AND SAVE A LOT OF TIME TO GET A FIX THAT IF IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN, WE CAN GET IT QUICKER.
I DO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
UM, AND IN TERMS OF THAT, BUT I THINK, UH, ONE, UH, WELL, I MEAN, FOR SURE THAT ONE OF THOSE, ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE ONE OF THOSE TWO PEOPLE WHO'VE TOLD ME I DO DO THAT.
THEY POSSIBLY LIKE WORK IN ONE OF THOSE AND WORK IN THAT BUILDING.
AND, UH, WHEN I, WHEN I KIND OF ASKED HIM TO GO ON DETAIL, THEY, I THINK THEY WERE, THEY WERE AFRAID FOR THEIR JOBS.
SO THAT WAS KIND OF WHAT THEY SAID, BUT THEY JUST WANT ME TO KNOW THAT THOSE THINGS NEED TO BE CHECKED.
UH, SO I I'M JUST THROWING IT OUT THERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, DOES HAVING CONTRACTORS AND THEN THAT'S PART OF, PART OF THEIR JOB IS TO CHECK AND BOUNCE.
I DON'T KNOW THAT IT HURTS NOW NECESSARILY A, A, UM, A, A DUCK HUNT.
I THINK IT'S JUST CHECKS AND BALANCES AND, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN NEVER, OH, YOU CAN NEVER OVER CHECK AND MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS UP AND RUNNING.
SO, YOU KNOW, I, I I'M CAUTIOUS ON, ON, ON, UM, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT I BASICALLY, UH, ACTS ACTS OF THEM, BUT THEY, THEY TOLD ME SOMETHING, THEN I GO, I CAN JUST BRING IT TO YOU.
AND WHAT YOU DO WITH THIS UP AT THIS POINT IS UP TO YOU, IT'S UP TO YOU AND THE BOARD TO, UH, TO EVA, TO, TO MOVE ON IT OR, OR FIGURE OUT WHERE WE GO FROM THERE.
I JUST, UH, I HOPE THAT YOU'RE ENCOURAGING THEM TO COME FORWARD AND TALK TO US BECAUSE NOBODY SHOULD HAVE THAT KIND OF FEAR OF ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AND IF THAT'S THE, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY ABOUT THAT AND I'M GOING TO DEAL WITH THAT.
SO I, I'M CONFIDENT THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE IN THAT BUILDING.
SO, UH, SO I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, UH, THAT, UH, I HOPE YOU'RE ABLE TO REASSURE THEM THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
YOU'RE BREAKING UP MAYBE BECAUSE OF YOUR MASS.
COULD YOU, COULD YOU REPHRASE THAT AGAIN? SURE.
I WAS JUST SAYING THAT I HOPE, UH, WHEN YOU SPEAK WITH THEM, YOU'RE ABLE TO REASSURE THEM THAT THAT IS NOT THE CASE, THAT THEY DON'T NEED TO FEAR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, THAT, UH, WE MAKE THE PLACE BETTER BY COMMUNICATING.
AND, AND SO ANYWAY, THAT THE, MY POINT IS JUST, I HOPE YOU'RE ABLE TO REASSURE THEM THAT THAT IS NOT THE CASE.
UM, IF YOU'LL GO TO PAGE 35, UH, PROJECT CLOSEOUTS, UM, JUST THE ONE THING TO NOTE HERE THAT WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO CLOSING OUT.
WE'VE CLOSED OUT WITH A CONTRACTOR, MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL.
[01:30:01]
UM, SO WE'RE STILL WORKING ON MANY OF OUR OTHER PROJECTS, GETTING THEM CLOSED OUT.UM, THE CONTINGENCY LOG UNTIL TONIGHT, WHICH IS PAGE 37 UNTIL TONIGHT, AND THE APPROVAL OF THE GMP.
WE HAD NOT SPENT MONEY IN THE CONTINGENCY LOGS SINCE APRIL, BUT THAT WILL NEED TO BE UPDATED AFTER THE, THE, UH, APPROVAL OF THE GMP FOR ROBERT SMALLS, CASHFLOW AND EXPENDITURES.
UH, WE HAD SOME, UH, EXPENDITURES THAT WERE, UH, FOR JUNE THAT WENT BACK DUE TO THE, UH, CALENDAR CYCLE, UH, FOR FINANCE.
WE ARE STARTING TO FALL A LITTLE BEHIND, WHICH IS PART OF THE REGION FOR THE REFERENT REFERENDUM MID PROGRAM RESET WE'RE FALLING BEHIND, UH, BECAUSE OF THINGS SUCH AS ROBERT SMALLS NOT GETTING STARTED YET.
SO THAT'S A LOT OF EXPENDITURE THAT WE HAD PROJECTED THAT DUE TO THE DELAY OF THE ROBERT SMALLEST PROJECT.
UM, WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO RE EVALUATE THAT SCHEDULE OF EXPENDITURES, COMMUNITY OUTREACH.
THE ONE ITEM THAT WE HAVE FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH IS THAT OUR PLAN IS ONCE THE GMP WAS APPROVED, WAS TO TAKE THAT TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO NOW THAT, THAT HAS BEEN DONE TONIGHT AND WE KNOW THE, UM, UH, PLAN AND THE, FOR THAT BUILDING, WE WILL SCHEDULE THAT MEETING AS WE'VE DONE BEFORE TO INFORM THE COMMUNITY OF ALL THE EXCITING THINGS OF, OF WHAT ROBERT SMALLS IS GOING TO HAVE TO OFFER, UH, ONCE IT'S CONSTRUCTED, WHICH I, AS I SAID EARLIER, I AM EXTREMELY EXCITED ABOUT, SO THAT I'LL STOP THERE FOR ANY QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THOSE ITEMS. BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THE REFERENDUM MID PROGRAM RESET.
SO TO ADDRESS THE REFERENDUM MID PROGRAM RESET, WE ARE ROUGHLY, UM, A LITTLE UNDER HALFWAY THROUGH THE REFERENDUM.
AND AT THIS POINT IN THE REFERENDUM, WE NOW HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF MANY OF THE IT PROJECTS, UH, THAT WE'VE ALREADY COMPLETED.
AND WE'D LIKE TO TAKE THAT KNOWLEDGE, UH, FORWARD WITH THE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE TO FINISH.
WE ALSO HAVE HAD, AS YOU KNOW, UM, DUE TO THE PANDEMIC THAT WE'VE HAD THE DISRUPTION AND A LOT OF OUR SUPPLY CHAINS AND OUR PRICING ON A LOT OF ITEMS HAS GONE THROUGH THE ROOF.
UM, IT HAS ALSO IMPACTED, UM, A LOT OF OUR ABILITIES GET LABOR.
SO WE WANT TO LOOK AT ALL THOSE EVENTS, LOOK AT WHERE WE ARE IN THE REFERENDUM AND PLAN OUT, UH, WHAT WE HAVE LEFT TO DO TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE FUNDS AND HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE THAT COMPLETE ALL THE ITEMS. WILL WE FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THAT CAN BE DONE? AND THAT IS GOING TO BE OUR APPROACH.
IF YOU GO TO SLIDE 46, UM, AGAIN, IT JUST GOING OVER THE APPROACH.
AND I, AND I KNOW THIS WAS KINDA MENTIONED EARLIER BY, UH, MS. BOATWRIGHT ABOUT OUR DIFFERENT RISK AND PROJECTS.
AND WE HAD HILTON HEAD MIDDLE SCHOOL AS A HIGH RISK AND THE TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS, WHAT WE MEAN BY THAT IS THEY HAVE THE MOST ROOM FOR MOVER, A BILL MOVABILITY IN THE, IN THE COSTS.
THE COST COULD FLUCTUATE THE MOST ON THOSE ITEMS. SO THAT'S WHY WE'VE LAID WELL DEMANDS, HIGH RISK.
WE'VE NOW LOCKED IN ROBERT SMALLS.
SO BY LOCKING IN THAT, YOU KNOW, THE RISK GOES AWAY, UH, AS LONG AS THERE'S NO MAJOR ISSUES WITH THE PROJECT ITSELF, AS FAR AS CONSTRUCTION, SAME THING WITH PLAYGROUNDS, THOSE ARE CONSISTENT PROJECTS THAT HAVE PRETTY CONSISTENT BUDGETS, DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF RISKS, BUT FLUCTUATIONS ON THOSE AMOUNTS.
SO THE LAST THING I I'LL GO ALL THE WAY TO THE LAST PAGE 48, THE SCHEDULE, UM, OUR GOAL WAS TO START BY PRESENTING TO THE CLOCK ON AUGUST 4TH, WHICH WE'VE DONE, UH, AUGUST 11TH WAS THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE.
AND THEN WE'RE BRINGING THIS TO YOU TONIGHT IS JUST OUR OVERALL PLAN.
WE'VE ALREADY BEGUN WORKING ON COLLECTING THE DATA THAT WE NEED TO PUT TOGETHER TO, UH, PUT INTO THIS MID PROGRAM RESET.
THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE TO PRESENT A PRELIMINARY PROGRAM TO THE CLOCK ON SEPTEMBER ONE, WITH THE IDEA OF BRINGING A FINAL RECOMMENDATION, UH, TO THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE ON SEPTEMBER 8TH AND FROM THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE FOR BOARD REVIEW BY SEPTEMBER 21ST.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL STOP AND TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE MR. SMITH.
[01:35:01]
YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE, THE, ON THE, ON THE WELL BRANCH, UH, MIDDLE, I MEAN, I BROUGHT BRANCH ELEMENTARY AND, UM, AND, AND THE MIDDLE AND ELEMENTARY ABOUT THE MOLDS WERE GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THAT SITUATION.SO THAT, THAT IS THE HPAC REPLACEMENT AND, UM, MS. CUSHION BEARING, LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIND THE PAGE NUMBER THAT'S PAGE 29.
AND IF YOU'LL NOTICE THERE, UM, THERE'S A SUMMARY AT A WELL BRANCH MIDDLE, UH, A, B D E AND F WINGS HAVE BEEN COMPLETE.
UM, AND THERE'S STILL SOME EXTERIOR DRAINAGE WORK TO BE DONE.
UH, AND AS FAR AS WELL, BRANCH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BLUE AND RED PODS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.
A YELLOW POD HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND WHAT'S LEFT AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HAS TO DO WITH, UH, THE FACADE WORK.
SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE ALMOST AT THE END OF THAT, UH, HPAC PROJECT.
SO BASICALLY, UH, AND ALSO, UM, IS THERE, UH, IS THERE A DATE ON THIS BECAUSE I'M KNOW WE WERE, WE WERE TRYING TO USE S A S A S S A FUNDS FOR THIS CORRECT.
UH, POSSIBLY SEBAS OR FUNDS THAT I THINK IN TANYA, IF SHE'S STILL ON, SHE MIGHT BE ABLE TO, THERE WERE SOME FUNDS OUT OF SR TWO, I BELIEVE THAT WENT IN TO HELP SUPPORT THIS PROJECT, AS FAR AS THE MOLD REMEDIATION AND AIR QUALITY PART, THAT IS CORRECT.
IT WAS ABOUT $700,000 THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
AS SOON AS THOSE PROJECTS ARE COMPLETE AND THE PAYOUTS COME THROUGH, WE WILL BE RECORDING THEM TO THE ESCROW FUNDS, THIS, UH, THE PORTION THAT'S REGARDING THE MOLD REMEDIATION THERE.
UH, THE REMAINING PORTIONS WILL BE CODED TO 8% FUNDS AS, AS BUDGET.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE IN THE RIGHT TIMEFRAME.
IS THERE A TIMEFRAME THAT IT HAS TO HAVE TO BE DONE TO RECOVER THAT MONTH? I BELIEVE WE HAVE, UH, TWO YEARS REMAINING.
I'D HAVE TO LOOK AT, UH, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THAT A LITTLE LATER AT OUR ESCROW FUNDS UPDATE REPORT.
UM, AND I'LL GET A HEADSTART ON IT NOW, JUST TO BE ABLE TO POINT THAT OUT DURING OUR UPDATE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. GINGER, ROBERT, WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE RESETTING? SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING AT OUR SCHEDULES, OUR BUDGETS, LET ME, UH, MAINLY JUST SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE AND BUDGETS TO COMPLETE ALL THE REFERENDUM PROJECTS.
SO WE'RE GOING TO BE COMING BACK TO THE BOARD WITH A PROPOSAL ON BUDGET AND SCHEDULE.
UM, I HAVE A LOT, I DO HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, BUT I KNOW RIGHT NOW, AS WE TALKED ABOUT IN OPERATIONS, THIS IS SORT OF JUST A PREVIEW OF WHAT'S COMING.
WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION, SO I DON'T WANT TO ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS, WHAT I DO WANT TO SAY.
UM, I KNOW THAT YOUR TEAM'S WORKED REALLY HARD AND GETTING THESE PROJECTS DONE, AND IT IS INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCES.
WHAT I HOPE IS THAT WHAT I'M WORRIED ABOUT AS A HILTON HEAD REPRESENTATIVE IS THE TWO BIG PROJECTS LEFT ON THE TABLE THAT I CAN SEE THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, UH, HILTON OUT OF THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND, UH, HILTON HEAD ISLAND, HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOUSE.
UM, I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE KIND OF SWINGING AROUND THIS WAY AND THE REFERENDUM WHEN WE'RE DONE.
AND WE'RE LOOKING AT RESETTING THESE FUNDS.
WHAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT IS THAT WHEN ALL THE REFERENDUM MONEY IS SPENT, THAT WE FEEL LIKE TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY WE GAVE EVERY SCHOOL WHAT WAS PROMISED, RIGHT.
AND THAT EVERY SCHOOL HAS BASICALLY THERE'S EQUITY ACROSS THE SCHOOLS.
AND WE DIDN'T SPEND ALL OUR BUDGET ON ONE SCHOOL AND RUN OUT FOR ANOTHER SCHOOL.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
I'LL LOOK AT THE NUMBERS WHEN THEY COME IN.
I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW, BUT I DO HAVE CONCERNS THAT RIGHT, AS IT COMES UP FOR ALL OF HILTON HEAD'S PROJECTS, IT'S, WE'RE GOING TO RESET BUDGET AND SCHEDULE.
SO AS LONG AS WE GET TO A POINT WITH EITHER THE BOARD OR FUNDING, OR HOWEVER, IT WORKS THAT WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, EVERYONE FEELS LIKE THEY GOT WHAT THE DISTRICT SAID THEY WERE GOING TO DO.
THEN I THINK WE'RE IN GREAT SHAPE BECAUSE WE'VE GOT ANOTHER REFERENCE COMING UP.
I MEAN, THAT IS OUR INTENT OF THIS.
I MEAN, THAT'S, OUR GOAL IS TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN FINISH THE REFERENDUM OUT AND EVERYBODY, UM, GET WHAT WAS PROMISED.
[01:40:01]
YEAH.WELL, THANK YOU, ROBERT FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
SO, UM, MS. FIDRYCH, DOES THAT CONCLUDE YOUR REPORT? UH, YES.
MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES THE OPERATION COMMITTEE REPORT.
SO NOW WE'LL GO ONTO THE TECHNOLOGY, UM, REPORT BY CHAIR DAVID STRIVEN, GER.
UM, YOU BRING BEFORE THE BOARD, UH, THE SCOPE THAT WE BELIEVE IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE COMMITTEE? UM, IT IS, UH, PRETTY MUCH, UM, ANCHORED IN
UH, I MOVED THAT THE BOARD APPROVED THE SCOPE, THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE AS PRESENTED.
CAN SOMEBODY RAISE YOUR HAND IF THEY WANT A SECOND AT MS. BOATWRIGHT? OKAY.
SO MR. S UM, DISTURBING DREW, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK FURTHER ABOUT THE SCOPE? UM, THERE'S REALLY NOT MUCH MORE TO SAY, OH, HE'S 17 IS INCREDIBLY COMPREHENSIVE.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE A WHILE, UM, FOR EVERYBODY TO GO THROUGH IT, POINT BY POINT IN OUR NEXT MEETING, WE'RE GOING TO START OFF WITH, UH, NUMBER FOUR, BECAUSE THAT'S THE EASIEST ONE TO TACKLE RIGHT NOW.
UM, THIS IS ALL NEW, UH, YOU KNOW, STAFF HAS NEVER HAD TO DO THIS BEFORE, SO WE'RE GOING TO WORK OUR WAY THROUGH IT.
SO I THINK THAT LEGITIMIZES THE COMMITTEE, TO BE HONEST.
SO CAN YOU DISPLAY THE MOTION? UM, MS. GRIFFIN, BERRY, THANK YOU.
SO MS. CHRISTIAN BERRY, THE MOTION WAS MADE BY DAVID STRINGER OR OUR VOICES ARE OFTEN CONFUSED.
YEAH, NOT EXACTLY, BUT ALL RIGHT.
THE COMMITTEE SCOPE FOR TECHNOLOGY IS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.
UM, MR.
AND THANK YOU TO YOUR COMMITTEE.
AND I ALSO WANT TO THANK TRICIA AND HER COMMITTEE.
NEXT UP IS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
[7. Superintendent's Report]
DR.UH, THE FIRST ITEM ON THE SUPERINTENDENTS REPORT IS UNDER STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, AND IT'S REGARDING, UH, THE STAFF DEVELOPMENT FOR ADMINISTRATORS, REALLY TEACHERS AND STAFF THAT, UH, TAKEN PLACE, UH, IN THE WEEKS PRIOR TO, UM, THE BEGINNING OF SCHOOL.
NIKIA CAMPBELL, UH, WITH US ON, ON ZOOM, DR.
CAMPBELL, ARE YOU THERE? I AM.
WOULD YOU TAKE US THROUGH THAT AS WELL? SO GOOD, GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
YOU FORGIVE ME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UPDATE FOR OUR SUMMER MONTHS.
UM, I WANT TO START BY SAYING THAT WE ENDED OUR 20 21 20 20, 20 21 SCHOOL YEAR AND STARTED THE 2122 SCHOOL YEAR WITH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND STAFF.
AND SO WE ENDED THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS FOR OUR SCHOOLS, SO THAT THEY PROVIDED SCHOOL-BASED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THEIR BUILDINGS.
SO WE CONTINUED THROUGH THE SUMMER, UM, WITH OUR SUMMER VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND THAT WAS OFFERED BY OUR ED TECH COACHES WHO DESIGNED, UM, AND MAINTAIN MODULES, WHICH WERE SELF, SELF PACE FOR OUR TEACHERS AND OUR GOOGLE CLASS CLASSROOM PLATFORM.
WHAT WE ARE REALLY EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY IS THAT IN JUNE, JUNE 24TH AND JUNE 25TH, WE HOSTED OUR FIRST ANNUAL ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL INSTITUTE,
[01:45:02]
WHICH WAS HELD AT WELL BRANCH EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL.AND THIS INSTITUTE WAS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS.
WE HAD 16 SESSIONS THAT OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS COULD CHOOSE FROM.
AND SOME OF THOSE TOPICS CENTERED AROUND SPED, SPECIAL EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY, MOAT, MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION, AND SCHOOL, COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS.
THERE WERE TWO KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ON THURSDAY.
WE HAD CRYSTAL HARDY ALLEN WHO'S, A FORMER PRINCIPAL AND TEACHER, AND CURRENTLY HAS AN EDUCATIONAL.
UM, YEAH, BASICALLY TALKING ABOUT THE STRATEGIES TO MAKE US STRONGER INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERS AND ON FRIDAY, AUGUST, I'M SORRY, FRIDAY, JUNE 25TH, MATT HALL PRINCIPAL AT BLUFFTON MIDDLE SCHOOL POURED INTO OUR SYSTEM PRINCIPALS ABOUT HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AS AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND HOW EACH OF THOSE EXPERIENCES WERE LEARNING EXPERIENCES TO GET HIM TO THE PRINCIPALSHIP.
HE WAS ENTERTAINING AND HE ENDED HIS PRESENTATION WITH NO R Y NOW WHAT, AUGUST 3RD, WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO POUR INTO OUR SOCIAL WORKERS AND BMSS TARA STANLEY AND ISAIAH WALKER.
CO-FACILITATED A ONE DAY TRAINING FOR OUR SOCIAL WORKERS AND BMSS, AND THE TRAINING WAS FOCUSED AROUND SPECIFIC STRATEGIES FOR PREPARING SAFE AND NURTURING CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT.
UM, AND WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE ONE OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS BE A PART OF THAT TRAINING.
THANK YOU, COLONEL DIRE, AUGUST 3RD, WE ALSO HAD PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING FOR OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS K R A, WHICH IS THE KINDERGARTEN READINESS ASSESSMENT TRAINING.
WE WANT IT TO BUILD OUR CAPACITY THERE SO THAT WE CAN ASSESS OUR STUDENTS, FIND OUT WHERE THEY ARE SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE THOSE NECESSARY, UM, RESOURCES TO, TO ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS.
IN ADDITION, ON AUGUST 4TH, WE HAD BUS DRIVERS IN, IN SERVICE TRAINING, WHICH WAS HELD AT BUFORD HIGH SCHOOL WAS AN ALL DAY TRAINING.
WE HAVE OVER 170 BUS DRIVERS PARTICIPATE.
AND I HAD TO GO OFF TO, UH, ROBERT ODDING AND ELGIN BLACK FOR A VERY, UM, COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING FOR OUR BUS DRIVERS.
BUT AUGUST 4TH AND FIFTH, WE HAD OUR PRINCIPAL INSTITUTE, WHICH WAS HELD AT BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL.
THE THEME FOR THAT INSTITUTE WAS PASSIONATE LEADERS READ NIGHT, YOUR SPARK.
AND I'M SURE THERE'S A VIDEO FLOATING AROUND THERE AND COMMUNICATIONS THAT SHOW US LIGHTING IT UP.
WE'RE RE REIGNITING OUR SPARK.
IT WAS JAM PACKED FOR TWO DAYS FOR OUR PRINCIPALS.
OUR PRINCIPALS WERE TRAINED, UM, IN OUR PERFORMANCE MATTERS, WHICH IS AN ASSESSMENT TOOL FOR TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS THAT, UM, GAUGES OUR INSTRUCTIONAL GAPS.
WE ALSO HAD A TRAINER BY THE NAME OF ROSE BACKERS WHO REIGNITED OUR UNDERSTANDING OF PERFORMANCE, I'M SORRY, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES.
IN ADDITION, WE HAD A AWESOME, UH, PANEL AROUND GRADING PRACTICES AND A PART OF THE PANELISTS.
RICK STIGGINS, WHO'S THE FOUNDER OF ASSESSMENT TRAINING INSTITUTE.
WE HAD BRUCE MARLOWE, WHO WAS A PROFESSOR AT USC DB, DR.
DICK STRUTTING, A COMMUNITY MEMBER, FORMER PRINCIPAL, AND ALSO DONALD GEIER PARTICIPATED.
WE ENDED OUR PRINCIPAL INSTITUTE ON FRIDAY WITH THE KEYNOTE SPEAKER SALONE, THOMAS PRINCIPAL, L CO AUTHOR OF PASSIONATE LEADERSHIP, CREATING A CULTURE OF SUCCESS FOR THEM EVERY SCHOOL FRIDAY AT FIVE O'CLOCK.
HE ENDED, UM, TH THE, THE PRINCIPAL INSTITUTE AND OUR PRINCIPALS WERE REALLY INSPIRED AND ENGAGED.
UM, WE FOLLOWED UP THE NEXT WEEK, AUGUST 11TH AND 12TH WITH OUR DISTRICT DAYS, UM, WHERE WE OFFERED OVER 53 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS.
AND SOME OF THOSE SESSIONS CENTERED AROUND OUR PSYOP TRAINING, SPED TRAINING CAREER, AND TECHNOLOGY, EDUCATION TRAINING, AND GT CURRICULUM AND TRAINING.
JUST TO NAME A FEW, AGAIN, THIS IS JUST AN UPDATE FOR OUR SUMMER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, AND I WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO PRESENT MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PROFESSIONAL, UM, DEVELOPMENT IN, IN OUR DISTRICT.
CAMPBELL, UM, THE NEXT ITEM ON THE SUPERINTENDENTS REPORT IS, UH, MS. CROSBY IS GOING TO LEAD US
[01:50:01]
THROUGH THE, UH, TRANSPARENCY REPORT, THE A HUNDRED K REPORT AND THE BOARD MONTHLY BUDGET.UH, MS. CROSBY, ARE YOU THERE? YES, I'M HERE.
GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE AGAIN, UM, UH, WITH, BEFORE YOU THIS EVENING IS THE TRANSPARENCY REPORT AND ALSO, UH, TWO VERSIONS OF THE A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLAR REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE, A CONSOLIDATED VERSION AND A DETAIL AS WELL AS THE FIRST, UH, FISCAL YEAR 22 MONTHLY BOARD BUDGET REPORT.
AND THAT, THAT DATA IS THROUGH AUGUST 10TH.
UH, THE DATE I PULLED THE REPORT.
SO, UH, I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, THE ONLY QUESTION I HAD ON ANY OF THOSE REPORTS WAS ON PAGE 62.
UM, ON PAGE 62, THERE ARE, UM, SEVERAL ITEMS FOR THOMPSON TURNER CONSTRUCTION THAT HAVE THE SAME PROJECT NUMBER.
AND I WAS JUST WONDERING, BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL THOSE, I THINK THERE WERE FIVE OR SIX OR SEVEN.
UM, ALL OF THEM LIKE, UH, BUFORD HIGH, AND THIS MIGHT BE FROM MR. AUDITING TO LADY'S ISLAND, MIDDLE EVERYTHING, BUT MOSSY OAKS, THEY'RE ALL CAPITAL FUND, EXCEPT FOR MOSSY OAKS, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE.
THERE IS A GENERAL FUND, BUT THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME PROJECT NUMBER.
SO I WAS JUST WONDERING ABOUT THAT.
UM, FIVE 40, I BELIEVE IS A, IT MAY HAVE BEEN A FURNITURE ITEM, BUT I DON'T KNOW EXACT DETAILS OF THAT.
UH, I DO SEE THE ITEM YOU'RE REFERRING TO IT'S $27,990.
UM, MR. ALDEN, DO YOU RECALL A PROJECT AT
I THINK THIS, MR. I THINK HE MAY HAVE STEPPED OUT.
AND SO, I MEAN, I, I NEED AN ANSWER.
WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK IT UP AND, UM, GET THAT INFORMATION TO THE BOARD.
I'M S I'M SURE IT WAS A SMALLER REPAIR PROJECT OR A SMALLER PROJECT THAT WASN'T PREVIOUSLY, UM, UH, BUDGETED IN 8% FUNDS.
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD MANAGE INSIDE OF THE REPAIR BUDGET OF THE MAINTENANCE, MAINTENANCE, MAINTENANCE ACCOUNTS.
THANK YOU, MS. CROSBY, THERE ARE NO FURTHER HANDS UP, MS. CROSBY, IF YOU STAY WITH US, UH, THE VERY NEXT ITEM IS, UH, THE SR UPDATE UNDER OTHER MATTERS.
MOVING RIGHT ALONG THE SEASONING, I AM GOING TO BE TURNING THE MICROPHONE OVER TO DENISE MATTSON.
SHE IS ACTUALLY PRESENT AT YOUR MEETING, UM, UH, IN PERSON AND SHE IS THE NEW DISTRICTS, FEDERAL PROGRAMS COORDINATOR.
UH, DENISE HAS BEEN WITH US FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS AS THE TITLE ONE COORDINATOR, AND SHE'S BEGINNING HER 35TH YEAR IN EDUCATION THIS YEAR.
UM, JUST TWO YEARS AGO, SHE MOVED TO SOUTH CAROLINA FROM TEXAS, UH, TO SERVE AS THAT TITLE ONE COORDINATOR AND PRIOR TO HER MOVE, UH, SHE TAUGHT, UH, WAS AN EDUCATOR IN TEXAS FOR 32 YEARS, INCLUDING SIX YEARS AS A TEACHER, SHE SERVED AS AN, AS AN ELEMENTARY AND A HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND AS AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, AND SHE HAS SERVED SCHOOLS SERVED IN SCHOOLS WITH 99% CAPACITY AT 99% POVERTY RATE ALL THE WAY TO A 30% POVERTY RATE.
AND FOR THE LAST 17 YEARS, SHE HAS WORKED IN FEDERAL AND STATE PROGRAMS AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL IN A WIDE VARIETY OF PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES.
WHEN I SAW HER BIO, I HAD TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU THIS MORNING, BECAUSE SHE IS AN EXTREMELY EXPERIENCED EDUCATOR, AND WE'RE THRILLED TO HAVE HER IN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, WORKING WITH THE SR FUND.
SHE BRINGS A NEW PERSPECTIVE TO, IT REALLY BRINGS THAT INSTRUCTIONAL COMPONENT TO OUR DEPARTMENT, AND SHE IS GOING TO PRESENT THE NEW FORMAT
[01:55:01]
WE HAVE FOR YOU THAT WE'LL BE USING MOVING FORWARD IN OUR MONTHLY REPORTS.SO WITH THAT, I AM EXCITED TO TURN IT OVER TO DENISE MATTSON.
THANK YOU, MS. CROSBY AND GOOD EVENING BOARD.
UM, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SERVE AND BE FOR A COUNTY.
I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS NEW JOB.
IT'S NICE TO LEARN A NEW GRANT.
UM, SEVERAL YEARS I'VE BEEN WORKING IN GRANTS, BUT THIS WILL BE, UH, A NICE CHALLENGE TO GET TO KNOW THIS.
SO I SPENT 10 DAYS NOW REALLY DIGGING IN JOHN TO GET AS FAR AS I CAN TONIGHT.
UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, YOU'LL ASK THEM AND I'LL GET YOU ANYTHING THAT YOU NEED FOR THAT.
UM, MS. CROSBY COMMITTED TO YOU GUYS TO, UM, BRING MONTHLY UPDATES.
AND, UM, SO WE WORK TOGETHER AND OF COURSE LOOKED AT LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO PRESENT THE INFORMATION VERSUS JUST A BUDGET REPORT WITH A BUNCH OF ACCOUNTING NUMBERS ON IT.
SO IT GAVE YOU MORE INFORMATION ABOUT, UM, TEXT AROUND THE ACTIVITY THAT WAS TAKING PLACE WITH OUR ANSWER FUNDS.
AND, UM, SO THIS, WHAT YOU SEE BEFORE YOU, AND WE WILL ADD IT, UPDATE IT, UM, EVERY MONTH AND BRING IT FORWARD TO YOU.
IF YOU'LL LOOK AT ON PAGE TWO, I WANT TO BE, LIKE SHE SAID, I WAS A TEACHER.
SO I'M GOING TO GO FIRST AND MAKE SURE WE'RE KIND OF ALL ON THE SAME LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE THERE BEFORE WE, UM, AS WE START TODAY, PAGE TWO, UM, IN THE MIDDLE ABOUT UNDERNEATH THE HEAD, OR YOU'LL SEE THAT THIS IS OUR CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUNDS, CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUNDS, OR WE CALL IT CFR.
WE HAVE, WE CALL SOMETHING AS A LETTER, ALWAYS.
SO CFR AND THIS MONEY WAS GIVEN TO US BY THE STATE.
IT IS ACTUALLY FUNDS THAT WERE JUST SENT TO YOU ALREADY, UH, THROUGH THEIR ELECTRONIC TRANSFER.
AND THESE ARE THE ITEMS THAT WE SPENT THAT MONEY ON, AND YOU CAN SEE WE'RE SO EXCITED.
IT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT, UM, SPENT, WE HAD A COUPLE OF ENCUMBRANCES THAT WILL BE TAKING PLACE ALREADY, AND IT WILL BE DONE BY THE END OF THE DATE, WHICH IS SEPTEMBER 30TH OF THIS YEAR THAT WE'LL HAVE THAT SPIRIT.
DENISE, DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH LIGHT? CAN YOU SEE WELL ENOUGH THERE BECAUSE I NOTICED THE LIGHTS KEEP GOING UP AND DOWN.
SO, UM, SO WE'VE, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT HAVING ONE.
SO WE REALLY TRY TO USE THE SNOWBALL EFFECT WITH THESE GRANTS IS MAKING SURE WE'RE UTILIZING THE OLDEST MONEY IF IT'S ALLOWABLE FOR THAT ACTIVITY, AS WE MOVE THROUGH THERE.
SO WE KIND OF SHIFT, UH, DIFFERENT THINGS THERE.
PAGE TWO BEGINS THE, UM, UH, BREAKDOWN OF THE ACTIVITIES.
THERE WERE SEVEN ACTIVITIES ON THE FIRST PAGE FOR WHAT WE'VE CALLED THE CARES ACT.
AND SO, AS ONE IS ACTUAL OFFICIAL NAME BY THE STATE AND EVERYTHING.
THIS IS A GRANT THAT IS AUTHORIZED TO THE CARES ACT.
AND WE HAVE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30TH OF NINTH, OF 2022, TO EXPEND ALL OF THIS, YOU CAN SEE WE'RE REALLY CLOSE, UM, OUT OF EXPANDING IT BECAUSE OUR BIGGEST AMOUNTS ARE SITTING IN PPE SUPPLIES.
AND WE KNOW THAT THAT'S BEING SPENT RIGHT NOW, AS WE'RE GOING STARTING SCHOOL, LOTS OF EXPENDITURES ARE COMING THROUGH ALREADY.
AND SO WE KNOW THAT WE'LL BE EXPENDED THIS, UM, THERE IS A SMALL AMOUNT AND TECHNOLOGY AND, YOU KNOW, TECHNOLOGY, PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM EXTENDING, UM, THE TECHNOLOGY FAN PLANS, ESPECIALLY IN OUR ENVIRONMENT THAT WE HAVE NOW.
UM, YOU WILL ALSO SEE ON PAGE TWO OF THIS, WHICH IS PAGE FOUR, AND THIS IS THE SECOND, UH, PART OF
THERE'S TWO MORE ACTIVITIES ON THERE.
AND OF COURSE IT'S, UM, EQUITABLE SERVICES PROVIDE FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
WE, UM, THROUGH THIS GRANT, WE WERE AUTHORIZED AS A DISTRICT TO EX YOU KNOW, INCLUDE OUR PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT WANTED TO PARTICIPATE.
AND WE HAD NINE PRIVATE SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING WITH US.
WE DO THIS WITH ALL FEDERAL FUNDS OR MOST FEDERAL FUNDS.
SO WE DID HAVE, UM, NINE PARTICIPATE AND THEY, UM, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT REMAINING, BUT WE DO HAVE AN APPLE ORDER THAT IS ON, THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE COMING SOON, BUT IT'S, IT'S GETTING HERE VERY SLOWLY.
SO WE HAVE SCHOOL WAITING FOR SOME, UH, PADS THERE.
THE THING IS WHEN A PRIVATE SCHOOL DOES, UM, GET, UH, TECHNOLOGY OR ANYTHING OVER A HUNDRED DOLLARS, WE DO, WE OWN IT, THEY'RE JUST USING IT.
AND SO WE ALWAYS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO INVENTORY THOSE ITEMS UNTIL THEY'RE NO LONGER USABLE FOR THEM.
SO IT'S CALLED EQUITABLE SERVICES.
[02:00:01]
FUNDS IS EQUAL SERVICES, SO THEY NEED A TECHNOLOGY SERVICES.SO WE PROVIDED THE LAPTOPS, BUT THEY BE FOR COUNTY OWNS THEM.
THERE'S ALWAYS A BALANCE THERE UNTIL YOU EXPAND EVERYTHING BECAUSE THOSE ONLY GET, UM, EXPANDED AS YOUR, UM, SPENDING YOUR MONEY, THE INDIRECT COST.
AND, UM, THIS IS A FOUR MONTH OLD GRANT.
WE, UH, WERE ABLE TO START SPENDING MET MARCH THE 29TH ON IT.
UM, YOU CAN SEE THE WRITE DOWN OF ACTIVITIES THERE, AND IF HOPEFULLY THAT'S ENOUGH INFORMATION FOR YOU, IT'S NOT JUST NUMBERS AND ACCOUNTS.
AND YOU CAN TELL WHERE WE'RE SPENDING THAT WE HAVE ABOUT 21 ACTIVITIES, UM, IN THIS GRANT THAT WE'RE REPORTING ON AS THE GROUP, WE ALSO NOTICED WHEN WE SAW THE REPORT, THERE WERE QUITE A FEW HOLES AND NOT MONEY NOT BEING EXPENDED YET.
