Dec 12, 2023 Board of Education

CHAIR DISCUSSION THE RATIFICATION REPORT.

AND SECOND BY CARLTON DALLAS.

ANY DISCUSSION MR. SMITH? YES, MA'AM.

SO I WILL BE UPSTANDING FROM THE VOTES.

[00:05:01]

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE SAY, AYE.

AND RAISE YOUR HAND.

ANY NAYS? AND ONE ABSTENTION.

SO THE MOTION CARRIES 10 0 1 MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE ACCEPT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION FOR THE MONTHLY ADULT EDUCATION HOMESCHOOL REPORT FOR DECEMBER 12TH, 2023.

THE SECOND WAS MADE BY MR. EARL CAMPBELL.

ANY DISCUSSION? RIGHT.

ANY NAYS? ANY ABSTENTIONS? OKAY.

MOTION CARRIES.

10 0 1.

MADAME CHAIR, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ALLOWED THE SUPERINTENDENT TO NEGOTIATE THE SALE OF A PROPERTY IN SHELDON, CONTINGENT ON THE PRESERVATION OF A MONUMENT LOCATED ON THE PROPERTY.

SECOND IS BY MS. INGRID BOATWRIGHT.

ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.

ANY NAYS? ANY ABSTENTIONS? I'LL ABSTAIN FROM THAT AS WELL.

MOTION CARRIES.

10 0 1.

MADAM CHAIR, THAT IS ALL OF OUR MOTIONS OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION.

NOW NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA.

[Approval of Agenda]

IM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE AGENDA.

DO WE HAVE A SECOND? ALL RIGHT.

SECOND.

BY MS. BOATWRIGHT, I REQUEST THAT WE MOVE THE, UM, NOVEMBER 21ST, 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES, UH, AS A SEPARATE CONSENT AGENDA ITEM, AND THEN ALL THE OES TOGETHER.

THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SECOND.

BUT THANK YOU MR. SMITH.

AL ALSO, UM, I ALSO, UM, I'M REQUESTING THAT WE MOVE THE, UM, CHAIR.

NO, NO ONE STANDS UP.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE AGENDA AS MODIFIED, PLEASE SAY AYE.

WE WILL NOW STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

ANY NAYS? ANY ABSTENTIONS? OKAY.

THE MOTION CARRIES 10 0 1.

[Pledge of Allegiance, Moment of Silence, Statement of Media Notification]

PLEASE REMAIN STANDING FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE.

PLEASE PROCEED.

THE MEDIA IS PROPERLY NOTIFIED.

NEXT ON

[Student Performance]

OUR AGENDA, WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF HAVING THE JOSEPH SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY FOURTH GRADE CHORUS HERE TONIGHT, PERFORMING QUAVERS MUSIC KWANZA CELEBRATION UNDER THE DIRECTION OF MUSIC TEACHER LAURA KRIMM.

PLEASE COME FORWARD IF YOU WOULD LIKE NOJA.

UM, UM, UM, UM, UM,

[00:10:15]

UM, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

TONIGHT

[Points of Celebration]

WE HAVE, UH, DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT, DR.

ME LEE, UH, PRESENTING THE POINTS OF CELEBRATION.

DR. RODRIGUEZ WILL BE JOINING US, BUT HE IS BEING RECOGNIZED, I BELIEVE, AT THE BLUFFTON TOWN COUNCIL MEETING.

I'M GONNA TURN THIS AROUND.

UM, AND ACTUALLY THAT'S MY FAVORITE PART.

POINTS OF CELEBRATION AND THANK YOU.

AND, UM, AND THE STUDENT PERFORMANCES IS MY FAVORITE PART OF THE EVENING.

SO TONIGHT, UM, WE ARE CELEBRATING THE STUDENT OF THE MONTH FOR NOVEMBER.

THE CHARACTER TRAIT FOR NOVEMBER WAS RESPECT AND GRATITUDE.

RESPECT IS DEFINED AS SHOWING HIGH REGARD FOR AN AUTHORITY, OTHER PEOPLE SELF AND OUR COUNTRY.

GRATITUDE IS DEFINED AS SHOWING YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR WHAT OTHERS HAVE DONE FOR YOU.

NOVEMBER STUDENT OF THE MONTH FOR NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY IS MIKEY SAWYER, AN EIGHTH GRADE STUDENT AT BEAUFORT MIDDLE SCHOOL.

HERE TO INTRODUCE, HER STUDENT IS BEAUFORT MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL, DR.

LANDY THOMPSON.

I GOT THAT RIGHT.

STUDENTS LIKE MIKEY TO SCHOOL TO US, FOR US EACH DAY.

BEEN A WHILE SINCE I'VE BEEN IN A POSITION TO GIVE SOMEONE AN A PLUS.

BUT THERE YOU GO.

DR. LEE.

YOU GET ONE TODAY.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY.

THIS IS NOT THE LAST TIME YOU'LL SEE ME BEFORE YOU TODAY, BUT THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE TIMES TO COME BEFORE THE SCHOOL BOARD.

YOU DON'T FEEL NEARLY AS NERVOUS WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'RE CELEBRATING.

GOOD.

IT.

WHEN I INTRODUCED MYSELF AS THE PROUD PRINCIPAL OF BEAUFORT MIDDLE SCHOOL, I AM NOT LYING.

I'M NOT, THAT'S NOT CONJECTURE.

I'M TRULY PROUD.

AND ONE OF MY PROUDEST MOMENTS IS RECOGNIZING STUDENTS WHO ARE CAUGHT DOING THE RIGHT THING CONSISTENTLY.

SOME OF YOU MAY RECOGNIZE THE NAME OF MR. SAWYER FROM LAST YEAR BECAUSE HE WAS RECOGNIZED AT THE, UM, AS THE COUNTY COUNCIL STUDENT OF THE MONTH FOR THE BEAUFORT SIDE THIS YEAR FOR A VERY DIFFERENT THING.

HE'S BEING RECOGNIZED AS OUR DISTRICT STUDENT OF THE MONTH.

YOU'LL CATCH MIKEY AS AN ALL AROUND ATHLETE.

YOU'LL CATCH MIKEY AT LA.

IF THIS WERE LAST WEEK, HE WOULDN'T BE HERE BECAUSE HE WOULD'VE BEEN IN CONCERT.

AS A MUSICIAN, I DO BELIEVE YOU PLAY THE TROMBONE.

I CANNOT .

BUT WHEN YOU SEE HIM IN THE HALLS, YOU GET THE SAME PERSON.

SOMEONE IS HUMBLE.

SOMEONE WHO'S RESPECTFUL, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE BLESSINGS HE'S BEEN GIVEN.

AND IT GIVES ME NOTHING BUT GREAT PLEASURE TO REPRESENT BEAUFORT MIDDLE TONIGHT IN HONORING HIM.

AND I WANNA SEE HIS PARENTS UP HERE AS WELL.

I THINK HE BROUGHT THE WHOLE FAMILY.

AND YOU ALL CAN COME.

IT'S ALL GOOD.

COME ON UP HERE.

IT'S OKAY.

THEY'LL, THEY'LL, THEY'LL BE OKAY.

THE ONES WHO WANNA COME, THEY CAN COME.

I'M NOT GONNA PUT EVERYBODY ON THE SPOT.

IT IS VERY OFTEN WHEN I SIT IN MEETINGS AND I HAVE, I HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH PARENTS TELLING THEM HOW TO IMPROVE THEIR CHILD.

I WANNA MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THAT TODAY I'M STANDING BEFORE YOU AND THANKING YOU FOR SENDING

[00:15:01]

HE IS AMAZING.

DON'T LET THAT GO TO YOUR HEAD.

'CAUSE I'M STILL GONNA BE YOUR PRINCIPAL TOMORROW.

BUT TO YOU, THANK YOU.

AND TO THE VILLAGE THAT HELPS TO RAISE HIM.

I EXTEND MY THANKS.

CONGRATULATIONS, SWEETIE.

SHE'S, I'M NOT MY FAVORITE COLOR.

TRYING TO GET THIS TURNED AROUND.

BY THE TIME I GET IT AROUND, THEN WE'LL BE FLIPPING BACKWARDS.

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION WITH HER STUDENT.

OUR NEXT AWARDS ARE THE ADULT EDUCATION AWARDS.

SO LAST MONTH, THE ADULT EDUCATION DIVISION RECEIVED SEVERAL STATE AWARDS AT THE ANNUAL ADULT EDUCATION, CELEBRATING OUR SUCCESS CELEBRATION.

HERE TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT THOSE AWARDS IS DR.

JUANITA MURO, DIRECTOR OF ADULT EDUCATION.

GOOD EVENING.

THE ADULT EDUCATION CELEBRATION OF SUCCESS LUNCHEON WAS HELD ON NOVEMBER THE 11TH IN COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA.

WE EARNED FIVE AWARDS.

OUR FIRST AWARD GOES TO MRS. IKE AIKEN.

MRS. AIKEN HAS BEEN OUR DATA SPECIALIST FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.

MRS. AIKEN IS DEPENDABLE AND READY TO ASSIST WHENEVER NEEDED.

SHE'S NOT ONLY OUR DATA SPECIALIST, BUT ALSO A TESTING ADMINISTRATOR FOR PEARSON VIEW PARAPRO TAB WINS AND BEST PLUS, SHE ATTENDS TRAININGS AND MEETINGS.

SHE SET THE STAND AS HIGH FOR HERSELF AND IS ALWAYS DOING HER BEST WORK.

MRS. AIKEN UNDERSTAND THAT ADULT EDUCATION IS A VERY FLEXIBLE PROGRAM AND KNOWS THAT THINGS ARE ALWAYS CHANGING, NEW INFORMATION IS ALWAYS BEING ADDED, AND SOME INFORMATION IS NO LONGER APPLICABLE.

SHE'S ALWAYS THINKING OF HOW SHE CAN NOT ONLY BENEFIT THE ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM, BUT ALL THE STUDENTS THAT WANT TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS.

MRS. AIKEN DISPLAY ETHICAL VALUES AND TAKES OWNERSHIP OF HER ROLE.

SHE IS PROACTIVE AND FORWARD THINKING TO ENSURE THAT THE ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM RUNS SMOOTHLY AS POSSIBLE.

SHE STRIVES TO ACHIEVE STRATEGIC GOALS THAT ALIGN WITH THE VISION AND MISSION OF ADULT EDUCATION.

MRS. AIKEN MOTTO IS, WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER.

MRS. AIKEN COMMUNICATES EFFECTIVELY BY MAKING SURE EVERYONE IS ON ONE ACCORD THROUGH USE OF EMAILS, TEXT MESSAGES, MEETINGS, ONE-ON-ONE CONVERSATION, AND IS A STRONG ADVOCATE AND USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE.

SHE UNDERSTAND THAT WE ALL HAVE ROLES TO ENSURE A SAFE AND SECURE ENVIRONMENT, AND MAKING SURE THAT ALL GUIDELINES AND REGULATIONS ARE FOLLOWS.

SHE REITERATES TO THE LEARNERS THAT WE ARE HERE FOR THEM IN PURSUING AND ARE FURTHERING THEIR EDUCATION.

SHE STAYS ABREAST OF ANY NEW INFORMATION THAT WILL BENEFIT THE ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM.

MRS. AIKEN ATTENDS ALL ADULT EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE BEAUFORT COLLEGE AND COLUMBIA LOCATION.

SHE HAS ATTENDED THE SPRING FALL INSTITUTE AND THE TAN TRAINING.

SHE ATTENDS ADDITIONAL EDUCATION AND JOB ACTIVITIES WITH OUR AFFILIATES, SUCH AS SOUTH CAROLINA WORKS.

AND UPON THAT RECOMMENDATION, MRS. AIKEN IS OUR PARAPROFESSIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT OF THE YEAR.

OUR SECOND AWARD GOES TO MRS. IDA CAMPBELL.

MRS. IDA CAMPBELL PARTICIPATES IN SEVERAL COMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES SUCH AS A CS RELIEF FOR LIFE.

ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, THE HISTORIC FIRST AFRICAN BAPTIST CHURCH.

SHE ENCOURAGES HER STUDENTS TO GET INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES AS WELL.

COLLEAGUES AND SUPERVISORS ARE DONE THROUGH FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS, ZOOM EMAILS, AND TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS.

THE STUDENTS CAN CONTACT HER BY MESSAGING, EMAIL, OR TELEPHONE IF THEY NEED ASSISTANCE WITH THEIR WORK.

SHE HAS BEEN A DEDICATED AND COMMITTED ADULT EDUCATION TEACHER FOR THE PAST 11 YEARS,

[00:20:01]

WORKING VERY HARD, TRYING TO GET STUDENTS TO GET THEIR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND GED.

SHE ALSO ENCOURAGED HER STUDENTS TO CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION AFTER THEY RECEIVE THEIR DIPLOMA AND GED.

HER STUDENTS WANT TO CREATE A BETTER LIFE FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN.

LEARNING IS CONTINUOUS, ONGOING, AND LIFELONG PROCESS.

AND SEVERAL OF HER STUDENTS CONTINUED TO CHOOSE TO CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION AT TCL AND USCB.

SHE ALSO DEMONSTRATE CONTINUOUS LEARNING BY TAKING GRADUATE LEVEL COURSES, WORKSHOP, AND WEBINARS.

SHE ATTENDS ALL STAFF DEVELOPMENT, STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MEETINGS, COMPLETED A GRADUATE LEVEL READING COURSE, SEVERAL TRAINING C-P-R-C-P-I, LACES WHEEL WEBINAR, AND SCHOOL CRISIS PRESENTATION.

ON SOME OF THE WAYS SHE SHOWS CONTINUOUS LEARNING.

SHE PROVIDES A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAT IS CONDUCIVE NON-THREATENING, WHERE STUDENTS FEEL THEY CAN FREELY EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS.

HER STUDENTS SET GOALS AND OBJECTIVES AND ARE ASKED HOW SHE CAN ASSIST THEM IN REACHING THESE GOALS.

OVERALL, OBJECTIVES ARE SET FOR EACH STUDENT BASED ON THEIR DEADLINES, COMPLETION, DATES, AND THE INDIVIDUAL COURSES A STUDENT IS WORKING.

ALL OBJECTIVES ARE OUTLINED IN THE COURSE STRUCTURE.

SHE ASSESS STUDENT PROGRESS THROUGH QUIZZES, EXAMS, AND THEIR ONLINE PROGRESS REPORT.

UNDERSTANDING THE STUDENT'S CULTURE AND ETHNIC UNIQUENESS HELPS HER APPRECIATE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES IN THE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM.

SHE REALIZE THAT ADULT EARNERS ARE A DIVERSE GROUP OF PEOPLE BELONGING TO DIFFERENT GENDERS.

CLASS, RELIGION, RACE VARY FROM EACH OTHER IN THEIR NEEDS, ATTITUDES, AND OUTLOOKS ON LIFE.

SHE ALSO REALIZED THAT COLOR AND CULTURE MAKE EACH ONE OF US SPECIAL, WHICH ENABLES HER TO OFFER UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES TO THE GROUPS THAT ARE A PART OF HER CLASS.

LEARN ABOUT OTHERS FAMILY CULTURE, HELP HER PROVIDE THE CURRICULUM AND MATERIALS NEEDED TO MAKE HER STUDENTS FEEL WELCOME AND VALUED.

SOME OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD AND RESOURCES SHE USED ARE DEMONSTRATION, MODELING, EXPLANATION, QUESTIONING TEXTBOOK INTERNET, AND EDGENUITY COURSEWORK.

SHE REALIZED THAT THESE MATERIALS AND METHODS ARE APPROPRIATE FOR THE LEARNING TASKS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LEARN.

SHE KNOWS THAT ADULT LEARNERS HAVE A VAST WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED BY CONTROLLING THEIR ENVIRONMENT AND EXPERIENCING LIFE.

SHE KNOWS AND ALLOWS STUDENTS TO EXPRESS THEIR OPINIONS, VALUES, AND BELIEFS, WHICH ARE THEIR DEFINING CHARACTERS THEY BRING TO THE CLASSROOM.

SHE KNOWS THAT THESE LEARNERS MUST BE TREATED WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT AND EQUALITY IN WHICH SHE DOES.

I RECOMMEND MRS. IDA CAMPBELL FOR THE LINDA BLUE PART-TIME TEACHER OF THE YEAR.

AND UPON THAT RECOMMENDATION, MRS. CAMPBELL IS OUR LINDA BLUE PART OF THE YEAR.

WHAT'S UP, LINDA? OUR THIRD AWARD GOES TO FRANKLIN ZA, HIS TEACHER.

MRS. LEWIS IS HERE AND SHE WILL TELL YOU ABOUT FRANKLIN.

I'M VERY PLEASED TO SHARE WITH YOU FRANKLIN'S NOMINATION FOR THE ADULT STUDENT LEARNER OF THE YEAR FOR SOUTH CAROLINA.

FRANKLIN HAS OVERCOME VERY DIFFICULT SITUATIONS TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY AND OTHER ADULT LEARNERS, WHILE ALSO PURSUING ADULT EDUCATION.

HE DEMONSTRATES SUPPORTIVE LEADERSHIP IN OUR ADULT EDUCATION CLASS, AS WELL AS AT HIS WORKPLACE AND IN OUR COMMUNITY.

FRANKLIN CONNO GRANADOS WAS BORN AND RAISED IN GUATEMALA NEAR THE SOUTHERN BORDER OF MEXICO.

HE LEFT WHEN HE WAS 21 TO CARVE OUT A FUTURE HERE IN BUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA.

HE ARRIVED WITH VERY LITTLE ENGLISH AND LESS MONEY.

HE WORKED LONG, HARD HOURS AT A WIDE VARIETY OF JOBS TO ESTABLISH FINANCIAL STABILITY.

HE ALSO CREATED FRIENDSHIPS WITH NEIGHBORS AND COLLEAGUES IN HIS NEW COMMUNITY.

NOW HE HAS A CAREER AS THE MANAGER OF THE BAD BISCUIT RESTAURANT ON HILTON AND ISLAND.

HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING STAFF MEMBERS AS WELL AS KEEPING THE BOOKS, ORDERING SUPPLIES, WHILE OVERSEEING COOKING MAINTENANCE, REPAIRS, AND UPGRADES.

IN OCTOBER OF 2022, HE ENROLLED IN THE BEAUFORT COUNTY ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM TO PURSUE HIS SOUTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY DEGREE.

HE HAS FAITHFULLY ATTENDED CLASS IN THE EVENINGS, OFTEN AFTER A FULL DAY'S WORK.

HE HAS WORKED DILIGENTLY AND DRAMATICALLY IMPROVING HIS CRITICAL READING AND FORMAL WRITING SKILLS IN ENGLISH.

