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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BEAUFORT COUNTY.
GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE BEAUFORT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION WORK SESSION OF JANUARY 26TH, 2024.
THIS MEETING IS BEING CONDUCTED BY HYBRID VIDEO CONFERENCING AND IS BEING LIVE STREAMED BY THE COUNTY CHANNEL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY AND SECURITY GUIDELINES.
BAGS, BACKPACKS, AND PURSES ARE PROHIBITED BY THE PUBLIC AT THE BEAUFORT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS.
REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, PARTICIPATION WILL BE ACCEPTED THIS MORNING, OR IT ALREADY WAS ACCEPTED BETWEEN SEVEN 30 AND EIGHT, UM, VIA EMAIL TO ROBIN DOT CUSHING BARRY AT BEAUFORT, K12 SC US.
AND IF YOU SUBMITTED A, A, UH, REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, YOU'LL RECEIVE A PHONE CALL WHERE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SPEAK AND ADDRESS THE BOARD FOR A MAXIMUM THREE MINUTES.
ON ISSUES WITHIN THE BOARD'S DOMAIN, THE FORM IS LIMITED TO 30 MINUTES.
IF YOU ARE IN PERSON, YOU MUST ADDRESS THE BOARD FOR A MAXIMUM.
YOU MAY ADDRESS, EXCUSE ME, THE BOARD FOR A MAXIMUM OF THREE MINUTES ON ISSUES WITHIN THE BOARD'S DOMAIN.
AND EACH SPEAKER MUST FILL OUT A PUBLIC COMMENT CARD.
PLEASE SEE THE BOARD CLERK OR CARD.
SO WE NOW NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA.
ALRIGHT, ANY DISCUSSION? WE HAVE A FORUM BECAUSE WE HAVE A, UH, ONLINE PARTICIPANTS.
SO, ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
NOW WE'LL STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
PLEASE REMAIN FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE.
THE MEDIA HAS BEEN PROPERLY NOTIFIED.
NEXT ON OUR AGENDA, OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS.
NEXT IS OUR MOTION FOR POLICY COMMITTEE, BUT I DO NOT SEE, UM, RACHEL ON HERE YET, SO I REALLY THINK WE SHOULD MOVE OVER THAT AND GO ON TO THE NEXT ITEM.
UM, SO WHY DON'T WE GO WITH OUR RIVERVIEW CHARTER SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT SINCE I SEE YOU LADIES ARE HERE.
LIZ O'BRIEN, THE INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR RIVERVIEW CHARTER SCHOOL.
JUST GONNA WAIT THAT WE'VE GOT A VERY BRIEF PRESENTATION, UM, TO GO THROUGH WHILE WE PRESENT.
UM, WHILE WE'RE WAITING, I'LL INTRODUCE MYSELF.
I'M THE INTERIM DIRECTOR FOR RIVERVIEW.
UM, I'VE BEEN THE INTERIM DIRECTOR SINCE DECEMBER 1ST, UM, AND WILL BE SERVING IN THIS ROLE UNTIL A PERMANENT DIRECTOR IS SELECTED.
I'M NEW TO THE ROLE, BUT I'VE BEEN AT THE SCHOOL FOR 13 YEARS.
UM, TYPICALLY MY JOB IS OPERATIONS MANAGER.
UM, SO THIS IS A NEW SEAT FOR ME, BUT I KNOW A LOT ABOUT THE SCHOOL AND ABOUT THE ROLE.
THIS IS MY COLLEAGUE, NAN VINNI, AND SHE IS OUR CYCLE THREE, WHICH IS OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL, SIXTH, SEVENTH, EIGHTH GRADE LEAD, AND ALSO OUR ASSESSMENT LEADER AND HAS, UM, DOES A LOT OF THE WORK OF PUTTING THE ANNUAL REPORT TOGETHER, UM, AND, AND LOOKING AT ALL THE DATA THAT GOES INTO IT.
SO HOPEFULLY ALL OF YOU HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE ANNUAL REPORT.
UM, AS YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, IT'S A TEMPLATE THAT IS, UM, SENT TO CHARTER SCHOOLS BY, UM, THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
SO IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE TO FILL OUT.
UM, HAS BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL, ABOUT OUR PERFORMANCE ON THE STATE REPORT CARD, AND, UM, ABOUT OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND OUR FACULTY MEMBERS AND OUR INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF.
SO I'M JUST GONNA GO THROUGH, UM, I DON'T WANNA GO THROUGH THE NITTY GRITTY DETAIL OF IT SINCE YOU HAVE IT TO REVIEW.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE ASK.
UM, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ANNUAL REPORT AND JUST TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RIVERVIEW.
UM, I BELIEVE EVERYBODY THAT WAS IS HERE, WAS HERE AT LAST YEAR WHEN WE PRESENTED THE ANNUAL REPORT AND GAVE KIND OF A LITTLE BIT OF A BASIC RIVERVIEW 1 0 1.
SO I'M NOT GONNA REPEAT MYSELF THERE.
AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, UM, PLEASE ASK.
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VERY HAPPY TO, TO ANSWER ANYTHING.UM, JUST AS, UH, BY WAY OF AN UPDATE IN A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, RIVERVIEW OPENED IN AUGUST OF 2009.
AND SO THIS IS CURRENTLY OUR 15TH YEAR OF SCHOOL.
UM, I KNOW IT STILL SEEMS SOMEWHAT LIKE A NEW CONCEPT IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SOMETIMES, BUT, UM, AND MAYBE TO THOSE OF US, BUT AS WE ALL KNOW, TIME FLIES.
AND, UM, SO WE ARE PROGRESSING ALONG REALLY WELL.
WE RENEWED OUR CHARTER CONTRACT, UM, STARTING 20 19, 20 FOR ANOTHER 10 YEARS.
UM, WELL IN THAT, UM, I DO WANT TO JUST SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, NOW THAT WE HAVE SOME RESULTS OF OUR SCHOOL AND WHAT THE STUDENTS DO WHEN THEY LEAVE US.
UM, WE HAVE HAD EIGHT CLASSES OF RIVERVIEW STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOW GRADUATED FROM, EXCUSE ME, THEY'VE, WHO'VE GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL, UM, ABOUT, WE HAVE PUT ABOUT 600 RIVERVIEW STUDENTS INTO BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOLS, UM, OVER THOSE YEARS.
AND, UM, WE DON'T CALL IT GRADUATION, WE CALL IT MOVING UP BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GRADUATING.
THAT'S ANOTHER PROCESS FOR THEM.
AND ON AVERAGE, ABOUT 85% OF OUR STUDENTS END UP IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOLS.
SO WE HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME GOOD INFORMATION THERE ON THEM.
UM, IN FACT, OVER THE YEARS I WAS DOING SOME WORK AND LOOKING, AND WE HAVE ABOUT, WE HAVE NINE STUDENTS OVER THOSE YEARS WHO HAVE BEEN EITHER A VALEDICTORIAN OR SALUTATORIAN AT BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOLS, UM, ONE OF THEM AT A PRIVATE SCHOOL.
AND, UM, OUR STUDENTS ARE NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, ACADEMIC THOUGH, THEY'RE ATHLETES.
THEY'RE ABLE TO PLAY AT DISTRICT SCHOOLS IF IT'S A SPORT THAT WE DON'T OFFER.
UM, SO THEY'RE REALLY WELL INTEGRATED.
THEY DO VERY WELL WHEN THEY ENTER INTO HIGH SCHOOL.
WE GET REALLY GOOD FEEDBACK FROM TEACHERS AND THE COMMUNITY AND, UM, WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THAT AND PROUD OF OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH, IN PUTTING GOOD SCHOOL STUDENTS INTO OUR SCHOOLS.
UH, JUST TO GO BACK TO ATHLETICS A LITTLE BIT, WE DO HAVE ABOUT 14 SPORTS WE OFFER NOW AT SCHOOL.
UM, WE DO NOT HAVE FACILITIES FOR THAT, BUT WE GET VERY CREATIVE FOR IT, UH, WITH IT AND USE, UM, DISTRICT FIELDS, DIFFERENT GYMS WHEN WE CAN AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT AGAIN, IF THEY'RE, IF WE DON'T OFFER A SPORT, THEY'RE ABLE TO PLAY, UM, AT, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN WRESTLE OR PLAY, UM, FOOTBALL, THINGS LIKE THAT AT OTHER SCHOOLS.
UM, THEY ARE REALLY DOING WELL.
SO WE'D LOVE TO SEE WHAT OUR STUDENTS DO WHEN THEY LEAVE US.
THEY RETURN TO RIVERVIEW AS VOLUNTEERS AND MENTORS.
AND, UM, RECENTLY WE FOUND OUT THAT ONE OF OUR STUDENTS IS NOW A TEACHER AT A BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL.
SO, UM, IT'S REALLY FUN TO SEE THINGS COME FULL CIRCLE.
OKAY, LET'S, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
THIS IS JUST THE DETAIL THAT'S IN THE ANNUAL REPORT THAT SAYS SOME OF WHAT I JUST SAID WHEN THE SCHOOL OPENED.
UM, PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ANNUAL REPORT IS FOR LAST SCHOOL YEAR.
SO ALL THAT INFORMATION IS LAST YEAR, NOT RIGHT NOW.
SO IT STILL LISTS OUR, UM, PREVIOUS DIRECTOR BECAUSE THAT'S WHO THE DIRECTOR WAS THAT YEAR.
UM, AS OF THE 45 DAY COUNT, UH, LAST YEAR WE HAD 698 STUDENTS.
THE MAXIMUM STUDENTS WE WILL EVER HAVE IS 720.
THAT IS PART OF THE CHARTER RENEWAL, 20 STUDENTS ACROSS FOUR HOMEROOMS IN NINE GRADE LEVELS, SO THAT, THAT'S WHERE WE'LL MAX OUT.
AND, UM, THERE IS USUALLY SOME ATTRITION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SO WE DON'T TYPICALLY GET TO SEVEN 20.
IT'S AVERAGES AROUND 6 98 OR 700.
SO ALL GOALS ON THE, UH, ANNUAL REPORT WERE MET.
IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OF THEM, WE, UH, RECEIVED TWO STATE REPORT CARDS, ONE FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND ONE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL.
UM, OVERALL PERFORMANCE FOR ELEMENTARY WAS AVERAGE AND FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS EXCELLENT.
THERE ARE DETAILS ABOUT HOW THOSE, SOME BREAKDOWNS WITHIN THOSE.
UM, I WILL NOTE THAT ELEMENTARY BEING AVERAGE, UM, TYPICALLY WE HAVE SCORED A GOOD SCORE ON THAT.
SO THAT IS A ROOM, AN AREA THAT WE ARE WORKING ON, UH, MITIGATING SOME LEARNING LOSS FROM COVID AND, AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON THERE.
WHILE MIDDLE SCHOOL IS EXCELLENT, AGAIN, THERE ARE ALWAYS SOME POCKETS IN THOSE REPORT CARDS FOR IMPROVEMENT.
UM, THE ANNUAL REPORT INCLUDES A LIST OF 63 OF OUR INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF MEMBERS.
UM, SO THE SOUTH CAROLINA CHARTER SCHOOL LAW ALLOWS UP TO 25% OF OUR INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF NOT TO BE CERTIFIED.
HOWEVER, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US THAT WE HAVE, UM, THE MOST QUALIFIED AND PROFESSIONAL TEACHERS AVAILABLE TO OUR STUDENTS.
SO WE REALLY ONLY HAVE ABOUT 6% AT THIS TIME.
UM, AND MOST OF THE TIME WHEN WE HAVE SOMEBODY THAT'S UNCERTIFIED, THEY ARE ACTIVELY MOVING TOWARDS CERTIFICATION.
SO, UM, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO US.
UH, FINANCIAL AUDIT, UH, WE HAD NO FINDINGS.
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ALWAYS GOOD NEWS.UM, THAT HAS BEEN THE CASE FOR YEARS NOW, I THINK MAYBE EVERY AUDIT.
SO, UM, WE GET GOOD RESULTS FROM THE AUDITOR.
THANK YOU TO TANYA AND HER STAFF FOR WORKING SO CLOSELY WITH US ON OUR FINANCES.
UM, THAT'S ALWAYS GOOD NEWS, RIVERVIEW, BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
SO WE HAVE OUR OWN BOARD OF DIRECTORS COMPRISED OF 11 MEMBERS.
THEY SERVE TWO YEAR STAGGERED TERMS AND ELECTIONS ARE HELD EACH DECEMBER.
AND WE HAVE MEETINGS ON THE THIRD MONDAY OF EACH MONTH AT 6:00 PM ALL ARE WELCOME.
THANK YOU, COLONEL GEIER FOR ATTENDING RECENTLY AND OVER.
UM, BUT ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO ATTEND, AND THOSE ARE ALSO AVAILABLE, UM, BY ZOOM IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT IN PERSON.
LOOKING AHEAD, UM, WE ARE THE BENEFICIARIES OF SSR FUNDING, AS IS THE DISTRICT.
UM, THAT HAS REALLY HELPED US WITH, UM, DOING SOME HOMEWORK HELP AND TUTORING PROGRAMS, UM, WITHIN THE SCHOOL YEARS TO AGAIN, HELP MITIGATE SOME LEARNING LOSS THAT WE'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
UM, WE OFFERED IT IN SUMMER OF 2023.
AND THIS IS ALL WITH OUR OWN TEACHERS AND STAFF, UM, TO HELP, UM, DRAW OUT THOSE STUDENTS AND, YOU KNOW, GIVE THEM SOME EXTRA, UM, TUTORING THAT THEY NEED, UM, TO HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, BRING UP THOSE TEST SCORES.
UM, WE HAVE NO, UM, INSTRUCTIONAL POSITIONS THAT ARE OPEN RIGHT NOW.
THEY ARE ALL FILLED, AND WE ARE THRILLED TO HAVE BEEN PART OF THE 2023 REFERENDUM, WHICH WILL PROVIDE US A REGULATION SIZE GYM AND SOME ADDITIONAL CLASSROOM SPACE.
UM, COLONEL GEIER CAME AND PRESENTED SOME OF THAT AT OUR MEETING THIS PAST MONDAY, SO WE'RE REALLY, REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.
UM, AND THANKFUL TO Y'ALL FOR, UM, SUPPORTING IT AND THE VOTERS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY FOR, FOR GIVING THAT THE THUMBS UP.
UH, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH YOU ALL.
WE WERE JUST TALKING WITH DR. RODRIGUEZ AND, UM, WHILE WE OPERATE SOMEWHAT AUTONOMOUSLY, I ALWAYS KNOW THAT THERE ARE VARIOUS PEOPLE, UM, WHETHER IT BE ON THE BOARD OR THE DISTRICT STAFF, THAT WE CAN CALL AND SAY, I HAVE A QUESTION.
I NEED TO WORK THROUGH SOMETHING.
UM, AND WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, PARTNERS AT THE STATE AS WELL.
SO WE'RE REALLY, REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THAT.
WE WELCOME VISITORS AND PLEASE COME SEE US.
WE LOVE TO GIVE A TOUR OR COME TO A COMMUNITY EVENT.
I'LL GIVE A SHAMELESS PLUG THAT THE 14TH ANNUAL BEAUFORT TWILIGHT RUN IS ON MARCH 23RD.
IF YOU DON'T RUN, IT'S STILL A REALLY GOOD TIME.
THERE ARE FOOD TRUCKS AND MUSIC AND ALL KINDS OF STUFF OUT IN THE HABER SHAM NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT'S A BIG FUNDRAISER FOR THE SCHOOL.
AND, UM, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU, UM, YOU KNOW, COME SEE US AT ANY TIME.
WE'RE ALSO IN OUR OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD AND WE'RE TAKING APPLICATIONS FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY, THE 31ST AT 4:00 PM AND WE HAVE A TOUR AT NEXT WEDNESDAY AT NINE 30 AS WELL.
BUT WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO TOUR ANY OF YOU WHEN IT WORKS FOR YOUR SCHEDULE.
SO, UH, THIS TIME WE WILL TAKE QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC ONES ABOUT THE ANNUAL REPORT OR ANYTHING ELSE WE CAN ANSWER FOR YOU.
I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.
SO I NOTICED, UM, THE, YOU MENTIONED THE NON-CERTIFIED STAFF CAN BE UP TO 25%.
SO THIS IS ON PAGE 12 OF YOUR REPORT.
AND IF IT'S A CONVERTED CHARTER SCHOOL, IT CAN BE UP TO 10% WOULD CONVERTED MEANING IT WAS ORIGINALLY A PUBLIC SCHOOL.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? YES, THAT WOULD MEAN A SCHOOL TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL.
YOU'VE GOT YOUR, UM, UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT THIS ANNUAL REPORT IS A TEMPLATE FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND YOU'VE GOT YOUR, UM, STATE TEST SCORES, TEST SCORES.
ONE OF THE, UH, MY COMMENTS IS, AND I HOPE YOU DON'T TAKE THIS THE WRONG WAY, MM-HMM.
YOU ARE, YOU ARE A SELECTIVE SCHOOL.
CAN THEY OTHER STUDENTS FROM ONLY FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY.
SO IT'S ONLY STUDENTS FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY BECAUSE WE ARE SPONSORED BY THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO BRIDGES PREP AND LOW COUNTRY MONTESSORI CAN TAKE FROM ANY, BECAUSE THEY'RE UNDER THE, THE SOUTH CAROLINA CHARTER SCHOOL DISTRICT.
THEY CAN TAKE FROM ANYWHERE JASPER COUNTY, UM, THOSE, BUT WE CAN ONLY TAKE STUDENTS FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY.
THE ONLY EXCEPTION TO THAT IS, UM, IF WE RAN THROUGH THE ENTIRE WAIT LIST OF EVERYBODY THAT WANTED TO COME AND WE DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY ELSE FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY, THEN WE COULD ENROLL SOMEBODY FROM ANOTHER.
BUT THAT WOULD BE VERY, VERY FAIR.
SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL TO HAVE A REAL SHORT SYNOPSIS OF HOW YES.
HOW YOUR STUDENTS, UH, UH, GET ACCEPTED YES.
BECAUSE THAT MATTERS WHEN YOU, YOU, YOU'RE COMPARING SOME OF YOUR DEMOGRAPHICS MM-HMM.
AND IF YOU'RE GONNA COMPARE YOUR STATISTICS MM-HMM.
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'EM TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL.UM, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT, I'M MM-HMM.
ONE COULD ARGUE YES, THAT MAY BE A FACTOR, BUT ANOTHER FACTOR MAY BE YOU HAVE PA PARENTS THAT ARE ENGAGED IN THEIR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION MM-HMM.
THEY CHOSE TO HAVE THEIR CHILD THERE.
SO THAT'S WHY I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOMEWHERE AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR REPORT, EVEN IF IT'S NOT REQUIRED BY THE STATE.
A A LITTLE, LITTLE, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, THREE SENTENCES, WHATEVER IT IS TO EXPLAIN WHERE YOU DRAW YOUR STUDENTS, HOW ARE THEY SELECTED TO ENTER YOUR SCHOOL? YES, DEFINITELY.
AND IF I DID, I DIDN'T MEAN TO SUGGEST THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE NECESSARILY BETTER.
I WOULD SAY THE REPORT CARD SHOWS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DEFINITELY HAVE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AS WELL.
SO, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY ADD THAT.
BECAUSE IT, I JUST SAW THAT WAS, TO ME, WAS THE THING THAT WAS GLARINGLY MISSING FROM THE REPORT.
UM, MADAM CHAIR, JUST FOR, UH, HISTORIC INFORMATION.
UH, WHEN THIS CHARTER SCHOOL OPENED UP IN 2009, UH, MY SON AND AND HIS WIFE, UH, APPLIED FOR THE SCHOOL FOR MY TWO GRANDSONS.
UH, THEY DID NOT MAKE THE CUT THE SECOND YEAR.
THEY DID NOT MAKE THE CUT THE THIRD YEAR.
THEY DID NOT MAKE THE CUT BECAUSE THEY, UH, ARE REQUIRED BY OUR CHARTER WITH THIS DISTRICT TO HAVE THE SAME DEMOGRAPHIC AS FAR AS RACIAL DEMOGRAPHIC AS BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTANCE.
AND SINCE MY TWO GRANDSONS ARE, ARE WHITE, THEY DIDN'T MAKE IT.
SO, UM, MY SON AND AND HIS WIFE, UH, ENROLLED HIM IN BRIDGES CHARTER SCHOOL.
BRIDGES DOES NOT HAVE THAT RESTRICTION.
THEIR DEMOGRAPHICS ARE NOT THE SAME AS OUR DEMOGRAPHICS.
AND WE, THEY WERE ONLY IN THAT SCHOOL FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS.
AND THEN THEY WERE SENT THEN TO, UH, LADIES ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL BECAUSE FRANKLY, LADIES ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL HAD MORE OPPORTUNITIES, MORE HONORS COURSES, MORE ATHLETIC, UH, UH, DIFFERENT CLUBS AND SO ON THAT THEY HAD.
SO, UM, WHEN I HAVE GONE DOWN TO RIVERVIEW CHARTER SCHOOL, RIVERVIEW CHARTER SCHOOL IS IN MY DISTRICT.
AND WHEN YOU GO INTO THAT, UH, SCHOOL, YOU SEE CHILDREN AND TEACHERS ACTIVELY ENGAGED.
YOU SEE, UH, THE SAME TYPE OF INTERACTION BETWEEN STUDENTS AND TEACHERS THAT I SEE AT ROBERT SMALLS THAT I SEE AT, UH, THE OTHER K THROUGH 12.
SO I'M VERY, VERY PROUD OF THIS SCHOOL, VERY PROUD OF WHAT THEY'VE ACCOMPLISHED AND WHAT THEY CONTINUE TO DO.
SO, UM, THEY DO HAVE AN ADVANTAGE.
THEY HA THEY HAVE SOME ADVANTAGES.
I, I, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WITH THE, UM, NON-CERTIFIED, BECAUSE ESPECIALLY IN MATH AND SCIENCE, UH, THAT'S ONE OF OUR CHALLENGES.
AND WE CAN TEACH, UH, A MATH AND SCIENCE, UM, PROFESSIONAL WHO COMES IN AND RETIRES IN THIS AREA.
WE CAN TEACH 'EM CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND SO ON.
THAT'S PRETTY DARN HARD TO TEACH SOMEBODY MATHEMATICS FROM SCRATCH AND HOW TO TEACH IT AND HOW TO USE IT.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD THING, UH, THAT THEY HAVE.
UM, I ALSO THINK IT'S A, IT'S A GOOD THING THAT THEY ARE DIVERSE AND THAT WE ARE NOW GIVING THEM THE SAME KIND OF FACILITIES THAT WE HAVE AT ROBERT SMALLS.
THEY DESERVE TO HAVE THE SAME EQUAL ACCESS TO INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE.
THERE IS AN ISSUE THAT'S COMING UP THOUGH THAT I WANT ADVISE THE BOARD WHEN THE CHARTER WAS ESTABLISHED.
THE SCHOOL IS PAYING US RENT, SO TO SPEAK, FOR THE SHELL POINT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THAT THEY TOOK OVER FROM US.
WE CLOSED DOWN SHELL POINT ELEMENTARY, AND RIVERVIEW HAS BEEN RENTING THAT FROM US SINCE 2009.
I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S BEEN 2009.
WE WERE AT BUROUGHS AVENUE FOR TWO YEARS, AND THEN WE MOVED TO SHELL POINT IN THAT'S RIGHT.
UH, SEPTEMBER OR AUGUST OF 2012.
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WE SUPPORT THE SCHOOL WITH, UH, STAFF SUPPORT.WE SUPPORT THEM IN, UH, A A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
AND, UM, WE SUPPORT THEM, OF COURSE, WITH REFERENDUM FUNDING AND, UH, 8% FUNDING.
I'M NOT SURE THAT THE RENT THAT WE ARE CHARGING IS THE RIGHT AMOUNT.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A, A, A REAL GOOD LOOK AT THAT TO SEE WHAT INDIRECT COSTS IT COSTS THE DISTRICT VERSUS WHAT THEY PAY FOR THE, THE RENT.
AND, UH, I THINK THAT'S A DISCUSSION THAT WE NEED TO HAVE IN A, ALMOST AN AUDIT OF WHAT THE INDIRECT COST TO THE DISTRICT IS TO SUPPORT THIS SCHOOL AND WHAT THEY ARE PAYING US FOR THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T, WE DON'T CHARGE RENT FOR ANY OF OUR OTHER SCHOOLS.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND CAN COME TO START WITH A FINANCE COMMITTEE AND REPORT BACK TO THE FULL BOARD ABOUT THESE COSTS.
I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE RIVERVIEW CHARTER SCHOOLS' 2023 ANNUAL REPORT.
ANY DISCUSSION FOR THAT MR. CAMPBELL? SECOND.
ANYBODY ELSE ONLINE FOR BOARD MEMBERS? I DON'T THINK SO.
EIGHT THAT ARE PARTICIPATING VOTED YES.
I PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY COMMENTS AS THOUGH I DON'T, I THINK YOUR, YOU KNOW, I HAVE THINK ANYTHING LESS OF YOUR SCHOOL WHATSOEVER.
AND YES, ALL OF US THAT HAVE BEEN ON THE BOARD KNOW THAT WE'RE UNDER THIS OCR AGREEMENT.
BUT I WOULD PUT THAT IN THAT LITTLE SURE.
'CAUSE I REALLY THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT.
IT IS, ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS WHO ARE LOOKING AT THIS REPORT, IS, YOU'RE RIGHT.
AND WE'VE PROBABLY THINK WE'VE SAID IT SO MUCH THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS, BUT IT'S NOT, YOU'RE RIGHT.
IT DEFINITELY NOT THE FIRST TIME WE'VE HEARD IT, SO, OKAY.
SO WE'LL, WE'LL KEEP, WE'LL KEEP BEATING THAT DRUM FOR SURE.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU, CARLTON.
AND APOLOGIES, I MISREAD THE DOCUMENT.
I THOUGHT IT STARTED AT NINE, BUT AGAIN, UH, PLEASE FORGIVE ME.
UM, JUST TO TAG ONTO THAT, UH, I'M, I'M GONNA BE TOURING RIVERVIEW, YOU GOT A 231ST, SO I'VE SKIPPED YES, WE DO.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU.
ANYBODY ELSE WHO WANTS TO ATTEND? NO.
UM, WHEN I WENT THROUGH THE, THE, UH, FACILITIES, UM, FOR, UM, MA MASTER PLAN, WHICH WAS PHENOMENAL, I LOOKED, AND THERE ARE 16 OF OUR SCHOOLS THAT ACTUALLY HAVE FEWER STUDENTS THAN THE ATTENDANCE, THAN THE KIDS THAT LIVE IN THAT AREA, WHICH MEANS WE'RE LOSING THOSE KIDS TO OTHER CHOICES AND OTHER OPTIONS.
AND SO WHEN IT COMES TIMES FOR THE STRATEGIC REVIEW, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING TO TAKE A LOOK AT.
AND I THINK THAT WILL ILLUMINATE WHAT RIVERVIEW AND OTHER SCHOOLS ARE DOING, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE OTHER 15 HAVE MORE STUDENTS COMING IN THAN ACTUALLY LIVE IN THE ATTENDANCE ZONE.
SO A DIAGNOSIS OF WHAT IS ACTUALLY CAUSING US TO LOSE STUDENTS IS A PERCEPTION OF, UM, DISCIPLINE OR WHATEVER.
AND THEN MAYBE WE CAN FORMULATE A RES A SOLUTION TO AGGRESSIVELY COMBAT THAT PERCEPTION AND START COMMUNICATING THAT INTO THE COMMUNITY.
SO THANK YOU FOR, I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT, UH, RIVERVIEW, UH, AND OTHERS AND, UM, IMPRESSED.
WISNESKI, WE SEE YOUR HAVE JOINED US.
SO WE SKIPPED OVER THE, UM, RECOMMENDED MOTION FROM POLICY COMMITTEE ON PROPOSED PUBLIC COMMENTS POLICY FIRST READING.
ARE YOU, UM, READY NOW TO, UH, MAKE PRESENT THAT AND MAKE YOUR COMMENTS? YES, MA'AM.
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I HAD ON MY CALENDAR AND WHAT I HAD.
I DOUBLE CHECKED LAST NIGHT TOO.
'CAUSE I KNOW SOMETIMES WE GET THERE EARLY FOR BREAKFAST.
IF YOU WANNA MOVE TO THAT, I'M, I'M PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF PRESENTING THAT.
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SO YOU MAY GO AHEAD.SO, UM, THANK YOU TO THOSE BOARD MEMBERS THAT JOINED US AT THE POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING ON WEDNESDAY.
UM, WE WENT OVER KIND OF THE HISTORICAL, UH, SIGNIFICANCE OF THE POLICY COMMITTEE REVIEWING THE PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY, AND KIND OF WHY WE ARE WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
UM, I'LL REVISIT THAT BRIEFLY FOR THOSE THAT WERE NOT THERE.
UM, THE POLICY COMMITTEE WAS CHARGED WITH REVISING, UH, THE PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY AND GETTING LEGAL ADVICE IN REGARD TO THAT POLICY.
UM, DURING THOSE MEETINGS THAT TOOK PLACE, UH, LAST YEAR, EARLY LAST YEAR, UM, AND WERE QUITE LENGTHY WITH LOTS OF LEGAL ADVICE, UM, WE WERE, UH, TOLD AND ADVISED THAT THE CURRENT POLICY WE HAVE IS NOT IDEAL IN REGARD TO, UH, POTENTIAL LEGAL PITFALLS.
SO THE POLICY COMMITTEE UNDERTOOK THE CHARGE OF REVISING IT BASED ON THAT ADVICE.
UM, AND WE PUT FORTH A, A DRAFT.
UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT PRESENT AT THE MEETING, UH, WHERE THE VOTE DID TAKE PLACE A, A FEW WEEKS BACK OF THAT DRAFT.
UM, AND I WAS UNABLE TO KIND OF EXPLAIN THINGS.
IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE WAS A SPLIT VOTE ON THAT, AND THERE WAS TWO OTHER BOARD MEMBERS BESIDES MYSELF THAT WERE NOT THERE.
UM, SO IN KNOWING THAT, AND ALSO TAKING THE FEEDBACK FROM THAT MEETING AND FROM BOARD MEMBERS, UH, POLICY COMMITTEE MET THIS PAST WEDNESDAY.
WE LOOKED AT THE PRIOR DRAFT THAT WAS CONSIDERED A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND WE MADE A MODIFICATION.
UM, THERE WAS TWO, TWO MAIN DISCUSSIONS AT THE MEETING ON WEDNESDAY.
ONE WAS IN REGARD TO POTENTIALLY REMOVING THE SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.
IT WAS ULTIMATELY DECIDED THAT WE WOULD LEAVE THAT.
SO SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT WILL REMAIN, IT WILL REMAIN AT 15 MINUTES LONG.
THE ONE CHANGE THAT WAS MADE WAS TO ROMAN NUMERAL TWO C, AND THAT WAS TO REMOVE, UH, THE SECTION THAT STATES THE BOARD ENCOURAGES MULTIPLE SPEAKERS FROM A GROUP OR ORGANIZATION, UH, APPOINT A SINGLE REPRESENTATIVE TO ADDRESS THE BOARD.
SO THAT HAS BEEN, UM, SUGGESTED FOR REMOVAL.
AND I AM BRINGING FORWARD A RECOMMENDATION FROM POLICY COMMITTEE.
I'LL GO AHEAD AND MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION NOW.
UH, THE RECOMMENDATION IS THE APPROVAL OF GC, THE PROPOSED GC TWO WITH ROMAN NUMERAL TWO C STRICKEN FOR ADOPTION.
ANY, UM, FURTHER DISCUSSION? I HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION, AND I'M SORRY, I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THIS.
UM, DID WE GO AHEAD, AHEAD, UH, IN THE GC TWO THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO VOTE ON THE ELECTRONIC CARD? OR IS THAT A SEPARATE MOTION? A SEPARATE ISSUE? IT'S INCLUDED IN HERE BECAUSE IT'S, UM, IT DOES REFERENCE IT.
WE MADE THAT SHEET AT A SEPARATE BOARD MEETING WHERE WE ADDED THE WORDS ONLINE, UM, TO CODIFY THAT.
WE DID THAT AT A, A PREVIOUS MEETING.
SO IT, IF IT'S NOT IN THIS DRAFT, IT HAS BEEN CODIFIED BY THE BOARD TO ADD THE WORDS.
YEAH, BECAUSE WHAT I SEE, JUST FOR POINT OF CLARIFICATION, IT SAYS, VIRTUAL PUBLIC COMMENTER SHALL SUBMIT THE ONLINE PUBLIC COMMENT REQUEST FORM TO RECEIVE A PHONE CALL.
UM, AND IT SAYS TO SUBMIT THEIR REQUEST TO PARTICIPATE BEGINNING 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE SCHEDULED BOARD MEETING BEGINS.
SO WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE THIS UP NOW, BUT I THINK WE NEED A LITTLE MORE CLARIFICATION ON THAT, BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE, UM, WE HAD TALKED TO, YOU KNOW, IF THEY HAVE, IF THAT'S GONNA OPEN UP AT 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE MEETING OR HOW THAT'S GONNA WORK.
BUT, UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF A FUTURE TOPIC ISSUE.
I'LL DEFINITELY PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA FOR FUTURE COMMITTEE.
THERE BEING NO FURTHER HANDS UP.
UH, ALL THOSE WHO ARE IN FAVOR TO ACCEPT THIS, UH, PROPOSED, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT POLICY THAT IS BEING PRESENTED, UM, HERE, AND THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST READING, IT WOULD NEED A SECOND READING FOR IT TO BECOME POLICY.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY, AYE WAS NS ONLINE? GO AHEAD.
NAY IS A NAY AND NO ABSTENTION.
SO THE MOTION CARRIES, UH, SECOND EIGHT ONE.
SO THAT WOULD BE THE FIRST, UH, READING.
AND, UH, IT'LL COME BACK ONTO THE AGENDA FOR A
[00:30:01]
SECOND.WISNESKI AND YOUR COMMITTEE, UH, FOR MEETING THIS WEEK.
AND I ATTENDED THAT AND IT WAS AN EXCELLENT, UH, WELL RUN MEETING.
AND THE, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S GONNA BE BENEFICIAL TO THE PUBLIC IS THIS GREATLY REDUCES, UH, THE VERBIAGE IN OUR CURRENT POLICY.
SO WE WANNA MAKE IT SO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMMENTING CAN LOOK AT IT AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, RECOGNIZE WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND HOW TO, HOW TO PARTICIPATE.
SO NEXT UP, WE HAVE OUR LEGISLATIVE UPDATE, AND LYNN STOKES MURRAY IS OUR LOBBYIST, AND SHE IS JOINING US.
WELL, I SENT ROBIN YESTERDAY, AND Y'ALL HAVE THIS, UM, VERY LONG DOCUMENT OF ALL THE LEGISLATION THAT HAS BEEN FILED FROM 2023 AND 2024 TO DATE.
AND I, I AM NOT GONNA SCARE YOU ALL BY MAKING YOU THINK THAT WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT.
BUT I JUST REALLY WANTED YOU TO SEE THE VOLUME OF LEGISLATION THAT WE'RE TRACKING AND HOW MUCH EDUCATION IS IN THE FOREFRONT OF THE MINES OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
UM, SO WHAT I WANTED TO DO IS, UM, TALK A LITTLE BIT, EXCUSE ME, I GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A COLD ACTION GOING ON.
UM, TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE GOVERNOR'S STATE OF THE STATE AND, UM, A COUPLE OF PIECES OF LEGISLATION THAT ARE MOVING, SOME BUDGET ITEMS, AND THEN MAYBE FINALIZE TALKING ABOUT THE, UM, BOARD'S RECOMMENDATION AND RESOLUTION, UM, ON THE BUDGET AND MILLAGE BEING DECIDED BY YOU ALL.
UM, SO IF THAT'S OKAY, I WILL MOVE FORWARD.
G, DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A GOOD, THAT SOUNDS GREAT.
WELL, WE HAVE JUST COMPLETED WEEK THREE OF SESSION AND OUT OF THE GATE, UH, JUST AS GANGBUSTERS, IT'S JUST BEEN BUSY, BUSY, BUSY.
UM, THE GOVERNOR PRESENTED HIS STATE OF THE STATE ON WEDNESDAY EVENING, AND, UM, HE HIGHLIGHTED EDUCATION, NOT, UH, ONLY K THROUGH 12, BUT HIGHER ED.
BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU ALL KNEW A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT HE HAS RECOMMENDED.
UM, THERE ARE EXPECTED TO BE A LARGE INCREASE IN NEW STUDENT ENROLLMENT, AND HE HAS APPROPRIATED IN HIS EXECUTIVE BUDGET $21 MILLION TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE NEW STUDENTS COMING INTO THE SYSTEM.
Y'ALL REMEMBER LAST YEAR, UM, THE HOUSE AND SENATE ADOPTED THE EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP FUND, WHICH WAS BASICALLY AN EFFORT FOR, UM, THOSE WHO ARE AT THE POVERTY LEVEL TO BE ABLE TO MAKE CHOICES FOR PUBLIC OR PRIVATE HOMESCHOOL, WHATEVER FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
HE'S INCREASED THAT BUDGET FROM 15 MILLION TO 30 MILLION TO ACCOMMODATE, UH, REQUESTS FOR CHILDREN THAT WANT TO BE IN THAT PROGRAM.
NOW, OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS JUST AN EXECUTIVE BUDGET RECOMMENDATION.
UM, SO WE'LL, WE'LL SEE WHERE THAT FALLS OUT.
UM, HE CONTINUES IN HIS EFFORTS TO INCREASE, UH, STARTING PAY FOR TEACHERS, UM, UP ADDITIONAL $2,500 IN THIS FISCAL YEAR TO $45,000.
UM, WHICH WOULD, UM, WOULD, WOULD BE A $2,500 INCREASE, AS I MENTIONED, UM, BY 2026, LOOKING TO HAVE $50,000 AS THE STARTING TEACHER PAY.
HE ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE AVERAGE TEACHER SALARY IS ABOVE AND EXCEEDS THE SOUTHEASTERN AVERAGE.
RIGHT NOW IN SOUTH CAROLINA, WE'RE AT $57,737.
SO ALL THOSE THINGS IN THE GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, AND, AND I'LL SAY THAT THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE IS NOW TAKING SUBCOMMITTEE TESTIMONY ON THE BUDGET.
WE WILL BE IN FULL WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE FOR BUDGET DEBATE THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY THE 19TH, AND THEN IT'LL BE ON THE FLOOR TWO WEEKS AFTER THAT AND THEN KICKS OVER TO THE SENATE.
SO ALL THE THINGS GOING ON, UM, IN THE BUDGET, UM, ARE HAPPENING NOW AND AGAIN, WE'LL BE FOLLOWING ALL OF THAT CLOSELY.
I EXPECT THAT WAYS AND MEANS WILL ADOPT A LOT OF THESE PROPOSALS THAT THE GOVERNOR HAS, UM, UH, RECOMMENDED IN HIS EXECUTIVE BUDGET.
[00:35:01]
OTHER THINGS I WANNA MENTION.THERE'S BEEN SOME LEGISLATION, UM, INTRODUCED, UH, JUST THIS WEEK ON A TEACHER BILL OF RIGHTS.
IT'S BY, UH, REPRESENTATIVE SETH ROSE, WHO'S, UH, HERE IN RICHLAND COUNTY.
AND THIS LIST, UM, THAT ALL CERTIFIED PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS IN SOUTH CAROLINA HAVE A RANGE OF RIGHTS.
THAT INCLUDES PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT, LEGAL PROTECTION, DISCIPLINARY MEASURES, SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENTS, PLANNING TIME COMPENSATION, REDUCED PAPERWORK, AND ADDITIONAL COMPENSATION FOR EXTRA WORK.
SO THAT BILL WAS INTRODUCED THIS WEEK AND, UM, IS IN THE, UH, HOUSE EDUCATION AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE.
I IMAGINE IT'LL BE TAKEN UP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.
UM, THE HOUSE EDUCATION COMMITTEE HAS BEEN SUPER BUSY WORKING ON VERY SUNDRY THINGS, NOT THE LEAST OF WHICH IS THE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE CHANGES.
UM, I IMAGINE THAT WILL GET TO THE FLOOR IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS AS WELL OVER ON THE SENATE SIDE.
UM, I WANNA MENTION THIS ONE BECAUSE IT'S A BIG ONE AND WOULD LOVE TO HAVE Y'ALL'S THOUGHTS ABOUT IT AT SOME POINT ALONG THE WAY.
UM, THE, UH, READ TO SUCCEED LEGISLATION THAT SENATE BILL 9 0 5 BY SENATOR HEMBRY, THIS IS AN UPDATE, UM, TO THE 2014 LEGISLATION THAT WAS PASSED.
UH, THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON THAT BILL HAS JUST STARTED TAKING TESTIMONY FROM INTERESTED PARTIES.
UM, DON'T KNOW WHETHER YOU ALL HAVE ANY POSITION ON THAT OR NOT, BUT THEY ARE GONNA CONTINUE THIS COMING WEDNESDAY AT 10 O'CLOCK TO TAKE TESTIMONY, UM, ON THE POTENTIAL CHANGES IN THIS PROGRAM WITH AN EFFORT, OBVIOUSLY TO INCREASE SUCCESS FOR READING FOR K THROUGH THREE, UM, BEFORE THIRD GRADE.
SO THAT'S THE CONVERSATION AROUND THAT.
UH, DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE YET, BUT THAT'S OUT THERE.
AND JUST WANNA MAKE SURE IT'S ON, ON YOUR RADAR.
UM, ALSO WANTED TO MENTION THAT WE, UM, HAVE SEEN AN UPTICK IN SCHOOL COUNSELORS.
THE RATIO WAS, UM, ONE COUNSELOR TO 1300 STUDENTS.
WE NOW ARE DOWN TO ONE COUNSELOR FOR 600 STUDENTS.
THERE SEEMS TO BE, UM, AN INCREASING, UH, AWARENESS AROUND THIS BECAUSE OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES FOR CHILDREN.
AND, UM, AND ATTEMPT TO, TO GET THAT NUMBER EVEN FURTHER REDUCED.
UM, STUDENT, UH, UH, SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS, AGAIN, CONTINUE TO BE IN THE FOREFRONT.
THE, THE GOAL BEING ONE, UH, SRO PER SCHOOL, AND WE'RE VERY CLOSE TO THAT.
UM, THE FUNDS ARE THERE, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF IMPLEMENTATION.
MOVING TO THE, UM, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, JUST SO Y'ALL ARE AWARE, THERE IS A PENDING REGULATION THAT DEALS WITH BOOK BANDS AND HOW, UM, PARENTAL, UM, CONCERNS CAN BE ADDRESSED AND HOW, UH, THE, THE WHOLE CURRICULUM IS APPROVED.
UM, I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL HAVE THAT, UM, COMMENTS FOR THAT REGULATION.
WERE DUE THE 22ND OF THIS WEEK, BUT THERE IS A PUBLIC HEARING NEXT MONTH, UM, TO TAKE PUBLIC INPUT ON HOW THAT REGULATION MAY LOOK.
SO THAT PROCESS IS JUST BEGINNING, UM, SOMETHING YOU ALL AGAIN MAY WANT TO PUT ON YOUR RADAR JUST TO BE AWARE OF AND MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS THAT, THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO SUBMIT THOSE, UM, IN THE PUBLIC HEARING.
LAST THING I WANTED TO TALK TO Y'ALL ABOUT IS A LITTLE BIT, WHAT, WHAT'S GOING ON ON THE HOUSE AND SENATE FLOOR.
UM, THE HOUSE HAS TAKEN UP TRANSGENDER LEGISLATION.
IT WAS ADOPTED AND SENT TO THE SENATE.
THEY HAVE NOT TAKEN IT UP IN COMMITTEE YET, BUT I ANTICIPATE THAT THEY WILL DO THAT VERY SOON.
THE SENATE ADJOURNED YESTERDAY DISCUSSING CONSTITUTIONAL OPEN CARRY, UM, WHICH WOULD BASICALLY DO AWAY WITH ALL, UM, CWP AND ALLOW A CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY OF OPEN ARMS, UM, EVEN, UM, POTENTIALLY IN PLACES WHERE PLACARDS NOW SAY YOU CAN'T GO.
OBVIOUSLY THERE'S SOME EXCEPTIONS.
SCHOOLS WOULD BE ONE OF THOSE, BUT WE ARE WATCHING THAT AS WELL AS IT MAY
[00:40:01]
RELATE TO ANYTHING THAT YOU ALL HAVE, UM, CONCERNS ABOUT.SO THAT'S A VERY QUICK UPDATE OF WHERE WE ARE THREE WEEKS IN.
UM, UH, NEXT TIME WE'RE TOGETHER, I'LL BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT TO EXPECT BUDGET-WISE.
BUT, UH, I'VE THROWN A LOT AT YOU.
UM, LET ME STOP FOR A MINUTE AND SEE IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS.
WISNESKI AND THEN, UH, MR. DALLAS AND COLONEL GEIER.
I APPRECIATE, UM, YOU COMING THIS MORNING, UH, TO GIVE US AN UPDATE.
AND I RECOGNIZE WE'RE ONLY THREE WEEKS IN, SO OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT MORE WORK TO BE DONE IN THE COMING WEEKS.
UM, THE THREE ITEMS THAT I TOOK INTEREST IN FROM THIS LIST, NUMBER ONE IS GONNA BE HB 4 6 4 9 ON PRIVATE SECURITY IN, UH, SCHOOLS.
I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT ONE OUT TO FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS AND ALSO TO OUR LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE, UM, TO POTENTIALLY TRACK THAT.
UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY WAS AHEAD OF THAT.
UM, AND, AND I'M PROUD OF THAT.
UH, BUT NOW THERE IS LEGISLATION, UM, I, I BELIEVE IT'S GOOD LEGISLATION AND JUST GOING TO, UM, BASICALLY PERMIT THAT IN STATUTE, UM, WHAT WE'VE ALREADY DONE.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S NOTHING THAT'S GOING TO HINDER OUR CURRENT OPERATIONS OF THAT PROGRAM.