REMEMBER WE'RE FOUR MONTHS INTO IT.
SO WE KNOW THAT WE'RE WORKING ON GETTING ALL THE FOLKS HIRED IN THOSE POSITIONS.
AND SO FOR EVERY HOLE THERE WAS, WE KIND OF PUT A NOTE ON THE BACK PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHY WE FEEL LIKE THERE IS A HOLE SITTING IN THAT, UM, BUDGET THERE.
UM, AND REFERRING TO THE QUESTION EARLIER ON PAGE SEVEN, UH, FOR MR. SMITH, HE ASKED ABOUT THE MODE REMEDIAL MOLD REMEDIATION.
YOU CAN SEE, UM, IT'S ABOUT THE FOURTH ACTIVITY DOWN THAT WE STILL HAVE A BALANCE OF $757,000 TO SPEND, UM, FOR, FOR MASTER TO, FOR THAT ACTIVITY.
WE'VE DONE SOME TESTING AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, PREPARED TO BE ABLE TO, UM, EXPAND THOSE FUNDS.
SO WE'VE, UM, EXPENDED ALMOST 13% OF THIS GRANT.
AND FOUR MONTHS OUT OF 30 IS ABOUT 13.3% OF THE TIME.
SO WE'RE, UM, WORKING TO, TO GET THAT IN PLACE THERE.
UM, THE LAST PAGE IS BLANK, BUT NEXT MONTH, WHEN WE COME WITH ANOTHER REPORT, YOU WILL HAVE THE SR THREE, UM, ACTIVITIES BROKEN OUT.
AND HOW MUCH IS BUDGETED FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE ACTIVITIES.
THERE WILL BE EXPENDITURES ALREADY TAKING PLACE BECAUSE THERE'S DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES AND DIFFERENT GRANTS THERE.
UM, WE WERE ABLE TO EXPAND BEFORE THE APPLICATION ACTUALLY GOT IN AS LONG AS WE WERE PRETTY SURE THAT THOSE THINGS WERE NOT GOING TO BE DENIED IN AN ACTIVITY.
SO THERE'S, AFTER-SCHOOL THINGS IN THERE.
AND SO IT'S NOT GOING TO BE DENIED, UM, CAUSE THAT'S LEARNING LOSS THERE.
AND, UM, OUR PLANS RIGHT NOW ARE TO MAKE SURE WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO IS BUILD SYSTEMS OF COMMUNICATION BECAUSE EACH ONE OF THESE ACTIVITIES HAS A PROJECT MANAGER THAT'S REALLY KNOWING WHO'S GETTING HIRED AND THOSE THINGS IT'S, I WILL WORK WITH THEM TO ENSURE WE'RE MOVING ALONG AND GETTING THE ACTIVITIES.
I WILL HELP IN ANY WAY THAT I CAN WITH THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH PROJECT IS MOVING ALONG.
IF WE FIND THAT WE NEED TO AMEND AND MOVE MONEY SOMEWHERE ELSE, BECAUSE IT'S NOT GOING TO ALL BE EXPENDED.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'LL BE WORKING WITH.
SO REALLY TRYING TO WORK ON A MONITORING SYSTEM, HOW TO MONITOR AND, UM, COMMUNICATE WITH EVERYBODY INVOLVED.
THERE'S A LOT OF HANDS INVOLVED IN ALL THESE ACTIVITIES THERE.
SO IT'S A CHALLENGE THAT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT.
I THINK THIS FORMAT'S FABULOUS.
IT'S REALLY EASY TO READ AND PROVIDES A LOT OF INFORMATION.
I WAS INTERESTED IN SOMETHING THOUGH.
UM, ON PAGE FOUR, IT TALKS ABOUT
THAT'S A BIG GIFT AT LEAST CALLED IT AT THAT POINT.
UM, THIS GRANT, WHEN THEY FIRST CAME OUT, IT CAME THE RESTRICTED INDIRECT, UH, COSTS, RIGHT.
WHICH IS WHAT WE PAY ON ALL OF OUR OTHER FEDERAL GRANTS.
THIS, WHEN IT CAME OUT IN THE
FIRST ONE CAME OUT WITH THE FOUR POINT PERCENT AND THEN THE NEXT ONE CAME OUT WITH, UH, 21 IS, UH, WE CALLED AND ASKED HIM, ARE YOU SURE THIS IS RIGHT? AND THEY'RE GOING, YES, YOU WERE ACTUALLY USING
[02:05:01]
THE UNRESTRICTED RIGHT.VERSUS THE RESTRICTED RIGHT FOR IT.
SO WE'VE, WE'D NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE IN OUR WHOLE LIFE.
THAT'S QUITE A DIFFERENCE IN QUITE A HIGH NUMBER.
YOU KNOW, IN RE RESTRICTED OR INDIRECT COSTS ARE ALWAYS A CHOICE OF, OF TAKING FORCE'S BEST ACCOUNTING PRACTICE TO TAKE THEM, BECAUSE IT DOES COST A LOT TO RUN MONEY THROUGH YOUR DISTRICT AND DO THOSE THINGS THERE.
SO, DENISE, I NOTICED WE HEAR YOU A LITTLE BETTER WHEN YOUR MOUTH IS CLOSER TO THE MICROPHONE.
BECAUSE WE GET PEOPLE, UM, PARTICIPATING REMOTELY AND LISTENING REMOTELY, BUT I CONCUR WITH MS. FIDRYCH THAT I LOVE THE FORMAT.
IT'S SO EASY TO READ PROPS TO MS. CROSBY ON THAT BECAUSE SHE WAS SEARCHING THE INTERNET AND SHE FIT, LANDED IN HAWAII AND FOUND THEIR FORMAT.
SO MR.
UM, DO DO ANY OF THESE INITIATIVES OVERLAP WITH OUR OPERATING BUDGET? AND IF SO, HOW DO WE MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS? LIKE, YOU KNOW, ARE ANY OF THESE THINGS, ITEMS THAT WE HAD ALREADY BUDGETED FOR IN THE OPERATIONS BUDGET? UM, TO ANSWER THAT, I THINK AS WE WERE DOING OUR NEW APPLICATION AND OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR, THOSE THINGS WERE TAKEN IN, UM, INTO CONSIDERATION, UH, MS. CROSBY CAN MAYBE ANSWER THAT.
I DO KNOW THERE'S A NOTE ON ONE OF THESE ACTIVITIES FOR THE LAST YEAR'S MONEY.
IT WAS ALREADY BUDGETED FOR TUTORING AND DURING THE DAY OUT OF OUR AT-RISK MONEY.
SO WE HAD, WE CONTINUED WITH THAT BECAUSE WE DO HAVE SOME GUIDELINES OF OUR CURRENT MONIES THAT WE HAVE TO SPEND IN ALL THEIR GRANTS AND OUR, OUR GENERAL FUNDS.
SO WE'RE, THAT'S THE PART THAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO IS MAKING SURE WE ARE MANAGING AND PUTTING IT IN THE RIGHT BUCKETS AND THAT WE'RE NOT UNDER SPENDING AND OTHER GRANTS WHERE WE HAVE TO SPEND BY A CERTAIN TIME.
SO THAT IS TAKEN, BEEN TAKEN IN CONSIDERATION FOR OUR PLANNING.
THAT, YEAH, THAT'S MY CONCERN, YOU KNOW, THERE WEREN'T THE RIGHT BUCKETS, THAT ONE WEREN'T, WE'RE NOT DUPLICATING AND HAVE MONEY LEFTOVER SOMEWHERE.
I'M ALWAYS VERY CONCERNED THAT WE HAVE MONEY LEFT.
IF I MAY ADD TO THAT, UM, MR.
UM, DO MENTION THE FACT THAT WE DID USE SOME CURRENTLY BUDGETED FUNDS FROM THE GENERAL FUND FIRST, AND THAT THAT'S THE REASONING.
YOU DIDN'T SEE ANY EXPENDITURES SO FAR IN ESSAR, BUT AS WE START THE NEW YEAR, WE'RE GOING TO BE USING THE SR FUNDS.
SO WITH PROXIMITY LEARNING, WHICH ARE, UH, VIRTUAL, UM, UH, STAFF SUPPORTS, UM, MENTAL HEALTH AND TUTORING WERE THE THREE CATEGORIES, UH, THAT WE DID HAVE THAT, UH, ISSUE WITH.
SO WE DID MAKE SURE WE EXPENDED THE BUDGETS IN THE FUNDS THAT WE HAD.
AND THEN IN THE NEW YEAR, WE'LL BE, UH, SHIFTING OVER TO ESCROW FUNDS.
UM, I THINK I HAVE JUST TWO QUESTIONS.
ONE IS KIND OF BUILDING OFF OF WHAT MS. FIDRYCH ASKED.
UM, DID YOU SAY THOSE ARE UNRESTRICTED? THE INDIRECT? WE HAVE TWO INDIRECT COST RATES AND ONE IS A RESTRICTED AND ONE IS IN UNRESTRICTED.
AND SO WE ARE USING THE UNRESTRICTED INDIRECT COST RATE.
SO THAT'S SIX POINT, OBVIOUSLY IT HAS TO, IT'LL BE EXPENDED OVER THAT PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL 2023.
UM, SO I GUESS I WOULD JUST ASK WHAT CAN YOU GIVE SOME EXAMPLES OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WOULD BE THAT MONEY WOULD BE USED FOR, BECAUSE FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO, UM, I'M GOING TO LET, UM, MS. CROSBY ANSWER THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE, CAUSE SHE'S HAD A LOT MORE EXPERIENCE WITH THAT SIDE OF IT.
INDIRECT COSTS ARE ACTUALLY A TRANSFER INTO THE GENERAL FUND, SO BECOMES A REVENUE SOURCE IN THE GENERAL FUND.
UH, AND SO THIS YEAR WE BUDGETED AN ADDITIONAL 2.5 MILLION.
NORMALLY WE RECEIVE ABOUT SIX TO $700,000 A YEAR, BUT WE INCREASED THAT FOR THE INCREASED SPENDING THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE IN THIS NEW YEAR.
AND IT WILL BE, UH, ANOTHER PORTION OF THAT THE FOLLOWING TWO YEARS, UH, IN THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
SO WE CAN USE IT ON TEACHER SALARIES.
[02:10:01]
WE CAN USE IT ON ANY, ANYTHING, UM, TO SUPPORT THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET, UH, WHETHER IT'S SALARIES OR SUPPLIES OR, UM, ANY OTHER MATERIALS THAT ARE NEEDED OR, UH, EXPENSES NEEDED IN THE GENERAL FUND.WE JUST KNOW THAT IN, UH, AFTER SEPTEMBER, 2024, THOSE FUNDS STOP AND THE BUDGET WILL REVERT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE A LOSS, A LOSS OF REVENUES IF, IF THERE'S NOTHING TO REPLACE THAT IN THAT 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT EXPLANATION.
AND MY OTHER QUESTION IS IN REGARD TO CHILDCARE FOR STAFF, I'VE BEEN RECEIVING QUESTIONS ON THAT.
UM, I KNOW THAT THERE WAS AN EMAIL THAT WENT OUT RECENTLY, I BELIEVE FROM MS. WALTON TO THE STAFF, LETTING THEM KNOW ABOUT, UM, THE CHILDCARE OPTIONS THAT ARE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE TO THEM.
SO I WAS JUST WONDERING, I DON'T KNOW IF, UM, MS. WALTON IS ON OR COULD SPEAK TO THAT.
UM, BUT JUST MAYBE SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT CHILDCARE PROGRAM THAT WE'RE PROVIDING FOR OUR STAFF AND HOW LONG THEY COULD PERHAPS ANTICIPATE THAT TO GO ON.
IS THAT GOING TO GO THROUGH 20, 23? JUST SOME MORE INFO ON THAT FOR THEM, MS. WALTON, I BELIEVE YOU'RE ON.
UM, CAN YOU, UH, TACKLE THAT QUESTION REGARDING THE, UH, CHILDCARE OPTION FOR EMPLOYEES, MS. WALTON, MS. SWEATIN, DID YOU, UH, WORK ALONGSIDE HER ON THAT PROJECT? YES, SIR.
CAN YOU, CAN YOU, UH, PROVIDE A LITTLE INFORMATION AROUND, UH, AROUND WHERE WE LANDED? SURE.
OUR INTENTION IS TO, UM, CONTINUE AS LONG AS THERE ARE FUNDS AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT.
AND WE'RE ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF PLANNING AN AFTERCARE PROGRAM FOR STAFF AS WELL.
UM, WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR PARTNER ESS TO IDENTIFY STAFF, TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT AFTERSCHOOL.
WE SENT THAT INFORMATION OUT TO STAFF ON FRIDAYS SO THAT WE CAN GAUGE HOW MANY STUDENTS WOULD ACTUALLY NEED TO PARTICIPATE IN THAT.
UM, THE STUDENTS ARE FULL-TIME STAFF, SO WE ARE INTENDING TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THAT AS A SUPPORT TO OUR STAFF MEMBERS.
UM, AND SO BASED ON WHAT SHE SAID, MY UNDERSTANDING IS AS LONG AS THE FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE FEDERAL FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE KEEPING IN MIND FOR BUDGETING IN 2024 OR WHATEVER IT IS.
I WOULD MENTION THAT WE DO HAVE CHILDCARE AND SR ONE AND ESTHER TWO FUNDS.
WE'VE SPENT ABOUT $30,000 AND WE HAVE ABOUT $380,000 REMAINING.
SO THAT SHOULD BE ABLE TO COVER US THROUGH THE REMAINDER, UH, THROUGH 2024.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE BECAUSE, UM, ONE, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THAT WITH OUR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMMING, IN ORDER TO TARGET ACADEMIC LEARNING LOSS, WE NEED OUR STAFF AND WE NEED OUR EMPLOYEES TO ENGAGE AND BE ABLE TO DO THAT WORK.
AND SO RATHER THAN HAVING THEM HAVE TO RUN OUT OF THE BUILDING AND PICK UP KIDS, YOU KNOW, THEIR OWN CHILDREN OR WHATEVER, WE, WE CAN, UH, MAKE SURE THEY, THEY KNOW THEIR CHILDREN ARE IN OUR AFTER CARE PROGRAMMING AND THEY CAN DEDICATE THEIR TIME ALSO TO WORKING WITH STUDENTS WITHIN THEIR, THAT NEEDED THAT ADDITIONAL HELP.
UM, FIRST I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THIS DOCUMENT.
UM, DEFINITELY APPRECIATE IT, BUT I, TO ME, SOMEONE'S INFORMATION IS TOO IT'S, UH, IT'S TOO ABROAD AND IT'S NOT DETAILED ENOUGH FOR INSTANCE, LET'S GO TO PAGE A TO PAGE SIX, WE GO, WE GO SIX.
UM, THE LAST ONE, UH, W W THERE TOO, IN THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, ABOUT LEARNING LOSS AND NEED THE OPPORTUNITIES, UH, TO, TO, UH, TO INCREASE SALARIES.
CAN YOU, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? UM, OR Y'ALL AND DID SHE SAY PAID SIX THE LAST, THE SUMMER LEARNING? YES.
THAT WAS, THAT IS, UM, THE SALARY AND BENEFITS FOR THE SUMMER PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE.
IT'S THE PAY, IT'S THE PAY FOR TEACHERS THAT AREN'T ON CONTRACT, IT'S THEIR PAY AND FOR MATERIALS AND TRANSPORTATION FOR THE NEXT THREE SUMMERS.
SO YOU SAID, YOU SAID THEY'RE PAID FOR THE NEXT THREE SUMMERS AND, AND WHAT, AND SO YOU SAID ALL OF THEM ARE NOT TEACHERS, SO WHO IS THAT? THAT WHAT YOU JUST SAID?
[02:15:01]
NO, THEY'RE TEACHERS.COULD YOU REPEAT WHAT YOU SAID AGAIN, PLEASE? YEAH.
WE HAVE A SALARY AND BENEFITS FOR TEACHERS IN OUR SUMMER PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS SOME MATERIAL MONEY AND TRANSPORTATION COSTS.
SO THAT LAST LINE IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR SUMMER PROGRAMS. SO THERE'S STILL, THERE'S STILL MONEY THERE TO SPEND, CORRECT? SURE.
UH, WITH THE SUMMER PROGRAMS THAT HAVE, WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO SOME OF OUR PART, OUR PART, OUR PARTNERS, OUTSIDE OF THE DISTRICT TO ENGAGE, ENGAGE THEM INTO, UH, HELPING US OUT IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE STATS AND SOME OF WHAT WE'RE DISCUSSING AT THIS TIME.
THESE ARE, UH, MUCH LIKE THESE ARE JUST LIKE THE SUMMER PROGRAMS WE'VE BEEN DOING IN THE PAST.
IT'S THE ACADEMIC PIECE OF IT.
SO IT'S JUST STRAIGHT ACADEMIC PROGRAMS, UM, FOR STUDENTS NEEDING EXTRA HELP FOR LEARNING LOSS.
AND IT ALSO IS OUR SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAMS FOR HIGH SCHOOL TO REGAIN MAKE SURE THEY'RE GETTING ENOUGH, UH, TIME FOR CREDITS AND, UM, ANY COURSES THAT THEY NEED.
BUT THAT'S A GREAT, GREAT IDEA.
AND I KNOW THAT SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IS HOW TO PARTNER FOR DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. RIGHT.
BUT THAT'S TELLING YOU, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU SAID, UH, YOU SAYING LEARNING LOSS, BASICALLY, YOU SOUND LIKE YOU'RE SAYING BASICALLY FOR THE KIDS TO GO TO SUMMER SCHOOL, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT TYPE OF SUMMER SCHOOL? I MEAN, IT'S A WHOLE LOT, YOU KNOW, HAVE WE REACHED OUT TO CHURCHES TO PARTNER UP WITH THEM TO POSSIBLY DO SUMMER SCHOOLS WITH THEM? OR, I MEAN, HOW HAVE WE ENGAGED THE COMMUNITY AND THE PART OF IT, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE CAN HAVE PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM.
AND SOME OF THESE LEARNING LOSSES HAVEN'T REACHED OUT TO CHURCHES TO POSSIBLY PARTNER WITH THEM TO HELP, UH, BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF RETIRED TEACHERS THAT GO TO DIFFERENT CHURCHES AND IN THE COMMUNITY HAVE REACHED OUT TO THEM AND TO, TO BASICALLY HAVE THEM HAVE BEEN THROUGH HER AND TO BE ABLE TO BE ABLE TO WORK OUT SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE LEARNING LOSS.
I MEAN, AS MANY WAYS THAT, THAT, THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING COULD GO, BUT I THINK A LITTLE MORE DETAILED, WHAT WOULD BE MORE, BE MORE, MORE OF HELP BECAUSE THAT'S SO BROAD, YOU KNOW, IT'S BASICALLY LIKE WERE SAYING, WELL, YEAH, WE PREACH, WE WERE PAYING FOR FACULTY AND STAFF THROUGH THEIR LEARNING LAWS FOR SOME SCHOOLS, BUT THAT'S NOT AND TELLING, OKAY, WELL, SUMMER SCHOOL IS NOT HELD AT SAY, I DON'T LET, BECAUSE IT'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BECAUSE THERE'S WORK BEING DONE.
AND WHEN WE'RE USING TEACHERS FROM THERE FOR THAT, AND YOU, IT AS IS MORE QUESTIONS THAT ARE OUT THERE, THAT PEOPLE WHERE I HAVE BEEN ASKING HIM AND, AND READING THIS RIGHT HERE, I'M STILL, I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS MYSELF, YOU KNOW? SO, UM, LET ME SAY THEM TO GET ACCELERATION MR. SMITH.
WE'LL, WE'LL DEFINITELY TAKING INTO CONTAINER SITUATION, OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH, UH, UH, WITH OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, BUT, UH, DR.
STRATOS CAN TAP INTO SOME OF THIS CONVERSATION AS WELL, BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY SOME, SOME PROGRAMMING RIGHT, UH, IS REQUIRED TO HAVE, UH, OUR TEACHERS AND CERTIFIED TEACHERS IN FRONT OF KIDS IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THAT EITHER KIDS ARE RECOVERING CREDIT OR KIDS ARE, UH, IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE CAN OUTSOURCE, RIGHT.
WE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED A CERTIFIED EDUCATOR IN FRONT OF THEM, BUT, UH, UH, DR.
STRADDLES, ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO ADD TO THE CONVERSATION DR.
RODRIGUEZ AND BOARD MEMBERS? WE HAVEN'T STARTED THE NEXT CYCLE OF SUMMER SCHOOL PLANNING AS WE JUST GOT INTO THE TWILIGHT OR THE CLOSURE OF THIS ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR OF SUMMER SCHOOL AND THE PROCESS THROUGH THE SUMMER BOARD MEMBERS.
WE HAVE HEARD, UM, YEAH, IDEAS BEING PUT FORWARD.
WE ARE LOOKING AT EXPANDING OPENING TO REACH OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS IN THE UPCOMING YEAR, BUT WE JUST NOW JUST CLOSED OUT, BUT WE'LL START THAT NEXT PROCESS IN NOVEMBER TO BE ABLE TO FORMALIZE MORE IN FEBRUARY FINALIZE IN APRIL TO GO OUT TO OUR SCHOOLS.
WE HAVEN'T LANDED FOR THE NEXT SUMMER YET, SIR.
UH, ALSO, IF YOU WILL GO WITH ME TO PAGE SEVEN, UH, THAT SPEAKS TO THAT RED, THEY'RE PROVIDING ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING OUTSIDE OF THE REGULAR SCHOOL DAY, UH, UH, PROMOTE LEARNING LOSS.
COULD YOU, COULD YOU SPEAK TO THAT? I MEAN, DO, DO WE HAVE PARTNERS THAT WE'RE, UH, THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE OF THE DISTRICT? H HOW ARE WE GETTING THAT DONE? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? MEAN ANSWER THAT.
UM, SO MR. SMITH AND SR THREE FUNDS IN THE APPLICATION
[02:20:01]
WE SUBMITTED AND BROUGHT TO THE BOARD LAST BOARD MEETING, THERE IS A DIRECTOR OF AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT WRITTEN INTO THAT APPLICATION INTO THE S3 GRANT.UM, SO WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING READY TO SUBMIT THAT GRANT AND GET APPROVAL FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
AND ONCE THAT APPROVALS RECEIVE, WE'LL BE ABLE TO HIRE SOMEONE WITH THE SPECIFIC, UH, RESPONSIBILITY TO PARTNER WITH OUR COMMUNITY, UH, AGENCIES AND INVOLVE THEM IN, IN ANY AFTERSCHOOL, UH, OR SUMMER SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES.
SO THAT WILL BE THE SPECIFIC FUNCTION.
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT IN THE AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, UH, IN THE BUDGET FOR S3.
BUT, BUT, BUT HERE WOULD BE, WOULD BE, WOULD BE, WOULD BE SALARIES THAT BASICALLY HIT HERE WOULD BE STUFF THAT WE HAD THAT WE HAVE ALREADY PRETTY MUCH ASKED FOR, OR THAT WERE WRITTEN, OR THAT WE'RE DOING CORRECT.
AND THESE COVER, UM, ONLY TWO YEARS.
I, SO AS THE THREE FUNDS WILL COVER THE SUMMER NEW, WHICH IS THE 2324 SCHOOL YEAR, BUT THAT'S FOR THREE FUNDS COSTS.
SO WE'LL INCLUDE A POSITION TO, FOR SOMEONE TO HELP US WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
I SEE SOMEONE ELSE HAD THEIR HAND UP.
I'LL ASK SOME QUESTIONS, MR. MEL CAMPBELL.
IS THIS THE, THE FORMAT THAT WAS SUBMITTED TO THE FEDS OR WHOEVER WE SUBMITTED THEM TO? THIS WAS NOT RIGHT? NO.
WELL, THAT'S ONE QUESTION OUT OF THE WAY, BECAUSE MY NEXT QUESTION WOULD BE, IS THERE A TIMELINE ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO REACH THE FIRST THOUGH, THE GOAL OF SPENDING THE MONEY AND, AND JUST THE TIMES WOULDN'T BE GOING TO SPEND THESE FRONTS? IS IT JUST PUT IN THERE AND WE, IT, WHEN WE CAN, OR IS THERE A TIME, STEP TIMELINE LINE SO THAT WE KNOW WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS MEASURED CORRECTLY OR NOT ALSO WHETHER IT OVERLAPS WITH
WHAT IS THE TIMELINE AND ALL OF THESE FUNDS GOING TO BE SPENT? I MEAN, I SEE A LOT OF, I SEE A BLOODY BIG BALANCES HERE AND, UH, AND THAT'S FOR TOO.
I KNOW, I I'M WONDERING WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE SPENT FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS? YES.
SO THIS IS THE GRANT WITH THIS FOR FOUR MONTHS THERE AND I'VE STARTED IT.
THAT IS ONE OF THE BIG THINGS WE'RE DOING IS WORKING ON TIMELINES SAYING IF WE NEED THIS MUCH, TWO YEARS OF SCHOOL, HOW MUCH DO WE HAVE AVAILABLE? SO WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON, I'M SORRY.
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW, WORKING WITH OUR PROJECT MANAGERS AND BREAKING OUT THE TIMELINES SO THAT WE DO HAVE A SPENDING CYCLE GOING THROUGH HERE.
YOU'RE SEEING TOTALS RIGHT NOW.
AND AS WE SPEND DOWN, BUT WE ARE WORKING ON YEAH, I'M SEEING TOTAL, BUT I'M ALSO SEEING SOME TYPE OF INCREMENTAL.
I MEAN, WHEN I LOOK AT THAT LINE INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS, I SEE 1.2 MILLION ALLOTTED.
I SEE 39,000 SPENT SO FAR, AND I'M THINKING, YOU KNOW, HOW'D YOU, WE ACTUALLY HAD SOME 1.2 MILLION.
AND AT THIS POINT IN TIME, YOU'VE ONLY SPENT 40,000.
I'M SURE, BUT I MEAN, IS THERE A TIMELINE WHERE'S THIS MONEY GOING TO BE SPENT AND HOW IT'S GOING TO BE SPENT AND WHAT'S GOING TO BE FUSED TO DO, I MEAN, I'M NOT ASKING YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS, I'M JUST EXPECTING YOU TO HAVE THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS.
I MEAN, IF SOMEBODY ELSE ASKED, SO BOARD AND BOARD MEMBERS, WHEN I SHARED WITH YOU TO A PRIOR DOCUMENT ON PREPARING OUR PROPOSAL, MISD FOR EXPENDITURES FOR S OR TO A LOT OF THE EXPENDITURES WERE IDENTIFIED FIRST BY PRIOR SPENDING HABITS,
[02:25:01]
IN ORDER TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH WOULD BE NEEDED AS A BASELINE WHEN HAVING THAT CONVERSATION WITH REGARD TO THE MONEY THAT'S SITTING IN SR TWO INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPLIES ARE BROUGHT WITH ALSO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DOING A PILOT AT DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE.THAT IS PART OF THAT ALSO ON THAT I MADE AND PRE-K IS PART OF THAT.
AND THAT COSTS ABOUT TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS A CLASSROOM TO FURNISH.
SO IN DEVELOPING THIS, IT WAS NOT DONE IN ISOLATION WITHOUT LOOKING AT PRIOR EXPENDITURE PRACTICES AND BRINGING FORWARD THOSE WHO WILL BE WORKING AT PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
HAVING A PROJECT MANAGEMENT INVOLVED, WE WERE TAKING THAT APPROACH.
MR. CAMPBELL, SIR, RECOGNIZED.
DOES ANYBODY LIKE TO SPEAK THAT IS NOT SPOKEN MR. SMITH? UM, ALSO, UM, IF WE COULD GO TO PAGE SEVEN, UH, THE, UH, CLASSROOM INSTRUCTIONS HIRING 10 TEACHERS ARE, ARE INDIGENOUS.
THEY'VE BEEN, I BELIEVE, POSTED AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF HIRING INTERVENTIONISTS.
JUST, JUST REMEMBER WHEN WE HIRE AN INTERVENTIONIST, IF THEY'RE COMING OUT OF OUR CLASSROOM, WE'RE CREATING A CLASSROOM VACANCY.
SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO BALANCE.
WE POST THEM, WE'RE TRYING TO HIRE ADDITIONAL STAFF AND, AND IT'S A, IT'S A CYCLE, RIGHT.
BUT IF WE TAKE AN INTERVENTION, IF WE TAKE, IF WE HIRING AN INTERVENTIONIST, RIGHT, THERE'S A CLASSROOM VACANCY, AND THERE'S 20.
SOME KIDS IN THAT WOULD BE WITHOUT A TEACHER.
IF IT'S A HIGH SCHOOL, THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, UH, 20 TIMES, FOUR 80 KIDS THAT WOULD BE WITHOUT A TEACHER.
SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE ARE PROCESSING AND THINKING THROUGH, AS WE HIRE, GO THROUGH THE HIRING PROCESS, WE DON'T WANT TO LEAVE CLASSROOMS VACANT IN THE PROCESS.
SO WE GO THROUGH THE INTERVIEW PROCESS, WE IDENTIFY, AND THEN WE, AND THEN WE'RE ALSO, UH, CONSTANTLY HIRING ADDITIONAL, UH, ADDITIONAL STAFF.
BUT ALSO MY CONCERN IS TO ALSO, WHAT'S THE STRATEGY WITH HIRING THESE INTERVENTIONISTS OR THESE TEACHERS, WHAT'S THE STRATEGY OF BRINGING THEM IN? HOW, HOW ARE WE, HOW ARE WE ATTACKING LEARNING LOSS? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? WHAT THE, WHAT, WHAT IS THE STRATEGY AND HOW, WHAT IS THE STRATEGY OF ATTACKING LEARNING LOSS, HIRING THESE POSITIONS THAT TRAVELS FROM COVER THAT? SO BOARD MEMBERS AND MR. SMITH.
SO ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE ITEMS IS WE'VE ONBOARDED, IREADY, AND READING.
PLUS, WE ARE LOOKING AT IREADY AS A NUMBER ONE AVAILABLE FOR ALL STUDENTS, AND THEN INTO A TIERED MODEL FOR INTERVENTIONS, WE RECOGNIZE THAT SEVEN OUT OF 10 STUDENTS WERE PROJECTED NOT TO BE EFFICIENT WITH THAT TYPE OF RECOGNITION.
SIR, WE NEED MORE STAFF AS WE GO FORWARD IN OUR HIRING PRACTICE TO PROVIDE THAT TUTORING OR INTERVENTION FOR OUR STUDENTS, WE'VE STARTED THE PROCESS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR INTERVENTIONISTS TO BUILD THAT CAPACITY.
AND SARAH, SINCE IT'S ONLY BEEN FOUR MONTHS IN THE INITIAL PART, WE HAVE BEEN SUPPORTIVE AT FIRST, GETTING OUR FACE-TO-FACE TEACHER IN AND THEN CONTINUING OUR HIRING PRACTICE TO LOOK AT THE SUPPORT PERSONNEL.
BUT THERE IS A STRATEGY IN PLACE AND I WILL SHARE IT AT THE LOWER GRADES.
IT STARTS WITH PHONEMIC AWARENESS, VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT, HELPING OUR STUDENTS DEVELOP FLUENCY AND COMPREHENSION.
AND THAT WOULD BE THROUGH THE INTUBATION OF LET'S SAY, AND I'M GOING TO SAY HIGH READY AT THIS CASE FOR STUDENTS WHO MAY NOT HAVE THE PHONEMIC AWARENESS LEVEL, WE'VE EXTENDED EXTENDED TRAINING IN ORTON-GILLINGHAM THIS, THIS PAST SUMMER.
AND LOOKING AT CONTINUING THAT, HAVING THAT TRAINING EXTENDED EVEN LARGER TO THE POINT THAT WE WILL HAVE TRAINED THE TRAINER MODELS IN OUR CAMP AT OUR, WITHIN OUR DISTRICT.
SO THAT IT IS PART OF OUR PLAN FOR LITERACY.
SECOND COMPONENT OF THAT POLITICY IS WRITING.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT 16% OF SC READY IS BASED ON WRITING.
SO WE'RE DEVELOPING A WRITING PLAN COLLECTED COLLECTIVELY, NOT IN ISOLATION.
THAT PLAN WILL BE DEVELOPED AS A RESULT OF AN INITIAL FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT OF AN ESSAY SCORED AT A FOUR POINT OVER WHIP THAT IS UTILIZED BY THE STATE AND THEN GET SPECTATION IS THAT EACH SCHOOL DEVELOPS A WRITING
[02:30:01]
PLAN THAT IS UNIQUE TO THE NEEDS OF OUR CHILDREN.SO WE JUST DON'T WANT TO SAY, WE'RE DOING ONE, ONE SIZE FITS ALL.
AND THEN OUR INTERNATIONAL IS HAPPY TO BE SKILLED AT, I WANT THE EDITING SKILLS NECESSARY TO GET OUR CHILDREN TO BE READERS, PULL INFORMATION FROM THE TEXT, BE ABLE TO REFERENCE FROM TEXTS.
SO YES, WE DO HAVE PLANS IN PLACE, AND THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE TWO EXAMPLES RIGHT NOW, SIR.
MY LAST QUESTION WILL BE ON PIT ON PAGE FOUR, UM, UM, COULD, COULD, COULD SOME WAY EXPLAIN WHY WE GIVE OUT MONEY TO THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND HOW THAT MONEY IS GIVEN TO US AND WHAT THE MONEY IS GIVEN THE FOUR TO THE TOP.
UM, ANY WITH ANY FEDERAL PROGRAM, THERE'S ALWAYS A, UM, COMPONENT OF WHAT THEY CALL EQUITABLE SERVICES.
AND, UM, THAT ACTUALLY WAS A PART OF THE FIRST CARES ACT.
AND SO WE, UM, GOT FROM THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS, YOU INVITE THEM, YOU TAKE THEM THROUGH TRAINING, DO THEY WANT TO PARTICIPATE? WE ACTUALLY, UH, GET, DID THEIR ENROLLMENT NUMBERS AND THEY GET THE SAME PER PUPIL, UM, FOR THEIR SCHOOLS AS WE HAVE FOR OURS.
AND THAT'S HOW THEIR ALLOCATION WAS DETERMINED.
AND THEN THEY ALSO DID A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND THEN THEY SUBMITTED, UM, TO US, THE AREAS OF NEED A SPENDING PLAN FOR THEM.
AND THEN WE'VE BEEN PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES TO THOSE SCHOOLS FOR THIS YEAR.
UM, AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO CLOSE WITH, UH, I'M JUST LOOKING FOR MORE OF THE PARTNERSHIPPING WITH PLACES LIKE HEADSTART, BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, WE WANT TO CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP, WE HAVE SOME PARTNERS THAT WE ALREADY HAVE, UH, THAT WE ALREADY DEALING WITH THAT WE'RE WE ARE, WE ALREADY, UH, THEY'RE ALREADY, THEY'RE ALREADY IN OUR BUILDINGS AND WE'RE ALREADY WORKING CLOSELY WITH THEM.
YOU KNOW, I, I THINK IT IS VERY, UM, I WANT YOU TO SAY TELLING IT IS VERY, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT IT'S, I THINK IT'S IN OUR BEST INTEREST THAT WE PARTNER WITH WITH SOME, WITH THE, UH, I KNOW WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ONE TIME BACK WHEN SOME WERE TALKING ABOUT, UM, THE, UH, WHAT WAS IT, THE, UM, NOT AMERICA THAT, THAT GIRLS AND BOYS CLUB, UH, W W ONE OF THE ONE WAS ONE OF THOSE OTHER, UM, THINGS OUT THERE, WHICH WAS TALKING ABOUT PARTNERING WITH THEM.
BUT I THINK, UH, WHEN YOU TALK, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT EARLY EARLY CHILD EDUCATION, UH, SCHOOL THINGS LIKE HEADSTART, WHEN WE'RE PARTNERING UP WITH THEM WEEK, WE WERE COMING UP AND WE'RE BEING INTENTIONAL AND CREATING WAYS TO CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP VERSUS A KID COMING TO SCHOOL, KNOWING 100 WORDS TO KNOWING A 500 WORDS TO BEING ABLE TO NOT JUST IDENTIFY THE COLORS, TO BE ABLE TO TELL YOU POSSIBLY WHAT'S TWO COLORS MIXED TOGETHER CAN BRING YOU WHAT OTHER COLOR, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE, SHOULD BE VERY MINDFUL AND INTENTIONAL ON THE PARTNERS THAT WE HAVE.