EVIDENCE OF HIS SUCCESS WAS DEMONSTRATED WHEN HE PASSED THE OFFICIAL GED TEST IN REASONING THROUGH LANGUAGE ARTS.

IN JANUARY OF 23, HIS UH, NRS SCORE INCREASED ON THE TEST OF ADULT BASIC EDUCATION FROM LEVEL TWO TO THREE EARNING OR A MEASURABLE SKILL GAIN IN MATH.

MOREOVER, HE JOINED BEAUFORT

[00:25:01]

COUNTY ADULT EDUCATION'S NORTH STAR COMPUTER CLASS.

HE HAS COMPLETED 13 OUTTA 16 CERTIFICATIONS SO FAR, AND RECENTLY EARNED A WORK-READY CREDENTIAL FROM THE WORLDWIDE INTERACTIVE NETWORK.

FRANKLIN'S INFLUENCE IN OUR ADULT EDUCATION CLASSROOM IS POSITIVE AND STRONG.

HE ALWAYS ENTERS CLASS WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE AND TAKES TIME TO GREET OTHERS.

ON THE RARE OCCASIONS, WE, WHEN HE CANNOT ATTEND, THE OTHER STUDENTS, MISS HIM AND ASK WHERE HE IS.

FRANKLIN CAN BE COUNTED ON TO HELP THE NEW AND YOUNGER ADULT STUDENTS SOLVE PROBLEMS, MAKE THEM FEEL WELCOME AND ENCOURAGE THEIR EFFORTS.

IN FACT, HE HAS ASSISTED NEW TEACHERS BY SHOWING THEM HOW TO ACCESS OUR DIGITAL RESOURCES TEACHER'S ASSISTANT.

HE SERVES AS A SUCCESSFUL ROLE MODEL AND CHEERLEADER FOR CLASS CLASSMATES AND INSTRUCTORS ALIKE.

THROUGH IT ALL, MR. KANO GRANADOS CONTINUES TO SUPPORT HIS FAMILY AND THE LARGER COMMUNITY.

FOR SEVERAL YEARS, HE HAS BEEN SENDING MONEY BACK TO HIS MOTHER AND HIS SISTERS IN GUATEMALA TO STRENGTHEN THEIR SECURITY.

HE BOUGHT THE HOUSE IN WHICH THEY STILL LIVE AND PAID FOR HIS SISTERS TO FINISH THEIR EDUCATIONS BEYOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

ONE SISTER HAS ALREADY COMPLETED HER COLLEGE DEGREE.

FRANKLIN HAS STRONG EMPATHY FOR OTHERS WHO HAVE RECENTLY IMMIGRATED TO OUR AREA, AND THOSE WHO ARE STRUGGLING TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES.

AS HE PUTS IT, HE LIKES TO PAY IT FORWARD.

EVIDENCED BY HIS VOLUNTEER WORK AS A TRANSLATOR AT THE VOLUNTEERS IN MEDICINE, THE CLINIC ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND, FRANKLIN KANO GRANADOS EMBODIES ALL THE STRONG AND POSITIVE QUALITIES OF AN OUTSTANDING ADULT LEARNER.

HE HAS BEEN NAMED AS THE OUTSTANDING ADULT LEARNER OF THE YEAR FOR OUR STATE.

OUR FOURTH AWARD THAT WE RECEIVED WAS, IS THE WORKPLACE LITERACY AWARD, WHICH IS PRESENTED TO PROGRAMS WITH STUDENTS ENROLLED IN THE WORKPLACE LITERACY AND WHO MADE MEASURABLE SKILL GAINS WHILE PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM.

WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MARINES CORP, WHERE OUR TEACHERS, MR. BROWN AND MRS. SIMON, TEACH MATH AND READING TO INCREASE THEIR MOS SCORES AND PREPARE THEM FOR THE COLLEGE INTEREST EXAM.

MANY MARINES ALSO TAKE THE CLASS TO HELP THEM INCREASE THEIR AS BATH SCORE.

OUR LAST AWARD IS THE DR. DAVID STOUT HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY AWARD.

MS. LENE SIEGLER.

THIS AWARD IS PRESENTED TO THE STUDENT WHO GRADUATED FROM A LOCAL ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM WITH THE HIGHEST GED SCORE IN THE STATE.

WE WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL IN CONTACTING LANE.

UM, WOULD ALL RECIPIENTS COME UP FOR A PICTURE? PLEASE? THANK YOU.

VERY IMPRESSIVE.

I I, THERE ARE NO WORDS.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW YOU FOLLOW THAT.

SO, , THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU ALL DO.

UM, YOU GIVE, UM, EVERYBODY SOMETHING TO, TO FOCUS ON AND TO WANT TO BE, UH, LIKE, UM, SO THANK YOU.

UM, IS THIS EVERYBODY? OH, YOU'RE FLIP SIDE.

AND AS YOU COME UP, DR.

MOR MORALE, THAT, THAT I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON, ON YOUR SUCCESS BECAUSE ALL OF THIS IS A PART OF YOUR PROGRAM.

SO IT WOULD BE REMISS OF US NOT TO APPRECIATE YOU, MARY, RECOGNIZE YOU AS WELL.

AND KEEP UP, CONTINUE YOUR GOOD WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING FOR THIS DISTRICT.

THERE WE GO.

NEXT, WE HAVE OUR FIRST PUBLIC COMMENTS.

[First Public Comments]

AND, UH, AS THE BOARD CHAIR, THE BOARD DIRECTED ME TO READ THIS STATEMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH, UH, SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, PUBLIC COMMENT SESSION.

WHEREAS IN ORDER TO BETTER ENSURE THE SAFETY, SECURITY, AND GOOD ORDER OF ITS SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS AND ALLOW ALL CITIZENS A FAIR OPPORTUNITY

[00:30:01]

TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC COMMENT, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL'S BOARD GOVERNANCE POLICY GC 2 23 4, ADHERENCE TO PUBLIC PARTICIPATIONS.

PARAGRAPH B STATES THAT QUOTE, SHOULD A PARTICIPANT FAIL TO ABIDE BY THE REASONABLE DIRECTIVES OF THE BOARDS OR COMMITTEES PRESIDING OFFICER, THE BOARD OR COMMITTEE MAY PROHIBIT THE OFFENDING SPEAKER FROM PARTICIPATING IN FUTURE PUBLIC COMMENT SESSIONS FOR A PERIOD NOT TO EXCEED SIX MONTHS.

SO TONIGHT, WE HAVE, UH, ONE, UH, IN-PERSON, SPEAKER, AND WE DO NOT HAVE ANY, UH, UH, PARTICIPATING REMOTELY.

SO I'LL ASK MS. MELINDA HENDRICKSON TO PLEASE COME FORWARD AND SIT AT THE TABLE THERE WHERE THE MICROPHONE IS, AND LET ME JUST, UH, RE REMIND YOU AND THE PUBLIC THAT YOU'LL SEE A TIMER AND YOU'RE NOT TO EXCEED THE THREE MINUTES, AND YOU MAY NOT YIELD YOUR TIME TO ANOTHER PERSON.

UM, YOUR TOPIC TONIGHT IS BOOK REVIEW PROCESS.

GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.

I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF FAMILIES AGAINST BOOK BANS.

NOW THAT THE 97 CHALLENGED BOOKS HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AND THE VAST MAJORITY RETURNED OF LIBRARY SHELVES, I WANNA TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK YOU THE ISD STAFF AND ALL REVIEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY THE TEACHERS, LIBRARIANS, AND OTHER DISTRICT STAFF WHO VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION.

THIS PROCESS TOOK AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF TIME AND ENERGY IN AN ATTEMPT TO APPEASE A VERY SMALL FACTION.

WITHOUT A DOUBT, THERE IS ANOTHER LIST COMING.

THE NEXT ONE WILL BE AS EQUALLY UNPRODUCTIVE AND FRUITLESS AS THE LAST LIST.

WHEN YOU DO RECEIVE THE NEXT LIST, WE ASK THAT YOU FOLLOW A STANDARD BEST PRACTICE FOR BOOK REVIEWS AND DO NOT REMOVE ANY MATERIALS FROM THE SHELVES WHILE UNDER RECONSIDERATION.

IT'S UNFAIR TO OUR STUDENTS, PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND LIBRARIANS.

I URGE YOU TO REVIEW AND SUPPORT OUR EXISTING DISTRICT POLICY, WHICH ALLOWS PARENTS AND GUARDIANS TO OPT STUDENTS OUT FROM THE MATERIALS THEY FIND OBJECTIONABLE.

AND I HOPE YOU WILL EMPOWER ALL PARENTS TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS ON BEHALF OF THEIR OWN CHILDREN, RATHER THAN DEPUTIZING INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYERS TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS.

ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US, THANK YOU AGAIN, AND I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY.

ON OUR AGENDA IS, UH, THE CHAIR REPORT, AND I'M GONNA GIVE AN UPDATE ON THE SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION 2023 LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY CONFERENCE AND DELEGATE ASSEMBLY.

WE HAVE NO FURTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS.

[Chair’s Report]

SO, FIVE OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS, INCLUDING MYSELF, ATTENDED AND SERVED AS DELEGATES AT THE SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY ASSEMBLY THIS MONTH IN CHARLESTON.

WE RECEIVED STATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATES FROM A ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION COMPRISED OF SOUTH CAROLINA SENATORS AND HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES, AND GOTTEN OVERVIEW OF THE NEW SOUTH CAROLINA EDUCATION FUNDING DASHBOARD FROM FRANK RAINWATER.

IN ADDITION, WE HEARD A PANEL DISCUSSION FEATURING REPRESENTATIVES FROM VARIOUS STATE EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS REGARDING THEIR UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE ISSUES.

A FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE UPDATE WAS ALSO PROVIDED IN THE DELEGATE ASSEMBLY WHERE PARTICIPATED IN ELECTING SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL BOARD'S ASSOCIATION OFFICERS AND SET THE ASSOCIATION'S LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTIONS FOR 2024.

HAVING SERVED ON THE BOARD FOR SEVEN YEARS, I THINK I'VE BEEN TO SEVEN OF THESE CONFERENCES, AND I REALLY THOUGHT THIS ONE WAS, UH, ONE OF THE BEST, IF NOT THE BEST, AND HAD A WONDERFUL TIME, UH, SOCIALIZING WITH MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS.

, THANK YOU.

THANKS.

[Committee Reports]

ON OUR AGENDA, WE HAVE OUR COMMITTEE REPORTS, AND WE'LL START WITH ACADEMICS, AND WE HAVE THE CHAIRPERSON, CHLOE GORDON REPORTING.

THANK YOU, MADAM.

THE ACADEMICS COMMITTEE, I MEAN, FIVE, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS BEFORE YOU TONIGHT.

UH, THE ACADEMIC COMMITTEE MET ON NOVEMBER 28TH, ALONG WITH SOME OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS, DR.

STRATAS AND HER ESTEEM TEAM.

THE FIRST RECOMMENDATION IS FOR LOCAL BOARD APPROVED COURSE LISTINGS.

THE LOCAL BOARD APPROVED COURSES ARE ANNUALLY REVIEWED AND APPROVED

[00:35:01]

BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR USE.

IN THE FOLLOWING YEAR, THERE WAS DISCUSSIONS AND PRESENTATIONS ON THE, WHAT WE CALL THE LBA, THE LOCAL BOARD APPROVED COURSE LISTING.

I RECOMMEND THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE LOCAL BOARD APPROVED COURSE LISTING ALONG WITH THE DESCRIPTORS FOR THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR.

WE HAVE A SECOND.

THANK YOU, MS. ANGELA MIDDLETON, DO YOU WANNA CONTINUE ANY DISCUSSIONS? GO AHEAD.

YEAH, GO AHEAD.

ABOUT THIS MOTION.

DO YOU WANT A DISCUSSION ON IT? YEAH.

DO YOU, I'M, I'M GIVING YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO GO FIRST IF YOU HAVE MORE TO SAY.

NO, I DO NOT.

I JUST HAD A, A QUESTION, I GUESS, PROCEDURALLY ON THE LOCAL BOARD APPROVED COURSES, I KNOW IT SAYS INDIVIDUALLY WHERE THE, UM, THE ORIGIN SITE OF THE COURSES COMING FROM, YOU KNOW, WHO IS THE SPONSOR OF IT ONCE IT'S APPROVED AT THE LOCAL BOARD LEVEL? CAN IT BE MIRRORED AT ANY SITE? OR IS IT ONLY ESSENTIALLY BEING PILOTED AT THAT ONE SITE? I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, I GUESS DR.

STRATAS WOULD HAVE, IF WE'RE APPROVING IT, ARE WE APPROVING IT FOR ALL OR ONLY ONE INDIVIDUAL SITE? SURE, GO AHEAD.

UM, IT CAN BE ADOPTED, UM, BY OTHER SITES.

IT'S UP TO THE PRINCIPAL.

SO THEY ARE THIS, UM, WHAT IS IT? UM, H HE MCCRACKEN THEY WANT THIS PARTICULAR COURSE, BUT IF ANYONE ELSE IN THE DISTRICT WANTS, THEY CAN APPLY AS WELL TO ADOPT THE COURSE IN THEIR SCHOOLS.

AND WE DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS ONCE IT'S APPROVED FOR THOSE OTHER SITES THAT, WELL, IT LET'S DR.

STRADDLES TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.

A CLARIFICATION.

SO THE, WHAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU AT THIS TIME IS A LIST OF LOCAL BOARD COURSES THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED IN THE PAST.

WE HAVE NARROWED IT DOWN.

SOME YEARS AGO, IT WAS OVER 300 COURSES.

WE HAVE ABOUT 58 AT THIS TIME THAT ARE ALIVE AND UTILIZED ON OUR MASTER SCHEDULE.

WHAT YOU'LL HAVE SHORTLY IS AN LBA COURSE FOR PIANO AT MCCRACKEN.

UPON YOUR APPROVAL, SHOULD THAT BE THE PURVIEW OF THE BOARD, THEN ANOTHER SCHOOL, LET'S SAY BEAUFORD MIDDLE, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR ART SCHOOLS, MAY BE ABLE TO PICK UP THAT COURSE ON THE PURVIEW OF THAT PRINCIPAL.

ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND AND SAY AYE.

THE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.

ANY NAYS? AND ANY ABSTENTIONS? ALL RIGHT.

SECOND MS. MIDDLETON SECOND.

THE ACADEMIC COMMITTEE ALSO MET ON NOVEMBER 28TH TO DISCUSS THE LOCAL BOARD APPROVED MIDDLE SCHOOL PIANO COURSE ELECTIVE.

THE LOCAL BOARD APPROVED PIANO COURSE IS DEVELOPED TO MEET THE ACADEMIC NEEDS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO ARE EXCELLING AT PIANO AS A PERFORMING ART.

THIS COURSE WAS ALSO AT, AT MCCRACKEN.

I MOVED AT THE BUFORT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, APPROVED THE LOCAL BOARD COURSE PIANO AS AN ELECTIVE AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL.

ANYTHING FURTHER? YEAH, GO AHEAD.

I HAVE NOTHING FURTHER.

ANYONE ELSE FOR DISCUSSION? I THINK I NEED TO ADD, ONCE THIS, ONCE WE APPROVE THIS, IT'S NOW ON THIS LIST OF THE LOCAL.

SO LIKE WE SAID BEFORE, YES.

WE, FOR THAT FIRST MOTION, IT WAS A, TO IMPROVE, APPROVE THIS UPDATED LIST.

THE SECOND MOTION IS TO APPROVE THE PIANO COURSE.

FOR H HE MCCRACKEN.

BUT ONCE THAT IS BEEN APPROVED BY US, IT WILL GO ON THE LIST AND ANYBODY CAN PICK IT UP.

SO, TO ANSWER, TO CLARIFY YOUR QUESTION, NO.

WELL, THEY DON'T, THEY CAN SAY, WE WANNA ADOPT THIS COURSE, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE APPLICATION PROCESS.

OH, THANK YOU MR. SMITH.

STRATAS.

RIGHT? YOU WERE, OKAY.

SO, SO THIS LIST RIGHT HERE, THE FIRST LIST, SO WE ALREADY APPROVED THIS LIST.

RIGHT, RIGHT.

REMEMBER, WE APPROVED THE LIST AFTER NOVEMBER 28TH, RIGHT? YEAH.

NO, I JUST HAD, I JUST HAD

[00:40:01]

A QUESTION RIGHT.

IN REGARDS TO THAT.

BUT I, I'LL BRING IT BACK AFTER WE GET THEM.

DO NO PROBLEM.

YOU DON'T WANNA ASK ANY NAY? WELL WAIT.

WELL, WELL, WELL, WELL, MY QUESTION WAS JUST, IT WAS BASED ON, WELL, YOU MAY HAVE A MOTION AND IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T PERTAIN TO THE MOTION.

SO WE'RE READY TO VOTE.

ALL IN FAVOR FOR THE PIANO COURSE, PLEASE SAY, AYE.

THAT CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.

OPPOSED? NAYS.

RIGHT.

MADAM CHAIR, THE ACADEMICS COMMITTEE MET ON NOVEMBER 28TH TO DISCUSS THE SPORTS MEDICINE THREE HIGH SCHOOL HONORS FRAMEWORK.

INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES HAS PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED THE ACADEMIC COMMITTEE WITH HONORS FRAMEWORK COURSES FOR STUDENT ACADEMIC LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.

THIS HIGH SCHOOL COURSE FRAMEWORK WAS DEVELOPED BY THE CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION OR CTE TEACHER, AND REVIEWED BY THE DISTRICT CTE DIRECTOR, MS. KAREN GILBERT, WHO BROUGHT FORWARD THE RECOMMENDATION TO THE ACADEMIC COMMITTEE.

I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE NEW HONORS FRAMEWORK COURSE FOR SPORTS MEDICINE.

THREE SECOND.

MR. SMITH MADE THE SECOND, UH, ANYTHING FURTHER? UM, CHAIR GORDON? NO.

THERE BEING NO HANDS UP.

THAT MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.

UH, ANY NAYS? ANY ABSTENTIONS? OKAY.

CONTINUE ON MS. GORDON.

THE ACADEMICS COMMITTEE MET ON NOVEMBER 28TH AND APPROVED FOR SECONDARY CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION MARKETING TEXTBOOK, AS PER THE SOUTH CAROLINA BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULATION 43 DASH 70, AND BUFORT COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES 36.

UPON THE COMPLETION OF TEXTBOOK REVIEW PROCESSES, THE DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVED SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS, ALL REVIEW BOOK TITLES FOR SELECTION ARE FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TEXTBOOK ADOPTION LIST.