UM, I KNOW OUR, WE ARE CONTINUING TO MOVE TOWARDS SROS, UM, BUT I JUST WANNA KEEP THAT ONE, UH, AN EYE ON THAT ONE AND ALSO ASK MS. MURRAY IF YOU WOULD DO THAT AS WELL FOR US.
UM, THE OTHER ONE IS IN REGARD TO HB 4, 7 0 6 LOCAL REFERENDUMS, A REFERENDUM.
UM, THAT ONE I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK VERY HARD AT.
WE MAY WANNA HAVE OUR FINANCIAL TEAM LOOK AT AS WELL.
UM, I BELIEVE AS I'M READING IT, AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, MS. MURRAY, UM, THAT THE LEGISLATION IS LOOKING TO MOVE, UH, LOCAL SCHOOL TAX ELECTIONS TO ONLY EVEN NUMBERED YEARS IN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER.
AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, THAT COULD AFFECT BEAUFORT COUNTY BECAUSE IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE'VE BEEN RUNNING OUR REFERENDA ON A SCHEDULE IN THE ODD NUMBERED YEARS.
SO THAT COULD IMPACT US AND OUR LONG-TERM PLANNING THAT WE'VE WORKED EXTREMELY HARD TO DO.
UM, AND WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH OUR LAST TWO REFERENDUMS. SO I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S NOT GONNA IMPACT US IN ANY NEGATIVE WAY.
UM, WE CAN DEFINITELY TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS JUST IN REGARD TO OPIOIDS, I SEE THAT THERE'S A NUMBER OF THEM ON THERE, UM, ABOUT THE ADMINISTRATION OF, UM, I BELIEVE IT'S NARCAN OR OTHER TYPES OF AGENTS.
SO I DID WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT BECAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S JUST A, A PERSONAL, UH, PASSION PROJECT.
I THINK THAT WE NEED TO HAVE THAT AVAILABLE, UM, IN OUR FACILITIES.
AND, AND HOPEFULLY THAT DOES PASS.
SO THAT IS THE ONLY, THE ONLY THREE THAT I HAD THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON AND PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO.
NEXT IS, UM, MR. DALLAS, THEN COLONEL GEIER.
JUST A, A QUICK, UH, FOLLOW UP, UH, TO DR.
UH, WE HAVE NARCAN, UH, IN OUR SCHOOLS WHEN WE HAVE STAFF TRAINED, UH, UH, TO U UTILIZE NARCAN.
CAN I HAVE A FOLLOW UP MADAM CHAIR? SURE.
IS THAT IN ALL SCHOOLS OR JUST IN MIDDLE AND HIGH? ALL SCHOOLS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT UPDATE.
WE HAVE A LOT OF HANDS UP, SO I'M GONNA TRY TO GO IN ORDER THAT THEY WENT UP.
MR. DALLAS NEXT, THEN COLONEL GEIER.
WISNESKI ON THE LOCAL REFERENDA AND MOVING THAT, UH, IT GIVES US, IT GIVES THE VOTER A MUCH GREATER CLARITY INTO OUR PARTICULAR ISSUES WITHOUT IT BEING CLOUDED WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL OR ALL, UH, ODD YEAR, EVEN YEAR, EVEN YEAR, UH, UH, ISSUES.
THE THREE THINGS I SAW IS THE NUMBER OF LEGISLATIVE OFFERINGS BY VARIOUS ELECTED OFFICIALS TARGETING SPECIFICALLY IN THEIR, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS, PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
AND I WONDER, I SAW VERY FEW WHERE IT SEEMED TO JUST SAY SCHOOLS SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOLS.
AND WHAT THAT LEADS ME TO IS TO PLACES LIKE RIVERVIEW AND OTHERS AND SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS, UH,
[00:45:01]
I HEAR FROM ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT THEY ARE PROPOSING THAT THE REVENUE FOLLOW THE KIDS.I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THAT, BUT EVERY ATTENDANT COST SHOULD ALSO FOLLOW THAT KID TO WHEREVER THEY ARE BEING EDUCATED, BECAUSE WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING, PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WE END UP CARRYING THE EXPENSE BURDEN AND THEN WE GET VIS EVISCERATED ABOUT OUR, OUR PERCENTAGE OF OVERHEADS.
AND I THINK WE NEED TO AGGRESSIVELY DEVELOP OUR OWN POLICY ILLUMINATING THAT AND ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S, I MEAN, I'M NOT SAYING ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, I'M JUST SAYING, LET'S, LET'S MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S OUT THERE.
UM, THE OTHER THING IS TO WHAT DR. RODRIGUEZ JUST SAID.
MS. HENDERSON GAVE US SUPERB, UH, TRAINING SESSION LAST NIGHT AT RIVER RIDGE ACADEMY, TWO AND A HALF HOURS ON OPIOIDS, UH, CPR, UM, HOW TO PLUG A, A BLEEDING WOUND, UH, HOW TO PROVIDE RESUSCITATION TO BABIES, ADULTS AND, AND ADULTS, CHILD AND INFANTS.
AND WE LEARNED THERE, AND THEY SHOWED US THE A ED KITS, HOW TO OPERATE THEM.
UH, SHE AND THE, UH, TWO GENTLEMEN FROM BURTON, SO THANK YOU MR. CAMPBELL, FOR ALLOWING YOUR FIREMEN TO COME DOWN TO RIVER RIDGE ACADEMY.
UH, THEY SHOWED US HOW NOT TO USE AN A ED.
UH, SO IT WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND I FOUND OUT IT'S AVAILABLE TO EVERY EMPLOYEE.
THANK YOU, DR. RODRIGUEZ, OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE FAMILIES OF THOSE SCHOOLS.
SO I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE OF US MIGRATING THROUGH THE COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE THE TEACHERS AND OTHER, UH, BCSD STAFF AND ASK THEM TO ASSEMBLE THEIR FAMILY.
SO IT FLOWS THROUGH THE COMMUNITY.
IT, YOU REALLY GET FOUR TO SIX MINUTES.
AND WHAT FRIGHTENED THE HECK OUTTA ME HAVING BEEN THROUGH CPR ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO BEFORE GOING ABROAD, IS THAT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF TIME IF SOMEONE HAS A BLEEDING ARTERIAL WOUND.
SO JUST WANTING TO SHARE THAT AND SAY, THANK YOU, COLONEL GEIER.
WHEN I WENT THROUGH THIS, I SAW HR 42 42 THAT CONGRATULATES BEAUFORT HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM IN 2022.
AND I SAID, WELL, THAT'S NICE.
BUT THEN I WAS LOOKING FOR IT, WHERE'S THE LEGISLATION FOR FISCAL AUTONOMY FOR BUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS? I DON'T SEE IT.
IT, IT, THAT IS, THAT IS MY PERSONAL TOP PRIORITY.
AND I COULD, YOU KNOW, BEAUFORT HIGH, YOU KNOW, HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
BUT LET'S GET WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, TO OUR FUTURE ON THE AGENDA AND IN A, IN A, IN A LAW.
SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT, UM, LYNN? YES.
YOU MENTIONED THAT MEANT TO, UH, UH, I HAD THAT ON MY LIST AND I JUST, I WAS GONNA END WITH THAT.
BUT YES, WE, UM, WE HAVE THE DRAFT LEGISLATION.
WE ARE ACTUALLY MEETING WITH, UM, REPRESENTATIVE HERB KIRSCHMAN ON TUESDAY TO DISCUSS THAT, AND ALSO SENATOR DAVIS NEXT WEEK.
I, I WILL TELL YOU THAT THERE HAS, UM, NOT BEEN COMPLETE AGREEMENT WITHIN THE DELEGATION ABOUT THIS.
UM, I, I FEEL LIKE, UM, THAT YOU ALL HAVE ARMED US WITH LOTS OF REASONS WHY YOU NEED THE AUTONOMY.
SO, UM, I AM HOPEFUL THAT WE WILL GET THAT LEGISLATION DROPPED, UM, WITHIN THE NEXT 10 DAYS.
SO THAT WOULD BE TWO LEGISLATIVE WEEKS, SO EXPECT THAT TO HAPPEN.
SO I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD TO THAT IS, UM, LYNN, I WANT, I'VE COPIED YOU ON EVERYTHING THAT THE BOARD HAS, UM, SENT TO THE DELEGATION.
SO YOU HA LIKE YOU JUST SAID, YOU HAVE A, A LOT OF INFORMATION FOR US.
UH, WHY WE FEEL, UH, FISCAL AUTHORITY IS, IS, UH, IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY.
UM, THERE'S, LET ME, THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE I WAS GONNA SAY ABOUT, UH, TUESDAY.
I'LL THINK OF IT IN JUST A SECOND.
UM, SO MY THING THAT I NOTICED, LET ME PULL IT UP HERE.
THE, I HAVE THE NUMBER, UH, IS HB THREE TWO NINE THREE CELL PHONE BAN AND PUBLIC SCHOOL CLASSROOMS. THIS IS SOMETHING, UM, I HAVE BEEN ASKING TO GET ON THE BOARD'S AGENDA.
UM, THERE IS STRONG, STRONG RESEARCH COMING OUT THAT IS CORRELATING, UM, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT, STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH, UH, WITH CELL PHONE USE.
AND THERE ARE SOME REALLY GOOD PROGRAMS BEING RUN RIGHT NOW THAT, UM, IT'S NOT A BAN PER SE BECAUSE I'VE NEVER BEEN IN FAVOR OF A BAN IN THAT IT PUTS THE BURDEN
[00:50:01]
OF ENFORCEMENT ON TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS.AND THAT'S JUST A NIGHTMARE, RIGHT? BECAUSE KIDS ARE VERY GOOD AT SNEAKING THEIR CELL PHONES AND THEIR DEVICES AROUND.
THIS IS ACTUALLY, THERE'S SOME TECHNOLOGY NOW THAT ALLOWS, UM, SCHOOLS TO MANAGE CELL PHONE USE AND TO TURN THEM ON AND OFF, OR TO PUT THEM INTO, UM, ESSENTIALLY BAGS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, THAT THE KIDS WOULD KIND OF, YOU KNOW, CHECK IN DURING THE DAY AND CHECK OUT.
WE'RE NEVER GONNA GET KIDS TO NOT BRING THEIR CELL PHONES TO SCHOOL.
UM, AND THE WAY THE WORLD'S GOING NOW, MY SON'S CAR KEY IS HIS CELL PHONE, SO IT'S, BUT THERE IS SOME REALLY GOOD PROGRAMS THAT ARE BEING DONE.
A LOT OF 'EM ARE BEING DONE IN THE NORTHEAST.
THEY'RE HAVING TREMENDOUS RESULTS.
UM, AND THE, THE DATA'S THERE.
SO I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE THE LEGISLATION TAKING IT UP.
BUT I THINK THAT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY HERE FOR OUR SCHOOL BOARD TO KIND OF LOOK AT WHAT'S ALREADY BEING DONE AND BE, UM, A LEADER IN THE STATE AND SHOWING HOW WE CAN SMARTLY DO THAT.
AND THEN HOPEFULLY WE COULD DEVELOP A DATA COLLECTION PROCESS AROUND IT WHERE WE COULD DEMONSTRATE THE IMPACT ON STUDENT DISCIPLINE, ATTENDANCE, MENTAL HEALTH, AND ACADEMICS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO CALL THAT OUT AS THIS BILL'S GOING THROUGH.
UM, I THINK THAT'S AN UNDERAPPRECIATED, UH, PIECE OF LEGISLATION.
AND LET ME JUST MENTION AS WELL, UM, THAT THERE IS LEGISLATION THAT IS BEING DEBATED PRESENTLY THAT DEALS WITH SOCIAL MEDIA, UH, UH, UH, TO, TO TRY TO TAMP DOWN AND, AND DECIDE, UH, HOW WE MIGHT CAN BETTER REGULATE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR KIDS.
AND OBVIOUSLY IT'S SOMEWHAT CONTROVERSIAL, BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE, UM, A REAL EFFORT AND CERTAINLY AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES THAT CAN RESULT FROM NEGATIVE SOCIAL MEDIA.
SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THAT AS WELL.
AND, AND I'LL MAKE SURE THAT I FLAG THAT AND SEND IT TO ROBIN SO SHE CAN SHARE IT WITH YOU.
AND JUST AS A QUICK FOLLOW UP TO THAT, THERE, THERE, THOSE ARE BOTH IMPORTANT CONCEPTS.
THE CELL PHONE AND THE CLASSROOM AND SOCIAL MEDIA, JUST AS A PERVASIVE, UM, INFLUENCE ON, ON YOUNG PEOPLE ARE TWO RELATED, BUT SEPARATE ISSUES.
THE ONE THAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW, AND WHAT'S, WHAT STUNS ME, AND I'VE TALKED TO PEOPLE ABOUT THIS, IS ACTUALLY TELLING KIDS THEY CANNOT, IT SEEMS, YOU KNOW, PRETTY SELF-EXPLANATORY.
YOU CAN'T HAVE YOUR CELL PHONE OUT AND, UH, LOOKING AT SNAPCHAT AND INSTAGRAM DURING THE CLASSROOM PERIOD.
BUT WHAT THEY FOUND IS THAT WHEN THEY, THE KIDS BUCKED IT AND FOUGHT IT AND HATED IT FOR A WEEK OR TWO, BUT THEN THEY STARTED LOOKING UP AND NOW KIDS ARE ACTUALLY ASKING FOR AND WANTING THESE PROGRAMS WHERE THEY'RE NOT, BECAUSE THERE'S SUCH A FEAR OF MISSING OUT SUCH A, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE IN THERE, IF EVERYONE ELSE IS ON THEIR CELL PHONE.
UM, AND IT'S JUST A VERY DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT IT.
SO I HOPE THAT THE LEGISLATION IS LOOKING AT WHAT'S, WHAT THESE PROGRAMS, UM, THE KIND OF RESULTS THEY'RE GETTING.
I'VE GOT MY OTHER COMMENTS, BUT
UH, YES, I JUST WANNA ADDRESS 'EM ABOUT, UM, THE MEDIA.
UM, MOST OF THE ISSUE WITH CELL PHONES DON'T HAPPEN IN THE SCHOOLS.
IT HAPPEN WHEN THE, THE CHILDREN ARE OUTTA SCHOOL.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S A PARENT'S RESPONSIBILITY, NOT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT RESPONSIBILITY.
EVERY TIME, UH, UH, ISSUE COMES UP, FIGHT OR SOMETHING, IT HAPPENS, UM, OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OR AT HOME AND IN THIS COMMUNITY, UM, MY, I WENT THROUGH THIS AND I DON'T SEE ANYTHING IN HERE WHERE THE GOVERNOR IS TALKING ABOUT UNIVERSAL EARLY CHILD CODE EDUCATION.
UH, HE TALKS ABOUT GIVING MONEY TO SEND CHILDREN TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL OR RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS, BUT HE HAS TO UNDERSTAND A LOT OF THESE PARENTS THAT LIVE IN THE RURAL AREA DON'T HAVE TRANSPORTATION.
SO HOW THEY GO GET TO THE SCHOOL, THAT'S SOMETHING THEY NEED TO ADDRESS.
AND MY LAST THING IS, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE ARE AFRAID OF TALKING ABOUT DIVERSITY.
WHY? YOU KNOW, UM, TO TALK ABOUT DIVERSITY IN HISTORY, WE, PEOPLE PUT BAN IN BOOKS, WE NEED TO BAN IN HISTORY BOOKS BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THE STUFF IN THE HISTORY BOOK IS NOT ACCURATE.
NOW, SOME PEOPLE MAY DISAGREE WITH ME, BUT THAT IS TRUE.
ONE EXAMPLE IS COLUMBUS, HE'S NEVER SET FOOT ON WHAT WE KNOW AS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
HE ENDED UP IN BARBADOS, BUT NOT ONLY THAT, HIM AND HIS BROTHER WAS TRIED AND CONVICTED FOR THE TREATMENT OF THOSE FOLKS IN, IN, IN BARBADOS, BUT NOBODY TALKS ABOUT STUFF LIKE THAT.
[00:55:03]
UM, WE SEEM TO DON'T WANNA KNOW, KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HISTORY.THE PAST IN GERMANY, STUDENTS ARE TAUGHT ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST IN SCHOOL, AND WHEN THEY GO ON FIELD TRIP, THEY GO TO THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THERE'S A LOT OF, OF, OF HISTORY ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA, BUT I WON'T GO INTO THAT TODAY.
UM, SO
YOU'RE MEETING WITH, UM, UH, REPRESENTATIVE HERB KERMAN AND, AND SENATOR DAVIS ON TUESDAY REGARDING THE, UH, VESTING, UH, BUDGET AUTHORITY AND TAX MILLAGE SETTING AUTHORITY IN THE, UM, BEAUFORT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.
UM, I THINK IT'S REAL IMPORTANT.
LIKE I SAID, I'VE COPIED YOU ON EVERYTHING.
SO YOU HAVE ALL THE, UM, SUPPORTING, UH, DOCUMENTATION.
I THINK IF YOU BRING OUT TWO THINGS, THIS IS WHAT I WOULD SAY.
THE DELEGATION TOLD US THAT WE NEEDED SUPPORT FROM THE COUNTY COUNCIL TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN.
THE RESOLUTION THAT THEY PASSED ON IN MAY OF 2023, THE COUNTY COUNCIL WAS UNANIMOUS FOR THIS SUPPORT, 100% UNANIMOUS.
AND THAT IS, UH, THEIR WORDING ON THE SECOND PAGE OF THEIR RESOLUTION IS THE WORDING THAT, UH, THE DISTRICT IS USING OR THE BOARD IS USING THROUGH, UH, YOU KNOW, LEGAL, UH, ADVICE.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TAKING THE COUNTY COUNCIL'S WORDING.
UM, THE SECOND THING IS THAT THE, THE BOARD ALSO MOVED THIS FORWARD PRIOR TO IT GOING TO COUNTY COUNCIL.
AND THE SUPPORT FOR IT WAS ALSO UNANIMOUS FROM THE BOARD.
SO YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, UH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WORD IS, UNANIMITY
AND NOW IT SEEMS LIKE THERE, THERE SOME, PERHAPS SOME OF THE REPRESENTATIVES OR SENATORS ARE KIND OF BACKTRACKING.
OH, NOW THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
THE, THE THIRD THING IS IT'S, I HAVE LEARNED THROUGH THE SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION THAT THERE ARE, UH, SOME SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT WERE CONSOLIDATED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS IN, IN THE STATE.
AND THOSE DISTRICTS WERE GRANTED FISCAL AUTHORITY AS PART OF THE AGREEMENT.
AND I THINK THAT IS CRUCIAL FOR THEM TO KNOW THAT, THAT THERE, YOU HAVE DISTRICTS THAT WERE OBVIOUSLY STRUGGLING, THAT'S WHY THEY'RE CONSOLIDATED, AND YET THEY'RE HAPPY TO HAVE VOTED TO GIVE THOSE DISTRICTS FISCAL AUTHORITY.
BUT, UH, ARE, ARE NOT, DON'T, ARE NOT SO GENEROUS TO THE, TO THE, UM, SCHOOL, SCHOOL BOARD AND, AND DISTRICT HERE AND THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ARE THE ONLY ELECTED PUBLIC OFFICIALS THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OUTCOMES OF THE BUDGET FOR EDUCATION IN THIS COUNTY.
WE'RE, WE'RE IT, THE BUCK STOPS HERE, SO THAT I JUST, THOSE ARE THE THINGS I'D REALLY STRESS
I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH, AND THAT IS VERY HELPFUL.
UM, AND PARTICULARLY, I, I WAS NOT AWARE ABOUT THE CONSOLIDATED DISTRICTS THAT WERE GRANTED FISCAL AUTHORITY AS PART OF THEIR AGREEMENT.
I THINK THAT MAKES THE CASE EVEN MORE STRONG.
UM, BUT YES, I WILL CALL YOU OFFLINE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE, AND IF YOUR SCHEDULE PERMITS, WE, UH, MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO A, A JOINT CALL OR I CAN CALL YOU WHILE WE'RE MEETING ANYWAY.
WE HAVE STILL ANOTHER, UH, MR. DALLAS? YES, MA'AM.
REGARDING THE, UM, FISCAL, UH, AUTONOMY.
UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, THERE WAS UNANIMITY AT BOTH LEVELS.
UH, THAT REPRESENTS 200,000 INHABITANTS OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANT VOTING POPULATION.
IF, UH, MS. MURRAY STOKES OR STOKE MURRAY CAN PROVIDE US THE SPECIFIC DETAILS OF WHO'S OPPOSING IT, THEN THAT ENABLES US TO BE MORE TARGETED.
UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, SOMETHING MR. CAMPBELL, UH, JUST SAID, I DO, I DO AGREE WITH SOMETHING, UH, SOME OF WHAT HE SAID.
UM, ALSO, UM, CAN MR. MR. STOKES CASE TELL US WHERE THE STATE IS IN, IN TERMS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY, OR IS ANY, IS ANY OF THAT BEING DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW? THAT'S AT THE, UH,
[01:00:01]
STATE LEVEL? UM, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT SOME LAST YEAR, MR. SMITH.UM, I HAVEN'T, UH, NOTHING'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
WAS SORT OF ROLLED UP IN THE, UM, CRT LEGISLATION, UM, WHICH IS YET TO BE, UM, FINISHED OVER ON THE SENATE SIDE.
I CAN GO BACK AND PULL THAT BILL FOR YOU AND SEND YOU WHAT IS OUT THERE.
UM, BUT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I DON'T REMEMBER THE SPECIFICS OF IT.
BUT NOTHING, NOTHING ON THE FLOOR OR IN COMMITTEE AT, IN THESE FIRST THREE WEEKS.
THAT WAS REALLY MORE DEBATE FROM LAST YEAR.
AND, AND ALSO, I KNOW THAT, I KNOW I HEARD THAT YOU SAID THAT THERE WILL BE, UM, A THERE WILL BE HEARINGS TO BEAR PEOPLE AND, AND ALSO, UH, AND DO YOU HAVE THOSE DATES AS WELL FOR THOSE HEARINGS? WILL PEOPLE COME UP THERE, TESTIFY? WELL, YES, ABSOLUTELY.
AND LET THEM SEND THEM OUT TO YOU ALL SO YOU'LL KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE DATES ARE.
AND ALSO THE, THE, UH, THE PROCEDURE, THERE'S A, THERE'S A PROCESS, UM, ON HOW, HOW YOU GET IN, HOW YOU GET IN THE QUEUE FOR THAT, OH, TO, UM, TO SPEAK.
MM-HMM,
SO LYNN, SEND THAT TO ROBIN AND THEN SHE COULD DISTRIBUTE IT TO, UM, ALL OF THE BOARD MEMBERS, PLEASE.
AND I'D ALSO, UM, JUST, OKAY,
AND I ALSO WANNA COMMENT AS, UH, OR AGREE WITH, I BELIEVE IT WAS DR.
WISNESKI AND MR. DALLAS, THAT, THAT, UH, LEGISLATION PROPOSED LEGISLATION SWITCHING WHEN SCHOOL, UH, REFERENDUMS COULD GO TO THE VOTERS IS A DISTINCT DISADVANTAGE TO BEAUFORT COUNTY.
I ASSUME THEY PROBABLY ARE DOING THAT BECAUSE THEY WANNA SAY, OH, WE WANT MORE PEOPLE TO GO TO THE POLLS TO DECIDE THIS SORT OF THING.
BUT AS MR. DALLAS, SO ELOQUENTLY SAID, YEAH, BUT THEY GET EVERYTHING ELSE ON THEIR MIND ON A, WHEN IT'S ON A, ON EVEN YEARS BECAUSE OF, UH, ALL THE, UH, UH, OTHER ELECTIONS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE AT THE SAME TIME.
WHEREAS IF IT'S BY ITSELF OR WITH ONLY A FEW ITEMS, UH, UH, A LOT OF EDUCATION AND FOCUS ON JUST THAT, UH, REFEREND OR JUST THOSE SCHOOL, UH, NEEDS OR REFERENDA COULD BE DISCUSSED WITH THE PUBLIC.
YEAH, THAT IS, IT'S REALLY COMING FROM THE, UM, THE STATE, UH, ELECTION COMMISSION AND THE COUNTY ELECTION COMMISSIONS TRYING TO GET UNIFORM, UM, VOTING PROCEDURES.
UM, THERE'S BEEN A GOOD DEAL OF PUSHBACK ON THESE BILLS.
UM, IN, IN PARTICULAR, UM, JUST, JUST DEALING WITH HAVING ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER WHEN SOMEONE GETS SWORN IN THE, THERE'S BEEN SOME AMENDMENTS TO THAT.
THERE'S BEEN DISCUSSION ABOUT ELIMINATING MUNICIPAL ELECTION COMMISSIONS.
SO I WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, EXPRESS OUR CONCERNS STRONGLY THAT WE WANT THOSE ON, UH, REFERENDUMS TO BE PLACED ON ODD NUMBER OF YEARS.
WE GOT ONE AHEAD OF YOU, MR. NA, I DON'T THINK I'VE SPOKEN YET.
AND THEN, THEN YOU'LL BE NEXT.
UH, WE AS A BOARD, DID WE GIVE MRS. STOKE MARY, LIKE DEFINITIVE DIRECTION THAT THIS IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY, THAT OUR FISCAL AUTONOMY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY FOR HER? WELL, BECAUSE IF WE DIDN'T, I'M, I'M, I MEAN, I, I JUST WANTED, WELL, THE BOARD, SO THE BOARD VOTED ON THIS, UM, I THINK IT WAS BEFORE YOU CAME ONTO THE BOARD AND IT WAS UNANIMOUS.
AND SO THE, AND THEN WE'VE, SO WE'RE STILL MOVING THAT FORWARD AND, AND, UH, THE, WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN FOR US TO HA TO, FOR THAT TO, UH, BE VESTED THAT AUTHORITY BE VESTED IN THE BOARD IS FOR THE, UM, OUR, OUR, UH, STATE, UH, OR BEAUFORT COUNTY STATE, UH, UH, LEGISLATIVE LEGISLATORS HAVE TO INTRODUCE, UM, UH, LEGISLATION TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY THAT THEN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY WILL BE, WILL VOTE ON.
SO THAT'S THE ONLY WAY THAT, UM, OR I SHOULD SAY THAT IS THE WAY THAT IS BEING PURSUED, BECAUSE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE'VE ENDED UP WITH THIS WHOLE SITUATION AFTER A NUMBER OF YEARS.
AND EARL CAN TELL YOU, THIS HAS BEEN GONE FOR FOREVER.
UM, SO, UH, I DON'T, YES, A VOTE WAS TAKEN.
NOT WHILE YOU WERE ON THE BOARD, THOUGH.
THANK YOU, UH, FOR THE CLARIFICATION.
YES, I'M, I'M AWARE THE, THE, THE, THE, THE PROCESS OF DOING THAT.
I'M JUST WONDERING IF WE, AS A BOARD TOLD HER THIS IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S, IT'S ONE OF THE PRIORITIES.
EACH YEAR WE COME UP WITH, UH, UH, LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES,
[01:05:01]
UM, AND THAT THOSE ARE DEVELOPED AT THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE LEVEL AND THEN BROUGHT FORWARD TO THE, TO THE BOARD AND TO, UM, UH, MS. STOKES MURRAY, SO SHE KNOWS, YOU KNOW, WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE.SO SHE HAS THOSE FROM, FROM, UH, PRIOR YEARS TOO.
WE, WE, WE HAVEN'T RANKED OUR PRIORITIES WITH HER.
KY WHO SAID HER HAND UP WAS, WAS UP.
SORRY, I WAS JUST TRYING TO ADD, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF OUR RECOMMENDATION ON THAT REFERENDUM LANGUAGE WOULD BE THAT WE PREFER IT ON ODD NUMBERED YEARS.
I JUST THINK WE DON'T WANT ANY RESTRICTION ON WHAT YEAR.
I'M, I'M PERSONALLY FINE WITH RUNNING IT IN NOVEMBER OF ANY YEAR.
UM, BUT I THINK WHEN YOU START DOING THAT, YOU GET INTO THOSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THAT MAY BE OUR ON EVEN CYCLES.
SO, UM, I DON'T WANNA COMPETE WITH ANYBODY IN THAT REGARD.
IT'S MORE SO JUST, LET'S NOT PUT A, A CERTAIN YEAR RESTRICTION ON IT.
BECAUSE THAT, THAT'S WHEN PEOPLE TURN UP.
WELL, LYNN, THE, WE HAVE, UM, UH, BOARD COMMITTEES, UH, WE HAVE BEEN REASSIGNED FOR THIS YEAR.
AND JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE, WE'LL BE ANNOUNCING THESE TODAY.
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE IS GONNA BE RACHEL WISNESKI AS THE CHAIR, EARL CAMPBELL AND ELIZABETH HAY.
SO I'M SURE THEY'LL BE REACHING OUT TO YOU, UM, UH, IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
AND, UH, YOU AND I WILL TALK ABOUT TUESDAY.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE NEW LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE, AND THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH.
HAVE A GREAT REST OF YOUR WORK SESSION.
SO, LET'S TAKE A, UM, 10 MINUTE BREAK FOR COFFEE AND BATHROOM, AND THEN, UM, WE'LL HAVE, UH, OUR NEXT, UH, AGENDA ITEM REGARDING THE BOND RESOLUTIONS.
BUFORD COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA HAS SEVERAL JOB OPENINGS FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, DETENTION CENTER OFFICERS, STORMWATER AND GROUND CREW APPLY TODAY@BEAUFORTCOUNTYSE.GOV.
THE AVERAGE TEXT TAKES YOUR EYES OFF THE ROAD FOR NEARLY FIVE SECONDS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
THAT'S ENOUGH TIME TO TRAVEL THE LENGTH OF A FOOTBALL FIELD.
STOP THE TEXTS, STOP THE WRECKS.
ALL RIGHT, WE'RE BACK, UH, FROM OUR SHORT RECESS.
THE PLAYGROUND WAS NICE,
SO NOW WE ARE ONTO OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH ARE THE BOND RESOLUTIONS, UH, THAT WILL BE PRESENTED BY GRANNY HEISER FROM BY FOREMAN.
UM, JUST WANTED TO INTRODUCE, UM, MS. HEISER REAL QUICK, BUT, UH, JUST AS BEFORE I DO THAT, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION TODAY WE'RE GONNA HAVE THREE RESOLUTIONS BOND RESOLUTIONS.
ONE IS A, UM, UH, A RESOLUTION TO ISSUE BONDS.
THE OTHER TWO ARE RE BASICALLY REFUNDINGS.
SO, UM, WE HAVE, YOU HAVE BEEN PRESENTED, I BELIEVE IT WAS IN DECEMBER, BRIAN RIC PRESENTED ON THESE TOPIC, ON THESE TOPICS IN, IN THOROUGH DETAIL.
AND SO WE'RE, TODAY IS THE DAY WE'RE GONNA BE ASKING FOR A MOTION, UH, TO MOVE THESE FORWARD.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO MS. HEISER.
GOOD MORNING, AND THANK Y'ALL FOR LETTING ME BE WITH YOU.
UM, IF YOU SAW ME IN THE BACK THERE, YAWNING, IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE CAROLINA WOMEN GAMECOCK BASKETBALL TEAM.
SO, UH, BUT IT IS GOOD TO BE WITH YOU'ALL FOR, UH, REALLY WHAT'S EXCITING FOR ME, UH, BRIAN RIC COMES AND HE SAYS, OH, HE'S ALL GINNED UP AND, AND EXCITED ABOUT THE NUMBERS.
BUT TODAY WE'RE DOING SOME THINGS THAT ARE ON MY SIDE OF THE, OF THE LINE, THE LEGAL WORK THAT LETS US PUT INTO PLACE, UM, UM, BRIAN'S NUMBERS AND Y'ALL'S STRATEGY.
SO WE DO HAVE THREE RESOLUTIONS.
[01:10:01]
IS THE RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE THE ISSUANCE OF YOUR REFERENDUM APPROVED DEBT, 439, 430 $9 MILLION ONE OR MORE SERIES, ONE OR MORE YEARS.THIS RESOLUTION IS REALLY WHAT WE CALL THE KITCHEN SINK
IT, IT AUTHORIZES EVERY CONCEIVABLE METHODOLOGY FOR ISSUING YOUR DEBT IN THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE WAY POSSIBLE.
SO, UM, PROBABLY I THINK THE CURRENT IDEA IS THAT THE FIRST DEBT TO BE ISSUED WOULD BE BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES.
UH, THEY WOULD BE SIZED SO THAT IT WOULD PAY FOR MAYBE THE FIRST 12 OR 14 MONTHS OF, OF YOUR CONSTRUCTION NEEDS.
UM, THEN IT WOULD BE DETERMINED WHETHER YOU ISSUE ANOTHER NOTE OR WHETHER IT'S TIME TO ISSUE LONGER TERM BONDS.
I DO KNOW THAT ONE OF THE THINGS MR. NRIC IS THINKING ABOUT AND WOULD RECOMMEND TO Y'ALL, IS THAT THEIR REFERENDUM DEBT BORROWINGS GET ON A CYCLE WHERE WE'RE SEVEN YEAR DEBT ABOUT THIS TIME EVERY YEAR.
IT, IT IS HISTORICALLY THE CASE THAT THE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS, MAYBE EVEN, UM, THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF JANUARY, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PAPER.
THERE ARE NOT A LOT OF BONDS ISSUES READY TO GO.
AND, AND SO WE HAVE FOUND THAT THAT JANUARY IS A REALLY GOOD TIME TO, TO BE ISSUING YOUR DEBT.
BRIAN WILL BE WITH Y'ALL ON WHAT WE AFFECTIONATELY CALL DEBT DAY.
I THINK IT'S AT THE END OF MARCH, AND HE'LL HAVE MORE INFORMATION FOR Y'ALL THEN ABOUT HOW HE FORESEES THIS DEBT ROLLING OUT.
BUT OF COURSE, IT'S ALL UP TO, UM, TO WHEN, WHEN THE MONEY IS NEEDED.
AND, UM, WE WILL STAY OBVIOUSLY IN CLOSE TOUCH WITH THE BOARD WITH TANYA AND WITH ROBERT.
I'M GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AUTHORIZED THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF NOT EXCEEDING FOUR HUNDRED THIRTY NINE THOUSAND THIRTY FIVE MILLION FOUR HUNDRED THIRTY NINE MILLION THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS IN ONE OR MORE YEARS IN OR IN OR MORE SERIES WITH APPROPRIATE SERIES DESIGNATIONS.
THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES IN ONE OR MORE YEARS IN ONE OR MORE SERIES WITH APPROPRIATE SERIES DESIGNATIONS AND THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS THROUGH THE GGO GO PROGRAM IN ONE OR MORE YEARS, IN ONE OR MORE SERIES WITH APPROPRIATE SERIES DESIGNATIONS BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, PROVIDING FOR THE FORM OF THE BONDS AND NOTES, FIXING CERTAIN DETAILS OF THE BONDS AND NOTES AUTHORIZING THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OR HIS LAWFULLY AUTHORIZED DESIGNEE TO DETERMINE CERTAIN MATTERS RELATING TO THE BONDS AND NOTES PROVIDING FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE BONDS AND NOTES AND THE DISPOSITION OF THE PROCEEDS THEREOF AND OTHER MATTERS RELATING THERE TO DO I GET A SECOND
SO DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? UH, COLONEL GEIER, THIS IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, UH, TO GIVE THE KIND OF FLEXIBILITY TO FRANNIE AND TO BRIAN, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IN THE ECONOMY, UM, WE'RE AT A KIND OF VOLATILE TIME.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO RAISE INTEREST RATES TO TRY TO COOL THE ECONOMY DOWN OR TO LOWER INTEREST RATES TO LOWER INFLATION.
THOSE ARE TWO FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES.
AND OF COURSE, THIS IS A HIGH VOLATILE TIME BECAUSE OF THE ELECTION YEAR HERE.
SO BASICALLY WHAT THIS DOES IS IT ALLOWS BRIAN AND FRANNIE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE MARKET AND BASED ON MARKET STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, AND, AND OPPORTUNITIES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
WE WERE VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL IN THE LAST REFERENDUM IN, IN DOING THIS.
AND WE WERE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE IN THE LAST REFERENDUM, WE GAVE EXACTLY THE SAME FLEXIBILITY, UH, TO OUR BOND COUNCIL AND TO OUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR.
SO I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE, UH, MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS TO APPROVE THIS RESOLUTION.
I DIDN'T SEE YOUR HAND, BUT GO AHEAD NOW.
UM, THE ONLY THING THAT I NOTICED, AND THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I POINT OUT AND WE HAVE A, A BRIEF DISCUSSION ON IS, I BELIEVE IT'S ON PAGE TWO WHEN YOU GET TO THE BULLETED ITEMS. UH, THE BULLETED ITEMS DO NOT MATCH THE BALLOT LANGUAGE
[01:15:01]
ON ITEM NUMBER THREE.SO WE DID MAKE A MODIFICATION WHEN WE APPROVED THE BALLOT LANGUAGE TO INCLUDE THE LANGUAGE PK THROUGH FIVE ON NUMBER THREE.
I'M NOT SURE IF ANYBODY RECALLS THAT, BUT I BELIEVE IT'S VITALLY IMPORTANT, UM, THAT THAT IS REFLECTED HERE.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO ADD PK THROUGH FIVE THREE.
SO HOW ABOUT JUST MAKE A MOTION TO AMEND THE, UH, RESOLUTION TO, UH, MIRROR THE BALLOT? I THINK THAT WAY IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S THERE DISCREPANCY, IT COULD BE CORRECT.
IS THAT GOOD FOR ANY TO DO IT THAT WAY? UM, YOU MIGHT SAY SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS THIRD BULLET, SO IT'D RECONSTRUCTING AND EQUIPPING A PA PRE-K UH, THROUGH FIVE, UM, ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BLUFFTON.
AND ANY OTHER, SO I WOULD DO SPECIFIC AND THE CATCHALL.
UH, I MOVE TO AMEND THE MOTION TO REFLECT BULLET THREE STATING, CONSTRUCTING AND EQUIPPING A NEW PK THROUGH FIVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BLUFFTON, AND ANY OTHER MODIFICATIONS AS NECESSARY TO MATCH THE BALLOT LANGUAGE.
DO WE HAVE A SECOND? OKAY, MR. DALLAS.
I KNOW THAT WAS A LOT, ROBIN, SO
SO IF I CAN SEE IT ON THE SCREEN, THAT WOULD BE BETTER.
SO, UM, CAN'T SEE COME UP, UH, DR.
UH, YOU WERE INSERTING PRE-K TO FIVE IN FRONT OF, UM, THE NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
NO, THAT WAS, UH, CHLOE GORDON.
AND IT, AND, AND THE OTHER THING YOU SAID, AND ANY OTHER MODIFICATIONS, UH, OR DISCREPANCIES, I THINK I'VE FORGOTTEN WHAT WORD YOU USED.
I THINK YOU USED THE WORD MODIFICATIONS, MODIF FOR ANY OTHER MODIFICATIONS, UH, NECESSARY FOR THE RESOLUTION TO CONFORM TO THE BALLOT QUESTION.
SO WE ARE FIRST WE'LL VOTE ON THE AMENDMENT.
SO ALL THOSE IN, I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER HANDS OFF.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENT, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND, SAY, AYE.
ANY NAYS? OKAY, MR. SMITH AND NO ABSTENTIONS.
SO I BELIEVE THAT WOULD'VE PASSED, UH, EIGHT ONE AS WE HAVE TWO MEMBERS.
ALL RIGHT, SO NOW WE GOTTA GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL, UM, MOTION FOR THE RESOLUTION WITH, UH, THE, UM, OUR SECRETARY MIDDLETON RED.
AND THAT WAS SECONDED BY, ACTUALLY, YEAH.
SO I THINK THE AMENDMENT WAS SECONDED BY MR. DALLAS.
THAT'S MY, YEAH, MISS THE, THE ORIGINAL, ORIGINAL MOTION.
SO IF THERE, MR. SMITH, I DO HAVE A CONCERN IN, IN, IN TERMS OF STARTING THESE BONDS RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WITH THE, UH, WITH THE BANKING SYSTEM, I NOTICED THAT THE BANKING SYSTEM HAVE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE CHANGING THEIR RATES AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING A LOT OF STUFF RIGHT NOW, AND THEY'RE NOT OFFERING SOME STUFF THAT THEY WERE OFFERING RECENTLY.
HOW ARE WE GOING TO MOVE THIS FORWARD TO SELL THIS BASED UPON THE BANKING SYSTEMS IS THEY'RE SHUTTING DOWN A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT, THAT I'VE BEEN NOTICING LATELY.
UM, AND, AND WHAT, WHO, WHERE, WHAT AND WHY, HOW, WHAT'S THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE? THE, THE, UM, AS I MENTIONED, I THINK THE FIRST DEBT IS GOING TO BE ISSUED AS BOND ANTICIPATION NOTES.
BO THO, THAT TYPE OF DEBT IN SOUTH CAROLINA
[01:20:01]
IS OUTSTANDING FOR NO MORE THAN ONE YEAR.SO YOU'LL HAVE SHORT-TERM DEBT, UM, TO POTENTIALLY GIVE THE, THE MARKETS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SETTLE DOWN.
UM, THE BOND MARKET IS, IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE WOULD SEE IF WE GO TO A BANK.
THE, UM, IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, BASED ON MANY OTHER FACTORS, THE, THE FED RATE IS ONE FACTOR, BUT THE LONG-TERM COST OF FUNDS AND THE YIELD CURVE AND INVERTED YIELD CURVE, THOSE ARE ALL, ALL MR. NEWARK'S, UH, PURVIEW.
BUT THE, UM, THE GOAL HERE IS TO HAVE THE, THE FLEXIBILITY TO ALLOW Y'ALL TO GET YOUR FUNDS WHEN YOU NEED 'EM IN THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE MANNER POSSIBLE.
AND SO THAT IT'LL BE EVALUATED ON A CONTINUING BASIS.
AND, UM, AS I SAID, YOU'LL PROBABLY, YOU WILL GET A FULLER BRIEFING FROM MR. NRIC, UH, IN MARCH, AND HE WOULD LAY OUT WHAT HE FORESEES AT THIS TIME.
BUT HE WILL TELL YOU THAT HE DOESN'T PREDICT, HE ONLY DESCRIBES AND RE AND HELPS Y'ALL REACT.
SO, UM, I, I FEEL GOOD THAT Y'ALL WILL END UP, UM, BEING ABLE TO SELL ALL OF THIS DEBT WITHIN THE PROJECTED NUMBERS AND THE MILLAGE RATE.
AND, AND SO, UM, THIS SHOULD BE ANOTHER, ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO DO REALLY WELL AND TO MEET THE EXPECTATIONS OF YOUR TAXPAYERS AND YOUR VOTERS.
SO, WELL, YOU SAID HE WOULD BE ABLE TO LET US KNOW THAT IN MARCH.
IS THERE A REASON WHY WE ARE VOTING NOW INSTEAD OF MARCH YOU, CORRECT? YES, THERE IS THE, UM, THERE ARE, UM, THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO DO IN PREPARATION FOR SELLING DEBT, EVEN, EVEN IF IT'S A BOND ANTICIPATION NOTE.
SO WE HAVE TO DRAFT DOCUMENTS, WE HAVE TO HAVE THE RATING AGENCY PROCESS GO FORWARD.
AND, AND SO, UM, BY ADOPTING THIS RESOLUTION NOW, WE'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THINGS READY TO GO IN FEBRUARY OR, OR THE MIDDLE OF MARCH.
IF WE WAITED TILL MARCH, YOU'D BE TALKING APRIL OR THE, THE END OF APRIL.
SO I THINK THE GOAL IS IF Y'ALL NEED MONEY, YOU KNOW, IN MARCH, WE'LL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT BY Y'ALL ADOPTING THE RESOLUTION TODAY.
UM, JUST WANT TO, TO NOTE THAT, UM, UH, AS, AS MS. FANNIE SAID, THIS GIVES 'EM FLEXIBILITY TO REACT TO WHATEVER THE MARKET DYNAMICS ARE.
WE HAVE AN INVERTED YIELD CURVE RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS NOT SOMETHING THAT NORMALLY LAST.
AND WHEN IT ENDS, WE NEED THEM TO BE ABLE TO MOVE QUICKLY AND SEIZE OPPORTUNITIES.
AND OUR POINT, THEY CAME FORWARD WITH A MODIFICATION LAST YEAR WHERE YOU SAVED US SIGNIFICANT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS BY BEING, HAVING THAT ABILITY TO MOVE QUICKLY.
UM, I, I THINK THAT SORT OF SUPPORTS WHAT QUEST IS.
SO NOW WE'RE VOTING ON THAT ORIGINAL MOTION.
SO ALL THOSE IN, IN FAVOR FOR THE, THE RESOLUTION.
UH, PLEASE SAY AYE A AND ONLINE WISNESKI.
OKAY, MR. SMITH AND NO ABSTENTION.
SO THE MOTION CARRIES, UH, NINE ONE, AND IT WOULD, IT, IT GOES AS AMENDED.
MADAM SECRETARY
HOW ABOUT THAT? BECAUSE I'M, I DRAFTED IT, SO IT'S MY LANGUAGE.
SO, SO THIS IS A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE IN SALE OF A NOT TO EXCEED $16,293,200 GENERAL OBLIGATION REFUNDING BOND SERIES 2024 OR SUCH OTHER APPROPRIATE SERIES DESIGNATION OF THE DIS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY SOUTH CAROLINA, FIXING THE FORM AND DETAILS OF THE BOND BOND AUTHORIZING THE SUPERINTENDENT OR HIS LAWFULLY AUTHORIZED DESIGNEE TO PRESCRIBE CERTAIN DETAILS RELATING TO THE BOND, PROVIDING FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE BOND AND THE DISPOSITION OF THE PROCEEDS THEREOF AND OTHER MATTERS RELATING THERE TOO.
MADAM CHAIR, I MAKE A MOTION BASED ON WHAT WAS READ INTO RECORD, AND WE NEED A SECOND.
TH TH THIS IS THE, THE, UM, ONE OF THE, THIS RESOLUTION AND THE NEXT ONE ARE REALLY SORT OF EXCITING FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING THAT'S, THAT'S RARELY MADE
[01:25:01]
AVAILABLE TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS.AND AGAIN, I HAVE TO GIVE MR. NEWICK CREDIT FOR REALLY HIS FORESIGHT IN, IN SEEING THIS DEVELOP IN, UM, 2021.