AND I ASKED MYSELF HOW WE WORKING WITH THEM TO GET OUR GOALS, BECAUSE THE EARLIER WE CATCH THE CHILD, THE BETTER IT IS.
AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE SOME, UH, PARTNERSHIP THAT MAYBE SOME REFINING AND THAT MAY BRING US, UH, UH, COULD BRING US GREAT, GREAT RESULTS.
AND I'M JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING SOME OF THAT AS WELL.
RODRIGUEZ, I THINK WE'RE READY TO MOVE ON AND THANK YOU, DENISE, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UH, I WAS JUST GOING TO PROVIDE A BRIEF, UH, REMARKS ON THE OPENING OF SCHOOLS.
AND SO, UH, YESTERDAY WE KICKED OFF THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL LAUNCHED A 2122 SCHOOL YEAR.
OUR TEACHERS WERE ENERGIZED, THEY WERE EXCITED AND THEY WERE READY TO GO FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
I DEPLOYED OUR SENIOR STAFF TO SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTY TO CHECK IN WITH OUR PRINCIPALS AND, AND WALK CLASSROOMS AND SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THEY NEEDED ON OPENING DAY.
THE REPORTS CAME BACK VERY POSITIVE AND EVERYONE HIGHLIGHTED THE EXCITEMENT THAT THEY SAW IN TEACHERS AND IN STUDENTS, UH, TO BE IN THE BUILDING WE DEALT WITH TRADITIONAL FIRST DAY CHALLENGES, SUCH AS A FEW TRANSPORTATION RELATED MATTERS, OVERCROWDED DROP-OFF LINES.
THIS FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL, UH, EVERYBODY IS GETTING ADJUSTED TO THE ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC AT THAT TIME IN THE MORNING, THIS YEAR IN PARTICULAR, I THINK THE ADDITIONAL DROP-OFF LINES, UH, SPEAK TO PARENTS, MAKING DECISIONS TO DRIVE, UH, MANY OF THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL VERSUS MAYBE HAVE THEIR CHILD RIDE A BUS.
SO WE HAD A LOT MORE, UH, CARLINE, UH, PARENTS THIS YEAR AT THE BEGINNING.
UH, TODAY THERE WERE A LOT, BUT WE MOVED THROUGH THOSE LINES, UH, EVEN
[02:35:01]
FASTER TODAY.SO, SO IT WAS, UH, IMPROVEMENT ON THAT END, BUT YES, THERE WERE, UH, OVERCROWDED DROP-OFF LINES IS WHAT I'D CALL IT, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, IT WAS A GREAT OVERALL DAY.
OUR SCHOOLS DID A GREAT JOB IN GETTING READY FOR THE FIRST DAY.
AND I ESPECIALLY ESPECIALLY WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE BUFORD EL TEAM TODAY DURING THIS REPORT BECAUSE THEY WENT THROUGH EXTENSIVE EFFORTS TO TRANSFORM THE SCHOOL IN A SHORT TIME TO BE READY TO RECEIVE STUDENTS ON OPENING DAY.
AND I'M SINCERELY GRATEFUL TO ALL OF THEM AT BUFORD L BUT ALSO TO ALL OF OUR TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS ACROSS THE COUNTY FOR THEIR DEDICATION, FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE CHILDREN THAT THEY SERVE.
THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES, OUR BUS DRIVERS FOR MAKING SURE THAT STUDENTS HAD A GREAT FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
RODRIGUEZ, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM, UM, WHICH IS THE MASKING.
UM, HOW, HOW IS THAT BEING RECEIVED AT THE VARIOUS SCHOOLS? I SAW AN ARTICLE IN THE PAPER THAT THERE'S A WIDE VARIATION ACROSS SCHOOLS.
I'M SURE YOU'VE FOUND THE SAME EMAILS I HAVE, YOU KNOW? YEAH.
SO, SO THE MAT WITH RESPECT TO THE MASKING ISSUE, AS YOU KNOW, WITHIN OUR BUILDINGS, UH, UH, MASKING IS, IS OPTIONAL.
AND, UH, INTERESTING NOTE ON, UH, ON THAT IS THAT IT DOES VARY, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, OF, UH, OF THAT PIECE.
UH, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, WE CAN BE IN SCHOOLS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY, AND YOU CAN SEE 80 TO 90%, UH, OF, UH, PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING MASKING.
UH, YOU CAN, YOU CAN BE, UH, UH, IN THE BLUFFTON AREA AND SEE ANYWHERE BETWEEN, UH, UH, I'D SAY 30 TO 50% OF KIDS IN, IN, IN, AND OF PEOPLE IN THE BUILDINGS, UH, MASKING, BUT YOU CAN BE IN HILTON HEAD AND SEE 50 TO 60% OF KIDS MASKING.
SO IT DOES VARY, UH, ACROSS THE COUNTY.
AND, AND THOSE ARE, YOU KNOW, AT A DOUGHNUT NUMBERS, THOSE ARE NOT NUMBERS THAT I'VE TAKEN CALCULATIONS ON.
UH, SO, UH, BUT, BUT, BUT THAT IS, UH, UH, WHAT, WHAT WE SEEM TO BE SAYING THERE, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION OF US TO FIND YOUR GOVERNOR'S ORDERS, UH, FROM TEACHERS? I KNOW YOU AND I HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT IT, UM, BUT, UH, AGAIN, THAT IT, A BUNCH OF EMAILS, HAS SHE NOTICED SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UH, COLUMBIA BEING ONE, UM, ARE NOT FOLLOWING THE GOVERNOR'S MANDATE? UH, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD.
NO, NO, THAT WAS, THAT WAS MY QUESTION.
AND, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT'S THE QUESTION, UH, IN A LOT OF PEOPLE'S MINDS THAT ARE WATCHING THIS RIGHT NOW, THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING.
YEAH, I THINK, UM, I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THERE, I THINK YESTERDAY THERE WAS ONE COUNTY THAT, UH, UM, THAT, UH, THE SCHOOL BOARD VOTED, UH, TO REQUIRE MASKS.
UM, I THINK THERE ARE, UM, MAYBE ONE OR MAYBE RICHLAND ONE IN RICHLAND TWO MAY HAVE BEEN ANOTHER THAT, UH, THAT OPTED TO DO THAT.
UM, AND AS FAR AS I KNOW, THAT IS, UH, THE ONLY SITUATION AT THE MOMENT, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT ENDS UP, UM, UH, IN, IN THE LONG RUN.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT, THAT WE'VE RECEIVED, UH, UH, SOME EMAILS FROM PARENTS, UH, ON EITHER SIDE OF, OF THE, UH, OF THE DEBATE ON THAT, I GUESS I WOULD CALL IT.
UH, SO ALL I KNOW IS THAT, THAT, UH, WE DO HAVE PROVIDES AT 1.108, UH, AT THE MOMENT THAT IS IN PLACE.
UM, AND SO, UM, SO THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S IT, I, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE, ARE WE SAVING, UH, CALLS AS WELL AT CALLS? I'M SORRY.
I APOLOGIZE, UH, EMAILS, UH, AS WELL.
SO MR. NELL CAMPBELL, I WANT TO ASK THE SAME QUESTION.
SO I ASKED THE LAST WEEK, BUT IS THERE A RED LINE IN TERMS OF WHEN WE HAVE TO DECIDE TO GO VIRTUAL AND I, MAN, THAT FOLLOW UP QUESTION, YOU SAID YOU WERE LOOKING AT THE VARIETY OF MASKS WEARING STUDENTS PERCENTAGES.
[02:40:02]
ARE WE DOING ANY KIND OF DOCUMENTATION ON THAT? SO THAT IF, AND I'M JUST SUPPOSING IF THE NUMBERS SHIFT IN TERMS OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, CONTACTING THE VIRUS IN CERTAIN AREAS WHERE WE HAVE ANY SUPPORTING EVIDENCE TO HELP THE GREATER SOCIETY AND OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.UM, I WOULD SAY AT THE MOMENT, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, A LISTING OF, UH, THIS MANY KIDS OR THAT MIDDLE KID OR WHATEVER, BUT WE HAVE ANECDOTAL RIGHT FROM, FROM, I WOULD SAY WHAT WE'VE SEEN AND WE ASK.
SO IN TERMS OF, UH, OF A SHIFT LIKE THAT, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE WOULD BE WORKING WITH D HECK AND OUR NURSES, UH, WORKING WITH THEM AS WELL.
UH, AS WE LOOK AT SCHOOL BY SCHOOL, IN THE MATTER, UH, TO MAKE THE DETERMINATION FOR A PARTICULAR SCHOOL OR A PARTICULAR CLASSROOM, UH, IF THE CLASSROOM HAD TO GO VIRTUAL OR AHEAD.
BUT I MEAN, I'M SAYING THE MASK COUNTING, I MEAN, I DON'T MEAN TO HAVE A TEACHER COUNT UP THE MASK, BUT I, I DON'T THINK IT'S AN OUTRAGEOUS IDEA TO HAVE SOME KIND OF COUNT ON HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE WEARING MASK AND NOT WEARING IT SO THAT IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO THAT SITUATION, YOU WILL HAVE SOME, SOME, SOME NUMBERS TO SUPPORT WHAT'S GOING ON.
AND SOME OTHER DISTRICT MIGHT GET A READING OR SOME OTHER PLACE IN AMERICA MIGHT GET A READING.
I THINK, I THINK WE HAVE TO DO ALL WE CAN TO HELP THE SITUATION, AS OPPOSED TO REACTING TO WHAT'S PASSED DOWN FROM THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
WE CAN HAVE SOME INFORMATION THAT CAN HELP THEM MAKE DECISIONS TO WHICH WE'RE GOING TO OPERATE.
WE OPERATING WITH THE MASK, NO MASK MANDATE.
AND I, AND I, AND IF, IF, IF, IF, IF, IF IT'S A GOOD POLICY AND WE FOLLOWED THROUGH, BUT WE GOT NUMBERS TO SUPPORT IT, BUT IT WOULDN'T HURT US TO HAVE OUR LITTLE MINI MANY MYSTICS DATA BOARD TO SHOW WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE POCKETS, DOCTORATES ABROAD, OR IN THE POCKETS BLUFFTON AREA TRIES TO MASK WEARING.
I THINK, I THINK WE, I THINK, I THINK WE MISS, IF WE DON'T LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS BECAUSE THEY MAY NOT MATTER AND THAT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW TOO, THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER.
WE, WE, WE, MR. CAMPBELL, THAT'S, THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
UM, AND, AND WE CAN WORK AT, UH, AT LOOKING AT THAT AND GATHERING THAT, THAT MANY RESEARCH, I THINK MS. FIDRYCH THANK YOU, DR.
UM, I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THAT SAME ELEPHANT THAT DAVID REFERENCED, UM, MANY PEOPLE WITH WHOM I'VE SPOKEN, JUST, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE BACK IN THIS SITUATION.
AGAIN, IT'S A SITUATION WE'RE UNDER THAT PROVISO.
UM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT I HAVE SPOKEN TO MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT ARE SAYING, IT'S LET THE PARENTS DECIDE THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, HIGHLY ENCOURAGED IN OUR SCHOOLS TO WEAR MASKS.
SO, SO LET THE PARENTS SEND THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL WITH MASKS.
ON, ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE HEARING, UM, D HEX RECOMMENDATION, CDCS RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND SO IT, IT IS TRULY A CONUNDRUM.
UM, I RECENTLY SENT AN EMAIL TO, UM, OUR REPRESENTATIVE, UH, SHANNON, ERICSSON.
I'M SURE SHE WILL WRITE BACK SOON.
SHE USUALLY DOES JUST ASKING ABOUT, UM, THE THOUGHTS ON RESCINDING THE PROVISO.
UM, SO I AM WITH MR. CAMPBELL, MR. MEL CAMPBELL SAYING THAT I THINK ALL THE DATA WE CAN COLLECT.
UM, I DID GO TO AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL YESTERDAY AT THE, AT THE END OF THE DAY, SPOKE TO MANY, MANY TEACHERS.
UM, THEY SAID PEOPLE WERE WEARING MASKS.
THAT'S WHAT THE KIDS ARE DOING.
THEIR PARENTS SENT THEM TO A SCHOOL WITH MASKS.
UM, SO ANYWAY, UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING, BUT JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS ABSOLUTELY WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT.
AND I CAN ASSURE YOU IS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT JUST ABOUT 90% OF OUR DAY AS WELL.
I JUST HAVE A STATEMENT, UH, HOWARD HOPE THAT THESE LEGISLATORS WILL
[02:45:01]
LISTEN TO THE DOCTORS INSIDE.NONE OF THOSE GUYS, NONE OF THEM WILL.
WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING OR WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW? UM, AND I WOULD SAY FOR THOSE FOLKS THAT DON'T WANT TO WEAR MASKS, THOSE ADULTS DON'T WEAR THE MAT.
IF YOU DON'T WANT NOBODY
I THINK A LOT OF TIMES WE TALK ABOUT OUR RIGHTS.
NOBODY'S TAKING YOUR RIGHTS AWAY FROM YOU.
YOU'RE TRYING TO SAVE YOUR LIFE AND YOU NEED TO LISTEN.
YOU KNOW, I'M VERY CONCERNED WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THE MASS MANDATE, UM, I'VE RECEIVED SEVERAL PHONE CALLS.
I'VE HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE STOP ME AND I'VE EVEN HAD A KID TO STOP AND SAY, MS. SMITH, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO WEAR A MASK IN OUR SCHOOLS.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK IT COMES DOWN TO A RATHER, WE, UH, RATHER THE GOVERNOR HAVE SET SOMETHING OR, UH, WHERE WE RUBBED THE RUBBER, RUBBER, IT WOULD BE QUESTIONED THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU KNOW? SO IT'S, UH, IT COMES DOWN TO SAFETY THE SAME WAY WE HAVE SAFETY AND SECURITY CONCERNS.
AND, AND, AND, AND, AND IF THIS, IF THE CITY OF HILTON HEAD WILL IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY AND THAT'S INSIDE BUFORD COUNTY, YOU THINK THE FIRE IS ON ONE SIDE OF THE HOUSE, AND IT'S NOT ON THE OTHER SIDE, YOU KNOW, BUT YET I'LL SAY THIS AT THIS TIME, MADAM CHAIR I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE DIRECT THAT REDIRECT THE SUPERINTENDENT TO MAKE MANDATORY A MASS WING, MANDATORY, AND BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
CAN I GET A SECOND? ALL RIGHT.
SO MR. SMITH, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING FURTHER TO SAY ABOUT YOUR MOTION? UH, YES.
MA'AM, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE W W YOU KNOW, WE FOLLOW, WE FOLLOW THE SCIENCE IN THIS DISTRICT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AND IF WE FOLLOW THE SIZE CONTINUOUSLY, THEN MY QUESTION BECOMES, WHY WOULD WE STOP FOLLOWING THE SCIENCE NOW, YOU KNOW, IT'S NO DIFFERENT FROM THE CLEAR BAG POLICY DECLARED BAGS, BUT IT'S FOR THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE.
I, TODAY, I JUST DO A PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT MODEL.
EXPERIMENTS SAID THAT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT IN THAT SHE THINKS THAT STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AND FACULTY, STAFF SHOULD, WHERE SHE SAYS SHE DISAGREES THAT THEY SHOULD WEAR A MASK IN EVERY BUILDING.
I GOT AN ANONYMOUS CALL FROM A NURSE TODAY, AND I WILL NOT SAY HER NAME, I DON'T KNOW, CIRCUMSTANCES STATING THAT THE NUMBERS ARE GOING UP AND THEY, AND THEY, AND THEY, AND THEY ARE AFRAID, YOU KNOW? SO WHAT, W W W WOULD THAT BE SAID? YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IF WE, I MEAN, MY QUESTION IS THERE IS TO MY COLLEAGUES, THIS
NOW, WE, WE EVEN CANCELED GRADUATION DUE TO THE NUMBERS IN SCIENCE.
WE ACTUALLY, WE DIDN'T HAVE, WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE SCIENCE DIDN'T BETTER YET.
SO I WILL START, I WILL JUST ASK THE QUESTION, BUT YET, IF WE'VE ALWAYS FOLLOWED THE SCIENCE, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOT FOLLOWING THE SCIENCE THEN, AND NOW THIS IS A LIFE AND IN-DEPTH SITUATION.
UM, I HAVE, UH, I HAVE A QUESTION, BUT THEN I'M GOING TO MAKE A STATEMENT.
I'M NOT THERE IN PERSON TODAY BECAUSE MY 19 YEAR OLD SON HAS COVID.
SO WE HAVE BEEN SEQUESTERED TO OUR HOME, AND I HAVE TO GET TESTED TOMORROW BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN HIS CAREGIVER.
SO I'M ALL FOR WEARING MASK, EVEN THOUGH I'M FULLY VACCINATED, I'VE BEEN WEARING MY MASK EVERYWHERE THAT I GO.
[02:50:01]
IT'S BEEN A TOUGH, THE LAST FOUR DAYS HAVE BEEN REALLY TOUGH.I'VE HAD SOME SLEEPLESS NIGHTS HERE.
UM, MY QUESTION IS WHAT WILL BE THE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS IF DR.
RODRIGUEZ, YOU KNOW, STATES THAT THERE IS A MASS MANDATE AND EVERYONE HAS TO LEARN THAT.
DO YOU WANT TO RESPOND AFTER R MS. CARTLAND MS. CARLA, OR, UH, MS. CROSBY? YEP.
I WANT TO, UH, THAT YOU KNOW, THAT THIS AFTER NOON, UM, THERE'S A NEW ATTORNEY, GENERAL OPINION.
IT WAS ACTUALLY JUST FILED TODAY.
AND I THOUGHT IN THE ADVANCE SHEETS THAT WE GET EVERY DAY AND IN THIS PARTICULAR ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OPINION THAT STATES, AND I WANT TO READ IT TO YOU.
ALL IT SAYS, WE KNOW PROVISO 1.108 DEMONSTRATES THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS CAPABLE OF DRAFTING, A PROVISION PROHIBITING ALL MASK MANDATES BY STATING IT SAYS SDE, MASS MANDATE PROHIBITION, NO SCHOOL DISTRICT, OR ANY OF ITS SCHOOLS MAY USE ANY FUNDS, APPROPRIATED OR AUTHORIZED PURSUANT TO THIS ACT TO REQUIRE THAT ITS STUDENTS OR EMPLOYEES WEAR A FACE MASK AT ANY OF ITS EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES.
THIS PROHIBITION EXTENDS TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT OR ENFORCEMENT OF ANY SUCH POLICY.
AND THEN THE, THIS IS THE, THIS IS THE SOUTH KIND OF SUPREME COURT.
PROVISOR 1.108 CLEARLY EVENTS AS THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S INTENT TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF STATE FUNDS TO REQUIRE ANY MASK MANDATE IN K-12 SCHOOLS.
SO IN THIS PARTICULAR, THIS ORDER THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, UM, IN THIS ORDER, THE COURT IS SAYING THAT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IS CAPABLE OF DRAFTING A PROVISION.
SO AT THE PRESENT TIME, THIS PROVISO IS AN EFFECT AND IT WAS PASSED BY THE LEGISLATURE, BY THE HOUSE AND SENATE TO BECOME PART OF THE BUDGET ACT.
AND SO, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER I DID READ IN THE NEWS THAT FOUR, I BELIEVE FOUR SENATORS HAVE REQUESTED THAT THE LEGISLATURE, I HAVE A SPECIAL MEETING TO DISCUSS WHAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO IN THE SITUATIONS.
SO AT THE PRESENT TIME, WE DO HAVE THAT PROVISOR IN EFFECT, BUT WE ARE, WE IN OUR DISTRICT, WE ARE ENCOURAGING THE WEARING OF MASKS BY, YOU KNOW, BY OUR STAFF, BY OUR STUDENTS, BY OUR, OUR BUS DRIVERS.
AND I THINK MOST OF US ARE, ARE WEARING A MASK WHERE WE'RE GLAD TO WEAR A MASK.
WE WANT TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PROTECT.
UM, EVERYBODY I'M VACCINATED, I'M WEARING MY MASK, BUT AT THE PRESENT TIME THAT PROVIDES IT WAS THEN, YOU KNOW, IT IS AN EFFECT.
AND THE SOUTH CHINA SUPREME COURT JUST STATED THAT IN THE ORDER TODAY, UM, THAT HIMS THE LEGISLATURE, IT'S DEMONSTRATED THAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF DRAFTING POSITION PER PROHIBITING, THE MASS MANDATE.
SO MAYBE OUR LEGISLATURE NOW THAT THE SITUATION IS CHANGING.
REMEMBER WE HAD A TIME PERIOD WHEN WE ALL THOUGHT THAT COVID WAS ON THE DECLINE.
AND THIS WAS BEFORE, YOU KNOW, THE CHANGE AND THE DELTA BEAR IN AT ALL THEIR SCHOOL JUST IT'S BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD.
RODRIGUEZ HAS HAD THE VACCINATION CLINICS AND WE ARE ENCOURAGING EVERYBODY TO WEAR A MASK.
BUT RIGHT NOW THAT PROVIDES IS AN EFFECT.
AND MS. MIDDLETON, I, THIS LITERALLY JUST CAME IN MY, UM, EMAIL THIS AFTERNOON, LATE TODAY.
SO I WILL, I'LL SCAN THIS AND I'LL SEND IT TO ALL OF YOU.
SO YOU HAVE IT BECAUSE I THINK YOU WILL FIND IT INTERESTING TO READ.
SO I'LL SEND IT TO ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, CARTLIDGE SO BASICALLY YOU READ US QUITE A BIT THERE AND WE'RE HEARING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, BUT MY ASSESSMENT WAS THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OPINION THAT YOU RECEIVED TODAY IS UPHOLDING THAT PROVISION, THAT THEY HAVE 1.108, THAT YES, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY HAS THE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY, POWER OR AUTHORITY TO DO THAT, IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH.
THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION,
[02:55:01]
MR. GAVIN POINT POINT OF CLARIFICATION, IT'S ACTUALLY, IT WAS A RULING THAT CAME DOWN FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA SUPREME COURT AND IT WAS IN THE CA A HIGHER EDUCATION CASE.SO THEN SHOULD SAY THE LAST PART, IT WAS THE HIGHER EDUCATION CASE.
THERE'S ANOTHER CASE GOING ON AND THEY SPOKE TO BOTH, BUT IT WAS THE SUPREME COURT.
ALL RIGHT, MR. GUYER, THAT'S RIGHT.
AND YOU ARE CORRECT IN, AT REFERENCE.
THE ONE POINT WENT AWAY DID IT'S ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
MADAM CHAIR, YOU ALL, WE ALL WENT THROUGH THIS LAST YEAR WHEN WE HAD AN EMERGENCY DECLARATION BY THE GOVERNOR THAT SAID YOU HAD TO WEAR MASKS IN ANY BUILDING THAT YOU'D WENT INTO IN THE STATE.
WE HAD A LOT OF CARDS AND LETTERS AND EMAILS FROM IRATE PARENTS SAYING YOU'RE TAKING AWAY OUR RIGHTS.
AND WE, AND OUR ANSWER WAS IT'S THE GOVERNOR'S MANDATE.
IT'S THE GOVERNOR'S EXECUTIVE DECISION, WHICH HAS A RULE OF LAW.
IT HAS THE FORCE OF LAW BEHIND IT.
SO WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW THE LAW NOW, UNFORTUNATELY, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE YOU SAY, NOW WE HAVE A LAW THAT SAYS WE CANNOT MANDATE IT.
SO IF WE DID, WE WILL HAVE PARENTS AT PROBABLY AN EQUAL NUMBER OF PARENTS WRITING US SAYING YOU ARE VIOLATING THE LAW.
AND OUR ANSWER WOULD BE, YES, WE ARE.
AND WHERE DO WE GO FROM THERE? THAT'S NOT A GOOD SPACE TO BE.
NOW, IF I REALLY WOULD SUPPORT BEING FULLY MASKED, I REALLY WOULD.
AND IF THERE WASN'T OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT ARE GOING TO TAKE THIS UP, THE LEGAL CHAIN TO GET A RULING, PROBABLY TO THE STATE SUPREME COURT, I WOULD SAY, WELL, LET'S GO AHEAD AND BE THE GUINEA PIG, SO TO SPEAK, BUT TO ADD ONTO IT, WE'RE JUST, ALL WE'RE DOING IS PAYING MORE LAWYERS.
US ADDING TO THAT TEST WILL NOT MAKE IT ANY BETTER.
AND SO FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, I WILL VOTE AGAINST THIS, UH, THIS MOTION.
NOT BECAUSE I DON'T AGREE THAT WE SHOULD BE MASKED, BUT BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT TO PUT THIS DISTRICT AT LEGAL RISK OF SUITS FROM PARENTS, IT'S SAYING YOU'RE VIOLATING THE LAW AND I DON'T WANT TO PAY ANY ATTORNEYS, A WHOLE BUNCH OF MONEY FOR THAT.
SO, RELUCTANTLY, I CANNOT SUPPORT THIS MOTION, MS. BELT, RIGHT? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
UM, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT I FIND, CAN YOU HEAR ME? OKAY.
HOW ABOUT NOW? CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? OKAY.
WHAT I FIND SO PROBLEMATIC ABOUT THIS DISCUSSION IS WE HAVE KIDS.
THEY NEED PEOPLE CHECKING IN ON THEM.
AND THIS IS WHAT WE ARE GOING TO CAUSE SO MUCH TROUBLE OVER.
UM, HAVING LIKE THIS FLASHBACK TO, YOU KNOW, ALLEN IVERSON'S PRACTICE SPEECH.
WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT VACCINATIONS.
WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE THING WHERE WE ACTUALLY HAVE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT SAVES LIVES.
ARE WE GOING TO HAVE PARENTS PROTESTING IN FRONT OF OUR SCHOOLS OVER WHETHER OR NOT WE CAN HAND OUT MASKS? I AM FINE WITH THE MASK MANDATE.
UM, I DO THINK THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE UNVACCINATED SHOULD BE SCARED OF THIS VIRUS.
HILTON HEAD HOSPITAL JUST CLOSED HIS HOSPITAL TO VISITORS.
IT IS SERIOUS BUSINESS AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE HOSPITAL, THEY'RE YOUNGER, THE YOUNGER, THEY'RE NOT YOUNG.
WE DON'T HAVE PEDIATRIC PATIENTS.
AND THEY'RE, UN-VACCINATED, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT MANDATING VACCINATIONS FOR STAFF.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HAVING AN UNVACCINATED TEACHER IN A CLASSROOM WITH THIS STANDING BETWEEN THEM AND INFECTION WITH ONE OF THE MOST INFECTIOUS VIRUSES WE'VE HAD MODERN TIMES.
I WON'T, I'LL PUT MY KID IN A MASK.
THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH.
SO I WOULD, AND THEN I HAVE TO SAY, IF WE'RE GOING TO REQUIRE MESS, WHY DON'T WE REQUIRE VACCINATIONS? I MEAN, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A LOW RISK MITIGATION.
IT IS PART OF A, WHAT THEY CALL LAYERED MITIGATION.
NO ONE HAS STUDIED MASKS ALONE AS A, AS A TREATMENT, THEIR STUDY WITHIN SOCIAL DISTANCING, SANITIZING INCREASE VENTILATION.
IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A MASS MANDATE, I WILL PUT A MASK ON MY KIDS, SEND THEM TO SCHOOL.
[03:00:01]
MY KID GOT ONE OF THE FIRST VACCINES FOR 12 TO 15 YEAR OLDS BECAUSE THEY'RE SAFE AND THEY ARE EFFECTIVE AND THEY ARE SAVING LIVES.SO WHAT FRUSTRATES ME ABOUT THIS IS WE ARE AVOIDING THE MORE SERIOUS CONVERSATION, NOT, NOT, NOT THIS BOARD, OUR SOCIETY, OUR COMMUNITIES AVOIDING A MORE SERIOUS CONVERSATION.
AND WE'RE GETTING HUNG UP ON THIS.
WHERE AM, OR DON'T WHERE WE NEED KIDS BACK IN SCHOOL.
WE NEED, WE DON'T NEED PARENTS FIGHTING OVER THIS.
WE DON'T NEED PARENTS PULLING THEIR KIDS OUT OR THREATENING TO SUE US TO COLONEL GUYS PORN.
WHAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE WERE SENDING SO MANY CONFLICTING MESSAGES TO FAMILIES, NOT WE, OUR SOCIETY WHERE A MASS DON'T WEAR A MASK, GET VACCINATED, DON'T GET VACCINATED.
WE JUST NEED THE KIDS TO GET, TO GET EDUCATED AND WHATEVER I HAVE TO DO AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER TO KEEP KIDS AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE.
BECAUSE THE OTHER THING THAT I THINK GETS MISSED IN THIS MASK DEBATE, THERE IS VERY STRONG EVIDENCE THAT 12 AND UNDER DOES, OKAY, WITH THIS, THEY CAN'T GET VACCINATED, BUT THEY ARE MUCH, MUCH, MUCH ALMOST STATISTICALLY ZERO RISK OF SERIOUS ILLNESS.
SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR PARENTS SAY WE'RE GOING TO DO THE BEST WE CAN.
ZERO MASK DON'T MAKE THE RISK ZERO.
SO I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN NOT LET THIS HANG UP.
WHAT IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT TIME FOR EDUCATION RIGHT NOW? I FEEL VERY STRONGLY.
AND AGAIN, I HAVE TWO KIDS IN COLLEGE.
THEY ARE REQUIRED TO BE VACCINATED AND THEY REQUIRED WEAR MASS.
AND THEY'RE COMPLIANT WITH BOTH.
HE WILL WEAR A GLADLY, WEAR A MASK AS LONG AS HE CAN JUST GET ON WITH EDUCATION.
I HAVEN'T SPOKEN AND I'D LIKE TO SPEAK, UM, I'VE THOUGHT LONG AND HARD ABOUT THIS.
OBVIOUSLY I'M A PHYSICIAN I'VE BEEN IN PRACTICE OVER 30 YEARS AS A EAR NOSE AND THROAT SPECIALIST.
I DO NOT, UH, TREAT, UH, THE COVID VIRUS, BUT OBVIOUSLY I'VE READ A LOT ABOUT IT.
AND, AND, UH, HAVE, UH, HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, HEARD A LOT FROM PATIENTS WHO HAVE HAD, UH, FAMILY MEMBERS DIE FROM THE VIRUS, ET CETERA.
AND I'VE READ WHAT THE CDC HAS PUT OUT WHILE SOUTH CAROLINA D HECK HAS PUT OUT ABOUT SAFE, YOU KNOW, OPENING OF SCHOOLS AND THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS.
I'LL TELL YOU MY HUSBAND AND I GOT OUR, UH, VAC VACCINES THE FIRST DAY.
VERY FIRST DAY, WE WERE OFFERED THOSE AS STAFF MEMBERS AT HILTON HEAD HOSPITAL.
SO THAT WAS WAY BACK IN MID DECEMBER.
I ABSOLUTELY, AS I'VE SAID, MULTIPLE TIMES IN THIS PUBLIC MEETING, UM, THEN YOU PREVIOUSLY, I'M ABSOLUTELY A PROPONENT OF VACCINATION.
TO ME THAT IS THE SINGLE BEST, UM, OR OFFENSE WE HAVE AGAINST THIS VIRUS.
SO THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, THEIR BIG GOAL IS TO HAVE STUDENTS AND STAFF, BUT THEY WOULD SPEAK ABOUT STUDENTS CAUSE THEY'RE THE PAEDS KIDS SAFE AND PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN SCHOOL.
WE KNOW THAT, UH, REMOTE LEARNING DID NOT WORK WELL.
WELL FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF KIDS OVER THE LAST YEAR OR A YEAR AND A HALF.
SO I VERY MUCH SUPPORT THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS POSITION THAT, UM, ALL ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS SHOULD RECEIVE THE PROVID 19 VACCINE AND ALL STUDENTS OLDER THAN TWO YEARS AND ALL SCHOOL STAFF SHOULD WEAR FACE MASKS AT SCHOOL UNLESS MEDICAL OR DEVELOPMENTAL CONDITIONS PROHIBIT THEIR USE.
UM, I VERY MUCH SUPPORT UNIVERSAL MASKING.
I CANNOT SUPPORT THIS MOTION FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.
FRANK RODRIGUEZ TO BREAK THE LAW.
I'M NOT GOING TO HAVE ASK HIM TO BREAK THE LAW.
HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BREAK THE LAW, SO NO, I'M NOT ALRIGHT.
I CAN'T DO THAT RIGHT NOW IN PLACE.
AS YOU KNOW, THE SOUTH CAROLINA PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE BOUND BY THIS PROVISIONAL 1.10108, WHICH WAS PASSED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AS PART OF THE 20 21, 20 22 GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL.
AND THIS PROVISO PREVENTS SCHOOL DISTRICTS FROM REQUIRING FACE COVERINGS IN SCHOOL.
HOWEVER, WE CAN STRONGLY ENCOURAGE FACE COVERINGS.
I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE EVERYONE THAT ENTERS OUR SCHOOLS.
NOW WE HAVE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IN OUR DISCUSSION HERE, MR. CAMPBELL BROUGHT UP THAT WE SHOULD KEEP TRACK OF WHO WHO'S WEARING A MASK AND WHO'S NOT WEARING A MASK.
I RESPECTFULLY DON'T AGREE WITH THAT.
AND HERE'S THE REASON WHY AS MS. BOATWRIGHT HAS BROUGHT OUT
[03:05:01]
MASK, OR JUST ONE LEVEL OF OUR MITIGATING STRATEGIES FOR THIS VIRUS, I FEEL THAT THE MORE PROVEN AS SHE DOES, UM, STRATEGY IS VACCINATION, BUT WE'RE NOT KEEPING TRACK OF WHO'S VACCINATED.I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE BEEN VACCINATED.
I JUST HAVE ANNOUNCED I WAS VACCINATED AND I'VE ANNOUNCED IT BEFORE, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHO'S VACCINATED.
IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE MAKING SUCH A BIG DEAL OUT OF JUST ONE, ONE COMPONENT OF, OF TRYING TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF THIS DISEASE.
WE KNOW IT'S MULTI-PRONGED OR MULTILAYERED OR MULTIFACTORIAL OR WHATEVER WORD YOU WANT TO USE.
IF YOU'RE ELIGIBLE MASKS, PLEASE WEAR A MASK.
WE'VE GOT BARRIERS IN THE SCHOOLS.
LET'S USE THE BARRIERS, PUT UP THOSE CLEAR THINGS WE HAD LAST YEAR.
USE THE BARRIERS WE'VE GOT TESTING OF PEOPLE, UH, TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THEY'VE BEEN INFECTED.
WE'VE GOT VENTILATION, WE'VE GOT CLEANING AND DISINFECTING OUR SCHOOLS.
AND PLEASE DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL.
IT'S JUST NOT FAIR TO THE COMMON GOOD OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AS THE HOSPITALS ARE, ARE, ARE GETTING MORE PATIENTS AS HAS BEEN MENTIONED, THEY'RE GETTING YOUNGER PATIENTS.
AND WE ESPECIALLY KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE NOT BEEN VACCINATED ARE THE ONES WHO ARE TENDING TO GET MORE SEVERE ILLNESS AND MORE SEVERE COMPLICATIONS.
NOW I DO THINK IF THE LEGISLATORS DECIDE TO CALL A SPECIAL MEETING TO, UM, CONSIDER RESCINDING PRO VISA, 1.108, I THINK WE SHOULD RECONVENE.
AND THEN WE SHOULD VOTE, BUT I WILL NOT SUPPORT THIS FOR ALL THE REASONS I JUST SAID.
AND YET I VERY MUCH SUPPORT EVERYONE WEARING A MASK.
AND I HOPE I'VE MADE MYSELF VERY CLEAR.
UH, I GUESS WE'RE STARTING OVER BECAUSE I THINK EVERYBODY ELSE HAS SPOKEN.
UM, MR. MEL CAMPBELL GO, I RESPECT YOU DISAGREEING WITH MY POSITION, BUT I MEAN, JUST GOING DOWN THAT, THAT LIP NAIL EVIDENCE, AS YOU, YOU MENTIONED, MADE ME THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO SUPPORT VENTILATION AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS, THEN WHY AREN'T WE PUTTING OUT BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BEHIND THE MASK WEARING? I MEAN, THAT'S JUST ANOTHER FOLLOW-UP COMPONENT.