I MOVE THAT THE BEAUFORT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVES THE CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION SECONDARY MARKETING TEXTBOOK FOR ADOPTION.

SECONDED.

MR. SMITH MADE THE SECOND MS. GORDON, ANYTHING FURTHER? NO.

NO.

ANY QUESTIONS? THERE BEING NONE? ALL THOSE WHO ARE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND, SAY AYE.

ANY NAYS? ANY ABSTENTIONS PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

CONTINUE ON.

THIS IS THE LAST REPORT THE ACADEMIC COMMITTEE MET ON NOVEMBER 20TH, 28TH TO DISCUSS BUFORT MIDDLE SCHOOL CHOICE APPLICATION.

THE CHOICE PROGRAM.

A APPLICATION IS THE SECOND COMPONENT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ADVANCEMENT VIA INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATION OR ABBOTT PROGRAM AT BEAUFORT MIDDLE SCHOOL.

THE FIRST COMPONENT WAS THE LOCAL BOARD APPROVED COURSE THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE BEAUFORT COUNTY DISTRICT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION IN THE FALL OF 2022.

I MOVE THAT THE BUFORT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVES THE CHOICE PROGRAM APPLICATION FOR BEAUFORT MIDDLE SCHOOL'S, ADVANCED VIA INDIVIDUAL DETERMINATION OR AVID CHOICE PROGRAM.

SECONDED.

ANY, UM, FURTHER REMARKS? CHAIR GORDON? NONE? NO.

MR. SMITH? UH, JUST, I'D DEFINITELY LIKE TO, UH, SAY, UH, I'D DEFINITELY BE SUPPORTING THIS MOTION AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHERE DOC, WHERE DR. THOMPSON AND HER STAFF TAKE THIS.

I KNOW THIS WAS HER BABY, AND I KNOW SHE'S BEEN WORKING HARD WITH THIS PROGRAM.

SO, UM, I JUST WANNA THANK HER FOR BEING HERE AND LIKE, LIKE SHE'S READY TO BATTLE FOR IT, BUT I BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA SUPPORT IT.

BUT I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR IT AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE WHERE, UH, YOU AND YOUR, YOU AND YOUR, UH, STAFF TAKE OFF ON THIS PROGRAM AND YOUR SCHOOL.

CONGRATULATIONS.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.

MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.

OPPOSED? AND ANY ABSTENTIONS.

NEXT.

THANK YOU, UM, CHAIR GORDON FOR YOUR REPORT.

THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN.

NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO FINANCE.

UH, I DO HAVE A QUESTION IN REGARDS TO THE FIRST, UH, THE, THE, THE, THE FIRST ONE IN, IN TERMS OF, UM, UH, THE, THE, THE, THE FIRST ONE THAT WE READ.

EXCUSE MY MIS UH, MISUNDERSTANDING OF IT, MY, MY MISUNDERSTANDING OF IT.

BUT I JUST HAD A, A QUESTION IN REGARDS TO THE, OH, GO AHEAD, MAN.

ASK YOUR QUESTION.

MY, MY QUESTION WAS, I, I, AS I WAS LOOKING ON HERE, I REMEMBER WE WERE,

[00:45:01]

WE WERE COMING UP WITH A, UH, AN OE OF, UH, AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES.

AND I WAS WONDERING WHERE, WHERE WAS THAT AT AND WHERE, WHERE, WHERE DID WE GET WITH THAT? AND WHERE WERE WE AT ON THAT? I KNOW WE WERE ADDING THAT TO THE CALENDAR IN TERMS, IN TERMS OF, UH, UM, MY BE BEAUFORD COUNTY STUDENT.

AND THEN I WAS WONDERING WHERE WAS THAT AT, ON, ON, ON THIS, ON THIS CATALOG? YES, PLEASE.

YES, YOU MAY , I I'M JUST GONNA ASK FOR CLARIFICATION ON THE QUESTION WITH REGARD TO AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES, OR IF YOU COULD JUST GIMME THE CLA RESTATE THE QUESTION.

SORRY.

I APOLOGIZE.

NO, NO PROBLEM.

I REMEMBER, UH, WHEN, UM, WE WERE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION IN TERMS OF, OF, UH, HAVING THE, HAVING A COURSE OUTLINE.

WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HAVING A, HAVING A, SOMETHING IN, IN TERMS OF, UH, AF KNOWING THE HISTORY OF BEAUFORT.

AND WE WERE, AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING, PUTTING THAT ON THE CALENDAR, I MEAN, PUTTING THAT IN THE MENU OF CLASSES THAT STUDENTS COULD TAKE.

AND I JUST KNEW THAT WE WERE WORKING ON THAT.

AND I WAS WONDERING, WAS IT, WAS THAT COMING WITH THIS OR SOMETHING ELSE? I BELIEVE WE DO HAVE AN LVA FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES THIS ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR.

UM, THE SCHOOL THAT HAD BEEN, HAS BEEN USING THE COURSE, DID NOT HAVE IT ON THEIR MASTER'S SCHEDULE.

THE COURSE IS AVAILABLE FOR THEIR UTILIZATION.

THEY DID HAVE A SHIFT WITH PERSONNEL.

'CAUSE I HAD A SPECIAL, A SPECIALIST IN THAT AREA OF INSTRUCTION.

BUT IT IS STILL AVAILABLE AS A LOCAL BOARD APPROVED COURSE.

THERE IS NO SPECIFIC COURSE FROM THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA WITH, FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES.

BUT WE DO HAVE AN LBA AND AN OUTLINE THAT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY, BY THE BOARD IN THE PAST.

AND WE STILL HAVE THE UNITS OF INSTRUCTION THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED FOR THE BEAUFORT COUNTY PROFILE OF A GRADUATE.

THOSE UNITS OF INSTRUCTION ARE AVAILABLE IN, IN RUBICON.

THAT CAME FROM THE BOARD AS WELL, SIR.

AND, AND THAT WAS THE ONE THAT MR. KIMMEL AND I WAS, WAS PUSHING IN TERMS OF, UH, LEARNING THE, UH, THE LEARNING BU ABOUT AUIC COUNTY IN THE HISTORY OF IT.

YES, SIR.

SO THOSE ARE ACTUALLY UNITS OF INSTRUCTION THAT ARE TIED TO PIL PILLARS.

SO THERE'S FINANCIAL LITERACY, THERE IS ECHO LITERACY, THERE IS HISTORY OF THE LO LOCAL AREA.

SO YES.

AND UNITS OF INSTRUCTION ARE AVAILABLE FOR OUR TEACHERS AT RUBICON, WHICH IS OUR REPOSITORY OF LESSONS.

NEXT UP WE HAVE, UM, FINANCE, UH, REPORTING CHAIR, COLONEL GEIER.

ON DECEMBER 5TH, UH, THE FINANCE COMMITTEE MET, UH, MS. CROSBY PRESENTED THE FOLLOWING REPORTS, THE MONTHLY BOARD OF EDUCATION BUDGET, AND THE BOARD OF EDUCATION HAS SPENT, UH, 32.6% OF ITS BUDGET AND IS IN GOOD SHAPE.

NEXT, SHE REPORTED ON THE MONTHLY $100,000 REPORT, AND WE WENT THROUGH THE $100,000 REPORT WITH NO QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.

AND THE TRANSPARENCY REPORT, UM, WAS ALSO LOOKED AT AND NO, UH, QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.

NEXT, MS. DENISE MATSON PRESENTED THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR THE SER FUNDS ON THE ESSER FUND DASHBOARD.

IF YOU WOULD, PLEASE BRING UP THE SER FOUR, UH, DASHBOARD, PLEASE.

MOLLY, MS. CROSBY, PLEASE COME FORWARD.

GOOD EVENING.

SO, UH, AS OF NOVEMBER 30TH, THE DATE OF THIS REPORT, UH, WE HAVE SPENT 81% OF THE SSR FUNDING, UH, WITH 14.7 MILLION REMAINING.

UH, WE'RE SPENDING APPROXIMATELY 1.5 MILLION A MONTH.

IT, THIS MONTH IN PARTICULAR, WAS A LITTLE SLOWER OF SPENDING BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAY.

WE HAD ONE LESS, UM, WEEK OF, OF, UM, ACCOUNTS PAYABLE CHECK RUNS.

AND SO WE SPEND ABOUT 941,000 THIS MONTH.

BUT WE ARE ON TRACK TO SPEND ALL OF THE DOLLARS.

UH, OUR GOAL IS TO FULLY EXPEND BY JUNE 30TH, OR AT LEAST ENCUMBER, UH, WITH FINAL SPEND OUT BY THE SEPTEMBER 30TH DEADLINE.

UH, SO THERE'S SOME MAJOR AREAS OF SPENDING THAT WE HAVE, UM, PROVIDED WE PROVIDE EACH MONTH, UH, FINE ARTS SUPPLIES AND BAND INSTRUMENTS OF 150,000, UH, MASTER TEACHERS, SCHOOL BASED AFTERSCHOOL AND TUTORING, AFTERSCHOOL COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, UH, EMPLOYEE CHILDCARE AND CUSTODIAL.

SO AGAIN, UM, UH, WE HAVE, UH, LITTLE BIT REMAINING.

WE HAVE ONLY GRANT ONE GRANT REMAINING OF THE THREE SSR ONE, TWO, AND THREE.

UH, AND SO WE DO EXPECT FOR FULL SPEND DOWN OF THOSE FUNDS, AND WE'RE ON TRACK TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT HAPPENS.

ANY QUESTIONS?

[00:50:01]

SEEING NO QUESTIONS.

WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA, WHICH IS THE, AN ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT AS PRESENTED BY OUR AUDITORS.

YES, HOPE PENDERGRASS IS WITH US THIS EVENING, VIRTUALLY.

AND SO I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO HER FOR A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE, UH, ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT.

THIS IS, UH, A BIG DEAL FOR US.

IT'S ONE OF THE MAJOR TWO MAJOR FUNCTIONS IN OUR DEPARTMENT.

THE ANNUAL AUDIT AND THE BUDGET ARE PRIMARY, PRIMARILY, AND THEY TAKE A HUGE AMOUNT OF EFFORT.

UH, AND I WANNA COMMEND THE STAFF, THE, AND THE ASSISTANCE WITH THE AUDITORS OF WORKING THROUGH THAT PROCESS.

WE WERE ABLE TO GET EVERYTHING OUT BY THE DECEMBER 1ST DEADLINE.

SO, UH, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO HOPE AT THIS POINT.

SHE HAS A PRESENTATION FOR YOU, AND THEN WE'LL PULL THAT UP ON THE SCREEN AS WELL.

GOOD EVENING.

CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? YES.

UM, I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH THE PRESENTATION IN DETAIL SINCE I WENT THROUGH IT IN DETAIL WITH THE FINANCE COMMITTEE LAST WEEK, BUT I DO WANT TO ECHO MS. CROSBY'S THOUGHTS ABOUT THEM.

COMMENDING MANAGEMENT FOR ITS EXTREME EFFORT THAT GOES INTO, UM, PREPARING FOR THE AUDIT, GIVING US WHAT WE NEED AND, AND WORKING THROUGH THE ACT FOR, WHICH IS SUBMITTED FOR NATIONAL AWARDS.

SO, JUST WANT TO COMMEND MANAGEMENT AND HER TEAM FOR THEIR EFFORTS, AS WELL AS THE BOARD FOR ITS LEADERSHIP.

THE OVERALL SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS OF THE AUDIT INCLUDES THE FACT THAT, AGAIN, THIS YEAR YOU ALL HAD NO FINDINGS.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO SEE.

AND YOU RECEIVED AN UNMODIFIED OR CLEAN OPINION.

WE ALSO PERFORM AN AUDIT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE UNIFORM GUIDANCE, WHICH REQUIRES US TO LOOK AT A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF COVERAGE IN YOUR FEDERAL FUNDS.

SO THIS YEAR WE LOOKED AT ESSER, WHICH IS BEING REQUIRED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

NORMALLY, WE ROTATE THROUGH SOME OF YOUR LARGER PROGRAMS, UM, AND GIVE EACH ONE OF THEM AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A LOOK.

UM, BUT RIGHT NOW, EDUCATION IS REQUIRING THAT WE LOOK AT YOUR ESSER FUNDS EVERY YEAR.

SO WE LOOKED AT THAT PROGRAM AS WELL AS YOUR CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAM.

AND AGAIN, WE HAD AN UNMODIFIED OPINION IN REGARD TO COMPLIANCE AND NO FINDINGS IN THAT AREA.

UM, AND THAT KIND OF IS THE QUICK SUMMARY OF MY REPORT.

UM, I'M HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANYONE HAS.

NO QUESTIONS.

UH, AND THIS IS WHAT, HOW MANY YEARS HAVE YOU HAD A CLEAN REPORT? 22 YEARS CONSECUTIVELY.

SO WAY TO GO.

THANK YOU, MS. PENDERGRAST.

I APPRECIATE IT.

NEXT ITEM? YES, SIR.

IS THE NEXT ITEM IS, UH, MS. CROSBY PRESENTED THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT.

CROSBY, WE'RE GONNA GET THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.

THAT I HAVE EVER BEEN EMPLOYED WITH THE DISTRICT, WE HAVE NOT BORROWED SHORT-TERM FUNDS TO FLOAT THE OPERATIONS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THE FALL RIGHT BEFORE TAX REVENUES COME IN.

UH, THERE'S AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR, IT'S ACTUALLY OE 6.1 THROUGH 6.8.

AND WE BREAK THIS, UH, OPERATIONAL EXPECTATION UP INTO TWO AREAS BECAUSE ONE IS REALLY MORE RELATED TO THE AUDIT AND THE OTHER IS RELATING TO THE BUDGET.

SO, UH, THIS IS THE FIRST HALF OF THAT OPERATIONAL EXPECTATION.

UM, IT DOES, UH, REQUIRE THAT WE HIRE AN EXTERNAL AUDITOR WITH WHICH THE STATE REQUIRES, AND MALDEN AND JENKINS', THOSE ARE THE AUDITORS THIS YEAR.

UH, WE ARE, UM, AGAIN, WE HAD AN UNMODIFIED CLEAN OPINION, 27 20 SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR WITH NO AUDIT FINDINGS AND OUR 32ND CONSECUTIVE YEAR WITH, UH, GFOA CERTIFICATE OF EXCELLENCE IN FINANCIAL REPORTING.

SO THAT DEADLINE IS, UH, FOR SUBMISSION FOR THIS AUDIT IS DECEMBER 31ST.

SO WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON THE APPLICATION AND RESPONDING TO ANY COMMENTS.

THEY PROVIDE COMMENTS EACH YEAR, WE HAVE TO RESPOND TO THOSE, TO, UH, CORRECT ANYTHING THAT THEY MAY HAVE SEEN THAT NEED TO BE MADE.

UM, ALSO, JUST A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS ON THE FINANCIALS.

UM, WE HAD A, OF THE BUDGET OF 298 MILLION, UH, WE HAD HAD A VARIANCE OF $9,412.

UM, SO THAT'S A FRACTION OF A FRACTION OF A FRACTION OF A PERCENT, UH, UH, BEING VERY, VERY CLOSE, UH, TO THE BUDGETED AMOUNT.

AND, UM, SO WE DID HAVE, UH, UH, REVENUES THAT WERE A POSITIVE VARIANCE OF $7.2 MILLION, PRIMARILY IN LOCAL TAX REVENUE.

UH, SO WE ARE ADDING 7.2 MILLION TO THE FUND BALANCE THIS, UH, AS OF JUNE 30TH OF TWO, UH, 2023.

AND SO WE DID ANTICIPATE THAT HAPPENING.

AND SO FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER 20 YEARS, WE DID NOT PULL, UH, BORROW A TAN, A TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE THIS YEAR.

UM, AND SO LAST YEAR WE BORROWED SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION.

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME

[00:55:01]

SO THAT'S A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR US.

UM, VERY PROUD, UH, TO BE A PART OF, NO LONGER BE A PART OF THE TAN CLUB , UM, FUND BALANCE SUMMARY.

WE ARE NOW AT A $61.8 MILLION, UH, UNASSIGNED FUND BALANCE, UM, PER BOARD POLICY.

THERE'S A STIPULATION THAT IT BE THE UNASSIGNED.

THERE IS A SECTION OF OUR FINANCIALS THAT PROVIDES FOR THAT, AND IT'S A 19.3% OF NEXT YEAR'S EXPENDITURES.

WE PREDICT AN AMOUNT FOR NEXT YEAR, OF COURSE.

WELL, AT THIS POINT, WE HAVE THE BO THE BUDGET APPROVED FOR THAT.

SO IT IS, IT IS SET IN STONE THAT IS 70 DAYS OF OPERATIONS.

AND THE REMAINING REQUIREMENTS IN NUMBERS FOUR, FIVE, AND SIX ARE BASICALLY REQUIREMENTS FOR VARIOUS REPORTING OR TRANSPARENCY, UH, FROM THE BOARD.

AND WE HAVE MET ALL OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS BY PROVIDING THE MINORITY WOMEN BUSINESS ENTERPRISE REPORTS TWICE THIS YEAR, THE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORTS, AND ALL OF THE TRANSPARENCY REPORTS THAT COME TO FINANCE COMMITTEE.

AND THEN WE PUT THEM ON OUR WEBSITE.

SO IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

SO THAT CONCLUDES THAT REPORT.

ANY QUESTIONS? SO I HAVE, OH, I HAVE A QUESTION.

SURE.

SO, UM, SO DOES THE, UH, THE FUND BALANCES PERCENT OF NEXT YEAR'S EXPENDITURES, THE 19.3% MM-HMM.

, DOES IT HAVE TO BE IN THAT RANGE TO BE ABLE TO NOT REQUIRE A TAN? IT DOES NEED TO BE AT THAT LEVEL, YEAH.

TO NOT REQUIRE TAN, REALLY.

UM, IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE DISCUSSED ABOUT COMING BACK AND LOOKING AT THE RANGE OF FUND BALANCE, WHICH THE POLICY FOR THE BOARD IS THE TARGET RANGE IS 15 TO 17%.

BUT REALLY, BUT THERE'S ANOTHER POLICY THAT SAYS WE SHALL PRODUCE A BUDGET AND A FUND BALANCE THAT WILL NOT REQUIRE TAN.

SO WE HAVE TWO SORT OF CONFLICTING POLICIES, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I PLAN TO BRING FORWARD AND, AND PROPOSE, UH, AN AMENDMENT TO SHIFT THAT TARGET RANGE UP TO, INTO THE 19 TO 20% RANGE.