UM, TAXABLE INTEREST RATES WERE SUFFICIENTLY LOW THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO REFINANCE DEBT THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED IN, UM, IN 14, 20 14, UM, AND YOU RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS WITH, WITH EVEN A TAXABLE INTEREST RATE.
BUT THE, UM, UH, FEDERAL TAX LAW NOW PROVIDES THAT YOU CANNOT ISSUE TAX EXEMPT REFINANCINGS UNTIL THE REDEMPTION DATE OR 90 DAYS BEFORE THE REDEMPTION DATE.
SO 21 TO 24, THERE WAS NO WAY WE COULD DO A TAX EXEMPT, UM, REFUNDING BOND, BUT THE TAXABLE BOND WAS A REALLY GOOD DEAL.
SO THE FORESIGHT WAS, WELL, IN 2024, WE, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO REFINANCE THAT TAXABLE BOND WITH TAX EXEMPT DEBT.
BUT THE, UM, THE TRANSACTION THAT WAS SOLD IN 21 WAS NOT CALLABLE.
IT'S ONLY IN EXISTENCE FOR 10 YEARS OR LESS.
AND YOU GENERALLY DON'T HAVE CALL, CALL, UH, PROVISIONS OR REDEMPTION PROVISIONS PRIOR TO MATURITY OF DEBT.
BUT TD BANK, WHICH BOUGHT YOUR, UH, TAXABLE BOND, SAID, WELL, WE WILL BE, WE WOULD BE WILLING TO WAIVE THE PREPAYMENT PENALTY TO ALLOW YOU TO REFINANCE THIS DEBT WITH TAX EXEMPT DEBT.
AND THE TD BANK ACTUALLY, UM, DELIVERED TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT A PROPOSAL IN FEBRUARY OF 2022 THAT SAID, HERE'S WHAT OUR TAX EXEMPT INTEREST RATE WILL BE.
AND Y'ALL VOTED TO ACCEPT THAT TERM SHEET ON THE CONDITION THAT WE HAVE A LAWFUL PUBLIC SALE OF THE BONDS PRIOR TO THE, UH, ACCEPTANCE OF THE, THE, THE TD TERM SHEET.
SO THIS DOCUMENT SETS UP A SALE WE'RE GONNA OFFER FOR SALE THIS TAX EXEMPT, UM, TAX EXEMPT REFUNDING BOND.
AND ONE OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE SALE IS THAT IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED, THE THE BID WOULD HAVE TO INCLUDE THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF TD BANK, THE HOLDER OF, OF YOUR 21 BOND.
THEY HAVE TO CONSENT TO THE PREPAYMENT.
SO REALISTICALLY, ONLY TD BANK IS GONNA CONSENT TO THE PREPAYMENT.
AND SO WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS THOUGH TO, UM, TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF STATE LAW IN THIS SWITCH FROM TAXABLE TO TAX EXEMPT.
I, I DON'T THINK YOU, YOU HAVE A LOT OF EXTRA SAVINGS.
I THINK I SAW A NUMBER OF, LIKE A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, BUT THAT IS NOT ANYTHING TO LEAVE ON THE TABLE.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT Y'ALL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.
AND THE, UM, THIS TRANSACTION WILL BE, UM, SOLD AND CLOSED ON MARCH THE FIRST, WHICH IS THE REDEMPTION DATE OF THE ORIGINAL DEBT.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXPLANATION.
THERE ARE NO THERE BEING NO HANDS UP.
UM, ALL THOSE IN, IN FAVOR OF ACCEPTING THIS RESOLUTION, PLEASE SAY, AYE.
ONLINE VOTE, RIGHT? AYE, WISNESKI AYE.
OKAY, MR. SMITH, ARE YOU VOTING I'LL ABSTAIN FROM THAT.
SO THE MOTION, CARRIE, FOR THIS RESOLUTION CARRIES 9 0 1.
THE NEXT RESOLUTION IS A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF A NOT TO EXCEED $13 MILLION TAXABLE GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND SERIES 2024 A OR SUCH OTHER APPROPRIATE SERIES DESIGNATION OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA, FIXING THE FORM AND DETAILS OF THE BONDS, UH, DELEGATING TO THE SUPERINTENDENT OR HIS LAW LAWFULLY AUTHORIZED DESIGNEE THE AUTHORITY TO DEC TO DETERMINE CERTAIN MATTERS RELATING TO THE BOND, PROVIDING FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE BOND AND THE DISPOSITION OF THE PROCEEDS THEREOF AUTHORIZING THE PREPAYMENT OF THE $29,050,000 INSTALLMENT PURCHASE REVENUE REFUNDING BOND IN PERIN SCHOOL DISTRICT OF BEAUFORT COUNTY PROJECT CLOSED PERIN SERIES 2016.
AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED THERE TOO.
MADAM CHAIR, I MAKE A MOTION BASED ON WHAT WAS READ INTO THE RECORD.
ALL MS. BOATWRIGHT, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SECOND THAT ONE? YES.
[01:30:01]
AHEAD.SO THIS RES THIS IS REALLY A SPECIAL TRANSACTION AND, AND YOU'RE BASICALLY GETTING A TWOFER IN THIS RESOLUTION.
THIS RESOLUTION DOES TWO THINGS.
IT AUTHORIZES, UM, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO, UM, PAY ALL THE AMOUNTS DUE, UH, FOR YOUR, UM, CURRENTLY OUTSTANDING INSTALLMENT PURCHASE REVENUE BOND FROM 2016.
THE, UM, THERE IS ONE HOLDER OF THAT BOND.
IT IS A BANK THAT IS THE, UM, IT'S A SUBSIDIARY, WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF JP MORGAN SECURITIES.
WE DO A LOT OF WORK WITH JP MORGAN AND IN ANOTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT.
THEY WERE WILLING TO OFFER THE SAME TYPE OF, OF OPPORTUNITY WHERE EXISTING DEBT COULD BE PREPAID, EVEN THOUGH THE DOCUMENTS FROM 2016 DO NOT PROVIDE FOR PREPAYMENT.
THAT, AGAIN, WAS A TRANSACTION WITH NO CALL, WITH A NO CALL PROVISION.
AND WE'RE GOING TO THE ENTITY THAT CONTROLS THE BOND AND HAVE THEM, UM, AUTHORIZE THE, OR WAIVE THE, THE NO PREPAYMENT.
THE, UM, WHAT YOU WILL DO, YOU WILL, ON THIS COMING MONDAY, ACTUALLY, THIS IS, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN OPPORTUNITY BASED ON THIS INVERTED YIELD CURVE.
AND WHEN A BANK OR A SECURITIES FIRM TAKES A, A LOAN IN, IN, IN HOUSE, THEY HAVE EX, THEY HAVE CONTRACTS REGARDING THE, THE COST OF CAPITAL, AND THEY'VE GOT SWAPS AND THEY'VE GOT DERIVATIVES AND THEY'VE GOT HEDGES AND ALL THESE THINGS THAT JUST SORT OF CONFUSE, MAKE MY HEAD EXPLODE.
AND, AND YOU KNOW THAT JP MORGAN AND THE BANK WOULD NOT BE OFFERING THIS IF IT WASN'T A GOOD IDEA FOR THEM.
SO THE BANK WILL SAVE MONEY BY ALLOWING Y'ALL TO PREPAY THIS DEBT.
Y'ALL WILL ALSO SAVE MONEY, AND THAT NUMBER IS MAYBE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $800,000.
SO, AND YOU WILL ABOUT PREPAYING THIS DEBT, YOU WILL NO LONGER NEED TO ISSUE TWO BONDS A YEAR THROUGH SCA GGO, WHICH IS A HEADACHE THAT, THAT, THAT YOUR CFO WOULD LIKE TO GET RID OF.
WE CAN DISSOLVE THIS, THIS SCA GGO, EFC, THAT CORPORATION CAN GO AWAY.
AND, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY, UM, THE WHOLE IPRB WILL, WILL BE DONE.
SO BECAUSE OF THE TIMING, THIS RESOLUTION AUTHORIZES THE ADVANCEMENT OF MONIES FROM YOUR GENERAL FUND.
AND THEN THE BOND WILL BE ISSUED WITHIN TWO OR THREE WEEKS, UM, TO REIMBURSE YOUR GENERAL FUND.
SO, AND, AND BY USING SOME OF YOUR CASH TO ADVANCE THIS, THIS PAYMENT, UM, YOU WILL ULTIMATELY SAVE ABOUT $800,000 AND A BUNCH OF PAPERWORK AND HEADACHES IN THE FUTURE.
IF I AND I, I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD MENTION ONE OTHER THING.
I USUALLY AM UP HERE TALKING ABOUT FLEXIBILITY.
AND, UM, WHEN Y'ALL PASSED THIS RESOLUTION, I'M GONNA ASK DR. RODRIGUEZ TO SIGN THE PREPAYMENT AGREEMENT, THE, THE FORM OF WHICH IS ATTACHED.
AND ONCE WE DELIVER HIS SIGNATURE, THIS DEAL HAS TO GO THROUGH.
NOT THAT IT WOULDN'T, BUT THERE'S NO BACKING OUT BECAUSE JP MORGAN WILL START TO UNWIND THEIR FUTURE POSITIONS AND WHATEVER MONEY THEY INTEND TO SAVE, YOU'D BE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BE ON THE HOOK FOR IF, IF ANYTHING HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKEND.
SO JUST WANNA MAKE CLEAR THAT, THAT, UM, THIS WILL IN, IN FACT BE A DONE DEAL BY THIS AFTERNOON.
UH, SEEING NO HANDS UP, UM, WE WILL TAKE THE VOTE FOR THIS RESOLUTION.
AND, UH, ONLINE VOTE, RIGHT? AYE, KY AYE.
I HOPE TO SEE SOME OF Y'ALL AT SCHOOL BOARDS AND THEN AGAIN ON DEBT DAY.
BUT IF YOU NEED ME, UM, IF ANYTHING COMES UP, TANYA'S GOT US ON SPEED DIAL.
SO YOU'RE GONNA LEAVE THESE TO BE SIGNED TODAY BY THE APPROPRIATE, YOU GOTTA HAVE IT SIGNED RIGHT NOW.
GUS, WITH THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA, I'M GONNA NEED ABOUT, UH, THREE TO FOUR MINUTES.
OKAY? SO LET'S TAKE A 10 MINUTE BREAK AND WE CAN SIGN THESE AND DO THAT.
[01:35:03]
MANY PEOPLE AREN'T AWARE OF IT, BUT HOMELESSNESS IS A CHALLENGE IN OUR COMMUNITY.SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY HAVE BEEN WORKING TO COMBAT HOMELESSNESS, BUT THEY CAN'T DO IT ALONE.
IF YOU'D LIKE TO HELP, PLEASE CALL 8 4 3 5 2 1 3 1 5 3.
WE ALL WORK TOGETHER TO END HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COUNTY.
ALL DOMESTIC ANIMALS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY OVER THREE MONTHS OF AGE MUST BE LICENSED.
THIS REQUIRES A RABIES VACCINATION AND A FEE OF $5 FOR ONE YEAR, OR $15 FOR THREE YEARS.
FAILURE TO LICENSE YOUR PETS AGAINST THE LAW, AVOID FUNDS AND PENALTIES.
A MESSAGE FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER AND CONTROL.
THE SHELTER IS ALWAYS HAPPY TO ACCEPT DONATIONS OF OLD BLANKETS, TOWELS, OR PET TOYS.
OKAY, WE'RE BACK, UM, IN PUBLIC SESSION AFTER A SHORT RECESS, AND OUR NEXT, UH, TOPIC ON THE AGENDA IS THE BUDGET PRIORITY DISCUSSION.
AND DR. RODRIGUEZ, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
AND, UM, AS YOU KNOW, THE BOARD HAS, UH, BEEN HAVING A DISCUSSION REGARDING, UH, UH, BUDGET PRIORITIES.
I THINK PROBABLY BETTER TO SAY THAT THE BOARD HAS BEEN IDENTIFYING, I THINK, THEIR BUDGET PRIORITIES, UH, INITIALLY, UH, INDEPENDENTLY ON THEIR OWN PERSONAL THOUGHTS.
AND WHAT I HOPE TO DO TODAY IS, UH, TO FACILITATE A DISCUSSION WITH THE BOARD, UH, TO BRING, TO BRING THOSE PRIORITIES TOGETHER.
OKAY? AND SO IF, UH, IF YOU ARE ONLINE AND YOU'RE TUNING IN, UH, FROM HOME, YOU'RE A BOARD MEMBER TUNING IN FROM HOME, UH, THERE SHOULD BE SOMETHING PLACED IN, UH, IN YOUR FOLDERS, RIGHT? IN YOUR COMMUNITY, UH, FOLDERS, UH, AS A BOARD MEMBER, UH, THAT TALKS ABOUT, UH, IT JUST SAYS, UH, UM, A, UH, IT HAS BASICALLY CHARACTERISTICS, UM, BOARD COMMITTEES 2024, AND IT SAYS, UM, UH, ACADEMICS, FINANCE, UH, WELL, THAT'S NOT IT.
YEAH, I'M NOT SEEING ANYTHING.
I I WAS GONNA SAY, UH, IS IT IN A DIFFERENT SPOT THAN THE AGENDA? IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT LOADED YET.
SO THIS, SO THIS SHOULD BE, THIS SHOULD BE LOADED IN THERE ALREADY.
IT'S YOUR, UH, YOUR BUDGET PRIORITIES, UH, CATEGORIES.
IF YOU CAN REFRESH, UH, YOU SHOULD FIND THAT IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
THE TITLE OF IT SAYS BUDGET PRIORITY CATEGORIES, REFRESHING
STILL NOT IN THERE, UNLESS IT'S IN THE BOTTOM OR SOMETHING.
WELL, IF IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE UNDER BUDGET PRIORITIES, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, THERE IS NOTHING IN THERE.
THIS IS PRETTY MUCH MY LIFE AS A TECH SUPPORT PERSON.
ROBIN, IF, UH, YEAH, TURN IT OFF LOGGING OUT, ROBIN.
IF, UH, IF, IF THEY'RE HERE, UH, UH, IN PERSON, YOU, YOU HAVE IT IN YOUR FOLDER.
SO IF YOU'RE HERE IN PERSON, YOU HAVE IT IN YOUR FOLDER.
UH, IF, IF YOU ARE, UH, ON ONLINE ON ZOOM, UH, THEY'RE WORKING ON I DID, UH, UH, WITH RACHEL, LOG OUT AND LOG BACK IN AND IT'S IN THERE.
WISNESKI, IF, IF YOU, WHEN YOU SEE IT, IF YOU COULD LET ME KNOW.
UH, AND SO, UH, IN ESSENCE, UM, I HAD WORKED ON BUDGET PRIORITIES, AS WAS THE ASSIGNMENT, UH, UH, FROM THE BOARD, JUST AS YOU ALL WORKED ON BUDGET PRIORITIES.
AT THE LAST BOARD MEETING, UH, THE BOARD DETERMINED THAT THEY WERE GONNA LOOK AT THE BUDGET PRIORITIES THAT I HAD PUT FORTH, AND THEY WERE GOING TO WORK, WORK THROUGH AN EXERCISE INDIVIDUALLY TO RANK THOSE BUDGET PRIORITIES.
[01:40:01]
WE ARE TODAY.AND, AND THE PURPOSE OF TODAY IS TO ENGAGE, UH, IN A DISCUSSION AROUND THIS.
AND MY INTENT IS TO FACILITATE A BOARD DISCUSSION ON THESE BUDGET PRIORITIES.
I'M GONNA UTILIZE A PROCESS TO IDENTIFY WHAT THOSE BUDGET PRIORITIES ARE.
UH, SO I'LL, I, I HA I KNOW WHAT THE TOP 10 WERE FROM YOU, UH, AND WHAT YOU ALL HAVE PUT TOGETHER, UH, FROM WHAT YOU REVIEWED AND, AND PRIORITIZED.
I'M GONNA SHARE THAT WITH YOU IN A SECOND.
WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH AN EXERCISE TO TAKE THOSE 10 TO FIVE, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH AN EXERCISE TO TAKE 'EM TO THREE.
OKAY? BUT I KNOW WHAT THE 10 WERE, I KNOW WHAT THE FIVE WERE, WHAT, WHAT THE FIVE WILL, WILL BE, AS SOON AS YOU'RE DONE WITH THAT.
AND THEN I WILL KNOW WHAT THE THREE ARE.
SO I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO FEEL THAT, WELL, IF WE LAND ON THREE, FOUR WAS ONE OF MINE, BUT IT'S NOT IN THERE.
SO IT'S NOT GONNA, IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
OR, OR, THE ONE I WANTED WASN'T IN THE 10.
UH, AND SO, SO THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
OH, IT'S IT, THAT, THAT'S NOT HOW IT WOULD ULTIMATELY WORK.
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS, IS SETTING PRIORITIES, BUT IT GIVES ME AN IDEA OF WHAT YOUR THREE, WHAT YOUR FIVE, AND WHAT YOUR 10 WERE AS WELL AS AS PRIORITIES.
OKAY? AND THEN, UM, AT THE END, WE'RE GONNA SHARE A PROJECTED BUDGET DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE THAT WE GO THROUGH SO THAT, UH, WE, WE KEEP MOVING THE PROCESS FORWARD.
WHAT I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO DO, WE'RE GONNA TRY SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY HERE.
I'VE GOT SEVERAL HELPERS IN THE ROOM AND ASSISTANCES IN THE ROOM THAT ARE GOING TO COME AROUND, UH, TO ASSIST AND FACILITATE WITH ANY TECHNOLOGICAL, UH, CHALLENGES THAT MAY ARISE.
SO IF YOU WOULD, PLEASE COME THIS WAY.
AND, UH, LET'S BE PREPARED TO ASSIST ANY BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, BUT I THINK WE'RE GONNA BE OKAY THROUGH THIS.
SO WHAT I'D LIKE EACH OF YOU TO DO IS TO TAKE OUT YOUR PHONE.
YOU GOT A QR CODE THERE ON YOUR SCREEN.
YOU CAN USE THAT ONE OR THAT ONE.
SO IF YOU TAKE OUT YOUR PHONE, USE THE QR CODE THAT YOU SEE THERE.
YEAH, IT'S WORKING GREAT FOR ME.
INGRID AND I, IT'S TOTALLY ON TOP OF THIS.
I THINK YOU WANT, MIGHT WANNA PARK ONE OF YOUR HELPERS NEXT TO ME.
GOTTA MOVE MY CURSOR OUT OF THE WAY.
'CAUSE IT WASN'T LETTING YOU SEE THE FULL THING DID IT? OH, WOW.
WHILE WE'RE WAITING, CAN I JUST THROW OUT THAT I LOVE THE, IN THE INCORPORATION OF TECHNOLOGY TO DRIVE EFFICIENCY.
AND I'M EXCITED WHERE THIS IS GOING.
AND IF YOU LOOK ON YOUR SCREEN ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE THUMBS UP.
UH, ANYTIME YOU'RE EXCITED ABOUT ANYBODY, ANYTHING YOU HEAR OR YOU SEE, GO AHEAD AND THUMBS UP.
WE ALL LIKE LIKES ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, THIS IS NO DIFFERENT.
SO, UH, IF YOU LIKE, PUT A THUMBS UP, THUMB UP, THERE ARE NO THUMBS DOWN AND THERE ARE NO OTHER GESTURES WITH HANDS.
THAT YOU WILL SEE, UH, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
IF, UH, YOU'RE HAVING A, A DIFFICULT TIME WITH A QR CODE THERE, UM, WE CAN, WE CAN LOG SOMEBODY IN THROUGH, UH, MENTEE.COM AND, AND, UH, THEY CAN PARTICIPATE THAT WAY.
OKAY, SO WE GOT EVERYBODY SET.
AND EVERYBODY AT HOME IS IN, ALL RIGHT.
[01:45:01]
THE SHEET THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU THAT SAYS BUDGET PRIORITY CATEGORIES, UH, YOU AT HOME, YOU HAVE THAT, YOU, YOU RESTARTED YOUR COMPUTER TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GOT IT.AND YOU, YOU INDICATED THAT YOU HAD PULLED THAT UP.
I'M GONNA ASK YOU AND IT'S GONNA PROMPT YOU THROUGH YOUR PHONE THERE.
AND YOU'VE GOT THE BUDGET PRIORITIES, UH, CATEGORIES, LARGE CATEGORIES.
'CAUSE WHAT WE WANT TO DO THROUGH THIS PROCESS IS OPERATE AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL, RIGHT? OUR DISCUSSIONS TODAY SHOULD BE AT A HIGH LEVEL, NOT DOWN IN THE WEEDS, RIGHT? SO LET'S START WITH THESE HIGH LEVEL BUDGET CATEGORIES.
OKAY? WE'RE GONNA COME DOWN A LITTLE BIT FROM THAT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS 30,000 FEET.
WE'RE GONNA COME DOWN TO, UH, 20,000 FEET IN A MINUTE.
BUT WITH THIS, THIS IS VERY, THIS IS HIGH LEVEL, UH, CONCEPTS.
SO IF YOU GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND IDENTIFY, UH, THREE, AND I THINK IT'S WHAT IT ASKS YOU TO DO, AND IT WILL PROMPT YOU TO DO THREE OF THOSE CATEGORIES, UH, AND GO AHEAD AND TYPE THEM IN.
AND IN THE BOTTOM YOU WILL HAVE TO HIT SUBMIT.
MAY I ASK A QUESTION? WE GOT ONE IN ALREADY.
CAN I ASK A QUESTION? YES, PLEASE.
SO, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I'M CHOOSING THE CORRECT ONE FOR ME, UM, FOR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMMING.
CAN YOU GIVE ME JUST A, A LITTLE BIT OF DETAIL? IS THAT JUST DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR? IS THAT GONNA ENCOMPASS SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAMMING? UM, DOES THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE? YES.
THAT ENCOMPASSES, THAT ENCOMPASSES SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, THAT ENCOMPASSES, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, EXTENDED LEARNING SITES THAT ENCOMPASSES TUTORING AFTER SCHOOL, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
UH, EXTRACURRICULAR, UH, PROGRAMMING IS, UH, PROBABLY SOMETHING THAT'S NOT AS MUCH ACADEMIC ORIENTED, BUT CERTAINLY, UH, TAKING PLACE OUTSIDE OF YOUR NORMAL SCHOOL DAY.
UM, MY QUESTION IS, I WAS HOPING THAT YOU WERE GONNA BREAK THESE DOWN BECAUSE THESE ARE KIND OF, I THINK YOU GOTTA GO THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS.
UH, 'CAUSE I THINK I KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING AND YOU'RE GONNA GO A LITTLE, WE'RE WE'RE, WE'RE AT AT 30,000, WE'RE GONNA GO DOWN TO 20,000.
SO WE'RE GONNA GET A LITTLE, A LITTLE, A LITTLE CLOSER TO WHAT I THINK YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.
IF YOU INDULGE ME FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT AND MOVE THROUGH THIS PROCESS WITH ME, IF, UH, IF WE'RE NOT ANYWHERE NEAR WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, UH, GIMME A FEW, A FEW SLIDES AND THEN COME BACK.
DOES THAT WORK? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.
WE HAVE 10 ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING TODAY, RIGHT? UH, DR.
SO WE'VE GOT NINE IN AND WE'RE WORKING ON NUMBER 10.
IT'S KIND OF NEAT, RIGHT? NEAT APPROACH.
I CAN'T CHANGE IF ANYBODY, IF ANYBODY STARTS TO GET OUTTA LINE PROXIMITY, I'M GONNA HAVE TO MOVE CLOSER.
YOU KNOW HOW THAT WORKS, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO, UH, I'VE GOT NINE RESPONSES IN, I'VE GOT 10 PARTICIPANTS.
SO IF SOMEBODY HASN'T YET, OH, YEAH.
THERE A WAY TO COMBINE ACADEMIC AND ACADEMICS.
THOSE ARE OBVIOUSLY THE SAME CATEGORY.
SO WHILE THE, UH, UH, WE GET THE 10TH, UH, DATA POINT COMING IN, UH, THIS IS A WORD CLOUD, AND THROUGH THIS WORD CLOUD, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE IDENTIFIED THE LARGER, UH, THE WORD LARGER, THE TEXT ON THE WORD, RIGHT? MORE OF YOU HONED IN ON THOSE PARTICULAR ITEMS, RIGHT? SO WE SEE STANDING OUT ACADEMICS, WE SEE EARLY CHILDHOOD, WE SEE COMPENSATION, THEN YOU GET DOWN TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT,
[01:50:01]
WORKFORCE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMMING, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.OKAY? SO I INVITE YOU AT THIS JUNCTURE TO HAVE, I'M GONNA MOVE US ALONG THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
SO I INVITE YOU TO HAVE A BRIEF DISCUSSION ON, UH, KIND OF THE WAY THIS HAS TURNED OUT AT THIS JUNCTURE.
IF THERE'S ANYTHING, ANYBODY, AND ONE COMMENT, UM, I, AND I KNEW THIS WHEN I, UM, AND I THINK I MISSPELLED IT.
UM, IF THE WORD SPELLED INCORRECTLY GOING FORWARD, IT'S NOT GOING.
SO YOU GOT TWO EFFICIENCIES UP THERE.
'CAUSE, AND I THINK IT WAS ME, UM, MISSPELLED EFFICIENCY.
SO, UM, JUST AS A, YOU KNOW, IT MUST HAVE BEEN BECAUSE I WAS THE OTHER ONE.
YOU SEE, WE GOT AFTERSCHOOL AND AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMMING AND AFTER, I'M JUST JOKING, PROGRAMMING IT, THE, JUST BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU, UH, UH, I THINK TO CHOOSE FROM THAT LIST YOU GAVE, MAKE SURE YOU SPELL IT CORRECTLY.
WELL, I THINK WE'RE, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO, UH, UH, AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA HONE IN A LITTLE BIT.
BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS IS PART OF THE DISCUSSION, RIGHT? SO YOU SEE TWO EFFICIENCIES.
YOU SEE ACADEMIC ACADEMICS, YOU KNOW, THAT, UH, I, AT LEAST I KNOW THAT EFFICIENCY IS A LITTLE BIGGER WORD THAN WHAT WE SEE HERE, BECAUSE, UH, IT, IF YOU COMBINE IT, IT WOULD BE A LITTLE LARGER.
SAME THING WITH ACADEMIC AND ACADEMICS, RIGHT? ANYTHING ANYBODY WANTS TO DISCUSS OR TALK ABOUT THE WAY THIS TURNED OUT? YES, SIR.
WELL, COMPENSATION IS ONE OF THE, MAYBE TOP THREES THERE, AND COMPENSATION IS 80% OF OUR OPERATING BUDGET.
SO ANY PROGRAMS OR ANYTHING THAT YOU WANNA DO, COMPENSATION HAS THE BIGGEST IMPACT.
AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S WHY I'VE LISTED IT AS ONE.
EARLY CHILDHOOD ACADEMICS, COMPENSATION IS THE ONE OMNIBUS PIECE WHEN YOU LOOK AT SE SIZE AND SCOPE OF THE BUDGET.
UM, JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW THAT I PROB I CAN'T GO BACK AND MODIFY MINE AND I HAD MISSED THE WORD EFFICIENCY.
THAT WOULD'VE BEEN ONE OF MY THREE CHOICES.
AND NOW, UM, MISS BOATRIGHT, THANK YOU.
UM, AND I, I THINK COLONEL GARNER'S POINT, AND I KNOW WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THIS MORE AND, AND IT MAY REVEAL ITSELF, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, COMPENSATION IS A VERY BROAD TERM BECAUSE DOES IT MEAN INCREASING TEACHER COMPENSATION? DOES IT MEAN REDUCING COMPENSATION? DOES IT MEAN STIPENDS DOES, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT THAT THAT'S A 80% BIG BUCKET.
SO I THINK THAT HOPEFULLY AS WE GO FORWARD, IF IF THERE'S, IF THAT'S ONE OF OUR STANDOUT BUDGET ITEMS, THAT WE KIND OF NARROW THAT FOCUS A LITTLE BIT.
SO DO YOU WANT LIKE, SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS? LIKE NO, I'M JUST INTERESTED IN IF THERE'S ANY DIALOGUE OR DISCUSSION, UH, ABOUT THIS AS IT SORT OF TURNED OUT, RIGHT? YOU ALL, YOU ALL PUT THINGS IN, INTO THE SYSTEM, THERE'S AN OUTPUT COMING HERE, RIGHT? AND SO, UH, ALL RIGHT.
SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COMPENSATION, I VERY MUCH SUPPORT US STAYING NUMBER ONE IN THE STATE, UH, FOR FIRST YEAR TEACHER COMPENSATION, BECAUSE THEN THAT'S TIED TO ALL THE OTHER STEPS.
AND WE'RE IN EXPENSIVE AREA OF THE, OF THE STATE, AND WE WANNA ATTRACT AND RETAIN HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS.
UH, I AGREE WITH MY OTHER ESTEEMED COLLEAGUES ABOUT THE COMPENSATION.
UM, THERE ARE, THERE IS LEGISLATION, UM, PENDING.
UH, SOME OF THOSE HOUSE BILLS AND SENATE BILLS ARE IMPROVING.
TEACHER PAY IS 52,000 STARTER PAY.
UH, THERE'S ALSO, UM, LEGISLATION FOR, UH, SPED STIPENDS AND SPED PAY.
UM, AND, BUT IT'S GONNA BE A CHALLENGE, UH, TO, TO MAINTAIN IF EVERYBODY HAS TO RAISE THEIR STANDARD DUE TO LEGISLATION.
UM, BUT, UM, COMPENSATION, I THINK IS, IS, IS SHOULD BE THE FOREFRONT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING.
I THINK AS YOU, AS YOU LOOK AT LEGISLATION OUT THERE, I THINK THERE IS A LONG-TERM GOAL FOR, UH, FOR, FOR THE STATE TO HIT OR GET TO THAT 52,000 BEGINNING PAY.
WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT IS 2,500, I THINK IS WHAT I'VE SEEN IN THE BUDGET.
MS. UH, CROSBY, TANYA, IS THAT RIGHT? 2,500 IS WHAT THEY'RE AT THE MOMENT DISCUSSING.
SO AS THEY'RE DISCUSSING THAT 2,500 INCREASE TO, UH, UH, BEGINNING TEACHER PAY, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THEIR LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO GET IT, UH, UP TO THAT, UH, 52 MARK.
I THINK THEY'RE DOING IT SORT OF INCREMENTALLY.
UH, BUT ALSO IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WHEN, WHEN YOU HEAR AND WHEN YOU SEE 2,500 FOR TEACHER PAY, RIGHT? UH, THAT, THAT, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT FULLY FUNDS WHAT IT COSTS TO HIT THAT 2,500 MARK.
COLONEL GUY, WELL, OH, HE WAS, MR. CAMPBELL
[01:55:01]
WAS NEXT, I'M SORRY.YEAH, THE GOVERNOR LEGISLATOR TALKING ABOUT $52,000.
BUT
SO I, I DON'T, I DON'T AGREE UNLESS THE STATE'S GONNA CHIP IN AND AND DO THAT.
AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S A REAL GOOD POINT.
I, YOU HAVE TO REALIZE WHEN HE SAYS, AND THEY SAY IT EVERY YEAR, WE'RE GONNA RAISE SALARIES $2,500.
WE MIGHT GET $60 IF WE'RE LUCKY.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT COMES RIGHT BACK TO OUR TAXPAYERS.
AND WE ARE ALREADY, WE'RE ALREADY AHEAD OF WHAT HIS PLAN IS.
WE, IN FACT, 2026, HE WANTS TO BE AT OUR LEVEL, WHICH WE ARE AT RIGHT NOW.
AND YOU HAVE TO ALSO UNDERSTAND, WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE TEACHERS THAT WE HAVE BROUGHT IN IN THIS LAST COUPLE YEARS FROM SURROUNDING COUNTIES, FROM COLTON, HAMPTON, JASPER COUNTY, INCLUDING SAVANNAH, INCLUDING CHARLESTON, THEY'RE COMING BECAUSE OF THAT SALARY.
AND THESE ARE EXPERIENCED TEACHERS.
THESE ARE, THESE ARE TEACHERS THAT HAVE A STAKE IN OUR GENERAL LOW COUNTRY RATHER THAN SOMEBODY COMING FROM OHIO OR WHATEVER.
WE'RE NOT GONNA COMPETE WITH MASSACHUSETTS FOR SALARIES.
BUT WE NEED TO COMPETE LOCALLY, REGIONALLY, SO WE CAN GET THE BEST TEACHERS COMING IN HERE.
I, I REALLY AM, BUT THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM.
I DON'T, I'M NOT, I'M NOT ELECTED BY THEM.
WE, I, I WANT TO TAKE CARE OF OUR FOLKS AND TAKE CARE OF OUR KIDS.
ARE YOU OKAY? I'M JUST GONNA CALL BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO I KNOW.
I MEAN, WE, WE'LL HAVE TO TAG TEAM THIS, UH, YEAH, I'LL JUST TRY TO ON THAT PROCESS.
THE, SO CARLTON NEXT, THEN, MR. SMITH.
YEAH, I, UM, I LIKE THE IDEA OF COMPENSATION.
I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE, UM, LOOK AT HAVING THE ABILITY TO LIBERALLY TARGET SPECIFICALLY, UH, DESPERATELY NEEDED POSITIONS, SPED OR COUNSELORS.
BECAUSE SINCE OUR LAST CONVERSATION, I HAD SOME, SOME DISCUSSIONS WITH OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE NATION, AND THEY ARE DOING THAT.
UH, AND I ASKED, WELL, WHAT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IF, IF YOU ARE A TEACHER THAT'S NOT IN DEMAND, UH, YOU KNOW, DO YOU GET A RESISTANCE? AND THEY SAID THAT EVERY TAKE SPED THEY SAID, EVERYONE KNOWS IN THE TEACHING PROFESSION HOW CHALLENGING THAT IS.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BEGRUDGE THE SPED TEACHERS GET IN AN EXTRA STIPEND BECAUSE IT LESSENS THE LOAD ON THEM.
BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SPED TEACHERS, THEY TOLD ME THAT THOSE KIDS HAVE TO BE TAKEN CARE OF.
AND THAT PULLS THEIR, UH, RAISES THEIR STUDENTS, UH, PER TEACHER RATIO.
SO I'M IN FAVOR OF COMP OF THE COMPENSATION.
THE OTHER THING, JUST OVERALL, I LOVE THE NUMERICAL EFFICIENCY OF THIS METHOD.
IT SHOWS US THE TOP THREE AND IT'S DONE WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF VERBIAGE, UH, WHICH IS NICE.
OH, IN TERMS OF THE CONVERSATION AND AS WELL AS THE WHAT AS US BEING THE, UH, NUMBER ONE PAID, UM, I THINK THERE'S GONNA BE SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT, BECAUSE TO GET THERE, WE GAVE, WE GAVE, UH, A TWO-PART BONUSES, AND WE CHANGED THAT AROUND, AROUND TO, UH, PUT SOME OF IT IN THE SALARY.
SO WE HAD ATTRACT SOME PEOPLE BY GIVING OUT A 5,000 BONUSES NOW, WHICH WE'VE CHANGED THAT STRUCTURE, AND WE NO LONGER DO IT.
WE DO IT IN A DIFFERENT, IN A DIFFERENT, FOR A DIFFERENT METHOD.
AND I'VE HAD SOME, SOME TEACHERS, UH, BRING SOME CONCERN TO ME AND SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT, UH, THAT WHEN THEY REALLY LOOK AT IT NOW, IT IS REALLY ABOUT, ABOUT, IT'S, IT'S THE SAME THING, TEACHER ASSISTANTS, WHICH IS ABOUT 1500, BUT WHICH EQUALS ABOUT $750.
SO WHEN WE REALLY BREAK THAT DOWN, AND YOU, AND YOU GET INTO THE ACTUAL, WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY GIVING THEM AND HOW THEY ACTUALLY FEEL ABOUT IT, EVEN THOUGH WE, WE, WE ARE HANGING OUR HATS ON, WE'RE, NUMBER ONE, WILL, WILL THIS ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO KEEP, SOME OF THE TEACHERS ARE NOT, UM, AND OUR TEACHERS REALLY HAPPY WITH THIS NEW METHOD.
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE MAY HAVE TO LOOK AT IT AS WELL TOO, BECAUSE I'VE, I, LIKE I SAID, I'VE HAD SOME PIECES WHO HAVE BROUGHT THAT TO MY ATTENTION BECAUSE
[02:00:01]
I DIDN'T REALIZE, I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT.I WAS LIKE, OH, NO, NO, WE STILL GIVE Y'ALL THE, UH, THE, THE, WE JUST PUT, PUT THE 2 50, 2 50 IN THE, UM, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THE SALARY LOCALITY SUPPLEMENT, RIGHT? THE LOCAL, THE LOCAL CALORIES, THE LOCALITY SUPPLEMENT.
AND SO THAT 5,000 BONUS LOOKED REAL GOOD TO THEM FOR SO LONG.
AND SO NOW THAT HAS A BOARD THAT WE HAVE REARRANGED THAT, AND WE'VE CHANGED THAT AROUND.
WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO, WHO FEEL THAT IT IS NOT REALLY, THE JUICE MAY NOT BE WORTH THE SQUEEZE.
SO, SO THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S CONCERNING AND THAT'S ALARMING.
AND THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IS THERE IS, IS WHICH ONE IS REALLY BETTER IN TERMS IN TERMS OF KEEPING TEACHERS.
SO THAT'S WHY I PUT THAT OUT THERE IN TERMS, IN TERMS OF MOVING FORWARD.
UH, CHAIR AND LISTENING TO, YOU KNOW, MY COLLEAGUES ABOUT THE COMPENSATION PACKAGE.
UM, I THINK OUR DISTRICT HAS BEEN PHENOMENAL IN, UM, RAISING OUR SALARIES FOR OUR TEACHERS, UH, IN ORDER NOT JUST TO KEEP THEM, BUT TO SHOW THEM THAT THEY'RE VALUED.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE MISSING HERE.
UM, IN ANY MONIES THAT YOU GET, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE AN INCREASE IN TAXES ON THAT MONEY, UH, FICA INSURANCE, ALL THAT'S GOING TO, YOU KNOW, TAKE A, TAKE PA UH, A PLAY IN THIS.
SO YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET $1,500.
YES, IT MAY END UP BEING 700 BECAUSE OF TAXES, BUT WHAT WE GAVE YOU IS $1,500.
I, I HAVE LISTENED TO TEACHERS AND WHAT I AM MOST CONCERNED ABOUT, OUR DISTRICT IS TAKEN CARE OF.
WHEN OUR FIRST YEAR TEACHERS COME HERE, A LOT OF THEM HAD TO TAKE TWO AND THREE JOBS AFTER TEACHING EVERY DAY.
SO WE HAVE CUT INTO THAT, WHERE NOW THEY CAN FOCUS ON TEACHING OUR CHILDREN AND NOT LOOK AT THE CLOCK AND SAY, OH, I GOTTA BE, YOU KNOW, ON MY SECOND JOB BY FOUR 30, GET OFF AT, YOU KNOW, 10 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT.
AND BY THE TIME YOU GET HOME, I GOT TO GRADE PAPERS.
SO YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT CAUSE AND EFFECT.
WE HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB, THANK YOU.
AND FINDING THE MONEY AND DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
BUT WE'RE ALSO, TO ME, AND WHAT I HEAR FROM OUR TEACHERS, WE ARE IMPROVING THIS.
EVERY TIME YOU LOOK AT IT, WE ARE LOOKING AT THEIR COMPENSATION, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE VALUE OF OUR TEACHERS AND WHAT THEY DO.
OUR PRINCIPALS, OUR STAFF, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON.
THIS COMPENSATION IS KEEPING YOUNG 25 YEAR OLDS AND, AND, AND, AND, AND 30 YEAR OLDS FROM HAVING TO GET A SECOND AND THIRD JOB WHEN THEIR FOCUS SHOULD BE OUR CHILDREN.
I WANT THEM FOCUSING ON THE CHILDREN, AND I WANT THEM TO LOOK AT THE PAY AND BE ABLE TO SURVIVE.
WE, OUR KIDS COULDN'T SURVIVE OFF THAT FIRST PAYCHECK IF THEY GOT FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY FIVE YEARS AGO, THEY COULDN'T KNOW, BUT THEY CAN NOW.
UH, I APPRECIATE WHAT THIS DISTRICT HAS DONE, AND I KNOW A LOT OF TEACHERS AND AND STAFF ALSO.
SO I, I, I DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE, I DON'T SEE THE POINT OF SAYING, WELL, WE GAVE 'EM 1500, BUT THEY ONLY GOT 700.
WELL, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE GONNA GET.
AND I THINK SOME OF THE MONIES ARE NOT TAXED.
UH, THE STIPENDS THAT YOU GIVE OUT OR WHATEVER, HOWEVER, THAT'S, THAT WORKS OUT.
BUT THEN THERE'S SOME THAT IS.
SO, UH, LET'S LOOK AT WHY WE GIVING, NOT, WE'RE NOT GIVING IT TO BE NUMBER ONE.
IT JUST HAPPENED TO BE THAT WAY, PEOPLE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT.
BUT WE DID IT IN A WAY THAT IS CAUSING US TO BE ABLE TO KEEP TEACHERS WANT TEACHERS TO COME HERE, BUT KEEPING OUR TEACHERS FROM HAVING TO TAKE THOSE SECOND AND THIRD JOBS.
UM, I THINK THAT'S SUCH A GOOD PERSPECTIVE FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN IN THIS DISTRICT SO LONG.
AND IT'S SO NICE TO HAVE THAT, UM, PERSPECTIVE AS WELL.
UM, I THINK THAT, AND I, I ALSO CONCUR THAT I LOVE THIS, THE, THIS APPROACH 'CAUSE IT'S SO HARD TO GET YOUR HANDS AROUND THIS.
AND THIS IS REALLY LAYING OUT, UM, SORT OF SOME PRIORITIES AND SOME DIRECTION, WHICH I THINK IS OUTSTANDING ON THE TOPIC OF COMPENSATION.
UM, I THINK, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK AT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMMING, I THINK THOSE ARE THE SAME THING.
'CAUSE WHEN I PUT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, TO ME, AFTERSCHOOL IS AT THE TOP OF THAT LIST.
BUT THEN YOU ALSO WANNA LOOK AT SOME OTHER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS.
AND THEN, I MEAN, I THINK THAT ONE PROBABLY COULD BE THE BIGGEST OF ALL THE WORDS IF I'M LOOKING AT IT.
UM, BUT FOR COMPENSATION IN PARTICULAR,
[02:05:01]
'CAUSE IT'S SUCH A BROAD TOPIC, I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS.UM, ONE THING IS, AND I, UH, COLONEL GEIER MENTIONED THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE COMING FROM SURROUNDING COUNTIES THAT ARE TAKING JOBS FOR THE SALARY.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE DATA ON THAT.
UM, WHERE THERE, BECAUSE I'VE ASKED FOR THAT A FEW TIMES, WHERE ARE PEOPLE COMING FROM AND WHERE DO THEY END UP LIVING? RIGHT? BECAUSE I KNOW AS SOMEONE WHO LIVES ON HILTON HEAD, UH, AS A NEW TEACHER, IT WOULD, IT'S DARN NEAR IMPOSSIBLE, UM, TO LIVE ON HILTON HEAD OR REALLY EVEN NEAR HILTON HEAD 'CAUSE IT'S GOTTEN SO EXPENSIVE.
SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT DOWN THE ROAD, SOME ACTUAL ANALYSIS OF WHAT KIND OF IMPACT THE INCREASE IN COMPENSATION IS HAVING.
UM, SO I THINK WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NUMBER ONE FOR THE SOUTH OF ABROAD, WE ARE PROBABLY ONE OF THE HIGHEST COSTS OF LIVINGS IN THE STATE AS WELL.
UM, NUMBER TWO, FOR ME, COMPENSATION, A BIG ISSUE IS STIPENDS.
UM, AND THAT ALSO TIES INTO ACADEMICS.
I THINK WE ARE UN THIS, I'M GONNA MAKE UP A WORD HERE.
WE ARE UNDER STIPENDING
AND THAT IS MAKE, IT MAKES IT MUCH HARDER FOR PEOPLE TO WANT TO DO THAT.
UM, IT REALLY HAS TO BE A, UH, A PASSION OF THEIRS, UM, OR OTHERWISE MAYBE HAVING IT SOMETHING THAT THEY COULD DO DURING THEIR PLANNING PERIODS OR SOME WAY TO INCORPORATE INTO THE SCHOOL DAYS.
BUT IF WE'RE ASKING PEOPLE TO, UH, STAY AFTER SCHOOL AND INVEST IN AN ACADEMIC PROGRAM, AN HONOR SOCIETY, AN ARTS PROGRAM, THE COMPENSATION NEEDS TO MAKE IT WORTH IT TO THEM.
AND THAT'S ALSO A NICE WAY TO GIVE TEACHERS, UH, UH, SOME EXTRA MONEY AS WELL.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING IS, THIS HAS COME UP, UM, IN MY OWN PERSONAL SPHERE OF, UH, THE SCHOOLS IN THAT WE'RE GONNA RUN OUT OF STEM TEACHERS AND SOME KATE TEACHERS AND COMPUTER TEACHERS BECAUSE IT'S SO LUCRATIVE AND YOU CAN DO IT FROM HOME NOW, UM, IT'S GONNA MAKE IT HARDER AND HARDER FOR, UM, US TO ATTRACT THOSE SORT OF BOUTIQUE KIND OF HIGH DEMAND FIELDS.
AND YET AT THE SAME TIME, THOSE ARE THE FIELDS THAT PROBABLY A LOT OF STUDENTS ARE MOST INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT.
AND IT'S NOT JUST, UM, STEM AND COMPUTERS, IT'S ALSO, UH, MARINE BOAT REPAIR.
UM, YOU KNOW, ELECTRICIANS, WELDERS, THE DEMAND'S INCREASING.