AND AS TRUE AS BREAK, BREAKING THE PROVISIONAL, WHATEVER IT IS, ONE ON 1, 1 8 POINT, WHATEVER, I'VE BEEN FOUR YEARS LAWS OF THIS STATE, SOUTH CAROLINA HAVE BEEN UNJUST, UNFAIR, UNRELATED TO WHAT'S REAL.
AND IF WE'RE INTO THE PROCESS OF EDUCATING AND 2021, THEN I LIKED FOR US TO DIRECT.
I DON'T, I DON'T WANT TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT THE, THAT THE EARTH IS FLAT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO EXPLORE THE OTHER POSSIBILITIES.
I DON'T WANT TO STAND WHERE I KNOW I'M STANDING ON SHAKY GROUND, IF I'M SUPPOSED TO BE SUPPORTING EDUCATION.
AND THAT, THAT, THAT GOES A LOT DEEPER THAN WELL, IF WE'RE NOT FULL OF MASK, THEN WOULD YOU SUPPORT A MOTION FOR VACCINATION? YOU PROBABLY WON'T.
I MEAN, WE CAN'T LEAD IF WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE WRONG DIRECTION.
THAT'S THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
I GUESS YOU PUT YOUR HAND DOWN, MR. EARL CAMPBELL.
I DON'T WANT TO GET IT UP FOR RODRIGUEZ
[03:10:01]
MINE.I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF A PARENT CHILD COME DOWN WITH IT AND OUT OF SCHOOL, THEY CAN SUE US.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT BE TO THINK ABOUT.
UM, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS IS GOING TO TURN OUT, BUT FROM WHAT I HEARD AND WHAT I'M SEEING THIS VIRUS IS VERY DEADLY.
UM, I WAS WATCHING ON THE NEWS WAS FIVE YEARS OLD AND DIED.
HOW DO YOU TELL THE PARENTS, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THEM? UM, MAYBE THE ELECTION TIME COMES UP, THE VISA BOARD, ALL THESE GUYS OUT.
THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO BECAUSE THEY ARE PLAYING WITH OUR LIVES.
AND THIS IS NOTHING TO PLAY WITH.
YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST TO, TO FEEL THAT WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS BECAUSE OF POLITICS AND THIS IS WRONG.
I SUSPECT THE SAME, BUT I DON'T WANT TO PUT ALKALINE READERS IN A BIND.
I GOT THE BOOK THAT I JUST READ.
IT SAYS THAT CLEMSON UNIVERSITY IS NOW AFTER SOCCER AROUND SUPREME COURT DECISION.
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY WOULD NOT REQUIRE MASS MASS ON CAMPUS IN ANY LABS IN ANYWHERE AND ON THE CLUB'S UNIVERSITY CAMPUS.
IF CLEMSON UNIVERSITY IS REQUIRING MASK AND THIS, AND THIS IS AS OF TODAY, AS OF TONIGHT, AS OF TONIGHT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S IN THE STATE.
PAPERWORK COMES TO ME THAT THAT, THAT THE SOCCER HOUSE SUPREME COURT IS AFTER THE DECISION RULING TODAY, THAT THE IS OPINION, OPINION, WHICH IS AN OPINION THAT CLEMSON WILL BE MANDATING MASS ON THEIR CAMPUS.
YOU KNOW, TO ME, IT'S BIGGER THAN JUST THE, THE, THE GOV, THE GOVERNMENT.
IN FACT, IT'S ABOUT, I DON'T WANT ANOTHER, I DON'T WANT TO KID'S BLOOD ON MY HANDS.
THERE WAS A 16 YEAR OLD KID THAT DIED IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE KIDS WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO EVEN GET THE VACCINE WHO UNDER A CERTAIN AGE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, SO WHEN I LOOK ON THAT AND I SEE THAT TERMS OF UNIVERSITY, IF THEY'RE, WELL, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ABOUT, UH, AND, AND, AND ALSO IN FACT, UH, MR. CAMPBELL, IF YOU WANT, I LIKE TO TAKE OUT DIRECTOR SUPERINTENDENT, AND I I'LL PUT, I MOVED THAT, THAT, AND BUFORD COUNTY THAT WE, THAT WE MAKE MASSIVE, MANDATORY AND BEAVER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO THAT, THAT MAY BE, IF THAT MAKES, UH, BOARD MEMBER FEEL BETTER THAT WAY HE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO JIM, CAUSE I'M SURE THE SUPERINTENDENTS NOT GOING TO GO TO JAIL, BUT, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN'T WANT TO PUT THEM IN THAT, IN THAT POSITION.
SO THEREFORE, YOU KNOW, IF NEED BE, WE CAN TAKE OUT THE DIRECTOR AND THE SUPERINTENDENT AND PUTTING THAT BEEF KIND OF SCHOOL DISTRICT IS, IS MAKING, IS MISS MADE MASS MANDATORY.
SO YOU'RE MAKING AN AMENDMENT TO YOUR OWN MOTION.
ARE YOU MAKING AN AMENDMENT TO YOUR MOTION? UH, WELL, I ASKED HIM AS THE CAMBUS CAMERA TO DO, DID HE MIND OR WHAT YOU WANT IT TO STAY AS IT IS? OH, SECOND, WHATEVER.
LET'S JUST, I WILL TAKE OUT THE PART OF, I MOVED THAT WE DIRECT THE SUPERINTENDENT, SO I TAKE THAT PART OUT, BUT I'VE MOVED THAT WE, THAT WE'VE KIND OF SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION MAKE MASS WANG MEANT MANDATORY.
[03:15:10]
AND THE REASON WHY I'M ADAMANT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE BELIEVE IN US TO MAKE THE DECISION TO BETTER HELP THEIR KIDS.AND I JUST THINK THAT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOK BEYOND THE PARTY LINES, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL BOARDS DOWNS DOWN PARSON.
IS THAT, I MEAN, IF, IF I LOOK AT IT LIKE THIS, IF THERE WAS A KID THAT WAS ABOUT TO GET HURT, WHAT I STEP INTO, WELL, WHAT ARE RUN TO THE AID OF THAT KID? YES, I WOULD.
SO, I MEAN, I HAVE NOT BEEN, I, MY, MY SLEEP HAS BEEN DIFFERENT.
I MEAN, THE CHARLESTON CHARTER SCHOOL IN CHARLESTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS DONE IT.
IT'S NOT LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE JUST TRYING OUT.
I MEAN, IT COMES OUT TO ME AS MY MORAL COMPASS.
I HAVE KIDS WHO HAVE UNDERLYING CONDITION AS MYSELF WHO DEPEND ON US AS A BOARD.
SO I LOOKED AND I CLOSED THE CLEMSON UNIVERSITY CAN DO IT.
AND WE CAN SAY THAT THAT CLARE BACK POLICY IS BECAUSE WE KEEP EVERYONE SAFE, THEN WHY? AND WE FOLLOW THE SCIENCE UP UNTIL NOW REGARDING WHAT THE GOVERNOR SAID.
WE STILL FOLLOW THE SIGNS AND WHAT THE SCIENCE TELLS US BEING DATA AND DATA DRIVEN AS A DISTRICT.
AND WE VOTED JUST TO SUPPORT THAT.
THEN WHY WOULD WE NOT DO IT NOW TO SAVE LIVES IN OUR DISTRICT? WE HAVE A STATE OF EMERGENCY ON HILTON AND THE HILTON HEAD, PLEASE, I'M DONE.
I'M NOT GOING TO BOTHER ANYBODY ELSE.
ACTUALLY LET'S HOLD ON YOU BECAUSE I DON'T THINK MS. ROBIN'S SPOKEN AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK.
UM, I'D JUST LIKE TO CLARIFY SOMETHING, HILTON HEAD DOES HAVE A STATE OF EMERGENCY, BUT THEY HAVE NOT IMPLEMENTED A MANDATORY MASK WEARING.
THEY HAVE NOT PUT THAT INTO EFFECT.
I TOTALLY AGREE ABOUT WEARING MASKS, BUT THERE ARE JUST AS MANY PEOPLE WHO THINK WE SHOULD BE WEARING MASH.
I THINK THAT IT SHOULD BE PERSONAL CHOICE.
SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, I PERSONALLY HAVE TO WEIGH THAT AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WHAT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE ON THE TABLE IS EMOTION THAT WE WRITE TO OUR LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION, ASKING THEM TO RECONVENE AND RECONSIDER BASED ON WHAT THEY KNOW NOW ABOUT THIS, UM, UH, DELTA VARIANT, MS. BOATWRIGHT.
UM, IT'S HARD TO VOTE AGAINST A MASS MANDATE.
I DON'T THINK ANY OF US UP HERE WANT TO SAY NO, WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A QUESTION OF WHAT LEGALLY CAN WE CAN'T WE DO.
UM, ALSO I THINK THIS WARRANTS A LOT OF DISCUSSION IN TERMS OF HOW LONG OF A MASS MANDATE, UH, WOULD INCLUDE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS.
WOULD IT INCLUDE VACCINATED KIDS? THE THING THAT I FIND REALLY DIFFICULT TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND WITH ALL THIS WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY, LET'S SAY WE, WE, UH, AND, AND I LOOKED CHARLESTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS, YOU KNOW, VOTED IN A MASS MANDATE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
AND I'VE BEEN ON THEIR FACEBOOK PAGES AND IT'S HALF THE PEOPLE ARE LIKE, THANK GOODNESS.
AND HALF THE PEOPLE ARE LIKE, I'M NOT COMPLIANT.
SO NOW WE'RE GOING TO HAVE KIDS COMING TO THE CLASSROOM WITHOUT A MASK.
ARE WE GOING TO MANDATE THE TEACHERS, THEN SEND THEM HOME, CALL THE PARENTS.
ARE WE GOING TO PUT, ARE WE GOING TO PUT, MAKE TEACHERS? I MEAN, THAT IS DUMPING THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT FOR THIS ON CLASSROOM TEACHERS TO SAY, IF A KID COMES TO SCHOOL AND DOESN'T HAVE ON THEIR MASK, ARE THEY GOING TO SEND THEM TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE? WE HAD THIS WHOLE THING HAS GOTTEN TO BE SUCH A MESS.
SO HERE'S WHAT MY THINKING IS ON THIS.
UM, I THINK WE NEED TO POSTPONE THIS MOTION PENDING LEGAL ADVICE.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT, WHO'S GOT THE AUTHORITY WHO CAN ENFORCE IT.
HOW WILL IT BE ENFORCED? WHAT ARE THE RAMIFICATIONS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE WE VOTE? I FEEL LIKE VOTING JUST TO KIND OF MAKE US, I THINK EVERYONE UP HERE SAID, WE'RE IN FAVOR OF UNIVERSAL MASKING, BUT WHO'S, WHO'S GOT THE AUTHORITY.
I THINK WE CAN MAKE A STATEMENT ON THE BOARD THAT WE, UH, WOULD ENCOURAGE UNIVERSAL MASKING IN THE SCHOOLS THAT WE WANT.
WE WANT UNIVERSAL MASKING IN THE SCHOOLS.
UM, AND, BUT NOT DIRECT OR DEMAND OR VEST AUTHORITY WITHOUT DISCUSSING IT WITH THE SCHOOL NURSES WITHOUT DISCUSSING IT WITH WENDY CARTILAGE.
LIKE, I JUST FEEL LIKE WE NEED MORE.
THIS IS MAKING AN, UH, TOO BLUNT OF AN INSTRUMENT FOR WHAT IS IN FRONT OF US, IN MY OPINION.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN MAKE A MOTION TO POSTPONE THIS MOTION PENDING THE RECEIPT OF LEGAL AND HEALTH ADVICE.
[03:20:01]
MOVE THAT.WE POSTPONE, UH, VOTING ON THIS MOTION PENDING RECEIPT OF LEGAL AND LEGAL ADVICE.
DO YOU WANT TO SAY ANYMORE? I TOLD HER IT, WAS IT MORE SIMPLE? THE REASON IT WAS ALREADY, UH, WAS ALREADY ENDED.
I THOUGHT YOU CAN'T DO IT BY ONE TIME.
I DIDN'T FOLLOW WHAT YOU SAID.
I AMENDED THE FIRST MOTION, SO SHE'D BE AMENDED THE AMENDED MOTION.
SO, SO WE WOULD HAVE TO VOTE THIS AND SHE COULD MAKE AN ADDITIONAL MOTION.
I THINK THAT'S CORRECT BY ROBERT'S RULES.
SHE CAN, IT TAKES PRECEDENCE TO POSTPONE IT.
THAT TAKES PRECEDENT OVER AMENDING.
UM, SO SINCE WE'RE TALKING NOW ABOUT POSTPONING THIS, UM, LET ME JUST SAY THAT I KNOW CHARLESTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS A NEWSPAPER.
THEY SPENT TWO HOURS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION GETTING LEGAL ADVICE.
AND ALSO YOU ALSO MENTIONED HEALTH.
RIGHT NOW YOU JUST SAID LEGAL.
SO I LIKED IT BETTER WHEN YOU HAD, OKAY.
WELL, I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO ADD HEALTH.
KIND OF, BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT OUR RESOURCES ARE.
I KNOW WE HAVE LEGAL COUNSEL, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO, UM, GET BOTH LEGAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH ADVICE PENDING LEGAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH ADVICE.
ARE YOU OKAY WITH THAT, MR. CAMPBELL? SINCE YOU CHECKING IT? YEAH.
SO MS. PUSHING, BARRY, CAN YOU ADD THAT IN THERE? SO I GUESS I NEED TO ASK EVERYONE TO PUT THEIR HANDS DOWN AND WHO WANTS TO SPEAK NOW ABOUT JUST THE, UH, THE MO MOTION TO POSTPONE DAVID? UM, I WAS GONNA VOTE, BUT I THINK THIS IS A MUCH MORE RATIONAL APPROACH.
UM, WE DO NEED LEGAL ADVICE, MS. MIDDLETON.
SO HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO POSTPONE THIS? I MEAN, ARE, ARE WE GOING TO HAVE A SPECIAL CALL MEETING FOR THE WEEKENDS? HOW LONG WILL THIS TAKE ANYBODY WANT TO MS. MIDDLES? CAN I, CAN I SPEAK FOR SURE? AH, HEY, MS. MIDDLETON, FIRST OF ALL, I'M SO SORRY ABOUT YOUR SON.
UH, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT'S HARD.
UM, WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND? YOU'RE YOU HAVE LEGAL EXPERIENCE.
IF, IF WE CAN GET THIS, IF WE CAN GET SOME INFORMATION AND HAVE A SPECIAL CALL MEETING, LIKE BY THE END OF THE WEEK OR THE FIRST OF NEXT WEEK, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
I'M NOT TRYING TO PUT ANY PRESSURE ON ANYBODY.
YOU JUST HAVE TO UNDERSTAND I'M DEALING WITH COVID RIGHT NOW, AND THIS IS SOME SERIOUS BUSINESS AND IT'S SCARY.
SO WE, IF WE CAN MOVE QUICKLY ON THIS, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
WOULD FRIDAY BE REASONABLE, DO YOU THINK? YES.
IF, IF WE CAN GET ALL OF THE POWERS TO BE TOGETHER, THE LEGAL TEAM, THE MEDICAL TEAM, IF THEY CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION BETWEEN NOW AND THEN WE CAN HAVE A SPECIAL CALL MEETING.
I HOPE ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS WOULD BE AVAILABLE.
WE NEED TO MOVE QUICKLY ON THIS.
THIS IS, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE SITUATIONS THAT WE HAVE TO BE EXPEDITIONS.
UM, I WILL JUST SAY, I KNOW SOME OF US ARE GOING TO BE OUT OF TOWN LATER THIS WEEK.
I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE PARTICIPATE UNLESS IT WAS ONE DAY.
AND TRICIA, AND I THINK MAYBE KATHY TOO, AND MONDAY FOR DOCTOR WAS NEVSKY.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF US CAN'T DO IT UNTIL MONDAY.
SO WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO AMEND THE AMENDMENT FURTHER TO SAY WHAT THE DATE OR WE CAN, YES.
LET'S VOTE ON THIS AND THEN WE CAN JUST VOTE ON THE DATE.
UM, IF THIS MOST MOTION DOES PASS, UM, PART OF THE THINGS, UM, THAT I HOPE ARE PRESENTED, UM, WHEN WE RECEIVE THAT LEGAL ADVICE IS THIS IS JUST MY VERY CRUDE UNDERSTANDING OF THINGS, BUT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL HAS ALREADY SPOKEN ON THIS TOPIC AND HIS OPINION ON IT.
IT SEEMS THAT THERE IS SUPREME COURT OPINION, ALTHOUGH I'VE ONLY VERY QUICKLY READ IT TODAY, UM, WHERE IT WAS OPINED ON, ALTHOUGH NOT THERE WAS NO DECISION MADE IN REGARD TO 1.108.
AND ALSO IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IT WOULD REQUIRE A TWO THIRDS VOTE TO RESCIND THE PROVISO,
[03:25:01]
UM, AND THE LEGISLATURE IN BOTH HOUSES OR IN THE HOUSE AND IN THE SENATE.UM, AND ALSO IF THAT IS NOT THE CASE, AND IT DOES JUST REQUIRE A MAJORITY ERODE REQUIRE TWO THIRDS TO MAKE IT VETO PROOF FROM THE GOVERNOR.
AND I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHERE HE STANDS.
SO I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A LOSING BATTLE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS.
THAT'S JUST MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION.
UH, I DO BELIEVE THAT SUPREME COURT RULED TODAY THAT AS WELL, THAT, UH, THAT, THAT THE MASSIVE DATA THAT WE DO HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO, UH, TO, UM, TO DO THAT, BUT YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE, OUTSIDE OF IT.
WE WERE SUPPOSED TO MEET TOMORROW.
I MEAN, WE CAN PULL IT FOR THE, FOR THE, FOR THE GOOD, I MEAN, FOR THE, FOR, FOR THE GOOD OF THE, THE COMMUNITY AND FOR THE GOOD OF THE DISTRICT, WE CAN HAVE SOME, WE CAN HAVE A DOCUMENT SUMMARY, UH, WE'RE GOING TO BE, I MEAN, WHO WOULD WE BE PULLING? I MEAN, YOU KNOW WHAT, SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT, NOW, WE, WE CAN HAVE THAT DONE FOR TOMORROW AFTERNOON OF, OF A WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY.
I'VE BEEN MONDAY, MONDAY, MONDAYS.
I WAS TAKING A CHANCE TO LOSE A KID.
I MEAN, I, IT JUST BOTHERS ME THAT WE'RE GOING TO WAIT A WHOLE WEEK TO MAKE THIS DECISION.
WE'VE GOT TO FIND FINE LEGAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH ADVICE THAT ARE WILLING TO COME TO SPEAK TO THE BOARD.
AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY HARD TO FIND, UH, BY TOMORROW AT 6:00 PM.
I MEAN, WE'RE ALREADY, WE'RE A LITTLE PAST NINE, 15 ON TUESDAY NIGHT.
I JUST DON'T THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET TOO MANY PROFESSIONALS THAT CAN DO THAT.
WELL, MADAM CHAIR, I THINK THAT WHEN IT COMES TO COMES DOWN TO SAVING KIDS' LIVES, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THAT, THAT IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE THAT HARD TO GET THAT DONE.
I MEAN, WE COULD, WE COULD FIND MONEY TO INVESTIGATE YOU.
I MEAN, I'M SURE WE CAN FIND MONEY TO DO THIS.
I MEAN, WHEN IT COMES TO, I MEAN, THIS IS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT LIFE AND DEATH HERE.
I'M VERY MUCH AWARE OF MR. SMITH.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT POSTPONING RIGHT NOW.
WHAT I ALREADY SAID IS WE'LL VOTE ON THE DATE AFTERWARDS.
SO MR. STRINGER, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE FOLLOW OUR PRECEDENT AND HAVE ROBYN ARRANGE THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND GET ACTUAL LEGAL ADVICE AND JUST DO IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS WE CAN GET ALL THE RESOURCES TOGETHER AND WE CAN SPECULATE ALL WE WANT RIGHT NOW, ROBIN NORMALLY SETS THESE THINGS UP.
SO LET'S, LET'S LET HER DO THAT.
LET'S UM, CALL FOR THE QUESTION.
THE MOTION IS APPROVED NINE TWO MR. SMITH AND MR. GUYER.
SO IS THAT THE BOARDS WILL THAT WE'LL LET ROBYN, UH, ARRANGE, YOU KNOW, QUERY THE MEMBERS AS WE USUALLY DO, OR, OR WOULD THE BOARD LIKE TO TAKE A VOTE ABOUT THE MEETING DATE TONIGHT? YOU HAVE THIS, OKAY.
SO NOW WE NEED, SINCE WE'RE SCHEDULED TO END THE MEETING FIVE OR SIX MINUTES AGO, IF WE WANT TO ADJOURN, WE NEED A MOTION, OR IF WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE ON, WE NEED A MOTION AND I SEEM TO BE LOCKED OUT OF ZOOM.
UM, MR. SMITH AND, UH, MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE
[03:30:01]
THAT.WE ADJOURN THE MEETING FOR TONIGHT AND, AND I'M, I'M SAYING THIS BECAUSE IF WE CAN GET, IF WE'RE TRYING TO GET SOMEONE TO COME IN TOMORROW, ROBINSON SET UP SOMEBODY, THE LEGAL TEAM AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS WILL COME IN TOMORROW.
UM, WE CAN CONTINUE OUR MEETING AND WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH THOSE PEOPLE.
MAYBE I NEED NOT MAKE THE MOTION, BUT THE QUESTION, LET ME ASK THE QUESTION.
WOULD IT BE MORE CONVENIENT IF WE RECONVENE TOMORROW AND SEE IF WE CAN GET THE PROPER PEOPLE IN TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE MASS MANDATE? SO I'M POSING THAT QUESTION AND THEN IF I NEED TO MAKE A MOTION, I WILL, NOTHING HURTS YOU TO TRY IS WHAT I GOT.
SO YOU'VE ALREADY MADE THE MOTION TO ADJOURN, SO LET'S HAVE THAT UP THERE AND MR. SMITH, SECOND IT, RIGHT.
AND IF WE, DURING THAT MEANS WE'RE MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT.
R DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT TONIGHT BEFORE WE END? WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY SECOND PUBLIC COMMENTS.
WELL, I WAS TOLD THERE WEREN'T ANY, SO HOLD ON, MS. CHRISTIAN BERRY.
WELL, MR. COOK IS SAYING HE GAVE YOU ONE.
YEAH, NO, YOU CAN SPEAK AGAIN, BUT YOU NEED TO FILL OUT A CARD.
SO WE NEED TO HEAR HIS COMMENTS BEFORE WE ADJOURN.
IF WE'RE GOING TO ADJOURN, WE CAN'T DO 24 HOUR OXYGEN.
WE CAN, WE CAN, OH GOD, MY GOD, MY GOD.
FOR ALL RIGHT, MS. COOK, WE'LL SPEAK ABOUT, I THINK THE SAME THING, STUDENTS STUDENTS' RIGHTS.
I JUST HAPPENED TO CATCH, UH, A VERY SMALL BIT OF A TEXT MESSAGE FROM MY WIFE WHILE I WAS IN THE GROCERY STORE.
SO I DECIDED TO COME BACK BY, UM, TO REITERATE WHAT I HAD SAID BEFORE ABOUT STUDENTS RIGHTS AND THE RIGHTS OF ALL STUDENTS.
AND, UM, WHILE I RESPECT EVERYONE'S, UM, PROFESSIONAL OPINION, AND OBVIOUSLY HAVING DR.
QUADS ON BOARD IS IT'S NICE TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT IS ABLE TO DISCERN WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE QUALIFIED, UM, AS A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL IN OFFERING YOU ADVICE.
WE DO NEED TO KEEP IN MIND, UM, THAT, AS I SAID BEFORE, PARENTS STILL MAKE THOSE DECISIONS FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
UM, WE DON'T NEED THE STATE TO DO IT.
WE DON'T NEED THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO DO IT.
WE DON'T NEED THE SUPERINTENDENT TO DO THAT FOR THEM.
IN ESSENCE OF AN EMERGENCY, PARENTS ARE PRETTY MUCH IN CHARGE OF EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON.
AND, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO BEING AT THE MEETING TOMORROW NIGHT.
I BELIEVE THERE'S A MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO ADJOURN.
UH, TONIGHT I, UH, CAN NOT SUPPORT THIS MOTION BECAUSE I WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE TO PARTICIPATE ALL NIGHT, MR. SMITH.
NOT THAT FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, BUT I WON'T BE ABLE, I'LL BE ON AN AIRPLANE TOMORROW, SO I CAN'T EVEN DIAL IN, SO I'M NOT GOING TO SUPPORT THIS MOTION EITHER.
SO TWO, TWO OF THE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE TOLD US THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO BE PART OF THIS DISCUSSION TOMORROW NIGHT.
[03:35:04]
I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT I THINK WE CAN GET HER DONE TONIGHT.UM, AND I WILL NOT SUPPORT THIS MOTION, MR. SMITH.
WELL, I WOULD JUST SAY ALL DUE RESPECT, YOU KNOW, TONIGHT HAS BEEN LONG AND THEN AS WELL, YOU KNOW, WE ALL, WE ALL BOARD MEMBERS, WE KNEW THAT WE HAD AN OBLIGATION FOR TWO NIGHTS.
I MEAN, THIS IS NOT NOTHING FOR, AND UNFORTUNATELY I HAD A MEETING THAT I MADE I MISSED ON, ON, UH, ON WHATEVER DAY THAT THERE WASN'T Y'ALL BOUGHT EVERYTHING.
FORTUNATELY, I BROUGHT EVERYTHING FORWARD TONIGHT.
UH, YOU KNOW, I ACTUALLY, I WAS TO HOLD OFF ON IT AND WE, AND I HAD CERTAIN PEOPLE OR BOARD MEMBERS WHO AFTER HEARING THAT I COULDN'T, I, THAT THAT'S APPOINTMENT.
I COULDN'T MAKE THAT THEY STILL WENT AHEAD AND VOTED ON IT AND STILL, AND STILL PASS IT REGARDLESS OF WHAT I HAD TO SAY.
SO I SAY THAT TO SAY THIS, YOU KNOW, WE ALL WAS BORN WITH WHAT OUR OBLIGATIONS ARE AND THAT WE HAVE A TWO NIGHT MEETING, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE HAVE OTHER PARENTS AND OTHER PEOPLE WHO KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO, I MEAN, WE SAID WE WERE IN THE MEETING, ARE OUR CAR THINGS.
SO THAT ENDED AT NINE 15 OR WHATEVER TIME.
I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD FOLLOW ALL DUE RESPECT, HONESTLY, THAT THEY CAN'T MAKE IT TOMORROW.
BUT THAT'S WHAT THAT'S, WHAT'S WRITTEN WRITTEN ON THE AGENDA THAT WE ENDED AT A CERTAIN TIME TO CONTINUE TO DO THIS.
THEN MAYBE WE NEED TO RE-LOOK AT IT AND REEVALUATE OUR PA OUR POLICY ON HOW WE DO MEETINGS.
YOU KNOW? SO, I MEAN, MAYBE THIS CONVERSATION NEEDS TO GO A LITTLE FURTHER.
THE QUESTION IS CALLED ALL RIGHT.
THE MOTION IS APPROVED SIX FIVE.
THE PREVAILING SIDE IS MR. CAMPBELL, DAVID STRIVEN, GER MELVIN CAMPBELL.
SO WE'LL RECONVENE TOMORROW NIGHT AT SIX O'CLOCK.
AND IF WE'RE WHAT HERE, RIGHT? YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
AND I GUESS IF WE'RE GOING TO, UH, IF WE WERE GOING TO RECEIVE LEGAL ADVICE, UM, I ASSUME THAT'S GOING TO BE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AND WE DON'T HAVE 24 HOURS TO POST THE AGENDA.
SO, UH, WE COULD SAY THAT IT'S, UH, EXIGENT OR EMERGENT CIRCUMSTANCES, UH, GIVEN THE, THE, UM, URGENCY OR WHAT, WHATEVER YOU WILL SAY, URGENCY OR EMERGENCY OF, OF MAKING THE DECISION ABOUT MASK MANDATE OR NO MASK MANDATE.
I WAS JUST WONDERING, I KNOW ON OUR AGENDA, IT DOESN'T SAY IT DOES SAY THAT WE WOULD ADJOURN UNTIL THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY IF WE HAVEN'T FINISHED, BUT IT DOESN'T SAY WHERE.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE WERE FORCED TO BE HERE IF WE COULD JUST DO IT BY ZOOM.
ALSO JUST, I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT POINT A POINT OF ORDER LIKE THIS GENTLEMEN JUST LEFT AND SAID, HE'D BE BACK TOMORROW.
LIKE, THERE IS SOME LIKE EXPECTATION POTENTIALLY, AND I, I'M NOT GOING TO BE HERE AND I FEEL BAD BECAUSE I'M, THIS IS MY OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A 10 MINUTE DRIVE.
SO IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME, BUT I'VE THROWN THAT OUT THERE.
I THINK SINCE THE, THE AGENDA IS, UM, THE TOP OF THIS AGENDA SAYS THAT THE MEETING IS HERE AND I THINK THE SECOND DAY HAS TO BE HERE.
ALL RIGHT, WE'RE ADJOURNED THEN SCRUB FOR 20 SECONDS.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A CLOCK NEAR YOU, THEN SING THE ABC SONG, BE SURE TO SCRUB THE FRONT AND BACK UNDER YOUR FINGERNAILS AND BETWEEN YOUR FINGERS, DRY YOUR HANDS WITH A PREEN TOWEL OR A PAPER TOWEL FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO WWW.CDC.GOV/QUEEN HANDS.
GETTING THE FLU IS NOT FUN FOR ANYONE.
[03:40:01]
FLU PREVENTION AND RESPONSE IS AS EASY AS 1, 2, 3.YOU CAN PRACTICE PREVENTION BY WASHING YOUR HANDS AND KEEPING YOUR HOME CLEAN, KEEPING YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM STRONG BY EATING HEALTHY AND BEING ACTIVE AND STAYING AWAY FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE SICK.
IF YOU DO GET THE FLU OR GET SICK, THEN YOU WANT TO GO TO THE DOCTOR, STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL OR WORK AND STAY HYDRATED TO STRENGTHEN YOUR BODY, TO FIGHT THE VIRUS.
SO REMEMBER, FLU PREVENTION AND RESPONSE IS AS EASY AS 1, 2, 3 PATIENT BUSINESS MEETING OF AUGUST 17TH AND 18TH, 2021.
THIS MEETING IS BEING CONDUCTED BY HYBRID VIDEO CONFERENCING.
AND THE MEETING IS BEING LIVE STREAMED BY THE COUNTY CHANNEL AS POSTED ON OUR AGENDA OF AUGUST 17TH, 2021.
WE DID NOT COMPLETE ALL OF OUR AGENDA ITEMS YESTERDAY, SO WE WILL CONTINUE ON THE AGENDA WHERE WE LEFT OFF YESTERDAY AND WE ARE UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.
WATSON, NEXT ITEM ON THE SUPERINTENDENTS REPORT IS REGARDING THE WEBSITE UPDATE.
UM, UH, BROODER, OUR DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS WILL BE MOVING THAT ALONG.
WE CAN'T HEAR YOU WELL, SO THAT DEFINITELY MEANS THE PEOPLE REMOTELY CAN'T SO YOU NEED TO HAVE IT REAL CLOSE TO YOUR MOUTH, RIGHT DOG.
UM, I'M PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO UPDATE YOU THIS EVENING WITH TECHNOLOGY SERVICES, OFFICER MARK, MARK SHOW, AND WHO IS ON THE LINE HERE WITH THE PROCESSOR? UM, I'M I'M I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, DO WE HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE SITUATION FROM YESTERDAY ABOUT THE ME, BECAUSE THAT, THAT, THAT'S WHERE WE LEFT OFF AT.
ACTUALLY WE LEFT OFF ON THE DECISION OF, UH, BASS MANDATION IN SCHOOLS, AND WE'RE SUPPOSED TO FIGURE OUT TODAY WHEREVER WE WAS GOING TO WHEREVER WE WERE BEFORE MOVING ON RIVER, WE WERE GOING TO MAKE A MOTION TO HAVE A LEGAL COUNSEL IN REGARDS TO MASS MANDATION OR NOT.
AND REMEMBER WE WERE GOING TO MAKE IT, UH, ADDED TO THE AGENDA AND WE'RE TO HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT UNDER THE ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT COME LATER, WE WERE NOT ABLE TO ARRANGE FOR THE PROFESSIONALS TO BE HERE TONIGHT AND FOR THE LEGAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ADVICE.
AND THEREFORE WE ARE NOT HAVING AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
AND WE ARE NOT HAVING THE MASK MANDATE DISCUSSION TONIGHT.
IT'S GOING TO BE AT THE PA AT THE SPECIAL CALL BOARD MEETING THAT THE BOARD APPROVED LAST NIGHT AND THE TENTATIVE SCHEDULE DATE IS AUGUST 23RD, BUT THAT HAS NOT BEEN CONFIRMED.
SO MS. CANDACE, PLEASE CONTINUE.
SO I AM EXCITED TO TALK, I'LL DO WITH ALL DUE RESPECT AS A BOARD MEMBER.
I JUST THINK IT WOULD'VE BEEN GOOD TO KNOW THAT INTO A PUNCH IS GOING AND JUST START BECAUSE THIS IS NOT REALLY WHERE WE LEFT OFF AT LAST NIGHT.
YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S GOOD THAT WE, WE HAVEN'T LEFT THE PUBLIC KNOWING AND NOT JUST THE PUBLIC THAT, UH, PEOPLE ON THE BOARD KNOW WHO IS, WHO ACTUALLY HAVE THE, THE RIGHT TO KNOW THIS INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, INFORMATION, SIR, I'VE ALREADY SAID, ASKED AND ANSWERED IT.
THE INFORMATION WILL BE GIVEN TONIGHT.
I ALREADY JUST GAVE IT AND I'LL GIVE IT AGAIN, CANDICE, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
I'M JUST GOING TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND SCHOOL WEBSITES.
UM, THERE, I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THEY'RE BEING TOTALLY REDONE TO IMPROVE THE OVERALL USER EXPERIENCE.
OUR NUMBER ONE GOAL IS TO IMPROVE THE FUNCTIONALITY AND ORGANIZATION OF INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITES.
A NEW FEATURE THAT WILL ASSIST WITH THIS ON THE DISTRICT SITE, WHICH IS NOW KIND OF A BIT CROWDED WITH A LOT OF INFORMATION, IS THAT OF AN INTRANET TO HOUSE INFORMATION THAT IS ONLY RELEVANT TO EMPLOYEES.
THIS WILL HELP DE-CLUTTER OUR SITE ENABLING OUR FAMILIES TO BETTER FIND WHAT THEY NEED.
ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT A LARGE VIDEO FEATURE ON OUR MAIN WEB PAGES AND AN ADDITIONAL TOP NAVIGATION BAR.
THAT ALSO INCLUDES A LINK SPECIFICALLY DEVOTED, DEVOTED TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE DOCUMENT I SUBMITTED FINAL SITE, OUR WEBSITE DESIGNER AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT PROVIDER HAS LAUNCHED OUR PROPRIETARY INTERACTIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOL THAT WILL GUIDE US THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 80 SPECIFIC TASKS, WHICH ARE BUNDLED INTO THE NINE PHASES THAT MUST BE COMPLETED IN A COMPACT SCHEDULE.
SO WE CAN HIT OUR MID FEBRUARY, 2022 LAUNCH DATE.
IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT MANY OF THE PHASES OF THIS PROCESS, WE RELY HEAVILY ON THE DISTRICT'S INPUT WORK AND CONTRIBUTIONS BEFORE SUBSEQUENT PHASES CAN BE HANDED OFF TO THE FINAL SITE TECHS FOR INTEGRATION
[03:45:01]
IMPLEMENTATION AND CONTENT MIGRATION.THE NINE MILESTONE PHASES INCLUDE THE PROJECT KICKOFF, THE INTAKE PHASE, WHICH IS WHERE WE ARE NOW.
THIS CONSISTS OF PROVIDING CURRENT LOGOS, WEB HEX, COLORS, FONTS, AND SITE MAPS TO FINAL SITE, WHICH IS THE COMPANY WE ARE WORKING WITH.