THAT'S JUST WHAT I WAS DRIVING AT.

MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD APPROVE OE 6.1 TO OE 6.8 FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION.

SECOND BY MR. CARLTON DALLAS.

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.

ANY OPPOSITION? SAY NAY.

AND ANY ABSTENTION? MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.

NEXT ITEM.

MS. CROSBY AND STAFF PRESENTED THE NUTRI UH, THE NUTRITION GROUP PRESENTED OE 18 FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES, OE 18 FOOD AND NUTRITION HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE FOOD AND NUTRITION? THIS IS THE TIME TO ASK DR.

I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BUT I DON'T SEE OE 18 ON THE AGENDA, ON CONSENT AGENDA.

EXCUSE ME.

UH, BUT, BUT I THINK WE CERTAINLY COULD MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE IT DURING YOUR REPORT.

LET'S, LET'S, UH, MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE E 18 FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES.

A SECOND BY MR. CARLTON DALLAS.

ANY, UH, ALL RIGHT.

READY TO VOTE? ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.

ANY NAYS? AND IN ANY ABSTENTIONS.

SO THE MOTION CARRIES 10 0 1.

NOW, MADAM CHAIR, UH, ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT HAPPENED AT THAT COMMITTEE REPORT OR DURING THAT COMMITTEE MEETING WAS WE WERE, I WAS PRESENTED.

GOTTA TAKE A LOOK AT ADVANCED COPY, AND YOU ALL WILL GET A COPY TONIGHT.

OF A APPROVED GENERAL FUND BUDGET FISCAL YEAR 23.

24.

THIS ABSOLUTELY SUPERB PRODUCT IS SOMETHING THAT WE, ANYTIME WE GO OUT AND SPEAK TO, UH, OUR CONSTITUENTS TAKE ALONG YOUR COPY OF THIS, BECAUSE ANY QUESTION THEY WILL ASK YOU ABOUT WHAT THINGS COST.

THIS IS BY SCHOOL.

IT TALKS ABOUT YOUR STUDENT, UH, LOAD IN THE SCHOOL.

IT TALKS ABOUT YOUR FACULTY STUDENT RATIO.

IT TALKS ABOUT THE COST FOR EACH SCHOOL, AND WHERE, WHERE ARE THEY COPIES.

, PLEASE, PLEASE COME UP AND BRING THEM AND GIVE THEM TO EACH BOARD MEMBER.

COME ON, BECAUSE THESE, THIS IS, THIS IS GOLD HERE, FOLKS.

ABSOLUTELY.

WONDERFUL JOB.

THIS HAS NOT BEEN DONE FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND I THINK ONCE YOU LOOK THROUGH THIS, IT'S GONNA MAKE, REALLY GIVE YOU A EXCELLENT IDEA ABOUT THE, THE, UH, DISTRICT

[01:00:01]

AS A WHOLE.

DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS YOU WANNA MAKE ABOUT THIS BOOK? YES.

UM, I, UH, THIS IS A TREMENDOUS EFFORT.

UM, MS. HAMLIN HERE IS THE DIRECTOR OF BUDGET PROCUREMENT, AND SHE TOOK ON THE, THE CHALLENGE THIS YEAR.

COME STAND WITH ME, PLEASE.

, UH, OF, UH, PREPARING THIS BOOK.

SHE MADE A LOT OF MODIFICATIONS TO IT BECAUSE WE HAD NOT SUBMITTED FOR THE GFOA BUDGET PREPARATION AWARD IN 10 YEARS, SEVERAL YEARS.

UH, WE HAD HAD IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS, UM, ABOUT 10.

AND THEN FOR THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE DID NOT SUBMIT BECAUSE THEY CHANGED THE REQUIREMENTS TO INCLUDE A LOT OF PERFORMANCE-BASED MANAGEMENT, A LOT OF RESULTS, A LOT OF DATA, UH, AND WE DIDN'T HAVE THE STAFFING, THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO DO WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO WITH HER ON BOARD.

SHE TOOK ON THAT TASK PROVIDED, WORKED WITH THE INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES DIVISION, UM, NICK FLOWERS, HUMAN RESOURCES, VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS, AND IS ABLE TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE AWARD, UM, PREPARATION.

SO IT'S A GREAT DOCUMENT, HAS A LOT OF INFORMATION.

AND, UH, WE WILL BE SUBMITTING, HAVE SUBMITTED FOR THE AWARD THIS YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A NUMBER OF YEARS.

SO, UH, VERY PROUD OF THE TEAM.

AND IT'S ALL, UH, IT, IT, I TOO LOVE THE DOCUMENT 'CAUSE IT'S A ONE-STOP SHOPPING.

YOU CAN FIND EVERYTHING THERE, SO IT'S GREAT.

CAN I HAVE A COPY, PLEASE? ? I'M SO SORRY.

MR. DALLAS.

ANYTHING BLANK, BECAUSE IF THAT MESSES UP THE, UH, THE OVERALL PRODUCT, THEN ONCE YOU'VE DONE THAT, THAT'LL BE THE, ROBIN WILL CONSOLIDATE THAT AND SAY, OKAY, ON THIS FIRST CUT, HERE'S NUMBER, NUMBER ONE, NUMBER TWO, NUMBER THREE, HOWEVER MANY PRIORITIES YOU IDENTIFY.

I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THE, UM, THE PERFORMANCE AND THE HARD WORK THAT'S EXHIBITED AND SHOWN BY THE COMMITTEE, AS WELL AS THE, UH, WHOLE CFO GROUP IS VERY REASSURING WHEN IT COMES TO THE FINANCIAL OPERATION, FISCAL DISCIPLINE, WHICH HELPS US IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

AND I THINK THIS IS A SUPERB DOCUMENT.

IT JOINS THE PROPERTY, UH, THE OPERATIONS GROUP, AND THEIR TWO DOCUMENTS, AND THEY ARE THE BIBLES OR, YEAH, THE QURAN, OR WHATEVER YOU WANT CALL IT, RIGHT? .

SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.

MM-HMM, .

AND IT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE.

UH, IF YOU, IF YOU JUST SEARCH ON BUDGET, YOU'LL FIND YOUR WAY THERE TO THE BUDGET BOOK FOR THIS YEAR.

SO, LASTLY, MADAM CHAIR, WE'VE GIVEN A PROPOSED SUGGESTIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBERS BUDGET PRIORITIES.

AS YOU RECALL, THE BOARD DECIDED THAT WE SHOULD PROVIDE THE SUPERINTENDENT WITH BOARD BUDGET PRIORITIES AS HE GOES THROUGH HIS ANNUAL BUDGET PROCESS.

THAT'S STARTING IN JANUARY.

THIS IS A PROPOSED WAY OF DOING IT.

UM, BASICALLY THERE'S A FORMAT THAT SAYS YOU GIVE TO ROBIN BY, I GOTTA PUT A, PUT A SUSPENSE IN THERE BY THE 21ST OF DECEMBER, YOUR BUDGET PRIORITIES, NOT NECESSARILY IN ORDER, JUST WHAT YOUR BUDGET PRIORITIES ARE.

AND I WILL TELL YOU, IF YOU WANNA HAVE A GOOD IDEA WHERE TO FIND THEM, UH, GO TO THIS BOOK AND, AND YOU WILL, UH, PROBABLY HAVE SOME THINGS THAT YOU'LL WANT TO ADD AS A PRIORITY, THAT THERE'S A RECOMMENDATIONS THAT THE PRIORITY THAT YOU IDENTIFY DO NOT SUGGEST.

DO NOT SUGGEST SPECIFIC BUDGET AMOUNTS OR SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS AND POSITIONS.

A POSSIBLE FORMAT FOR YOU TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR BUDGET PRIORITIES IS IDENTIFY NEW PROGRAMS FOR NEW FUNDING.

IDENTIFY EXISTING PROGRAMS FOR INCREASED FUNDING.

IDENTIFY EXISTING FUNDING OR EXISTING PROGRAMS FOR SUSTAINED FUNDING.

KEEP THE SAME BUDGET AS THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

IDENTIFY EXISTING FUNDING OR REDUCE FUNDING IN THIS COMING BUDGET.

OWN AND IDENTIFY EXISTING FUNDING FOR TERMINATION FROM THE EXISTING BUDGET.

SO IF YOU CAN JUST WRITE IT OUT, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ANY PARTICULAR FORMAT.

JUST GIVE A LIST TO ROBIN, UH, BY THE 19TH, AND SHE WILL TAKE THAT LIST AND PUT IT ON A SPREADSHEET AND NO PARTICULAR ORDER.

AND THEN WE'LL ASK YOU TO MARK EACH ITEM ON THERE WITH YOUR PRIORITY.

IN OTHER WORDS, IDENTIFY YOUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, MARK IT ON YOUR PART OF THE SPREADSHEET, YOUR NUMBER TWO, NUMBER THREE, NUMBER FOUR, PLEASE GIVE A PRIORITY FOR EVERYTHING ON THAT LIST.

DON'T LEAVE

[01:05:01]

AND THEN WE'LL ASK DR. RODRIGUEZ, WITHOUT SEEING ALL THESE PRIORITIES YOU NEEDED TO KEEP THIS TO YOURSELVES AND TO ROBIN, WE'LL ASK DR. RODRIGUEZ AT OUR NINE, UH, JANUARY BOARD MEETING TO GIVE US HIS PRIORITIES.

WE'LL HAVE A DISCUSSION ON THE AGENDA FOR THAT MEETING.

YOU'LL LEAVE THAT MEETING AND YOU'LL GO BACK AND DO A FINAL CUT BASED ON THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE HAD OF HIS GROUP BASED ON LOOKING AT DR.

RODRIGUEZ'S PRIORITIES.

AND DO THE PROCESS AGAIN, MARK ALL THE PRIORITIES THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR, UH, PRIORITY LIST, AND THEN WE'LL ADD 'EM ALL UP.

AND THE ONE THAT HAS THE LOWEST NUMBER, THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, NUMBER TWO, NUMBER THREE, NUMBER FOUR, NUMBER FIVE, ALL THE WAY DOWN THE LIST.

IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT PROCESS OR ANY SUGGESTIONS OF DOING IT DIFFERENTLY? MR. SMITH, UM, I LET FUSS OFF BY SAYING I DO APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE INITIATIVE TO HELPING THE BOARD ALONG AND ADA ALONG THIS, ALONG WITH THIS, UM, THIS PROCESS.

BECAUSE THIS IS A TEDIOUS PROCESS AND VERY INTENSE, AND IT'S, UH, TAKES A LOT OF BEING INTENTIONAL AND THINKING, BUT MY ONLY CONCERN IS FROM LISTENING TO IT, FROM LISTENING TO YOU ANALYZE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT ONE NIGHT, BUT THEN IT SEEMS LIKE HOW MANY TIMES DO WE COME TOGETHER AS A BOARD, IS MY CONCERN, AND TO DISCUSS THIS, BECAUSE IN MY PRIOR YEARS ON THE BOARD, I THINK IT'S VERY INTENTIONAL THAT WE DISCUSS AND WE, AND WE WASTE SOME OF THESE OPTIONS.

I MEAN, WE WASTE SOME OF THESE BUDGET CONCERNS TOGETHER AS A UNIT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE SAYING.

FIRST IS JUST WRITING IT DOWN AND SAYING, HEY, THIS IS WILD.

THIS IS WHERE IT LINED UP AT.

BECAUSE IT MAY LINE UP THERE, BUT WHEN YOU GET INTO IT AND YOU, AND YOU LOOK, AND WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT AS THOUGH SOMETIMES WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING A CAR, YOU MAY SEE IN THE MIRROR, SAY, IT MAY SAY THAT THINGS MAY APPEAR CLOSER THAN WHAT THEY REALLY ARE.

SO WHEN WE COME UP WITH THAT LIST, WE MAY HAVE THAT SITUATION.

AND IN MY PRIOR YEARS, AND WE HAVE, WE HAVE DISCUSSED THAT WITH STAFF AND WITH EACH OTHER, AND WE WERE ABLE TO IRON OUT THOSE KINKS.

SO THAT'S WHAT MY CONCERN IS, THAT IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THE LAST MEETING, I MEAN LIKE, LIKE, LIKE, LIKE THIS PRESENTS THAT OPPORTUNITY.

IT'S MUCH MY, IT'S MY, THAT THAT'S WHAT THE, WHAT WILL BE DONE AT THE, UH, JANUARY 9TH MEETING, RIGHT? WHEN YOU HAVE THE FIRST CUT, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT DISCUSSION TO TALK ABOUT WHY I THINK THAT THIS PRIORITY OUGHT TO BE HIGHER.

OKAY? AND IF YOU CONVINCE THE BOARD ON THAT AND THEY MARK IT UP AGAIN, IT'LL BE BROUGHT UP.

AND THEN OF COURSE, THE FINAL CUT WILL COME AT THE SECOND MEETING IN JANUARY, AND THERE CAN BE ANOTHER DISCUSSION.

BUT IT GIVES YOU A START OF A DISCUSSION FOR PRIORITIES.

IT'S NOT AN END.

AND I, I AGREE WITH YOUR CONCERN, BUT IT GIVES US A START FOR A VERY COMPLEX RIGHT.

PRO PROCESS.

RIGHT? BUT IT'S A START AND MAKE IT EASIER.

THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT.

NEXT UP WE HAVE THE LEGISLATIVE REPORT FROM CHAIR EARL CAMPBELL.

OVER THESE, SEE WHETHER YOU AGREE WITH THIS NOT, AND THEN BRING YOUR RECOMMENDATION BACK.

UM, WE HELD A LEGISLATIVE, UM, MEETING, MEETING ON THE 5TH OF DECEMBER, AND WE GOT AN UPDATE FROM MRS. LYNN STOKES ON SOME BILLS THAT IN THE HOUSE AND IN THE SENATE.

UH, THE HOUSE IS GONNA BE DISCUSSING ABOUT TALK ABOUT 10 BILLS, AND THE SENATE IS THREE.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MRS. SMITH MENTIONED ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, I THINK, UH, THAT IS GOING DOWN THE DRAIN AND THEY'RE NOT GONNA APPROVE IT.

STATE IS NOT GONNA APPROVE THAT.

SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT, WHAT WE NEED TO DO.

THE OTHER THING IS THE STATE NOW WANT TO TAKE OVER THE SOUTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE.

UH, THAT'LL BE BY THE GOVERNOR AND THE, AND THE, UH, LEGISLATORS AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

SO, UM, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT WE DISCUSSED.

ALSO, THE BILLS, YOU HAVE A COPY OF THIS IN YOUR PACKET.

SO WHAT I WOULD ASK YOU TO DO IS TO GO

[01:10:01]

THAT'S ALL I HAVE.

YOU ARE ALWAYS SUCCINCT, DARYL .

NEXT UP WE HAVE OPERATIONS REPORTING.

UM, CHAIR, UH, COLONEL GEIER, MADAM CHAIR, ON NOVEMBER 29TH, THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MET.

THE FIRST ITEM WAS, UH, DR.

CANDACE BERGEN PROVIDED SEVERAL OES, WHICH HAVE BEEN PLACED ON THE CONSENTS AGENDA.

E ONE, GLOBAL OPERATIONAL EXPECTATION, OE THREE, TREATMENT OF STAKEHOLDERS, OE 10 COMMUNICATION WITH THE BOARD, AND OE 11 COMMUNICATION WITH THE PUBLIC.

UH, THERE'S A VERY GOOD PRESENTATION.

UH, THE COMMITTEE VOTED UNANIMOUSLY FOR APPROVAL, AND THEREFORE, UH, PUT IT IN THE CONSENT AGENDA.

AND I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION.

WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT THERE YET.

IT'S GOOD.

NEXT, UH, MS. UH, ALICE WALTON AND HER HR STAFF, I WILL HAVE TO SAY IN MY FIVE YEARS ON THE BOARD, GAVE US THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE, CLEAR AND CONCISE REPORT THAT I HAVE SEEN.

AND, UM, HER PERSONNEL HAVE DONE A MAGNIFICENT JOB, UH, PUTTING DOWN IN, IN WRITING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT ARE ROCK SOLID.

AND THE, THE COMMITTEE, UH, ANYBODY ELSE IN THE COMMITTEE WANNA COMMENT ON THAT? MR. SMITH, YOU HAD SOME THINGS TO SAY.

UH, YES, SIR.

I, I WILL SAY THAT, UM, I WILL DEFINITELY DITTLE EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID JUST TO ADD TO IT.

UM, MRS. ONE THING ABOUT MRS. WAL, I DO APPRECIATE WHEN HER AND HER TEAM COME IN.

THEY COME IN LIKE, LIKE THE, UH, MOB .

BUT, UM, MOST IMPORTANTLY, EVERYBODY HAS THEIR STRATEGICALLY, THEIR STRATEGIC THING TO WHAT THEY'RE GONNA PRESENT AND SAY.

AND YOU, WHEN YOU WALK IN, IT'S JUST LIKE IT HEARD.

THIS MEETING IS DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER MEETING BECAUSE YOU WALK IN AND YOU'RE LIKE, WHO, WHERE ALL THESE PEOPLE COME FROM? BUT ONCE, ONCE, YOU KNOW MS. WALTON AND HOW SHE BRINGS HER TEAM IN, THEN HER TEAM COMES IN AND THEY PRETTY MUCH PRESENT EACH AND EVERY DEPARTMENT, AND THEY BREAK IT DOWN TO THE SIMPLEST DEGREE SO THAT ANYONE CAN UNDERSTAND.

AND IT'S NOT REALLY A MICROWAVEABLE, IT'S NOT A MICROWAVEABLE SESSION.

IT'S A VERY INTENSE, UH, METHODIC, UH, VERY, IT IS, IT IS VERY, IT IS VERY INFORMATIVE.

I THINK THAT ALL BOARD MEMBERS POSSIBLY SHOULD GO BACK AND WATCH THAT MEETING, BECAUSE ANY QUESTION THAT YOU, THAT YOU WOULD'VE POSSIBLY HAVE FOR HR, THAT, THAT THAT'S IN THESE ALWAYS, IT WILL DEFINITELY TELL YOU.

AND SO I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE IT AS MUCH.

COLONEL GUY, I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE, APPRECIATED HER AND HER ORGANIZATION AND HER CREW THAT, UH, THAT THE, UH, THE INFAMOUS, UH, UH, A A, A HR MOB, BUT, UM, IT'S JUST ALL JOKES AND THE FUN.

BUT, UM, AND I, AND WAY I GOT THAT FROM, I REMEMBER ONE TIME WHEN THEY FIRST, ONCE THEY FIRST CAME TO US, UH, AS COLONEL GUY GOT ON BOARD OUT, IT WAS DAVID SSRI WAS A CHAIR OF US AT THE TIME, AND MR. AND, UH, DAVID SAID, UM, HE SAID, UM, WILL, YOU MIGHT WANNA GO TO THE BATHROOM.