IT'S A GREAT CAREER FIELD AND IT MAY BE HARDER AND HARDER TO GET PEOPLE TO STEP OFF THE PROFESSIONAL TRACK AND ENTER THE CLASSROOM.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SAY UNDER COMPENSATION, I THINK WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO SOME SORT OF CONTENT BASED EXPERTS THAT, OKAY, YOU'RE A WELDER AND YOU'VE GOT YOUR OWN BUSINESS AND IT'S GOING GANGBUSTERS, BUT YOU'RE WILLING TO TRAIN FOR, YOU KNOW, OR TO WORK WITH, UM, OUR CAPE PROGRAM AND WELDING, YOU'LL COME IN, YOU KNOW, ONE CLASS, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THREE DAYS, WHATEVER IT IS, ONE, ONE CLASS.
SO IT'S NOT, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE THERE ALL THE TIME.
AND IF WE CAN FIND OUT A WAY TO MAKE THAT WORTH, UM, THEIR, WHILE SOME OF ON HILTON HEAD, WE HAVE A LOT OF REALLY AMAZING, UM, SCIENTISTS AND, UH, KATE AND BUSINESS OWNERS THAT ARE RETIRED WHO I THINK WOULD BE WILLING TO COME INTO THE CLASSROOM.
AND WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT A PATHWAY FOR THAT AND FIGURE OUT THE COMPENSATION FOR THAT.
SO THOSE ARE SORT OF MY THREE BREAKDOWNS ON THE COMPENSATION WORD.
UM, COLONEL GEIER, I'D LIKE TO SHIFT A LITTLE BIT TO THE ACADEMICS AND EARLY CHILDHOOD.
YOU KNOW, UM, WE KNOW OF OUR CHALLENGES ACADEMICALLY, BUT EARLY CHILDHOOD IS THE BASE ON WHICH WE BUILD OUR ACADEMIC PROGRAM.
AND IT'S PROBABLY THE WEAKEST BASE THAT WE HAVE.
AND WE, WHEN I SEE THESE KIDS COME INTO KINDERGARTEN, AND I GO DOWN TO THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS IN, IN MY DISTRICT, AND I TALK TO THE TEACHERS, I SAY, CAN YOU POINT OUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS THAT HAVE ATTENDED EARLY CHILDHOOD OR, YOU KNOW, PROGRAMS? DO YOU KNOW WHO THEY ARE? ABS ABSOLUTELY.
I MEAN, YOU TALK TO FIRST GRADE TEACHERS, YOU SAY, CAN YOU POINT OUT YOUR FIRST GRADE STUDENTS? THOSE THAT HAVE AND HAVE NOT TAKEN KINDERGARTEN? ABSOLUTELY.
AND SO WE START OFF WITH A SHAKY BASE.
AND YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SOLVING OUR ACADEMIC CHALLENGE IS A GEN ALMOST GENERATIONAL REQUIREMENT.
IT'S, IT'S STARTING NOW WITH OUR PRESCHOOL AND TRACKING THEM THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION.
AND IF WE CAN START WITH THAT BASE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THESE KIDS, WE, WE LOSE THESE KIDS BECAUSE THEY COME INTO THE CLASS IN KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE AND SAYING THEY'RE SMARTER.
I'M NOT, NO, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT SMARTER.
WE'VE GOT TO, WE'VE GOT TO ADDRESS THIS
[02:10:01]
OR IN THE LONG RUN, WE ARE NOT GOING TO GET WHERE WE WANT TO GET ACADEMICALLY.I MEAN, I KNOW YOU WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING.
UH, UH, THE ONLY THING I WAS GONNA SAY IS, IS GREAT DISCUSSION.
REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS COMING FORWARD.
UM, THERE ARE SEVERAL MORE THINGS ON HERE THAT ARE GONNA STIMULATE A LOT OF DISCUSSION.
SO, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS CAN BE, UH, A ONE HOUR SESSION OR THIS COULD END UP AS A FIVE HOUR SESSION.
BUT I THINK, UH, THE IMPORTANT THING, UH, IF YOU MOVE THROUGH IT, YOU'LL HAVE LOTS OF INTERJECTIONS FOR DISCUSSIONS WHERE THESE THINGS ARE GONNA ALL COME UP.
SO I JUST, I JUST WANNA MENTION THAT ALONG THE WAY, BECAUSE THERE ARE MULTIPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR, FOR THE CONTINUATION OF DIALOGUE.
UM, JUST, UH, I JUST WANTED TO GO BACK TO THE, UH, CONVERSATION AND, AND IN TERMS, IN TERMS OF, UM, TO PAINT A, A A, A PICTURE, I, I DO THINK I'M GONNA CALL YOU FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR, UM, FEEDBACK AND, UH, AND THEIR, THEIR KNOWLEDGE.
BUT IT'S JUST DIFFERENT WHEN YOU GET IT FROM THE, FROM YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
AND ALSO, UH, MS. CROSBY IS THAT 5,000 LOCALITY SUPPLEMENT THAT USED TO BE, USED TO BE PRETTY MUCH 5,000, WELL, THAT WAS THAT TAXED? IT WAS, IT WAS TAXED WHEN IT WAS TAXED.
WHAT, WHAT WAS IT THAT THE, THE DEAL IS THAT, THAT BEFORE, SO IT'S TAXED, RIGHT? RIGHT.
BUT THE WAY IT'S SET UP, IT WASN'T IN YOUR SALARY.
ONE, IT WASN'T SUBJECT TO RETIREMENT, SO IT DIDN'T, IT DIDN'T PAY, IT DIDN'T BENEFIT YOU IN TERMS OF RETIREMENT IN THE END AS AN EMPLOYEE.
AND THE SECOND THING IT ALSO DID WAS THAT IT ALSO MADE IT SO THAT THE, THE TEACHER SALARY WAS NOT COMPARABLE TO EVERYBODY ELSE.
IN THE STATE, OTHER STATES WHO DIDN'T HAVE LOCALITIES OTHER IN THIS OTHER STATES, OTHER COUNTIES WHO DIDN'T HAVE LOCALITY SUPPLEMENTS.
SOMETIMES THEIR SALARY APPEARED HIGHER THAN OURS.
AND, AND, AND SO ON TOP OF THAT TRANSITION, OUR SYSTEM ALSO PUT MORE INTO, UM, STAY RETIRED EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION RIGHT.
SO THAT, SO IT WASN'T JUST LIKE WE SAID, OKAY, WE'RE JUST GONNA TAKE SOME MONEY FROM HERE, PUT IT OVER HERE.
THEY'RE NOT GETTING ANYTHING MORE NECESSARILY.
WE ALSO PUT INTO TO INCREASE SALARY AS WELL AS ADJUST SO THAT IT BUILDS INTO THEIR RETIREMENT.
THEY STILL GET A LOCALITY SUPPLEMENT.
IT, IT, IT'S JUST, IT'S NOT 5,000.
SOME OF THAT WENT INTO THEIR SALARY AS WELL, RIGHT? YES.
AND, BUT ALONG WITH THAT, YOU, YOU MORE HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT BECAUSE IT IS ALSO GOING TO, SOME OF IT'S GOING TO STATE RETIREMENT.
IS IS, IS THAT, IS THAT, IS THAT TRUE OR NO? SALARY? RIGHT.
SO MS. CROSBY, DO YOU WANT TO COME SIT UP HERE? UH, SO YOU HAVE A MICROPHONE AVAILABLE TO YOU.
OH, UM, I WAS JUST WAITING FOR HER TO, UH, OH, OKAY.
ANY INCREASES IN SALARY WOULD BE IN THE BASE SALARY WOULD BE SUBJECT TO A 9% WITHHOLDING ON RETIREMENT, WHICH WOULD THEN PUT IN, UH, ADDITIONAL FUNDS INTO THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM, WHICH WOULD BE ELIGIBLE AT THE AGE OF RETIREMENT.
RIGHT? SO, SO, SO WITH THAT, WITH THAT BEING SAID, THEN THAT WOULD BASICALLY TO, TO, TO, TO THE STAFF THAT TAKES MORE MONEY OUT VERSUS WHAT THEY'RE USED TO GETTING.
AND SO, ONCE AGAIN, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, WHEN WE WERE MAKING THIS CHANGE AS A BOARD, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT WOULD LOOK MORE AVERAGE? WHAT WOULD LOOK MORE, UM, WHAT'S THE, UM, WHAT'S THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR? WHAT WOULD LOOK MORE, UH, EX EXCITING AS A, A YOUNGER TEACHER COMING IN VERSUS MAYBE AN OLDER TEACHER WHO WILL SAY, YEAH, I DON'T MIND THAT, THAT WOULD HELP OUT MY RETIREMENT.
VERSUS A YOUNGER TEACHER WHO MAY HAVE THOSE NEW BILLS AND BE FOR THIS VERY EXPENSIVE, THE COST OF LIVING HERE, IT COSTS MORE.
SO SOME OF THAT WOULD BE GOING TOWARDS MAYBE THAT RENT, THAT RENTER, THAT, THAT RENTALS INSURANCE.
I MEAN, THAT, THAT RENTALS OR YOUR CAR OR YOUR, OR YOUR CAR PAYMENT.
SO THEREFORE, I BELIEVE THAT THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY, MY THINKING WAS IT WOULD, IT WAS, IT WAS MORE OF VALUE AT THE BONUSES THAT WERE GIVEN UP VERSUS PUTTING IT INTO THEIR, UM, AND, AND INTO THEIR SALARIES.
AND I MEAN, BY, BY THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S DE PREROGATIVE.
[02:15:01]
BUT WHAT I WILL SAY FROM HERE IS NOW, NOW WE, WHAT WE COULD DO IS ALSO IS THE SAME HOW, HOW WE TRACKED IT TO GET HERE, THEN I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE TRACKING IT TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE, ARE, ARE ON BOARD, AND HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT, THAT ARE LEAVING STILL WITH THIS DONE.AND THAT TOO SHOULD GIVE US SOME, SOME ANSWERS IN TERMS OF WHERE WE'RE GOING AT, IN, IN TERMS OF MAKING THESE DECISIONS.
SO, I MEAN, IT IS, IT, IT, IT IS JUST, LIKE I SAID, IT'S, IT IS FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
AND, AND, AND, AND I DON'T WANT TO KNOCK ONE BECAUSE I'M OPEN AND I'M LISTENING TO WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAID, BUT I DON'T WANT MY COLLEAGUES TO BE STRONG-HEADED AND SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE ARE MAKING THE BEST, WE'RE MAKING THE BEST DECISION BASED UPON HOW WE FEEL, BECAUSE HOW WE FEEL AIN'T GONNA ALWAYS KEEP EMPLOYEES HERE BECAUSE THE SAME WAY WE HAVE TO, WE, WE WANNA KEEP 'EM AT, THERE'S SOME GIVE OR TAPE ROOM HERE AS WELL.
I JUST WANT ALL OF US TO, TO, TO, TO, UM, BE OPEN-MINDED AND WILLING TO HEAR BOTH SIDES OF THE, OR HEAR BOTH SIDES OF, OF WHAT'S BEEN PRESENTED.
UH, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS ON THIS, AND I'M GONNA MOVE US TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UH, I, I PROVIDED THE BOARD AS WAS REQUESTED.
THERE WERE, UH, I THINK IT WAS, UH, 39 OR SO, UH, UH, ITEMS THAT I HAD PUT TOGETHER ON MY BUDGET PRIORITY LIST, WHICH, UH, WAS PROVIDED TO YOU AFTER THE LA WELL, BEFORE THE LAST BOARD WORK SESSION.
BUT YOU UTILIZED IT AFTER THE LAST, UH, BOARD SESSION, BOARD MEETING IN ORDER TO, UH, IDENTIFY YOUR INDIVIDUAL TOP TENS.
UH, AND SO, UH, THROUGH THAT PROCESS, I DO WANNA, UH, UH, FOR THE PURPOSE OF BEING TRANSPARENT HERE, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT, UH, WHAT I RECEIVED BACK HAD, UH, FOR THE MOST PART, IDENTIFIED 10 WITHIN THESE PRIORITIES HERE.
UH, SOME OF YOU PROVIDED, UH, SOME ADDITIONAL PRIORITIES OR DIFFERENT PRIORITIES, UH, AND, AND SO, UH, THEY DIDN'T RISE THROUGH OUR MATHEMATICAL PROCESS.
THEY DIDN'T RISE TO THE TOP 10, UH, BECAUSE ESSENTIALLY NOBODY ELSE, UH, COULD SEE OR SELECT THOSE.
BUT, UH, THERE'S SOME, UH, UH, UH, I, I GUESS I SAY THAT TO SAY THAT THOSE ARE THINGS WE WILL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS.
SO JUST BECAUSE THEY MIGHT NOT BE IN HERE, UH, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT, UH, THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.
OKAY? SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO SHARE THAT THESE ARE THE TOP 10 THAT, UH, THAT CAME OUT OF YOUR INDIVIDUAL WORK.
THEY ARE NOT IN AN ORDER, AND I INTENTIONALLY MIXED UP THE ORDER.
UH, WHEN I, WHEN YOU SEE IT HERE, I HAVE INTENTIONALLY MIXED UP THE ORDER.
THEY'RE NOT IN 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
YOU'RE GONNA DO THAT IN A SECOND, OKAY? AS A GROUP.
ALL RIGHT? AND SO, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE THAT CLEAR.
THESE ARE NOT IN THE ORDER IN WHICH IT TURNED OUT.
THESE ARE SIMPLY THE TOP 10 THAT CAME OUT OF YOUR, UH, INDIVIDUAL WORK.
OKAY? NOW, IF YOU GET YOUR PHONE HANDY AGAIN, OKAY.
WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS A THREE BY THREE GRID.
AND WHAT I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO DO ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU SEE WITH A COLOR DOT, YOU SEE THOSE TOP 10 PRIORITIES THAT I SHOWED YOU A SECOND AGO, OKAY? THEY'RE LISTED THERE.
IF YOU LOOK AT EACH GRID AND YOU THINK IF, IF WE GO WITH THE LINES THAT GO UP AND DOWN, SO THE VERY BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER, RIGHT ON YOUR SCREEN, IF YOU THINK OF THAT, AS YOU SEE ACROSS THE BOTTOM, IT SAYS, COST UHHUH.
AND UP THE LEFT HAND SIDE IT SAYS, IMPACT.
I'M LOOKING FOR YOUR PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE, RIGHT? UH, JUST YOUR PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE AS YOU MOVE THROUGH THIS PROCESS ON THESE TOP 10, BOTTOM LEFT HAND SIDE, LEFT HAND CORNER, CONSIDER THAT LOW COST, THE MIDDLE ALL THE WAY UP, RIGHT? YOU CONSIDER THAT MEDIUM COST.
THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU CONSIDER HIGH COST.
I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE THE SPECIFIC NUMBERS IN FRONT OF YOU.
I JUST WANT YOU TO GO THROUGH THIS EXERCISE.
UH, FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, WHEN YOU LOOK AT IMPACT, CONSIDER THE BOTTOM ONE, LOW IMPACT, MEDIUM IMPACT, HIGH IMPACT AT THE TOP.
OKAY? SO YOU'VE GOT ON YOUR, UH, PHONES, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO SHIFT AROUND HOW YOU SEE FIT IN TERMS OF IMPACT AND COST, AND YOU'RE GONNA RATE EACH ONE OF THOSE 10 RIGHT NOW.
POINT OF CLARIFICATION, DR. RODRIGUEZ.
SO THE FIRST ONE, SO I, IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, I'LL PUT IT ON THE RECORD, I THINK IT'S A VERY LOW COST, THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERNSHIPS AND A HIGH IMPACT.
SO FOR COST, WOULD I LEAVE IT AT ZERO BECAUSE
[02:20:01]
IT'S LOW, OR WOULD I SAY THAT THE COST IS, IT'S GOOD THING? YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IS IT SO THE IT WOULD BE ZERO COST.I, I THINK YOU LOOK, I, I I, I, I WOULD NOT CONSIDER ANYTHING FREE.
RIGHT? BUT I'M SAYING CONSIDER IT'S NOT LIKE SCALE FREE.
SO, SO, SO I WOULDN'T GO WITH ZERO, BUT I'D GO WITH ONE IF YOU THINK IT'S VERY, VERY LOW.
BUT THAT'S, DOES THAT HELP? THAT'S LOW COST.
I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY WHAT THAT SCORE SHOT WAS.
I TOOK AN ECONOMICS CLASS ONCE AND I REMEMBER NO FREE LUNCHES.
DON'T FORGET YOUR, LIKE, BUTTONS ON THE BOTTOM.
SO AT THE END, WE'RE GONNA SUBMIT 'EM ALL AT THE END, UM, I GUESS AT THE END, YES, PLEASE HIT SUBMIT AT THE END, BECAUSE ONCE, ONCE YOU DO THAT, IT WILL START TO POPULATE.
AND AS EACH ONE OF YOU HIT IT, THE NUMBERS ARE GONNA MOVE AROUND ON THAT SCREEN UP THERE.
NOT THE NUMBERS ON THE RIGHT, BUT THE NUMBERS ON THE GRID WILL MOVE AROUND.
JUST TO NOTE, IF YOU'VE GOT TWO PHONES WITH YOU, PLEASE ONLY PARTICIPATE WITH ONE BECAUSE, UH, WE NEED INDIVIDUAL NUMBERS ON THIS.
ALL RIGHT? SO, AND I'LL KNOW, BECAUSE ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER, IT'LL TELL ME HOW MANY PEOPLE, UH, PUT IN THERE.
SO I'LL KNOW IF IT'S NINE, 10, OR 11.
I KNOW IT COULD BE A ZIP YOUR LIPS
I LOVE, DID YOU HEAR WHAT? I HEARD WHAT HE SAID?
YEAH, EXACTLY WHAT, OKAY, WE'RE, UH, WE'RE STILL AT NINE, UH, SUBMITTALS.
SO I'M GONNA WAIT A SECOND HERE, SEE IF WE GET THE 10TH ONE IN.
[02:25:37]
OKAY, WE'RE DONE.SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT THIS DID WAS IT TOOK ALL OF YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS IN TERMS OF COSTS AND IMPACT ON THESE 10 ITEMS. AND THE FIRST PERSON WHO PUT 'EM IN THERE HAD WHATEVER IT WAS, RIGHT? AND THEN THEY BEGAN TO KIND OF SHIFT AROUND AS THE SECOND ONE SUBMITTED, AND THE NEXT ONE'S SUBMITTED.
SO THIS IS YOUR, UH, PERSPECTIVE AS A GROUP ON, UH, THE IMPACT, LOW, MEDIUM, OR HIGH, AND THE COST OF LOW, MEDIUM, OR HIGH ON THESE 10 PRIORITIES THAT YOU HAD ALREADY SELECTED.
OKAY? ONE OR TWO BRIEF COMMENTS IF ANYBODY HAS THEM THAT THEY WANNA MAKE BEFORE I MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PIECE.
THE ONLY COMMENT, I LOVE THIS.
UM, I THINK THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO VISUALLY SEE AND WEIGH IMPACT AND COST.
MY ONLY RECOMMENDATION IS IF WE DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, AGAIN, THE ONE THROUGH 10 I THINK WAS DICING IT TOO FINE.
I WOULD DO LIKE A LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH TYPE OF THING JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT, BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, I DON'T KNOW, FOUR
I WAS JUST GONNA SAY THAT, UM, I WONDER IF WE'RE ACCURATE IN TERMS OF, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, WELL, I WOULD GUESS WITH NUMBER TWO, MAINTAINING THE BEGINNING TEACHERS HOUR, YEAH, THAT PROBABLY IS GONNA BE FAIRLY COSTLY BECAUSE THAT AFFECTS EVERYTHING, UM, THE WHOLE COMPENSATION FOR ALL THE OTHER TEACHERS.
BUT, UM, I, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER, YEAH, GO AHEAD.
CHILD, LIKE CHILDCARE, FOR EXAMPLE.
YOU KNOW, THAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN THE OTHER THINGS AND JUST AS LOWER, BUT IT'S NOT WITH THAT, I THINK ACTUALLY IF YOU USE THE, THE THREE COLUMNS, IT KIND OF MAKES IT LIKE THE ONE COLUMN WHERE THE NUMBER ONE IS THAT'S LOW COST.
THE MIDDLE COLUMN, WHICH IS KIND OF 9, 4, 7, 8, 3 IS SORT OF MEDIUM COST, AND THEN 10, 6, 5, AND TWO IS THOSE ARE YOUR HIGHER, THEY'RE BIGGER TICKET ITEMS. THAT'S RIGHT.
AND I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU GET INTO, UH, THESE ARE DECISIONS THAT EACH PERSON IS MAKING, RIGHT? AND IT, SO, SO IT'S ALSO RELATIVE, RIGHT? I MEAN, UH, IF YOU PARTICULARLY VALUE, LET'S TAKE COMPENSATION A LOT, RIGHT? IT, IT MIGHT BE HIGH COST, BUT YOU VALUE IT, YOU SEE IT AS HIGHER IMPACT, RIGHT? UH, IF YOU PARTICULARLY VALUE SOMETHING ELSE, I'M JUST GONNA, UH, WHATEVER IT IS, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OR WHATEVER IT IS.
YOU MAY OR MAY SEE THAT AS HIGH COST OR MEDIUM COST, BUT YOU MAY SEE THAT AS HIGH IMPACT.
SO, SO, SO WHAT ONE PERSON SEES AS, YOU KNOW, HEY, THAT'S, THAT'S A HIGH COST.
UH, SOMEBODY ELSE SEES IT AS, UH, EH, IT'S NOT THAT HIGH.
RIGHT? YOU KNOW, IT, SO THERE'S SOME, UH, RELATIVITY TO THAT, I GUESS.
YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, MR. DALLAS OR OR COLONEL GEIER.
THIS IS WHETHER OR NOT WE AGREE ON THE VALUES.
AND YOU CAN SEE THIS IS REALLY SAYING WHERE OUR PRIORITIES ARE, AND WE'RE PRETTY DARN CONSISTENT.
SO THIS IS, THIS SHOULD BE VERY ENLIGHTENING FOR THE ADMINISTRATION TO, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE WHOLE OF THE BOARD IS LOOKING AT.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN, YOU CAN SAY WHICH, WHERE YOU ARE AT THE LINE, BUT IT'S THE GROUPINGS AND WHERE IT IS IN THE GROUPINGS.
WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING DOWN WAY LOW OR ANYTHING WAY HIGH.
WHAT IT TELLS ME IS THAT IN THE 39 OR 40, UH, TOTAL THAT YOU HAD TO LOOK AT, RIGHT? UH, YOU IDENTIFIED THEM AS THESE TOP 10 ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT.
AND THIS TELLS ME YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THERE MAY BE HIGH COST AND HIGH IMPACT FROM THESE.
SO YOU, YOU IDENTIFIED THEM AS YOUR PRIORITIES BECAUSE YOU THOUGHT THEY HAD HIGH IMPACT, RIGHT? BUT YOU ALSO NOW ARE LOOKING AT IT AND SAYING, YEAH, WELL, I THINK IT HAS HIGH, MEDIUM, OR LOW COST, AND YOU CAN SEE,
[02:30:01]
UH, WHEREAS A GROUP, YOU, YOU WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS.AND SO, LIKE YOU SAID, YOU'RE PRETTY HUDDLED UP IN THERE.
ETCHING END INTO THAT, THAT QUADRANT, UM, MR. DALLAS.
AGAIN, I THINK THIS IS A VERY EFFICIENT PROCESS.
AND THE, THIS IS THE SECOND ITERATION.
'CAUSE I THINK HE HAD 41 IN THE FIRST DISTRIBUTION, AND NOW YOU WENT TO 10, AND NOW WE ARE BASICALLY GROUPING THOSE.
THE, UM, THE OTHER THING IS IT'S BASED ON THE PRESUMPTION THAT THE ADMINISTRATION'S GOING TO GO BACK AND, AND STUDY THE RELATIVE COST AND ALL OF THOSE OF THESE THINGS.
I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF CONFIRM ON THE, IN RESPECT TO THE COST, THESE ARE ALMOST IDENTICAL TO, IF I HAD CATEGORIZED THE COST OF THE LIST MYSELF, THEY WOULD FALL ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THIS.
SO THE MAJORITY OF THE CATEGORIES IN THAT CENTER COLUMN, AND, AND THAT FOR ME WOULD BE IN THE 500, SAY TO A MILLION DOLLAR RANGE.
SO BELOW THE FIRST COLUMN WOULD BE, SAY ZERO TO 500,000.
THIS ONE WOULD BE 500,000 TO A MILLION, AND THEN OVER A MILLION, WHICH WOULD BE YOUR TEACHER SALARY INCREASE.
UH, THAT WOULD BE THE PRIMARY ONE THAT'S IN THAT CATEGORY.
SO THIS FALLS EXACTLY IN LINE WITH WHAT MY ESTIMATES SHOW.
NO, I, I'M JUST GONNA SAY THANK YOU BECAUSE MY COLLEAGUE AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT WHO CAME UP WITH THIS PROGRAM TO USE TODAY FOR US, AND, AND I'M TOLD BY YES, THAT YOUNG LADY, THAT IS YOU, DR. RODRIGUEZ.
SO WE JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR BRILLIANCY AND, AND BRINGING THIS TO POINT, BECAUSE I CAN UNDERSTAND THIS.
THANK YOU'RE, WELCOME YOU FOR USING THIS TODAY.
I THINK IT'S A TESTAMENT THAT WE'RE ALL WORKING TOGETHER.
THIS IS COHESIVENESS THAT I HAVE NEVER SEEN SINCE I'VE BEEN IN THIS DISTRICT UNTIL TODAY OF THIS SCHOOL BOARD, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, AND THE SUPERINTENDENT THAT NEEDS TO GO ON RECORD.
THAT IS, UH, A BIG PART OF THE INTENT OF TRYING TO DO THIS IN A WAY THAT INVOLVES ALL OF YOU AT THE SAME TIME WITH SOMETHING YOU CAN LOOK AT AND DISCUSS.
AND THEN IT STARTS TO BECOME MORE THAN JUST STARTS WITH, THIS IS MY THOUGHT, AND THIS IS MY OPINION.
AND IT STARTS TO BECOME, THIS IS OUR THOUGHT AND THIS IS OUR OPINION, AND THIS IS WHERE WE WANT TO GO.
NOW WHAT YOU SEE HERE ARE THOSE VERY SAME TOP 10 PRIORITIES.
AGAIN, IT'S IN THE ORIGINAL, IT'S IN THE ORDER THAT I GAVE YOU EARLIER, WHICH IS NOT THE ORDER AND HOW IT RANKED.
WHAT I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO DO NOW, OKAY.
IS TO MOVE THROUGH THIS PROCESS, AND WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS DOWN FROM 10.
WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS DOWN TO FIVE RIGHT NOW.
SO IS THE RANKING NUMBER WHAT YOU'RE NUMBER OF 10 HIT WHAT YOU'RE GONNA HIT YOU, YOU'LL HIT YOUR, YOUR PRIORITY, YOUR TOP PRIORITY.
YOU'LL HIT YOUR TOP PRIORITY FIRST, YOUR TOP PRIORITY SECOND, SO ON AND SO FORTH.
AND I THINK THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND, UH, UH, BEFORE YOU, BEFORE YOU HIT SUBMIT, BEFORE YOU HIT SUBMIT THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO, UH, ADJUST THEM ON THE TOP.
AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, FOR THOSE FOLLOWING ALONG ON THE PHONE, IT HAS A TAP OR DROP OPTIONS.
IS THAT THE SAME SCREEN? YEAH.
IF YOU TAP IT, IT'LL GO UP TO THE TOP.
UH, IT'LL GO, THERE'S A BAR AT THE TOP AND IT'LL GO ABOVE THAT BAR.
SO AS YOU TAP IT, IT'LL MOVE IT ABOVE IT.
AND THEN WHAT, WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOVE IT, I BELIEVE YOU CAN ADJUST THEM ABOVE IT.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE BEFORE I DID THE WRONG SCREEN.
YEAH, GO AHEAD AND START, GO AHEAD AND I'LL KNOW IF THERE'S ONLY 10.
YOU, YOU, IT'LL, IT'LL, YOU'LL ORDER THEM.
YOU'RE GONNA ORDER THEM ONE THROUGH 10 IN ORDER THAT YOU LIKE, YOU'RE GONNA PUT THEM IN THE ORDER OF ONE THROUGH 10 THAT YOU LIKE THE MOST.
BUT KNOW THAT ONCE IT'S COMPLETE AND THE WHOLE GROUP HAS DONE IT, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THE TOP FIVE.
SO JUST KNOW THAT IN THE END, I'M GONNA TAKE THE TOP FIVE.
RIGHT NOW YOU'RE ORDERING THESE IN THE TOP, THESE 10 IN THE ORDER YOU WANT THEM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE SCREEN, YOU SEE IT START TO SHIFT AND ADJUST RIGHT NOW.
'CAUSE EVERYBODY'S CHIMING IN.
[02:35:41]
OUTSIDE.SO YOU HAVE NOW ORDERED THESE TOP 10 PRIORITIES IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER.
IF YOU TAKE A LOOK, IF YOU STUDY THAT FOR A LITTLE BIT, AND TAKE A MOMENT TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY CONVERSATION OR DISCUSSION.
I HAVE A, SORRY, I'M TRYING TO RAISE MY HAND.
UM, I FOUND MY UNMUTE BUTTON BEFORE I FOUND MY HAND BUTTON.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S INTERESTING WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT MATCHING IT UP TO WHAT WE JUST DID, UM, BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING AT, I MEAN, IT, IT VERY MUCH SHAKES OUT THE WAY I, I THINK WE'RE DEFINITELY SEEING A CLEAR AND CONSISTENT SIGNAL THROUGH THE NOISE FOR SURE.
WHICH I HAVE TO SAY IS VERY IMPRESSIVE.
UM, BUT THEN I WAS THINKING TOO, LIKE, ONE OF MY THINGS THAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND OBVIOUSLY IS THAT, IS THAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERNSHIPS AND APPRENTICESHIPS, RIGHT? BUT THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS SUCH A LOW BUDGET ITEM TO BEGIN WITH.
LIKE, I JUST THINK IT'S INTERESTING TO KIND OF PUT THESE THINGS TOGETHER.
YOU SAY, OKAY, IT CAME IN EIGHTH, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA COST US VERY MUCH VERSUS THE THINGS THAT CAME IN FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD.
THOSE ARE BIG TICKET ITEMS, AND WE NEED TO REALLY, UH, FINAGLE THOSE INTO THE BUDGET.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I DO HOPE EVERYBODY TAKES AWAY, IS THAT JUST 'CAUSE IT'S NOT IN THE TOP FIVE DOESN'T MEAN IT DOESN'T HAPPEN, RIGHT? I MEAN, I MEAN, IT'S NOT LIKE WE ONLY DO FIVE THINGS, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF SERVICES, A LOT OF, UH, THINGS.
AND SO WE, THIS IS JUST IMPORTANT FOR US, UH, AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS IN TERMS OF BUDGET PRIORITIES, COLONEL GUYER, AGAIN, I, I, I'M AMAZED AT HOW THE TOP FIVE, HOW, UH, CONSOLIDATED WE ARE AND HOW WE ALL KIND OF LOOK THE SAME WAY THAT THE, THE TOP FIVE, AGAIN, I, I EXPECTED MORE SCATTERSHOT.
I, I EXPECTED IT TO BE A LOT CLOSER BETWEEN NUMBER FIVE AND NUMBER SIX AND SO ON.
IT'S NOT AH, UH, SO I, I'M PLEASANTLY SURPRISED.
I WAS GONNA MAKE KIND OF THE SAME COMMENT.
ONE THROUGH FIVE ARE KIND OF GROUPED TOGETHER, AND SIX THROUGH 10 ARE GROUPED TOGETHER.
IT'S GONNA GET HARDER
[02:40:03]
WELL, UH, ONE THING THAT CONCERNS ME IS, UH, AND, AND THAT I JUST WONDER ABOUT, UM, AND, UM, WE MAY EVEN DOING THIS, I THINK WE MAINLY NEED SOME FEEDBACK IN TERMS OF, UH, YOU THOUGH WE'VE GOTTEN SOME THROUGHOUT, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR JUST TO, UH, HELP US TO UNDERSTAND, UH, SOME PROCESS IN OUR MINDS OF THINGS OF, UH, JUST BRINGING SOME THINGS BACK IN TERMS OF, UH, WHEN I LOOKED ON, WHILE I LOOKING, I SAW THE STUDENT AND TEACHING, UH, TEACH STUDENT AND TEACHERS' HEALTH, UH, UH, UM, MENTAL HEALTH.UH, AND TO ME THAT, THAT'S A LOT BECAUSE WHEN I, I'M OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND I HEAR, AND I HEAR DIFFERENT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW, MENTAL HEALTH IS WHAT KEEP OUR TEACHERS HERE AND WHAT KEEP OUR STUDENTS HERE AND BE ABLE TO OFFER THEM THAT, THOSE OPTIONS TO BE ABLE TO KEEP SOME OF OUR BUILDINGS SANE.
I THINK THAT'S A BIG, THAT'S A, A BIG PART OF WHAT, OF, OF WHAT, UH, HOLDS THE PUZZLE TOGETHER FROM TIME TO TIME, AS WELL AS SAFETY AND SECURITY CONCERN WHEN THAT WAS ONE OF OUR OBAMA REFERENDUM, UH, SELLING POINTS.
SO, AND WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THOSE THINGS.
SO, I MEAN, I JUST LOOKED, LOOK AT THOSE THINGS AND I, I, UH, I JUST KIND OF JUST WONDER AND YEAH, I THINK THAT DEAL, YOU KNOW, I, I, I UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT I THINK WHAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO WALK AWAY WITH IS THIS DOESN'T MEAN THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AREN'T THERE.
I MEAN, THEY DON'T, WHAT WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS SIMPLY SAYING, I KNOW ALL OF THIS IS IMPORTANT.
RIGHT? I KNOW ALL OF THIS IS IMPORTANT.
THIS, AND A LOT OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WERE ON THE LIST THAT I INITIALLY PROVIDED, OR THAT YOU ALL CAME UP WITH WHEN YOU DID IT INDIVIDUALLY ON YOUR OWN.
THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AS A BOARD, RIGHT? RIGHT.
HOWEVER, AS A BOARD, WE THINK THESE FIVE ARE RISING TO THE TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE.
SO AS YOU MOVE THROUGH A BUDGET PROCESS, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE CONSIDER THESE THINGS AS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT TO US.
THAT'S KIND OF THE WAY I I INTERPRET THE DATA THAT I'M GETTING FROM YOU AS WE MOVE THROUGH.
SO IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT, THAT WE'RE DONE WITH MENTAL HEALTH.
AND I, AND I AGREE AND I AGREE WITH YOU.
BUT I, I'M JUST THE FYI YOU HOW YOU PUT SOMETHING F FFY FOR YOUR INFORMATION.
SO I'M JUST BRINGING THOSE POINTS OFF.
I JUST TO, THAT'S JUST, JUST TO BRING BACK SOME MEMORY AND, AND, AND JUST FOOD FOR FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
THAT'S, SO THESE, THESE POINTS I'M BRINGING UP ARE, ARE ARE OUR FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
I TOTALLY GET WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
THAT YOU'RE NOT THROWING THE BABY OUT WITH THE BAD FOR.
AND THAT'S WHY GET THESE DISCUSSIONS ARE IMPORTANT, RIGHT? YEAH.
'CAUSE 'CAUSE SOMETHING DIDN'T MAKE IT, BUT YOU CAN STILL MAKE A POINT LIKE YOU JUST DID.
I THINK THIS SHOWS US THAT THE, THE BOARD AS A WHOLE THINKS NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS THE CLASSROOM.
AND YOU UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES THAT FACE K 12 EDUCATION TODAY, RIGHT.
VACANCIES WITH RESPECT TO SPECIAL EDUCATION, THE CHALLENGES THAT, THAT POSES.
RIGHT? THAT'S HOW I'M READING.
THEN YOU SEE, UH, FOCUSING ON OPPORTUNITIES AND, AND CURRENT PROGRAMS THAT EXIST FOR STUDENTS, RIGHT? I MEAN, SO ON AND SO FORTH.
I'M GONNA TAKE US TO THE NEXT STEP, WHICH IS, YOU HAVE FIVE THAT YOU HAVE IDENTIFIED, AND THESE ARE THE TOP FIVE THAT YOU JUST SELECTED AND YOU JUST IDENTIFIED.
I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO RANK THESE TOP FIVE IN ORDER JUST LIKE YOU DID LAST TIME WITH 10, BUT YOU'RE GONNA DO IT WITH FIVE NOW.
UM, DON'T, DON'T LOOK, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE WORKING AT HOME, UH, CAN YOU MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE FIVE THAT SHOWED UP? UH, OR IF NOT, YOU NEED TO REFRESH YOUR PHONE TO GET THOSE FIVE.
[02:45:01]
I GOT FIVE.WISNESKI, THAT WAS PROBABLY ME.
ARE YOU, ARE YOU ON A LAPTOP OR ARE YOU ON YOUR PHONE? I GOT IT.
THAT NOT, SO IT DOES SAY, I'VE ALREADY RESPONDED TO THE QUESTION.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT CHANGED MY CONTRIBUTION THERE OR NOT, BUT IT MOVES, IT CONSTANTLY MOVES AS PEOPLE HIT SUBMIT.
UM, I SEE EIGHT NAMES ALREADY IN, OR EIGHT INDIVIDUALS ALREADY IN.
SO AS YOU HAVE, UH, TAKEN THESE AND, AND LAID 'EM OUT IN TERMS OF, UH, OF, UH, YOUR TOP, YOUR PRIORITY ORDER FOR THESE FIVE, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THAT DOWN, UH, TO THREE.
ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK GOES WITHOUT SAYING, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT, UH, TO OUR BOARD, AND THAT IS NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS SAFETY AND SECURITY, UH, FUNDING IN TERMS OF, UH, UH, SSLS AND SECURITY GUARDS AND ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS WE DO WITH RESPECT TO SECURITY.
SO IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING, UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS PRIORITIZING THESE, THESE PIECES, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT'S NOT A PRIORITY.
AS I SAID, I HAVE THE BOARD'S TOP 10.
I HAVE THE FIVE YOU JUST GOT TO, AND NOW I HAVE THE THREE.
SO IF WE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS, THESE ARE THE TOP THREE HIGH LEVEL BUDGET PRIORITIES FOR THE BOARD AS WE'VE MOVED THROUGH THIS.
AND SO I OPEN THE FLOOR FOR ANY CONVERSATION OR DISCUSSION ON THAT BEFORE I MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
AND I'M JUST GOING TO STATE ONE OF, UH, WHAT WAS MY ASSUMPTION ON THE THIRD ITEM OF IMPROVED STUDENT OUTCOMES BY FOCUSING ON OPPORTUNITY GAPS AND IMPROVING CURRENT PROGRAMS. IT DOES SAY CURRENT PROGRAMS, BUT I KNOW THAT DR.
STRATOS IS, UM, VERY INNOVATIVE AND ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW THINGS THAT MAY ASSIST OUR STUDENTS, WHETHER THAT'S TECHNOLOGY BASED, PD BASED, UM, AND I JUST WANNA SAY MY ASSUMPTION WAS THAT IT ALSO INCLUDED INNOVATION IN THAT AREA AND NOT JUST WHAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY.
WE HAVE, AS A MATTER OF FACT, THANK YOU FOR POINTING THAT OUT BECAUSE WE HAVE TWO, UH, REALLY EXCITING, UH, UH, INITIATIVES AND PROGRAMS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON, UM, THAT, THAT, UH, WE WILL HAVE IN PLACE AND ROLL OUT WITH, UH, SOME OF OUR, UH, EDUCATIONAL PARTNERS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
AND SO, UH, I'M NOT READY TO GO THERE, BUT, UH, AS SOON AS WE ARE, WE'LL BRING THAT TO THE BOARD AS WELL, SO YOU CAN, UH, SEE IT, SEE WHAT IT IS.
SO YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, DR.
UH, I THINK THE OTHER THING I'LL POINT OUT IS THAT, UH, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS WE'RE WE'RE GONNA DO THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS IS ALSO LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES FOR, UH, EFFICIENCIES.
SO THOSE WEREN'T IN THE, UH, LIST OF PRIORITIES, BUT THEY WERE SOME PRIORITIES THAT SOME OF YOU SENT ALONG IN ADDITION TO
[02:50:01]
RANKING, UH, OR PRIORITIZING.UH, SO I JUST WANNA, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT COLONEL GUYER, I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT THE EXPANDED, UH, EX EXPANDING EXTENDED LEARNING SITES TO COVER SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY FOCUS NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY, ALMOST LIKE A PILOT, BUT THAT'S REALLY PROVEN BY THIS VIEW OF THE, THE PRIORITY HERE, THAT THAT PILOT PROGRAM WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL AND IT WANTS TO BE EXPANDED.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD STUFF THAT, THAT REALLY SAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAD TRIED TO REALLY FOCUS TOO MUCH BROAD ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTY AT THE FIRST TIME, WE MIGHT, MIGHT NOT HAVE GOTTEN THAT KIND OF RESULTS THAT WE CAN THEN SHOW SOUTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY, HEY, I WANT MORE OF THAT.
SO, UH, SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS, UH, THAT WAS VERY GOOD.
THAT, THAT THE BOARD FEELS THAT THAT PROGRAM, UH, SHOULD BE EXPANDED AND NOT JUST MAINTAINED OR, OR MAYBE EVEN, WELL, THAT WAS A GOOD IDEA.
WE WON'T HAVE TO DO THAT ANYMORE.
MR. SMITH, UH, AND MY QUESTION IS IN, IN GOING DOWN TO THE THREE, WHAT'S THE, UH, WHAT'S THE PROCESS OF, UM, AND, AND IN TURN AND INTERNAL AND, AND EXCUSE ME, IN TERM OF THINKING, UH, MOVING FROM FIVE TO THREE TO 10, WHAT'S THAT? WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE PROCESS OF THINKING AND, AND, AND, AND IN THAT, IN THAT TERM OF, UH, OF GOING OVER THESE, WHY GO TO THREE? YEAH, WHY GO TO THREE? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK, UH, WHEN YOU START OUT WITH 39, RIGHT? IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU KNOW THAT THE OTHERS AREN'T, UH, UH, IMPORTANT PRIORITIES OR WHATEVER IT IS, RIGHT? I MEAN, EVERYTHING IS OF VALUE TO THE SYSTEM, RIGHT? AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK THIS HELPS US TO DO, UH, IS TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS, THERE'S A PARTICULAR LENS ON THESE TYPES OF, OF THINGS.
AND SO THE, THE, THE SMALLER THE NUMBER, RIGHT, UH, I THINK THE EASIER IT IS, UH, TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT ANY OF THE OTHERS DON'T GET IN THERE.
IT JUST MEANS THAT, UH, I WANNA KNOW YOUR THINKING IN TERMS OF THIS IS OUR TOP 10, THIS IS OUR TOP FIVE, THIS IS OUR TOP THREE.
IT'S GOOD INFORMATION FOR US TO HAVE AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS, RIGHT? BUT THEN, BUT THEN ALSO, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE, WELL, I'M TRYING TO ALSO UNDERSTAND THE, THE PROCESS OF, UH, OF TYING IT ALL UP.
BECAUSE ALSO, I, I, I DO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ALSO HAVE, UH, DIFFERENT THINGS, AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW, HOW, HOW ARE WE GOING TO COMPO COM, COM COMPARTMENTALIZE ALL OF THIS IN TERMS OF, WE DO HAVE OTHER THINGS IN THIS DISTRICT THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED IN TERMS OF THIS TODAY IN TERMS OF BUDGET, AS IN, WE HAVE VEHICLES THAT WE, THAT WE PURCHASE.
WE HAVE DIFFERENT THINGS, UH, IN TERMS OF MOVING TOWARDS BUILDING DIFFERENT THINGS, AND HOW, HOW ARE WE COM COMPARTMENTALIZING THOSE? AND, AND, AND, AND THE PROCESS OF MOVING THIS BUDGET FORWARD, WHERE WOULD THAT, WHERE WOULD THAT, WHERE WOULD THAT, WHERE WOULD THAT FIT IN AT? BECAUSE THAT, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S, YEAH.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO WHEN YOU MOVE TO BUILDING A BUDGET, RIGHT? IS, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, EVERY, EVERY PLACE STARTS WITH ZERO.
AND YOU WANNA LOOK AT WHAT ARE THE, UH, UH, THE SPECIFIC NEEDS AND SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS OF, UH, NECESSARILY EACH SCHOOL, EACH DEPARTMENT, EACH DIVISION.
AND YOU GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS OF, OF BUILDING IT THAT WAY.
UM, AND ALONG THE WAY YOU HAVE A LENS OF WHAT ARE THE HIGH LEVEL PRIORITIES, UH, FOR OUR BOARD OF EDUCATION, YOU KNOW, SO, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF YOUR VEHICLES.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU DON'T, UH, DO THOSE OTHER THINGS.
YOU KNOW, IT, IT MEANS THAT YOU WANT TO TARGET TO GET, MAKE SURE YOU'RE, YOU'RE IDENTIFYING THESE TOP LEVEL PRIORITIES TO KEEP IN MIND AS YOU MOVE THROUGH THE BUDGET.
OTHERWISE, HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS, RIGHT? OH, YEAH, YEAH, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA.
OH, YEAH, YEAH, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA.
THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, RIGHT? BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, YOU KNOW, YOU, NOTHING'S PRIORITIZED.
EVERYTHING'S JUST THERE, RIGHT? AND SO THIS IS SIMPLY AN EXERCISE, UH, TO GET PRIORITIES FROM YOU AS A WHOLE, FROM YOU AS A BOARD, AND RIGHT? AND, AND, AND, AND, AND I HEAR THAT, BUT I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF, TO ME, THIS IS SCRATCHING THE, THE SURFACE OF THE TOP EDUCATIONAL PROCESS.
BUT AS IN THE OPERATION, UH, THE OPERATIONS AND THE FINE, THE FINANCE PART, UH, PART OF IT, I, I, WELL, IF YOU RECALL THE, THE LIST OF 39 OR 40 PRIORITIES THAT YOU HAD, THEY HAD, UH, ITEMS THAT ADDRESSED ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT WERE IN HERE IN THIS VERY HIGH LEVEL,
[02:55:01]
UH, UH, SHEET.SO THERE WERE FACILITIES, THERE WERE OPERATIONS, UH, AS YOU MOVE THROUGH THE PROCESS FROM WHEN YOU WORKED INDIVIDUALLY ON PAPER AND SENT IT BACK VIA EMAIL TO ME, OR, OR HOWEVER YOU SENT IT BACK TO ME, UH, TO WHERE YOU, UM, UH, WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS RIGHT HERE TO TAKE IT FROM THOSE 10 TO THE NEXT FIVE TO THESE THREE, UH, THESE ARE THE PRIORITIES THAT YOU HAVE.