THE THIRD PHASE IS THEMED DESIGN MODIFICATION.
THIS IS WHEN WE WILL REVIEW THE BEST IN CLASS DESIGN OPTIONS AND WEB LAYOUT FOR NEEDS.
AND TO REALLY INCREASE THE EXPERIENCE ON OUR SITES.
THE FOURTH PHASE IS THEMED DESIGN IMPLEMENTATION.
THIS IS WHEN WE WILL BE BUILDING OUT THE DISTRICT AND SCHOOL WEBSITES, AND IT INCLUDES FOLLOWING PROTOCOLS FOR DESIGN LAYOUT, COLOR APPLICATIONS, AND IMPROVING THE USER EXPERIENCE.
THIS PHASE ALSO INCLUDES QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTING OF THE SITE TECHNICAL REVIEW AND DIAGNOSTICS ADHERENCE TO THE AMERICAN DISABILITY ACT, ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS, BANDWIDTH OPTIMIZATION TESTING TO SUPPORT HEAVY CONTENT, SUCH AS VIDEOS, PERFORMING SECURITY CHECKS, AND A REVIEW FOR ANY BUGS AND AN OVERALL COMPLIANCE ASSESSMENT OF WEBSITE STANDARDS.
THE FIFTH PHASE IS PROJECT TRAINING, WHICH IS A TWO DAY ONSITE TRAINING FOR ALL OF OUR WEB ADMINS.
THE SIX PHASE IS CONTENT MANAGEMENT PLATFORM ENTRY, AND THIS IS THE PREP PREPARATION OF THE MODULES TO BE POPULATED WITH THE DATA.
THE SEVENTH PHASE IS DATA INTEGRATION, WHICH IS THE IMPORT PHASE AND THE REVIEW AND TROUBLESHOOTING PHASE, AS WELL AS THE SETUP AND CONFIGURATION OF DATA PHASE.
THE EIGHTH PHASE IS DATA INTEGRATION TRANSITION, WHICH IS WHERE WE, WE WILL COMPLETE THE FINAL MIGRATION OF TEXT AS WELL AS INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL LINKING TO DOCUMENTS AND IMAGES.
AND THE FINAL STEP IS THE LAUNCH ITSELF AND THE TRANSITION TO POST DELIVERY SUPPORT.
MY MAIN POINT IN EXPLAINING ALL OF THIS IS THAT REDOING A WEBSITE CORRECTLY IS NOT JUST A SIMPLE FLIP OF A SWITCH.
IT TAKES A LOT OF THOUGHTFUL AND MEANINGFUL PLANNING FOR MANY INDIVIDUALS, SUSAN LYNCH FROM MY TEAM.
AND I ARE CERTAINLY VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION FROM OUR DEDICATED ISD COLLEAGUE AND IT LIAISON EXTRAORDINARY COLEEN BECK ON BARSKY.
ADDITIONALLY, OUR CONTENT MANAGEMENT PROVIDER FINAL SITE HAS DESIGNED AND LAUNCHED NUMEROUS DISTRICT AND SCHOOL WEBSITES AROUND THE WORLD.
SO WE KNOW WE ARE IN GOOD HANDS WITH THEM AS WELL AS YOU CAN SEE, ALTHOUGH WE ARE STILL IN THE EARLY STAGES, WE LOOK FORWARD TO ROLLING OUT OUR NEW WEBSITES IN FEBRUARY TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE WILL BE PLUGGING AWAY ON THIS.
AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT HAVING AN EFFECTIVE AND ORGANIZED PLATFORM IN WHICH TO DEMONSTRATE THAT BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT IS TRULY A PLACE WHERE GREAT THINGS HAPPEN.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.
SO CAN YOU GIVE US DETAILS ABOUT, UH, THE BOARD PORTION OF THE, OF THE WEBSITE I HAVE USED IT AND RIGHT NOW IT'S NOT REAL USER-FRIENDLY AND, UM, AS THE DOCUMENTS SEEM TO BE OUTDATED THAT ARE ON THERE.
SO YOU'VE MENTIONED YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A PERSON THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT.
WELL, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IS A SPECIAL TAB FOR THE BOARD, RIGHT UPFRONT THAT WE HAVE OUR MAIN KIND OF MENU.
AND THEN THERE'S A SPECIAL, LIKE AN A TO HIGHER UP A LITTLE MENU.
AND IT HAS LIKE FREQUENTLY USED AREAS.
AND, UM, THE BOARD IS ONE OF THEM.
UM, WE ARE NOT THAT FAR YET IN DECIDING EXACTLY HOW THINGS ARE GOING TO BE SET UP WITHIN THAT TAB.
CAUSE WE'RE STILL IN THE EARLY PHASES, BUT WHAT WE WILL DO WITH Y'ALL, WHICH IS WHAT WE WILL DO WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS IS KIND OF HAVE A LITTLE SIT DOWN WITH YOU GUYS, A WHOLE FOCUS GROUP AND KIND OF SEE WHAT IS WORKING FOR YOU AND WHAT IS NOT WORKING FOR YOU.
AND THEN WE CAN KIND OF DEVELOP THAT TOGETHER.
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S, UM, IT'S NOT REAL LOGICAL.
LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, YOU GO TO BOARD MEETINGS, BUT THAT'S NOT WHERE THE AGENDA'S POSTED.
YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE CALENDAR AND THEN CLICK ON THE, ON THE, UM, ON THE MEETING.
IT JUST, IT JUST DEFINITELY, UH, UH, COULD, IT COULD JUST BE MUCH BETTER FOR ALL OF US AND THE PUBLIC PERSPECTIVE WITH YOU.
AND THERE'S ACTUALLY A LOT OF SECTIONS THAT ARE KIND OF LIKE THAT NOW.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE TREND USED TO BE YEARS AGO, LIKE KIND OF SET UP DEPARTMENTS, UM, AS THEY ARE INTERNALLY LIKE SET UP A SECTION OF A SITE, HOW IT IS SET UP ON OUR ORG CHART, BUT THAT'S NOT TYPICALLY WHAT THE USER NEEDS, RIGHT.
SO YOU WANT TO FIND THE TOPIC, YOU'RE INTERESTED, THAT KIND OF THING.
SO WE ARE, THAT'S OUR BIG, BIG PUSH IS TO IMPROVE THE USER EXPERIENCE AND MAKE THE SITE KIND OF MORE LIKE A BUSINESS SITE.
AND SO IT FUNCTIONS, YOU KNOW, MORE IN THAT VEIN, THAT INTRANET THAT I MENTIONED THAT FUNCTIONS LIKE IN MANY WAYS LIKE A HOSPITAL WOULD HAVE, RIGHT? LIKE ALL THE PUBLIC FACING STUFF IS UP THERE.
[03:50:01]
AND THEN MORE OF THE NITTY GRITTY STUFF FOR EMPLOYEES YOU HAVE TO LOG IN FOR.AND SO THAT'S A PRIORITY, SO YEAH, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT THAT.
UM, THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE IS IN REGARD TO ARCHIVED INFORMATION, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S A LOT PRESENTLY ON THE WEBSITE, EVEN THINGS THAT CAN EXACTLY SEE AT FIRST GLANCE WHEN YOU'RE DOING SOME NAVIGATION, BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY STILL THERE SOMEWHERE ARCHIVED.
SO DO WE HAVE A WAY TO WHERE EVEN IF IT'S NOT GOING TO GO ON THE LIVE SITE THAT WE HAVE THE NEW ONE, IS THERE A WAY TO STILL ACCESS THAT INFORMATION? IF WE DECIDE WE DO WANT TO PULL IT BACK AND PUT IT ON THERE, I'M GOING TO DEFER THAT TO MARK WHO'S ON THE LINE.
UM, WE WILL HAVE A GRACE PERIOD IN BETWEEN THE GO LIVE DATE OF OUR WEBSITE AND THE PREVIOUS CONTRACT WITH OUR O OUR CURRENT WEBSITE PROVIDER.
SO IF THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT CATASTROPHIC, YES, WE DO HAVE A MEANS TO GO BACK OR TO GO BACK FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME FOR ANY DATA THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE TRANSFERRED OVER.
AND HOW LONG OF A PERIOD OF TIME IS THAT? UM, IT'S GENERALLY, UH, I THINK WE HAVE ANOTHER THREE MONTHS.
UM, I'M SORRY TO THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR ON THAT CONTRACT.
I THINK THE ONLY THING THAT I WOULD WANT TO ENSURE IS THAT ANY SCHOOLS OR INFORMATION THAT THEY KNOW OF, THAT THEY WANT TO HAVE.
I THINK THAT HAVING OUR, OUR SCHOOLS, OUR STAFF AND OTHER, I KNOW YOU SAID YOU'RE GOING TO DO FOCUS GROUPS, BUT MAKING SURE THAT NOTHING IS LOST, UM, AFTER THAT TRANSITION OCCURS.
I ACTUALLY
UM, PROCUREMENT HANDLED THAT END OF IT.
MARK, DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW I, NO, I DON'T HAVE THAT IN FRONT OF ME.
I MEAN, WE CAN, I CAN, UM, TALK TO PROCUREMENT AND GET THAT NUMBER FOR YOU AND GET THAT TO YOU.
AND SO BASICALLY IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THIS CORRECTLY, WE ARE, WE'RE CHANGING, WE'RE CHANGING THE CURRENT CARRIER THAT WE HAVE NOW, WE'RE GOING TO A NEW CARRIER TO MAKE IT OUT, TO MAKE IT MORE ACCESSIBLE AND TO MAKE IT, UM, IN A WAY THAT WE WANT IT.
IS THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING AS A DISTRICT? YEAH.
WE'RE, UM, WE'RE UPDATING THE WHOLE SITE, UM, AND WE'RE KIND OF BRINGING IT UP TO CURRENT STANDARDS AND THE USER EXPERIENCE WILL BE A LOT, LOT BETTER.
AND THE COMPANY WE'RE WORKING WITH IS REALLY GREAT AND THEY HAVE ALL THE BEST PRACTICES, SO I'M SURE WHATEVER KIND OF CALENDAR FUNCTION WE HAVE, WE'LL BE, UM, YOU KNOW, STATE OF THE ART.
AND, UH, I'D LIKE TO ADD THROUGH OUR PROCUREMENT STANDARDS EVERY FIVE YEARS, WE DO HAVE TO GO OUT FOR RFP TO ADHERE, TO, UH, TO MAINTAIN A NEW, UH, WEBSITE VENDOR.
SO IS THIS WITHIN, WITHIN THE FIVE-YEAR SO IS IT NOT, NOT, NOT AT THE TIME, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YES, SIR.
ALSO, UM, MR.
OKAY, AM I, AM I, MY, MY LAST, UH, COMMENT WILL BE AS THE SAME AS SOME OTHER BOARD MEMBERS, AS OTHER BOARD MEMBERS IS THAT THE, THE DATA HAS BEEN VERY HARD TO FIND ON THE WEBSITE.
SO I'M HOPING NOW THAT THIS WILL DEFINITELY PUT US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, MOVING US FORWARD.
SO I WILL DEFINITELY GIVE A KUDOS TO YOU AND, AND TO THE, INTO THE, UM, THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE AND IS WHEN, AS WELL AS THE, THE, UH, UM, WHAT'S, WHAT'S HER NAME, MRS. UM, SHE'S AT A PODIUM NOW.
BRITA, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING THE TIME OUT TO SEE THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS SO THAT WE CAN GET INFORMATION OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY AND SO THAT EVERYONE COULD, UH, COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER.
SO I, I DEFINITELY GIVE KUDOS TO BOTH OF YOU ON THIS LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, THE DAY W W WHEN, WHEN, WHEN THIS PROJECT IS COMPLETED.
AND I'LL PASS THAT ALONG TO MY TEAM AS WELL.
[03:55:01]
NEXT ITEM IS RELATED TO A DIVERSITY GROUP UPDATE, AND THAT IS, UH, MS. SWINTON.YOU'RE AVAILABLE ONLINE RIGHT NOW ON ZOOM I'M HERE.
I'M PROUD TO BE HERE TONIGHT TO DISCUSS THE SUPERINTENDENT STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.
WE'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE OUR STUDENTS TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES IN THEIR OWN WORDS.
THIS HAS BEEN AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO START THE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR STUDENTS AS THEIR INPUT IS INVALUABLE TO HOW WE MOVE FORWARD TO THIS WORK, MS. CHRISTIAN BEAR, IF YOU'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE WANTED TO START THIS PRESENTATION BY SHARING WITH YOU A QUOTE BY MAHATMA GANDHI.
AND WE THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS IMPORTANT TO THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
AND THE QUOTE SAYS THIS, OUR ABILITY TO REACH UNITY AND DIVERSITY WILL BE THE BEAUTY AND THE TEST OF OUR CIVILIZATION.
AND I THINK THAT KIND OF CARRIED WITH US THROUGHOUT THIS WORK, IN THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR STUDENTS, UM, MS. CHRISTIAN BERRY, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE WE WANTED TO INCLUDE FOR YOU ALL, SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE BREAKDOWN AND, UM, THE DATA ON THE DIVERSE MAKEUP OF THE STUDENTS THAT PARTICIPATED IN OUR ADVISORY COUNCIL.
WE REACHED OUT TO PRINCIPALS AT EACH OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS AND, UM, THE ACADEMY FOR CAREER EXCELLENCE, AND THEY HELPED US TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS WORK.
AND IF YOU'LL SEE ON HERE, WE BROKEN THE INFORMATION DOWN BY THE GENDER BY RACE.
AND THEN AS WE WERE ENGAGED IN THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH STUDENTS, WE STARTED TO ASK THE QUESTION ABOUT HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT? AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE NUMBER OF YEARS THAT STUDENTS HAVE BEEN EDUCATED IN BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS OR WITHIN THE COUNTY, BUT IN OTHER SCHOOLS OUT, UM, OUTSIDE OF DIFFERENT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO WE WERE, UM, REALLY INTRIGUED WITH THE INFORMATION THAT WE WERE PROVIDED FROM OUR STUDENTS WITH REGARDS TO THE NUMBER OF YEARS THAT THEY'VE BEEN IN THERE IN THIS COUNTY AND, UM, WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS, IF YOU'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO ON THIS SIDE, WE SHARED SOME INFORMATION WITH YOU ABOUT, UM, THE SMALL DIVERSE GROUP OF STUDENTS.
THESE STUDENTS WERE IDENTIFIED IN GRADES 10TH AND 11TH, UM, FROM EACH SCHOOL.
RODRIGUEZ AND A LISTEN AND LEARN CONVERSATION WITH THESE STUDENTS JUST TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITHIN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
RODRIGUEZ HAS BEEN VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE SEEK OUT STUDENT VOICES, OUR FIRST STEP AND UNDERSTANDING HOW OUR STUDENTS SEE THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN OUR SCHOOLS.
AND WHEN I SAY WE, I MEAN MYSELF, DR.
SO SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WE WANTED TO, UM, DISCUSS IN OUR CONVERSATION WITH OUR STUDENTS INCLUDED THEIR SENSE OF BELONGING IN THEIR SCHOOLS, THEIR PERSONAL CONNECTION TO SCHOOL, THEIR CONNECTION TO THE ADULTS WITHIN THE BUILDING, IDENTIFYING WHETHER THEY FELT THEY HAD A CHAMPION FOR DIVERSITY IN THE BUILDING.
AND THEN ALSO THE DIVERSITY OF STUDENTS IN HIGHER LEVEL COURSES, THEIR EXPERIENCE, THEIR VIEW OF EXPERIENCES OF OTHER STUDENTS WITHIN THEIR SCHOOL.
AND THEN OF COURSE, AS I SHARED EARLIER, THE LENGTH OF ENROLLMENT AND BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, THIS NEXT SLIDE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES.
THIS IS WHERE WE COMPILED THE STUDENT RESPONSES.
SO WE TOOK NOTES FROM EACH MEETING AND COMPILE THOSE INTO A WORD CLOUD.
AND IT SHOWCASED FOR US THEIR FEELINGS ABOUT SENSE OF BELONGINGNESS AND THEIR CONNECTION TO THE ADULTS IN THE BUILDING.
AND WE FELT LIKE THIS WAS A STRONG VISUAL REPRESENT REPRESENTATION OF STUDENT VOICE.
UM, WHEN YOU DO THESE WORD CLOUDS, EVERY TIME THAT YOU ADD AND CONTRIBUTE TO, UM, AND THE WORDS ARE REPEATED, THEY START TO GET LARGER.
AND SO WHAT WE, WHAT STANDS OUT FOR US AND WHAT WE DEFINITELY SAW WITH OUR STUDENTS IS THAT THEY FELT CONNECTED AND THEY FELT THAT THEY HAD THOSE SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN OUR SCHOOL.
YEAH, AS WE WENT AROUND TO EACH SCHOOL, WE DECIDED TO BRING THE STUDENTS TOGETHER FOR AN END OF THE YEAR CHAT AND CHEW.
UM, ON JUNE 11TH, WE HELD THAT AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE.
SO WE SENT OUT, UM, INVITATIONS TO EACH OF THE STUDENTS SO THAT THEY CAN PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES.
AND WE, OUR GOAL WAS TO REALLY SPARK IDEAS AND HAVE THEM TO SHARE DIALOGUE ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THEIR OWN SCHOOL.
BECAUSE AS WHAT WE'VE LEARNED AS WE'VE HAD THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR STUDENTS IS SOME OF THEM HAD ALREADY TAKEN THE INITIATIVE, UM, SAW THINGS THAT WERE, UM, WITHIN THEIR PURVIEW TO BE ABLE TO DISCUSS WITH THEIR ADMINISTRATORS.
AND THEY DECIDED THAT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO GET ENGAGED.
SO YOU'LL SEE, IN THE NEXT FEW SLIDES WHERE A COUPLE OF OUR STUDENTS WERE STANDOUTS IN THAT AREA PHOTOGRAPHED HERE.
THESE ARE OUR GROUPS THAT PARTICIPATE.
THESE ARE OUR STUDENTS THAT PARTICIPATED, AND WE ACTUALLY WERE ABLE TO ENGAGE THEM IN GROUPS WHERE THEY WORK WITH STUDENTS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS ON SOME ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAD SCHEDULED ON JUNE 11TH.
AND IT WAS REALLY ENGAGING AND REALLY EXCITING TO SEE THE STUDENTS GET TOGETHER AND JUST HAVE THESE VERY RICH CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES AND HOW THEY VIEW DIVERSITY WITHIN OUR SCHOOLS.
AND WE GAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO PRESENT THEIR WORK.
SO THEY WORKED TOGETHER, SHARED HOW THEY DEFINE DIVERSITY, AND WE WERE EXTREMELY IMPRESSED WITH THAT WORK, ESPECIALLY THE
[04:00:01]
STUDENTS, UM, ESPECIALLY SINCE THESE STUDENTS HAVE BEEN MEETING FOR THE FIRST TIME.SO WE HAD A GROUP OF ABOUT THREE STUDENTS FROM EACH SCHOOL.
I THINK WE HAD ONE SCHOOL THAT HAD MORE THAN THREE STUDENTS, BUT THOSE STUDENTS, UM, WORK TOGETHER WITH STUDENTS FROM OTHER SCHOOLS AND, AND DEFINE DIVERSITY IN THEIR OWN TERMS WITH REGARDS TO OUR SCHOOL.
AND IT WAS REALLY, UM, JUST EYE OPENING AND REALLY EXCITING FOR OUR STUDENTS TO BE A PART OF.
AND WE WERE REALLY THRILLED TO, UM, RECOGNIZE BOTH STUDENTS, TWO STUDENTS, ONE FROM MAY RIVER, HIGH SCHOOL, AND ONE FROM BUFORD HIGH SCHOOL FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP AND INITIATIVE.
UM, BOTH OF THESE STUDENTS ALSO SHARE STRATEGIES AND IDEAS WITH THE GROUP, UM, THAT THEY HAVE FOR CONTINUING THIS WORK AND EXPANDING TO OTHER SCHOOLS.
UM, WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE WHERE THESE TWO YOUNG WOMEN ARE GOING TO DO IN THE FUTURE AND HOW THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY.
UM, THEY WERE JUST THE MOST IMPRESSIVE YOUNG LADIES AND THEY REALLY SHARE THEIR PASSION FOR WANTING TO SEE EVERYONE FEEL SUPPORTED AND WELCOMED WITHIN THEIR SCHOOL BUILDINGS.
AND SO THEY HAVE TAKEN THE INITIATIVE AS STUDENTS TO REACH OUT TO THEIR PRINCIPALS AND SEEK SUPPORT TO BE ABLE TO TAKE THOSE STEPS.
SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED AND PROUD OF THEM.
AND, UM, THIS, I THINK THIS WAS DR.
RODRIGUEZ FIRST TIME GIVING OUT A GAME BALL.
SO WE WERE REALLY EXCITED THAT IT WENT TO STUDENTS FIRST.
AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THIS WAS OUR, UM, END OF THE YEAR PHOTO WITH OUR STUDENTS.
WE WERE REALLY, UM, JUST REALLY THRILLED TO WORK WITH THIS GROUP OF STUDENTS.
THEY HAVE DEFINITELY ENSURED THAT THEY WANTED TO CONTINUE WITH THIS WORK.
UM, ONE OF THE STUDENTS WHO I WON'T POINT OUT, BUT SHE MADE SURE TO EXPLAIN TO DR.
RODRIGUEZ HOW IMPORTANT SHE FEELS THAT THE CONVERSATION IS THAT SHE'S GLAD THAT SHE'S GOT ANOTHER YEAR IN SCHOOL.
SO SHE WANTS US TO CONTINUE TO COMMIT TO THIS WORK.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT OUR PLAN IS.
UM, WE GAVE THE STUDENTS ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
EACH OF THEM WERE PRESENTED A CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION, BUT THEN WE ALSO CHALLENGED THEM.
SO WE EACH PROVIDE, WE PROVIDED EACH OF THEM, A COPY OF THE BOOK, ONE WORD THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
AND I CHALLENGED TO THEM WAS TO IDENTIFY WHAT THAT ONE WORD IS FOR YOU, FOR YOU GOING INTO THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR AND HOW YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THAT ONE WORD, APPLY IT TO WHAT YOU'RE, UM, CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY AND HOW THIS IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO MAKE US BETTER EVERYDAY.
SO WE'RE JUST EXCITED ABOUT THIS BEING THE KICKOFF FOR THIS TYPE OF WORK.
AND OUR GOAL IS TO JUST BE STUDENT CENTERED STUDENT FOCUSED, AND THAT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO SEEK THE INPUT OF OUR STUDENTS AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
SO THAT'S ALL THAT I HAVE TONIGHT AND I'M EXCITED, UM, TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
THIS IS, UH, THIS IS REALLY VALUABLE.
UM, WHAT'S THE TAKEAWAY FOR THE DISTRICT ON THIS? WHAT DID WE LEARN? WELL, I WILL SAY FOR MYSELF AND I'M SURE DR.
RODRIGUEZ MAY, MAY WANT TO CHIME IN, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT, UM, IT WAS DEFINITELY ENGAGING TO HEAR THE STUDENTS VOICE WITH REGARDS TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.
SO WE AS ADULTS HAVE OUR OWN IDEA OF WHAT DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION LOOKS LIKE.
AND I THINK THAT OUR CHILDREN SEE IT DIFFERENTLY AND THEY, AND IT SHOWED WHEN WE HAD, WHEN WE ENGAGED IN THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM.
AND I JUST, UM, YEAH, I'M JUST REALLY EXCITED FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD WITH REGARDS TO THAT, BECAUSE WE DON'T ALWAYS SIT DOWN AND SEEK OUT THE STUDENT VOICE WHEN WE'RE MAKING DECISIONS AND DOING THIS WORK AND WONDERING WHAT IS IT? THEY TOLD US, THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO.
W WHAT DID THE STUDENTS TELL US THAT THEIR ARE ACTION ITEMS FOR US? BECAUSE AS YOU'RE RIGHT, WE, WE VIEW IT DIFFERENTLY, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT IN IT.
SO SOME OF, SOME OF OUR CONVERSATION WITH THEM, UM, WE, WE ACTUALLY DID A SURVEY THROUGH PANORAMA.
AND SO WE TOOK SOME OF THOSE SAME SURVEY QUESTIONS AND APPLY THAT TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH THESE STUDENTS.
AND SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE ASKED THEM MORE ABOUT CONNECTEDNESS TO THE ADULTS IN THE BUILDING, UM, THEIR VIEW OF, OF, UM, STUDENT EXPERIENCES WITHIN THE BUILDING.
AND WHAT WE SAW WAS STUDENTS DO FEEL A CONNECTION.
SO WE ADULTS WONDER, DO STUDENTS REALLY HAVE THIS CONNECTION TO THE ADULTS IN THE BUILDING.
UM, AND WE HAVE OUR OWN IDEA OF THAT, BUT OUR STUDENTS REALLY SHOWCASED IN THESE CONVERSATIONS THAT THEY DO HAVE THAT CONNECTION.
THEY DO FEEL A STRONG SENSE OF CONNECTION EVEN THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, TO THEIR SCHOOL, TO THE CLUBS THAT THEY'RE A PART OF, TO THE CULTURE THAT'S BEEN CREATED IN THAT BUILDING.
SO, YOU KNOW, OUR STUDENTS, THESE ARE ALL, ALL OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS, INCLUDING AIDS.
THEY FEEL, I MEAN, WE HAD ONE STUDENT WHO SAID, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A PERFECT PLACE FOR ME.
AND THAT STANDS OUT WITH ME TO THIS DAY.
VERY RARELY DO YOU HEAR STUDENTS SAY, THIS IS A PERFECT PLACE FOR ME.
AND WE HAD ONE OF OUR STUDENTS TO SAY THAT, MMM, THAT'S GOOD.
I GO BACK TO WHAT INITIATED THIS.
WE HAD SOME INCIDENTS, UM, THAT SEEM CONTRARY TO THE FEEDBACK YOU'RE GETTING.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? I MEAN THAT I WAS JUST GOING TO HELP US WITH THE INCIDENTS THAT GENERATED THIS IDEA.
I THINK WHAT THIS SHOWCASE AND, AND DR.
[04:05:01]
TO CHIME IN.UM, FOR ME, THIS IS WHAT I FELT.
I FELT LIKE THESE INCIDENTS WERE UNFORTUNATE, BUT I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITY, OF OUR STUDENTS.
AND I THINK THAT OUR STUDENTS THAT WE ENGAGED IN THESE CONVERSATIONS AND HELPED US TO REALIZE THAT THESE ARE A VERY DIVERSE GROUP OF STUDENTS WITHIN EACH SCHOOL.
SO THESE STUDENTS HAD DIFFERENT, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY HAD DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES.
SOME OF THEM HAD BEEN IN, IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND CHARTER SCHOOLS PRIOR TO BEING IN BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
SOME OF THEM HAVE BEEN IN BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS AS PRE-K, AND THEY TALKED ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES.
SO I THINK THAT THOSE UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS WERE NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF OUR COMMUNITY.
SO I THINK THAT WE DON'T WANT TO CAST A BLANKET OF THOUGHT OF, OF HOW WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS WORK WITHOUT REALLY ENGAGING IN THE CONVERSATION WITH THE STUDENTS.
AND I THINK THAT WAS WHAT WE TOOK AWAY FROM.
IT WAS, IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS HAVE THE STUDENT VOICE WITH REGARDS TO THIS.
I THINK THE OTHER THING I WOULD ADD TO THAT IS THAT SOME STUDENTS, UH, CAME FROM, UH, UH, OTHER STATES AND OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN OTHER STATES.
AND, UH, THEY, THEY HAD A MUCH MORE POSITIVE, UH, PERSPECTIVE, UH, AROUND THIS, IN OUR SCHOOLS HERE IN BUFORD COUNTY THAN THEY DID WHERE THEY WERE COMING FROM.
UH, SO I THINK THAT WAS A, THAT WAS AN INTEREST, UH, TAKEAWAY AS WELL.
UH, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU, YOU SOUND LIKE YOU'RE MUFFLED.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YEAH, I CAN HEAR YOU NOW.
SO WHAT I SAID WAS ANOTHER INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE THAT, UH, THAT CAME OUT OF IT IS WE ALSO HAD STUDENTS THAT WERE FROM, UH, OTHER STATES.
THEY, THEY THEY'D BEEN IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN OTHER STATES AND THEY FELT A MUCH MORE POSITIVE, OR THEY HAD A MUCH MORE POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE ON THIS, UH, WITHIN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT THAN THEY DID IN, UH, DISTRICTS AND OTHER STATES WHERE THEY WERE COMING FROM MR. MELVIN CAMPBELL.
I THINK I'VE SHARED THIS WITH DR.
THIS GROUP JUST DOESN'T LOOK AS DIVERSIFIED AS IT COULD BE.
AND I'M SAYING THAT, AND I'M LOOKING AT THE GROUP AND I'M SAYING THAT, UH, THEY APPEAR TO BE VERY MUCH THE SAME KIND OF STUDENTS, UH, STUDENTS WHO ARE FAIRLY ATTRACTED TO DIVERSITY.
AND, AND I'M LOOKING FOR THE OTHER STUDENTS, THE STUDENTS WHO MAY, UH, COULD HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME OF THE THINGS THAT GENERATED THIS GROUP IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AND I DON'T, I DON'T SEE ANY OF THOSE STUDENTS INVOLVED IN THIS GROUP.
AND I, I'M THINKING THAT IF ALL, TO HAVE ANY EFFECTIVE CHANGE, WE NEED TO HAVE THESE GROUPS COLLABORATE TO SOME TYPE OF INCLUSION.
AND, UH, I NOTICED IS THE FIRST STEP, BUT IN ORDER TO REACH THAT ONE, THIS, THAT, THAT MAHATMA GANDHI WAS ALLUDING TO, WE HAVE TO BRING ALL OF THE, ALL OF THE ANS TOGETHER.
AND, UH, I ENCOURAGED YOU TO CONTINUE WITH THIS GROUP, BUT ALSO REACH OUT AND GET SOME STUDENTS WHO ARE NOT SO SATISFIED WITH THE SITUATION THEY, THEY THEY'RE IN AND NOT SO HAPPY WITH WHAT THEY SEE AND, UH, NOT SO MUCH FEELING THAT THEY'RE INCLUDED.
AND, UH, THAT CAN BE GOTTEN BY JUST ASKING THEM TO, TO BRING SOMEONE WHO DISAGREE WITH THEM.
AND SOME OF THEIR IDEAS, SEE HOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT, BECAUSE IF THIS IS, UH, A TRAINING VEHICLE, THEN WE WANT THEM TO LEARN MORE THAN THEY ALREADY KNOW.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, HAVING SOME OPPOSING OPINION OF WHAT, THE WAY THE WORLD IS AND THE WAY THEY SEE THE WORLD COULD HELP THAT.
DO YOU WANT TO DO WANT TO RESPOND MS. SWINTON? I WASN'T SURE IF HE WAS DONE OR NOT, BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THAT.
THANK YOU FOR THAT INPUT, MR. CAMPBELL, WE ARE INTENDING TO CONTINUE THIS WORK AND CONTINUE THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR STUDENTS.
SO AS WE PRAY, WE PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, WE'LL DEFINITELY TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION.
UM, MY QUESTION WAS I SAW THE CHART GET MY CERTIFICATE.
WAS THIS A ONE-TIME? WAS THIS A ONE-TIME EVENT AND OR WILL THESE STUDENTS BE CONTINUED, CONTINUE IT ON THIS COUNCIL? OR WAS IT SAY A ONE AT ONE TIME?
[04:10:02]
NO, SIR.THAT'S WHY WE MADE IT A POINT TO TAP INTO STUDENTS WHO WERE IN GRADES 10 AND 11, SO THAT THEY WOULDN'T GRADUATE BA SHARE THEIR INFORMATION WITH US AND THEN MOVE ON TO, UM, WHAT WAS NEXT AND, AND IN THEIR LIVES.
SO IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ENGAGE STUDENTS THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION WITH.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, DID YOU SAY THAT HA HA HOW DID, WHAT WAS THE PROCESS OF PICKING THESE STUDENTS? WE ASKED THE PRINCIPAL TO IDENTIFY A DIVERSE GROUP OF STUDENTS, AND THAT WAS OUR CRITERIA GRADES 10 OR 11, AND JUST HELP US TO IDENTIFY A DIVERSE GROUP OF STUDENTS.
UM, ONE THING, ONE THING I WILL SAY IS THAT, UH, MR. CAMPBELL, KINDA WHEN I HIT THAT KIND OF MR. CAMPBELL TAPPED ON, UM, ON, ON, ON SOMETHING THAT I WAS GOING TO SAY ABOUT IN TERMS OF THIS GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT WE SEE, I, YOU KNOW, I, THAT, THAT, THAT'S THE POINT OF BRINGING THIS ON.
I DON'T SEE ANY OF THOSE STUDENTS IN THIS GROUP, AND I THINK THAT'S HOW YOU DEAL WITH IT WHEN YOU DEAL WITH THINGS HEAD ON.
AND I THINK THAT SOME OF THOSE STUDENTS SHOULD BE IN THIS GROUP, OR, UH, THE CALIBER OF THAT, I THINK THAT WE HAVE SOMETHING CALLED BMS IS IN A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR THAT WHO WOULD POSSIBLY ALSO SHOULD BE IN THE HELPING OF PICKING OUT THE GROUPS SO THAT WE CAN DEAL WITH THIS.
AND, AND I DO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, UH, MR. SWINTON, THAT YOU DON'T WANT, UH, THAT YOU, WHEN YOU SAID THAT YOU DON'T THINK THAT THEY SPEAK FOR THE DISTRICT.
I MEAN, I KNOW THAT THAT IS WHERE THE DISTRICT IS, BUT WE ALL, WE ALSO HAVE TO, UH, FACE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS BECAUSE WHEN WE FACE THEM AND WE DEAL WITH THEM, THEN THAT THEN, THEN THAT'S, THEN THAT'S, THEN THAT HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND AND PROCESS WHAT WE HAVE IN THE DISTRICT AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN BETTER TAKE CARE OF THOSE SITUATIONS, SITUATIONS VERSUS NOT KNOWING THEM AT ALL.
SO, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I DO, I DO FROM EXPERIENCE KNOWING THAT I REMEMBER WHEN THEY WOULD PICK KIDS AT DIFFERENT TIMES.
I REMEMBER I WOULD BE ONE TIMES WHEN ONE, WHEN ONE OF THOSE ADMINISTRATORS WOULD COME AND SAY, WELL, IF HE WANTS A WOMAN SMITH, DON'T MIND SPEAKING HOW HE FEELS, YOU KNOW? SO, UH, I D I DIDN'T NEED TO HAVE MAYBE ONE OR TWO SHOTS AT THIS.
SO I DO THINK THAT THOSE ARE THE STUDENTS THAT, THAT WE NEED TO HEAR FROM, BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPERATIVE THAT WE DEAL WITH IT AND NOT, AND NOT, UM, TAP DANCE AROUND THE SITUATION.
UM, I THINK MR. SMITH, WITH REGARDS TO YOUR POINT, I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT THIS PRESENTATION, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE HIT SPECIFIC POINTS, BUT IF WE WERE TO PULL OUT THE NOTES WHERE WE ENGAGED IN THIS CONVERSATION, THESE WERE NOT ALL STUDENTS WHO ARE OF THE SAME FRAME OF MIND.
SOME OF THEM CAME TO THE TABLE AND THEY SHARED INFORMATION WITH US THAT I DID NOT INCLUDE IN THIS PRESENTATION THAT TALKED ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES AND THEIR FEELINGS.
SO IT'S NOT THAT WE PULLED A GROUP THAT ALL HAD THE SAME FRAME OF MIND.
I JUST THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU MAY NOT HAVE CONVEYED THAT, AND I'LL TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT.
BUT WE DEFINITELY HAD A GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO, WHO OPENED OUR EYES AND CHALLENGED US WITH REGARDS TO HOW WE LOOK AT THIS, THIS TYPE OF WORK AND HOW WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD AND SUPPORT STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOL.
BUT IT ALSO POINTED OUT TO US THAT OUR STUDENTS DO FEEL CONNECTED.
OUR STUDENTS DO HAVE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE ADULTS IN OUR BUILDING.