HE SAID, I'M GONNA GO TOO.

I SAID, I SAID, UH, WHY? HE SAID, OH, THIS ONE AIN'T GONNA BE QUICK .

I SAID, WHY? HE SAID, OH, IT'S GOING WHEN SHE COME, IT'S GONNA BE A GANG OF PEOPLE COMING IN.

HE SAYS THE WHOLE, THE WHOLE, UH, TEAM IS COMING.

THAT'S WHY WE HAD THIS, THIS, THIS DAY FOR HER.

AND EVER SINCE THEN, I'VE ALWAYS HAD A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF RESPECT FOR THE, THE HR TEAM WHEN THEY BRING IN THAT INFORMATION THAT THEY BOUGHT.

AND SO I APPRECIATE HER AND HER TEAM AS WELL.

THEY DO THAT TO ME ALSO, .

BUT I'M STILL SPEECHLESS.

I WOULD, I DID ASK THOUGH THAT, UH, MS. WALTON COME UP AND GIVE THE BOARD, SHOW A SLIDE, ONE SLIDE THAT SHE SHOWED.

SLIDE 32, CLIMATE AND COMPENSATION.

MS. WALTON, COULD YOU COME UP AND GIVE THAT TO US, PLEASE? GOOD AFTERNOON, BOY.

GOOD AFTERNOON, COLONEL.

GUY.

I, I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE THE SLIDE.

MOLLY, DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE THAT THE LAST ONE? WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR THAT? MM-HMM.

, UM, MS. WALTON AND HER TEAM, THEY DID, THEY BLEW US OUT THE WATER.

I THINK.

UM, MR. DALLAS DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A QUESTION.

, UH, IT WAS AWESOME TO SEE ALL OF THEM IN THAT ROOM AND TO PUT ON THAT SPECTACULAR, UH, PRESENTATION.

WE APPRECIATE ALL THE COMMITTEES, ALL THE, ALL OF YOU WHO COME BEFORE US,

[01:15:01]

I APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU ALL DID THAT NIGHT.

IT WAS A WELL PRESENTED PRESENTATION.

AND WHERE'S YOUR SCARF, ? I LEFT IT IN MY OFFICE.

ALRIGHT.

THE SLIDE IS UP.

UM, COLONEL GAIA, THIS AND BOARD MEMBERS, THIS REALLY TALKS ABOUT OUR EMPLOYEES AND HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT US AND HOW THEY SEE US AS A DISTRICT AND HOW WE SUPPORT THEM.

AND THIS REALLY, UH, LOOKS AT ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT.

THIS IS OUR FALL SURVEY THAT WE DID WITH OUR EMPLOYEES.

AND IT TALKS ABOUT HOW THEY BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A GOOD PLACE TO WORK, HOW WE CARE FOR THEM FROM THE BOARD DOWN TO DISTRICT LEVEL STAFF, AS WELL AS PRINCIPALS IN THE BUILDING.

THEY TALKED ABOUT THE COMPENSATION AND HOW MUCH THAT MEANT TO THEM AND HOW THEY FEEL SAFE GOING TO WORK EVERY DAY.

SO IT REALLY IS AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE DO, WHAT YOU ALLOW US TO DO AS A BOARD, WHAT YOU PROVIDE FOR US IN TERMS OF FINANCES THAT WE ARE ABLE TO COMPENSATE OUR SAL, OUR OUR STAFF WITH IN TERMS OF SALARIES, HOW IT REALLY HAS PAID OFF FOR US.

AND THIS SLIDE JUST REALLY SHOWS THE GROWTH FROM ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT.

YEP.

, MR. DALLAS HEARD WITH ALL THE GREAT SENTIMENTS.

JUST WANTED TO, UH, CONFIRM THAT.

AND AL AND ALSO I SEE MR. UH, CAVE IS IN THE BACK AND HE WAS DEFINITELY A PART OF THAT.

I JUST WANTED TO, UH, RECOGNIZE HIM AND, AND, AND TELL HIM THAT WE, WE APPRECIATED HIM BECAUSE AT THE, UH, COMMITTEE LEVEL, WE DID GET, WE DID GIVE HIM A COMPLIMENT THAT WE COULD TELL THAT PEOPLE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS A DISTRICT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR.

AND, AND, AND, AND, AND THE, AND, UM, EXCUSE ME, MY TONGUE GOT TIED THAT WE DO HAVE A DIFF A DISTRICT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR ON STAFF.

AND WE THANK DR. RODRIGUEZ AND MRS. WALTON FOR THAT.

UM, AND TO HELPING US TAKE OUR TO, TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

SO WE DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT.

THAT HAS BEEN NOTICES FROM EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY.

MADAM CHAIR, THAT COMPLETES MY REPORT.

THANK YOU KINDLY.

NEXT UP WE HAVE, UH, POLICY REPORTING CHAIR DR.

THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.

I WILL EMBARK TO BE BRIEF, UM, POLICY COMMITTEE, MATT, ON DECEMBER 4TH.

AND, UH, WE HAVE TWO RECOMMENDED ITEMS COMING FORWARD TODAY.

I'M GONNA MAKE THE MOTION AND THEN WE CAN ENTER INTO DISCUSSION ON THEM.

UM, SO POLICY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THE MOTION TO ADD TO THE BYLAWS OF THE HEALTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE UNDER ROMAN NUMERAL THREE, ITEM D NOMINATION AND MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATION IS SUBJECT TO BEAUFORT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICIES AND BCSD ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS, C REGULATION, HRS SIX, STAFF ETHICS.

DO WE HAVE A SECOND, MR. DALLAS? SO, UH, THIS WAS BROUGHT FORWARD, UH, TO THE POLICY COMMITTEE.

UM, I BELIEVE BECAUSE THERE WAS CLARIFICATION SOUGHT ON THE BYLAWS AND THE SELECTION PROCESS FROM THE ACADEMICS COMMITTEE.

'CAUSE I BELIEVE THAT WE ALREADY HAVE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR SELECTION OF MEMBERS ON COMMITTEES AND ETHICS THAT WE ALL FOLLOW.

UM, SO THESE BYLAWS SHOULD BE NO DIFFERENT.

AND THAT WAS A MOTION.

ANY, UH, NOS AND ANY ABSTENTIONS? YEAH, I'M GONNA ABSTAINED.

THE MOTION CARRIES 10 0 1.

THE SECOND MOTION, UH, RECOMMENDED MOTION WAS TO ADD THE WORD, UM, IT'S ACTUALLY WORDS AND ONLINE TO POLICY GC TWO ROMAN NUMERAL TWO RULES FOR BOARD MEETINGS.

UM, I'LL PAUSE THERE AND GET A SECOND AND THEN GET MORE.

SECOND WAS BY MS. BOATWRIGHT.

SO AS SOME OF YOU MAY RECALL, UM, WE HAD A MOTION, I, I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT DATE HANDY TO ME, BUT A MOTION FOR US TO MOVE TO AN ONLINE FORM OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT CARD, UM, SO THAT PEOPLE COULD SUBMIT AN ONLINE FORM, UH, TO US AS OPPOSED TO THE EMAIL PROCESS THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.

UH, AND WE, THIS IS OUR ATTEMPT AT CODIFYING THAT INTO OUR EXISTING POLICIES.

'CAUSE RIGHT NOW OUR EXISTING POLICIES REFERENCE UP PHYSICAL, PUBLIC COMMENT CARD.

, BUT NOT THE ELECTRONIC FORM.

UM, SO WE ARE LOOKING TO ADD THE WORD AND ONLINE INTO THAT POLICY.

HANG ON.

UM, 'CAUSE I BELIEVE IN THE DRAFT THAT WE HAVE HERE, IT ONLY HAS IT IN ONE PLACE.

TRYING TO GET THE, IT WAS GC TWO.

IT WAS GC TWO, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I READ IT JUST FOR INTO THE RECORD TO MAKE SURE IT'S CORRECT.

[01:20:01]

IT SHOULD TECHNICALLY BE THERE IN TWO PLACES.

SO I'LL READ IT OUT LOUD.

UM, SO RULES FOR BOARD MEETINGS PARTICIPANTS MUST ITEM A READ AND FULLY COMPLETE A PUBLIC COMMENT CARD AND SUBMIT IT TO THE BOARD'S.

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT PUBLIC COMMENT CARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE BOARD'S MEETING SITE AND ONLINE BEGINNING ONE HOUR BEFORE THE SCHEDULED BOARD MEETING, OPEN SESSION MEETING BEGINS.

IF THERE IS NO SCHEDULED EXECUTIVE SESSION AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BOARD MEETING, PUBLIC COMMENT CARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE BOARD'S MEETING SITE AND ONLINE 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE MEETING.

THIS IS SIMPLY MAKING IT, UM, FIRM IN OUR POLICIES THAT WE HAVE THAT ONLINE PROCESS.

NOW, UM, I BELIEVE EVERYBODY HAS SEEN THAT ONLINE FORM.

WE DISCUSSED IT ALSO AT POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING.

AND THAT IS THE MOTION.

AND MS. BOATWRIGHT WAS THE SECOND ON THAT ONE.

UM, ARE YOU COMING FROM, WERE YOU JUST READING FROM PAGE NINE? NO, THAT'S PAGE 13 OF 76 IN OUR POLICY MANUAL.

AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS ON MY PRINTOUT HERE.

IT'S IN RED, I BELIEVE IN THE PRINTED VERSION THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW.

AND I WAS JUST CLARIFYING THAT THE AND ONLINE VERBIAGE SHOULD BE IN THERE TWICE.

YES, MA'AM.

I GOT IT.

ALSO.

UM, SO IN PUTTING ANNE ONLINE, WHAT, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE WE ACTUALLY, WHAT, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE WE CHANGE? WHAT ARE WE CHANGING? SO RIGHT NOW, THE WAY THAT PARTICIPANTS CAN SUBMIT A PUBLIC COMMENT REQUEST IS VIA EMAIL, RIGHT? AND WE HAVE THAT ON OUR AGENDA.

BUT WE TOOK, UM, ACTION AS A BOARD TO APPROVE MOVING TO AN ONLINE, UM, SUBMISSION PROCESS.

SO THERE WILL BE A LINK THAT'S AVAILABLE TO INDIVIDUALS THAT'LL BE PERMANENTLY HOUSED ON OUR WEBSITE.

UM, AND ALSO PRINTED, UH, FOR INDIVIDUALS TO GO TO THAT LINK, FILL IT OUT DURING THE APPROPRIATE PERIOD.

UM, AND THEN THAT WILL NOTIFY STAFF THAT THERE IS SOMEONE THAT HAS AN ONLINE PUBLIC COMMENT CARD AS OPPOSED TO THE EMAIL PROCESS.

SO RIGHT NOW, THERE'S NO POLICY FOR EVEN THE EMAIL PROCESS AS IT EXISTS.

VICTOR NAY.

ARE WE READY TO, UH, TO USE THE, THE, UH, ONLINE FORUM? I MEAN, IS THAT READY FOR USE? MY UNDERSTANDING IS YES.

CRICKET.

WE TALKED ABOUT IT IN POLICY.

WE SAW IT IN POLICY, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS ALSO MADE AVAILABLE TO THE FULL BOARD AT A PRIOR EXECUTIVE SESSION, MAYBE WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, UM, PUBLIC COMMENT.

CAN YOU TALK AGAIN, MIKE? WE CAN'T HEAR YOU.

YOU HAVE PEOPLE LISTENING IN .

CAN I GET TWO SECONDS? OKAY.

UM, YEAH, IT CAME FORWARD.

IT'S ALL SET UP.

THERE'S STILL SOME, I THINK, ADDITIONAL THINGS TO BE HAMMERED UP, BUT THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCT OF THE FORM IS A JOT FORM IS AVAILABLE.

IT WAS BROUGHT FORWARD WITH THE PUBLIC POLICY COMMENT THAT WAS VOTED DOWN AT OUR WORK SESSION.

BUT THE MOTION TO ADD THE ONLINE PUBLIC COMMENT WAS A SEPARATE MOTION.

I THINK WE'RE READY TO VOTE.

ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE SAY AYE.

OPPOSED? ABSTENTIONS.

THE MOTION CARRIES UNANIMOUSLY.

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING FURTHER, DR.

WISNESKI? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

NEXT REPORTING WE HAVE, UH, TECHNOLOGY CHAIR INGRID BOATWRIGHT.

I LIKE THAT WE GO FROM ONLINE, ADDING ONLINE RIGHT INTO TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE.

UM, I'M JUST GONNA GIVE A BRIEF REPORT.

WE DON'T HAVE ANY ACTION COMING OUT OF TECHNOLOGY.

WHAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THE LAST SEVERAL MEETINGS IS REALLY GETTING AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOFTWARE THAT'S USED IN THE DISTRICT.

UM, AND THEY'VE ADDED SOME INFORMATION IN TERMS OF THE COST.

AND I THINK IT'S WORTH FOR THE BOARD TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS AND SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS WE HAVE, ALL THE DIFFERENT PRODUCTS WE HAVE AVAILABLE, HOW MUCH THEY'RE COSTING.

UH, THE CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD, I THOUGHT WAS A GREAT CONVERSATION.

IT REALLY REVOLVED AROUND, UM, UTILIZATION AND BASICALLY HOW WE EVALUATE SOFTWARE.

UH, SO, UH, LIKE I SAID, I THINK THAT, UM, WE HAVE A FUTURE TOPIC COMING UP.

WE'RE GONNA HAVE MS. KY COME AND TALK ABOUT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

'CAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF THERE IS LOWER UTILIZATION.

IS THAT BECAUSE THE SOFTWARE IS NOT, UH, LIKED BY THE DISTRICT? IS IT OR THE STAFF? IS IT BECAUSE OF IMPLEMENTATION? IS IT A LACK OF TRAINING? UM, SO THE NEXT THING WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT IS HOW WE TRAIN.

ONCE WE BUY SOFTWARE, WE IMPLEMENT IT.

HOW DO WE TRAIN STAFF SO THAT WE'RE GETTING MAXIMUM UTILIZATION OUT OF IT? SO WHAT I WOULD JUST SAY TO THE BOARD IN TERMS OF THE CONVERSATION WE HAD, THEY'RE INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS.

THEY DO HAVE A LOT OF IMPACT ON THE DAY-TO-DAY LIVES OF STUDENTS.

AND, UM,

[01:25:01]

I THINK IT'S WORTH, UH, PURSUING LOOKING AT HOW WE UTILIZE SOFTWARE AND HOW FULLY WE UTILIZE IT.

'CAUSE I DO THINK THAT WE PROBABLY COULD BE MAXIMIZING OUR SOFTWARE A LITTLE BIT MORE.

UM, WE ARE GONNA HAVE ALSO, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE IN THE NEXT MEETING, UH, FOLLOW UP CONVERSATION ABOUT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING ON SOFTWARE AND AS WELL AS WHAT COURSES THAT WE OFFER TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PARTICULAR IN TERMS OF TRAINING PEOPLE OR EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT, UH, TECHNOLOGY.

SO THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL I WANNA SAY.

THANK YOU VICTOR.

NAY.

UH, I WAS LOOKING AT THE STUDENT DAMAGE REPORT.

UH, OKAY.

SO OUT OF OUR 21,000 AND CHANGE STUDENTS, UH, WE HAVE 6,800, UH, STUDENTS OR SO THAT ARE BROKEN LCD SCREENS, UM, OF WHICH IT'S ABOUT A THOUSAND OR 1800 OF THEM ARE REPEAT.

SO WE'RE TALKING 5,000.

SO LIKE 25% OF OUR COMPUTERS ARE COMING UP WITH BROKEN SCREENS.

IS IT STILL COST EFFECTIVE TO HAVE A LOWER QUALITY COMPUTER WHERE WE HAVE TO CONSTANTLY FIX THE SCREENS? OR SHOULD WE LOOK AT A BETTER QUALITY COMPUTER? WELL, INTERESTINGLY, UM, AND YOU KNOW, THE FIRST ONE'S FREE.

UM, AND THE SECOND ONE, UH, THE FAMILY ACTUALLY HAS TO PAY.

AND SO ONE PIECE OF INFORMATION WE HAD ASKED FOR THEM TO BRING BACK TO US, UM, IF THE FAMILY IS UNABLE TO PAY, THEY ARE GIVEN, I FORGET THE TERM, BUT THEY ARE GIVEN HELP FROM THE DISTRICT.

UM, BUT I DO KNOW THAT IT'S, I THINK IT'S SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS TO REPLACE AN LCD.

UM, BUT ACTUALLY IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE WE HAVE THE HIGHER END COMPUTER, UH, THAT IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE MORE, UH, ABUSE.

AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS IS TO MAYBE SHOULD WE GO TO A CHEAPER COMPUTER THAT DOESN'T HAVE SUCH AN EXPENSIVE LCD? UH, WE HAVE THE, UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF MR. JOHAN'S ONLINE, 'CAUSE I CAN'T REMEMBER.

IT'S THE, UH, THE VERSION THAT'S MADE FOR K THROUGH 12 SCHOOLS THAT'S SUPPOSED TO TAKE MORE ABUSE.

UM, BUT IT IS AN EXPENSIVE COMPONENT TO REPAIR.

SO THAT IS THE CONVERSATION.

THEY'RE GONNA COME BACK AND LET US KNOW, LIKE HOW BIG A BURDEN IS THIS PLACED ON FAMILIES.

WE DID HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT CHROMEBOOKS, WHICH ARE PRETTY UBIQUITOUS IN SCHOOL DISTRICT ENVIRONMENTS THAT ARE MUCH IN, UH, MUCH CHEAPER.

BUT I WILL SAY IT'S A DIFFERENT OPERATING SYSTEM.

UM, CHROME IS GOING THROUGH SOME CHANGES WITH, UH, DATA PRIVACY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE THAT ARE MAKING IT A LITTLE BIT LESS USER-FRIENDLY.

SO WE HAD THAT KIND OF INITIAL DISCUSSION AND THAT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE KIND OF KEEPING OUR EYE ON AND THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE, UM, BECAUSE WE DID, WE HAD A THOUSAND AND SOME STUDENTS WHO WERE GONNA BE ON THE HOOK FOR EXPENSIVE REPAIRS.

SO, UM, THAT IS AN ONGOING DISCUSSION.

DR.

OSINSKI.

THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.