OPERATIONS WAS A POSSIBILITY, FACILITIES WAS A POSSIBILITY, RIGHT? BUT AS A BOARD, YOU'VE JUST IDENTIFIED, YOU'VE MOVED FROM THAT VERY GLOBAL AREA WITH ITEMS THAT ADDRESSED EACH OF THESE THINGS TO A MORE NARROW FOCUS NOW OF THREE TOP PRIORITIES, RIGHT? SO IF, IF, IF THAT WAS ONE THAT WAS OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE TO YOU, I'M SURE YOU WOULD'VE, YOU PUT IT ON YOUR BUDGET, UH, PRIORITY LIST THAT YOU MARKED OFF AND SENT BACK, RIGHT? AND THAT GOT FACTORED INTO THE EQUATION TO GET TO THE 10.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? UH, YEAH.
AND NO, I, I'M LOOKING AT IT FROM A MORE OF A PHYSICAL RESPONSIBILITY.
I'M LOOKING AT IT IN UNDERSTANDING IT AND BEING ABLE TO, WHEN TAXPAYERS ARE, WHEN PEOPLE COME TO US AND BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS IN TERMS OF WHAT WE HAVE GOING ON AND, AND WHAT WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR, HOW VOTING FOR THIS OR, OR HOW UNDERSTANDING THIS BUDGET, WHERE WE ACTUALLY PUT THE MONEY AT, AND WHERE MONEY WENT AND WHERE MONEY DIDN'T GO, AND HOW, HOW IT WAS ALL ALLOCATED AS IN A WHOLE, YEAH.
AS IN A WHOLE, THE WHOLE WHOLE THING.
BUT YOU, I, I GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
BUT I'M JUST LOOKING AT IT FROM THE PHYSICAL RESPONSIBILITY AS A WHOLE AND NOT JUST THE YEAH.
TOP THE, THE, THE TOP TIER, JUST TO PUT THAT OUT THERE.
SO THE, SO, SO WHERE ARE WE? THIS IS PROBABLY A GOOD SEGUE INTO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UH, IF, IF YOU'LL INDULGE ME FOR A MINUTE, OKAY? RIGHT, WHICH IS THIS, RIGHT? THAT, UH, AND TANYA, YOU GET YOUR MICROPHONE READY, BUT, UM, SO WHERE ARE YOU IN THE TIMELINE OF THE BUDGET? YOU'RE RIGHT HERE.
DECEMBER, JANUARY, ESTABLISHING BUDGET PRIORITIES.
THIS IS RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE IN DOT NUMBER ONE, OKAY? IN A SECOND, RIGHT? YOU CAN SEE OTHERS, AND THIS IS A HIGH LEVEL, RIGHT? IT'S NOT DOWN INTO THE DAY-TO-DAY THAT WE DO IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUDGET.
SO YOU CAN SEE HERE FEBRUARY SCHOOLS AND DEPARTMENTS COMPILING, UH, THEIR BUDGET REQUESTS.
YOU SEE MARCH, REVIEWING INITIAL REVENUES AND BUDGET REQUESTS, BECAUSE THAT'S THE OTHER THING, RIGHT? WE CAN SET ALL THE PRIORITIES IN THE WORLD, RIGHT? WE CAN, UH, ESTABLISH ALL THE BUDGET REQUESTS IN THE WORLD, BUT IF REVENUES DON'T MATERIALIZE, OR THE FUNDING FROM THE, FROM THE STATE DOESN'T MATERIALIZE, OR THE FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOESN'T MATERIALIZE, OR THE LOCAL FUNDING DOESN'T MATERIALIZE IN TERMS OF REVENUE COLLECTIONS, RIGHT? THEN WE GOT OTHER CHOICES WE HAVE TO MAKE IN THAT BUDGET PROCESS, RIGHT? UH, AND, AND THEN, UH, APRIL PREPARING A PRELIMINARY BUDGET, UH, PRESENTATIONS.
AND THEN IF YOU'LL FORGIVE ME A MINUTE, AND THEN, UH, IN MAY, COMMUNITY BUDGET PRESENTATIONS FOR FEEDBACK AND BOARD BUDGET DISCUSSION AND BOARD CERTIFICATION.
OKAY? SO THIS, SO, SO YOU CAN SEE THIS IS ONE STEP IN THE PROCESS, A VERY IMPORTANT STEP, BUT AN INITIAL STEP.
UH, AND SO ALONG THE WAY, UH, YOU WILL SEE AS THAT BUDGET IS DEVELOPED, UH, WHERE DIFFERENT FUNDING WENT TO DIFFERENT THINGS.
YOU CAN'T SEE IT NOW BECAUSE NOTHING'S BEEN ALLOCATED, RIGHT? THE ONLY THING YOU CAN SEE RIGHT NOW IS AS A BOARD, WE'VE SAID, THESE ARE OUR PRIORITIES, MR. DO.
AND THEN MR. NA, HE IS REALLY BAD TODAY.
HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT, UM, THIS, THIS, THIS IS REALLY A GREAT PROCESS.
AND, AND NORMALLY THE, THE LEADERSHIP OF AN ORGANIZATION, WHICH THE BOARD IS, WILL GIVE SOME DIRECTION TO OPTIMIZE THE EFFORTS OF THE, OF THE REST OF THE ORGANIZATION.
AND THIS HAS BEEN A PROCESS THAT'S DONE THAT VERY QUICKLY, AND IT'S CAPTURED WHAT WE EACH INDIVIDUALLY FEEL, BUT IT ALSO RESPONDS TO THE DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY.
SO, I MEAN, THIS IS, AND THE OTHER THING IS THE ORGANIZATION ALWAYS DI UM, DIVIDED INTO THE STRATEGIC NEW THINGS, BUT THEN THE FUNCTIONAL THINGS THAT YOU JUST HAVE TO DO, THEY'LL DESTROY IF YOU DON'T DO 'EM.
SO THAT'S, UM, I REALLY LIKE THE PROCESS.
UH, SO IN THE PROCESS OF OUR SCHOOLS DECIDING WHAT THEIR BUDGET CONCERNS ARE, UH, THE BOARD JUST DECIDED THAT FINE ARTS IS THE SEVENTH MOST IMPORTANT THING TO US.
UM, IF THE INDIVIDUAL PRINCIPALS OR LOCAL
[03:00:01]
ADMINISTRATIONS AT THE SCHOOLS DECIDE THAT FINE ARTS IS NOT IMPORTANT TO THEM, DOES THAT NOT MAKE IT INTO THEIR BUDGET CONCERNS? UH, AND IF THAT WAS THE CASE, THERE'RE THEORETICALLY, NONE OF THE PRINCIPALS WOULD DECIDE THAT FINE ARTS WERE A CONCERN FOR THEIRS.THEIR, THE, OUR IS OUR SEVENTH HIGHEST PRIORITY.
BUT IF, IF THE LOCAL SCHOOLS ARE ALL DECIDING THAT, THAT IT'S NOT, THAT IT'S NOT THEIR PRIORITY, HOW DOES THE FUNDING WORK OUT THAT WAY? YEAH, THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION.
AND SO, UH, THERE, THERE IS AN ULTIMATE DISTRICT BUDGET THAT, UH, THAT ULTIMATELY COMES FORWARD, RIGHT? UH, IN ESSENCE, UH, SCHOOLS ARE GONNA LOOK THROUGH, UH, THE NEEDS AND, AND THE THINGS THAT THEY SEE AND THEY IDENTIFY.
THEY'RE GONNA KNOW WHAT, UH, THE BOARD BUDGET PRIORITIES ARE THROUGH THAT PROCESS AS WELL.
UH, AND, AND AS WE GO THROUGH, UH, I MEAN, THERE'S A, THERE THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION FROM THIS BOARD WITH RESPECT TO AN INTEREST INTO THE FINE ARTS AND THE MUSIC AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
UH, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT COMPENSATION EARLIER.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF COMPENSATION, ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, THAT, THAT WE TOUCHED UPON TODAY.
BUT, BUT I HAVE CERTAINLY, CERTAINLY ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, HAD, UH, DISCUSSIONS WITH SEVERAL OF YOU THAT WANTED TO TOUCH BASE ABOUT, UH, STIPENDS AND, AND, UH, THE FINE ARTS AND, AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
SO, SO IT WILL WORK ITS WAY INTO OUR BUDGET, BECAUSE WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THIS AS A PRIORITY, AS A, AS A BOARD.
I ALSO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THE, UH, PRIOR BOARD DISCUSSIONS AS A WHOLE, UH, IN HERE, WHETHER YOU TOOK A VOTE IN IT OR NOT, IT WAS KIND OF CLEAR, YOU KNOW, AND, AND AS YOU WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS, YOU DIDN'T TAKE VOTES, BUT IN A WAY, YOU WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND YOU, UH, YOU SORT OF CONSOLIDATED AROUND.
UH, THESE ARE THE ONES THAT, UH, THAT WE'RE IDENTIFYING.
AND IF YOU THINK BACK TO THAT TOP, TO THE TOP, I'M SORRY, TO THE 39 OR 40 PRIORITY LIST, THERE WAS ROOM IN THERE FOR, FOR THOSE SPECIFIC ITEMS. NOT ONLY THE STIPEND PART, BUT ALSO THE, UH, UH, THE SPECIFIC FINE ARTS COMPONENTS IN THERE AS WELL.
AND, AND I, INCLUDING DEBATE AND, AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
SO, SO IT'LL BE PART OF OUR PROCESS WITH OUR DIALOGUE, NOT JUST WITH INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS, BUT ALSO WITH, UH, DEPARTMENTS AND DIVISIONS.
AND I JUST WANNA REITERATE HOW IMPRESSIVE THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN.
UM, I SERVE ON MULTIPLE BOARDS, AND I ALSO REPORT TO A BOARD.
AND WE JUST WENT THROUGH A STRATEGIC, AND, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT THE FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC REVIEW.
UM, THIS IS A VERY AGILE AND INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO, TO WHITTLING THIS DOWN.
UM, THE, ANOTHER PROCESS I WAS INVOLVED IN, IT WAS JUST MEETING, AFTER MEETING AND PULLING IN VARIOUS STAFFS AND, YOU KNOW, BACKTRACKING.
AND THEN AT THE END YOU'RE LIKE, WHERE DID WE, DID WE GET ANYWHERE? UM, AND I FEEL LIKE, FROM WHAT I HEAR FROM MY COLLEAGUES AND FROM MY OWN OBSERVATIONS, EVERYONE'S GONNA WALK AWAY FROM THIS FEELING LIKE WE, WE DETECTED THE SIGNAL WITHIN THE NOISE.
IT'S A LOT OF NOISE AND STRATEGY.
I ALSO WANNA POINT OUT THAT THIS PROCESS HAS, IS, IS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT OUR COHERENT GOVERNANCE RECOMMENDS FOR DETERMINING RESULTS, RIGHT? WE GOT ANOTHER LOOK AT THIS.
THE RESULTS THAT THIS BOARD WOULD LIKE TO SEE AS A CONSENSUS IN A VERY GENERAL SENSE, NOT IN A GRANULAR SENSE, AN EMPHASIS ON ACADEMICS, AN EMPHASIS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AN EMPHASIS ON, UH, COMPENSATION, UM, EARLY CHILDHOOD, ALL THOSE THINGS, THOSE THEMES NOW JUST SET IN THE GROUNDWORK FOR FUTURE CONVERSATION CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO A RESULTS.
BECAUSE AS I THINK THAT ONE THING THAT RESULTS REALLY DOES IS PROVIDES A SENSE OF UNITY, PROVIDES A SENSE OF DIRECTION, PROVIDE SOMETHING THAT WE AS A BOARD CAN GO OUT TO OUR CONSTITUENTS AND SAY, IS HERE ARE THE CONCERNS OF THE BOARD RIGHT NOW.
AND WHILE I DO THINK THAT THESE STRATEGIC FIVE-YEAR REVIEWS ARE INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, IT'S NICE TO HAVE THIS SORT OF INTERIM STEP, UM, AND THIS SENSE OF, UH, SHARED PURPOSE FROM THE BOARD AND AT THE FACT THAT WE DID IT IN COLLABORATION WITH YOU IS, IS SUPER IMPRESSIVE.
BUT HAVING JUST DONE A BIG STRATEGIC REVIEW WITH ANOTHER ORGANIZATION, I AM COPYING YOUR PROCESS.
I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW
UM, I JUST WANTED TO BASICALLY, UH, GO OFF THE POINT THAT, THAT, THAT, UH, ONE, MY COLLEAGUE, MY COLLEAGUE RIGHT HERE, UH, SPOKE ABOUT IN, IN, IN TERMS OF, UM, I JUST WENT BLANK, BUT IN, IN, IN TERMS OF, UH, WHAT WAS YOUR TOPIC? FINE ART? NO, NOT, NOT THE, UH, THE, UM, FINE ARTS.
[03:05:01]
I'M LOOKING FOR KEYWORD THE FINE ARTS, BUT ACTUALLY I JUST WANT TO, UH, WE DO HAVE A FINE ARTS DIRECTOR AT, AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, DON'T WE NOW HAVE A ARTS? WELL, I, THAT'S WRONG.I BELIEVE THE, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN THE FINE ARTS, UH, FINE ARTS AND, AND THE COORDINATOR, WHAT'S THE DIRECTOR AND THE COORDINATOR? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE IN THAT? GO AHEAD.
THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, UH, IS ON PAR WITH ALL THE OTHER DIRECTORS FOR THE DISTRICT.
UM, SO WHO, WHO DOES THE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR REPORT TO AT THE MOMENT? IT, IT REPORTS, UH, TO HR.
BUT THAT'S JUST SOMETHING I NEEDED TO DO TEMPORARILY FOR A WHILE.
BUT THEY, THEY WILL, THEY WILL SHIFT BACK TO THEIR APPROPRIATE, UH, COMPONENT.
THE COORDINATOR, THE FINE ARTS COORDINATOR RE REPORTS TO THE AC THE HEAD OF ACADEMICS, MS. MCKINZIE, WHO REPORTS TO DR.
SO WE'RE TALKING THREE LEVELS DOWN FOR THE COORDINATOR, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE DIFFERENT THERE AIR THE SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR A DIRECTOR IS MUCH LARGER THAN A COORDINATOR, RIGHT? RIGHT.
WELL, BUT E EVEN ON THE, ON THE BASIS TERM OF IT IS THAT WE HAVE SOMEONE HERE AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL THAT WE HAVE NOT HAD, WHETHER IT'S A ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OR AS A COORDINATOR, IS SOMEONE WHO HAS THE RESPONSIBILITIES AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, WHO LOOKS IT OVER AND WHO MAKING SURE THAT FINANCES ARE BEING SPENT THERE, AND THAT WE ARE DOING WHAT WE'RE SAYING.
AND THAT ANYONE WHO MAY BE IN THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT ARE GETTING RESOURCES THAT ARE, THAT, THAT ARE, THAT ARE NEEDS.
THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING EVEN OF, OF, OF A COORDINATOR, BECAUSE WE MAY HAVE, WE HAVE SPED COORDINATORS, AND THEIR JOB IS, THEIR JOB IS TO GO OUT AND MAKE SURE THAT THE, THAT THE STUDENTS WHO HAVE IEPS ARE GETTING THE RESOURCES THAT THEY'RE REQUIRED TO GET.
SO WHEN IN TERMS OF THINKING OF A COORDINATOR OR THE DIRECTOR, THOSE RESPONSIBILITIES MAY ARE JUST THE SAME.
WHERE SOMEONE MAY PAY THEIR PAY MAY BE DIFFERENT, AND, BUT THERE, AND THEIR RESPONSIBILITY MAY BE A LITTLE BIT MORE.
BUT TO ME, THAT'S TO BE, AND WHEN WE FIRST GOT THAT COORDINATOR, THAT WAS THE INTERIM POSITION, BECAUSE AT THE TIME, THAT COORDINATOR WAS OUTTA SCHOOL, AND WE BROUGHT HIM IN, AND WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE BUILDING HIM UP TO BE THE DISTRICT DIRECTOR OF THE DIRECTOR OF, UH, OF, OF, UM, WHAT'S THE WORD, KEYWORD AGAIN, NOW TALKING ABOUT FINE ARTS OF, OF, OF THE FINE ARTS DEPARTMENT.
SO, I MEAN, THERE'S A PROCESS HERE GOING ON.
AND SO MY TERMS AND, AND MY, MY, MY, MY THINKING AND THE PROCESS THAT WE DO HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS WORKING ON THAT AND WHO I'M SURE THAT WILL BE ABLE TO HELP US AID THAT, AID THAT ALLIANCE.
I JUST WANTED TO BRING THAT OUT.
AND YEAH, ALSO DO LET THE, THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT WE DO HAVE SOMEONE IN THAT SPOT TO HELP US FACILITATE THAT.
I THINK WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT TODAY IS THAT WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK THROUGH AND ENGAGE IN A VERY HIGH LEVEL DISCUSSION, UH, UH, REGARDING THE OVERALL BUDGET AND LANDED, UH, THE PLANE, I THINK, IF YOU WILL, ON, UH, ON A, UH, COLLABORATIVE THOUGHT PROCESS ABOUT WHERE, UM, UH, WHERE OUR TOP FIVE, TOP THREE PRIORITIES AND WAS TOP 10 BEFORE THAT.
SO, UH, TOP 10, TOP FIVE, AND THEN ULTIMATELY TOP THREE.
SO I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR ENGAGEMENT, UH, AND YOUR INVOLVEMENT TODAY.
IT'S VERY, VERY HELPFUL TO GET YOUR INPUT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UH, IN THE BUDGET PROCESS.
SO, WE'RE ONE MINUTE BEFORE NOON, AND I SEE OUR, UH, LUNCH BOXES ARE AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM.
SO THIS SEEMS LIKE A GOOD, UH, STOPPING POINT FOR A 30 MINUTE LUNCH.
I'M A NATURALIST AND EDUCATOR HERE IN THE LOW COUNTRY.
YOU KNOW, BEAUFORT COUNTY IS AN AMAZING PLACE TO LIVE.
NOT ONLY IS IT BEAUTIFUL HERE, BUT WE HAVE AN AMAZING DIVERSITY OF LIVING THINGS IN THIS SERIES.
WE'RE NOT GONNA TRAVEL TO OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD LIKE AFRICA OR ASIA TO SEE NEAT THINGS.
WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT HABITATS RIGHT HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, AND WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT SOME OF THE ANIMALS AND PLANTS THAT MAKE THIS AREA SO SPECIAL.
JOIN ME FOR COASTAL KINGDOM ON THE COUNTY CHANNEL, THE BEAUFORT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION WORK SESSION OF JANUARY 26TH, 2024.
WE JUST RETURNED FROM OUR LUNCH BREAK,
[03:10:02]
AND THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS THE DISCUSSION OF JOINT MEETING WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD AND JASPER COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD REGARDING ACE FUNDING.SO DOCTOR R, DO YOU WANNA COME TO THE PODIUM? YES.
SO, UH, THROUGH THE ACE BOARD MEETINGS, UH, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, UH, OF DISCUSSIONS AND THERE'S AN INTEREST CERTAINLY IN HAVING A JOINT, UH, BOARD DISCUSSION FROM THE BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION AND, UH, THE JASPER COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION TO COME TOGETHER.
I, I'M GONNA SUGGEST THAT WE HAVE THAT AT ACE, RIGHT? AND, UM, WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS TO TRY TO SET A DATE TO MAKE, MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
SO, UH, MY REQUEST IS TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ON WHEN OUR BOARD WOULD LIKE TO, TO, UH, TO HAVE THAT, TO TRY TO IDENTIFY, UH, TWO OR THREE DATES THAT I CAN SEND TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND JASPER THAT SHE CAN THEN TAKE TO HER BOARD.
I KNOW THAT THEY MEET AGAIN ON FEBRUARY 12TH.
THAT'S, I BELIEVE, THEIR NEXT MEETING.
SO OF COURSE, WE'RE MEETING ON FEBRUARY 6TH.
UM, BUT I THINK IF WE CAN IDENTIFY TWO OR THREE DATES AND TIMES, UH, AND I THINK THE LOCATION MAKES SENSE TO HAVE IT AT JASS, UH, AT, UH, ACE, UM, UH, SO WE CAN HAVE THIS JOINT DISCUSSION.
'CAUSE I THINK THERE'S A LOT FOR, FOR, UH, FOR THE BOARD, BOTH BOARDS, UH, TO TALK ABOUT AND, AND WORK THROUGH.
ACE IS A FABULOUS, UH, UH, SCHOOL WITH TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN.
IF, UH, IF YOU DIDN'T CATCH MY EMAIL YESTERDAY, IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THAT, UH, THEY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A FINALIST FOR PALMETTO'S FINEST.
AND SO I THINK THERE'S A, SOME REAL IMPORTANT DIALOGUE THAT NEEDS TO TAKE PLACE WITH RESPECT TO FACILITIES AND, AND, UH, UH, NEEDS WITH RESPECT TO ACE THAT I THINK REALLY, UH, NEEDS THAT DIALOGUE, UH, BETWEEN THE TWO BOARDS AS WE LOOK AHEAD.
UH, COLONEL GEIER, OR ANY OF THE OTHER ACE BOARD MEMBERS, UH, ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD TO THAT BEFORE YOU KINDA LOOK AT, UH, CALENDAR? THERE'S A, UH, A BUDGET ISSUE.
AND THE BUDGET ISSUE HAS TO DO WITH OUR AGREEMENT WITH, UH, JASPER COUNTY RIGHT NOW.
I BELIEVE IT'S, UH, TWO-THIRDS, ONE-THIRD.
OPERATIONAL COSTS ARE TWO-THIRDS, ONE-THIRD, UH, AT THE MOMENT.
AND THEY DON'T HAVE ONE THIRD OF THE ENROLLMENT.
SO THEY'RE SAYING, WHY ARE WE PAYING ONE THIRD WHEN WE HAVE ABOUT ONE FIFTH OF THE TOTAL ENROLLMENT THERE? THE OTHER ISSUE HAS TO DO WITH FACILITIES.
THERE'S URGENT NEED FOR, UH, FACILITIES, UH, TO ATTUNE.
I BELIEVE ROBERT HAS $11 MILLION, SEEMS TO BE BALLPARK, ABOUT $11 MILLION WORTH OF DESPERATELY NEEDED.
UM, FACILITIES WORK, ELECTRICAL ROOFS, UH, THOSE TYPE OF THINGS.
AND RIGHT NOW OUR AGREEMENT SAYS 50 50, UH, SPLIT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS.
AND WE DON'T HAVE IT IN OUR 8% BUDGET.
WE DON'T HAVE IT IN OUR REFERENDUM, BUT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO.
'CAUSE WE'VE GOT SOME SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUES AS A RESULT OF, UH, WHAT WE'VE GOT GOING ON OUT THERE IN THE WELDING AREA AND SO ON.
SO THOSE ARE THE PRIMARY THINGS WE, THAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT IN THE FUTURE, FUTURE OF ACE AND, AND WHERE IT'S GONNA GO AND HOW IT'S GONNA BE, UH, SET UP.
AND, AND THAT'S GONNA TAKE A, A GOOD DISCUSSION WITH TWO BOARDS.
I HAVEN'T ATTENDED THEIR BOARD MEETING, BUT EARL AND DALLAS, AND MR. SMITH AND I WHO SERVED ON, AND, AND MR. CAMPBELL, UM, THEY HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT VIEW OF OUR RELATIONSHIP THAN, THAN, THAN WE DO.
I GUESS THAT'S A NICE WAY OF SAYING IT.
AND I THINK IF WE LOOKED FACE-TO-FACE, AND I THINK WE COULD COME TO SOME ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO IF WE STAY, UH, DO IT REMOTELY WITH OUR, WITH OUR JOINT ACE, UM, BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, SO PLUS, PLUS WE GOT SUPERINTENDENT TO SUPERINTENDENT
[03:15:01]
AND I, I'LL THINK IN THE, IN, IN, IN THE STRUCTURE AS IT EXISTS, YOU KNOW, DECISIONS BY ONE SCHOOL BOARD, RIGHT? AFFECT THE OTHER, RIGHT? SO AS AN EXAMPLE, UH, WHEN WE, UH, WE SET AS A PRIORITY OR I'VE IDENTIFIED AN INTEREST IN THE COMPENSATION PIECE AND REMAINING, UH, AT, AT THE TOP OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA AS WE MOVE FORWARD, RIGHT? IF THAT HAS A POTENTIAL TO IMPACT THEIR COSTS AS WELL, RIGHT? SO WE DECIDE THAT THIS IS WHAT, UH, WHAT WE WERE GONNA PAY OUR BEGINNING TEACHERS, RIGHT? AND, AND THE IMPACT ON EVERYBODY ACROSS THE BOARD.UM, THAT'S THE SCALE THAT'S USED AT AT ACE.
AND SO THEREFORE THAT IMPACTS, UH, THEIR RESPONSIBILITY FINANCIALLY ON THEIR SIDE AS WELL.
TANYA, ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD, OR IS THAT ENOUGH FOR NOW? YOU CAN.
SO IT'S, OH, GO AHEAD, MR. DALLAS.
YEAH, IT'S BEEN A REAL GOOD LEARNING YEAR FOR ME, UH, PARTICULARLY ABOUT ACE AND THE JOINT VENTURE THERE AND HOW IT HAS, UH, COME ABOUT AND RELATIVE, UH, RESPONSIBILITIES.
UH, ACE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A TREMENDOUS ASSET, ABSOLUTELY TREMENDOUS ASSET.
IF YOU'VE NOT BEEN YET OUR ENCOURAGE ANYONE LISTENING TO ATTEND ONE OF THEIR COMPLETER CEREMONIES, THE ENTHUSIASM FROM THE FAMILIES, AND WHEN, UH, THE SUPERINTENDENT HOLDS HIS STUDENT ADVISORY THERE, UH, THE CLARITY, THE COMMITMENT, UH, THE, I MEAN, IT'S JUST AMAZING THE CLIMATE OF THE STUDENTS THERE.
VERY DISCIPLINED, VERY FOCUSED ON LEARNING.
UH, SO I, I THINK IT HAS TREMENDOUS UPSIDE WHENEVER THESE CONVERSATIONS START LONG TERM.
IF YOU LOOK AT JASPER COUNTY, JASPER COUNTY, I, INCLUDING RIDGELAND, RIDGELAND COULD BECOME THE BIGGEST TOWN IN THE LOW COUNTRY BY 2050.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING, VILLE IS ALREADY GOING TO BE ONE OF THE LARGEST, IT'S ALREADY THE FASTEST GROWING ON A PERCENTAGE BASIS IN, IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
AND ABSOLUTE NUMBERS WHEN YOU LOOK AT ALL THE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S COMING IN AND THE JA MOTION TERMINAL.
SO THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE WEALTH.
BUT THE THING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE JUST WANNA BE AWARE OF IS THEY BUILT, I THINK IT WAS A $14 MILLION CTE FACILITY.
SO THAT HAS SORT OF, HE HURT, UH, THE ATTRACTION OF, OF, UM, OF ACE TO JASPER STUDENTS IN TERMS OF LOGISTICS.
BUT IT IS A HUGELY, POSITIVELY, UH, BENEFICIAL ASSET LONG TERM.
SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO THAT, GO THROUGH THIS.
UM, I THINK THE RELATIONSHIP HAVE CHANGED, UH, HAVE GOTTEN BETTER THAN IT USED TO BE.
UM, SO, BUT MY, MY CONCERN IS, IS THIS, IS, IS, IT'S NOT JUST ELECTRICAL AND STUFF, BUT IT IS, UH, EQUIPMENT THAT THEY NEED.
AND I, I HAD SUGGESTED THIS SEVERAL TIMES SINCE I'VE BEEN THE A IS THAT, UM, THE DELEGATION THAT REPRESENTS BEAUTIFUL AND JASPER, THEY NEED TO COME TOGETHER AND FIND OUT HOW CAN NICK GET SOME FUNDS FOR THEM, BECAUSE THEY DO IT FOR OTHER DISTRICTS IN, IN, IN, IN THE STATES.
SO I'M AN OTHER ACE, UM, FACILITY IN, IN THE STATE.
SO THAT'S, THAT WAS MY CONCERN.
SO THE PURPOSE FOR OUR MEETING RIGHT NOW IS TO DETERMINE A DATE.
SO, UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY, I WOULD, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU TRY TO IDENTIFY THREE DATES SO WE CAN GIVE THEM OPTIONS, TWO OR THREE DATES SO WE CAN GIVE THEM SOME OPTIONS.
'CAUSE IF YOU PICK A DATE AND IT DOESN'T WORK FOR THEM, THEY'RE GONNA COME BACK AND WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA KEEP GOING BACK AND FORTH.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE IN GENERAL IT WOULD BE, UH, DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME THEIR BOARD MEETINGS ARE NORMALLY? I DON'T KNOW.
YEAH, SO I MEAN, OUR BOARD MEETINGS TYPICALLY ARE STARTING AT FIVE, SO IT SEEMS LIKE SHOULD BE MAYBE AT FIVE AND THEN PICK A, A, UH, A PARTICULAR DAY OF THE WEEK THAT WE THINK, UH, MOST PEOPLE COULD ATTEND, OR, YEAH.
AND, AND HOW YOU THINK IT'LL BE A COUPLE HOURS MORE THAN THAT? WELL, I, I MEAN, I THINK THAT DEPENDS ON YEAH.
ON, ON ALL OF YOU, UH, AND THEM, YOU KNOW, TOGETHER.
SO, UM, AND IS THERE GONNA BE A, A, A AGENDA THAT HAS, YOU KNOW, HERE ARE THE NEEDS, HERE IS WHAT THE, OR HOW, HOW IS IT GONNA BE SORT OF HIGH LEVEL, HEY, PERHAPS MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT MAYBE THE, UH, OFFICERS OF ACE UH, SET THE AGENDA, UH, AND THEN SHARE IT WITH BOTH.
[03:20:01]
THAT MAKES SENSE.UH, MY QUESTION TOO IS, UH, I GUESS THIS IS, THIS IS WHERE, WHERE'S THIS MEETING GONNA BE AT? THIS MEETING GONNA BE AT ACE? YES.
YEAH, I THINK YOU'RE OUT OF THE ROOF.
SO YES, IT'S GONNA, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE AT ACE, BUT, UM, I, I DO AGREE WITH SOME OF THE STUFF THAT MR. CAMPBELL SAID.
UH, BUT MY QUESTION MORE IMPORTANTLY IS, EXCUSE ME IF I MISSED IT, WHAT THE GENERAL PURPOSES IS.
IT IS, IT, IS IT, UH, BASICALLY JUST FUNDING.
WE HAVE TO MAKE SOME REALLY, THE ACE BOARD HAS TO MAKE SOME REALLY CRITICAL DECISIONS, RIGHT? UH, AND, AND FUNDING IS THE PRIMARY FOCUS.
I THINK OF THAT DISCUSSION BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE AGREEMENT IS STRUCTURED BETWEEN THE TWO BOARDS, WHERE RIGHT NOW BUFORT COUNTY PAYS TWO THIRDS OF OPERATING COSTS.
THEY PAY ONE THIRD OF OPERATING COSTS ON TERMS OF CAPITAL, IT'S 50 50, RIGHT? AND SO, UH, WHEN THEY LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ATTENDING, THEY DON'T HAVE ONE THIRD OF THE STUDENTS ATTENDING.
UH, AND, AND, AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE SOME CONCERNS IN TERMS OF FUNDING AT THAT LEVEL IF THEY DON'T HAVE, UH, UH, STUDENTS ARE ATTENDING AT THAT LEVEL.
BUT STILL, WITHIN THAT, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FACILITY NEEDS THAT ARE THERE, AND THE CURRENT STRUCTURE SAYS 50 50, RIGHT? SO, UH, SO THERE'S DISCUSSIONS AND AGREEMENTS THAT I THINK AS BOARDS YOU ALL NEED TO HAVE.
UH, AND THEN YOU NEED TO MAKE SOME DECISIONS AS BOARDS ABOUT THAT OR AROUND THAT, SO THAT WE CAN THEN, AS SUPERINTENDENTS, UH, UH, AND THE DIRECTOR OF OF ACE, UH, EXECUTE ON THOSE DECISIONS HOWEVER THEY ARE.
BUT THERE'S A, THERE'S A, UH, BECAUSE IT'S A FUNDING ISSUE, I THINK THERE IS, THERE ARE IMPORTANT CONVERSATIONS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN AS WE LOOK AT THE FUTURE FOR ACE.
I I DO, I DO AGREE WITH THAT ALSO.
UH, AND, AND COMING IN, IN MIND WITH, WITH, WITH THIS, UM, I KNOW IT'S BEEN SOME, IT IS BEEN TAUGHT FOR YEARS THAT, UH, IN, IN TURN IN SUPPORT OF CLOSING ACE OR IN SUPPORT OF SOMEBODY POSSIBLY GETTING ACE.
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT IS JUST A CONCERN OF MY GOING INTO THIS MEETING, UH, IS BECAUSE I KNOW THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN BIG ON THAT.
AND, UH, I DEFINITELY DO STAND, STAND, BE STAND WITH THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF NOT CLOSING IT AND KEEPING IT OPEN, UH, TO, TO BOTH.
BUT ALSO A QUESTION THAT COMES TO MIND TOO IS GOING INTO THIS MEETING, SHOULD, UH, THIS BOARD AND AS WELL AS ACE BOARD, I MEAN, I'M NOT, WE CAN'T SAY WHAT, WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY SHOULD DO.
BUT MY QUESTION IS, UH, TO THIS BOARD, SHOULD WE HAVE LEGAL COUNSEL THERE, UH, IN, IN, IN TERMS OF FORMALITY OF QUESTIONS AND THINGS THAT MAY BE DISCUSSED? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, UH,
IF, IF IT MAY HELP US OUT TO HAVE LEGAL REPRESENTATION AT THAT MEETING WITH US IS TO HELP US, AID US IN THE LONGEST US, UH, ALONG, ALONG THE WAY IN TERMS OF MAKING THIS DECISION.
BECAUSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MAKING A DECISION ON FUNDING.
I, I WOULD, MY, MY RECOMMENDATION FOR YOU ALL TODAY IS, UH, THOSE ARE ALL DISCUSSIONS YOU CAN HAVE BETWEEN NOW AND, UH, AND THE DATE OF WHATEVER MEETING THAT IS, HOWEVER, HOWEVER WE WANT TO APPROACH IT.
BUT I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TODAY, OR ACTUALLY THE, THE, THE, THE THING I WANT US TO STAY ZEROED IN ON AND SORT OUT TODAY IS, UH, WHAT ARE THE DATES FOR THE MEETING SO WE CAN SHARE IT WITH THEM.
WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL DATES, TWO OR THREE SO THAT WE CAN SHARE IT WITH THEM AND THEN HAVE THEM, UH, UH, DETERMINE WHETHER THEY LIKE THE FIRST DATE OR THEIR SECOND DATE, WHICHEVER ONE WORKS BETTER OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
SO I THINK, I THINK ONE PARTICULAR BODY HAS TO MAKE THE FIRST STEP IN TERMS OF, UH, UH, THE DATES.
AND I'LL THINK SINCE WE'RE MEETING TODAY, THEY'RE NOT MEETING TODAY, I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD STAY ZEROED IN ON.
IF WE CAN GET THAT DONE TODAY, I'LL, I'LL PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION TO THEIR SUPERINTENDENT TODAY, AND THEY CAN, UH, THEY CAN THEN GET THE PROCESS GOING OF, OF, UH, AGREEING TO ONE OF THOSE DATES.
UM, I THINK COLONEL GEIER, I THINK HAS A GREAT IDEA.
LET'S, LET'S ASK THEM FOR, HOW ABOUT THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 26TH? THAT WOULD BE THE 26TH, SEVENTH, EIGHTH OR NINTH.
THAT'S MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.
STARTING AT, I WOULD SAY EITHER FIVE OR 6:00 PM UM, AND THAT COULD BE AN OPTION EITHER.
'CAUSE MAYBE SOME OF THE PEOPLE WORK TILL FIVE AND SIX IS FINE, BUT FIVE IS NOT FINE.
SO WHY DON'T WE HAVE, WOULD IT BE ROBIN APPROACH THERE? UM, BOARD SECRETARY? IS THAT WHAT YOU'D LOOK? THAT'S FINE.
I'LL, I'LL LET THEIR, THEIR SUPERINTENDENT KNOW TODAY.
AND THEN IF YOU DO THAT, SO THE IDEA IS FEBRUARY 26TH, WE 7 28 29.
WE'RE SAYING ANY ONE OF THOSE DAYS THAT WEEK.
AND UH, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE PROVIDING A FIVE O'CLOCK START TIME, OR, UH, WHY DON'T WE SAY FIVE, BUT IT COULD BE SIX.
[03:25:01]
TO ACCOMMODATE, UM, UH, AS MOST MEMBERS AS WE POSSIBLY CAN, IS THAT, DOES THAT NOT WORK FOR ANYBODY HERE THAT WEEK? OKAY.HOW ABOUT THOSE ONLINE? OH, HOW, YEAH.
AND THEN RACHEL SAID SHE DROPPED OUT, SHE HAD
I PERSONALLY, I SEE THIS NOT AS A DECISION MAKING MEETING.
I DON'T THINK IT POSSIBLY CAN BE THAT NO ATTORNEY WANTS TO GIVE LEGAL ADVICE IN PUBLIC.
BUT I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD HAVE A, I THINK THE WHOLE IDEA SHOULD BE SOME DIALOGUE.
GET, GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER, GET TO KNOW WHAT THE ISSUES ARE, AND THEN WE GO BACK TO OUR OWN RESPECTIVE BOARDS.
AND THEN WE CAN HAVE, YOU KNOW, MORE OF A DEEP DIVE, LEGAL ADVICE, WHATEVER THE OTHER STUFF IS.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD WANNA KNOW IS PLEASE PUT THIS AGREEMENT IN THE AGENDA PACKET.
YOU KNOW, DOES IT HAVE A START? IT DOESN'T HAVE AN END DATE AT ALL.
NEXT UP WE HAVE, UH, THE STATE 90 DAY PLANS.
MARY STRATOS, WHO I KNOW HE IS ONLINE WITH US COMPUTER.
UM, MADAM CHAIR, I DO APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY.
AND TODAY, THERE ARE TWO PRESENTATIONS COMING FORWARD FROM THE INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES DIVISION.
FIRST IS A PRESENTATION OF THE 90 DAY STATE PLAN OF THREE OF OUR SCHOOLS.
JOSEPH SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY, ROBERT SMALLS, LEADERSHIP ELEMENTARY, AND WELL, BRANCH ELEMENTARY.
PRESENT WITH YOU THIS AFTERNOON IS DR.
JO CHAD COX, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NICHOLAS FLOWERS, DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY, BRADLEY TERRANCE, PRINCIPAL OF ROBERT SMALLS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, AND MARVIN NEAL, PRINCIPAL OF WHALE BRANCH ELEMENTARY, JOINING AS WELL.
ELECTRONICALLY THIS AFTERNOON ARE DR.
MELO LEE, DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT FOR BUFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.
ELIZABETH RIVERA, PRINCIPAL OF JOSEPH, UH, SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY, AND MONA LISA DIXON.
DOCTOR MONA LISA DIXON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
SO WITH THAT, I DO WANNA BRING FORWARD NICHOLAS FLOWERS, OUR DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY.
HE HAS A FEW SLIDES HE'D LIKE TO WALK THROUGH.
FIRST AS A REMINDER OF SOME OF THE POINTS WE'VE SHARED WITH YOU REGARDING ACCOUNTABILITY.
TODAY I BRING BEFORE YOU FOR YOUR APPROVAL, THE SCHOOL TURNAROUND PLANS FOR THE STATE IDENTIFIED UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOLS.
AN UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOL IS IDENTIFIED AS A SCHOOL WHOSE OVERALL REPORT CARD RATING WAS EITHER BELOW AVERAGE OR UNSATISFACTORY FACTORY.
OUR DISTRICT HAD THREE IDENTIFIED SCHOOLS IN THESE, IN THIS CATEGORY.
SO WE WILL BE PRESENTING THEIR GOALS AND TURNAROUND PLANS TO YOU.
THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS A SPECIFIC PROCESS FOR SCHOOLS TO FOLLOW ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED.
THE BOARD RECEIVED A PRESENTATION IN THE FALL REGARDING THE UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOL DESIGNATION, AND EACH SCHOOL HAS COMPLETED THE REQUIRED PARENT NOTIFICATION THAT GOES WITH THAT.
AS EACH SCHOOL DEVELOPED THEIR TURNAROUND PLAN, THEY ENGAGE THEIR STAKEHOLDERS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL TO IDENTIFY THE AREAS TO TARGET FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR GOALS AND ACTION STEPS.
THE NEXT STEP NOW BRINGS US HERE TODAY FOR EACH PRINCIPAL TO PRESENT THEIR PLAN TO THE BOARD, AND TO REQUEST THE BOARD'S APPROVAL OF EACH SCHOOL'S TURNAROUND PLAN.
ONCE THE BOARD APPROVES THE PLANS, THEY WILL THEN BE SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOR THEIR APPROVAL.
THE BOARD WILL ALSO RECEIVE QUARTERLY UPDATES REGARDING EACH SCHOOL'S PROGRESS QUARTERLY WITH THE NEXT UPDATE DURING THE SECOND QUARTER.
THE FIRST SCHOOL TO PRESENT THEIR PLAN WILL BE MS. NEIL, THE PRINCIPAL OF WELL BRANCH ELEMENTARY AND JAMES DAVIS EARLY LEARNING CENTER.
WHILE, UM, MS. NEIL'S ON HER WAY UP, UH, JUST WANNA, UH, POINT OUT ROBERT SMALLS.
UH, BEING A K TO EIGHT SCHOOL REALLY GETS TWO DESIGNATIONS.
THEY HAVE ONE FOR ELEMENTARY, AND THEN THEY HAVE ONE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL.
AND THE PRINCIPAL WILL TALK ABOUT THAT.
THE ELEMENTARY IS THE ONE THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT.
IT'S ROBERT SMALLS ELEMENTARY.
AND, UH, THEY MOVED, UH, ACTUALLY FROM UNSATISFACTORY TO BELOW AVERAGE, UH, LAST YEAR.
SO THEY MOVED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
UH, STILL WORK TO DO, OBVIOUSLY, WHICH IS WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY.
[03:30:05]
GOOD AFTERNOON.UM, SO I'M HERE BEFORE YOU, UM, JUST TO KIND OF DISCUSS OUR SCHOOL'S CURRENT STATE.
UM, SO THE PURPOSE OF OUR TURNAROUND EFFORT IS TO ENSURE THAT OUR SCHOLARS ARE COLLEGE AND CAREER READY.
AND AT WELL BRANCH ELEMENTARY, WE ARE FOCUSED ON IMPROVING STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
AS MR. FLOWERS HAS STATED, WE ARE A PRIORITY SCHOOL.
UM, WE'VE HAD A UNSATISFIED RATE UN UNSATISFACTORY RATING FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS.
SO IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE ARE CONSISTENT WITH AGGRESSIVE MONITORING OF INSTRUCTION, ANALYSIS OF DATA, AND FEEDBACK TO TEACHERS.
AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS FIRST SLIDE, THAT OUR WINTER DATA PROJECTIONS SHOW POSITIVE STUDENT TRENDS FOR ELA AND MATH.
OUR WIN, OUR WINTER DATA INDICATES THAT WE HAVE AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE ABOVE OUR ON GRADE LEVEL IN ELA AND ALL OF OUR ACCOUNTABILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY GRADES, WHICH ARE GRADES THREE THROUGH FIVE, AS YOU CAN LOOK AT THAT AND SEE WE HAVE MORE STUDENTS ON GRADE LEVEL.
AND ALSO, OUR DATA ALSO INDICATES THAT WE HAVE A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE BELOW GRADE LEVEL.
AND SO, ACCORDING TO OUR WINTER, ELA DIAGNOSTICS, OUR PROJECTED PROFICIENCY RIGHT NOW IS 21%.
SO OUR CURRENT PROGRESS IS A RESULT OF, WE HAVE COLLABORATIVE PLCS WEEKLY WITH TEACHERS.
AND DURING THAT TIME, OUR INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES, THEY COLLABORATE WITH TEACHERS AND PLC WITH A FOCUS ON GRADE LEVEL PLANNING TO PACE LESSONS AND ASSESSMENTS TO DEVELOP INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES.
AND ALSO WE HAVE FOCUS WEEKLY WALKTHROUGHS.
WE GET IN EACH TEACHER'S CLASSROOM EVERY WEEK AND PROVIDE THEM WITH FEEDBACK.
SO JUST ON THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES IN THE CLASSROOM.
AND ALSO OUR COACHES CONDUCT COACHING CYCLES.
AND WITH THE COACHING CYCLES, THE COACHES, THEY PLAN WITH THE TEACHERS.
UM, THEY PLAN AND THEY MODEL LESSONS WITH THE TEACHERS, COLLABORATE.
IT'S ALL STUDENT CENTERED FOCUS ON HOW WE CAN HAVE IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CLASSROOM.
SO THE COACHES WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH OUR TEACHERS, AND IT'S JUST BASED ON THE DATA WHEN THEY'RE WORKING WITH THE TEACHERS.
ALSO, WE ALSO COLLABORATE WITH OUR SCHOLASTIC AND OPEN COURT CONSULTANTS.
AND OUR CONSULTANTS, THEY MODEL LESSONS, THEY OBSERVE LESSONS, AND THEY ALSO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO OUR TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM.
AND THAT'S BEEN GOING VERY WELL WITH OUR TEACHERS.
AND WE ALSO MONITOR STUDENTS COMPLETING LESSONS ON THEIR INSTRUCTIONAL CLASS FOR, FOR I-READY.
SO THE TEACHERS ARE AGGRESSIVELY MONITORING STUDENT USES AND MONITORING THE LESSONS PASSED.