SO I MAY NOT HAVE CONVEYED THAT APPROPRIATELY IN THIS PRESENTATION, AND I'LL TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT.
I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT OUR STUDENTS DID NOT ALL COME.
THEY'RE NOT A ONE-NOTE GROUP OF STUDENTS.
UM, THIS IS A VERY DIVERSE GROUP OF STUDENTS WHO, WHO SHARED THEIR EXPERIENCES, VERY CANDIDLY WITH US.
AND I DO, I DO, I DO APPRECIATE YOU, UH, TELLING ME THAT MS. SWIMMER, BUT ONCE AGAIN, I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT MY, MY POINT IS THAT THERE ARE STORE OR A TARGET OF STUDENTS THAT I, I FEEL TODAY THAT ARE NOT, THAT, THAT ARE NOT A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION THAT POSSIBLY SHOULD BE.
AND THE WAY HOW YOU DEAL WITH THESE, SOMETIMES IF YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THEM HEAD ON, AND SOMETIMES YOU PULL FROM THAT GROUP.
WHEN I WAS JUST GOING TO SCHOOL, I, I CREATED THE GROUP, UH, TO STOP THE FIGHTING IN THE SCHOOL AND MY HIGH SCHOOL.
AND WHAT I DID WAS I TOOK THE LEADERS WHO WERE FIGHTING EACH OTHER, AND I CRY AND I PUT THEM UP INTO A GROUP.
AND WHAT, WHAT HAPPENED WAS THE STUDENTS STOPPED FIGHTING AT MY SCHOOL.
THEY STOPPED FIGHTING EACH OTHER, THE ALK VERSUS BUFORD, BECAUSE I TOOK THE, THE HEAD, THE HEAD OF THAT, THE HEAD OF THE GROUPS.
AND WE WENT, WE TRADED A BROTHERHOOD ALONG MR. MARTIN GRANT, UH, WHO WAS ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL AND MR. CALVIN WHITE AND PEOPLE WERE SHOCKED BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT THAT THAT GROUP WAS GOING TO FIGHT AND THEY WERE GOING TO EMBARRASS US.
I REMEMBER MR. GRANT TOOK US TO EIGHT TO EIGHT, A FIELD TRIP.
MATTER OF FACT, I BELIEVE THAT MRS. DR.
CAMPBELL WAS THE ADMINISTRATOR AT ROBERT SMALLS.
I REMEMBER WE WENT TO HER SCHOOL ONE TIME AND WE SPOKE WITH SOME OF HER STUDENTS.
SO THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT IS KIND OF SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS AND SOME OF THE TEETH THAT I'M LOOKING FOR.
YOU Y'ALL HAVE DONE AN AWESOME
[04:15:01]
JOB PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.I, I'M JUST SAYING I'M LOOKING FOR A LITTLE MORE AND I JUST KIND OF GIVE THE EXAMPLE OF A LITTLE MORE THAN I'M LOOKING FOR, BUT I HAD MY HIGH SCHOOL OFF TO YOU THAT A REGUS DID, THEY, THIS WAS A GOOD JOB.
I'M GLAD THE STUDENTS IN YORKTON CONNECTED, BUT I JUST WANTED A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT THIS WAS A VERY GOOD JOB.
I KNOW THAT WHATEVER THAT, WHATEVER YOU DO, UH, MR. SWEAT, AND THAT YOU PUT YOUR LIFE INTO YOU POUR YOUR LIFE INTO THOSE KIDS.
SO, BUT BY A LONG SHOT IN NO WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, AM I DEMISING OR AM I TALKING DOWN OR MY SAYING THAT THIS WAS HORRIBLE? NO, LISTEN, THIS WAS, THIS WAS, THIS WAS A GREAT BEGINNING, BUT I I'M JUST LOOKING FOR A LITTLE BIT MORE AND I THANK YOU.
I THINK PEOPLE WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
BUT TO ALSO SAY THAT EVEN THE LEADERSHIP GROUP, THERE WAS NOT AS DIVERSIFIED AS I LIKED THEM TO BE IN TERMS OF PUSHING ON THAT, THAT THOUGHT PROCESS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
THERE WEREN'T ANY WHITE PEOPLE IN THAT LEADERSHIP GROUP.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE PURVIEW OF DIVERSITY BELONGS TO THE MINORITIES OR IT BELONGS TO ALL OF US, BUT THAT'S A THOUGHT.
SO, MS. SWINTON, UM, CAN YOU JUST REPEAT HOW THE STUDENTS WERE CHOSEN FOR THIS, UM, ADVISORY COUNCIL? YES.
WE, WE REQUESTED THAT THE STUDENTS BE IDENTIFIED BY THE PRINCIPALS.
OUR ONLY CRITERIA WAS THAT WE ASKED FOR A DIVERSE GROUP OF STUDENTS IN GRADES EITHER 10 OR 11.
I HOPE THIS DOESN'T SOUND CAVALIER, BUT I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND BY LOOKING AT A PICTURE HOW YOU WOULD KNOW WHAT A STUDENT THINKS TO ME.
THAT'S NO, BUT YOU GUYS JUST SAID THAT THIS ISN'T VERY DIVERSE.
COULD I PLEASE FINISH? AND I MEAN, THAT TO ME IS LIKE, WE'RE JUDGING A PERSON BY THEIR APPEARANCE AND WE SHOULDN'T BE DOING THAT.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM.
JUST BECAUSE SOMEBODY HAS WHITE SKIN OR BROWN SKIN OR A PURPLE SKIN.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'VE HAD A CERTAIN EXPERIENCE.
AND I THINK THAT'S A, A REAL FAULT OF OUR SOCIETY RIGHT NOW.
AND I, I, I DON'T WANT TO GO THERE AS A SCHOOL BOARD.
I JUST DON'T THINK THAT'S RIGHT.
I THINK I KNOW THE, A GREAT WAY TO IDENTIFY THESE KIDS WAS THROUGH THEIR PRINCIPAL WHO KNOWS THEM BEST THEIR SCHOOL.
MOST OF THEM BEST THE SCHOOL KNOWS WHAT FAMILY THEY CAME FROM, WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES THEY CAME FROM, HOW THEY'RE DOING IN SCHOOL, WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT SYSTEM THEY HAVE AT HOME.
RODRIGUEZ AND MS. SWINTON FOR THIS COMMITTEE.
I THINK IT'S A VERY GOOD THING.
UM, MISS WINTON, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UM, FOR WHAT YOU'VE STARTED HERE AND FOR WHAT YOU WILL CONTINUE TO DO.
AND I THINK THAT MAYBE NEXT TIME, WE JUST WANT TO HEAR A LITTLE MORE OF THAT, THAT THE, THE BAD WITH THE GOOD OR SOME MORE OF THE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE FEELINGS THAT BROUGHT THEM THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.
MA'AM, WE'LL KEEP THAT IN MIND.
WOULD ANYBODY ELSE THAT HASN'T COMMENTED LIKE TO SPEAK? ALL RIGHT, MR. SMITH, I WILL SAY THIS, YOU KNOW, ONE THING ABOUT ME IS THAT IN LIFE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I, I REMEMBER A PASTOR FIRST PRESET, A FUNERAL.
WE HAVE THE BAD, THE GOOD AND THE UGLY.
I DON'T MIND SPEAKING THE TRUTH.
YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY SAY THAT TH TH TH THE FRUIT THAT A TREE BEARS, YOU CAN KNOW WHEN, WHEN YOU ARE, WHEN YOU ARE A CERTAIN PERSON IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND, YOU KNOW, EVERY SINGLE PERSON, BECAUSE I TO HAVE A, I HAVE TO HAVE A HALF SISTER.
SO, SO WHEN, SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT WHEN, WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT THE JUDGING OF PEOPLE, NOT, NOT, YOU STILL GOT, YOU CAN LOOK AND YOU CAN TELL, YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW A PERSON WRONG.
YOU, WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
AND WE KNOW SOME OF THE STUDENTS THAT WHO THOUGHT THAT THAT'S, WHO HAD THE, OOH, WHAT THIS GROUP ALONE.
AND WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOME OF THOSE KIDS WHO ARE POSSIBLY ARE IN, THAT ARE IN THAT CROWD.
AND THEY, AND THEY HAVE A CERTAIN AURA ABOUT THEMSELVES.
AND, AND WE DIDN'T HEAR THAT AND LOOKING AT THEM.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURE THERE, DEFINITELY AS YOU DO THAT, YOU CAN GET FROM THIS PICTURE, HOW IT, HOW THINGS MAY LOOK TO YOU.
IT MAY NOT LOOK THE SAME TO ME.
SO NOW I DON'T NEED TO JUDGE ANYONE AND I DON'T DO IT.
I DO, I DO HAVE A HALF SISTER.
THAT IS, THAT IS NOT THE SAME NATIONALITY AS ME.
SO KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M DOING, BUT I WILL SAY LOOKING AT, LOOKING AT, LOOKING AT THIS PICTURE, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT THIS PICTURE THAT I'M MISSING.
I MEAN, LOOKING AT, I MEAN, LOOK AT THINGS ONE WAY VERSUS SOMEONE ELSE, THEY MAY LOOK, THEY EVEN LOOK AND SAY THAT, THAT, THAT IS A, A LIZARD.
[04:20:01]
BE A GECKO, HOW YOU SEE THINGS AND HOW I SEE THINGS, MAYBE A LITTLE, A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.AND THANK YOU, MRS. SWINTON, DR.
CAMPBELL RODRIGUEZ FOR YOUR WORK IN THIS PROJECT.
MY QUESTION IS, WILL WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH THIS GROUP? WILL THEY COME AND PRESENT TO THE BOARD AND, YOU KNOW, ONE DAY SPEAK ON SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING.
IT WOULD BE NICE TO HEAR FROM THE STUDENTS.
I THINK AS WE CONTINUE THIS WORK WITH THEM THIS YEAR, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY BRING UP AND DISCUSS WITH THEM.
MAYBE PREPARE THEM FOR HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS IN FRONT OF THE BOARD THAT THEY'RE COMFORTABLE WITH.
IT WOULD BE NICE IF THEY COULD PRESENT, YOU KNOW, THE SLIDES AND TELL US HOW THEY FEEL.
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM THEM.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK AGAIN, YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB.
YOU ALL HAVE GIVEN US SOME GREAT THINGS TO CONSIDER AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS WORK.
THANK YOU, MS. UH, MS. SWINTON, OUR NEXT ITEM, UH, MR. ODDING IS COMING FORTH AND IT'S UPDATE ON LAND CONSULTANT.
TRY TO BE BRIEF, UM, JUST TO KIND OF UPDATE YOU ON WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT THE PROCESS WAS.
UH, WHEN WE STARTED THINKING ABOUT, UH, A LAND CONSULTANT, THE FIRST THING WE DID WAS REACH OUT TO OTHER DISTRICTS, KIND OF SEE WHAT THEY HAD DONE AND WHO THEY'D USED, AND A ONE NAME KEPT COMING UP REPEATEDLY, UH, THROUGHOUT THE STATE ON ALL PART OF THE STATES.
UH, AND THAT, THAT IS MR. AL BERRY.
UM, AND SO ANOTHER, A FEW OTHER DISTRICTS, UH, THEY ALSO USED, UH, COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AGENTS IN THEIR AREA.
THAT WAS ANOTHER ITEM THAT WAS USED IN A FEW DISTRICTS.
UM, SO WE DECIDED TO LOOK INTO BOTH.
UH, WE BROUGHT IN, UM, MR. AL BERRY, WHO IS AN EDUCATIONAL LAND CONSULTANT.
HE ACTUALLY, UH, WAS THE ONE THAT ASSISTED US WITH THE PURCHASE TO MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL.
AND ON TOP OF THAT, UM, WE DID BRING IN A LOCAL, UH, COMMERCIAL AGENT AS WELL.
AND AFTER, UM, THROUGHOUT THAT PROCESS, WE ACTUALLY DID DECIDE THAT THERE ARE, UH, POSSIBILITIES FOR THE USE OF BOTH, UH, AGENTS IN TWO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
MR. BARRY WOULD BE THE ONE THAT IS GOING TO ASSIST US IN SEARCH FOR A FUTURE SCHOOL SITE.
UM, BUT WE HAVE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS IN REGARDS TO, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE EASEMENT ISSUES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE AND, UH, SALES OF OTHER PROPERTIES THAT WE OWN.
AND WE PROBABLY WOULD LOOK MORE TOWARDS THE COMMERCIAL, UH, REAL ESTATE AGENT FOR THAT USE.
SO WITH THAT, UH, AND THE COMMERCIAL AGENT, MY MIND WENT BLANK FOR A SECOND.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
SO MR. AUDIENT, CAN YOU GIVE US A TIMELINE ON THIS? I MEAN, THEY'RE AVAIL AS FAR AS THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, TALK WITH THE BOARD ON WHAT YOU'RE IN THE SOUTHERN BUFORD COUNTY COMMITTEE TO GIVE US SOME DIRECTION AND WE CAN GIVE HIM SOME DIRECTIONS.
SO OUR FIRST STEP WAS TO CHOOSE SOMEBODY TO START USING, AND THAT'S WHERE WE ARE.
UM, WE REALLY HAVE NOT THOUGHT ABOUT A TIMELINE.
UH, SO WE WOULD ACTUALLY LIKE SOME INPUT FROM THE BOARD ON THAT, ON, ON WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO NOW THAT WE DO HAVE A LAND CONSULTANT, UM, THAT WE'D LIKE TO USE.
UM, I CAN SHARE WITH YOU AS I HAVE BEFORE, WHAT MY INTEREST IS, IS TO ASSESS ALL THE LAND THAT WE OWN, UNDEVELOPED LAND THAT WE OWNED AT THIS TIME, AND SOME OTHER, UM, AREAS, SOME OTHER PROPERTIES THAT WE OWN THAT, THAT DO HAVE BUILDINGS ON THEM AND JUST DETERMINE WHETHER HOW THEY'RE BEING UTILIZED, WHETHER THEY WOULD BE, UM, IT'D BE ADVANTAGEOUS TO SELL THEM.
UM, I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE SOME VERY GOOD INFORMATION.
CAUSE I DO KNOW FROM ON OUR WEBSITE, WE'VE GOT SOME LAND LISTED FOR SALE.
WHAT IS OUR FUTURE INTENT WITH THAT LAND? AND IF NOT, WE KNOW WE HAVE TO BUY LAND IN BLUFFTON.
SO CAN WE NOT SELL SOME TO BUY SOME? UM, SO I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S SOME OF THE INFORMATION I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AND THAT'S ACTUALLY, I WAS TALKING ABOUT MR. BARRY, BUT, UH, MR. WILKINS WOULD BE THE ONE THAT WE'D USE MORE TO LOOK INTO OUR EXISTING PROPERTIES.
AND I CAN TALK TO HIM ABOUT THAT, UM, YEAH, THIS WEEK AND SEE WHAT HIS THOUGHTS ARE.
[04:25:01]
THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, UM, TO MS. FRIDGES POINT, UH, IF THE BOARD IS AGREEABLE, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE IN BOTH OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS, MR. WILKINS AND MR. BARRY TO PROBABLY OUR SEPTEMBER AD HOC BLUFFTON COMMITTEE MEETING AND START HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.I'LL LET THEM KNOW WHAT, UH, WHAT IS THE DATE? IT'S UH, ROBIN, I THINK IT'S FOR THURSDAY.
WE'VE PRETTY MUCH ALREADY FIRMED UP ON THE SCHEDULE, SO.
AND I THINK, UM, WHAT TRISHA SAID I WOULD WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE WITH BECAUSE I'VE NOTICED OVER THE YEARS BEING ON THE BOARD, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS PROPERTY WITH THE PRESALE AND, YOU KNOW, LET'S, LET'S GET AN INVENTORY WITH, UH, WHAT WE'VE GOT, WHAT WE NEED, ET CETERA.
SO CAN YOU PLEASE SAY THE NAMES OF THE, OF THE THREE, UM, PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE COMING TO THE IT'S ONLY 2 0 2.
MR. AL BERRY AND HE'S ACTUALLY, UM, OUT OF THE COLUMBIA AREA AND HE DOES A LAND TRANSACTION FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
AND THE OTHER IS MR. BAKER WILKINS.
I KNOW BAKER HE'S VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR.
UH, YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST THINKING, YOU KNOW, UM, I HOPE THAT WE HAVE THAT SAME ENERGY THAT WE HAVE FOR THAT LAST COMMENT, YOU KNOW, AFTER HAVING ME HA HAD A BACKGROUND CHECK IN INVESTIGATING ME, I HOPE THAT THE BOARD THAT WE HAVE THAT SAME ENERGY WHEN WE'RE INVESTIGATING BOARD MEMBERS.
I JUST HOPE THAT WE CAN FEEL THE SAME WAY.
I JUST WANT TO PUT THAT THERE.
I HOPE THAT YOU KNOW, THAT WE GET THAT SAME SUPPORT.
WE ARE INVESTIGATING OFF BOARD MEMBERS.
[8. Board Business Action]
UM, BOARD BUSINESS ACTION AND WE HAVE TWO DONATIONS UNDER, UH, ACTION ITEMS AND FOR THE PUBLIC, ANY ITEM THAT IS DONATED TO THE BEAVER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT VALUED AT $5,000 OR MORE MUST BE APPROVED BY BOARD VOTE.SO DO WE HAVE A, UM, MOTION, UH, FOR THE FIRST ITEM MR. SMITH? THANK YOU.
I MOVED AT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION EXCEPT THE DONATION FROM REAL-TIME MEDIA SUN MADE BOARD OF IMAGINATION TO HILTON HEAD ISLAND ELEMENTARY AND THE AMOUNT OF $5,000 FOR SUPPLY TOOLS OR STEM ACTIVITIES.
OKAY, MR. UM, I THINK I HEARD MR. EARL.
MOTION WAS MADE BY MS. FIDRYCH TO THE SECOND BY MR. CAMPBELL.
MR. CAMPBELL, CAN YOU PLEASE PUT UP YOUR ELECTRONIC HAND, UH, FOR THE SECONDS.
SO ANY DISCUSSION, SO, MR. DO YOU WANT TO PUT YOUR HAND DOWN? YES.
TOGGLING BETWEEN SCREENS VOTING IS A OPEN QUADS.
THE MONEY IS GOING TO SUPPORT AND ENRICH THE MAKER SPACE IN THE MEDIA CENTER, AND ALSO ALLOW FOR SOME SUPPLIES TOOLS FOR STEM ACTIVITIES AT HILTON HEAD ISLAND ELEMENTARY.
I KNEW THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, EXCEPT THE DONATION FROM DAYTON EFFORT TO WELL BRANCH ELEMENTARY AND THE AMOUNT OF $13,500
[04:30:02]
FOR TEACHER AND STUDENT SUPPLIES.ALL RIGHT, MR. SMITH, I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO DATE, UH, HANDLE AND THEN THE LAST ONE AS WELL FOR HILTON HEAD, UH, AT THE SCHOOL AT THE, OF THESE SCHOOLS, WE DEFINITELY APPRECIATE ANYTIME PEOPLE CAN DONATE MONEY TO HELP OUT THE SCHOOLS AND HELP OUT IN ANY SITUATION THAT THEY CAN SELL AS A BOARD MEMBER.
I WOULD TELL SOMEONE, GO TO MAIDEN AND BUY A CARD.
UM, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK VADEN TREMENDOUSLY.
UM, I WAS ABLE TO GO TO THE PRESENTATION WITH DR.
RODRIGUEZ WHEN, UM, THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP IN BUFORD PRESENTED THIS.
AND I JUST HAVE TO SHARE WITH EVERYBODY TWO TRUCKS LOAD OF, OF THE MOST AMAZING TEACHER SUPPLIES.
AND AS A FORMER TEACHER, I WAS DROOLING.
WE'RE TALKING, YOU KNOW, SHARPIE SENTENCE STRIPS, UM, UH, ERASE BOARDS.
RODRIGUEZ? LIKE 25,000, 50,000 POST-IT NOTES.
I MEAN, IT WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING AND I KNOW THEY DELIVERED IT 10 O'CLOCK MONDAY MORNING.
SO, UM, I JUST WANT TO, TO SAY IT WAS FABULOUS.
THE DONATION IS APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.
SO I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO THANK THEY BUFORD FOR THIS EXTREMELY GENEROUS DONATION TO WILLOW BRANCH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
AND, UH, THE TEACHER AND STUDENT SUPPLIES WILL ASSIST THE CHILDREN, PARENTS, AND FACULTY IN THEIR EDUCATIONAL NEEDS.
[9. Consent Agenda]
DOWN TO THE CONSENT AGENDA AND NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. MS. MADRID.WE APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS. DR.
WISNIEWSKI I'LL SECOND FLOATING THIS OUT.
THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS IS APPROVED 7 0 2.
SO THERE WERE TWO ABSTENTIONS KATHY ROBOT.
SHE'S ABSENT THAT MY, MY FAULT, THE TWO ABSTENTIONS WHERE DR WAS NASTY AND MR. SMITH, UM, WITH BOATWRIGHT AND, AND, UH, MS. ROWE BYNER ARE NOT PRESENT FOR THIS MEETING.
NEXT ON OUR AGENDA OR FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS.
I JUST WANTED TO EXPLAIN MY EXTENSION JUST FOR STAFF'S KNOWLEDGE.
UM, I HAVE STAINED BECAUSE O E 16, THE FOYA MONITORING REPORT.
UM, AND I KNOW I'VE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE IN THE PAST, ON THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT THAT IS SIGNED OFF BY, UM, THE INDIVIDUAL STAFF, VENDOR MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT, AND A BOARD CHAIR, THE FORMATTING OF IT STILL DOESN'T MIRROR.
EXACTLY WHAT THE OTHER, UM, ACTUAL DOCUMENTS THAT ARE BEING PRESENTED.
THERE'S NO UNIFORMITY IN THESE, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT UNIFORM, UM, IN THE FUTURE, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT WE HAVE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S INTERPRETATIONS AND THOSE CAN BE, IT CAN VERY MUCH BE A COPY AND PASTE JOB, AND THEN THE ACTUAL, UM, SUPPORT PROVIDED.
SO I JUST LIKE TO SEE THAT MORE UNIFORM IN THE FUTURE.
NESTOR, CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? WE REALLY COULDN'T HEAR YOU BECAUSE YOU WERE VERY, IT WASN'T VERY MUFFLED, CERTAIN THINGS WE CAN MAKE OUT CERTAIN THINGS WE COULD.
CAN YOU HEAR ME BETTER? I, YES, MA'AM
[04:35:01]
OKAY.UM, I WAS JUST SAYING THAT, UH, I HAVE, I TAKE ISSUE WITH THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT THAT IS SIGNED OFF ON BY SENIOR STAFF, THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE BOARD CHAIR.
AND I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE UNIFORMITY, UM, IN THOSE DOCUMENTS MOVING FORWARD, NOW THAT WE HAVE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S INTERPRETATIONS OF THE POLICIES.
UM, A LOT OF WORK OBVIOUSLY WENT INTO THE POLICIES AND THE SUPERINTENDENTS INTERPRETATIONS, AND I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT THOSE THAT COME FORWARD IN THE FUTURE ARE, UM, MATCHING.
UM, AND I WILL SAY I UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE THIS WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION.
I THINK THAT WHEN IT COMES TO SOME OF THE FOUR REPORTS AND SOMEONE'S INFORMATION THAT THE COMMUNITY SHOULD BE APPRISED OF THAT INFORMATION.
SO I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH US MOVING ALL THIS INFORMATION TO THE CONSENT AGENDA.
UM, NOT ALLOWING FOR SOME WORMS RETINA, UH, TO HAVE NOT ATTENDED MEETINGS, TO PUT THE RUBBER STAMP ON THIS INFORMATION THAT WE MAY NOT, WE'RE NOT CONSIDERING WE WERE GOING TO SAY THAT WE AGREE WITH THEM.
I MENTIONED NOT KNOWING THAT INFORMATION HAD A CHANCE TO PROCESS AND TO, UH, UNDERSTAND, AND IN TERMS OF IT I'VE BEEN, UM, PRESENTED.
AND I WILL SAY ALSO THE INFORMATION WAS W WE WERE PRESENTED WITH THE ADMISSION TO READ, BUT, UH, GOING THROUGH AND HAVING A Q AND A, UH, IT'S, IT'S A DIFFERENT SPIN TO IT.
UM, I ACTUALLY HAVE TWO PROCESS QUESTIONS IF I MAY HAVE THE CHAIR.
UM, AS FAR AS IT GOES TO THE CONSENT AGENDA, WE CAN PULL ANY ITEM FROM CONSENT AGENDA THAT WE DON'T WANT TO JUST READ.
OUR POLICY GOVERNANCE, GC TWO GOVERNING COMMITMENTS, SECTION 13 CONSENT AGENDA.
THE BOARD WILL USE CONSENT AGENDA AS A MEANS TO EXPEDITE THE DISPOSITION OF ROUTINE MATTERS AND TO DISPOSE OF OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS.
IT CHOOSES NOT TO DISCUSS PRIOR TO THE APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA AND ITEM MAY BE MOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA TO THE BUSINESS SECTION UPON REQUEST OF A SINGLE MEMBER.
ONCE THE BOARD HAS APPROVED THE BOARD AGENDA, MOVING AN ITEM FROM CONSENT AGENDA TO BOARD, BUSINESS ITEMS MUST BE MADE BY MOTION, SECONDED AND APPROVED BY TWO THIRDS, MAJORITY OF THE BOARD.
AND ANOTHER THING THAT'S NOT IN HERE IS THAT, UM, WE, UH, AS A BOARD ALREADY VOTED TO HAVE THE OH, EAS COME TO THE CONSENT AGENDA THAT WAS AT A PRIOR MEETING.
SO, UM, TONIGHT, I MEAN, IT'S TYPICALLY THE MEETING MINUTES AND THEN THEY'RE ALL THE EAS.
SO THAT'S WHY THEY'RE THESE ITEMS UNDER, UNDER CONSENT AGENDA.
DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? IT DOES IT SO THAT, SO THAT HAS TO BE DONE PRIOR TO APPROVING THE AGENDA.
YOU JUST SAY, I WANT TO PULL AN ITEM FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA.
AND MY SECOND PROCESS QUESTION IS THIS, UM, IT'S OBVIOUS WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE THAT PROBABLY WANT TO BE HEARD.
UM, IT WAS NOT ON THE AGENDA TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT TONIGHT.
AND SO I AM WONDERING WHAT COULD BE THE PROCESS THAT WE COULD UNDERGO TO ALLOW, UM, THE MANY MEMBERS THAT ARE SITTING OUT HERE ATTENDING THIS MEETING TO SPEAK SO LAST NIGHT.
SO WE HAVE TO, WE ARE COMPLIANT WITH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT AND OUR AGENDA HAS TO BE POSTED AS IT WAS.
AND SO OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR THIS MEETING, UM, WERE LAST NIGHT AS DEFINED ON THE FIRST PAGE OF THIS, UM, AGENDA.
SO WE HAD THE FIRST PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION AND WE HAD THE SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION, UH, PRIOR TO A GERMAN LAST NIGHT, PRIOR TO THE SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION, THE BOARD WAS DISCUSSING A MASK MANDATES AS PART OF THE SUPERINTENDENT SCHOOL OPENING PLAN AND THE BOARD APPROVED BY VOTE, THAT WE WOULD HAVE A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING REGARDING, UM, UH, LEGAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH ADVICE FOR MASK MANDATES.
THAT MEETING WE'LL HAVE, UH, WE NEED SOME PROFESSIONALS TO COME AND, UH, HELP US, UH, WITH THAT DISCUSSION AND, UH, SOME TYPE OF HEALTHCARE PROVIDER, MOST LIKELY A PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AND AN ATTORNEY.
AND SO THAT WAS DECIDED LAST NIGHT AT ABOUT 9:15 PM.
AND, UM, I KNOW DR. RODRIGUEZ AND THE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE BOARD HAS BEEN WORKING ON THAT TODAY, BUT WE HAVE, AND WE ARE TENTATIVELY GOING TO HAVE THAT MEETING AS A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING ON MONDAY, AUGUST 23RD,
[04:40:03]
UH, IN THE EVENING, BECAUSE THAT WAS WHEN THE CONSENSUS WAS THAT THE BOARD MEMBERS COULD ATTEND.SO THAT MEETING THAT SPECIAL CALLED MEETING WILL HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION.
SO WE APPROVE THIS AGENDA YESTERDAY AND FOLLOWED IT IN COMPLIANCE WITH FOIL.
SO IF THE BOARD FEELS THIS IS AN EXIGENT OR EMERGENT CIRCUMSTANCE, WE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THAT HAS TO FIRST BE MET.
AND THE SECOND THING THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE MET WOULD BE THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO TAKE SINCE IT'S APPROVED BEING, UH, CHANGED AFTER THE AGENDA WAS APPROVED, LIKE JUST STARTING WHAT I READ.
YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE A TWO THIRDS MAJORITY VOTE TO DO THAT.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT PROCESS EXPLANATION.
SO, UM, IN ORDER TO GET THOSE STARTED, WOULD I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE ADD TO THE AGENDA, PUBLIC COMMENT WITH THE EXIGENT CIRCUMSTANCE, BEING THE NATIONAL ATTENTION ON MASS MANDATING AND THE SEVERE INTEREST IN IT AND THE NEED TO HEAR FROM OUR FAMILIES PRIOR TO MONDAY, EVEN.
SO, YEAH, THAT WOULD BE MY REASON TO BRING THIS FORWARD AND ASK THE BOARD FOR A TWO THIRDS VOTE.
SO GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION.
SO I MOVED THAT WAY, UM, ENTERTAIN PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS EVENING'S AGENDA.
DO I HAVE TO ADD ANYTHING MORE? NO, THAT'S, THAT'S FINE.
AND WE'LL PUT IT, IF IT, IF IT PASSES, WE'LL PUT IT WHERE, WHERE IT'S JUST BEFORE GERMAN AGAIN.
BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE IT WAS LAST NIGHT, LAST NIGHT.
MR. SMITH, DID YOU HEAR THAT ROBIN? YES.
[12. Public Comments]
JOE, UH, WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY WAS THAT THAT'S NOT HOW I REMEMBERED IT.UM, WHAT I REMEMBERED WAS THAT I, WHEN WE WENT, WHEN WE WENT OUT LAST NIGHTS, YOU KNEW THAT THAT WHAT WAS SAID, AND THAT WE WOULD SEE IF WE CAN PRACTICE, WE GET IT DONE.
AND THAT'S WHY WE WAS LEAVING OFF WHERE WE LEFT OFF LAST NIGHT.
MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT WE WERE COMING BACK TONIGHT TO DISCUSS THAT, TO DISCUSS THESE MATTERS.
HOPEFULLY IF WE HAD, UH, GOT ALL THOSE PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO COME AND DISCUSS THIS WITH THE BOARD.
SO IT DOES CONCERN ME THAT HAVE A BOARD MEMBER THAT I LEARNED THAT COMING INTO THE MEETING TONIGHT, THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
UH, JUST BECAUSE, LIKE I SAID, THE LAST TIME I CHECKED OUT, I WAS A BOARD MEMBER.
AND THEN YOU READ A FEW MINUTES AGO THAT THIS DECISION WAS MADE AT 12 O'CLOCK TO DATE, ACCORDING TO THE BRIEF OF GAZETTE ARTICLE, UH, I'M VERY TROUBLED.
I'M VERY TROUBLED WITH THAT, THAT, UM, THAT THIS DECISION WAS MADE AND THE OTHER, THE TIRE, THE ENTIRE BOARD WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS DECISION, YOU KNOW, SO MAYBE YOU CAN ENLIGHTEN US.
UM, YOU KNOW, EVEN BEFORE YOU SAY ACCEPT THAT EMOTION, UM, I'M LOST FOR WORDS RIGHT NOW.
IT'S EVEN MR. SMITH BRING THAT.
SO MR. SMITH, WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR THAT YOUR, UM, UH, COMMENTS ARE NOT GERMANE TO.
SO WE CAN'T ENTERTAIN YOUR COMMENTS WERE, WE'VE GOT THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR AND WOULD ROBIN PLEASE PUT IT UP ON THE BOARD.
MADAM CHAIR, I FIND IT, UM, REALLY A STRETCH TO SAY THAT THIS IS AN EMERGENCY OR EXITED CIRCUMSTANCE.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE FOLKS, BUT I THINK WE'RE REALLY STRETCHING ON THAT REQUIREMENT TO DO THIS TONIGHT.
AND THERE IS GOING TO BE, AS YOU POINTED OUT AN OPPORTUNITY ON MONDAY.
WELL, WE WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FIRST VOTE IS THIS EXIGENT EMERGENT CIRCUMSTANCES.
AND I GUESS I'M GOING TO PUT WENDY'S CARTLIDGE GENERAL COUNCIL ON THE SPOT AND HOW WOULD THAT BE DEFINED? AND THE BOARD COULD TAKE A VOTE ON THAT.
AND THE CERTAINLY THEY CAN, WELL, THE PEOPLE THAT REMOTELY CAN, OKAY, EXCUSE ME.
CAN YOU HEAR ME BETTER NOW? IT'S I'M LOOKING IN THE FREEDOM OF
[04:45:01]
INFORMATION ACT, WHICH WILL TAKE ME A COUPLE OF MINUTES, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, YOU WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT YOU'RE GOING TO ACCEPT PUG PUBLIC COMMENT DUE TO AN EXIGENT CIRCUMSTANCE, WHICH YOU FIND THAT THE PUBLIC INTEREST.BUT MY QUESTION TO YOU IS WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF AN EXITED EXIGENT OR EMERGENT CIRCUMSTANCE? CAUSE THAT'S WHAT MR.
I HAVE THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT WITH ME.
I DO NOT HAVE ROBERT'S RULES WITH ME.
SO I WAS JUST THINKING, I, YOU KNOW, I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING THAT'S UM, YOU KNOW, BENDING THE RULES OR WHATEVER, WOULD IT BE ANOTHER WAY TO DO IT? JUST THAT WE SUSPEND THE RULES OF OUR PUBLIC COMMENT AND VOTE TO ADD PUBLIC COMMENTS TONIGHT, NOT DON'T GET INTO THE EXIGENT AND EMERGENT THING.
AND THEN THAT WOULD BE A TWO THIRDS MAJORITY, BECAUSE WE'RE SUSPENDING THE RULES AND WE'RE ADDING IT TO THE AGENDA AFTER THE AGENDA WAS APPROVED YESTERDAY, I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO BE LOGICAL.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT, MR. STRINGER, IF THAT'S THE WAY TO GO TO AVOID A PROBLEM WITH FOYA, BECAUSE I THINK THE VOICE IS GOING TO BE THE SAME, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO HEAR THESE FOLKS TONIGHT.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DO IT THE RIGHT WAY.
SO I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO SAY IS A MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS AND MR. SMITH, COULD I PLEASE FINISH WHAT I'M SAYING?
IF YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THE MOTION THAT YOU NEED TO PASS THE GALA, MR. SMITH, YOU DID NOT LISTEN AND DID NOT HEAR WHAT MS. FIDRYCH ASKED.
SHE ASKED ME VERY POLITELY TO PLEASE REPEAT WHAT I SAID AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS DOING.
SO SHE ASKED ME, EXCUSE ME, SIR.
I SAID, EXCUSE ME, MR. SMITH, LIKE YOU'RE USING YOUR POSITION.
SHE IS ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THE MOST MR. SMITH.
COULD WE PLEASE AVOID THIS TONIGHT? MR. SMITH? I HAVE THE FLOOR, MR. SMITH.
I HAVE THE FLOOR AND IT'S VERY APPROPRIATE FOR A MEMBER TO ASK FOR ME TO REPEAT SOMETHING, TO TRY TO HELP THEM FORMULATE THE MOTION.
AND THAT'S WHAT MS. FIDRYCH WAS ASKING.
SO MS. FIDRYCH, ARE YOU OKAY WITH SAYING AYE? WELL, MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AT TONIGHT'S MEETING AND ALLOW A PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION OF, WE CAN LIMIT THE TIME, 30 MINUTES, WHATEVER, OR, YOU KNOW, THREE MINUTES A PERSON JUST LEAVE THE TIME OFF.
UM, PRIOR TO ADJOURNMENT TONIGHT, WOULD YOU LIKE THAT? SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WE'RE RADICALLY.