UM, MY QUESTION, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS WENT INTO THIS, IS ON THE HARDWARE TICKETS AND THE BROKEN SCREENS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

DO YOU HAVE IT BROKEN DOWN BY GRADE LEVEL, OR NOT GRADE LEVEL, BUT EVEN ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE HIGH? WE DO HAVE IT BROKEN DOWN.

NOT ON THIS REPORT, BUT ON THE PREVIOUS REPORT WE HAD IT BROKEN DOWN.

AND BY FAR THEY WANT TO GUESS ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, REALLY BY FAR MIDDLE SCHOOL.

AND THIS MAY BE UNPOPULAR OPINION, I'M NOT REALLY SURE WHY OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE TAKING THEIR TABLETS HOME.

UM, SO ALL OF THOSE, ANY OF THE ELEMENTARY ONES IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, CAN BE REMOVED IF WE, IF WE REMOVE THAT.

MY ELEMENTARY KIDS ARE NOT DOING WORK ON THEIR TABLETS AT HOME.

THEY'RE READING, YOU KNOW, AND THAT, AND THAT'S GREAT, AND I DO APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, SO THERE IS A BALANCE TO, TO DECIDE THERE.

AND I KNOW WE DO LET PARENTS DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT THEIR KIDS TO TAKE 'EM HOME.

AND THEY DO PAY A FEE FOR THAT TOO, I BELIEVE.

UM, BUT THAT IS INTERESTING THAT IT'S MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, LIKE ALMOST ALL OF IT.

REALLY.

WE HAVE, WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO SOME OF THE OTHER DISTRICTS IN OUR AREA, UM, TO ASK FOR SOME OF THEIR DAMAGED DATA.

ACTUALLY, WHEN NOT, WHAT I WOULD'VE THOUGHT, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THE, THE, THE LEVEL BAND OF GRADES WITH THE SMALLEST NUMBER OF GRADES IS IN YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOL.

SO, BUT THEY ALSO HAPPEN TO ACCOUNT FOR THE MAJORITY PARENTS.

THAT'S THE TOUGH YEARS, YOU KNOW? YEAH.

AND IT MAKES SENSE.

LITTLE SCHOOL YEARS, TOUGH YEARS.

THINK BACK , YOU GOT ONE THOSE WELL, AND THEY'RE GOING TO SPORTING EVENTS AND THROWING 'EM IN THE GYM AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE STARTING TO GET INTO THAT.

SO, ALL RIGHT, MR. DALLAS.

YEAH, I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MR. CHOHAN, UH, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE COMMITTEE CHAIR AND THE REST OF THE PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATED, HAS DONE A GOOD JOB OF GIVING US DATA THAT WE CAN ANALYZE AND CAUSE THIS SECOND LAYER OF QUESTIONS TO BE POSED BEFORE WE COULDN'T ASK THOSE THINGS.

AND SO PART OF THE, THE, THE EFFORT WAS TO PROVIDE VISIBILITY OF THE COST, THE UTILIZATION, WHERE THE PROBLEMS MAY BE SO THAT EVERY LEVEL WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT CAN DRILL DOWN AND START ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS BEFORE THEY GET TO THE BOARD AND PROVIDE ANSWERS.

SO, UH, KUDOS TO MR. CHOHAN.

MR. SMITH, I DO BELIEVE THAT MR. SHORE IS ONLINE AND MAYBE HE COULD, UH, WANT TO SPEAK TO A COUPLE OF THOSE OF THOSE TOPICS BEFORE.

UM, UH, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL, THE CONCERNS THAT, EXCUSE ME, THAT BASICALLY MIDDLE SCHOOL IS OUR SUBSET OF, UH, UM, CHILDREN.

UM,

[01:30:01]

SO WE CAN COMPARE SOME OF THESE, UH, DISTRICTS ARE MAINLY CHROMEBOOK DISTRICTS, BUT IT WILL GIVE YOU A KIND OF A DIFFERENT, UH, UNDERSTANDING.

UH, THE HP COMPUTER THAT WE DO RUN IS A LOT MORE HARDENED THAN YOUR AVERAGED, UH, OFF THE SHELF PC.

AND IT GOES THROUGH ACTUAL MILL SPEC TESTING FOR A LOT OF THE AREAS, ESPECIALLY THE GLASS.

THESE WERE, UH, BUILT SPECIFICALLY 4K 12 SINCE THEY'VE BEEN, UH, PRETTY MUCH GOING ONE-TO-ONE FOR THE LAST 10 OR SO YEARS.

THE, EVEN THE MANUFACTURERS HAVE REALLY WORKED TO HARDEN THESE SCREENS.

UM, THE BIGGEST AREA WE DO SEE, THOUGH, IS WHEN THE STUDENTS DO NOT USE THE BAGS PROVIDED AND JUST SHOVED THE DEVICE IN THEIR BOOK BAG, UH, UNFORTUNATELY THEY DO SLING THEM AROUND A LOT, AND THAT DOES CAUSE THE MAJORITY OF OUR BROKEN SCREENS.

UM, AND, AND JUST TO ADD TO THAT, UM, ONE THING I WAS GOING TO SAY TOO IS AS WELL AS THE, AS AS, AS WELL AS THE, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT HE JUST SAID WAS THAT, UM, I TOO WAS ASKING A COUPLE PEOPLE E EVEN THOUGH AT THE, UH, CONFERENCE, A COUPLE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS, AND THEY HAVE, AND THEY HAVE SAID THAT, UM, IN TERMS OF HP, I, I, I FORGOT WHAT KIND IT WAS THAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY LOOKING TO LEAVE CHROMEBOOKS, AND THAT HP IS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE MORE BETTER, UH, SOLID, UH, UH, LAPTOPS FOR STUDENTS.

SO I WOULD JUST, UH, PUT, PUT THAT OUT, PUT THAT OUT THERE, AND AS, AS, AS, AS WELL, AS WELL AS THAT, WHEN I LOOK AT OUR NUMBERS OF STUDENTS THAT HAVE, HAVE DAMAGED COMPUTERS, I, I, I THINK THAT WHEN WE BROKE IT DOWN, IT WAS WHAT, MAYBE WHAT IT WASN'T, IT WASN'T WHAT ONE THIRD, ONE THIRD OF THE DISTRICT WAS IT 6,000, UH, PLUS INCIDENCES OF BREAKAGE.

SO IT'S HARD TO KNOW IF THAT WAS PER STUDENT, 1000 OF THEM REPEAT BREAKAGES.

SO, RIGHT.

BUT IN, IN TERMS OF ALL, ALL THE, ALL OF THEM ARE SCREENS, WERE THEY? NO, THERE'S ALSO KEYBOARDS, UM, RIGHT.

CHARGERS THAT ARE RIGHT.

SO, SO, SO WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT FOR A DISTRICT OUR SIZE, I THINK THAT OUR TECHNOLOGY, AND I THINK THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING A GOOD JOB.

I THINK IT IS ALSO UPON US, UM, HAVING THE ADMINISTRATION TO REMIND THEM ABOUT CARRYING IT IN THE, IN THEIR, IN THEIR ACTUAL BAGS THAT THEY'RE GIVEN, THAT ARE, THAT ARE FROM THE, COMING FROM THE DISTRICT AND NOT THEIR OWN BOOK BAGS.

BECAUSE I, I THINK I, I NOTICED THAT A LOT OF KIDS CARRY 'EM IN THEIR PERSONAL BOOK BAGS VERSUS THE ACTUAL BAG THAT THE DISTRICT IS GIVEN IS GIVEN TO THE STUDENTS.

UM, AND THEN ALSO JUST TO, UH, ADDRESS, SOMEONE ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT, UH, MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TAKE, I MEAN, HIGH SCHOOL KIDS, I MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TAKING THE COMPUTER'S HOME, FROM MY RECOLLECTION, SOME, SOME ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS DO NOT ALLOW, I THINK AT THE PRINCIPAL LEVEL, THEY HAVE DECIDED THAT THEIR STUDENTS DO NOT TAKE THE LAPTOPS OR TECHNOLOGY HOME.

SO I THINK IT'S BASED ON, AS WELL AS FROM A PRINCIPAL ASPECT AS WELL, UH, WHETHER THEY BRING, UH, TECHNOLOGY HOME OR NOT.

BECAUSE I, I DO REMEMBER MY, ONE OF MY COUSIN SAYING ONE TIME, OH, NO, NO, WE DON'T, WE DON'T, WE DON'T TAKE THOSE, UH, WE DON'T TAKE OUR COMPUTERS HOME.

WE, WE, WE LEAVE 'EM IN THE BUILDING.

SO THAT'S JUST FY FOOL FOR THOUGHT TOO.

UM, SO, AND, AND I AGREE WITH THE CHROMEBOOKS, AND I THINK I SAID THE MEETING, I THOUGHT CHROMEBOOKS WERE BETTER SOLUTION, BUT THEY, THEY'VE BEEN CHANGING SOME THINGS.

SO ANYWAYS, THE, THE BOTTOM, THE TAKEAWAY IS THAT THE DISTRICT IS LOOKING AT THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEES, UH, PROVIDING SOME OVERSIGHT.

AND I THINK IN SUMMARY, WHERE WE ARE IN THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE AND WHERE WE'VE BEEN, IS JUST TRYING TO DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK FOR OVERSIGHT, BECAUSE TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN KIND OF MUSHED INTO A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT, UM, DEPARTMENTS.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO PULL ALL THE TECHNOLOGY OUT, SPREAD IT OUT, LOOK AT IT, YOU KNOW, MAKE SOME, UH, PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK AND SOME OVERSIGHT.

AND, UH, TO MR. DALLAS'S, UH, POINT, UH, THE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT'S VERY, BEEN VERY FORTHCOMING, UH, FOR ALL THE INFORMATION WE'VE ASKED.

SO IT'S AN ONGOING PROCESS.

TO THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT.

WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

SO WE ARE DOWN, DR. RODRIGUEZ,

[Superintendent’s Report]

AND, UM, TANYA'S, UH, MAKING HER WAY UP, UH, WE HAVE TWO ITEMS ON THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT TODAY.

ONE IS, UH, AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY GOAL NUMBER THREE.

AND IT'S WITH RESPECT TO THE DEBT PRESENTATION, UH, THANK MR. ERICK'S ONLINE.

IS THAT RIGHT? UM, MR. OKAY.

YES, GO, GO AHEAD.

STARTING A LITTLE EARLIER THIS YEAR.

UM, MR. BRIAN NEWICK, UH, FROM COMPASS MUNICIPAL ADVISORS, OUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR IS ONLINE, AS WELL AS FINDING PFIZER, OUR BOND ATTORNEY WITH FOREMAN.

UM, UH, JUST A QUICK IN, UH, PREVIEW, UM, NO ACTION IS REQUIRED THIS EVENING ON THIS TOPIC.

UH, THIS IS BASICALLY A PREVIEW OF UPCOMING BOND ISSUES THAT WE'LL BE DISCUSSING IN JANUARY.

AND SO WE JUST WANTED YOU TO HEAR IT MORE THAN ONE TIME BEFORE ASKING YOU TO VOTE.

UH, WE ARE

[01:35:01]

UH, WE HAVE A BOND REFERENDUM THAT'S BEEN APPROVED, SO WE DO NEED SOME CASH, AND THAT WILL, UH, COME THROUGH A BOND, UH, RESOLUTION, UH, BOND ISSUANCE, AND WE'RE GONNA START A LITTLE SOONER THIS YEAR.

SO, AND WE HAVE SOME OTHER THINGS IN LINE, UH, AND MR. NRIC IS GOING TO LEAD US THROUGH THOSE.

AND, UM, AND THEN WE WILL PROVIDE AN, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

SO, MR. NRIC, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU.

TD BANK WAIVING THE NO CALL PROVISION ON THE, UM, EXISTING BOND, AND ALLOWING US TO REDUCE THE INTEREST RATE AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT FROM THE 1.51% TO A 1.23%.

CAN EVERYONE HEAR ME? YES.

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, BE WITH YOU VIRTUALLY HERE TONIGHT.

UM, UH, AS TANYA SAID, NORMALLY I WOULD BRING, UH, THIS DEBT ISSUANCE SCHEDULE AT THE RETREAT IN MARCH AS PART OF, UH, YOUR BOARD POLICY.

WE CALL IT A DEBT DAY, WHERE WE SPENT ABOUT AN HOUR GOING THROUGH YOUR OVERALL PROGRAM.

BUT THERE ARE A FEW OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE PUT IN PLACE, UH, A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, AND ONE THAT, UM, HAS, UH, UH, RECENTLY, UM, COME BEFORE US.

AND IT REQUIRES US TO, UM, TAKE SOME ACTION IN JANUARY AS OPPOSED TO, UM, WAITING, UH, TILL WE GET, UH, PAST THE, THE, THE MARCH DATE.

UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE MATERIALS THAT I PROVIDED AFTER THE, THE COVER PAGE, MEMORANDUM PAGE NUMBER ONE, THE TITLE IS ESTIMATED DEBT ISSUANCE SCHEDULE FOR 2024 CALENDAR YEAR.

UH, NORMALLY I WOULD'VE TAKEN THIS INFORMATION TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE LAST WEEK, BUT UNFORTUNATELY I HAD TRAVEL COMMITMENTS AND WAS UNABLE TO ATTEND THAT MEETING.

SO WE FELT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR US TO BRING THIS INFORMATION AS INFORMATION ONLY TONIGHT, JUST TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE, UM, HAS AMPLE TIME TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN THE VOTE WOULD TAKE PLACE IN JANUARY.

UH, IF YOU COULD SEE ON PAGE NUMBER ONE, THERE ARE FIVE ITEMS LISTED ONE THROUGH FIVE.

UH, LOOKING AT ITEM NUMBER ONE, UH, THERE ARE, UH, THREE ITEMS. THE FIRST THREE ARE JANUARY BOARD ACTION ITEMS. NUMBER ONE WOULD BE A BOND ISSUE THAT WOULD REFINANCE, UH, AN EXISTING BOND ISSUE THAT WAS DONE IN 2021.

IT WAS LATE 2021.

AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ON THE BOARD AT THAT TIME, UH, WE SOLD A TAXABLE REFUNDING BOND TO PAY OFF AN OLD BOND AND SAVE MONEY.

AND AT THAT TIME, IT WAS THE END OF THE QUANTITATIVE EASING CYCLE.

SO WE KIND OF GOT INTO THAT WINDOW AND, AND LOCKED IN A FIXED INTEREST RATE REALLY LOW.

WE CLOSED THE BOND ISSUE.

WE TALKED TO TD BANK, AND TD BANK OFFERED A TERM SHEET AT THAT TIME THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO, UM, GET, GET CONSENT FROM THEM TO REFINANCE THE BOND ISSUE AT A TAX EXEMPT AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SAVINGS.

AND SO THE BOARD ON APRIL 19TH, 2022, UM, SO LITTLE, LITTLE WHILE AGO, UH, ADOPTED THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERM SHEET SUBJECT TO US BRINGING A RESOLUTION TO THE BOARD AND ACTUALLY GOING TO THE PROCESS OF REFINANCING IT ON A TAX EXEMPT BASIS.

SO, UM, TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS IN JANUARY, UH, MS. HEISER WOULD PRODUCE A BOND RESOLUTION THAT WOULD AUTHORIZE THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS TO, UM, REFINANCE THE 2021 EBO ISSUE TO A LOWER INTEREST RATE.

SO, OBVIOUS QUESTION IS, IS, WELL, WHAT'S THE MATH, RYAN? WHAT, WHAT WOULD YOU SAVE? AND IF YOU GO TO PAGE TWO, I HAVE THOSE SAVINGS, UM, LISTED FOR YOU.

SO I BROKE THIS PAGE INTO TWO PARTS, TOP AND BOTTOM.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE BOTTOM, THE TITLE SAYS FINAL BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SERIES 2021 E TAXABLE UNDERLINED ADVANCE FOR FUNDING.

SO UNDER THE, THE PAYMENTS LISTED UNDER THE BLUE CO, THE BLUE COLUMNS, UH, ARE THE OLD BOND ISSUE THAT WE REFINANCED THE 20 20 20 14 B SERIES.

AND THEN THE NEW PAYMENTS, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY PAYING, ARE LISTED UNDER THE PURPLE COLUMNS.

AND THEN THE GREEN WAS THE NET SAVINGS.

SO WE'VE ALREADY LOCKED IN A NET SAVINGS OF 1,000,800 $64,000.

THE INTEREST RATE DOWN TO BOTTOM RIGHT WAS 4%, AND WE REDUCED IT TO 1.51%.

AND I KNOW TODAY YOU'RE LOOKING AT CD RATES AT, YOU KNOW, FOUR AND 5%.

WE'RE NOW IN A QUANTITATIVE TIGHTENING CYCLE WHERE THE OPPOSITE OF QUANTITATIVE EASING.

AND SO WE REALLY HIT THE MARK HERE AND, AND LOCK THIS IN.

UM, UP TOP, THIS IS THE, THE TITLE SAYS RESOLUTION, BUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SERIES 2024, TAX EXEMPT REFUNDING.

SO THIS WOULD BE US WORKING THROUGH THE ACCEPTANCE OF THAT TERM SHEET,

[01:40:01]

AND SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN TERMS OF SAVINGS? WELL, YOU CAN SEE, UM, UNDER THE GREEN COLUMN THAT'S HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW, WE WOULD SAVE AN ADDITIONAL $261,000.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE, YOU KNOW, THOUGHT THROUGH A LONG TIME AGO, A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, AND WE'RE ACTUALLY FINALLY HERE.

SO, UM, UM, IT'S THAT THESE NUMBERS ARE NET OF ALL FEES AND EXPENSES.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST ADDITIONAL SAVINGS THE DISTRICT SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO PROCEED.

I WILL ASK IF MS. HEISER HAS ANY COMMENTS ON ITEM NUMBER ONE BEFORE I MOVE FORWARD? YES.

IF I SHOULD JUST POINT OUT TO Y'ALL THAT TECHNICALLY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL NEED TO, AS BRIAN SAID, ADOPT A RESOLUTION, THEN WE WILL ACTUALLY PUT THIS TAX EXEMPT REFUNDING OUT FOR PUBLIC BID.

THE, THE WAY THE NUMBERS WILL WORK, TD BANK WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY BE THE WINNER BECAUSE THEY HAVE WITHIN, UM, THEIR CAPABILITY WAIVING THE PREPAYMENT AMOUNT.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT'S GOING TO ULTIMATELY HELP SAVE, UM, SAVE FUNDS.

BUT WE WILL COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF STATE LAW FOR, UM, A STANDALONE TAX EXEMPT REFUNDING.

WE ALSO HAVE, UH, QUESTIONS FROM AT LEAST ONE BOARD MEMBER, DR.

I APPRECIATE YOU TREMENDOUSLY.