ONE THING THAT WE DID IMPLEMENT ALSO, 'CAUSE WE DON'T, WE JUST DON'T WANT THEM TO HAVE THE 45 MINUTES.
WE WANT THEM TO ACTUALLY PASS THE LESSONS.
WHEN THE STUDENTS PASS THEIR LESSON, THEY RING THE BELL AND THEY'RE EXCITED.
SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE SOME GOOD GROWTH WITHIN OUR I-READY DATA.
THAT'S JUST ANOTHER LITTLE MOTIVATION FOR OUR STUDENTS.
AND SO OUR NEXT STEPS ARE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL COACHING SUPPORT FOR TEACHERS THAT ARE NOT MEETING ACADEMIC TARGETS.
AND THIS IS BASED ON US LOOKING AT THE DATA.
AND LIKE I SAID, OUR PLAN IS FOCUSED ON OUR ACCOUNTABILITY GRADES.
WE'VE HAVE, WE HAVE ADDITIONAL INTERVENTIONISTS AND TUTORS THERE TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM.
SO WE'RE GONNA ALSO CONTINUE OUR FOCUS ON SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION TO BUILD PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE AND ALSO TO ACCELERATE STUDENT LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM.
SO, AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, LIKE I SAID, WE DO HAVE THE INTERVENTIONISTS.
THEY PULL OUT AND WORK WITH SMALL GROUPS OF STUDENTS, AND THEY ALSO PUSH IN TO WORK WITH SMALL GROUPS OF STUDENTS.
AND THAT'S BEEN GOING VERY WELL.
JUST EVEN LOOKING AT OUR DATA, WE'VE SEEN POSITIVE TRENDS ON HOW OUR STUDENTS ARE DOING WITH THAT.
AND JUST EVEN BASED ON CONVERSATIONS WITH THE TEACHERS, THE STUDENTS ARE MAKING GAINS.
I'M LOOKING DOWN AT MY SHEET 'CAUSE I CAN'T READ THAT SLIDE UP THERE,
SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S IT WITH THAT SLIDE.
AND AGAIN ON OUR MATH SLIDE, UM, IT ALSO INDICATES THAT WE ARE MAKING GROWTH FOR THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS ON GRADE LEVEL.
AND THERE'S A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE PERFORMING BELOW GRADE LEVEL.
YOU CAN SEE, LIKE EVEN ON OUR MATH, WE HAVE SOME GAPS THERE.
SO OUR MATH, WE DEFINITELY HAVE SOME WRAPAROUND SERVICES FOR MATH, UM, TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM.
AND SOME OF THE SAME THINGS I SAID FOR ELA, WE'RE DOING THE SAME THING FOR MATH, SO I JUST DON'T WANNA REPEAT IT.
[03:35:01]
WEEKLY, UM, FOR 45 MINUTES WITH THE TEACHERS.UM, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE FOCUSED ON OUR WEEKLY WALKTHROUGHS.
AND ALSO IN ADDITION TO OUR WEEKLY WALKTHROUGHS, WE'RE ALSO DOING LEARNING WALKS WITH TEACHERS.
THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ALSO GO IN THE CLASSROOM AND SEE ANOTHER CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE WE WANT ALL OF OUR CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS TO, TO BE STELLAR.
IF A CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT IS NOT UP TO PARK, WE NORMALLY PAIR A COACH WITH A TEACHER.
THEY GO IN, JUST DO WHISPER COACHING AND JUST KIND OF TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY SEE.
SO THEY CAN PROBABLY, UM, IMPLEMENT SOME OF THOSE THINGS WITHIN THEIR CLASSROOMS. AND THAT'S BEEN GOING VERY WELL ALSO, UM, AGAIN, WITH THE COACHING CYCLES.
AND THAT'S STILL BASED ON THE DATA, WHO NEEDS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.
AND WE DISCUSSED THAT DURING OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM MEETINGS.
SO I'M GONNA MOVE RIGHT ALONG ONTO OUR NEXT STEPS, NEXT STEPS.
SO AGAIN, WE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL COACHING SUPPORT FOR TEACHERS WHO ARE NOT MEETING ACADEMIC STANDARDS.
LIKE I SAID, FOR, AND ESPECIALLY FOR OUR FIFTH GRADE THIS YEAR, WE ARE DEFINITELY PROVIDING A LOT OF SUPPORT IN THAT MATH AREA BECAUSE WE DO WANT MORE STUDENTS IN THAT AREA.
SO TUTORS ARE IN THERE SUPPORTING THE CLASSROOM TEACHER.
WE HAVE MORE INTERVENTIONISTS IN THAT CLASSROOM.
AND ALSO WE'VE STARTED OUR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM.
WE HAVE THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, BUT WE'RE GONNA START OUR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM WITH THAT.
TEACHERS ARE GONNA BE PULLING SMALL GROUPS OF STUDENTS FROM THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB TO WORK WITH THEM ON SPECIFIC STRATEGIES AND SKILLS.
SO THEY'RE GONNA BE GETTING LOTS OF DOUBLE DIPPING, LOTS OF INTERVENTION 'CAUSE WE HAVE TO BE AGGRESSIVE.
AND ALSO, UM, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTION TO BUILD PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE AND TO ACCELERATE STUDENT KNOWLEDGE.
UM, AGAIN, USING THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT MODEL THROUGH INTENTIONAL CLASSROOM WALKTHROUGHS THAT PROVIDE TEACHERS WITH DESCRIPTIVE ACADEMIC FEEDBACK.
AND AGAIN, DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A SIX WEEK INSTRUCTIONAL LESSON FOR ACCOUNTABILITY GRADES, FOCUS ON MATH, ASSESS AREAS OF NEED AS IDENTIFIED BY THE TEST BLUEPRINT.
SO I'M GONNA GO ON TO THE NEXT SIDE, WHICH IS SCHOOL CLIMATE.
AND WE ALL KNOW THAT SCHOOL CLIMATE IS VERY IMPORTANT 'CAUSE WE WANNA HAVE A GOOD SCHOOL CLIMATE, GOOD SCHOOL CULTURE WHERE EVERYONE IS ABLE TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY.
UM, JUST EVEN HAVING THAT NICE SCHOOL CULTURE IS VERY IMPORTANT ALSO.
SO IN TERMS OF THAT, JUST LOOKING AT FROM OUR SCHOOL REPORT CARD, OUR CLIMATE 2122, WE WERE AT A 4.2 2223, WE'RE AT A 5.7.
SO THERE WAS AN INCREASE OF 1.3 POINTS.
OUR GOAL THIS YEAR IS TO MOVE TO SEVEN OUT OF 10 POINTS.
SO SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO TO MAKE THIS CHANGE HAPPEN IS TO IMPLEMENT A SINGLE A SCHOOL-WIDE SINGLE CULTURE.
AND WITH SCHOOL-WIDE SINGLE CULTURE, THAT'S JUST US HAVING THE SAME SET OF NORMS AND BELIEF OPERATING, UM, TOGETHER AS A SCHOOL.
AND JUST EVEN JUST EVEN HAVE THINGS THAT WE AGREED UPON AS A SCHOOL.
JUST HAVING PROCEDURES, BEING CONSISTENT WITH PRACTICES WE HAVE IN PLACE.
THAT'S HOW WE WANT TO OPERATE AS A SCHOOL.
AND ALSO WITH THAT, COLLABORATE WITH THE LEADERSHIP TEAM AND TEACHERS TO ADDRESS NEEDS WITH THAT, THAT'S GIVING EVERYBODY VOICE ON THE LEADERSHIP TEAM.
ALSO GIVING TEACHERS VOICE AND WHAT'S HAPPENING WITHIN OUR SCHOOL.
WE HAVE CREATED A FACULTY ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR STAFF TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH TO CREATE SOLUTIONS FOR NEEDS WITHIN OUR SCHOOL.
AND THAT'S A SURVEY THAT TEACHERS CAN FILL OUT AT ANY TIME.
AND IF ANY ISSUES OR ANYTHING, WE TRY TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION TOGETHER IN TERMS OF OUR SCHOOL.
SO THAT'S, THAT HAS DEFINITELY BEEN IMPROVING THE CLIMATE AND THE CULTURE OF OUR SCHOOL.
SO OUR NEXT STEPS ARE QUARTERLY ADMINISTRATION OF STAFF SURVEY TO MONITOR IF WE'RE DOING WHAT WE SAID WE WILL.
AND ONCE WE GET THE SURVEY RESULTS, WE'LL LOOK AT THE SURVEY RESULTS, TALK ABOUT WHAT'S NOT WORKING, WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO, WHAT ARE OUR NEXT STEPS TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE A POSITIVE SCHOOL, CLIMATE AND CULTURE.
AND ALSO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS AND CONCERNS BROUGHT FORTH BY THE FACULTY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
JUST IN CLOSING, I WANNA ALSO SAY, I WANNA JUST END BY SAYING, AT WELL BRANCH ELEMENTARY, WE ARE FOCUSED ON CREATING AND NURTURING AND LEARNING FOCUS SCHOOL CULTURE.
WE ARE FOCUSED ON IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT.
UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES, PROVIDE TEACHERS WITH FEEDBACK, AND ANALYZE STUDENT LEARNING.
ONE THING I WANNA DO, SAY MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE DO APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT OUR TEACHERS ARE DOING IN THE CLASSROOM.
IT'S A LOT OF WORK, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN DEDICATED.
YOU COME IN THE BUILDING, TEACHERS ARE
[03:40:01]
TEACHING IN THE CLASSROOM, STUDENTS ARE LEARNING, STUDENTS ARE HAPPY WHEN STUDENTS ARE HAPPY.LEARNING IS TAKING PLACE IN THE CLASSROOM.
ALSO WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE DISTRICT FOR PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO OUR SCHOOL.
WE HAVE OUR MINI, MINI INSTRUCTIONAL REVIEWS BIWEEKLY.
THAT HAS BEEN VERY BENEFICIAL.
JUST THE SUPPORT AND THE FEEDBACK TO THEM AND WHAT DIRECTION AND WHAT NEXT STEPS WE NEED TO MOVE IN.
SO WE DO APPRECIATE ALL OF THE SUPPORT FROM THE DISTRICT, SO WE CAN BE OFF OF THIS LIST.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME, YOU CAN LET ME KNOW.
MS. MIDDLETON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
YOUR PLAN, UM, LOOKS VERY GOOD.
WHAT FEEDBACK HAVE YOU GOTTEN FROM YOUR TEACHERS ABOUT THE PLCS? UH, TEACHERS HAVE BEEN, WE'VE GOTTEN GREAT FEEDBACK FROM THE PLCS.
AND ONE THING WE ALSO DO, I DIDN'T MENTION, WE DO A POWER HOUR PD, AND THAT'S AFTER SCHOOL.
THAT'S ON A VOLUNTEER BASIS FOR TEACHERS.
WE NORMALLY HAVE AT LEAST TWO TO THREE TEACHERS FROM A GRADE LEVEL.
TEACHERS HAVE BEEN VERY RECEPTIVE WITH THAT PD AFTER SCHOOL.
WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN AFTER SCHOOL KIND OF ROLLS OVER INTO OUR PLC DURING THE SCHOOL DAY.
SO WE HAD ONE TEACHER, WHAT SHE LEARNED, SHE FACILITATED IT IN PLC.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA GET TO THAT MODEL WHERE TEACHERS ARE ACTUALLY FACILITATING PLC.
SO THEY ARE VERY RECEPTIVE WITH WHAT'S GOING ON IN PLC.
THEY, THEY COLLABORATE, SHARE IDEAS.
SO THAT'S WORKING VERY WELL FOR OUR TEACHERS.
IF YOU COULD IMPROVE ANYTHING ABOUT PLCS, WHAT WOULD YOU IMPROVE? JUST EVEN HAVING MORE TIME, MORE THAN 45 MINUTES.
IS ABSENTEEISM A FACTOR? STUDENT AP ABSENTEEISM A FACTOR IN, IN, UH, IN ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.
WE DO HAVE SOME ABSENTEE ABSENTEEISM, BUT ONE THING, THE SOCIAL WORKER, I PULL THAT REPORT AND I HAVE HER TO TRY TO CONTACT THE PARENTS SO STUDENTS CAN COME IN.
SO THAT HAS BEEN LESSON NOT AS MUCH AS I TRY TO CALL THE PARENTS AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR CHILD BEING IN SCHOOL.
THAT, THAT WAS THE SECOND PART IS, IS WHAT CAN BE DONE TO, UH, HELP ALLEVIATE OR ELIMINATE OR REDUCE ABSENT STUDENT ABSENTEEISM? YEAH, I HAVE MY SOCIAL WORKER ON IT.
I PULL THAT REPORT, UH, AND JUST TRY TO, SO THIS SOCIAL WORKER GOES AND VISITS THE HOME.
WE CALL PARENTS IN FOR A CONFERENCE.
DO THEY COME IN? THEY COME IN AND THEY'RE RECEPTIVE.
AND, AND WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE REASON MOST COMMON REASON FOR ABSENTEEISM? THE MOST COMMON REASON? UM, SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, STUDENTS WHEN THINGS TEND TO GET HARD, SOMETIMES THEY'RE SICK, THEY DON'T FEEL WELL.
MR. EARL? KIM? I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTION.
UH, UM, AND OUR ADDRESSES TO, UH, DR.
STRATUS AND WORKING WITH, UH, THE PRINCIPAL, MR. NEIL, AND TO, TO BRING IN ALL THE PARENTS, EVERY ONE OF THEM AND SIT DOWN WITH THEM AND THEY SIGN A CONTRACT THAT THEY WILL SUPPORT THEIR CHILDREN IN SCHOOL.
SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, AND IF THEY NEED SOME HELP, THEN THE DISTRICT CAN FIND, FIND SOME HELP.
MAY I GIVE A MOMENT OF SUPPORT? YEAH, GO AHEAD.
IT LOOKS LIKE INGRID, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND I WILL SAY, I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT METRIC THAT YOU BROUGHT FORWARD WAS THE CHANGE IN THE, UM, SCHOOL CLIMATE.
UM, I THINK THAT'S A, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU YOURSELF HAVE A LOT OF CONTROL OVER AND THAT'S A, THAT'S A BIG JUMP.
MY QUESTION IS, UM, THE SCHOLASTIC CONSULTANT, THE OPEN COURT CONSULTANT, WHO ARE THEY? ARE THEY LOCAL? UM, WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS? HOW ARE THEY BEING USED IN THE CLASSROOM? I THINK THAT WAS INGRID.
STRATAS, DO YOU WANT TO ADDRESS THAT OR YOU WANT ME TO ADDRESS THAT? I COULD BILL, I WANNA ADD ONE MORE CON CONSULTANT TO THE TEAM, AND THAT WOULD BE RACHEL CHILLERS.
AS YOU PICK UP ON SCHOLASTIC AS WELL AS OPEN COURT, I'D BE VERY DIRECT.
'CAUSE I'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSE WITH RACHEL FOR YOUR SCHOOL AND MONITORING OUR I-READY THIS YEAR.
HER EMPHASIS HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY IN
[03:45:01]
THE MATH AREA AT BUILDING INSTRUCTIONAL CAPACITY OF THE USE OF READY MATH MONITORING DATA, UTILIZING THE PREREQUISITE REPORT THAT WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE ON STUDENTS.SO AS YOU TAKE AN ASSESSMENT, YOU NOW HAVE A PORTFOLIO OF WHAT MARY MAY NEED FOR INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSES AND MONITORING THE FIDELITY OF PRACTICE FROM THE TESTS UTILIZED FOR DIAGNOSTIC PURPOSES TO THE FIDELITY OF UTILIZATION.
SO, UM, MA IF YOU WANNA BUILD ON YOUR INTERACTION WITH SCHOLASTIC AS WELL.
UM, JUST GONNA TALK, WELL, WHEN THE CONSULTANTS COME IN, WE NORMALLY DO HAVE A SCHEDULE, UM, WHERE THEY CAN HIT AS MANY CLA AS MANY CLASSROOMS THEY CAN DURING THAT TIME.
SO WHEN THEY DO COME IN, WE HAVE THEM TO JUST EVEN MODEL LESSONS, OBSERVE LESSONS, AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK TO TEACHERS.
SO WE TRY TO GET THEM IN AS MUCH CLASSROOM AS WE CAN DURING THAT DAY.
WE NORMALLY HAVE A FULL SCHEDULE, THEN WE DEBRIEF WITH THEM TALKING ABOUT NEXT STEPS.
DO YOU MIND IF I ASK A FOLLOW UP, MS. CHAIRMAN? MADAM CHAIRMAN? SURE.
ARE YOU GUYS HEARING THE FEEDBACK OR IS THAT ON MY END? OKAY.
SO, BUT MY, SO MY QUESTIONS ARE, ARE THEY LOCAL OR DO THEY COME IN FROM OUTSIDE? AND I MEAN BY LOCAL, LIKE MAYBE SOUTH CAROLINA, LOW COUNTRY, NOT NECESSARILY BEAUFORT COUNTY.
THE SECOND QUESTION I HAVE IS SCHOLASTIC.
SCHOLASTIC AND IREADY ARE THE SAME ORGANIZATION.
JUST GET CLARIFICATION ON THAT.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE OPEN COURT AS WELL, SO I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S ALL ONE BIG COMPANY OR, OR THREE SMALLER ONES.
AND THEN THE THIRD QUESTION THAT I REALLY WANNA GET A SPECIFIC ANSWER TO IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT LIKE, SCHOLASTIC, WHICH IS JUST ONE I KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT PROGRAMS? IS IT JUST GENERAL, UH, CLASSROOM, ORGANIZATION AND, AND STRUCTURE? OR ARE THEY TEACHING PROGRAMS LIKE GUIDED READING OR FOUNTAS AND PINNELL OR, UM, LEVEL RE YOU KNOW, HOW, WHAT PROGRAMS SPECIFICALLY? AND LET'S JUST FOCUS ON, UM, THE ELA PIECE.
ARE THEY ACTUALLY WORKING AND BRINGING TO THE CLASSROOM? UM, MYRA, I'LL, I'LL ASSIST YOU.
THEIR CONSULTANT HAS RELOCATED IS LO SHE IS LOCALIZED.
UM, HER AND HER HUSBAND LIVE WITHIN BEFORD COUNTY, OUR SCHOOL, AND THEY ARE MOTHER COMPANY IS CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES.
SCHOLASTIC LITERACY FALLS UNDER SCHOLASTIC AS THE MOTHER COMPANY.
THEIR CONSULTANT IS ON A QUARTERLY BASIS, AND SHE MEETS AS MS. NEIL HAD PUT FORWARD.
SHE MEETS WITH, WITH THE SCHOOL, WITH PLC FOR THE UTILIZATION.
NOW YOU'VE GOTTEN INTO SPECIFICS WITH REGARD TO THE UTILIZATION OF SCHOLASTIC OR IT AS A TOOL VERSUS LET'S JUST SAY IREADY.
I WANT US TO GO BACK TO THE REALITY THAT THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA HAD NOT HAD A TEXTBOOK ADOPTION FOR ELA SINCE 2012.
WE ARE NOW GOING THROUGH THAT NOW.
SO THIS IS THE FIRST TIME AS WE WERE ROLLING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT REALIZATION THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE AN INTERVENTION FOR A LITTLE MORE STRUCTURED PRACTICE BECAUSE OBSERVATION, CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS INDICATED THAT WE NEEDED SOME MORE STRUCTURED INSTRUCTION BECAUSE NOT EVERY EDUCATOR WAS TRAINED IN, LET'S SAY, WHOLE LANGUAGE OR BALANCED LITERACY, WHERE I COULD TEACH THE STANDARDS FROM A SERIES OF LITERARY BOOKS.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE LARGE REASONS SEEKING A, UM, ELA ADOPTION, NOT A STATE ADOPTION AT THE TIME, BUT A STATE ELA RESOURCES FOR US TO HAVE UNIFIED PRACTICE IN OUR CLASSROOMS THAT BUILD ON READING COMPREHENSION VOCABULARY, STUDENT PACING ON READING.
NOW, LET'S GO DEEPER WITH THE IN INTEGRATION OF I-READY BUILDING ON MY PHONEMIC AWARENESS, MY SYNTACTIC USE OF LANGUAGE.
SO WE WENT FROM SUBS SKILL DEVELOPMENT WHEN I-READY TO BEING ABLE TO UTILIZE A STORY OR LITERATURE RIGHT.
IN ORDER TO BUILD STUDENTS READING SKILLS AND WRITING SKILLS.
DID THAT HELP? IT DOES, IT'S IT, AS I POINT BEFORE, A LOT OF IT, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, UM, ACADEMICS IS A LITTLE, THEY, YOU GUYS HAVE YOUR OWN LANGUAGE AND I AGREE.
YOU, YOU'RE USING THE RIGHT TERMS. IT'S JUST, UM, I HAVE TO, I HAVE TO PADDLE A LITTLE HARDER TO STAY IN THE LANE.
I'M GLAD YOU SPECIFIED THE LAKE, MA'AM.
UM, UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE ONE OF THE TWO OF YOU HAS SIGNIFICANT FEEDBACK.
UM, AND I CAN'T TELL WHETHER IT'S DR.
HOW DOES IT SOUND NOW IF I COULD ALSO SHARE MS. BOAT.
MS. BOATRIGHT, UM, WE HAD A PILOT SCHOOL, AND THAT WAS BROAD RIVER THAT WE WERE MONITORING CLOSELY AT THE SHIFT
[03:50:01]
OF THEIR HUMAN CAPITAL OR PRACTICES BY THE INSTRUCTORS AS WE LOOKED INTO WHICH RESOURCES TO PULL IN, AND AT THE TIME IT BE VERY DIRECT, BROAD RIVER INCREASED 11 POINTS WITH THAT STRUCTURED MODEL THAT WAS PROVIDED WITH SCHOLASTICS.SO THAT WAS ANOTHER TOOL THAT WAS, UM, OR ANOTHER ITEM THAT WE LOOKED AT CLOSELY.
SO IF I'M FOLLOWING YOU, UM, BASICALLY I THINK IT MIGHT BE ME, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY I'VE STARTED GETTING
SO, YES, WE, WE WERE YEAR THREE OF UTILIZATION OF SCHOLASTIC.
SO INGRID, MAYBE YOU HAVE A DEVICE CLOSE TO YOUR MICROPHONE, ANOTHER DEVICE THAT YOU CAN MUTE.
LIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOUR PHONE IS THERE OR SOME OTHER, UH, NO, BUT I'LL, I'LL WORK.
CHLOE GORDON AND THEN CARLTON DALLAS.
NEIL, THANK YOU FOR THAT, UH, PRESENTATION.
A LOT OF INFORMATION THERE, UH, ABOUT THE STEPS THAT, UH, YOU'RE TAKING, YOUR SCHOOL, YOUR STAFF, DR.
STRATAS, UH, TAKING TO, UH, IMPROVE THIS, UH, SCORE AND LEVEL THAT WE'RE ON.
TO QUOTE A PARAPHRASE, REALLY, UH, GOOD FRIEND OF MINE, MR. CARLTON DALLAS, AND I'M THINKING ABOUT HOW HE ALWAYS MENTIONED THE BIRTH TO FIVE AND WHAT WE DO FOR THOSE CHILDREN.
ED, IF YOU LOOK AT THE POPULATION OF CHILDREN THAT YOU ARE TEACHING LOVING CULTURALLY, UH, AND ACADEMICALLY, I KEEP THINKING ABOUT THE BIRTH TO FIVE AND HOW THIS WOULD POSSIBLY HELP THOSE CHILDREN WHEN THEY REACH SCHOOL AGE, TO ALREADY BE PREPARED TO LEARN, ALREADY KNOW THEIR COLORS, THE ALPHABETS SOUNDS AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
SO I COMMEND YOU AND YOUR STAFF.
I COMMEND THE, THE PARENTS OF THE CHILDREN AND THE CHILDREN AND EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE THROWING AT YOU.
I KNOW IT'S NOT EASY TO GET THAT KIND OF A RATING, BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT IN LISTENING TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING, YOUR, YOUR STAFF HAVE TAKEN THE CHALLENGE AND ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO TRY TO IMPROVE THAT.
I MORE THAN EVER WANNA STRESS THE BIRTH OF FIVE, MR. DALLAS, BECAUSE THIS, THIS HIS HOME.
AND I KNOW COLONEL GEIER, UH, AND HIS TEAM AGREES.
THIS SHOWS WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO GET THOSE CHILDREN READY AND PREPARED BEFORE THEY COME TO YOU.
SO YOU'RE AT A, A DISADVANTAGE.
YOU'RE AT A DISADVANTAGE WHEN CHILDREN CAN'T READ, WRITE, DO ARITHMETIC.
UM, OUR COMMUNITY, WE HAVE DONE THOSE CHILDREN A, A DISSERVICE.
SO IF WE COULD THROW SUPPORT IN THAT ARENA AND ADD THAT, NOT ON YOU, BUT AS SOMETHING TO SUPPORT THOSE CHILDREN AND THOSE FAMILIES IN THAT COMMUNITY SO THAT WHEN THEY COME, THEY'RE READY.
AND, AND LIKE EARL SAYS ALL THE TIME, WE DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, BUT OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT READY TO COME TO SCHOOL.
ONE THING I DID WANNA MENTION IS WE DO HAVE THE HEAD START PROGRAM IN OUR BUILDING.
WE HAVE 10 CLASSROOMS, SO WE ARE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD IN COLLABORATING MORE WITH HEAD START, JUST TO SEE HOW WE CAN BRIDGE THAT GAP AND CLOSE OUR ACHIEVEMENT.
UH, PRINCIPAL NEIL, UH, WHEN I WENT THROUGH THIS, THESE MATERIALS, UM, BEFORE COMING TO THE MEETING, UM, ONE THING TO NOTE IS THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE STATE GOVERNMENT HAVE FUNDED A LOT OF THESE PROGRAMS. YES.
AND SO I THINK, UH, WHERE WE CAN AGITATE FOR MORE OF THAT COMING TO MORE OF OUR SCHOOLS WOULD BE WORTHWHILE.
THE SECOND THING IS, MOVING FROM FOUR TO 21 IN TERMS OF THE ELA IS A FOUR FIVEFOLD IMPROVEMENT.
MOVING FROM TWO TO 21 IN MATH IS A TENFOLD IMPROVEMENT.
AND SO, PART OF WHAT MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY IS TO ACTUALLY TAKE THAT MESSAGE INTO THE
[03:55:01]
COMMUNITY AS MS. GORDON IS TALKING ABOUT, BECAUSE I THINK IF PARENTS KNOW THAT THESE TYPES OF EFFORTS HAS THIS EFFECT ON THEIR KIDS, IT HELPS LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR BIRTH TO FIVE.BUT IT ALSO INFORMS THEM HOW THEY CAN HELP AND BE SUPPORTIVE.
SO KUDOS TO, TO, UH, GROUPS THAT ARE YOUR SCHOOLING.
I THINK ANOTHER IMPORTANT COMPONENT IS, UH, TO PIG PIGGYBACK WHAT YOU JUST SHARED WITH WHAT COLONEL GEIER WAS GETTING AT AROUND ABSENTEEISM.
AND A CONTRACT AROUND, UH, ATTENDANCE.
MR. SMITH, UH, MR. DALLAS, YOU DID HIT ONE.
I JUST SAY, UH, I, 'CAUSE I WAS GONNA, I DID NOTICE THAT SHE DID MOVE, MOVE IN THOSE ERECTIONS AND CHECK WILL BE APPRECIATED.
UM, AND FOR, I SAID, THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THIS INFORMATION.
UM, I'LL TELL YOU ONE THING THAT I DID.
I LIKE, UH, IN YOUR, YOUR PRESENT, IN YOUR PRESENTATION ABOUT THE STUDENTS ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DOUBLE DIP INTO IN TERMS OF, UH, GETTING PULLED OUT.
I THINK, I THINK THAT MAKES, THAT MAKES, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT MAKES A, A, A, A LOT, A LOT OF SENSE.
BUT ALSO, COULD YOU TELL ME WHAT THAT PROCESS WILL, WILL LOOK LIKE IN, IN, IN, IN TERMS OF THEM GETTING PULLED OUT FROM THE DAY TO THE AFTERNOON? SO THE AFTERNOON, WE HAVE OUR BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB.
SO WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 75 STUDENTS IN OUR BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB.
SO WE'RE IN OUR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM TEACHERS.
WE'VE ALREADY SELECTED THE STUDENTS THAT'S ALREADY IN THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB.
PUT THEM IN GROUPS BASED ON THEIR ABILITY.
TEACHERS ARE GONNA BE PULLING THEM IN SMALL GROUPS IN THE CLASSROOM, WORKING, WORKING WITH THEM, FOUR TO FIVE STUDENTS AT A TIME FOR 30 MINUTES.
SO THEY'LL HAVE THREE TO FOUR GROUPS IN THE AFTERNOONS OKAY.
WHILE THEY'RE IN BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB.
SO THEY'RE GETTING THAT SUPPORT ALSO.
AND ALSO IN BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, THERE'S A FOCUS ON GEOMETRY AND MEASUREMENT THAT THEY'RE DOING WITH THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB STAFF.
SO THEY'RE GETTING A LOT OF ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.
THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, DEFINITELY A, A GOOD THING, UH, IN TERMS OF, IT'S DIFFERENT WHEN YOU'RE GETTING INTO SCHOOL, BUT WHEN YOU'RE GETTING AFTER SCHOOL AND YOU GETTING SOMEBODY TO HELP YOU OUT, THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
'CAUSE YOUR MIND, SOMETIMES YOUR MIND IS A LITTLE MORE RELAXED VERSUS IN SCHOOL YOU GOT A THING THAT YOU WANNA, WANNA, WANNA GO DO.
AFTER SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT IT IS.
EVEN YOU HERE OR YOU OR, OR YOU OR, OR YOU IN ROOM WITH EVERYONE ELSE.
NO, AND ONE THING I WAS GONNA MENTION ALSO TOO, I HAD A PARENT TO COME IN THIS WEEK BECAUSE SHE WAS JUST WANTING TO KNOW HOW WE CAN BETTER SUPPORT HER IN TERMS OF HELPING HER CHILD AT HOME.
SO FOR ME, I'M THINKING OF POSSIBLY DOING A PARENT UNIVERSITY ON A SATURDAY WHERE WE CAN COME IN AND, YOU KNOW, GIVE THEM TIPS AND POINTERS, SHOW THEM DIFFERENT WEBSITES THAT THEY CAN USE, JUST EVEN HOW THEY CAN SUPPORT THEIR STUDENTS AT HOME.
UM, AL AL ALSO, UM, I, I APPRECIATE, I APPRECIATE THE, THE, UM, COMING UP ON, ON, ON THE, ON THE SCHOOL CLIMATE.
UM, ALSO, UH, JUST TO, I WANT SOMETHING, ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES SAID THAT, UM, I'VE HEARD IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, FROM, UM, IN, IN TERMS, IN TERMS OF, UM, YOUR, UM, ONCE AGAIN KEYWORD, UM, PEOPLE WHO WE HAVE COMING TO HELP US OUT, THE CONTRACTORS THAT WHAT'S, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE WORD? WHAT'S THE WORD THAT SHE USE? CONSULTANTS.
UM, ONE THING WHY I WANNA GIVE YOU A KUDOS IS BECAUSE, UH, ONE OF YOUR CONSULTANTS, I BELIEVE IS DR.
UH, I'VE HEARD THE KIDS ARE VERY, I'VE HEARD KIDS TELL MOM, OH, MOM, GUESS WHO GUESS WHO'S AT OUR SCHOOL? THEY GUESS WHO OUR SCHOOL TODAY? DR.
AND SO, APPARENTLY, I'M NOT SURE WHAT HE'S BRINGING YOU, BUT I KNOW THAT THE KIDS ARE VERY ENGAGED WITH HIM.
AND THAT OBVIOUSLY HE TAKES TIME WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY KNOW HIS NAME AND, AND THEY KNOW WHAT, WHAT, WHAT HE STAND FOR.
SO I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE YOU FOR BRINGING SOMEONE WHO NOT ONLY JUST, YOU KNOW ABOUT, BUT THE KIDS KNOW ABOUT THAT THEY CAN COME HOME AND TELL THEIR MAMA THAT, LOOK, SOMEONE CARES ENOUGH TO COME HERE AND TEACH US, BUT ALSO TO, TO PROVE BREATH TO ME.
SO I JUST WANTED, YOU KNOW, THAT I DO APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE I DID HAVE, I HAVE HEARD THAT FROM A COUPLE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE GUY COMES IN AND THE KIDS LOVE HIM, AND HE BASICALLY LET, LETS 'EM KNOW THAT GOTTA YOU GOTTA, YOU GOTTA GET THE BOOKS.
SO I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU, I APPRECIATE, I APPRECIATE THOSE THINGS AND, UM, THAT'S IT NOW, BUT I AM, I'M, I AM LOOKING FOR YOU TO CONTINUE TO GROW IN THOSE NUMBERS, TO MOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND FOR YOU TO BE OUT OF THIS SITUATION.
UM, THANK YOU MS. NEIL, FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
SO I HAVE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS.
SO ONE IS, I KNOW WHEN WE HAD THE UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOLS IDENTIFIED, I THINK IT WAS IN 2018, PART OF THE REQUIREMENT BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[04:00:01]
WAS TO FORM A COMMUNITY, I GUESS YOU'D SAY, COMMITTEE THAT WAS TO HELP THE SCHOOL.IS THAT STILL A REQUIREMENT OR NO? THEY MET IN, UH, I BELIEVE IT WAS EITHER SEPTEMBER OR, UH, WAS IT OCTOBER OR NOVEMBER WITH THE, UH, WITH THE COMMUNITY? YES.
I BELIEVE IT'S, BUT, BUT I THINK IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IT WAS BACK THEN.
THERE'S JUST BASICALLY A INFORMATIONAL SESSION, I BELIEVE IS, YEAH.
IS WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR THE PRESENTATION.
NICK WAS, SO THEY MADE A MODIFICATION TO IT.
SO NOW THE SCHOOL JUST NEEDS TO ENGAGE THEIR STAKEHOLDERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR PLAN AND THEIR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL.
SO THEN THEY'LL JUST WANT TO, AS THEY HAVE THOSE MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH THEIR SIC, UM, AND PTA, JUST ENGAGE THEM WITH THE STATUS OF THEIR PLAN, AND THEY CAN MAKE REVISIONS THAT WAY.
WHEN THEY DO THEIR NEXT 90 DAY PLAN FOR THE FALL SEMESTER, THEY WILL REENGAGE TO GET THEIR AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT FEEDBACK, EMBED IT IN THE PLAN, AND THEN THEY WILL COME BACK TO YOU AGAIN FOR APPROVAL.
SO I'M, UM, I'M PRETTY SURE IT WAS NOVEMBER.
UM, AND THEN NOTIFIED THE BOARD BEGINNING OF NOVEMBER FOR THE PRESENTATION.
REMEMBER THEY HAVE, UH, EMBARGOED INFORMATION.
THEY DON'T RELEASE TILL OCTOBER.
SO MY OTHER THING IS, I JUST NEED A LITTLE UNDER BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE GRAPHS.
AND I SEE, UM, THESE, THE GREEN, YELLOW, RED, IT MEANS ON OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL, GREEN, YELLOW IS ONE GRADE LEVEL BELOW.
AND TWO OR MORE GRADE LEVELS BELOW IS THE RED.
BUT IF WE LOOK AT, SO PAGE FIVE, YOUR, UH, ELA ACHIEVEMENT, LET'S LOOK AT THIRD GRADE.
SO WINTER, WHAT DOES THAT HASHED MARK MEAN? THAT'S LEVEL, THAT'S LABELED 8%.
WHAT'S THAT MEAN? WHERE IS THAT? THERE'S TWO GREENS, JUST LIKE, THERE'S TWO LEGS.
OH, THE OH IS EIGHT ABOVE GRADE LEVEL GREEN.
THERE'S A YELLOW, THERE'S, SO EIGHT PER, THE 8% WOULD BE, UM, ABOVE GRADE LEVEL.
SO LET'S JUST LOOK AT THE WINTER LINE.
SO 8%, THIS IS THIRD GRADE WOULD BE 8% OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL.
AND 25% ARE AT GRADE LEVEL, MAYBE? YES.
IS THAT RIGHT AT GRADE LEVEL? YES.
AND THEN 27% ARE ONE GRADE BELOW.
AND 15% IS WHAT, THREE GRADES OR MORE BELOW? YES.
I JUST WAS WONDERING WHAT THE HASH MARKS MEANT.
BECAUSE I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING HERE.
YOU SEE, UM, IN THE FALL THERE WAS VERY LIMITED IN THE DARKER GREEN.
SO WE HAVE GREAT GROWTH IN THIRD GRADE E, LA.
I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING A BIT ABOUT, UH, UH, CONSULTANTS, UH, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THAT SORT OF THING THAT I WANNA RECOGNIZE, UM, MS. DIXON, DR. DIXON, AND DR. LEE, WHO HAVE ALSO BEEN, UH, COMING TO THE SCHOOL AND, AND PROVIDING QUITE A BIT OF SUPPORT IN THAT PROCESS AS WELL.
UM, SO I'LL MAKE SURE I CALL THAT OUT.
YEAH, I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP TOO.
UH, CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME OKAY OR IS IT FEEDBACK? NO, NOW IT'S FINE.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, I, I AGREE.
I, UM, UH, DR. DIXON AND, UH, DR. LEE, WE HAVE A LOT OF REALLY GOOD, UH, RESOURCES HERE, UM, LOCALLY.
AND DR. RODRIGUEZ, YOU'VE DEVELOPED SOME TALENT, UM, AND, AND BROUGHT THAT IN, YOU KNOW, THROUGH A LOCAL PIPELINE.
SO ONE OF MY THINGS IS, I AM FINE WITH US GETTING CONSULTANTS, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON THE FACT, LIKE, HOW MUCH, JUST LIKE THAT GRID, HOW MUCH DOES IT COST US? AND WHAT IS THEIR IMPACT? BECAUSE IT IS HARD FOR ME TO IMAGINE, UM, THAT THEY'RE DOING ANY KIND OF, ANY, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY'RE IN THE SAME CATEGORY AS OUR LOCAL TALENT.
SO THAT'S KINDA ONE OF THE REASONS I JUST WANNA KEEP AN EYE ON OUR USE OF CONSULTANTS.
UM, 'CAUSE TO ME IT SEEMS LIKE WE'VE GOT SOME REALLY STRONG, UH, LOCAL TALENT THAT WOULD, UH, THAT'S DOING A LOT OF THE HEAVY LIFTING AND THE, AND THE PRINCIPLES AS WELL.
I, AND, AND I, I DO, UH, AGREE WITH MRS. MRS. COURTRIGHT.
HOW, HOW, HOWEVER, I JUST WANT TO SAY, YOU KNOW, IN, IN TERMS OF, UH, THE WAY, HOW WE, WHEN WE, WHEN WE WENT OVER THE, UH, WHAT WE AGREE WITH A FEW MINUTES AGO IN, IN TERMS OF FUNDING AND ACADEMICS WAS ONE OF OUR TOP PRIORITIES.
I THINK IN TERM OF BUILDING, BUILDING
[04:05:01]
ALL THESE BUILDINGS THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO UNDERGO, I, I THINK THAT EDUCATION IS PRICELESS IN, IN TERMS OF BRINGING PEOPLE INTO HELP AID OUR STUDENTS ALONG.BECAUSE I, I JUST, I DO BELIEVE THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE ANY, ANY, ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT COULD BE, THAT COULD THAT, THAT COULD, THAT COULD COST US, THAT WOULD HELP US HELP, HELP, HELP US MOVE OUR STUDENTS.
AND I JUST THINK THAT OUR DISTRICT HAS TODAY, EVEN TALKING, HAVING OUR TALK AROUND IN TERMS OF DISTRICT GOALS.
I THINK THAT WE ALL IN THE AGREEANCE OF THAT, WE DON'T MIND FITTING THAT BILL.
SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO, UH, PUT THAT, PUT THAT OUT THERE, THAT, YOU KNOW, SOME OF US DO.
WE DO FEEL THAT IN TERMS OF MAKING THAT HAPPEN, AND THAT, THAT IF IT, IF IT, IF IT HAVE SOMEONE COMING FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE AND FROM A DIFFERENT, UH, AREA TO BRING A DIFFERENT, A DIFFERENT PER, UH, DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE, I, I THINK THAT WE ALL CAN APPRECIATE THAT, INCLUDING, UH, AND THAT'S NOT TO KNOCK, UM, DR. DIXON OR MRS. UM, MRS. MELLOW, UH, AT ALL.
I JUST THINK THAT SOMETIMES A DA DIFFERENT EYE.
MY MOM ALWAYS TOLD ME SOMETIMES A DIFFERENT EYE CAN, A DIFFERENT EYE CAN ALWAYS SHOW YOU SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
I THINK THAT WE CAN APPRECIATE THAT.
THE SECOND SCHOOL TO PRESENT THEIR PLAN WILL BE MS. RIVERA, PRINCIPAL OF JOSEPH SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY, WHO WILL BE JOINING US VIA ZOOM.
MS. RIVERA, THE FLOOR IS YOURS.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO COME ON THIS AFTERNOON AND SHARE WITH YOU THE PLAN THAT WE HAVE TO MOVE JOSEPH SHANKLER, JOSEPH SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY FORWARD.
SO IT WAS VERY DISCOURAGING THIS YEAR TO SLIP DOWN INTO THE UNSATISFACTORY BY ONE POINT.
AND SO WE ARE IT ALL WORKING TO MOVE UP AND GET OUT OF THAT UNSATISFACTORY AND OUT OF THE UNDERPERFORMING RANGE.
SO TODAY I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY PUT INTO PROGRESS, UM, HOW THAT HAS BEEN HELPING THIS YEAR SO FAR, AND SOME OF OUR NEXT STEPS.
SO SIMILAR TO WHAT PRINCIPAL NEIL SPOKE ABOUT IN REGARDS TO SEEING THAT GROWTH FROM THE FALL TO THE WINTER.
UM, YOU CAN SEE I ORGANIZED MINE JUST A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY THAN SHE DID.
UM, SHE HAS HERS DIVIDED INTO THE FIVE CATEGORIES, WHEREAS MINE, I JUST DID INTO THE THREE.
THOSE ARE THE TWO OPTIONS THAT YOU HAVE IN IREADY FOR HOW YOU CAN PULL THE DATA.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU MAY JUST SEE MINE LOOKING A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I DIDN'T HAVE ANY THAT WERE ABOVE GRADE LEVEL.
SO JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU.
SO YOU CAN SEE FOR THE FALL, FOR GRADE THREE, WE WENT FROM 13% OF OUR STUDENTS BEING ON GRADE LEVEL TO 27% IN THE THIRD GRADE.
AND TODAY, I AM SPEAKING EXCLUSIVELY REGARDING OUR ACCOUNTABILITY GRADES, THOSE THIRD, FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS THAT THE, UM, SOUTH CAROLINA REPORT CARD DATA IS DERIVED FROM.
UM, FOURTH GRADE, WE WENT FROM 14% IN THE FALL TO 29% IN THE WINTER.
AND FIFTH GRADE WE WENT FROM 8% IN THE FALL TO 12% IN THE WINTER.
AND SO WE KNOW THAT WE STILL HAVE SUBSTANTIAL WORK TO DO ACROSS ALL OF OUR GRADE LEVELS.
HOWEVER, WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THAT GROWTH THAT WE HAVE.
AND SO UPON REFLECTION OF THAT WITH MYSELF, THE LEADERSHIP TEAM AND THE TEACHERS, WE REALLY WANTED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WERE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE INCORPORATED DURING THAT FIRST SEMESTER THAT WERE HELPING US TO GET THOSE RESULTS.
AND SO SIMILAR TO WHAT PRINCIPAL NEIL SAID, WE COLLABORATED WITH SCHOLASTIC CONSULTANT, OPEN COURT CONSULTANT.
UM, THOSE ARE PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY COME INTO OUR BUILDING.
UM, PRINCIPALS HAVE SOME AUTONOMY IN HOW THEY UTILIZE THOSE CONSULTANTS.
SO AT MY SCHOOL, WHAT WE UTILIZE IT A LOT FOR IS BUILDING THE CAPACITY WITHIN OUR STAFF.
SO MAKING SURE THAT THE ADMINISTRATION, THE COACHES, THE TEACHER LEADERS OF THE SCHOOL ARE BUILDING THEIR CAPACITY.
THAT ONCE THAT CONSULTANT LEAVES, WE HAVE OUR OWN ONSITE EXPERTS THAT CAN CONTINUE TO CARRY ON WITH SUPPORTING THE TEACHERS.
UM, WE ALSO ARE PER, THE MAJORITY OF OUR SCHOOL IS IN YEAR TWO OF LETTERS.
JUST OUR NEW STAFF THAT JOINED US THIS YEAR ARE ON YEAR ONE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M REALLY PROUD OF IN REGARDS TO OUR SCHOOL IS IT WAS REQUIRED FOR THE KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD
[04:10:01]
GRADE TEACHERS.BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF OTHER STAFF WITHIN OUR SCHOOL THAT TOOK ON THIS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING.
SO WE HAVE ACADEMIC ART TEACHERS, WE HAVE SOME PARAPROFESSIONALS THAT WORK WITH OUR KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS WHO WANTED TO EXPAND THEIR LEARNING ABOUT HOW THEY COULD SUPPORT IN THE CLASSROOM.
OUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR, WHO IS VERY INVOLVED IN ACADEMICS, SHE RUNS OUR AFTERSCHOOL EMERGING SCHOLARS PROGRAM.
UM, ALL OF THEM ARE INVOLVED AND THEY REALLY DIDN'T HAVE TO BE, BUT THE, THE COMMITMENT THAT THE GROUP HAS TO MOVING THE ACHIEVEMENT OF OUR JOSEPH SHANKLIN SAND DOLLARS FORWARD, UM, IS EXCEPTIONAL.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M ALSO REALLY PROUD OF, AND THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT I FACILITATED, NOT ANYTHING THAT I DID PERSONALLY MYSELF, WAS THAT WE HAD ALL OF OUR TEACHERS DEVELOP AND ANALYZE COMMON FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS.
AND SO THIS WORK ACTUALLY STARTED BACK OVER THE SUMMER.