TO GET RID OF THIS ONE, BUT THIS ONE DOESN'T HAVE THE DETAILS.
SO MR. PAM, I'M GONNA WITHDRAW THIS MOTION.
WE SUSPEND THE PUBLIC COMMENT, UM, RULES FOR, UM, THIS EVENING AND ADD PUBLIC COMMENT TO THIS EVENING'S AGENDA.
AND IT'S GOING TO BE JUST PRIOR TO A GERMAN, JUST PRIOR TO A GERMAN.
I I'M DISAPPOINTED THE LEADERSHIP.
I'VE HAD MY HAND UP FOR A WHILE.
NOT BEFORE YOU CALLED THEM MRS. FRIGERATOR TO A MENTOR EMOTION.
I THINK THAT WAS QUITE I'M SHOCKED.
[04:50:01]
OH, THAT'D BE.THAT WAS OUT OF ORDER FOR YOU TO SKIP OVER ME AND TO CALL HER MRS. FRIDGES TO AMEND THE MOTION.
AND THAT IS WHERE I LOST THAT.
I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE, THE INCONSISTENCY AND THE, IN THE LEADERSHIP, BECAUSE YOU ASKED ME TO PUT MY HAND UP.
I PUT MY HAND UP WAS THE ROAD WAS THERE.
AND THEN IN RETURN, I WAS NOT ABLE TO COMMENT ON MY COMMENT WOULD BE GERMANE TO THE LAST TWO, THE LAST, UM, TO THE LAST, THE LAST MOTION.
AND THEN NOW THERE'S A NEW MOTION AND THEN YOU CALL ON ME.
I GUESS THAT IS BEING DONE INTENTIONALLY.
AND SO AM I, SIR, AND I DISAGREE WITH YOUR OPINION, MR. EARL CAMPBELL.
I'M JUST SAYING WE HAVE FOLKS IN THAT HERE.
WANT TO SPEAK TO US? I WANT TO HEAR FROM THESE FOLKS.
I WOULD JUST ASK THAT IT SAY SUSPEND THE BOARD'S POLICY FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS OR WITHIN OUR RIGHTS TO SUSPEND OUR POLICIES.
BUT WHEN IT SAYS RULES, I'M UNCLEAR OF WHAT RULES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
I JUST MAKE THAT SUGGESTION, UH, DOCTOR WITH CFC.
I THINK THAT'S A GOOD SUGGESTION.
SO YOUR MOTION TO SUSPEND THE POLICY, THE BOARD'S POLICY FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS AT TONIGHT'S MEETING TO ALLOW PUBLIC COMMENTS PRIOR TO A GERMAN.
THANK YOU FOR THAT SUGGESTION.
I HAVE, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONING AND IN TERMS OF, OF EQUITY, BECAUSE I'VE MET, I REMEMBER THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I ASKED FOR THIS TO GET DONE AND NOT ONLY DID I NOT GET A SPEC, BUT I WAS RULED OUT OF ORDER.
SO I I'M, I'M WONDERING, I I'M LIKE, I WANT TO HEAR THOSE PEOPLE IN THAT ROOM TOO, BUT I DO BELIEVE IN DOING THINGS FAIR.
AND MY MOM SAID, WHAT'S GOOD FOR WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE NEWS.
WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS GOOD FOR THE GANDER.
SO THAT BEING SAID, IF IT'S NOT GOOD, WHEN IT WAS IN THE SITUATION WAS IN ANOTHER COMMUNITY OR THERE WAS A, ANOTHER EMERGENCY OR SITUATION THAT WE MAY HAVE SEEN IT, WE DIDN'T MAKE A WAY TO SHARE THOSE PEOPLE.
SO I'M WONDERING AS BOARD MEMBERS, ARE WE ALL OPEN DOORS BOX? BECAUSE ONCE WE DO THIS MOTION PASSES TO LIFE.
ONCE WE DO THIS, THEN WE WOULDN'T EVEN NEED TO DO THIS FOR OTHER PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY.
SO IF WE DO THIS FOR THE, FOR, FOR THE GROUP THAT IS THERE TONIGHT, THEN WE WILL NEED TO DO THIS.
ANY OTHER GROUPS THAT ARE THERE AND THAT ARE WANTING TO SPEAK.
SO MRS. FRIGID, I'LL BE, THIS IS YOUR MOTION.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT MADAM CHAIR? YES.
IF YOU WANT TO THANK YOU, MR. SMITH.
I REALLY DO NOT REMEMBER THE CIRCUMSTANCE ABOUT WHICH YOU SPEAK RIGHT NOW.
UM, HOWEVER, UH, I DO THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC.
SO THAT'S WHY I WILL VOTE TO SUPPORT MY MOTION THIS EVENING.
ARE WE READY TO GET VOTING OPEN QUADS? YES.
THE ONE ABSTENTION IS MR. SMITH.
AND MR. SMITH, CAN YOU PLEASE PUT YOUR HAND DOWN? THANK YOU, SIR.
BEFORE WE GET TO PUBLIC COMMENTS, UM, WE STILL HAVE A FEW OTHER ITEMS ON THE AGENDA.
SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TONIGHT, YOU NEED TO GO OVER TO, UH, ROBIN AND MOLLY, OR MOLLY'S COMING OUT TO YOU WITH PUBLIC COMMENT CARDS AND YOU NEED TO FILL THESE OUT, UM, TO BE A SPEAKER.
AND WE'LL JUST GO IN ORDER OF, OF HOW YOU FILL THEM OUT.
OUR RULES FOR SPEAKING ARE AS FOLLOWS.
THE SPEAKERS ARE ADDRESSING THE BOARD, MUST CONFINE COMMENTS TO ISSUES WITHIN THE DOMAIN OF THE BOARD, REFRAIN FROM RACIAL COMMENTS, OBSCENITY, VULGARITIES, AND REFERENCES TO SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS BY NAME AND NOR
[04:55:01]
COMMIT OTHER BREACHES OF RESPECT, NOT EXCEED THREE MINUTES, AND THERE'LL BE A VISIBLE, UM, TIMER DEVICE.AND YOU MAY NOT YIELD YOUR TIME.
YOU'RE A PART OF YOUR THREE MINUTE TIME TO SOMEONE ELSE AND YOU MUST COMPLETE THE CARD.
AS I MENTIONED, INCLUDING PROVIDING ONE OR MORE SPECIFIC TOPICS AND MOLLY, OUR ASSISTANT WILL BE COLLECTING THOSE.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE THE COMMENT PERIOD AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE AND INTEREST IN SPEAKING.
SO THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS.
I'D LIKE TO REQUEST THAT, UH, AN UPDATE ON THE PROFILE OF THE BEAVER COUNTY GRADUATE.
STRATIS, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT AT A, AT A FUTURE MEETING, UH, UH, NEAR, UH, NEAR FUTURE MEETING.
ANY OTHER, UH, FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS? ALL RIGHT.
I ALREADY MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT, UM, EARLIER THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING, UH, BY THE BOARD TO DISCUSS, UH, AND GET RECEIVED ADVICE, LEGAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ADVICE ON MASS MANDATES.
SO NOW WE CAN BEGIN OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS.
AND IF MOLLY, YOU CAN GIVE ME SOME CARDS THAT YOU HAVE MR. SMITH.
UM, I DON'T REMEMBER US SAYING THAT MONDAY WOULD BE THE DATE, BECAUSE I REMEMBER ME SAYING LAST NIGHT THAT WE WANTED TO DO IT POSSIBLY BEFORE MONDAY.
AND SO IF MY CONCERN IS THAT IF THEY GET THE, UH, THE PEOPLE TO, UH, THEY GET THESE, THE PEOPLE THAT WE, THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE TO GIVE US SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND HELPING US MAKE THIS DECISION TO WHOEVER THEY'RE REACHING OUT TO, IF THEY'RE, IF THEY WILL ACTUALLY DO IT BEFORE MONDAY, THEN I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THINGS ARE PUT IN STONE, BECAUSE I DON'T REMEMBER US SAYING WHAT I REMEMBER THAT YOU PRECIPITATE SAID THAT YOU COULD NOT WHAT WOULD BE OUT OF TOWN, BUT WE WILL BE OUT OF TOWN MONDAY.
UH, BUT I REMEMBER THE WHOLE BOARD SAYING THAT MONDAY WOULD BE THE DAY.
AND MAYBE I DIDN'T HEAR, MAYBE AT SOME POINT IN TIME, I GOT, I GOT A COSTUME OR SOMETHING ELSE IN THE MEETING, BUT I JUST DON'T REMEMBER HEARING THE BOARD ACTUALLY SECOND THAT, SO IF YOU COULD, COULD YOU POSSIBLY HELP ME REFRESH MY MEMORY WHERE WE GOT MONDAY FROM, AND, UH, THAT, THAT TIMEFRAME, WE STILL DON'T HAVE THE DETAILS OF THE MEETING WORKED OUT.
AND ROBIN, AS WE SAID LAST NIGHT IS THE ONE THAT QUERIES BOARD MEMBERS ABOUT THEIR ABILITY TO ATTEND MEETINGS.
AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE BOARD MEMBERS WHO WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND A MEETING THIS WEEK.
AND, AND, UH, I DON'T REMEMBER WHO EXACTLY WHO THAT IS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT, UM, THAT IS, THAT IS WHY IT'S IT'S, UH, IT'S NOT TONIGHT AND IT'S NOT TOMORROW NIGHT, RIGHT? ROBIN? YEAH.
THAT'S SO MAYBE YOU DIDN'T HEAR THAT PART.
SO LET'S GO ON WITH THE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH BOARD MEMBERS DO IT TAKE TO CREATE A, TO CREATE A CORN? CAN YOU TELL ME, SIR? I MET MY CHILD.
HOW MANY BOARD MEMBERS DO IT TAKES TO MAKE A CORN? YEAH.
AS A CHAIR, I'M JUST ASKING YOU MADAM CHAIR, HOW MANY MEMBERS DO IT TAKES TO MAKE A CORN? IT TAKES SIX, IT TAKES SIX.
SO MY QUESTION IS, DO WE HAVE SIX BOARD MEMBERS AVAILABLE ANY OTHER TIME THIS WEEK? IF WE'RE ABLE TO GET THAT INFORMATION? THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I'M TRYING.
I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IF, IF WE HAVE SIX OTHER BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE AVAILABLE MAYBE THURSDAY OR WHENEVER OR FRIDAY THAT WE'LL BE ABLE AND WILLING TO MEET, THAT'S ALL.
I MEAN, I'M JUST TRYING TO PROCESS THIS AND TRYING TO GET US TO MEET THE QUICKEST WE CAN TO DISCUSS THIS VERY IMPORTANT, IMPORTANT, IMPORTANT, UH, THIS, THIS, THIS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT WE HAVE GOING ON IN OUR DISTRICTS, BECAUSE I JUST DON'T A KID'S BLOOD ON MY HANDS OR STAFFING THEM.
MS. DAVIS, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
IT WAS MY RECOLLECTION THAT LAST NIGHT, THAT OUR, UM, THAT MS. CUSHION, BARRY'S GOING TO QUERY THE BOARD MEMBERS TO FIND OUT WHEN THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE ARE AVAILABLE AND SOMETHING THIS IMPORTANT, WE NEED TO HAVE MORE THAN JUST A
[05:00:01]
SIMPLE QUORUM.SO, UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR QUESTION, MS. PUSH AND BARRY, AS TO WHEN WE ALL CAN MEET AND, AND SEE WHAT YOU FIND OUT AFTER YOU QUERY EVERYONE.
WE'D LIKE TO NOW PROCEED WITH THE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
OUR FIRST PUBLIC COMMENTER IS MS. HEATHER YOUNG OR MS. HEATHER YOUNG REGARDING MASKS SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A TIMER.
SO JUST BE COGNIZANT OF THE TIME AND PLEASE GO AHEAD.
UH, I'LL LISTEN TO EVERYONE YOU SPEAKING ABOUT, UM, SCHOOL ISSUES.
UH, ONE OF WHICH WAS, UM, ADVERSITY CAN I'M SO SORRY.
CAN YOU BRING IT CLOSER TO YOUR MOUTH? I CAN'T.
ANYWAY, I WAS LISTENING TO YOUR ROLES, UM, WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT WITHIN YOUR SCHOOL SYSTEM WITH PROBLEMS SUCH AS ADVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND FEELING CONNECTED.
UM, AS FAR AS THE MASCO, UM, HONESTLY, UH, I'M JUST SHOOTING OFF THE HIP HERE, BUT, UH, THE CLASSROOM IS REALLY NO DIFFERENT THAN AN ADULT BEING OUT IN PUBLIC AND WANTING TO FEEL THOSE THINGS AS WELL.
SO I HAVE MY OWN PERSONAL STORY.
I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M GETTING EMOTIONAL, BUT, BUT ANYWAY, UM, I HAVE A CONDITION WHERE, WELL, I HAVE SEVERAL HEALTH CONDITIONS, BUT ONE BEING WHERE MY BODY DOESN'T REGULATE MY BODY TEMPERATURE CORRECTLY, OR MY BREATHING OR MY HEART RATE.
UM, I HAD TO HAVE SURGERY DONE ON MY COLLARBONE, HAD TO HAVE PART OF IT REMOVED, UM, WENT TO PHYSICAL THERAPY.
UM, I GOT OVERHEATED, UH, TOLD THEM I COULDN'T WEAR THE MASK BECAUSE OF MY MEDICAL CONDITION.
UH, THEY SEGREGATED ME INTO A ROOM, WHICH WAS FINE, EVEN THOUGH I DID NOT FEEL INCLUDED, UH, FELT EXCLUDED.
UM, UH, I FELT LIKE THAT THEY WEREN'T.
I MEAN, THEY DID TRY TO CATER TO MY ADVERSITY AND I, I GOT THAT, BUT, UH, THE NEXT DAY, I GUESS YOU PEERS, MY PEERS OR ADULTS IN THERE COMPLAINED.
SO THE NEXT DAY THEY TOLD ME THAT I HAD TO WEAR A MASK OR I COULD NOT COME BACK, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD TO LITERALLY CATCH ME FROM PASSING UP THE FIRST TIME, BUT I TRIED TO WEAR THE MASK.
SO, UM, AFTER THAT, UM, SO I, I DID NOT GET THE CARE THAT I NEEDED.
IF THIS IS ABOUT HEALTH, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT IT IS NOT BECAUSE I NEEDED THAT CARE AND I DIDN'T GET IT.
ALSO HAD BONE EDEMA IN MY LEG.
SO I WENT TO, UM, AN AFTERCARE TO GET TREATMENT FOR MY LEG.
CAUSE IT WAS, IT WAS SWOLLEN AND I COULDN'T WALK.
AND, UM, I COULDN'T WEAR A MASK.
I TOLD THE LADY I COULD NOT WEAR A MASK.
AND SHE TOLD ME THAT I HAD TO PUT ONE ON, OR I COULD NOT HIS THING, EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS NOT WEARING ONE HERSELF.
SO I HAD TO LEAVE AND I DIDN'T GET THE CARE I NEEDED THERE EITHER.
SO THIS IS NOT ABOUT HER HEALTH.
THIS IS ABOUT CONTROL AND THIS DOESN'T JUST AFFECT HEIR CHILDREN.
IT'S GONNA AFFECT YOU AS WELL.
UM, THIS IS ABOUT STRIPPING AWAY, OUR RIGHTS AS AMERICANS, IT'S WRONG AND, AND CONNECTIVENESS, I HEARD YOU ALL SPEAK ABOUT CONNECTING CONNECTIVENESS WITH YOUR CHILDREN.
UM, I'M SORRY, BUT I'LL LOOK AT YOU ALL SITTING BACK THERE AND I'M 51 YEARS OLD AND I FEEL INTIMIDATED WITH YOUR MASK.
IT'S I DON'T KNOW IF, HOW YOU'RE GOING TO DO SURGERY ON ME OR ROB ME.
IT'S JUST NOT TIME IS UP AND THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, MR. DAVID WILL SPEAK ON STUDENT MASKS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY, HOW MANY TIMES I COULD.
APPRECIATE YOU MAKING THE TIME FOR US TO COMMENT FIRST.
[05:05:01]
THERE ANY CHANCE WE CAN KIND OF CHANGE THE PARAMETERS AND ALLOW PEOPLE TO COMMENT FOR ONE MINUTE AND THAT GIVES MORE PEOPLE, A CHANCE TO TALK? WELL, THE BOARD ALREADY APPROVED THE, UM, WE'RE FINE.UM, I KNOW I CAN'T YIELD MY TIME.
UH, I GOT A CHANCE TO SPEAK YESTERDAY.
I WANT TO UNITE THE PEOPLE TO GET A CHANCE TO COME HERE AND TALK.
UM, I THINK THE BIGGEST CONCERN THAT WE HAVE REALLY IS, IS VIOLATING THE RIGHTS OF THE KIDS, UH, AND, UH, CREATING MORE OF A HEALTH PROBLEM, A MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM WITH KIDS WEARING MASKS THE SCHOOL.
UM, MOST OF ALL, I DON'T KNOW IF, IF THE BOARD IS AWARE OF IT, UM, I'VE MADE MYSELF AWARE OF IT, BUT THERE ARE, UM, CHILD CRUELTY LAWS IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
I'VE SPOKEN TO AN ATTORNEY ABOUT THIS.
AND, UM, WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, IF MASTER FORCED ON MY KID, I WILL GO BEYOND THE BOARD.
UM, IN ORDER TO, UH, TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE SOLUTION IS.
UM, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO MY KIDS, IT'S MY KIDS AND I'M NOT GOING TO BACK DOWN.
UM, IT'S JUST NOT THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE KIDS.
SHOULDN'T BE WEARING A MASK IN SCHOOL.
I KNOW YOU HAVE LIABILITY PRESENCE FOR IT.
UM, THERE BIG GROUP OF PEOPLE HERE THAT CAME OUT, UM, IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING THEIR KIDS HEALTHY WITHOUT A MASK ON, IN SCHOOL.
I KNOW I CAN'T YIELD MY TIME, BUT I ASKED, UM, IF YOU WOULD CONSIDER ALLOWING MORE PEOPLE TO SPEAK FOR LESS TIME, I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE THAT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. MELISSA TOLEDO, UM, IS SPEAKING ON MASKS.
I HAVE TWO CHILDREN WHO ARE CLOSER, SO MUCH BETTER.
I HAVE TWO SONS THAT ATTEND SCHOOL HERE IN BUFORD COUNTY.
I DO NOT WANT THEM TO BE MASSED AT SCHOOL.
UM, THE END OF THE YEAR WAS AMAZING FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND SCHOOL WITH THEIR PEERS, WITH NO MASK, TO BE ABLE TO SEE TEACHERS FACES AND OTHER STUDENTS' FACES.
THEY HAVE NOT SEEN TO END THIS SCHOOL YEAR WITH NO MASK AND THEN TO GO THE WHOLE SUMMER WEARING NO MASK TO NOW HAVE POTENTIALLY A BOARD THAT'S DECIDING THEY MIGHT WANT TO TAKE THAT RIGHT AWAY FROM THEM.
MY CHILDREN NOT WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL ANYMORE WITH A MASK ON.
AND WHAT I'M ASKING FOR YOU GUYS IS I KNOW YOU KEEP SAYING, BUT COVID CASES, COVID CASES.
CAN WE TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH CASES? CAUSE THERE WAS A LOT OF CHILDREN WHO WERE SUFFERING.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT MY CHILDREN ARE PERSONALLY SUFFERING.
I'M WATCHING THE ANXIETY GROW IN THEM.
THEY DON'T WANT TO BE BACK IN A MASK.
AND AS ADULTS WE NEED TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR OUR CHILDREN.
WE HAVE TO STOP WITH THIS COVID WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD.
WE LITERALLY JUST TOOK A CIRCLE BACK TO MASKS.
WE HAVE OTHER, OTHER ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AND THAT WOULD DEFINITELY BE MENTAL HEALTH.
AND THAT WOULD ALSO BE WHEN YOU, I HEAR YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION.
THERE DEFINITELY HAS TO BE A COMPONENT TO INCLUSION.
THAT INCLUDES THAT IF A CHILD WANTS TO WEAR A MASK, THAT IS PERFECTLY FINE, THAT I DON'T CARE.
I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THAT RIGHT AWAY FROM ANY OTHER PARENT.
BUT I ALSO EXPECT THAT SAME RESPECT THAT I DON'T WANT A MASK ON MY CHILD.
MY CHILDREN HAVE NOT BEEN SICK.
I'VE BEEN WALKING AROUND THIS WHOLE TIME WITH NO MASK.
SO I'M TRUSTING IN MY IMMUNE SYSTEM.
I'M NOT TRUSTING IN A VACCINE.
OUR CHILDREN ARE COUNTING ON US.
BELIEVE IT'S HAGADORN AND I APOLOGIZE IF I DIDN'T PRONOUNCE THE LAST NAME CORRECTLY.
ALSO SPEAKING ON MASKS, ACTUALLY THE FIRST TIME IT'S BEEN CORRECTLY, UM, LAST YEAR MY CHILD.
UM, SO CAN YOU HEAR ME? SORRY.
UM, LAST YEAR, NOT KNOWING UNTIL AFTER THE FACT I FELT LIKE MY CHILD WAS ACTUALLY PSYCHOLOGICALLY ABUSED BY THE SCHOOL.
UM, I CAN'T GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN.
I NOW HAVE A SMALLER CHILD WHO HAD IT BEEN THAT CHILD.
I DON'T, I THINK HE'D BE AFRAID OF HIS OWN SHADOW.
UM, THIS TRULY IS PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE TO CHILDREN AND JUST ANY HERE'S AN ADULT WATCHING YOU JUST LIKE WHAT SHE SAID, IT'S INTIMIDATING.
IMAGINE A FIVE-YEAR-OLD A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD WE CAN'T DO THIS.
AND WHEN YOU PUT A MANDATE ON YOU'RE TAKING MY PARENTAL RIGHTS TO PROTECT MY CHILD, MENTAL HEALTH, ASKING FOR OTHER PEOPLE WHO WANT THEIR CHILDREN IN MASS
[05:10:01]
TO NOT WEAR A MASK, WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR OUR CHOICE.AND THAT IS OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN CHILDREN'S BODY, PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY MISS LAROCCO.
BUT I CAN'T TELL IF THE FIRST LETTER IS, AND THE FIRST NAME IS A T OR A C, SO, OKAY.
WE'LL SPEAK ABOUT BASKET MANDATES.
I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT FROM 11 YEARS.
I'VE BEEN A NURSE AND A PROFESSIONAL ADVOCATE FOR ABOUT 30 YEARS AND I'VE BEEN MYSELF INVOLVED IN THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY DIRECTLY AROUND THIS WHOLE ENTIRE SITUATION.
I ALSO HAVE THREE CHILDREN WHO ARE IN THE BLUFFTON SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND, UM, SPEAKING OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT, IT HAS BEEN VERY TREMENDOUSLY ABUSIVE AND THEY DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL IF THEY HAVE TO WEAR A MASK.
UM, I JUST HAD A FEW QUESTIONS.
UM, I WAS JUST CURIOUS HOW IT COULD BE LEGAL TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT WHEN IT'S ACTUALLY MANDATED AS AN EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT IT'S NOT ALLOWED FOR ONE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT JUST, I FEEL LIKE, LIKE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING, THE PARENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
IF THEY CHOOSE TO HAVE THEIR CHILD WEAR A MASK, THEN THEY CAN WEAR A MASK.
UM, I FEEL LIKE THE BOARD WORKS FOR US AND WE SHOULD HAVE THAT RIGHT TO CHOOSE FOR OUR CHILDREN ACCORDINGLY.
UM, THE OTHER THING I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP IS, YOU KNOW, UM, BEING IN THIS KNEE DEEP, THIS WHOLE SITUATION, UM, MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THIS, BUT THE CDC DID DEEM THAT THE PCR TESTS ARE NOT VALID AND THEY ARE NOT DIFFERENTIATED BETWEEN INFLUENZA A B OR COVID.
THE VIRUS HAS NOT BEEN ISOLATED.
UM, THESE TESTING METHODS ARE NOT GOING TO BE ALLOWED AND THIS IS ALL ON THE CDC SITE.
SO WHEN PEOPLE COMPLAIN THAT THEY ARE TESTING POSITIVE, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, ALLOWED TO BE VALID.
UM, THE OTHER OTHER THING I WOULD WANT TO SAY IS, YOU KNOW, IF IT CONTINUES AND YOU GUYS END UP CHANGING AND ASKING US TO HAVE OUR CHILDREN WHERE MASS MEAN, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? ARE YOU GOING TO MANDATE VACCINES AS WELL? ARE YOU GOING TO SEGREGATE OUR CHILDREN? SO, UM, I'M KIND OF ON THE SAME PAGE THAT, YOU KNOW, IF THIS HAPPENS, MY CHILDREN WON'T BE GOING TO THE SCHOOL ANYMORE.
SO, BUT I APPRECIATE YOU LISTENING TO ME AND I HOPE YOU TAKE EVERYTHING INTO CONSIDERATION WITH MY EXPERIENCE.
WE HAVE MELISSA EPSTEIN ON MASK MANDATES.
HEY THERE, THANKS FOR LISTENING TO US TONIGHT.
I HAVE THREE CHILDREN THAT ATTEND SCHOOL ON, ON HILTON HEAD.
UM, I PLAN ON COMING TO THE MEETING ON MONDAY.
SO I'LL SAVE SOME OF MY COMMENTS FOR THEM, BUT, UM, I WAS ABLE TO, I WASN'T ABLE TO ATTEND THE MEETING LAST NIGHT, BUT I DID, WAS ABLE TO, UH, LISTEN ONLINE AND I HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A RESTORED BELIEF IN HUMANITY, LISTENING TO SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT MADE COMMENTS LAST NIGHT.
SO WHEN YOU SAID JUST A LITTLE BIT AGO THAT YOU WERE GOING TO BRING IN EXPERTS TO TALK ABOUT COVID AND THE VACCINES ON MONDAY, MY QUESTION IS WHO ARE YOU GOING TO CHOOSE? WHEN I WAS LISTENING TO THOSE PEOPLE LAST NIGHT THAT WERE MAKING COMMENTS THAT WERE ENGINEERS BIOCHEMISTS, THEY WERE, THEY'VE BEEN IN THE FIELD FOR 35 YEARS.
AND THEY'RE THE ONES THAT I WANT TO HEAR FROM ON MONDAY NIGHT.
I WANT, I DON'T WANT TO JUST HEAR A ONE-SIDED AGENDA TO PUSH THESE MASKS AND THESE VACCINES, IT NEEDS TO BE TWO SIDES.
AND THEN, AND THEN THE PUBLIC CAN MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION.
I FORGOT MY SWEATSHIRT, BUT, UM, MY WILL NOT GO TO SCHOOL IN MATH.
UM, IT IS JUST, YOU CAN'T BREATHE.
YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD BE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN TO STAND UP FOR THEMSELVES AND INSTEAD WE'RE TEACHING THEM TO COMPLY.
WE ARE TEACHING THEM TO COMPLY, COVER YOUR MASK.
DON'T SAY A WORD, SIT DOWN WHERE ARE UNIFORM LOOK LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.
WE SHOULD BE ASKING THEM TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND NOT JUST TO COMPLY.
AND I'M SORRY, THAT'S MY NORTHERN ATTITUDE.
[05:15:01]
UM, I DO ASK THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, HAVE TWO SIDES UP THERE ON MONDAY NIGHT FOR THE PUBLIC TO, TO LISTEN TO, AND TO MAKE AN EDUCATED DECISION SO THAT WE CAN HAVE BOTH SIDES AND NOT JUST ONE SIDE.HI, JUST LIKE TO SAY, THANKS AGAIN FOR EXTENDING US THE CHANCE TO TALK TO YOU.
IT'S, IT'S RESPECTFUL TO US AND WE JUST REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
UM, I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE PROBABLY GOT MY EMAILS.
I'VE BEEN SENDING YOU AND I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO THOSE OF YOU THAT DID RESPOND ALSO THE RESPECT.
GWADAR YOU SAID IN YOUR EMAIL TO ME THAT YOU WOULD NOT SUPPORT BREAKING THE LAW, WHICH WOULD BE A MANDATE BECAUSE THAT'S AGAINST THE GENERAL ASSEMBLIES.
BUT, UM, YOU DID, YOU DID, UM, SUPPORT UNIVERSAL MASKING.
AND I JUST ASK, HOW CAN YOU SUPPORT UNIVERSAL MASKING WHEN CHILDREN ARE NOT UNIVERSALLY THE SAME? I HAVE A AUTISTIC DAUGHTER WHO HAS, WHO IS AN ONION AND YOU PEEL AWAY EVERYTHING.
AND SHE HAS SO MANY DIFFERENT DIAGNOSIS THAT SHE WAS ADOPTED AT FIVE BUT FIVE YEARS IN ORPHANAGE.
SHE HAS SO MANY THINGS GOING ON AND MASKING HER UP AND MASKING UP.
HER TEACHERS IS SO DETRIMENTAL TO HER.
SHE CANNOT UNDERSTAND INTIMIDATION.
SHE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND ANY WINDOW AND SHE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND HIM FOR IT'S.
SO WHEN YOU SHE'S LOOKING AT YOU UP THERE AND JUST SEES THOSE EYES, SHE DOES NOT KNOW ANYTHING AND SHE'S NOT LEARNING ANYTHING.
NOW I HAVE A SON ON THE OTHER END AND YOU WANT TO MASK THEM UP.
THIS KID JUST GOT A FIVE ON THE CALCULUS, AP EXAM.
HE'S A SMART KID, BUT HIS GPA IS ON THE TOILET BECAUSE OF MASKING.
AND I REALLY BLAME EACH ONE OF YOU FOR THAT.
FOR LAST YEAR, HE WENT FROM 98 TO 97 TO ZEROS AND HIS GPA IS DOWN.
I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HE'S GOING TO GET INTO COLLEGE.
AND THE POTENTIAL THAT YOU'RE LOSING AND THAT SOCIETY IS LOSING BY THESE KIDS, GIVING UP ON SCHOOL, GIVING UP ON PURPOSE, FEELING USELESS, FEELING LIKE THERE'S NO FUTURE.
THIS IS, THIS HAS GOT TO STOP.
THESE KIDS ARE MENTALLY BECAUSE OF MASKS, SMART KIDS, KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE, ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE SPECTRUM.
THESE KIDS, IT'S NOT GOOD FOR THEM.
AND YOU KNOW IT AND MENTAL HEALTH I'LL TELL YOU THE SUICIDE RATE IS UP.
AND IF ONE KID AND DUCT, MR. SMITH SAID, HE DIDN'T WANT BLOOD OF THE CHILDREN ON HIS HANDS, ONE SUICIDE.
AND I BLAME EACH ONE OF YOU AND I'M LOOKING YOU IN THE FACE RIGHT NOW.
ANNETTE GILMAN BASKET IN OUR SCHOOLS.
THANK YOU ALL FOR HEARING US TODAY.
UM, I'M A PARENT OF FOUR CHILDREN.
I HAVE TWO STILL IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM.
I HAVE AN EXTREMELY BRIGHT AND MY YOUNGEST IS EXTREMELY BRIGHT AND HE SCORES IN THE 97 98 PERCENTILE.
MY DAUGHTER IS SEVEN GOING TO BE 17.
NEXT MONTH I HAD TO PUT THEM IN SOME COUNSELING.
I SAW CHIP MY DAUGHTER AND MY SON SUFFER LAST YEAR.
MY SON IS RETAKING CLASSES THIS YEAR.
AND SO WITH MY DAUGHTER, I'M NOT SEEING MY DAUGHTER HAPPIER DAY AFTER THE SUMMER.
AND GOING BACK TO SCHOOL, I ASKED HER IF SHE WANTED TO COME TONIGHT AND SHE SAID, I CAN'T DO THIS FIGHT MOM.
SO I'M HERE TO BEG YOU TO PLEASE THINK ABOUT OUR KIDS, HELP THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.
I WANT MY SON TO GO WHERE HE DESERVES TO GO AND HE'S GOT TO REDO SOME THINGS AND IT BREAKS MY HEART FOR HIM.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTICE THAT OUR COMMUNITIES AND BECAUSE OF OUR WHOLE UNITED STATES, WE PUSH COLLEGE.
THERE IS A HIGH DEGREE OF EDUCATED PARENTS DOWN IN THIS AREA, IN THE BUFORD COUNTY.
AND IT'S PROBABLY MORE NATIONWIDE SPREAD BECAUSE OF SO MANY OF US ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, GOING TO COLLEGES, I FEEL LIKE ARE WE, I AM AN EDUCATED PERSON.
I HAD A DEGREE IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY.
MANY OF US PARENTS ARE EDUCATED.
AND I FEEL LIKE WE DESERVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO DECIDE FOR OUR CHILDREN.
I FEEL THAT MY DAUGHTER, SHE GOT SICK WITH COVID.
NOBODY ELSE IN THE HOUSE GOT SICK WITH IT WHILE SHE WAS SICK.
I FEEL THAT'S ENOUGH STATISTICS
[05:20:02]
THAT THESE KIDS ARE NOT DEATHLY ILL WHEN THEY HAVE IT.THERE IS A PERCENTAGE LIKE THE FLU.
I JUST REALLY FEEL THAT YOU NEED TO GIVE THESE PARENTS, US PARENTS THAT OPPORTUNITY TO DECIDE FOR OURSELVES.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
BRENNA DEAN ON MASK MANDATE HEALTH, MENTAL EFFECTS.
HELLO? I DO APPRECIATE AND THANK YOU THE OPPORTUNITY.
UM, BUT I THINK THE REAL PROBLEM IS TRUST AND THERE IS NONE YOU HAVE IN THE BEGINNING, DR.
FOWCHEE CLAIMING THAT MASKS ARE, IT'S A FIGMENT.
IT'S JUST, IT'S A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY.
THEN HE COMES OUT AND SAYS, NO, YOU HAVE TO WEAR A MASK.
SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE GASLIGHTING IS, IS KIND OF WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO.
AND I JUST AM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO TRY TO TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TRUST WHEN IT'S BEING BROKEN ON SO MANY LEVELS.
NOW YOU ALL PROBABLY HAVE CHILDREN.
DO YOU THINK A CHILD, A SMALL CHILD, DO YOU THINK THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO LEARN HOW TO READ IF THEIR TEACHER HAS A MASK ON? I MEAN, DO YOU THINK THEY, DO YOU THINK THAT WOULD BE AN EASY FEAT TO DO RIGHT? I MEAN, BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER.
SO THE OTHER THING IS THAT WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND ARE THE LOOPHOLES WITH THE PROPOSAL.
SO SINCE IT WASN'T SPECIFIC TO THE SCHOOL BUSES, NOW, YOU DON'T HAVE A HOT SCHOOL.
I MEAN, IT'S HOT DOWN HERE AND IT'S HOT ON SCHOOL BUSES AND MS. SPEARMAN HAS THE NERVE TO HIRE A LAWYER, FIND A LOOPHOLE SO THAT CHILDREN ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL WERE STUCK ON THE BUS FOR ABOUT AN HOUR, FORCED TO WEAR A MASK THE WHOLE TIME.
I'M JUST CURIOUS, BECAUSE I DO HEAR ON THE RADIO ALL THE TIME THAT YOU SHOULDN'T LEAVE YOUR DOG IN THE CAR, EVEN WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN AND YOU SHOULDN'T LEAVE YOUR KIDS IN THE CAR WITH THE WINDOWS, EVEN OPEN ON A HOT DAY BECAUSE IT'S DANGEROUS, BUT WE HAVE NO PROBLEM HAVING MASKS ON OUR CHILDREN IN A HOT BUS FOR NO REASON.
I MEAN, THEY'RE IN SCHOOL ALL DAY AND THE VIRUS THAT ARE COMING OUT, IT'S JUST WEIRD THAT THERE'S 11 MORE COMING OUT.
SO IT'S IT'S FOR ME, IT'S KIND OF LIKE, WELL THEN IF YOU WANT MY CHILD TO WEAR A MASK, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE LIABILITY.
IF SOMETHING WERE TO HAPPEN TO THEM WHILE THEY'RE WEARING THE MASK.
AND I KNOW YOU GUYS KNOW DEEP DOWN INSIDE, I KNOW, YOU KNOW SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT HERE.
YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU KNOW IT BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T KNOW IT, THEN YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE A LOST SOUL.