I JUST HAD A COMMENT.

I JUST WANTED TO THANK MS. CROSBY, MR. NRIC AND MS. HEISER FOR ALL OF THEIR WORK IN DOING THIS.

UM, I KNOW THAT, OR AT LEAST MY TIME ON THE BOARD AND THE TIME THAT I WAS WATCHING PRIOR TO THAT, I'M NOT SURE IF REFINANCING OCCURRED, UM, OR AT LEAST THAT WE SAW THIS KIND OF SAVINGS ON THE BASIS THAT WE ARE RIGHT NOW.

AND EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS THESE DAYS, AND THIS SAVINGS IS TREMENDOUS, AND IT'S GOING TO MEAN THAT WE CAN USE THOSE DOLLARS MORE EFFECTIVELY FOR OUR STUDENTS.

SO THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR YOUR HARD WORK ON THIS.

THIS IS BEST PRACTICE, UM, IN THIS SPACE.

SO, UM, JUST THANK YOU.

FROM PAST BOARD MEETINGS OVER THE YEARS, YOU ISSUE THROUGH THE SGO GEO DEBT PROGRAM TWICE A YEAR TO MAKE THE JUNE AND DECEMBER PAYMENTS ON THIS INSTALLMENT PURCHASE REVENUE BOND.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, SO MOVING TO ITEM NUMBER TWO ON THE DEBT ISSUANCE LIST.

UM, THIS IS, UH, A BOND ISSUE THAT, UM, UM, JUST KIND OF, I GUESS FELL, FELL.

IT FELL IN OUR LAP IN A WAY.

UH, WE REPRESENT THE GREENVILLE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.

THE, THE BANK, JP MORGAN AND JP MORGAN EARLIER THIS YEAR APPROACHED US AND ASKED IF WE WOULD BE WILLING TO, UM, REFINANCE THAT BOND ISSUE.

AND, UM, UH, IN AN EFFORT TO, UH, LOWER THE, THE INTEREST RATE ON IT.

UH, IT'S A LITTLE BIT COMPLICATED.

UH, THEIRS WAS, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.

AND, UH, WHEN JP MORGAN DOES A LOAN ON THE BANK SIDE, THEY ACTUALLY GO OUT AND THEY DO, UH, VARIOUS HEDGING.

WE HAVE A VERY ODD INVERTED YIELD CURVE RIGHT NOW WHERE SHORT-TERM INTEREST RATES ARE HIGHER THAN LONG-TERM INTEREST RATES.

AND SO IT CREATES, UM, OPPORTUNITIES ON THE BANK SIDE TO UNWIND THOSE HEDGES AND, AND HAVE A, A PROFIT ON THEIR SIDE OF THE BOOKS.

UM, ULTIMATELY, GREENVILLE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT ELECTED TO ACCEPT THEIR OFFER, AND THEY WENT THROUGH A, UM, A PROCESS TO REFINANCE AND, UM, AND SAVE SOME MONEY.

SO IT ENDED UP BEING A WIN-WIN.

UH, DURING THAT PROCESS, UH, I ASKED ABOUT THE BEAUFORT COUNTY LOAN, THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT LOAN.

AND, UM, TO BETTER ILLUSTRATE, I'M GONNA ASK IF WE CAN MOVE TO PAGE NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS THE, THE MATH BEHIND WHAT THIS WOULD LOOK LIKE.

UM, THE TITLE OF THE PAGE SAYS RESOLUTION BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SERIES 2016, IPRB REFUNDING.

SO THE 2016 BOND ISSUE THAT'S CURRENTLY OUTSTANDING IN THE AMOUNT OF $12,490,000.

THAT BOND ISSUE WAS A REFIN REFINANCING OF A, A PRIOR BOND ISSUE THAT WAS ISSUED IN 2006.

SO UNDER THE, UM, BLUE, UM, COLUMNS, YOU CAN SEE BUSINESS AS USUAL.

THE PRINCIPLE AMOUNT OF PAYMENTS OVER THE NEXT FIVE CALENDAR YEARS IS $12,490,000.

YOU HAVE YOUR INTEREST EXPENSE, UH, AT 3.064%, WHICH ADDS UP TO 1,000,250.

AND THEN, AS YOU KNOW,

[01:45:01]

AND SO I WENT BACK TO LAST YEAR'S 2023 OR THIS CURRENT CALENDAR YEAR, 2023, SPRING AND FALL BOND ISSUES TO MAKE THE PAYMENTS AND ESTIMATED AN INTEREST EXPENSE, UM, AND WHAT THE COSTS ARE TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.

AND SO I PUT THAT OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, THERE'D BE $354,000 OF, OF INTEREST EXPENSE OR ISSU TOTAL ISSUANCE EXPENSE BY GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS.

AND SO TOTAL NET PAYMENTS WOULD BE 14 MILLION AROUND IT, 14,100,000.

WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, UM, JP MORGAN HAS GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT, UM, TO ALLOW US TO PREPAY THE LOAN.

AND, UM, IT'S NOTHING'S, YOU KNOW, A DONE DEAL UNTIL WE GET IT IN WRITING.

BUT THEY HAVE RESPONDED, UH, FAVORABLY IN ANTICIPATION TO ME PRESENTING THIS INFORMATION.

I GOT AN EMAIL BACK THAT I FORWARDED TO YOUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT THAT THEY, UM, THEY HAVE SAID THAT THEY WOULD ALLOW US, THEY BELIEVE THEY, THAT THE ECONOMICS WORK TO ALLOW US TO PREPAY THE LOAN.

UM, SO WE COULD ISSUE ONE MORE BOND.

WE COULD, WE WOULD DO IT EARLY IN THE YEAR IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE REFUNDING BOND AND MAKE ONE FINAL PAYMENT TO JP MORGAN AND PAY THE INSTALLMENT PURCHASE REVENUE BOND OFF IN FULL.

AND SO I SHOW YOU UNDER THE PURPLE COLUMNS, ISSUING 12,639,000 IN PRINCIPAL, WE WOULD HAVE, UH, AN INTEREST PAYMENT AND THE TOTAL, UM, AND WE WOULD NOT ISSUE 10 BOND 10 MORE BONDS ON THE CURRENT INSTALLMENT PURCHASE REVENUE BOND.

WE WOULD ISSUE SIMPLY ONE MORE BOND AND IT WOULD CREATE A SAVINGS TO THE FAR RIGHT, THE GREEN COLUMNS OF, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, BASED UPON MY ESTIMATES, $827,000, UH, WHICH IS AGAIN, A, A SAVINGS FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL SAVINGS THAT AREN'T FACTORED IN HERE THAT I CAN'T PUT IT IN A SPREADSHEET, BUT EVERY YEAR YOU'D HAVE TO FILE A NINE 90 FOR THE CORPORATION THAT ISSUED THE DEBT.

UM, THERE ARE ACCOUNTING ENTRIES THAT HAVE TO BE DONE EACH YEAR.

UM, YOU KNOW, WITHIN YOUR AUDIT, UH, THERE ARE THE AUDITORS THAT HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, AUDIT EVERYTHING.

UM, SO THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL SAVINGS ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE THAT AREN'T FACTORED INTO THE $800,000, BUT WE'RE IN A VERY UNIQUE POSITION WITH, UM, JUST, UH, JP MORGAN REACHING OUT AND YOU ALL HAVING THE SAME, UM, TYPE OF LOAN, THE SAME PROVIDER WITH THE EXACT SAME PEOPLE IN NEW YORK, AND, UH, JUST APPROACH THEM WITH THIS OPTION.

AND IT SEEMS TO, UM, HAVE THE STARS ALIGNING HERE.

UM, FRANNY WITH THAT, UM, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT I DIDN'T COVER THAT, UM, WE WOULD NEED TO COVER? NO, I DON'T THINK SO.

THIS TRANSACTION IS NOT A GENERAL OBLIGATION, SO WE WILL NOT HAVE TO COMPETITIVELY BID THE TRANSACTION.

IT IS, UM, IT IS ONE THAT WE WOULD NEGOTIATE DIRECTLY WITH JP MORGAN, BUT WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, BRIAN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.

AND IF, IF THE YIELD CURVE AND THE NUMBERS STAY THE SAME, IT'S A WIN-WIN FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND, AND THE, AND THE BANK.

AND I KNOW TANYA WILL BE DELIGHTED TO HAVE ONE LESS ENTRY THAT SHE HAS TO TRACK.

SO, UH, THERE, THERE, THERE IS, UM, MORE THAN JUST MONETARY VALUE IN, UM, GETTING THIS, THIS BOND PAID AND OFF YOUR BOOKS.

SO ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON ITEM NUMBER TWO ON MY LIST, MR. SMITH, IN, IN, IN TERMS OF YOUR NET SAVING OF THE 800,000, I NOTICED THAT YOU DIDN'T, AND, AND THAT COLUMN THAT YOU DIDN'T, UH, EXPRESS WHERE THAT CAME FROM, UM, WHY, WHY IS THAT? UM, SO THE, THE WAY THE MATH WORKS IS UNDER THE, THE PRIOR BOND PAYMENTS, WHICH IS YOUR 2016 INSTALL AND PURCHASE REVENUE BOND, THOSE ARE LOCKED IN PAYMENTS.

AND THE ANNUAL ISSUANCE EXPENSE IS USING THE SAME PERCENTAGES THAT WE, UM, WE HAD IN 2023 TO COME UP WITH WHAT WE ESTIMATE YOUR TOTAL PAYMENTS TO BE, BUSINESS AS USUAL.

SO EVERY YEAR YOU MAKE TWO PAYMENTS.

SO THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, FIVE YEARS TIMES TWO IS 10 MORE PAYMENTS.

SO INSTEAD OF GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF

[01:50:01]

ISSUING 10 MORE BONDS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS TO MAKE THE PAYMENTS, WE WOULD SIMPLY ISSUE ONE BOND AND MAKE ONE MORE PAYMENT WITH THE CONSENT OF JP MORGAN.

SO THE SIMPLE MATH THAT YOU CAN SEE HERE, THE DIFFERENCE OF 14,000,001 VERSUS 13,271,000 IS A SAVINGS TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF A LITTLE MORE AT 800,000.

IS THAT, DOES THAT HELP? UH, YEAH, YEAH, I CAN APPRECIATE THAT.

AND, AND, AND, AND ALSO WE WE'RE PRESENTING THIS TO THE BOARD TODAY, UH, FOR THE COMM AND FOR THE COMMUNITY.

UM, WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE THE, THE, THE, THE, THE, THE THE SECOND POINT IN THE, IN THE, IN THE SAVINGS TO THE, THE SAVINGS, UH, TO THE, UH, TO THE COUNTY? TO WHAT? TO THE DISTRICT? EXCUSE ME.

I I THINK, I THINK JUST TO GENERICALLY SAY WHAT THE SAVINGS ARE, IS ISSUING ONE MORE BOND TO MAKE ONE PAYMENT VERSUS ISSUING 10 BONDS TO MAKE 10 PAYMENTS IS GONNA BE CHEAPER FOR THE, THE, THE, THE COMMUNITY.

AND JP MORGAN SO FAR HAS SAID THAT THEY WOULD CONSENT TO ALLOW US TO PREPAY THEM OFF EARLY.

THIS WE, THIS IS, THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS.

THIS IS THEM ALLOWING US TO DO THIS.

DOES THAT HELP? YEAH.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU, MR. DALLAS.

YEAH, I THINK THERE ARE A COUPLE OF ASSETS IN THIS TRANSACTION TO BE NOTED.

ONE IS THAT YOU HAVE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH JP MORGAN, WHERE THEY WILL INCLUDE YOU IN A PERIPHERAL TYPE TRANSACTION.

AND THE SECOND THING IS HOW QUICKLY YOU'RE MOVING ON IT.

INVERTED YIELD, FIRM YIELD CURVES DON'T TEND TO LAST THAT LONG.

SO I WAS JUST GONNA GET TO THAT ON ITEM, UH, ITEM NUMBER THREE.

UH, YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT.

THE, THE REASON THAT JP MORGAN IS ALLOWING THIS, THE REASON THAT IT WORKS IS, AS I SAID, THEY HEDGE THEIR INTEREST RATES.

UM, AND THOSE HEDGES ARE, HAVE VALUE TO THEM RIGHT NOW, AND THEY CAN GET PAID OFF EARLY AND REDEPLOY THAT CAPITAL.

SO IT'S REALLY JUST A WIN-WIN.

UH, IF THE FED WERE TO PIVOT AND SHORT-TERM RATES WERE TO GO DOWN, THEN THOSE HEDGES WOULDN'T BE WORTH AS MUCH, AND IT MAY NOT BE, UH, THEY MIGHT NOT BE WILLING TO GIVE THEIR CONSENT.

SO, UH, WE'RE MOVING AS FAST AS WE CAN.

OUR HOPE IS THAT WE CAN GET THE RESOLUTION TO YOU AT THE JAN, YOU KNOW, EARLY JANUARY BOARD MEETING, IF NOT THE SECOND JANUARY BOARD MEETING, AND, UH, IMMEDIATELY, UM, GET THE BOND ISSUED AND MAKE ONE MORE PAYMENT AND GET THEIR CONSENT IN WRITING.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, SO MOVING TO, NO, I'M, OH, I'M SORRY.

I JUST WANNA SAY, SO FAR IT'S, THANK YOU.

YOU, YOU'RE ALWAYS VERY, UH, CLEAR.

AND IT'S GONNA TAKE A LONG TIME TO GO THROUGH THIS, THIS PROCESS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, SO ITEM NUMBER THREE, UM, IS, IS, UM, REGARDING THE, UH, THE, THE SUCCESSFUL PASSAGE OF THE BOND REFERENDUM AND THE ISSUANCE OF, OF THE DEBT IN, IN, IN PREPARATION FOR ME TO PARTICIPATE IN THE LAST FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, UM, I, UM, RECEIVED SOME QUESTIONS FROM COLONEL GEIER AND, UH, AND HAD, HAD WORKED THROUGH THOSE.

AND AS I SAID, UNFORTUNATELY I WASN'T ABLE TO MAKE THAT MEETING, BUT ABLE TO MAKE THE MEETING HERE TODAY.

UM, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I WAS ASKED WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO ISSUE THIS DEBT? AND, AND I LOOK AT THAT IN TERMS OF A SUPPLY AND DEMAND EQUATION.

UM, I'LL, I'LL TALK ABOUT THE FEDERAL RESERVE AND THE TIMING HERE, HERE NEXT, BUT JUST IN TERMS OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND BY MONTHS IN THE MUNICIPAL BOND SPACE, THE SLOWEST MONTH OF THE YEAR IS JANUARY, UH, AND SPARTANBURG FIVE UP IN THE, THE UPSTATE, UM, PASSED A $295 MILLION BOND REFERENDUM.

AND WE WERE ABLE TO SCHEDULE, UH, THREE ISSUANCES, UM, OF A HUNDRED MILLION, A HUNDRED MILLION AND 95 MILLION EVERY JANUARY.

SO THE THIRD OR FOUR WEEK, FOURTH WEEK OF JANUARY, OUR FINAL INSTALLMENT, 95 MILLION WILL BE THIS JANUARY.

THE REASON THAT IT'S THE SLOWEST ISSUANCE MONTH IS BECAUSE OF HOLIDAYS, UH, TO GO THROUGH AN ISSUE OF BOND, YOU HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, GET ON THE PHONE WITH THE RATING AGENCIES, YOU HAVE TO PRODUCE THE OFFICIAL STATEMENT.

IT'S ALSO, YOU GOTTA TIME THAT AUDIT.

'CAUSE THE AUDIT COMES OUT ABOUT NOW, AND WE'RE GETTING READY TO HAVE BOND RATING CALLS.

SO EVERYTHING KIND OF HAS TO LINE UP AND YOU HAVE TO DO A LOT OF PLANNING TO ISSUE BONDS, UH, IN, IN JANUARY.

SO THAT IS, UH, THE PREFERRED MONTH THAT, UH, I WOULD SAY, UH, DEBT ISSUANCE IS SUPPLY AND DEMAND IS MOST, MOSTLY IN, IN YOUR FAVOR.

SECONDLY, IS THE FED.

UM, I, I, I HAVE TALKED AT A NUMBER OF MEETINGS AND OVER THE LAST YEAR AND SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I FELT THAT THE FEDERAL RESERVES GOAL OBJECTIVE IS TO RAISE RATES AND PUSH ASSET PRICES DOWN AND THROUGH THE RUNOFF OF THEIR BALANCE SHEET, THEY'RE GOING TO REDUCE THE M TWO BUNNY SUPPLY,

[01:55:01]

AND IT, IT, IT SEEMS THAT WE'RE AT THE END OF THE RATE HIKE SCHEDULE.

UM, THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE CON THE CONSENSUS FOR TOMORROW'S FED MEETING, UH, WILL BE THE LAST FED MEETING OF THIS CALENDAR YEAR WILL BE, UH, ANOTHER PAUSE.

THEY CERTAINLY HAVE THE, UM, THE DATA TO SUPPORT ANOTHER PAUSE.

UH, BUT NEXT YEAR IN 2024, WE HAVE EIGHT MORE FEDERAL RESERVE MEETINGS.

AND SO DO WE REALLY THINK THAT THE FED'S GONNA HAVE EIGHT STRAIGHT PAUSES, NINE STRAIGHT PAUSES, IF YOU COUNT TOMORROW, THEY, IF, IF THEY PAUSE, LAST MEETING WAS A PAUSE.

SO, UH, IT, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE'RE, UH, GETTING A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO WHERE THEY MIGHT START CUTTING RATES, UH, HOW FAST THEY MIGHT CUT RATES, PROBABLY DEPENDS ON THEIR GOALS AND OBJECTIVES ON THE, UH, BALANCE SHEET RUNOFF, AS WELL AS WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE WHAT WE CALL A MINSKY MOMENT.

YOU KNOW, SOMETHING HAPPENS THAT'S UNFORESEEN THAT CAUSES THEM TO HAVE TO PIVOT.

THERE'S A FREEZE IN CREDIT.

IT WOULD BE PROBABLY THE MOST SEVERE EVENT.

IT WASN'T TOO LONG AGO THAT WE HAD TWO BANKS GO UNDER AND THEY PUT TOGETHER A QUICK PROGRAM TO ALLOW, UH, ASSETS THAT ARE WORTH 50 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR TO BE SOLD TO PAR PLUS INTEREST.

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, BANKS AREN'T FAILING.

SO, UM, UH, IT, IT JUST SEEMS TO BE A SLOW PROCESS.

THE RESOLUTION THAT WOULD COME BEFORE THE BOARD WOULD AUTHORIZE THE ISSUANCE OF THE FULL REFERENDUM AS, UH, BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES OR FIXED RATE PERMANENT, UM, BONDS.