WE HAD A GROUP OF DEDICATED TEACHERS WHO WANTED TO COME TOGETHER AND GO AHEAD AND GET AHEAD FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR.
THEY WANTED TO DEVELOP THE COMMON FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS THAT WERE ALIGNED TO THE STANDARDS THAT WERE BEING TAUGHT AND THAT WERE ALIGNED TO THE RIGOR OF THE STANDARD.
BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GIVE CURRICULUM, THEY WILL GIVE YOU QUIZZES OR ASSESSMENTS THAT YOU CAN USE.
BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT WE ARE USING IS ALIGNED TO WHAT WE NEED OUR STUDENTS LEARNING AND ALIGNED TO THE DIFFICULTY LEVEL, THE RIGOR OF WHAT THEY'RE GONNA BE EXPECTED TO DO ON THE SOUTH CAROLINA READY ASSESSMENT.
ALSO, WITHIN THAT, WE USE THOSE COMMON FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS TO EVERY, UM, WEEK.
WE WOULD GO BACK AND ANALYZE THEM.
IN OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY TEACHERS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO ONE ANOTHER.
I SEE THAT YOUR GROUP DID REALLY AWESOME ON THIS PARTICULAR QUESTION.
HOW DID YOU APPROACH THAT WITH YOUR STUDENTS VERSUS MY STUDENTS WERE NOT SO GREAT IN THAT AREA.
SO IT REALLY FOSTERS THAT COLLABORATION.
UM, AND THEN ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE DID BEYOND JUST THAT WEEKLY FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS IS WE ARE NOW CONDUCTING SIX WEEK CYCLES OF, THEY CORRELATE TO ABOUT A UNIT, SOMETIMES GIVE OR TAKE A WEEK, AND WITH A PLAN FOR RETEACHING.
SO WHEN OUR STUDENTS WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL WHEN TAKING THAT UNIT OR CHAPTER ASSESSMENT, HOW ARE WE GOING TO GO BACK AND RETEACH THAT STANDARD? AND OFTENTIMES THAT DOESN'T MEAN TEACHING IT THE SAME WAY THAT YOU DID BEFORE.
SO THAT'S WHERE THAT COLLABORATION COMES IN AGAIN AND LOOKING AT THAT DATA TO SAY LIKE, YOUR KIDS WERE VERY STRONG HERE.
WHAT KIND OF STRATEGIES DID YOU USE? SO WE BELIEVE THAT THAT CONTRIBUTED A LOT TO OUR PROGRESS SO FAR.
I'D LIKE TO SPEAK NOW ABOUT SOME NEXT STEPS THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING ON HERE AT SHANKLIN, UM, FOR THE SECOND SEMESTER.
SO WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE WITH OUR SCHOLASTIC CONSULTANT TO MONITOR THE PICTURE OF EXCELLENCE WITHIN THE ELA BLOCK.
SO ONCE AGAIN, OUR SCHOLASTIC CONSULTANT, I BELIEVE IS COMING BACK MID-FEBRUARY.
AND WE WILL BE WORKING ON LOOKING SPECIFICALLY WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OR THE PARTS THAT COULD BE CAUSING MISCONCEPTIONS AND HOW CAN WE ADDRESS THAT WITH OUR TEACHERS SO THAT THEY CAN ADDRESS THAT WITH OUR STUDENTS.
UM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE.
WE HAVE TWO MORE SESSIONS THIS YEAR WITH OUR LETTERS CONSULTANT, UM, WHICH IS JUST SUCH POWERFUL LEARNING REALLY ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF READING AND HOW TO MOVE THOSE STUDENTS FORWARD.
I PERSONALLY, MYSELF, MY ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, WERE ALL INVOLVED IN THAT.
AND THIS HAS BEEN AN EYE-OPENER FOR ME TOO, BECAUSE I, UM, CERTIFIED EARLY CHILDHOOD ELEMENTARY, MOSTLY TAUGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL MATH AND SCIENCE.
UM, BUT I DID TEACH FIFTH GRADE READING AT ONE POINT.
AND EVEN SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'M LEARNING THROUGH THIS PROCESS IS VERY POWERFUL AND IT'S ALLOWING ME TO GIVE BETTER FEEDBACK TO MY TEACHERS.
UM, WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO WORK ON THOSE COMMON FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS.
WE FEEL LIKE THESE HAVE BEEN VERY BENEFICIAL, SO WE NEED TO KEEP THOSE MOVING FORWARD.
AND WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE, UM, WE'VE KIND OF REVITALIZED A LITTLE BIT HOW WE'RE DOING OUR WALKTHROUGHS.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE IN THE CLASSROOMS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, GIVING, UM, INTENTIONAL, UM, FEEDBACK THAT'S ACTIONABLE, THAT HAS SPECIFIC NEXT STEPS WITH OUR TEACHERS.
UM, AND SO WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN WORKING ON THAT THROUGH OUR PORTFOLIO WITH OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DR. DIXON, UM, WHO IS SUPPORTING US ALONG THAT.
AND I'VE LEARNED A LOT OF VALUABLE TIPS TO, TO MOVE THAT FORWARD AS WELL.
UM, NEXT I'LL TALK A LITTLE ABOUT MATH.
SO IF WE COULD GO DOWN TO THAT ONE PLEASE.
[04:15:02]
ALRIGHT.SO ONCE AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE DATA IS SET UP SIMILAR TO THE LAST SLIDE.
SO YOU CAN SEE THERE, UM, SEE THAT WE DID HAVE GROWTH FROM THIRD GRADE, AGAIN FROM THE FALL TO THE WINTER, ALTHOUGH WE WOULD'VE LIKED THAT TO BE A LITTLE LARGER.
WE DO HAVE SOME PLANS IN PLACE TO FOCUS ON THAT.
UM, FOURTH GRADE, ONCE AGAIN, GREAT GROWTH, FIFTH GRADE MOVING ALONG, GROWING.
SO IF WE CONTINUE ON THIS PATH, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AN INCREASE OF, UM, THE 4% THAT WAS PREDICTED IN THE FALL.
AND IT IS PREDICTED THAT WE CAN HAVE 29% OF OUR STUDENTS SCORE PROFICIENT IN THE SPRING.
UM, AND THAT IS AN EXCELLENT GOAL BECAUSE LAST YEAR WE WERE ONLY AT 17%.
SO THIS IS MAKING AMAZING GROWTH.
SO ONCE AGAIN, SPEAKING ABOUT SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE THIS YEAR ALREADY, UM, WE COLLABORATE REGULARLY WITH OUR READY MATH CONSULTANT.
UM, AND THAT'S NOT JUST DONE BY HER COMING TO THE SCHOOL.
SHE COMES TO THE SCHOOL TO ASSIST US AS USUAL IN HELPING US TO BUILD CAPACITY.
UM, BUT ALSO WE HAVE, UM, PRINCIPAL MEETINGS WITH HER.
SHE COMES IN AND TALKS SPECIFICALLY TO OUR COACHES.
UM, WE HAVE USUALLY SOME TYPE OF INTERACTION WITH HER, UM, ABOUT EVERY FIVE WEEKS.
SHE IS A HUGE SUPPORT FOR OUR SCHOOL.
UM, OTHER THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE TO ALSO FACILITATE OUR GROWTH HAS, WE'VE ALSO DONE THOSE COMMON FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS AND THE BENCHMARK, UM, ASSESSMENTS AND THAT WHOLE CYCLE OF RETEACHING, WE DO THAT IN BOTH ELA AND MATH.
WE MEET ONCE A WEEK FOR OUR PLCS FOR ELA AND ONCE A WEEK FOR OUR PLCS IN MATH.
AND LOOKING AT THAT DATA IS ALWAYS HOW WE WARM UP AND INTRODUCE THE PLC FOR THE DAY.
SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE ON, UM, WITHIN THIS NEXT SEMESTER, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE ONE WITH YOU FIRST THAT I ACTUALLY DIDN'T, UM, HAVE PREPARED ON THIS SLIDE BECAUSE IT JUST CAME TO FRUITION.
WE HAVE A WONDERFUL GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS THAT WORK WITH US OVER IN OUR HABERSHAM COMMUNITY, WHICH IS WITHIN OUR SCHOOL ZONE.
AND THEY HAVE A CHARITY THAT'S CALLED THE FRIENDS OF SHALIN.
AND SO TRADITIONALLY IN THE PAST, THEY'VE DONE THINGS SUCH AS SPONSORING, UM, FIELD EXPERIENCES FOR OUR STUDENTS, SOMETIMES OUT OF SCHOOL, SOMETIMES PAYING FOR, UM, SPEAKERS OR PRESENTATIONS TO COME IN THE SCHOOL.
HOWEVER, THIS IS SOMETHING REALLY EXCITING THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON.
WE ARE, THEY FUNDED US TO GET 60 PARENTS MATH MANIPULATIVE KIDS.
AND THESE ARE GOING TO BE GIVEN TO 60 OF OUR PARENTS WHO WILL COME TO AN EITHER AFTERSCHOOL OR SATURDAY TRAINING WITH THEIR CHILDREN.
AND WE WILL GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF HOW YOU CAN USE THESE MANIPULATIVE KITS AT HOME.
BUT IT DOESN'T JUST STOP THERE BECAUSE THEN WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW UP WEEKLY WITH ZOOMS WITH THE FAMILIES IN THE EVENING.
AND THEN ONCE EVERY ABOUT SIX WEEKS, THERE'LL BE AN ACTUAL IN-PERSON EVENT.
AND SO FRIENDS OF SHANKLIN HAS GENEROUSLY PURCHASED THESE KITS FOR US AND THEY SHOULD BE IN NEXT WEEK.
SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO GET STARTED.
UM, BUT ALSO THEY'RE GONNA COME SUPPORT US AT THIS ROLLOUT WITH THE FAMILIES.
UM, AND SO I THINK IT'S GONNA BE REALLY GREAT FOR EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY TO GET TOGETHER WITH THAT.
AND I THINK THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE SOME AMAZING PROGRESS FROM THAT.
WE'RE GONNA BE KEEPING DATA, UM, ON THE KIND OF LIKE ASSESSMENTS WHERE THE STUDENTS ARE AT RIGHT NOW THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROGRAM WITH THEIR PARENTS.
AND WE'LL BE TRACKING IT ALONG BECAUSE I'M SURE THAT WE ARE GONNA SEE AMAZING GROWTH FROM THEM.
UM, OTHER NEXT STEPS, WE WILL CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE READY MATH CONSULTANT.
I WILL SHARE ONE THING WITH YOU.
SHE DOES DO MONTHLY CONTESTS AND SHANKLIN IS VERY COMPETITIVE.
WE DID WIN THE BANNER ONE TIME THIS YEAR, UM, FOR HAVING THE LEAST AMOUNT OF RUSH FLAGS.
THAT MEANS THE STUDENTS TOOK THEIR TIME AND DID A GREAT JOB ON THEIR FALL DIAGNOSTIC.
UM, AND SO WE PROUDLY DISPLAYED THAT BANNER.
UM, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE WORKING WITH THOSE FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS BECAUSE THEY REALLY HAVE BEEN DRIVING US TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO FOR OUR STUDENTS.
UM, AND THEN ALSO THOSE WALKTHROUGHS, WE'VE GOTTA MAKE SURE WE'RE GETTING THEM ACROSS THE CONTENT AREAS, NOT JUST IN ELA, BUT IN MATH.
UM, WE GET INTO SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES.
WE GET INTO LIKE OUR ACADEMIC ARTS SUCH AS MUSIC, ART.
WE WANNA SUPPORT EVERYONE, EVERY STAFF MEMBER, EVERY STUDENT IN THEIR PERSONAL GROWTH AT JOSEPH SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
THE LAST THING I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU IS, UM, I, WELL, JOSEPH SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCORED AVERAGE
[04:20:01]
LAST YEAR IN OUR CLIMATE INDICATOR ON THE SC REPORT CARD.SO FOR MY THIRD GOAL, WHEN I WAS REFLECTING ON IT WITH THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PLAN THAT I DO FOR THE STATE, IT SAID, WHAT IS ANOTHER AREA WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE IF YOU REALLY FOCUS IN ON THIS, THIS WOULD REALLY HELP YOUR SCHOOL TO GROW? SO I REALLY WANTED TO FOCUS IN ON THE ACHIEVEMENT OF OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS.
THE MULTILINGUAL LEARNER POPULATION AT JOSEPH SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY HAS GROWN EXPONENTIALLY, NOT JUST IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, BUT THIS IS MY 11TH YEAR AT JOSEPH SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, UM, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL FOR SIX YEARS.
WHEN I STARTED THERE, WE ONLY HAD A PART-TIME MULTILINGUAL TEACHER.
NOW WE HAVE TWO FULL-TIME MULTILINGUAL TEACHERS AND A BILINGUAL LIAISON BECAUSE OUR POPULATION OF MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS IS EXPLODING.
JUST LAST WEEK WE GOT 12 NEW MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS.
SO WE HAVE A LOT GROWING THERE.
UM, SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE REALLY FOCUS ON WITHIN OUR SCHOOL TO HELP THESE LEARNERS GROW.
AND YOU CAN SEE OVER HERE THAT THEY ARE DEFINITELY GROWING.
SO I PULLED THE DATA FROM I-READY TO LOOK AT THE MULTILINGUAL SUBGROUP.
AND THIS FIRST COLUMN ON THE TOP IS HOW MUCH OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS HAVE GROWN THIS YEAR.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT WAS FROM EIGHT, SORRY, I'M LOOKING ON A LITTLE COMPUTER TO 19.
AND YOU CAN SEE, YES, WE ARE HAVING GROWTH WITH OUR, UM, OTHER STUDENTS AS WELL THAT ARE NOT IDENTIFIED AS MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS.
UM, BUT THE MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS ARE KEEPING UP.
WE'RE NOT HAVING LIKE A HUGE GAP THERE IN BETWEEN WHERE THEY ARE AND WHERE THEY'RE GROWING.
AND THIS WAS SPECIFIC DATA FOR READING.
UM, AND THAT'S WHERE WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING IN ON BECAUSE WE REALLY WANT TO HELP THOSE MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS.
AND RIGHT NOW THEY'RE GETTING PREPARED TO GO TAKE THAT ACCESS ASSESSMENT, WHICH IS THE MULTILINGUAL PROGRESS ON THE SOUTH CAROLINA REPORT CARD.
AND SO I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE GOING TO SEE SOME AMAZING RESULTS FROM THE GROWTH OF THOSE STUDENTS SO FAR THIS YEAR AS WELL.
SO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO TO SUPPORT THIS IS WE MAINTAIN A 100% S SSOP TRAINED STAFF.
SO EVERY CERTIFIED MEMBER, UM, OF OUR STAFF HAS TO BE SYOP TRAINED.
WE HAD FOUR NEW STAFF MEMBERS THIS YEAR THAT CAME IN AND THEY'VE JUST COMPLETED, I THINK THEY HAVE ONE MORE SESSION, THEIR SYOP TRAINING WITH OUR LEAD MULTILINGUAL TEACHER, MELISSA LEE RIVERA, WHO PROVIDES IT FOR US ON SITE, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO SEND THEM OUT OR ANYWHERE LIKE THAT.
SHE'S A TRAINED FROM THE PSYOP ORGANIZATION.
UM, WE HAVE ONE TEACHER WHO STARTED AFTER THAT ALREADY STARTED, BUT SHE SIGNED UP TO BE IN A GROUP WITH THE DISTRICT.
SO ONCE AGAIN, JOSEPH LIN ELEMENTARY, WE'LL MEET OUR 100% PSS IOP CERTIFIED TEACHERS.
UM, ALSO OUR MULTILINGUAL PROGRAM, LEAD TEACHER, MELISSA LEE RIVERA, UM, EMAILS, WEEKLY PSYOP TIPS.
FOR EXAMPLE, LAST WEEK SHE SENT OUT A TIP THAT WAS ALL ABOUT MULTIMODAL WAYS TO INVOLVE ALL THE STUDENTS.
SO PICTURES, UM, THINGS LIKE ARTICLES, CARTOONS, MUSIC.
HOW CAN WE BRING THAT IN FOR ALL THE MULTILINGUAL STUDENTS? AND THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT PSS IOP, WHICH IS STRATEGIES THAT SPECIFICALLY HELP MULTILINGUAL STUDENTS, IS THAT THEY'RE ALSO PROVEN TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN STUDENTS THAT ARE STRUGGLING.
AND SO THAT'S, WE'RE KIND OF GETTING A DOUBLE DIP THERE.
NOT ONLY IS THAT HELPING OUR MULTILINGUAL STUDENTS, BUT THOSE SAME STRATEGIES CAN BE PUT IN PLACE WITH OUR OTHER STUDENTS, UM, WHO ARE HAVING DIFFICULTIES AS WELL.
UM, THIS MONTH, MELISSA LEE HAS ALSO EXPANDED HER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING.
AND AS PART OF OUR TITLE ONE PLAN, SHE HAS GONE NOW TO ADVANCED TRAIN THE TRAINER PSYOP TRAINING.
SO THIS IS GONNA OPEN UP MORE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR HER TO SHARE WITH THE OTHERS.
AT OUR SCHOOL SITE, WE HAVE HAD OBSERVATIONS AND FEEDBACK FROM THE DISTRICT, MULTILINGUAL COACHES.
THEY REGULARLY COME AS PART OF THAT ISD GROUP, UM, THAT VISITS THE SCHOOL BIWEEKLY.
AND I WILL TELL YOU THAT WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED COMING TO THE SCHOOL, I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS.
I WAS LIKE, ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE HERE.
BUT IT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES.
WE REALLY ARE ABLE TO GET OUT THERE, GET INTO AS MANY CLASSROOMS AS POSSIBLE, AND LOOK AND SEE WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS, WHAT IS SOMETHING WE CAN CHUNK DOWN TO MOVE THIS FORWARD FOR SHANKLIN.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE'S GONNA BE SOME ACCOUNTABILITY BECAUSE THE ADMIN, THE COACHES ARE GONNA GO BACK IN AND CHECK, BUT THEN WHEN THE ISD MEMBERS COME BACK, THEY'RE GONNA GO AROUND AND CHECK AS WELL.
SO IT'S NICE HAVING THAT ADDITIONAL LAYER OF ACCOUNTABILITY.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I FEEL SO FAR HAVE HELPED OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS.
SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA
[04:25:01]
LOOK AT, UM, TO CONTINUE ON FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS SEMESTER IS TO FINISH UP THAT PSYOP TRAINING.UM, WE HAVE A NEW PROGRAM WHERE WE KEEP THE, UM, INDIVIDUAL PLANS FOR OUR MULTILINGUAL STUDENTS.
AND SO WE HAVE A TRAINING COMING UP ON ELEVATION PATHWAYS.
THIS ALLOWS THE TEACHERS TO GO IN AND LOOK VERY SPECIFICALLY AT A MULTILINGUAL LEARNER THAT THEY HAVE.
WHERE IS THAT STUDENT AT? WHAT CAN WE DO IN THE CLASSROOM TO HELP MOVE THIS STUDENT FORWARD? AND OF COURSE, JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, WE REGULARLY GET INTO OUR MULTILINGUAL LEARNER CLASSROOMS, UM, FOR VERY INTENTIONAL WALKTHROUGHS, FEEDBACK, AND NEXT ACTION STEPS.
THAT'S MY PRESENTATION, UM, FOR THE THREE THINGS THAT WE ARE WORKING ON.
UM, SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I WOULD LOVE TO ANSWER THEM FOR YOU ABOUT THE WORK WE'RE DOING AT JOSEPH SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY.
UH, I THINK YOU ALSO NEED TO BE AWARE OF THE UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT AT SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
UH, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE, KNOW WHERE IT'S AT.
UH, YOU TAKE, UH, LAUREL BAY ROAD OUT FROM THE AIR STATION ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE WEST JUST BEFORE YOU HIT THE WATER.
THAT IS THE LAUREL BAY HOUSING AREA, MARINE HOUSING AREA.
SHANKLIN SCHOOL IS JUST TO THE SOUTH.
IT'S BACK, IT'S RIGHT ON THE BORDER THERE.
THEY GET NOT ONLY JUNIOR ENLISTED MARINE FAMILIES THAT COME AND GO IN THERE THAT, UH, ARE NOT SENIOR ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SCHOOL THERE AT LAUREL BAY HOUSING AREA.
THEY ALSO HAVE A VERY, UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, UM, VOLATILE, IF YOU WILL, HISPANIC POPULATION COMING AND GOING INTO THAT AREA.
AND THAT AREA OF BURTON AROUND THAT SCHOOL HAS PROBABLY THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
I'M TALKING MOSTLY, UH, TRAILER PARKS.
SO THIS IS NOT AN EXCUSE, BUT IT'S A CHALLENGE THAT THEY HAVE THERE.
AND CONSTANT TURNOVER OF STUDENTS, AS SHE JUST MENTIONED, 12 STUDENTS COMING IN, AND SHE PROBABLY, YOU PROBABLY LOST ABOUT 12 STUDENTS, UH, ABOUT THE SAME TIME.
SO SHE'S TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, HAS A PROGRAM TO TRY TO START THESE KIDS OFF IN A EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.
AND THEY COME AND THEY GO AND THEY DON'T COME AND GO, UH, AT THE RIGHT TIME FOR TESTING.
SO AGAIN, IT'S NOT AN EXCUSE, BUT THIS IS A CHALLENGE, UH, THAT YOU HAVE.
MS. RIVERA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO EXPAND ON THAT ANY? SURE.
SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT LIKE HOW OUR POPULATION CHANGES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, UM, THAT 45 DAY MARK IS WHEN IF A STUDENT WAS IN YOUR SCHOOL ON THAT DAY AND THEN CONTINUES ON WITHOUT GOING ANYWHERE ELSE FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR TESTING, THAT IS A STUDENT THAT WILL COUNT FOR YOU, UM, FOR ACCOUNTABILITY WITHIN YOUR SCHOOL REPORT CARD.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE SOME OF OUR STUDENTS WHO, YOU KNOW, ARE HERE UP UNTIL A LITTLE PAST THE 45TH DAY, BUT THEN THEY'VE GOT TO GO MOVE INTO SOME, UM, SOME HOUSING OVER IN THIS OTHER ZONE, THEN MAYBE THEY'LL COME BACK.
UM, AND SO IT'S, WE STILL WORK TO SUPPORT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS.
ALL OF OUR STUDENTS, UM, GET THE SAME PASSION, THE SAME ENERGY, THE SAME EDUCATION FROM US, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY'RE GONNA COUNT FOR US ON, UM, STATE TESTING.
BUT IT DEFINITELY CAN BE DISCOURAGING WHEN YOU'VE PUT SO MUCH ENERGY AND SO MUCH PASSION INTO STUDENTS, AND YOU'VE SEEN SUCH EXCEPTIONAL GROWTH FROM THEM, AND THEN THEY DON'T, UM, PER SE COUNT FOR YOUR SCHOOL.
I'M HAVING TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUES OVER HERE.
UM, UH, MY ESTEEMED COLLEAGUE FROM THE SIXTH DISTRICT JUST, UH, STOLE SOME OF MY THUNDER BECAUSE IT'S MY SCHOOL NOW.
AND I WAS GONNA TALK ABOUT THE TRANSIENT POPULATION AND HOW SHE'S, UH, HOW SHE'S GRABBING THE BULL BY THE HORNS, UH, WHEN I DID MY, UH, MY SCHOOL VISIT LAST SEMESTER.
UH, BUT I WILL ALSO SAY, UH, THANK YOU FOR, UM, CLARIFYING YOUR PSYOPS THERE, BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS.
[04:30:02]
I DUNNO.I, I JUST WANNA, UH, COMPLIMENT, UM, PRINCIPAL RIVERA ON THE PERFORMANCE AS WELL.
UH, THE ELA IS A 300% IMPROVEMENT FROM, UH, ONE GRADING PERIOD TO THE OTHER.
THE, UH, MATH IS 700%, AND THE MULTILINGUAL LE LEARNERS IS 250%.
SO I THINK YOU'VE DISCOVERED A METHODOLOGY THAT WORKS.
UH, AND, AND SO HOPEFULLY IT CAN BE EXPANDED, EVEN THOUGH I KNOW THERE ARE DIFFERENT TRIGGERS IN TERMS OF FUNDING, IF IT DOESN'T HAVE A CERTAIN DESIGNATION, BUT SEEMS LIKE A GOOD INVESTMENT.
HOPEFULLY I'M NOT GONNA GIVE YOU FEEDBACK, UM, OF THE ELECTRONIC KIND.
AND, YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO BUILD ON WHAT, UH, COLONEL GEER SAID.
UM, AND WE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM HERE ON HILTON HEAD AS WELL, IN THAT WE HAVE, UH, I WAS, I WAS TALKING TO SOMEONE ABOUT A STUDENT AT OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND WE WERE WORKING ON A PROJECT.
AND BY THE TIME I REACHED OUT TO THE MOTHER, THEY HAD MOVED.
THEY HAD ONLY BEEN IN THE SCHOOL FOR ONE WEEK, AND THEY MOVED OUTTA THE DISTRICT.
SO, UM, WE DO HAVE, UH, A LOT OF TRANS, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE THE POINT THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I'M NOT A FAN OF USING ONLY THE SEC READY AND SEC SCORECARD, ALL THOSE TESTS AS THE BASIS OF ASSESSING WHETHER OR NOT A SCHOOL IS DOING A GOOD JOB.
BECAUSE IT DOESN'T ACCOUNT FOR ANY OF THESE KIND OF CONFOUNDING VARIABLES.
AND IF YOU'RE A DATA SCIENTIST, THE FIRST THING YOU DO IS YOU GATHER DATA FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES.
YOU, YOU CLEAN YOUR DATA, AND YOU ACCOUNT FOR CONFOUNDING VARIABLES.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THESE TRADITIONAL TESTS THAT WE PUT A LOT OF WEIGHT ON, AND THAT THE PUBLIC PUTS A LOT OF WEIGHT ON, IS NOT ABLE TO CAPTURE.
SO IT'S GREAT TO GET IT OUT HERE IN THE PUBLIC DISCUSSION THAT WE HAVE SOME UNIQUE CHALLENGES AT SOME OF THESE SCHOOLS.
UM, I THINK THE HILTON HAD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS SHARE SOME OF THOSE CHALLENGES.
CERTAINLY JOSEPH SHANKLIN, WHICH I DO BELIEVE IS THE FASTEST GROWING OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER POPULATION RIGHT NOW IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
AND SO I THINK WE NEED, IT'S GREAT TO SAY THAT ANECDOTALLY, BUT AGAIN, WE TALK ABOUT THESE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND WE TALK ABOUT HOW WE EVALUATE SCHOOLS.
THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE ADDING INTO THOSE SC READY AND THOSE SCORECARDS, UM, TO GIVE A FULLER PICTURE OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
'CAUSE I THINK THAT'S JUST INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.
AND WE REALLY NEED TO MOVE THE PUBLIC OFF OF THIS A, B, C, YOU KNOW, THEY GOT THIS ONE GRADE AND THAT'S IT.
AND NOT LOOKING INTO, YOU KNOW, ATTENDANCE, DISCIPLINE, ENGAGEMENT, TRANSITORY, UH, STUDENTS, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THEM ARE, HAVE BEEN IN THIS? HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN IN THIS COUNTRY? YOU KNOW, HOW MANY OF THESE STUDENTS HAVE HAD ANY FORMAL EDUCATION? SO THIS IS JUST AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO, UM, GET ON MY LITTLE MINI SOAP BOX.
UH, FIRST I LIKE TO SAY, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION, PRESENTATION.
UM, AND, AND, UM, I WOULD JUST SAY, UM, I BELIEVE, UH, HINT IN TERMS OF SOME OF, SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID, AS WELL AS, UH, I THINK, UH, MRS. GORDON SAID IT, UH, AS WELL.
SO AGAIN, LEE, I THINK THIS IS, UH, SOME OF THESE SAME ISSUES THAT WERE FACING IN TERMS OF THE EARLY CHILDHOOD, SOME IN SOME OF THOSE SITUATIONS, AND IN THIS COMMUNITY HERE AS WELL.
UM, EVERYTHING THAT SHE SAID THAT IN THE LAST, UH, COMMENT SECTION, I BELIEVE IT APPLIES IN THIS.
UH, SO I WILL JUST DITO ON THAT.
SO I WON'T KEEP YOU ALONG ON THAT.
UM, AND ONE THING I'LL SAY TO THE PRINCIPAL, MRS. RIVERA, MR. MRS. RIVERA, I'LL TELL YOU, UH, HEARING YOUR VOICE, UH, AND THE, THE ENTHUSIASTIC IN YOUR VOICE AND EXCITINGNESS ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE GOING MADE, IF YOU WERE DYING, IT MADE YOU KEEP YOUR CHIN UP.
AND I APPRECIATE THAT BECAUSE THAT TOLD ME THAT YOU'RE EXCITED AND THAT THERE IS A, THAT THERE IS A PLAN THERE, AND THAT YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING AT IN TERMS OF WHERE YOU WANT YOUR STUDENTS TO BE, AND THAT YOU'RE NOT DOWN.
THAT YOU DO REALIZE THAT THERE'S A GOD IN THERE AND, AND THERE'S, AND THERE'S STRONG, THERE'S A STRONG WILLING WAY FOR YOUR POSSIBILITY TO, UH, BE BIRTHED.
AND, AND, AND I, AND I, I APPRECIATE HEARING THAT FROM YOU.
SO, YOU KNOW, UH, I JUST WANTED TO, I LIKE, LIKE TO GIVE PEOPLE THERE KUDOS PUBLICLY.
AND I'VE BEEN IN YOUR SCHOOL TOO, AND I, AND I'VE, I'VE, I'VE SEEN YOUR POPULATION AND I'VE BEEN ABLE TO, UH, DO SOME THINGS THERE.
SO I, I, UM, JUST WANTED TO PUT THOSE OUT THERE.
NOT BE LONG BEFORE YOU, AND JUST TO TELL YOU THANK YOU.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR, THE SITUATION.
THEY'RE CHANGING REAL SOONER, SOONER THAN LATER.
BUT ALSO, UH, I FORGOT TO ASK THIS QUESTION THE LAST TIME.
I MEANT TO ASK THE, UM, MRS. UM, NO, I MEANT TO ASK MRS. UM, NEIL, MRS. NEIL, I NORMALLY LIKE TO ALWAYS ASK THE, UM, ADMINISTRATORS BEFORE THEY LEAVE, AND I, BUT I'LL ASK YOU AS WELL, AND SHE CAN EMAIL US THIS HERE, IF SHE HAVE ANYTHING.
UM, UH, AS A BOARD, WHAT CAN WE DO TO, UH, HELP YOU, AID YOU ALONG TO GET THIS DONE THAT, THAT WE POSSIBLY, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE?
[04:35:01]
OR WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE IF WE COULD HAVE GIVE, GET YOU ANYTHING TO HELP YOU, UH, MOVE, MOVE THESE SCORES AND MOVE YOUR STUDENTS FORWARD? WHAT COULD WE DO AS A BOARD, IF THERE'S ANYTHING? SO I THINK IT'S REALLY JUST CONTINUING, LIKE YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, MR. SMITH, WITH THAT CONTINUED PUBLIC SUPPORT, UM, THAT KNOWING THAT WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING, AND WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.UM, AND JUST HELPING MAINTAIN THAT MESSAGE ACROSS THE COMMUNITY COMMUNITY.
I WILL DEFINITELY I'LL FROM, FROM MY END.
UH, E THREE WILL DEFINITELY CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
INGRID, I THINK SHE MIGHT NOT HAVE PUT HER HAND DOWN.
PRINCIPAL RIVERA, THE FINAL SCHOOL TO PRESENT.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO ZOOM IN.
UM, ROBERT SMALLS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY DOES RECEIVE TWO REPORT CARDS, UH, AND WE'RE HERE FOR THE ELEMENTARY.
UH, I AM SHARING DATA ON GRADES THREE THROUGH EIGHT FOR FULL TRANSPARENCY FOR EVERYONE.
UM, SO, UH, WE HAVE SEEN INCREASES FROM FALL TO WINTER SCORES AS WELL.
UH, AND, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IN THE DATA.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANNA POINT OUT IS THAT WE HAD A 41% INCREASE ON ELA ACHIEVEMENT OVERALL, WHICH IS EQUATES TO 7%, UH, PER GRADE LEVEL ON PROJECTED PROFICIENCY FOR THE SC READY FROM FALL TO WINTER, WHICH I THINK WAS VERY STRONG.
BUT WE DUG INTO THAT DATA A LITTLE BIT DEEPER.
AND WHAT WE SAW WAS WE WERE SHOCKED FROM THE SPRING TO FALL SCORES FOR SC READY.
AND WHAT WE NOTICED WAS THIS, THE, THE, THE TRANSIENT, UH, UH, POPULATION AND, UH, MILITARY AS WELL AS, UH, UH, RENT RATES AND, AND FAMILIES MOVING IN AND OUT.
UM, WE WENT BACK, UH, AND LOOKED AT EXIT SURVEYS FOR FAMILIES AND WHY THEY WERE LEAVING US.
UH, BECAUSE WE HAVE A 50% ATTRI STUDENT ATTRITION RATE FROM THIRD GRADE TO FOURTH GRADE, AND THEN A 64% STUDENT ATTRITION RATE ACROSS ALL THE GRADE LEVELS.
SO ABOUT 36% OF OUR KIDS ARE NEW EVERY YEAR TO US.
AND WHAT THAT EQUATED TO, UH, WE ONLY HAD ONE PERSON THAT PUT DOWN THAT THEY DIDN'T, UH, UH, LIKE THE SCHOOL, THAT'S WHY THEY LEFT.
SO THEN WE DUG IN A LITTLE BIT DEEPER, AND WE CONTINUE TO SAY COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
AND I SAW COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EARLIER.
SO I'M GLAD WE'RE SUPPORTING THAT AS WELL, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE IN THE COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT US, UM, AND CONSTANTLY, UH, BEING IN THE COMMUNITY FOR THAT.
SO, I, I BELIEVE THAT TO ATTRIBUTE THE, UH, UH, SUCCESS THAT WE'VE HAD SO FAR IS THE UTILIZATION OF THE ASSESSMENTS FOR LEARNING.
UH, THOSE, THOSE, UH, ASSESSMENTS FOR LEARNING HAVE ALLOWED US TO UTILIZE OUR DATA ANALYSIS PROTOCOLS TO DIVE REALLY DEEP INTO THE DATA AND, AND PINPOINT PIECES.
UM, AND FOR BOTH ELA AND, AND MATH DATA, UM, WE HAVE OUR MLT, UH, MULTILINGUAL, UH, EDUCATORS, AS WELL AS OUR STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICE EDUCATORS THAT HAVE, UH, DOVE INTO THAT DATA AND HAVE, UM, REGROUPED INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIFIC, UH, STANDARDS THAT THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO ASSESS, AS WELL AS OUR AFTERSCHOOL AND OUR SATURDAY SCHOOL PROGRAMMING.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, ALSO BEEN ABLE TO UTILIZE, UH, THE UTILIZATION OF THE ASSESSMENTS FOR LEARNING, ALLOWED US TO DEVELOP A DEPARTMENTALIZATION MODEL FOR CONTENT STRENGTHS SPECIFIC FOR ELEMENTARY TEACHERS.
WE NOTICED SOME TEACHERS WERE GETTING HIGHER SCORES IN MATH, SO WE DECIDED TO HAVE THEM DO MATH FOR THE WHOLE GRADE LEVEL, AND THEN BE ABLE TO DIVE INTO THAT TO BE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THAT AS WE'RE MOVING FORWARD AS WELL.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, WE WERE VERY, UH, UM, EXCITED THAT THE STATE ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN IN FRONT OF YOU HAS A THIRD DOMAIN, UH, MEASURE IN SCHOOL CLIMATE.
AND THIS AREA HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A, UH, STRENGTH FOR ROBERT SMALLS, UM, WITH A SCORE OF 8.35 OUT OF 10, PREVIOUSLY WAS 3.19.
UH, AND THIS HAS BEEN A VERY STRONG FOCUS OF OURS TO BUILD THAT.
THIS STRENGTH WAS REITERATED THROUGH INSTRUCTIONAL, UM, UH, REVIEWS AS WELL AS THE COGNOA SCHOOL REVIEW HAS REITERATED THAT SCHOOL CULTURE AND CLIMATE IS AT A STRONG PLACE NOW.
SO, MOVING FORWARD WITH NEXT STEPS, UM, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THE DATA ANALYSIS PROTOCOL, CONTINUE DIVING INTO THAT.
UM, BUT WE'RE ALSO GONNA REALLY FOCUS IN ON OUR MULTILINGUAL DEMOGRAPHIC, WHICH WAS MENTIONED EARLIER, EARLIER AS WELL.
WE SEE THIS INCREASED TREND WITH STUDENTS COMING FROM COUNTRIES THAT HAVE NO FORMAL EDUCATION AND COMING TO US.
SO WE'RE REALLY PLANNING AN INTENSIVE, MULTILINGUAL TRAINING FOR ALL OF OUR TEACHERS MOVING FORWARD.
I'M OPEN TO ANY, ANY QUESTIONS, VERY SUCCINCT.
THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION.
PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOUR SATURDAY SCHOOL INITIATIVE LOOKS LIKE.
SO RIGHT NOW, OUR SATURDAY SCHOOL INITIATIVE, WE HAVE,
[04:40:01]
UM, WE'RE FOCUSED ON I-READY AND LOWER ACADEMY, AND THEN AN UPPER ACADEMY.WE'RE FOCUSED ON, UM, IT'S NOT SEAT TIME, BUT UH, UH, CREDIT RECOVERY, I'M SORRY, CREDIT RECOVERY FOR STUDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ABSENT AND CONTINUING THROUGH EDGENUITY.
THROUGHOUT THAT PRACTICE, WE'RE LOOKING TO EXPAND OUR SATURDAY SCHOOL PROGRAMMING TO OFFER SOME ARTS AND SOME OTHER THINGS AS WELL.
BUT RIGHT NOW WE JUST WANNA HONE IN ON IREADY, UH, AND THAT, UH, UH, UH, EDGENUITY.
ON AVERAGE, HOW MANY STUDENTS ATTEND YOUR SATURDAY INITIATIVE? DEPENDING ON THE DAY, RIGHT NOW, WE'RE BETWEEN 20 AND 60.
IF WE HAD BUSING, I DO THINK THAT WOULD INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY.
MR. SMITH, UH, ABOUT MY QUESTION, UH, HOW MANY, HOW MANY, UM, UH, HOW MANY OUTSIDE OUTSIDE PEOPLE DO YOU HAVE COMING IN, AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? UH, CONSULTANTS OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UH, CONSULTANTS.
SO RIGHT NOW, THE, UH, CONSULTANTS THAT WE'RE FOCUSED IN ON ELEMENTARY WILL BE I-READY, RACHEL CHILDERS COMES, COMES IN, AND THEN WE HAVE SREB FOR OUR MATH PROGRAM.
AND THEN IN UPPER ACADEMY, WE HAVE A GROUP CALLED SOLUTION TREE THAT IS WORKING ON THE STANDARDS BASED, UH, UH, UM, EDUCATION FOR OUR TEACHERS, AS WELL AS LESSON PLANNING DEVELOPMENT.
AND THAT GOES RIGHT THROUGH OUR PLCS.
AND WHAT WE DO IN THOSE PLCS WILL BE THE DATA ANALYSIS, THE CREATION OF LESSON PLANS, AND THEN THEY, UH, DEMONSTRATE THE LESSON PLANS IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY, AND THEN THEY COME BACK THROUGH AND DO WALKTHROUGHS TO OBSERVE AND GIVE DIRECT FEEDBACK.
COLONEL GEIER, PLEASE EXPAND UPON YOUR OTHER VOLUNTEERS THAT COME IN.
YEAH, SO WE HAVE, UM, ABOUT 40 COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT COME IN AND READ TO OUR BABIES.
SO WE'RE SEEING, SEEING SIGNIFICANT, UM, INCREASES IN KINDERGARTEN, FIRST AND SECOND IS NOT DISPLAYED HERE 'CAUSE IT'S NOT, UH, ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE STATE TEST.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE A COUPLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT HAVE DONATED, UM, BEDTIME IN A BOX, WHICH IS AN OUTSTANDING PROGRAM FOR ZERO BIRTH TO FIVE.
UM, IT'S $120 PER BOX, AND, UH, KIDS GET EVERY SINGLE THING THEY NEED TO DO.
AND PARENTS, ALONG WITH A ROUTINE CARD IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH, FIVE BOOKS, PAJAMAS, TOOTHPASTE TO, TO EVERYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF TO, UH, UH, WRAP THEIR DAY AND CON CONCLUDE, UH, UH, WITH, WITH BEDTIME.
AND SO, UH, WE HAD SOMEBODY HELP US FUND THAT AS WELL.
AND THE, UH, INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE, UM, THAT, THAT ARE READING EVERY, UH, TWO TIMES A WEEK, UH, COMING IN AND, AND READING WITH OUR, WITH OUR LITTLE KIDS, AND THEY TRACK THAT, UH, DATA AS WELL.
MS. BOATRIGHT, ANYBODY ELSE LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION? OKAY.
MR. SMITH, ALSO, UH, IN TERMS OF YOUR SCHOOL, WHAT DOES THE MAKEUP OF YOUR SCHOOL LOOK LIKE? DEMOGRAPHICS.
DEMOGRAPHICS? ARE YOU TALKING RACE OR, UH, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS OR, UH, YOU CAN DO, UH, YOU CAN, YOU CAN, YOU CAN DO BOTH.
SO FROM MY UNDERSTANDING RIGHT NOW, WE'RE APPROXIMATELY, UH, BETWEEN 35 AND 40% AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
UM, WE'RE RIGHT AROUND THE EXACT SAME PERCENTAGES WITH, UM, HISPANIC.
AND THEN WE HAVE A MIXTURE OF, OF WHITE AND TWO OR MORE RACES.
WE ARE SEEING THAT, UH, MULTILINGUAL OR HISPANIC DEMOGRAPHIC CONTINUE TO INCREASE, UM, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE GOTTA PAY VERY, VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO, UH, AS WE'RE BUILDING OUT PROGRAMMING FOR THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS.
UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, I BELIEVE WE'RE AROUND, UH, 89%, UH, POVERTY LEVEL, WHICH IS, UH, WHAT'S THE, I THINK IT'S 26,000 OR BELOW, UM, IS THE POVERTY LEVEL.
SO, SO, UH, ABOUT 89% OF OUR FAMILIES ARE THERE, BUT WE'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH AS WELL.
AND HOW MUCH, HOW MANY BILINGUAL, UH, HOW MANY, MANY BILINGUAL, UM, STAFF MEMBERS DO YOU HAVE? OR DO YOU HAVE ANY? FOUR.
CURRENTLY WE HAVE ONE PARENT LIAISON, AND THEN THE REST ARE TEACHERS.
SO IT'S VERY DIFFICULT FOR US, UH, AT THIS MOMENT TO, UH, TO BE ABLE TO, TO HOLD MEETINGS AND, AND DO EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED TO WITH JUST THAT AMOUNT OF BILINGUAL TEACHERS.
DEFINITELY SOMETHING ON MY TOP PRIORITIES WHEN I'M LOOKING FOR HIRING.
AND ALSO, HAVE WE GOTTEN THOSE LIGHTS OUT THERE FIXED? UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, THE, THE, UH, AFTER HOURS, UH, FACILITY, WE, WE HAVE A, UM, A PORTABLE LIGHT THAT'S OUT THERE THAT DOES WONDERS.
IT WAS OUTSTANDING LAST NIGHT AS OUR GIRLS WENT INTO OVERTIME.
IT WAS THIS, THE, THE, PROBABLY THE SECOND BEST GAME LAST NIGHT AFTER THE SOUTH CAROLINA LSU GAME.
OUR GIRLS WENT INTO OVERTIME AGAINST WHALE BRANCH, AND THOSE LIGHTS WERE ON, AND THEN OUR BOYS ENDED UP WINNING BY FIVE.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART, UH, ABOUT LAST NIGHT IS OUR GYM WAS COMPLETELY PACKED AND EVERYBODY IN OUR BURTON COMMUNITY WAS SAFE.
YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S DEFINITELY A GOOD THING.
SO IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR, YOU MOVED YOUR NUMBERS.
[04:45:01]
THINGS DID YOU PUT IN PLACE TO MOVE FROM? WHAT WAS IT, UM, UNACCEPTABLE TO BELOW AVERAGE? WHAT DID, AND ARE YOU USING THOSE THINGS THIS GO AROUND TO MOVE YOUR NUMBERS EVEN FARTHER? YES, GREAT QUESTION, MS. MIDDLETON.UM, I ATTRIBUTE THAT TO THE, TO THE TEACHING STAFF.
UM, WE HAD A 50% TEACHER RETENTION RATE THE FIRST YEAR I WAS THERE.
AND, AND THAT WAS, UH, UH, THE YEAR OF UNSATISFACTORY.
WE HAD A 92% TEACHER RETENTION RATE FALLING INTO THIS YEAR.
UH, SO KEEPING THOSE, THOSE TEACHERS AROUND REALLY ASSISTED.
UM, SECONDLY, I THINK THAT WE HAVE PUT, UH, MORE OF A FULL COURT PRESS IF WE'RE STICKING WITH BASKETBALL HERE ON THE ACADEMICS.
WE HELD THESE, THESE, UH, UH, DATA DIVES AND, AND GUEST TEACHERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS COMING IN.
BUT WE REALLY GO DEEP NOW INTO DATA ANALYSIS PROTOCOLS.
AND SO EACH TEACHER, AFTER EVERY SINGLE UNIT ASSESSMENT IS DOING A DEEP DIVE INTO THE DATA TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT KIDS ARE PASSING, WHAT KIDS AREN'T, AND NOT ONLY THE RETEACHING PROCESS, BUT WHO NEEDS TO COME TO AFTERSCHOOL, WE'LL PACK, WE'LL FULL IT AFTERSCHOOL OVER 200 KIDS EVERY SINGLE DAY AFTER SCHOOL STAYING WITH US.
WE WERE LOOKING AT THE EFFECTIVENESS, AND I THINK, UM, MS. BOATWRIGHT HAD MENTIONED THIS EARLIER, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROGRAMMING, RIGHT? AND KIND OF MEASURING THOSE TWO WITH THE COST.