AND, AND THAT'S A SHAME, BUT THERE WILL COME A TIME WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ANSWER.
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO HIDE BEHIND A MASK OR HIDE BEHIND, YOU KNOW, SUPERINTENDENT.
YOU HAVE TO USE IT FOR THE RIGHT REASONS NOW, BECAUSE NOW IS WHEN IT COUNTS BECAUSE THERE IS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE END GAME IS, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO END WELL BECAUSE HALF THESE PARENTS THEY'LL PULL THEIR KIDS OUT OF SCHOOL.
AND THE MAIN REASON IS, AGAIN, WE DON'T, WE ARE PERFECTLY FINE.
WE DON'T, YOU COULD WEAR 10 MASKS.
IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME, BUT YOU CAN'T LITERALLY HONESTLY, LOGICALLY THINK THAT CHILDREN WITH MASKS IN SCHOOL IS GOING TO HELP ANYTHING.
THANK YOU, MS. NEXT, WE HAVE DEBRA POWERS.
MINE IS GOING TO BE PRETTY BRIEF.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY UP THERE HAVE CHILDREN, BUT I'M SURE IF ANY, ONE OF YOU DO HAVE CHILDREN, YOU WILL BE GETTING THESE SAME COMMENTS FROM YOUR CHILDREN.
THESE KIDS DON'T WANT TO BE IN MASK ANYMORE.
THEY DON'T, THEY CAN'T HAVE PROMPTS.
THEY CAN'T HAVE NORMAL BIRTHDAY PARTIES.
THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING NORMAL.
WE CAN LOOK BACK AND REMEMBER THE THINGS THAT WE LOVE SO MUCH ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL AND GRADE SCHOOL WITH THESE KIDS CAN HAVE ANY OF THAT.
NOW YOU PEOPLE ARE THE ONES THAT ARE MAKING DECISIONS FOR OUR CHILDREN.
IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN, MAYBE YOU CAN COMMENT.
BUT IF YOU DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU GUYS ARE COMING FROM, BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SIT AND MAKE ALL THESE MANDATES FOR US AND US NOT FIGHT BACK.
YOU PEOPLE NEED TO STAND UP FOR US AND FOR OUR CHILDREN, WE'RE ALL HUMAN BEINGS AND
[05:25:01]
THE STUFF THAT WE'RE BREATHING BACK IN FROM THOSE MASKS, CAN'T BE GOOD FOR US.GOD, DIDN'T CREATE US TO BREATHE BACK IN WHAT WE'RE BREATHING OUT.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, BUT YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE BECAUSE THESE PEOPLE ARE LIVING THESE LIVES EVERY SINGLE DAY.
YOU AREN'T, YOU'RE JUST MAKING THE RULES AND WE HAVE TO LIVE BY THEM, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO THAT ANYMORE.
WE'RE GOING TO STAND UP AND FIGHT.
AND WHAT IF WE HAVE TO GET LAWYERS WILL LAWYER UP WHATEVER WE NEED TO DO, BUT WE'RE TIRED OF THIS.
YOU NEED TO, TO DO THE RIGHT THING, DO THE RIGHT THING.
LET US LOOK BACK AT YOU AND SAY, MAN, THEY DID THE RIGHT THING.
THAT WOULD BE NICE TO SAY THANK YOU TO YOUR 50 YEARS, BY THE WAY, IT DIDN'T USED TO BE LIKE THIS.
UM, NEXT WE HAVE JOSHUA AND I HOPE I DON'T MISPRONOUNCE YOUR LAST NAME, MUTHA ENOUGH.
AND SPEAKING ABOUT MATH MANDATES.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR ALLOWING US TO SPEAK TONIGHT.
UH, I'D LIKE TO JUST START WITH A QUOTE THAT STRUCK ME RELATED TO THIS, UH, HAVING A CHILD THAT IS JUST STARTING PRESCHOOL.
UH, I FEEL LIKE THE PRECEDENT BEING SET COULD POTENTIALLY AFFECT HIM EVEN AS HE WOULD GO INTO KINDERGARTEN.
AND I ALSO WANT TO REPRESENT ALL THE CHILDREN OF THE PEOPLE THAT I'VE MET SINCE MOVING HERE IN SOUTH CAROLINA, WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU MAY NOT BE RIGHT FOR ME.
WHAT IS RIGHT FOR ME MAY NOT BE RIGHT FOR YOU, BUT WHAT IS NOT RIGHT FOR EITHER OF US IS BEING STRIPPED OF THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHAT IS RIGHT FOR OURSELVES.
AS I TRAVELED TO SEE EUROPE THIS WEEKEND TO HAVE MY SON EXPERIENCED ONE VACATION BEFORE STARTING PRESCHOOL, I NOTICED A DAUGHTER WEARING A MASK WALKING ACROSS THE PARKING LOT.
SHE ASKED DADDY, DO I HAVE TO WEAR A MASK? I DON'T WANT TO ANYMORE.
MY SON, AT THE SAME EVENT IN THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF THE DAY WITH MANY OF THE PERFORMERS WEARING MASKS WAS FRIGHTENED, CRYING, AND SCREAMING.
HE IS NORMALLY VERY INTO DANCING MUSIC AND EVERYTHING.
THE SECOND, THE PERFORM OR REMOVE THE MASK HE SAW WAS A REAL PERSON, WAS ABLE TO INTERACT.
HE DANCED WITH THE MAN AND ENJOYED THE REST OF HIS NIGHT, GOING INTO WHAT I DO PERSONALLY AS SALES, IT WOULD BE VERY IMPERATIVE FOR ME TO READ FACIAL EXPRESSIONS.
NORMALLY I WOULD BE SITTING HERE AND KNOWING HOW I'M BEING COMPREHENDED AND MADE SURE I'M ADDRESSING MY SPEECH, THE CORRECT WAY TO WHAT EVERYONE IS HERE TO LISTEN TO.
UH, SHARING SOME CURRENT STATE IS COVID-19 SURGE.
LAST YEAR GOVERNMENT'S ROAD RIDE LOOKED FOR THE HOPE OF HERD IMMUNITY.
AND THIS IS I WOULD LIKE YOU TO THINK OF THIS AS PART OF THE DIVERSITY GOING INTO NEXT WEEK'S MEETING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE REPRESENTATIONS FOR BOTH SIDES, WHICH IS WHY I SHARE THE CURRENT STATE.
UH, THIS PERSON AT THE, UH, IS THE DIRECTOR OF VACCINE RESEARCH.
WELL, WE GET TO HERD IMMUNITY.
NO, UH, NOT VERY UNLIKELY BY DEFINITION, EVEN WITH 95%, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE IT.
IT IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A NECK AND NECK RACE BETWEEN GETTING OUT NEW VACCINES AND TRYING TO FIGHT THIS.
UM, LOOKING BACK AT A PRIOR FLU, UH, THAT WAS CLASSIFIED AS A FLU RUSSIAN FLU 1889, UM, WAS DETERMINED TO BE RELATED TO COVID.
IT SHOULD MANY SYMPTOMS OF WE'RE SEEING COVID-19 TODAY WITH LOTS OF TASTES AND SMELL, UH, OSI 43 IS WHAT IS FOUND TO HAVE CAUSED THIS, WHICH IS NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMON COLDS.
IT DOES AFFECT THE ELDERLY PEOPLE.
UM, AND THEN ALSO AROUND 20 TO 30% OF CORONA VIRUSES THAT CAUSED PANDEMICS WERE, ARE CAUSING COMMON COLDS TODAY, UM, WOULD LIKE TO CLOSE WITH A STUDY THAT HAS NOT YET BEEN PEER REVIEWED, TITLED IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON EARLY CHILD, COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT, INITIAL FINDINGS IN A LONGITUDINAL OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF CHILD HEALTH STATES THAT DISRUPTING ROUTINES FOR OUR CHILDREN AND REQUIRING MASKS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO LOWER THE IQ OF CHILDREN BORN DURING THE PANDEMIC.
IS IT THE GOAL OF THIS BOARD TO REDUCE OUR NEXT YEAR IQ SO THAT OUR CHILDREN WILL NO LONGER THINGS FOR BY BOARDS, SUCH AS THIS AROUND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS? IS IT FOR THEM DUE TO THEIR LACK OF INTELLIGENCE, COURTNEY HOMER, FREEDOM OF CHOICE MASKS.
THANK YOU FOR LENDING SELF SPEAK TONIGHT.
AND I GENUINELY HONOR EVERYONE WHO IS UP HERE AND OUT THERE.
I'M FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE, BUT NOW I'M A RESIDENT HERE.
UM, AND IT'S REMARKABLY SIMILAR.
[05:30:01]
OF SITTING IN FRONT OF A SCHOOL BOARD FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE AND HERE, UM, I REITERATE ALL OF WHAT PEOPLE SAID BACK THERE.I WANT TO STRESS THAT WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS.
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US HAS A HEART BEATING INSIDE OF US.
YOU GUYS WERE NOT ELECTED TO RULE US, EVERYONE OUT HERE.
AND ANY PARENTS WANTS WHAT'S BEST FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
WE ARE THE GUARDIANS OF OUR CHILDREN.
WE MOTHERS AND FATHERS, JUST LIKE THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE CHILDREN ARE THE GUARDIANS OF YOUR CHILDREN.
AND YOU KNOW, WHAT'S BEST FOR YOUR CHILDREN.
YOU HAVE A HEART BEATING INSIDE OF YOU.
YOUR CHILDREN HAVE A HEART PAINTING INSIDE THEM, JUST LIKE I DO.
WE HAVE TO RECONNECT TO OUR HUMANITY SOVEREIGNTY.
LOOK WHAT IS JUST, AND I SENT YOU GUYS AN EMAIL RIGHT BEFORE I CAME.
LOOK WHAT HAS JUST HAPPENED WITH THE TALIBAN, THE RIGHTS THAT ARE BEING STRIPPED AWAY AND AFGHANISTAN FEEL THAT YOU GUYS DON'T STRIP OUR RIGHTS AWAY.
THE WAY WE KNOW IS BEST FOR OUR CHILDREN.
IF A MOM WANTS TO MASK HER CHILD, SHE MASKS HER CHILD.
IF ANOTHER MOM DOESN'T WANT TO, SHE DOESN'T, IT WORKS.
WE OUR COMMUNITY, PLEASE HONOR THAT.
NOW, MICHELLE BIRD MASK MANDATE.
HI AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
MY NAME IS MICHELLE BIRD AND I REPRESENT MANY, MANY OF THE LIONS THAT SIT OUT HERE.
OKAY? WE DO NOT WANT TO FOLLOW AND BE DICTATED TO AS TO WHAT WE SHOULD DO FOR OUR CHILDREN.
I HAVE FOUR CHILDREN THAT ATTEND THE SCHOOLS HERE IN BEAVER COUNTY.
I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT WHEN YOU MASK THESE CHILDREN, YOU STRIP AWAY THEIR DIGNITY.
YOU STRIP AWAY THEIR HAPPINESS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T SEE YOU SMILE BEHIND THAT MASK.
THEY CAN'T SEE SMILE OR LAUGH OR COMMENT TO THEM ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE DOING, GREAT OR WHAT THEY'RE NOT DOING OR WHAT THEY NEED TO BE DOING ON TASK OR OFF HAT.
IT'S NOT WHAT WE WERE MADE TO DO IT, OR WHERE EVER.
I HAVE A HUSBAND WHO HAS AN UNDERLYING CONDITION.
I SHOULD BE ONE FOR THE MASK AND I'M TOTALLY NOT.
BUT WHAT I'M SAYING FOR MY CHILDREN, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT FOR SOMEBODY ELSE, THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHETHER THEIR KID IS GOING TO WEAR A MASK OR NOT WEAR A MASK.
WE DO NOT NEED TO SIT THERE AND FOLLOW EVERYTHING UNDER A DICTATORSHIP IS WHAT I FEEL IS HAPPENING.
IT'S NOT, YOU SHOULD BE TAKING WHAT IS RESPONSIBLE IN THE ROLE OF BEING A RESPONSIBLE, UH, SUPERINTENDENT, VICE CHAIR, SECRETARY, ALL OF YOUR STATUS QUO, WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHATEVER IT IS, WE, OUR PARENTS LET US PARENT OUR CHILDREN LET US MAKE THE DECISION.
WHETHER OUR CHILDREN SHOULD BE MASKED.
LET OUR CHILDREN GROW UP IN AMERICA THAT YOU GUYS ONCE GREW UP IN.
THEY'RE NOT GETTING THAT TODAY.
THEY DON'T GET TO GO AND PLAY ON PLAYGROUNDS AND DO EVERYTHING THEY WANT WITHOUT A MASK OR WHATEVER IT IS THAT EVERYBODY ELSE WANTS THEM TO DO.
LET THE PARENTS DECIDE FOR THEIR OWN SANITY FOR THESE KIDS.
WE HAVE SOMEBODY FOR PARTICIPATING REMOTELY.
MISS CUSHING BERRIES ARE EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE BOARD IS CALLING A COMMENTER WHO IS PARTICIPATING REMOTELY.
SO WE'RE WAITING FOR HER TO DO THAT.
AND YOU'LL HEAR THE PERSON ON THE LINE.
JODY, CAN YOU GO AHEAD AND SAY YOUR NAME FIRST AND LAST NAME? UH, JODY, CAN YOU HEAR HER? NOT REAL.
WELL, GO AHEAD AND TRY IT AGAIN.
I HOPE YOU GUYS CAN HEAR, UM, MY NAME IS JODY
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YEAH, BUT NOT GREAT.
CAN MAYBE PUT THE, PUT IT RIGHT BY THE MICROPHONE? IT IS.
WELL THANK YOU FOR TAKING MY COMMENTS TONIGHT.
[05:35:01]
I COULD NOT ATTEND IN PERSON.THE REASON IS BECAUSE I WILL BE TRAVELING TO ST.
OH, AND JUST A FEW SHORT DAYS.
AND SO IT WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE OF ME TO EXPOSE MYSELF TO SOME OF THESE UNMASKED IN A PUBLIC SETTING, AND THEN TRAVELED TO A CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL WHERE THEY'RE TREATING SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S SICKEST PATIENTS.
UM, IT TOOK OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT NINE DAYS TO GET OVER 3% OF OUR SCHOOL STAFF INTO COORDINATOR POSITIVE WITH COVID.
SO I NEED YOU TO PUT THE SCHOOL, THE COVID DASHBOARD BACK UP ON THE SCHOOL WEBSITE SO THAT KIDS CAN SEE HOW MANY ACTIVE CASES THERE ARE.
WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE TALK TONIGHT ABOUT RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION.
I WILL REMIND ALL OF YOU THAT THAT DOES INCLUDE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND COMPLEX MEDICAL CONDITIONS.
IT'S SECTION 504 IS AN ACT THAT PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY IN ANY PROGRAM RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
IT ASSURES THAT PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES HAVE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND BENEFITS EQUAL TO THOSE PROVIDED TO NON-DISABLED STUDENTS.
WE HAVE STUDENTS IN THIS DISTRICT THAT CANNOT ACCESS CLASSROOMS BECAUSE SCHOOLS ARE NOT FOLLOWING THE MOST BASIC TELLS AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC.
I UNDERSTAND THAT MANY PEOPLE FEEL THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS ISSUE, BUT THIS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE.
IT DOESN'T DO ANYONE, ANY GOOD TO MASK THEIR OWN CHILD.
WHEN IT'S FILED NEXT TO THEM IS CONTAGIOUS.
ANYWAY, WE ALL KNOW THAT WE NEED ALL OF THE STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOM MASK FOR MAXIMUM PROTECTION.
THAT IS THE OPINION OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN STUDYING INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
SPECIFICALLY THIS VIRUS FOR 18 MONTHS, WE TALK ABOUT COMMA TONIGHT.
I'VE HEARD A LOT OF FAMILIES TALK ABOUT TRAUMA AND ANXIETY, UNDERSTAND THIS, AND, AND WE ALL DEAL WITH IT.
WE HAVE MECHANISMS IN THE SCHOOL TO HELP CHILDREN WITH THESE ISSUES, BUT I THINK WE NEED SOME FOLKS TO UNDERSTAND THE TRAUMA AND THE ANXIETY AND THE STRESS OF BEING A PARENT WITH A CHILD CANNOT ATTEND SCHOOL BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL NOT DO THE MOST BASIC THINGS TO PROTECT THEM.
IT'S UNCONSCIONABLE TO ME THAT WE AREN'T EVEN DISCUSSING THIS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A BASIC PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, AND WE'RE ASKING YOU TO IMPLEMENT SPECIFIC STRATEGIES THAT HAVE BEEN OUTLINED BY PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS, LIKE THE CDC AND THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS.
IT'S NOT THAT THERE'S BOTH SIDES TO THIS ISSUE.
THERE ARE NOT, THERE'S THE SIDE OF SCIENCE.
AND IF WE'RE HERE,
JILL, JODIE, YOUR TIME IS UP NOW.
SO I'M ROBIN, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER BITES? OKAY.
WE HAVE A UNANIMOUS CONSENT FOR A GERMAN WORD JOURNEY.
GO TO BUFORD COUNTY, SC.GOV, SCROLL DOWN TO PUBLIC MEETINGS, CLICK WATCH NOW, AND THEN CLICK THE VIDEO ON DEMAND BUTTON AND SELECT YOUR PROGRAM FROM BLISS CALL TO ORDER IF YOU'D LIKE A DVD OF THIS PROGRAM, CLICK ON THE LINK ON THE RIGHT AND FILL OUT THE ORDER FORM.
AND THANK YOU FOR WATCHING THE COUNTY CHANNEL.
THIS IS THE BUFORD COUNTY MOMENT.
[05:40:01]
OF THIS MOMENT IS THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY LOST TO FOLKS TODAY, BUT THE ARTIFACTS, THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY ARE AROUND US.IF WE LOOK FOR THEM, PHOSPHATES WERE KNOWN IN SOUTH CAROLINA BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR.
THEY WERE FIRST DISCOVERED UP AROUND SOMERVILLE AND NORTH OF CHARLESTON.
IT'S KNOWN AS MURRELL AND BENEATH THE MORROW WAS THE PHOSPHATE ROCK GEOLOGISTS AND SCIENTISTS KNEW ABOUT IT.
PHOSPHATE WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE AGRICULTURAL OF THE SOUTH BECAUSE IT IS THE BASIS OF MOST FERTILIZER AND MANY OF THE COTTON LANDS OF THE OLD SOUTH, WHERE MUCH EXHAUSTED BY THE COTTON INDUSTRY BEFORE THE WAR.
SO AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY WAS INTRODUCED FIRST IN CHARLESTON IN 1867, AND THEN LOOKING FOR BEDS OF HIGH CONTENT PHOSPHATE ROCK.
THESE PHOSPHATE EXPLORES AND ENTREPRENEURS DISCOVERED BUFORD COUNTY.
THE NEXT 30 YEARS, BUFORD COUNTY BECAME THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF PHOSPHATE IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND ONE OF THE RICHEST SOURCES OF PHOSPHATES KNOWN IN THE WORLD BETWEEN 1870 AND 1900.
THIS BECAME THE CENTER OF THE MINING.
PART OF THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY.
MANY OF THE FERTILIZER FACTORIES WERE IN CHARLESTON, BUT THE MINING AND THE PHOSPHATE WORKS AS THEY CALL THEM WHERE THEY BROKE THE ROCK DOWN INTO POWDER AND THE PURE PHOSPHATE AND SHIPPED IT OUT.
THOSE INDUSTRIAL CENTERS WERE MOSTLY IN BUFORD COUNTY AT THE HEIGHT OF THIS INDUSTRY IN THE 1880S, 3000 BUFORD TONES WERE EMPLOYED IN THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS.
IN MANY CASES WAS A RULE OF THUMB WHEN THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS BEGAN IN THE 1870S, THAT THE RICHEST VEINS OF PHOSPHATE WERE UNDERWATER UNDER THE COOSAW RIVER UNDER THE BUFORD RIVER, UNDER BATTERY CREEK.
SO INITIALLY LOCAL SEA ISLANDERS WOULD DIVE DOWN FOR THE ROCK AND FILL UP BASKETS AND THEN GET PULLED UP IN A ROW.
NOT ONLY LIMITING THE DEPTH TO WHICH THEY COULD MINE AT, BUT LIMITING THEIR HEALTH AS WELL, GOING UP AND DOWN, BUT VERY QUICKLY IN THE 1870S ENGINEERS DISCOVERED THAT THEY COULD BUILD VERY LARGE UNDERWATER STEAM POWERED DREDGES ON FLOATING BARGES.
AND SO THEY BEGAN TO MECHANIZE THE INDUSTRY AND RATHER THAN EMPLOYING FEWER PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY EMPLOYED MORE, MORE THAN HALF OF THE PHOSPHATE PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES AND 80% OF THE PHOSPHATE PRODUCED IN SOUTH CAROLINA CAME FROM BUFORD COUNTY.
THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY BETWEEN 1870 AND 1900 WAS THE LARGEST INDUSTRY IN THE HISTORY OF BUFORD COUNTY AND THE LARGEST MINING INDUSTRY IN THE HISTORY OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
AND PEOPLE HAVE PRETTY MUCH FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT, BUT IT WAS THE SOURCE OF GREAT PROSPERITY IN BUFORD COUNTY, BETWEEN 1870 AND 1890.
THE POPULATION OF BUFORD COUNTY GREW BAY STREET BECAME A FINANCIAL AND COMMERCIAL CENTER.
PHOSPHATE WORKS IN OTHER WORDS, FACTORIES WHERE THEY BURNED THE PHOSPHATE ROCK AND BROKE IT DOWN INTO POWDER.
WE'RE LOCATED ON SPANISH POINT.
WE'RE LOCATED, UM, LUCY CREEK AND THE LARGEST WAS LOCATED FIRST ON COOSAW PLANTATION.
AND THEN OUT AT THE END OF CHISHOLM HIGHLAND ON SUMMERHOUSE POINT ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE COOSAW RIVER, SMALLER PHOSPHATE COMPANIES AND PHOSPHATE RIDGES, AND THE TUGBOATS AND THE SUPPORT SYSTEMS THAT HAD TO, UH, SUPPORT THIS INDUSTRY FOR 30 YEARS WERE AN ENORMOUS BOOM TO BUFORD COUNTY.
EVENTUALLY THE SMALLER PHOSPHATE COMPANIES WERE CONSOLIDATED INTO ONE VERY LARGE COMPANY CALLED THE COOSAW MINING COMPANY.
THE KUSAMA MINING COMPANY BY 1892 WAS THE LARGEST PHOSPHATE MINING COMPANY IN THE UNITED STATES.
BUT IN THOSE SAME YEARS IN 1888, RICHARD VEINS AND PHOSPHATE WERE DISCOVERED DEAR TAMPA, FLORIDA.
AND DURING THE 1890S, THE PERCENTAGE OF PHOSPHATE EXTRACTED FROM BUFORD COUNTY DECLINED AND THE PERCENTAGE OF PHOSPHATE DISCOVERED AND EXTRACTED FROM FLORIDA AND OTHER PLACES LIKE NEAR NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE WAS RICHER PHOSPHATE.
AND EVENTUALLY IT PUT THESE PHOSPHATE MINES OUT OF BUSINESS PHOSPHATE AND BUFORD COUNTY.
THE RIVER ROCK AS IT WAS CALLED IN THOSE DAYS WAS 60% PURE PHOSPHATE, WHICH IN 1870 WAS THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY.
BY 1888, THE FLORIDA ROCK WAS 80% PURE PHOSPHATE.
AND THE ECONOMICS OF THAT SIMPLY PUT THE RIVER COUNTY PHOSPHATE BUSINESS OUT OF BUSINESS.
COOSAW MINING COMPANY STOPPED MINING IN 1905.
THE VIRGINIA CAROLINA COMPANY TRIED TO CONSOLIDATE SOME OF THE OLD WORKS AND FINALLY WENT BANKRUPT IN 1914.
AND THAT WAS THE BITTER END OF THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS CONSEQUENCE OF THE END OF THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT EXODUS OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION OF THE SEA ISLANDS WITHOUT GOOD WAGE JOBS BEGAN TO MOVE NORTH AND DEPOPULATED MUCH IN BUFORD COUNTY.
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EVENT WHICH PASTED THE DEMISE OF THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY IN BEAVER COUNTY WAS OF COURSE THE GREAT HURRICANE OF 1893, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE 10 LARGEST HURRICANES AND MOST DESTRUCTIVE HURRICANES EVER TO HIT THE UNITED STATES KILLED AS MANY AS 2000 PEOPLE ON THE SEA ISLANDS AND WRECKED THE PHOSPHATE FLEET.SO THE INVESTORS IN PHOSPHATE FLEET MOVED THEIR CAPITAL TO FLORIDA AND THE PHOSPHATE BUSINESS DECLINED B FOR COUNTY.
THIS HAS BEEN A BUFORD COUNTY MOMENT TO SEE MORE BEAVER COUNTY MOMENTS GO TO THE BUFORD COUNTY LIBRARY HOMEPAGE AND CLICK ON THE LOCAL HISTORY TAB.
IS THAT CORRECT? IS IT MY TURN? ALL RIGHT.
UM, THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE HERE TODAY, AND IT'S A, AS I'VE SAID TO SO MANY PEOPLE HERE TODAY, THERE'S SO MANY OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS.
AND AS WE GO THROUGH TODAY, WE WANT TO TRY TO RECOGNIZE AS MANY OF YOU AS, AS WE CAN.
IF WE MISS ANYBODY, I WANT TO APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE THAT ARE, MAYBE WE'RE GOING TO OVERLOOK, WHO DID HAD A LARGE PART IN THIS, BUT ANYWAY, LET ME START OFF SAY GOOD AFTERNOON.
AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT, UH, TO THIS GRAND OPENING AND, UH, AND WELCOME TO THE LONG ANTICIPATED.
I THINK THAT'S REASONABLE LONG ANTICIPATED OPENING OF CRYSTAL LAKE PARK.
IT'S BEEN IN THE WORKS SINCE WHAT, 2005, I THINK SO IT'S LONG ANTICIPATED.
I WANT TO MAKE A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT THE HISTORY AND THE LONG VOYAGE THAT MANY OF YOU HAVE MADE OR BEEN ON IN ORDER TO GET TO THIS POINT TODAY FOR THE GRAND OPENING OF THIS 25 ACRE PASSIVE PARK, THE BUFORD COUNTY HAS INVESTED ABOUT THREE AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS IN OF YOUR TAX DOLLARS.
UH, PUTTING THE, UH, THE PIECES OF THIS PARK TOGETHER TOOK, UH, OVER FIVE YEARS, UH, THE FIRST PARCEL WAS PURCHASED IN 2004, AND THAT WAS A FOUR AND A HALF ACRE PIECE, WHICH INCLUDED BUTLER MARINE.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU REMEMBER BUTLER MARINE IS IT'S WHERE THAT CURRENT BUILDING IS, WAS PART OF BUTLER MARINE, BUT THAT WAS OUR, THAT WAS OUR FIRST TOE IN THE WATER OF THAT FOUR AND A HALF ACRES.
UM, AND THEN THE SECOND PURCHASE WAS FROM THE OIL PURCHASE DONATION WAS FROM THE STUART FOUNDATION.
I KNOW DICK STEWARDS HERE, THE STEWART FOUNDATION DONATED EIGHT OF THE 12 ACRES WE GOT FROM THEM, INCLUDING THE ACTUAL LAKE ITSELF, WHICH WAS A HUGE BENEFIT TO US ALL.
UH, ANOTHER FIVE ACRES WAS PURCHASED IN 2005 FROM THE DU PRIEST FAMILY, UH, IN, UH, 2007, THE ROBINSON FAMILY, WE PURCHASED ANOTHER 1.2 ACRES.
AND FINALLY, IN 2009, WE PURCHASED A TWO AND A HALF ACRES FROM THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF CHARLESTON, WHICH GAVE US A COMPLETE 25 ACRES, WHICH IS WHAT WE HAVE HERE TODAY.
MEANWHILE, IN 2006, THE COUNTY COUNCIL AUTHORIZED, UH, FINANCIAL AND STAFF SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRYSTAL LAKE PROPERTY AS A PASSIVE PARK AND PROGRESS BEGAN IN ORDINANCE.
THAT WAS 2005 IN 2011, A CITIZENS COMMITTEE WAS FORMED IN COOPERATION WITH THE BUFORD COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO FINALIZE PLANNING EFFORTS AND OBTAIN COMMUNITY INPUT AND FEEDBACK.
AND LET ME TAKE A MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE AT LEAST SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO WERE MEMBERS OF FRIENDS, OF CRYSTAL LAKE PARK, WHO WORKED TIRELESSLY AND MANY, MANY THANK TIME'S.
THANKS, LESLIE, TO BRING US THIS BEAUTIFUL PARK THAT WE HAVE HERE TODAY.
I'M GOING TO NAME AS MANY AS I CAN.
AND IF I MISSED ANY, I APOLOGIZE.
UH, FRANK GIBSON WAS TREASURER.
UH, RICK KURTZ WAS INVOLVED, UH, CLARENCE WASHINGTON, UH, JOE ALLARD, MICHAEL BROCK, JIM HICKS.
UH, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE YESTERDAY, WE BURIED HIS WIFE.
SO WE UNDERSTAND WHY HE'S NOT HERE WITH US TODAY, BUT HE WAS A HUGE PART OF THIS CREATION OF THIS PARK, MARGARET DPA, TRO, I THINK FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, UH, LAURA LEE, UH, PAT HARVEY WITH THE, UH, WITH LIPPA AND SOME OTHER LIBERAL MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS, FATHER, ANDREW OF, UH, OF THE ST PETER'S CATHOLIC CHURCH.
AND OF COURSE THE, UH, THE BUILDERS, UH, BUFORD CONSTRUCTION, I BELIEVE LEITH W WEBB WAS A MANAGER AT THE TIME, UH, TO DO THE BUILDING UPGRADE.
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STEVE PATTERSON TO PATTERSON CONSTRUCTION DID THE, AND ANDREW ANDREW'S ENGINEERING WAS HEAVILY INVOLVED AND THE ARCHITECT WAS ROBERT MONTGOMERY, RIGHT? THE, UH, THE FINAL PHASE OF CONSTRUCTION, UH, THE BOARDWALK AND TRAIL BEGAN IN 2018.AND OF COURSE THE RENOVATIONS TO THE, UH, TO THE BUTLER MARINE BUILDING WAS THE FIRST PHASE OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BOARDWALK AND FEAR.
ANOTHER GROUP THAT I WANT TO RECOGNIZE TWO GROUPS ACTUALLY ARE THE MASTER GARDENERS AND MASTER NATURALIST WHO VOLUNTEERED AND PLANTED THEM AND MAIN AND MAINTAIN THE POLLINATOR GARDENS.
SO LET ME JUST START BY ASKING HOW MANY NATURAL START WITH A MASTER GARDENERS, HOW MANY MASTER GARDENERS IN RAISE YOUR HAND.
AND I KNOW EVERYONE HERE APPRECIATES THE VALUE OF POLLINATORS.
I HAVE THE LARGEST GRAPEFRUIT ORCHARD IN BUFORD COUNTY, SO I PARTICULARLY APPRECIATE THE POLLINATORS.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE MASTER NATURALIST, HOW MANY NET, NET MASTER NATURALISTS, OR IF YOU WOULD RAISE YOUR HAND TO BE IDENTIFIED, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL THE WORK YOU ALL HAVE DONE AND CONTINUE TO DO TO MAKE THIS PARK A BEAUTIFUL PLACE.
THE, UH, BUFORD COUNTY OPEN LAND TRUST, AND THE BUFORD COUNTY SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT, UH, BEGAN OCCUPATION OF THAT BUILDING IN 2017.
AND THEY HAVE BEEN, AND CONTINUE TO BE EXCELLENT STEWARDS OF THE BUILDING AND THE PARK.
THEY PROVIDE SECURITY, THEY PROVIDE ORIENTATION AND A LOT OF SERVICES FOR THE FOLKS WHO COME HERE TO SEE THE PARKS.
ALSO WANT TO GIVE A BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE BUFORD COUNTY STAFF MEMBERS PAST AND PRESENT WHO WORKED TIRELESSLY ON THIS PROJECT.
AGAIN, I MAY NOT GET THEM ALL IF I DON'T, IF I DON'T, I APOLOGIZE.
CHRIS
AND HE WAS A VISIONARY ON THIS PROJECT AND, UH, NO TELLING HOW MANY HOURS, COUNTLESS HOURS, UH, AND SWEAT AND TEARS.
HE PUT INTO THIS, INTO THIS PROJECT.
AND TONY, I WANT TO THANK YOU, STEPHANIE JADE, WHO YOU'VE SEEN.
THERE SHE IS, UH, WHO IS OUR DIRECTOR OF PASSIVE PARKS AND WHO WAS VERY ACTIVELY INVOLVED AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE VERY ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THIS PARK IN THE FUTURE AND OUR ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT.
WE HAD, UH, WEST CAMPBELL AND ROB MCPHEE.
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU ALL DID.
AND OUR DIRECTOR OF PROPERTIES, MARK ROSE.
NOW I KNOW HE'S HERE AND, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND ERIC GREENWAY, OUR CURRENT, UH, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT.
WHO'S ALSO PUT A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK INTO THIS, AND OF COURSE, UH, PATTERSON'S CONSTRUCTION.
I THINK I MIGHT'VE MENTIONED THEM ALREADY.
UH, THE GREEN TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS USED, UH, TO, UH, RENOVATE THE OLD BUTLER MARINE BUILDING.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU ALL REMEMBER WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE, BUT IT NEEDED A LOT OF HELP.
AND, UH, WE USE GREEN, REALLY GREEN TECHNOLOGY AND THAT IT WAS USED, AND IT WAS SO SUCCESSFUL THAT, UH, BUFORD COUNTY IS NOW REFUND CHECKS FROM DOMINION ENERGY.
IT WORKS GREEN ENERGY OR GREEN TECHNOLOGY WORKS, AND YES, THAT WILL BE USED TO OFFSET YOUR TAXES.
YOU'LL SEE THE SMALL REDUCTION IN YOUR TAX BILL.
UH, AND FINALLY, UH, I THINK EVERYBODY'S AWARE OF THE DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE THAT WE HAVE HERE.
UH, WE DON'T KNOW AT ALL, WE HAVE EGRETS HERONS, AND
AND THAT WE KNOW OF, UH, AND WHO KNOWS WHO OR WHAT ELSE MAY MOVE IN OUT THERE.
SO WE'LL KIND OF KEEP YOU POSTED AS THAT DEVELOPS AND, UH, WHO MIGHT TAKE UP RESIDENCE IN THIS BEAUTIFUL LOCATION.
BUT AGAIN, I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY AND, UH, LET'S CUT THE RIBBON AND I KNOW I'M NOT GOING TO CUT IT BY MYSELF.
SO ALL THE PEOPLE, ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WERE MENTIONED, INCLUDING THE NATURALIST AND THE MASTER GARDENERS AND THE ENGINEER, EVERYBODY JUST COME FORWARD FOR THIS PROCESS.
THERE'S ONLY ONE PAIR OF SCISSORS, BUT YOU CAN ALL JOIN IN FOR THE PICTURE TAKEN
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I'M SARAH ROCK CLERK TO COUNCIL FOR BUFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.DID YOU KNOW, BUFORD COUNTY HAS 29 ACTIVE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
THESE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS SERVE A VITAL ROLE IN BUFORD COUNTY AND ALLOW CITIZENS LIKE YOU TO GET INVOLVED WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ADVISE YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS ON A WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES.
MEMBERS SERVE IN A VARIETY OF CAPACITIES FROM ADVISING COUNCIL REGARDING THE SELLING AND PURCHASING OF LAND HEARING APPEALS, ALLOCATING TAX MONIES, ADVOCATING FOR SPECIFIC ORGANIZATIONS, WORKING ON STORMWATER RELATED ISSUES, ZONING ISSUES, DESIGN REVIEW, HISTORICAL PRESERVATION, YOU NAME IT.
VISIT WWW DOT BUFORD COUNTY, SC.GOV/COUNCIL/BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS TODAY TO SEE A LIST OF OUR ACTIVE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND FILL OUT AN APPLICATION SIGN UP TODAY.
SO YOU CAN HAVE A HAND IN MAKING OUR COMMUNITY EVEN GREATER THAN IT ALREADY.