SO WHAT WE WOULD IN ENVISION IS WE WOULD RECEIVE A DRAW SCHEDULE THAT SHOWED US, UH, HOW MUCH MONEY YOU NEED EACH MONTH, ALL THE WAY THROUGH ALL THE PROJECTS.

AND THEN WE WOULD THEN CHART OUT A PATH FOR YOU THROUGH THE FINANCE COMMITTEE ON WHEN WE WOULD ISSUE THAT DEBT.

UH, WE WOULD ANTICIPATE ISSUING, UM, ASSUMING THAT THERE WAS, UH, A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF MONEY BETWEEN, UH, NOW AND JANUARY, 2025 THAT IS NEEDED, WE WOULD ISSUE A BOND ANTICIPATION NOTE FOR JUST THAT AMOUNT.

THEN JANUARY OF 2025, WE WOULD ISSUE PERMANENT FIXED RATE DEBT THAT WOULD PAY OFF THAT BOND ANTICIPATION NOTE AND THEN FUND THE NEXT 12 MONTHS OF THAT DRAW SCHEDULE.

SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE WE'RE WAITING ON THAT DRAW SCHEDULE.

UM, IT DOES TAKE SOME TIME, I KNOW, TO PUT THOSE TOGETHER.

AND ONCE WE GET THAT, WE WILL WORK WITH YOUR, UM, ADMINISTRATION AND THEN WE'LL WORK WITH THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UM, PUT TOGETHER A PLAN.

IN THE CURRENT PLAN THAT I PUT TOGETHER, UH, I JUST TOOK THE AUTHORIZED AMOUNT AND I JUST DIVIDED IT BY THREE AND HAVE ALREADY SET THINGS UP, UH, FOR OUR MARCH MEETING WHERE I SPENT AN HOUR AND GO THROUGH EVERYTHING IN GREAT DETAIL, UM, TO THE EXTENT WE GET, UM, A DRAW SCHEDULE BETWEEN NOW AND THEN, AND I WOULD, I WOULD UPDATE THAT AMORTIZATION AND, AND PRESENT IT, UM, TO THE BOARD AT THAT TIME.

SO, UH, ITEM NUMBER THREE IS THE BOND RESOLUTION FOR THE REFERENDUM, UM, TO BE BROUGHT TO THE BOARD IN JANUARY.

THAT ITEM IS, UH, PREPARED BY MS. HEISER, AND SO I WILL NOW DEFER TO HER TO DESCRIBE, UH, THE BOND RESOLUTION IN BETTER DETAIL THAN OBVIOUSLY I DID.

WELL, THIS, THIS WILL BE, UH, VERY SIMILAR TO THE BOND RESOLUTION WE DID FOR, UM, FOR THE REFEREND IN 2019.

IT WILL BE WHAT WE CALL THE KITCHEN SINK.

IT WILL AUTHORIZE, UH, BONDS AND ONE MORE SERIES.

IT WILL AUTHORIZE BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES.

IT WILL AUTHORIZE BIDS TO, UM, PUBLIC BIDS THAT ARE RATED.

IT WILL AUTHORIZE BANK BIDS.

IT WILL GIVE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, THE BOARD, THE ADMINISTRATION FINANCE COMMITTEE, THE FLEXIBILITY TO USE WHATEVER TECHNIQUE IS, UM, IS AVAILABLE OVER THESE NEXT THREE OR FOUR YEARS TO, TO, UM, GET THE LOWEST COST OF CAPITAL.

AND WE'LL, UM, I THINK, I THINK WHEN I WAS WITH Y'ALL THE LAST TIME WE TALKED ABOUT THE REIMBURSEMENT, UM, PROVISION.

SO, UM, BEFORE YOUR, THE, THE, A BAN IS ISSUED, IF YOU NEED A BAN, YOU KNOW, THAT STILL REMAINS TO BE SEEN, BUT ANY AMOUNTS THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT EXPENDS ON REFERENDUM PROJECTS, UM, WILL BE ABLE TO BE REIMBURSED FROM THE FIRST BORROWING THAT, UM, THAT WE DO.

SO Y'ALL ARE REALLY, UM, I, I THINK WELL PLACED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, UM, THE, THE PLANNING THAT, THAT BRIAN HAS OUTLINED FOR Y'ALL.

I ALSO WILL SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, BASED ON, UM, OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH Y'ALL AND ALL THE, THE, UM, THE, THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO, WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THIS MONTH OF DECEMBER SO THAT WE WILL BE AS READY AS WE CAN.

UM, WHEN THE BOARD MAKES A DECISION, I PLAN TO

[02:00:01]

BE AT YOUR JANUARY THE NINTH MEETING.

I THINK THAT'S YOUR FIRST MEETING IN JANUARY.

AND SO, UM, I THINK ALL THREE OF THESE RESOLUTIONS WILL BE ON YOUR AGENDA.

THE FIRST TWO, UM, THE TWO REFUNDINGS WILL BE THE MOST TIME SENSITIVE, BUT WE'LL HAVE THE PAPERWORK AND, AND THE THINGS WE CAN DO, UM, TO GET READY.

WE'LL HAVE ALL THAT READY TO ROLL, UM, BY JANUARY THE NINTH.

SO WE'LL JUST BE WAITING ON, ON Y'ALL'S APPROVAL.

AND TANYA, WE WILL GIVE YOU SOME TIME OFF AT CHRISTMAS, SO , BUT WE'LL, WE'LL BE GETTING THE, UM, WE, WE'LL, WE'LL GET EVERYTHING DONE THAT WE CAN.

UH, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? THERE DON'T APPEAR TO BE ANY.

THANK YOU BOTH, UH, RYAN AND FRANNIE.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

UM, ITEM FOUR AND FIVE, I WON'T GO OVER THOSE HERE TODAY, BUT I, UH, ONE IS THE 8% PROGRAM ITEM NUMBER FOUR WOULDN'T BE A RESOLUTION UNTIL JUNE.

UH, BUT, AND THEN ITEM NUMBER FIVE, UH, I HEARD IN EARLIER CONVERSATION THE TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE.

WE DON'T, UH, ANTICIPATE YOU NEEDING ONE, UH, BUT THAT WOULD BE A JUNE VOTE AS WELL IF, IF YOU DID NEED ONE.

BUT WE, AGAIN, WE DON'T ANTICIPATE THAT.

I JUST DIDN'T WANT TO PUT, UM, THREE BOND ISSUES, UH, IN FRONT OF YOU WITH A DEBT ISSUE AND SCHEDULE AND NOT PUT THE OTHERS.

SO, UH, DON'T NEED TO GO INTO GREAT DETAIL ON THOSE.

I'LL DO THAT IN MARCH WHEN, UM, WE HAVE THE, UH, BOARD RETREAT.

ME IN CONJUNCTION WITH A DISTRICT LEVEL, UM, COMMITTEE DESIGNEE THAT, UH, DISTRICT LEVEL DESIGNEE, UM, TO ASSIST IN, UH, LOOKING AT THAT APPEAL THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY COME FROM THAT STUDENT AND OR PARENT PERTAINING TO AGAIN, UH, CRIMINAL INFRACTIONS.

UM, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A ONE LAST POINT.

UM, IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT TODAY AND YOU, SOMETHING COMES UP, FEEL FREE TO COME CONTACT ME.

WE CAN CONTACT, UH, BRIAN OR FRANNY AND GET SOME MORE DETAILS.

UM, I HAD NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO DR. RODRIGUEZ OR BOARD MEMBERS ABOUT, UH, THE, THE DATE TIMING OF THE MEETING.

SO, UH, JANUARY 9TH, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT.

AND IF THAT WORKS, THAT'S GREAT.

IF NOT, WE'LL MAKE SURE TO GET IT ON ANOTHER JANUARY MEETING.

SO, UM, BUT WITH THAT, I THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR, UH, PRESENTATION AND I APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH.

BYE, Y'ALL ALL.

THANK YOU, BRIAN.

THANK, THANK YOU.

UM, FRANNIE, AND THANK YOU TANYA.

APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH.

AS WE MOVE INTO, UH, THE NEXT SECTION, THE SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT UNDER OTHER MATTERS, UH, WE HAVE, AND, UH, JUST INFORMATION REGARDING AN ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION, SS 36 AND STUDENT ATHLETICS.

AND SO AS WE REGULARLY DO, WE REVIEW, UM, UM, ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS AS PART OF THE COURSE OF, UH, OF OUR WORK REGULARLY.

AND SO, UH, IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, UH, WE IDENTIFIED SOME AREAS THAT NEEDED ADJUSTMENT AND, UH, WE'VE MADE, UH, THOSE ADJUSTMENTS.

AND AS YOU KNOW, WITH ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION, UH, THIS IS, THIS IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF INFORMING THE BOARD OF THE ADJUSTMENT.

AND SO GO AHEAD, UH, MR. CAVE AND MS. CARTILAGE.

SO VERY, VERY BRIEFLY, UH, SS 36, 1 OF THE AREAS THAT WE LOOKED AT THAT WE FELT NEEDED A MODIFICATION, UM, DEALT WITH, UH, STUDENT MISCONDUCT AND ALSO, UH, THAT, SO THAT'S SECTION EIGHT.

UH, AND THEN WE, EXCUSE ME, SECTION 13, AND THEN WE ALSO WENT AND LOOKED AT LETTER E THAT ADDRESSED SPECIFICALLY, UH, MISDEMEANORS AND FELONIES.

UH, WE'VE WENT IN AND MADE A MODIFICATION THERE.

INSTEAD OF SAYING MISDEMEANORS AND FELONIES, WE NOW REFERENCE IT AS CRIMINAL INFRACTIONS.

UM, THE REASON WHY WE TOOK A DEEPER DIVE INTO THIS SECTION IS TO GIVE MORE FLEXIBILITY AS WELL AS, UH, SPECIFICALLY SPELL OUT WHAT THE DUE PROCESS PIECE WILL LOOK LIKE FOR THAT STUDENT ATHLETE THAT'S INVOLVED, UH, IN A CRIMINAL INFRACTION AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, SO THAT THE PARENT HAS A CLEAR DEFINITION OF HOW, UH, THE RULES, UH, BASED ON WHAT THAT INFRACTION IS, WHAT THE RESPONSIBLE SCHOOL OFFICIALS, UH, WILL BE VIEWING, UM, AS IT PERTAINS TO POTENTIAL SUSPENSION FROM PARTICIPATION.

ALSO, UH, ONE OF THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WAS NOT IN THE ORIGINAL, UH, SS 36 DEALT WITH, UH, DISTRICT LEVEL, UH, APPEALS PROCESS.

AND THAT HAS SINCE BEEN ADDED.

UH, AND WITH THAT APPEALS PROCESS, UM, IT ALLOWS THE PARENTS TO, AND THAT STUDENT ATHLETE TO APPEAL, UM, THE DECISION FROM THE BUILDING LEVEL, UH, TO THE DISTRICT LEVEL, UH, WHICH WOULD COME BEFORE

[02:05:01]

THIS VERBIAGE WAS NOT THERE, AND THIS WAS ADDED OVER THE SUMMER IN JUNE.

BUT SINCE GOING BACK AND CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT WHERE WE HAVE GAPS IN OUR, OUR INFORMATION, THEN THE, THE, IT WAS FELT THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE A, UH, ADJUSTMENT HERE AGAIN.

SO THAT DUE PROCESS IS THERE AND ADMINISTRATION HAS BETTER FLEXIBILITY IN DETERMINING, UM, THE PUNISHMENT.

UM, IF ANY PUNISHMENT, UH, FOR POTENTIAL INFRACTIONS, SPECIFICALLY DEALING WITH CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.

UM, THIS, UH, UH, IS THE ADJUSTMENT THAT WE HAVE MADE AND THAT IT IS LISTED IN, IN RED AND THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'VE RECEIVED.

YEAH, AND WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH CASE IS UNIQUE AND YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES AND MAKING A DETERMINATION OF WHAT THE APPROPRIATE OUTCOME IS, AS WELL AS LOOKING AT OUR STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT DISCIPLINE MATRIX TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT.

ALSO, UM, I WANNA THANK MR. CARLOS CAVE FOR HIS PROFESSIONALISM IN THE WAY HE'S IMPROVED THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM IN OUR DISTRICT, AND IT IS AN HONOR TO WORK WITH HIM.

THANK YOU, SIR.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANY OF THE BOARD MEMBERS, MR. SMITH? SO, EXACTLY.

WE WE'RE PRESENTING THIS TO THE BOARD.

WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU ASKING US FOR AT THIS TIME? UH, THERE'S NO ACTION.

IT'S JUST THAT SINCE IT'S AN ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION, WE JUST NEED TO INFORM YOU, UH, OF, OF CHANGES.

SO, YEP.

THA THANK YOU BOTH, I APPRECIATE IT.

APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.

ALRIGHT, THANK AND THAT CONCLUDES, UH, SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT THIS EVENING.

UM, COLONEL GEIER, UH, WE HAVE A, A MOTION FOR THE FIRST BOARD BUSINESS ACTION.

SO,

[Board Business Action]

MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE, WE APPROVE THE REVISED 2024 BOARD MEETING CALENDAR, OKAY.

SECOND BY DR.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE REASON WE HAVE TO, UH, UM, YEAH, ELECTION DAY, UH, WAS NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN WE HAD THE, UH, MEETING SCHEDULE.

SO INSTEAD OF NOVEMBER 5TH, THE MEETING, THE BUSINESS MEETINGS CHANGED TO NOVEMBER 12TH.

THAT'S THE ONLY CHANGE.

ALL RIGHT, SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF, OF THE APPROVING THIS, UH, MODIFIED CALENDAR, PLEASE SAY, AYE.

ANY NAYS? ANY ABSTENTIONS? OKAY.

THE, THE, UH, CALENDAR IS APPROVED 10 0 1.

MADAM MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION UPHOLD THE APPEALS FROM THE MATERIALS RECONSIDERATION COMMITTEE REPORTS FOR THE FOLLOWING BOOKS.

NUMBER 93 IS BEAUFORT BY REED, AMY REED, 94 GIRL TO GIRL BY JULIANNE PETERS, 95, UH, LEIA BY COLLEEN HOOVER, 96, THE INFINITE MOMENT OF US BY LAUREN, UH, MARCEL 97, YOLO BY RENE MARCEL.

AND 98, A LESSON IN VENGEANCE BY VICTORIA LEE.

AND THAT'S THE SECOND REVIEW.

DO WE HAVE A SECOND? OKAY.

SECOND BY CARLTON DALLAS.

ALL RIGHT, NO, HANDS UP.

SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF UPHOLDING THE, UH, UH, MATERIALS RE RECONSIDERATION COMMITTEE REPORTS FOR THOSE BOOKS, PLEASE SAY, AYE.

AND EAT NAYS.

AND ALL RIGHT, SO THE VOTE, UH, CARRIES, UH, SEVEN THREE WITH MR. SMITH NOT PRESENT FOR THE VOTE, RIGHT? BETTER.

OH, I'M, OH, AND I'M SORRY.

AND I ALSO LEFT OUT FOR MS. MIDDLETON .

OKAY, SO THE MOTION CARRIES SIX THREE , RIGHT WITH, UH, SMITH AND MIDDLETON ABSENT MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.

WELL, YOU HAVE TO FIRST DO JUST THE MEETING MINUTES.

ALRIGHT, SO, SO YOU JUST, WE'RE DOING THAT BY ITSELF.

WE APPROVE THE NOVEMBER 21ST, 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES.

MADAM CHAIR, I MOVE THAT

[02:10:01]

AND, UM, I JUST ASK TO HAVE IT MOVED BECAUSE I WAS NOT PRESENT.

SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES, PLEASE SAY, AYE.

CHAIR, I MOVE, WE APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA.

ANY NAYS? AND I'M ABSTAINING.

SO WE, LET'S SEE.

OKAY, WE HAVE, UH, I HAVE TO THINK THAT'S TOUGH AT THIS HOUR.

[Consent Agenda]

YEP.

FOR THE, OKAY, SO THOSE ARE ALL THE OES THAT WE HAVE LISTED? YES.

ALL THE, OKAY, SO WHO IS SECOND? OKAY.

DR.

WISNESKI WILL MAKE YOU A SECOND.

ANY NAYS? OH, ALL RIGHT.

SO THAT CARRIES, UM, NINE WITH ZERO, ZERO WITH TWO ABSENT AGAIN.

ALL

[Future Agenda Topics]

RIGHT.

NEXT ON OUR AGENDA ARE ANY, UM, FUTURE TOPICS, DR.

WISNESKI? UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WILL BE A FUTURE TOPIC FOR THE FULL BOARD OR THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, BUT I WAS, UM, CURIOUS OF WHETHER OR NOT WE COULD REVIEW THE FINANCIAL PLANNING OE TO SEE IF THE REFINANCING NEEDS TO BE CODIFIED INTO OUR, UM, POLICY ON A ANNUAL, AT A MINIMUM BASIS.

I KNOW WE'RE DOING IT, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY, I DON'T THINK OUTLINED IN OUR OE RIGHT NOW.

AND I THINK IT'S VOTING WELL FOR US, SO PROBABLY CODIFY.

UH, ANYBODY ELSE? UM, THIS IS FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS.

I'D LIKE THERE TO BE CONSIDERATION AT A FUTURE MEETING OF, UH, TAKING A LOOK AT WHEN ARE WE GOING TO START THE STRATEGIC REVIEW THAT OCCURS EVERY FIVE YEARS.

I THINK THERE'S SOME REALLY BIG OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE LYING ON THE HORIZON, AND I THINK TO BE ABLE TO PUT SOME RIGOR AROUND IT IN THE UPCOMING MONTHS WILL BE WORTHWHILE.

NEXT, UH, ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS DR.

[Announcements]

R ARE NO.

JUST, UH, SINCE THIS IS THE LAST TIME WE'RE MEETING, JUST WANNA WISH, UM, ALL OF OUR FAMILIES, STUDENTS, EMPLOYEES, UH, EVERYBODY, BOARD MEMBERS, UM, MY STAFF THAT'S HERE, UH, A WONDERFUL, UM, HOLIDAY SEASON.

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, UH, UH, HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY HANUKKAH IF IT'S APPROPRIATE, WHATEVER, UH, IS APPROPRIATE.

BUT WANNA WISH EVERYBODY , UH, A FESTIVUS, WHATEVER.

I WAS GONNA SAY THE SAME THING, BUT I DON'T NEED TO REPEAT THAT.

[Second Public Comments]

WE HAVE, UM, SECOND PUBLIC COMMENTS.