UM, AND I HAD, AFTER THE FIRST QUARTER, I DID NOT SEE VERY STRONG CORRELATION WITH THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM AND OUR, UH, UH, OUR RESULTS.
SO WE'VE REVAMPED THAT AND NOW MANDATED THAT ALL AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS ARE USING THE IREADY LESSONS INSTEAD OF TEACHER CREATED LESSONS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE FOCUS THERE AND HAVE ADDED, UH, CLASSROOM WALKTHROUGHS FOR AFTERSCHOOL WITH OUR, UM, ELA INSTRUCTIONAL COACH AND OUR AFTERSCHOOL COORDINATOR.
SO I DO BELIEVE WITH THAT, THAT WE'LL SEE THAT SHIFT AGAIN AND CONTINUED PIECE IN, IN CONTINUED MO TREND.
UM, THE ONLY THING I'LL SAY WITHOUT YOU GUYS ASKING THAT HESITANT IS, UH, WE DO HAVE THREE, WE, WE HAVE THREE TEACHERS OUT IN SIXTH GRADE RIGHT NOW.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S THAT THAT'S, THEY'RE HOLDING IT DOWN.
OUR TEACHERS ARE DOING VERY WELL.
WE HAVE SUBSTITUTES IN THERE, BUT THAT'S THE ONE PIECE THAT I'M STILL WORRIED ABOUT.
AND WE STILL DIVE INTO EVERY SINGLE WEEK, TWO TIMES A WEEK TO SAY, HOW ARE WE SUPPORTING THESE STUDENTS THAT ARE IN OUR SIXTH GRADE CONTINUING TO, TO SEVENTH AND EIGHTH SO THAT THEY'RE PREPARED TO TAKE THEIR HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES IN EIGHTH GRADE.
MR. SMITH ALSO JUST, UH, ACTUALLY, ACTUALLY, I MEANT, UH, BROUGHT A, A TOPIC EARLIER ABOUT, UM, VOLUNTEERS COMING IN.
UM, WHEN YOU WERE GIVING ME THOSE, UH, THOSE, THOSE, THOSE, UM, CONTRACTORS THAT YOU HAD EARLIER.
I, I NOTICED ONE TIME WHEN I, WHEN I WAS THERE, UM, THAT YOU HAD, UM, YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU HAD A, UM, A VERY, A VERY, UH, GOOD HELPER THERE.
UM, IT WAS, I BELIEVE IT WAS DR.
TAIN AND TAIN AND, UH, ANOTHER GUY.
UM, HOW, ALSO, HOW ARE, WERE THEY COMING IN, HOW ARE THEY FACTORING INTO THE, THE MOVE OF, OF THESE SCORES AS WELL? UH, IN, IN TERMS, IN TERMS OF WHERE WE ARE NOW? YEAH.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S ANY DIRECT CORRELATION TO THE SCORES WITH THOSE VISITORS COMING IN BETWEEN DR.
STR DANE AND, UH, DR. JACK CONRAD, WHO IS ALSO A SUPERINTENDENT.
UH, ANOTHER ONE THAT I FAILED TO MENTION, I HATE TO SAY FAILED TO MENTION HIM, IS DR. CHRISTOPHER THOMPSON WITH, UH, THUMBS UP.
WE'VE MADE A PARTNERSHIP AND WE'RE CONTINUING AFTER SCHOOL.
I'M GONNA DO SOME SUMMER WORK AS WELL.
BUT I DO BELIEVE, UM, WHAT WE'VE DONE WITH THEM IS I'VE ALLOWED THEM TO, UH, INTERACT WITH MY ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS SO THAT THEY CAN HELP THEM WITH THEIR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT TO CONTINUE TO GO HIGH LEVEL, SEE THE IMPACT OF THE SYSTEMS, AND THEN GO BACK UL GRANULARLY.
UM, AND BOTH OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAVE HELPED REACH OUT TO THE GREATER COMMUNITY WITHIN THE UNITED STATES TO SAY, HEY, THERE'S SOME GOOD WORK GOING ON HERE.
WHY DON'T YOU COME IN AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON? OKAY.
UH, I, I'VE ASKED THE LAST LADY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU AS A BOARD TO HELP YOU CONTINUE TO REACH HIGHER AND HIGHER HEIGHTS? I'LL SAY THE SAME THING THAT THEY SAID.
UH, UH, UH, GIVE US THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK, PLEASE, AND GIVE GROWTH FEEDBACK.
I PREFER FEEDBACK, LIKE MY COFFEE, BLACK COFFEE FEEDBACK.
I DON'T NEED ANY SUGAR OR CREAM, BUT, UH, MY TEACHERS NEED SOME SUGAR AND CREAM SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THEY REALLY NEED TO SEE WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD.
UM, STAFFING IS ALWAYS HELPFUL, BUT SEEING WHAT YOU PRIORITIZED ON THAT, THAT COMPENSATION AND BUDGET, YOU GUYS ARE RIGHT ON TRACK TO BE ABLE TO, TO SUPPORT EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THAT WE'RE ALL ALIGNED ON THAT POINT.
SO I WAS GONNA SUGGEST MR. FLOWERS, THAT YOU DO THE STRATEGIC PLAN WAIVER, AND THEN WE STILL HAVE FOUR ITEMS AFTER THAT.
SO LET'S TAKE A LITTLE BREAK AFTER THAT.
YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF, UH, WHAT YOU'VE SEEN HERE, UH, OR HEARD TODAY, I SHOULD SAY.
ONE IS, UH, IN GENERAL, UH, WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS, UH, IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES, YOU KNOW, FIFTH GRADE GENERALLY SPEAKING, IS A, IS A, IS A BIT OF A MORE DIFFICULT LIFT, OKAY? UH, AND THAT'S PARTIALLY
[04:50:01]
BY DESIGN.BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE STANDARDS JUMP FROM ONE GRADE TO ANOTHER, SOMETIMES THERE'S A BIGGER JUMP THERE BETWEEN, BETWEEN GRADE LEVELS.
OKAY? THE SECOND THING IS MATH CONTINUES TO BE A HEAVIER LIFT AND A MORE CHALLENGING LIFT FOR OUR SCHOOLS.
OKAY? THAT'S NOT JUST BEAUFORT COUNTY, BY THE WAY.
THAT'S STATEWIDE AND NATIONWIDE MATH HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC, AND MATH IS THE HARDEST ONE TO MOVE OUT.
THE INITIATIVE, UH, WITH THE HABERSHAM GROUP, THE FRIENDS OF SHANKLIN PROVIDING, UH, FAMILY MEMBERS, UH, FAMILIES, UH, UH, KIDS, UH, FOR IN ESSENCE HANDS-ON LEARNING THAT SORT OF CONCEPTUALIZES, UH, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE DIFFERENT PRO PROCESSES IN MATHEMATICS, RIGHT? SO IT HELPS WITH, UH, SOME UNDERSTANDING.
UH, WE HAVE THOSE IN SCHOOLS, BUT IT'S INTERESTING, UH, UH, THEIR THOUGHT PROCESS OF CONNECTING THAT TO, TO FAMILIES AT HOME.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER THING I WOULD MENTION, UH, TWO MORE THINGS.
ONE, PROJECTIONS YOU SEE HERE, OR JUST THAT PROJECTIONS AT THIS JUNCTURE IN TIME, RIGHT? YOU STILL HAVE, UH, SEVERAL MORE MONTHS OF INSTRUCTION THAT POSITIVELY CAN IMPACT THOSE PROJECTIONS EVEN MORE.
AND THEN THE LAST PIECE IS, IF YOU REMEMBER, 'CAUSE I SPOKE WITH SEVERAL OF YOU OF THIS, UH, ABOUT THIS WHEN YOU WERE SEEKING CLARIFICATION, UH, WITH RESPECT TO YOUR BUDGET PRIORITIES.
SO YOU HEARD MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES FROM THE PRINCIPALS, UH, HERE TODAY ABOUT, UH, UH, UH, FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS OR BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS, RIGHT? THOSE ARE ALL, ALL PART OF THE ASSESSMENT PLATFORM PIECE THAT I HAD IN THOSE 39 40 PRIORITIES BECAUSE IT IS A PART OF MOVING SCHOOLS.
IT'S FEEDBACK THAT, THAT TEACHERS RECEIVE ABOUT THE IMPACT OF INSTRUCTION IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING INSTRUCTION.
WELL, IMMEDIATELY WITHIN A 1, 2, 3 WEEK CYCLE, UH, OF INSTRUCTION, THEN YOU JUST HAVE AN ASSESSMENT.
SO YOU CAN GO BACK AND RE MAKE THOSE DECISIONS, WHICH YOU HEARD ONE OF THEM MENTION ABOUT RETEACHING OR NOT RETEACHING BASED ON WHAT THEY'RE SEEING FROM THAT DATA.
IN OTHER WORDS, I TAUGHT IT, DID THEY GET IT? IF NOT, WHY DO I NEED TO RETEACH? DO I NEED TO ENRICH NOW? DO I NEED TO MOVE ON? RIGHT.
DECISIONS, INSTRUCTIONAL DECISIONS THAT OUR TEACHERS MAKE IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY.
SECRETARY MIDDLETON, MADAM CHAIR, I HAVE A MOTION.
I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SCHOOL.
TURNAROUND PLANS FOR THE DISTRICT'S IDENTIFIED UNDERPERFORMING SCHOOLS WILL BRANCH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, JOSEPH SHANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND ROBERT SMALL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY.
MR. SMITH MADE THE SECOND ON THE MOTION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
UH, MS. BOATWRIGHT, SHE STEPPED AWAY.
SO THE MOTION IS UNANIMOUS FOR THOSE IN THE ROOM, WHICH IS, UM, EIGHT ZERO.
THE, THE STRATEGIC PLAN ONE NOW? YEAH.
SO, I SEEK THE BOARD'S APPROVAL FOR THE DISTRICT TO REQUEST FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, A THREE MONTH EXTENSION TO SUBMIT OUR NEW FIVE YEAR DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN AND SCHOOL RENEWAL PLANS.
THAT WILL START WITH THE FALL OF 2024 AND END OF, UM, AND END SPRING 2029.
THE EXTENSION PROVIDES ADDITIONAL TIME FOR STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, ALLOWS FOR FURTHER CROSS DEPARTMENTAL COLLABORATION AND TO BUILD PLANS USING DATA FROM THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
THE REQUEST IS MADE WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE THAT HAS REPRESENTATION FROM THE VARIOUS DISTRICT DEPARTMENTS.
SOME OF THEM MAY STILL BE BEHIND ME, SO THE NORMAL PROCESS THAT IS FOLLOWED WILL CONTINUE TO BE FOLLOWED, BUT THE TIMELINE WILL BE EXTENDED BY THREE MONTHS.
SO INSTEAD OF BEING DUE AT THE END OF APRIL, THIS REQUEST WOULD HAVE THEM DO AT THE END OF JULY.
AS THE DISTRICT CONTINUES TO REVIEW AND DETERMINE INITIATIVES, THE PROCESS WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW STRATEGIC PLAN.
AS THE DISTRICT MAKES DECISIONS AROUND THESE INITIATIVES, THE TIME WILL ALLOW FOR THEM TO BE INCORPORATED
[04:55:01]
INTO THE PLAN, AND THEN TIME FOR SCHOOLS TO ALIGN THEIR SCHOOL RENEWAL PLANS TO THE DISTRICT'S PLAN.THE DISTRICT WILL ALIGN SPECIFIC AND TARGETED ACTION STEPS TO THE STRATEGIES WITH CLEAR BUDGETARY ALIGNMENT AND INDICATORS OF IMPLEMENTATION.
THIS WORK ENSURES THAT THE DISTRICT'S BUDGET DEVELOPMENT AND TIME HAS THE STRONGEST CONNECTION TO THE DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN AND EACH SCHOOL'S SCHOOL RENEWAL PLAN.
LASTLY, THE DISTRICT'S REBRANDING PROCESS HAS BEEN CONNECTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
THE EXTENSION ALLOWS FOR THE ROLLOUT OF THE NEW FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE REBRANDING PROCESS TO HAPPEN IN TANDEM.
THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE UNIFIED WORK OF THESE TWO PROCESSES.
THIS OVERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS THE KEY POINTS FOR THE REQUEST FOR THE BOARD'S APPROVAL TO REQUEST A THREE MONTH EXTENSION FROM THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE DISTRICT'S REQUEST TO SEEK A THREE MONTH EXTENSION FOR THE SUBMISSION OF OUR DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE SCHOOL RENEWAL PLANS.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I, I, I TOTALLY AGREE, UM, MOVING THE DEADLINE SO THAT WE CAN INCORPORATE THE DATA FROM THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
BUT WHY WAS THE ORIGINAL DEADLINE? APRIL, AND WHO SAID IT? THE, UM, LEGISLATURE SETS IT SO IT'S PART OF SOUTH CAROLINA LAW THAT WE HAVE TO SUBMIT THEM BY THE END OF APRIL.
SO, UM, WE'RE JUST APPLYING FOR A WAIVER, UM, WHICH IS ALLOWED FOR US TO REQUEST AN EXTENSION.
SO IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT WOULD BE A UNIQUE THING.
ARE NOT OTHER SCHOOLS DOING THIS TOO? AND WHY HAS IT NOT BEEN MOVED BY THE LEGISLATURE? LEGISLATURE DOESN'T MOVE IT.
THE, UH, THEY HAVE A SET DATE AND, BUT THEY RECOGNIZE THERE'S, THERE'S POSSIBILITY WHERE INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS MIGHT WANNA SHIFT.
UH, AND THERE COULD BE A LOT OF FACTORS.
IT COULD BE YOU GET A NEW SUPERINTENDENT COMING IN, IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, YOU GET, UH, NEW BOARD, YOU KNOW, AND THERE CAN BE A LOT OF FACTORS.
SO THEY PROVIDE, UH, THE AVENUE WITH WHICH TO DO IT.
I THINK WE SEE AN OPPORTUNITY TO STRENGTHEN OUR OVERALL STRATEGIC PLAN WITH, UH, FRESHER DATA INJUNCTION, WITH OUR, UH, OUR BRANDING OPPORTUNITY, AND, UH, A HOST OF VARIOUS REASONS THAT, UH, WE THINK, UH, IT MAKES SENSE TO US.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE, UH, IT'S, SHE'S NEVER PUT IT.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
ANY, UM, NAYS? MS. BOATWRIGHT? I, SHE NOT.
SO WE STILL HAVE FOUR ITEMS TO GO, LOOKS LIKE, PROBABLY.
UH, SO WHY DON'T WE TAKE A BREAK UNTIL, UM, QUICK BREAK AND COME BACK AT TWO 30.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY OUT HERE, SUNNY TODAY WITH LIGHT BREEZES GIVING WAY TO CLOUDS IN THE AFTERNOON.
WE COULD SEE SOME LIGHT PRECIPITATION TO MODERATE PRECIPITATION LATER ON, FOLLOWED BY POWERFUL STORM LIGHT CONDITIONS.
90 MILES PER WIND EXPECTED, EVERYONE REFERENCE.
ALRIGHT, WE'RE BACK FROM A SHORT RECESS AND WE'RE CONTINUING THE BOARD, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION WORK SESSION OF JANUARY 26TH, 2024.
OUR NEXT TOPIC IS THE FACILITY MASTER PLAN, PRESENTED BY ROBERT OTTING.
I WAS GONNA SAY, I AM JUST GONNA COME UP TO THE BOARD REAL QUICK AND SAY THANK YOU.
AND I'LL HAND YOU OVER TO THE ARCHITECT OF THIS BOOK FOR THE MOST PART, CAROL CRUTCHFIELD.
SO, I'LL BE HERE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
OH, YOU JUST CALLED ME AN ARCHITECT.
THANK YOU ALL FOR LETTING ME COME TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN.
[05:00:01]
GONNA KIND OF BE A REALLY HIGH LEVEL DISCUSSION BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET IT IN YOUR BOARD DOCS OR WHATEVER OUR NEW PROGRAM IS UNTIL LATE YESTERDAY.SO I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW IT, LOOK AT IT, BUT I'M JUST GONNA HIT THE HIGHLIGHTS, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, REMIND YOU OF HOW IT'S STRUCTURED AND JUST TALK ABOUT A, A COUPLE OF QUICK LITTLE THINGS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, STARTS OUT, WE'VE GOT A, AN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY THAT ROBIN IS ON PAGE FIVE.
AND AGAIN, THAT JUST KINDA GIVES YOU AN OVERVIEW, A QUICK LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE IN THE BOOK.
UM, THE NEXT SECTION IS THE PROGRAM SECTION, AND THAT STARTS ON PAGE, UM, 13.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF WHAT PROGRAMS, INSTRUCTIONAL THINGS WERE GOING ON IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT THIS YEAR, THIS CURRENT YEAR AT THE 45 DAY.
'CAUSE REMEMBER, THE ENTIRE BOOK TAKES A, A SNAPSHOT LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE 45 DAY FOR DEMOGRAPHICS, FOR PROGRAMS, FOR EVERYTHING FOR WHERE WE ARE WITH FACILITIES.
SO JUST KEEP THAT IN YOUR MIND, 45 DAY.
UM, AND AGAIN, THIS YEAR WE, WE TOOK A LOOK AT PROGRAM CAPACITY.
THAT IS A THING THAT IS GONNA CHANGE EVERY YEAR AS WE ADD PROGRAMS OR CHANGE PROGRAMS OR MOVE SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS THE WAY WE USE OUR BUILDING.
SO THAT NUMBER FOR THAT SCHOOL COULD GO UP OR DOWN OR STAY THE SAME.
SO JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT.
AND YOU'LL SEE THAT CALCULATION, UM, ON PAGE 34 THERE.
THEN THE NEXT SECTION IS, UM, THE DEMOGRAPHIC SECTION.
AND AGAIN, IT EXPLAINS AND OUTLINES STUDENT DATA FOR OUR SCHOOLS AND CLUSTERS, AND BEGINS THE ANALYSIS THAT'S USED TO DETERMINE FUTURE FACILITY NEEDS BASED ON OUR RESIDENT STUDENT, UM, PROJECTIONS.
WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE COVID FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
START, YOU KNOW, STARTING WITH 19, REMEMBER WE SAW THAT DROP DURING COVID AND WE STARTED MONITORING PROJECTIONS AND WHAT OUR PROJECTIONS WE'RE LOOKING LIKE.
SO THIS IS KIND OF OUR PLAN IS THIS IS KIND OF THE LAST YEAR WE WANNA DO THAT.
I THINK WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THE MODEL IS KIND OF LEVELING THINGS OUT.
WE KNOW FROM LOOKING AT THE PAST THREE YEARS THAT OUR PROJECTIONS SEEM TO BE BACK ON TRACK WITH WHAT WE ANTICIPATE.
UM, AND THEN AT THE END OF THIS SECTION, UM, YOU'LL, THERE'S ALSO THE DISCUSSION ABOUT FUTURE NEED FOR ANY CHANGES IN STUDENT ASSIGNMENT.
AND THAT SATISFIES PART OF OUR REQUIRED REPORTING THAT WE HAVE TO GIVE TO YOU OFF TO THE BOARD.
AND REMEMBER, THERE'S A, A, A PAGE, A DEMOGRAPHIC SHEET FOR EVERY SCHOOL THAT OUTLINES, UM, WHO'S ATTENDING, WHO LIVES IN THE, IN THE ZONES, WHAT THE PROJECTIONS ARE BY GRADE.
UM, IT ALSO GIVES YOU A BREAKDOWN OF WHO'S TRANSFERRING INTO EACH SCHOOL AND WHERE THEY'RE COMING FROM, AND THEN WHO'S TRANSFERRING OUT OF THAT ATTENDANCE ZONE TO GO TO ANOTHER SCHOOL.
AND THEN ALSO THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN, UM, THE ETHNICITY OF WHO'S ATTENDING THE SCHOOL AND WHO IS ZONED FOR THE SCHOOL.
AND AGAIN, THAT'S PART OF OUR RE RECORDING.
UM, HERE'S A SAMPLE ON PAGE ONE 10.
THAT'S OTT AGAIN, THAT ETHNICITY DIFFERENCE IS PART OF OUR REPORTING REQUIREMENTS TO THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS.
SO THAT, AGAIN, MEETS SOME OF OUR NEEDS.
UM, RIGHT NOW, JUST TO, TO LET YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO PLANNED CHANGES IN STUDENT ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR.
LOOKING FORWARD, WE WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT IN THE FOLLOWING SCHOOL YEARS AS WE OPEN, UM, A NEW SCHOOL.
UM, THEN ON PAGE 1 53, UM, THIS SECTION STARTS THE FACILITIES DISCUSSION, UM, WHICH OUTLINES NEEDS AND INCLUDES INFORMATION THIS YEAR ABOUT THE AGE OF BUILDINGS.
THAT WAS REALLY PART OF OUR CONVERSATIONS WE HAD WITH THE COMMUNITY PROJECT REVIEW COMMITTEE.
SO WE DECIDED WE WANTED TO PUT THAT IN HERE SO THAT YOU ALL HAVE A, HAVE THIS INFORMATION AS WELL.
UM, IT OUTLINES, UM, PROJECT COMPLETIONS THAT, UM, WILL BE HAPPENING WITH THE 2019 BOND REFERENDUM.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE WRAPPING THAT UP AT THIS POINT AND OUTLINES, UM, ALL THE PROGRAMS AND, AND BUILDING THAT WILL HAPPEN WITH A 2023 BOND REFERENDUM.
SO THAT IS IN THIS FACILITY SECTION.
UM, ALSO ON PAGE 1 61 OF THE BOOK, WE INCLUDED THIS YEAR A RETURN TO DISCUSSIONS ABOUT ENERGY USAGE.
SO WE USED TO PUT THAT IN THE BOOK WHEN COVID CAME ALONG.
WE KIND OF WEREN'T FOCUSING, UM, ON ENERGY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE
[05:05:01]
NEEDED TO BRING OUTSIDE AIR IN AND THAT THAT'S NOT VERY ENERGY EFFICIENT.SO WE'RE BACK TO AT LEAST HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT OUR ENERGY USAGE AND, AND SEE WHAT, WHAT THINGS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE THERE.
AND THEN THE LAST SECTION, UM, STARTING ON PAGE 1 75, THIS SECTION AGAIN, IS, UM, MEETING AND NEED FOR REPORTING OUR DISTRICT OWNED PROPERTY AND TO LIST PROPERTY THAT IS NOT BEING USED OR NOT PLANNED TO BE USED THAT COULD, UM, BE LISTED FOR SALE.
SO AGAIN, THIS JUST MEETS A REQUIREMENT BY THE STATE.
WHAT PAGE 1 75 IS THE LAST SECTION OF THE BOOK? YES.
AND THAT KIND OF CONCLUDES MY LITTLE OVERVIEW OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE PRESENTED TO YOU.
AND AGAIN, I KNOW YOU HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO DIVE IN AND, AND GET DEEP INTO QUESTIONS, BUT IF YOU HAVE SOME I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE THEM.
CAN I JUST ASK WHEN WILL THE BOARD MEMBERS GET THE HARD COPY? SO IT'S GOING TO GO TO THE PRINTER ON MONDAY.
BECAUSE WE WANTED EVERYONE TO HAVE A CHANCE TO LOOK AT IT.
IF YOU REALLY SEE SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, SHOOT ME SOMETHING OVER THE WEEKEND.
LIKE, HEY, YOU, YOU GOT A BIG OLD GLARING MISTAKE.
UM, AND WE'LL FIX IT
AND THEN SOMETIMES I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEIR SCHEDULE IS.
I DON'T THINK YOU'LL GET IT BY THE FIRST BOARD MEETING IN FEBRUARY.
I WOULD ANTICIPATE WE SHOULD HAVE IT READY BY THE SECOND BOARD MEETING, IF NOT SOONER.
THEY MAY BE AVAILABLE AND YOU CAN COME PICK 'EM UP.
UH, I GOT THROUGH ABOUT 25% OF IT.
ONE IS THE ATTENDANCE ENROLLMENT BY GRADE, WHICH SHOWS THE TOTAL ATTENDANCE.
AND I TOOK THAT AND I RAN A COLUMN OF, SO THAT'S WHO'S GOING TO OUR SCHOOLS.
I RAN A COLUMN OF WHO LIVES WITHIN THAT SCHOOL'S ATTENDANCE ZONE.
SO THE LATTER IS IF WE HAD EVERY STUDENT THAT COULD ATTEND, THAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED PERCENT.
AND WHEN WE DID IT, LIKE WHEN I DID IT LIKE THAT, THERE ARE 16 SCHOOLS THAT ACTUALLY HAVE FEWER PEOPLE ATTENDING OUR SCHOOLS THAN ELIGIBLE STUDENTS THAT LIVE IN OUR, IN THE ZONE.
AND SO I'M THINKING THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THAT STRATEGIC REVIEW MM-HMM.
OF TRYING TO FIND OUT, LIKE, IT, LIKE ONE OF THE PRESENTERS A FEW MINUTES AGO TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE COMING IN AND IN YOUR DOCUMENT YOU HAVE COMING IN AND REASONS, UH, IF WHERE WE ARE NOT GETTING A HUNDRED PERCENT, IT MAY BE WORTHWHILE TO CONSIDER A PRO A MARKETING EFFORT THAT GOES INTO THE COMMUNITY.
AND I THINK I READ WHERE YOU CAN GEOCODE THEM WHO'S IN THERE AND SPECIFICALLY TARGET THEM AND TELL THEM ABOUT ALL THE AMAZING PROGRAMS PUBLIC SCHOOL HAS THEY MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT.
IT WAS JUST ONE WAY OF TAKING THAT DATA AND PUSHING IT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND HELPING THEM REALIZE.
AND THEN YOU COULD COMPARE, YOU COULD LEVERAGE SOME COST STATISTICS, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO GET ALREADY BEING PAID FOR IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS VERSUS OTHER OPTIONS.
SO JUST AN IDEA, BUT LIKE, SO THAT, THAT TRANSFER IN AND OUT, THOSE ARE ONLY OUR STUDENTS.
SO I'M NOT MEASURING STUDENTS WHO GO TO OTHER SCHOOLS OTHER THAN OUR OWN CHARTER SCHOOL.
SO IF WE HAVE STUDENTS WHO MAY LIVE IN OUR ZONES, BUT THEY'RE GOING TO LIKE BRIDGES CHARTER, THEY'RE NOT OURS.
SO I, I CAN'T, I DON'T HAVE A WAY OF TRACKING THOSE.
SO IT'S JUST, JUST OURS TRANSFERRING IN AND OUT THAT I CAN TRACK.
BUT THE, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
IF I WANNA GROW SALES TO THIS PARTICULAR GROUP, I GOTTA UNDERSTAND WHY THEY'RE NOT COMING TO.
AND YOU, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT, THAT DELTA THERE, THAT'S AT WHAT I CALL THE NET TRANSFERS.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THOSE, EACH SCHOOL'S INDIVIDUAL SHEET, UM, THAT ONE WE WERE ON EARLIER, ROBIN ONE 10.
UM, IT, THIS 1 1 10 IS OKAT T ELEMENTARY, AND THEY HAVE A NET TRANSFER OUT OF 33 STUDENTS.
UHHUH,
AND I'M, I APOLOGIZE I HAD TO STEP AWAY FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES, UM, WITH A PROJECT HERE THAT WE HAVE GOING ON, BUT, UM, SO HOPEFULLY I'M ASKING THE QUESTION AT THE RIGHT POINT HERE.
UH, ONE THING THAT I NOTICED THAT I THINK IS REALLY STRIKING WAS, IS THE GROWTH OVER THE LAST, I THINK 10 YEARS OF THE, UH, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER OR THE LATINO POPULATION GOING FROM 19 TO 32%.
I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT THE, UM, WAS IT 10 YEARS CAROL? YES.
UM, AND THAT'S A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL, AND, AND NOW THEY, THEY ARE THE, UM, SECOND LARGEST ETHNIC GROUP, UH, IN THE DISTRICT.
[05:10:01]
I, WELL, I WANT TO KIND OF TIE IT INTO IS WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC COMMENTS, UH, AT OUR POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING, AND I, UM, RECOGNIZE THAT MY VIEW OF PUBLIC COMMENTS IS THE MINORITY AND, AND I ACCEPT THE MAJORITY OF THE BOARD.BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME UP FROM SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO SPOKE WAS MAKING SURE THAT THE PUBLIC HAD ACCESS TO COME BEFORE THE BOARD AND AIR THEIR CONCERNS.
AND THERE WAS TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO HAVE THE, THE, THE TWO PUBLIC COMMENT PERIODS SO THAT PEOPLE THAT NEED TIME TO GET OFF OF WORK AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO HAVE FOR, UH, UH, MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO MAYBE ARE NOT PARTICULARLY LITERATE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IS, DO WE HAVE TRANSLATORS AVAILABLE AT OUR MEETINGS IN, IN TERMS OF OUR BOARD INTERACTIONS, DO WE EVER HAVE THESE BOARD MEETINGS TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH? GIVEN THE FACT THAT 32% OF OUR PEOPLE LIKELY, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT PERCENTAGE IS WITHIN THAT GROUP, BUT I KNOW IT'S A, IT'S MORE THAN HALF, UM, ARE NOT NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS.
DO WE MAKE, AND I I'M DIRECTING THIS TO MORE OR LESS THE BOARD, ARE WE DOING ENOUGH TO MAKE SURE THAT THE 32% OF OUR STUDENTS, AND I ALSO WANNA TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE AND SWERVE OFF THIS CONVERSATION FOR A SECOND.
I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE, UM, UH, COMPLIMENTS TO STEVE SHERICK AND THE STAFF AT HILTON NET ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY JUST RELEASED OUR, UM, HONOR ROLL AND PRINCIPAL HONORS ROLE AND SENT IT OUT TO ALL THE PARENTS OF WHICH I AM ONE.
AND, UM, I THINK THAT THEY'RE DOING AMAZING WORK IN THAT, UH, LATINO COMMUNITY.
A HUGE PERCENTAGE OF THE KIDS ON THAT, ON THAT ROLE WERE, UM, AND I KNOW SOME OF THEM ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS, AND SO HILTON HEAD IS DOING TREMENDOUS WORK WITH THAT.
BUT I'M WONDERING AS A BOARD, ARE WE DOING ENOUGH TO ALLOW ACCESS, UM, TO THE POLICY AND GOVERNANCE FOR OUR LATINO POPULATION? IT'S NOT REALLY A QUESTION, IT'S MORE SORT OF FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR A RHETORICAL QUESTION,
WELL, I THINK IT, IT BEHOOVES US TO NOTICE THAT BIG OF A JUMP IN POPULATION, AND I DON'T THINK THAT TREND LINE IS, IS, UH, LEVELING OUT.
UM, CAROL MAYBE CAN SPEAK TO THAT.
UM, BUT IT DEFINITELY HAS HAD A HUGE IMPACT FROM, I'VE HAD KIDS THAT STARTED 10 YEARS AGO AND YOU KNOW, NOW I STILL AM IN THE SCHOOL.
I CAN TELL YOU IT'S HAD A HUGE IMPACT, UM, IN MANY WAYS, POSITIVE, UM, AND IN MANY WAYS ON HILTON HEAD IS PROBABLY MORE SO THAN OTHER SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT, BUT WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AS A BOARD, AND WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AS A DISTRICT, THAT THAT IS A GROWING POPULATION, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE AS A BOARD ARE DOING THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS IF THEY WANNA COME TO PUBLIC COMMENTS.
I KNOW THAT DR. RODRIGUEZ IS BILINGUAL, BUT HE SHOULDN'T BE DOING TRANSLATING.
WE NEED TO HAVE INTERPRETERS AT OUR MEETINGS.
WE NEED TO HAVE, UM, SPANISH LANGUAGE VERSIONS OF OUR BOARD MATERIALS.
UM, AND IT'S NOT GONNA BE EASY AT FIRST BECAUSE THIS POPULATION'S NOT USED TO US HAVING THAT IN SPANISH.
AND I KNOW THAT WE DID REFERENDUM, UM, TALKS WITH AN INTERPRETER.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT THAT'S AN EFFORT THAT WE AS A BOARD NEED TO MAKE, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS GROWING POPULATION FEELS INCLUDED IN, IN ALL THE DECISIONS THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING.
UM, ONE THING I'LL SAY ABOUT WHAT, WHAT SHE'S SAYING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, ONCE AGAIN, WHEN WE OPEN THIS UP, YOU KNOW, YOU, WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL HOW WE OPEN PANDO PANDORA'S BOX BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AND A LOT OF TIMES IN THE GUTTER COMMUNITY, UH, THEY'VE SAID THE SAME THING, THAT YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT GOD'S ACTUALLY LANGUAGING.
YOU KNOW, THEY SAY, NOW YOU KNOW HOW YEAH, YOU DO OVER.
YOU KNOW, YOU MAY NOT UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT GU PEOPLE MAY, MAY, MAY UNDERSTAND AND THEY CAN INTERPRET EXACTLY WHAT I JUST SAID.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU START TALKING ABOUT INTERPRET, INTERPRET INTERPRETATIONS, UH, AND I MEAN INTERPRETERS THEN, I MEAN, THEN SHOULD WE, SHOULD WE GIVE INTERPRETERS FOR EVERYONE? BECAUSE NOW IN THE SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T GIVE INTERPRETERS FOR GHANA LANGUAGE.
AND, AND I MAY GETTING MORE AND MORE TO HEAR ABOUT IT.
WHY DON'T WE HAVE INTERPRETERS FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE FOR FOR THE GO LANGUAGE? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE BEEN TAUGHT THAT, HEY, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT SPEAKING CORRECTLY, BUT ACTUALLY THEIR ENGLISH IS BECAUSE THAT'S OUR CULTURE.
YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE SPEAK OR YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND OUR, OUR, OUR LANGUAGE AND OUR DIALECT AND HOW WE TALK.
SO WHEN WE START SPEAKING ABOUT INTERPRETERS, I THINK THAT THAT, THAT THERE'S A, THAT THERE'S A WAVE FINN TO COME ACROSS.
SO WE HAVE TO BE COGNIZANT OF HOW WE WANT TO SAY THAT WE WANT TO SUPPORT ONE, NOT THE OTHER.
BECAUSE I KNOW THAT I'LL BE HEARING THAT, I'M HEARING THAT MORE AND MORE NOW IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY, MEANING, IN TERMS OF PEOPLE ASKING ME, WHY DON'T WE HAVE INTERPRETERS FOR, FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS? SO WHEN, UH, WE TALK ABOUT THIS, JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WELL.
WHEN, WHEN, WHEN WE HAVE, UM, PEOPLE WHO COME UP OF, OF ALPHA ETHNICS.
AND, AND I REMEMBER ONE TIME, UH, BEING AT ROBERT SMALLS AND, UM, AT, I BELIEVE THAT WAS THE BARN REFER, REFER.
NO, THAT WAS THE, THAT WAS A REFERENDUM THAT WE WERE HAVING THAT TALK AROUND.
AND I REMEMBER DR. RODRIGUEZ WAS, HE ACTUALLY SPOKE.
SO I THINK THAT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A JEWEL SO THAT WE'RE, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO DOWN THAT ROAD BECAUSE DR. RODRIGUEZ TALKS IN IN SPANISH SO THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THAT.
[05:15:01]
BE ABLE TO DO THAT AT OUR, AT OUR MEETINGS AND WHEN THEY COME UP AND HE CAN DO THAT, THEN I, I THINK THAT WE AS A BOARD, WE ARE SATISFYING, SATISFYING THAT NEED RIGHT NOW.I THINK ANYTHING ELSE WE MAY, WE MAY ENTER WATERS THAT WE AS A BOARD MAY NOT BE READY FOR.
SO I JUST WANNA PUT THAT OUT THERE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INTERPRET, UH, HIRING, INTERPRET INTERPRETERS AND, AND WHAT, WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WHAT WE'RE NOT DOING.
BECAUSE, UH, I BELIEVE DR. RODRIGUEZ, HE INTERPRETS A LOT WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE DIFFERENT, UH, ETHICS.
THANK YOU COLONEL GUYER CAROL.
UM, THERE ARE FIVE NEW, LARGE, LARGE APARTMENT COMPLEX EITHER IN CONSTRUCTION OR PERMITTED WITHIN A FIVE MILE RADIUS OF THIS LOCATION.
THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT IN THE CITY OF PORT ROYAL.
THEY'RE NOT IN THE CITY OF BEAUFORT YET.
DID YOU, HAVE YOU GOTTEN GOOD FEEDBACK FROM THE COUNTY PLANNING ABOUT WHAT'S BEING GOING TO BE BILLED, WHAT'S UNDER PERMIT AND YOU KNOW, SO ON, IN THIS BURTON AREA AND THIS AREA, IN THIS ARENA, I WOULD SAY THAT INFORMATION IS IMPROVING.
SO
I, I THINK, AND YOU KNOW, UNTIL THEY, UNTIL THEY SHOW UP, WE DON'T KNOW.
BECAUSE THEY MAY, I THINK A LOT OF TIMES WE FIND PEOPLE BUILD SOMETHING FOR THIS RIGHT DEMOGRAPHIC, THIS PRICE RANGE.
AND THEN IT, SOMETHING CHANGES IN THE ECONOMY, IT BECOMES SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
SO WE THAT'S, WELL, WHAT THE REALTORS IN MY AREA ARE TELLING ME IS THAT, UH, YOUNG PEOPLE THAT MOVE IN HERE, I'M YOUNG PEOPLE.
I'M TALKING TO PEOPLE IN THEIR THIRTIES AND UN UNDER, UH, WHEN THEY MOVE IN HERE, THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY.
AND THEY'RE LOOKING TO RENT RIGHT NOW, APARTMENTS, THESE NEW APARTMENTS AND NEW APARTMENTS, AND GENERALLY THAT'S GOING TO BRING KIDS.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE APARTMENTS HAVE BEEN PRIMARILY OLDER FOLKS AND SMALLER APARTMENTS.
THESE ARE, THESE BUILDINGS, THESE, UH, COMPLEXES ARE IN THERE ARE HAVE THREE AND FOUR BEDROOM, UH, APARTMENTS IN THEM.
SO WE, WE MIGHT WAKE UP WITH A BIG SURPRISE IN ABOUT FIVE YEARS WHEN ALL THESE THINGS GET BUILT.
AND WHERE ARE WE GONNA PUT, I'M GONNA SEE THOSE SMALL LITTLE, YOU KNOW, IT'S STARTING TO TRICKLE, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY IN THE BATTERY CREEK CLUSTER, WE'RE SEEING LITTLE SMALL INCREASES THERE.
AND I THINK THAT COULD BECOME A TREND REALLY GOING FORWARD.
WELL I, YOU KNOW, I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT AND, AND I THINK THAT WHEN WE START LOOKING AT OUR FUTURE GROWTH AND EVERYTHING, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BURTON AREA, THERE'S A LOT OF, THERE'S A LOT OF POTENTIAL MM-HMM.
UH, FOR GROWTH OUT THERE THAT, UH, OTHER THAN AROUND THE AIRFIELD AND THAT SIDE THERE, BUT EVEN UP, UP TO THE RAIL BRANCH, THERE'S A LOT OF GROWTH THAT'S BEING TALKED ABOUT UP THERE AS WELL.
AND I JUST DON'T KNOW THAT THE COUNTY HAS REALLY BEEN ABLE TO GIVE US A GOOD PROJECTION OF WHAT, WHAT PEOPLE ARE TALKING TO THEM.
BUT WHEN I TALK TO COUNTY PEOPLE, THEY'RE TELLING ME WE NEED MORE LIBRARIES, WE NEED MORE, MORE BALL FIELDS AND ALL THAT KIND OF OTHER STUFF OUT HERE.
SO SOMEBODY'S THINKING ABOUT IT.
WELL, IN ALL THE, IF YOU ALL MAY OR MAY NOT BE AWARE, THERE IS A NORTHERN REGIONAL PLAN THAT THE COUNTY, IT'S MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL, AND IT, IT DEFINES THE AREAS THAT THEY WANT TO GROW AND AREAS THAT THEY REALLY DON'T WANT AS MUCH GROWTH, LIKE OUT OF THE AIR STATION FOR OBVIOUS REASONS.
SO WHAT WE'RE SEEING WITH THE NEW APARTMENTS AND THOSE KIND OF THINGS ARE, ARE WELL WITHIN THAT DEFINED, UM, GROWTH BOUNDARY, I THINK IS WHAT THEY CALL IT.
SO YES, CAMPBELL OR YOU WAS INFORMED THAT THEY'RE GONNA BUILD 280 HOMES RIGHT ACROSS FROM BATTERY CREEK FOOTBALL FIELD? YES, I AM AWARE OF THAT.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, HOW ABOUT LAY, LAY OUT, UH, OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL AS WELL.
THEY'RE PUTTING A HOUSING, A NEW HOUSING COMPLEX BACK THERE, AND AS WELL, I'VE BEEN, I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY'RE ALSO SUPPOSED TO BE PUTTING, UH, SOME NEW APARTMENTS BACK THERE AS WELL.
SO THAT, SO THE LIAISONS BEGIN TO, UH, BUST AND THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING TWO, UM, APARTMENT COMPLEXES, UH, ON THE, WELL ACTUALLY I, WELL ON, ON, ON ON ON HELENA AS WELL.
[05:20:01]
TALKING ABOUT PUTTING TWO, UH, THAT WAS KIND OF SHOCKING, BUT YEAH, THEY'RE TRYING TO PUT TWO HOUSINGHUH? I HAD NOT HEARD ABOUT IT.
YEAH, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING TWO, YEAH, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING TWO HOUSING, UH, TWO APARTMENT COMPLEXES ON, UH, ON, ON ON ST.
SO THAT'S, SO THAT, THAT'S GONNA DEFINITELY CHANGE THE, UH, THE MAKEUP OF, OF OUR SCHOOLS ON, ON, ON, ON THIS SIDE.
AND THEY ARE VERY SERIOUS ABOUT THAT.
SO, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S SOME PEOPLE WHO OWN SOME LAND AND LARGE TRACKS OF IT WHO HAVE THE
SO, AND THE GOOD THING IS WE HAVE CAPACITY IN A LOT OF THE SCHOOLS ON LAYS ISLAND, ST.
HELENA, WE'VE GOT THE CAPACITY TO EXPAND FOR A WHILE.
SO, WELL, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO MONITOR SO THAT WE'LL KNOW AGAIN, WHEN WE NEED TO, TO PULL THE TRIGGER IF WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ELSE IN TERMS OF CAPACITY.
AND I MEAN, AND, AND, AND THAT MAY BE TRUE.
UH, BUT I, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE AS WE'RE ALSO BUILDING MM-HMM.
THAT WE'RE KEEPING THAT, THAT WE'RE KEEPING THAT IN MIND.
BECAUSE I KNOW WE, UH, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WAS ASKED, UH, WHEN WE WERE AT, AT ONE OF THE MEETINGS WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING A NEW LASER MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING, NOT BUILDING IT FOR THE SAME SIZE.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT BUILDING IT SMALLER.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IN THE PROCESS THAT WE ARE TAKING THAT MM-HMM.
TAKING THAT AND KEEPING THAT IN MIND IN TERMS OF, OF BUILDING.
'CAUSE I KNOW WE'RE NOT BUILDING FOR THE SAME SIZE, BUT THAT GROWTH OVER THERE TAKES OFF THAT I DON'T WANT US TO BE IN TROUBLE AND I DON'T WANT US TO GET, UH, GET CAUGHT BY OUR PARENTS NOW ON THAT, ON THAT.
SO, UH, THAT, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS, PUT ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I'M PUTTING IT OUT THERE.
AND ALSO IN, IN TERMS OF THIS PLAN HERE, I'M DEFINITELY CONCERNED ON THE, THE, UM, THE GYMS THAT WE'RE BUILDING RIGHT NOW IN, IN TERMS OF FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, THOSE ONE-SIDED GYMS. UM, UH, I, I, I, I THINK THAT'S A SAFETY AND SECURITY CONCERN WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU'RE HAVING BOTH, UH, BOTH TEAMS AND BOTH PEOPLE ON ONE SIDE OF THE GYM, AND THEN YOU HAVE THE TEAM ON THE OTHER SIDE.
I DON'T THINK THAT WE'RE GETTING GOOD UTILIZATION OUT OF OUR BUILDINGS.
AND A LOT OF PARENTS HAVE CAL TOLD ME THAT AT THOSE, AT SOME OF THOSE, IT IS MAINLY IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL GYMS THAT WE DID.
I KNOW ROBERT SMALLS GYM IS ONE OF THEM.
AND, UM, I THINK THEY'RE ALL, LIKE I WAS, I THINK ALL THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS MOST, NO, NO, LATE DOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL IS NOT LIKE THAT.
LATE, LATE DOWN MIDDLE SCHOOLERS.
YOU KNOW, IT'S THE OLDER GYM, RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT.
AND SO MOVING FORWARD, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE TALKED ABOUT, BECAUSE HOPEFULLY WE'RE NOT BUILDING THAT TYPE OF GYM ON ONE SIDED GYM BECAUSE THAT, THAT, THAT'S, THAT IS NOT, UH, I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOOD UTILIZATION OF SPACE.
AND ALSO, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT YOU HAVING PROGRAMS. MOST PEOPLE HAVE SOME OF THEIR PROGRAMS IN GYMNASIUMS. SO YOU, YOU TALKING ABOUT THEY COULD, ROBERT SMALLS COULDN'T HAVE A PROGRAM IN THEIR, IN, IN THEIR GYM AND COULD GET EVERYONE IN THERE BECAUSE THAT, THAT, THAT ONE SIDE IS NOT GONNA FIT ALL.
VERSUS HAVING THE ACTUAL TWO, TWO SIDES TO THE GYM FOR, FOR YOUR OPPOSING TEAM AND YOUR, UH, AWAY TEAM.
I, AND I, I REALLY, THAT'S REALLY A CONCERN.
AND SAFETY AND SAFETY AND CONS CON SAFETY AND CONS, UH, SECURITY CONCERN FOR ME.
AND I JUST WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, BRING THAT OUT THERE AND THAT, AND THEY HAD JUST, NOT JUST FOR ME, OTHER PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE BOUGHT THAT AND ASKED ME, WHY ARE WE MOVING TO THIS NEW STYLE OF GYMS FOR THE MIDDLE SCHOOLERS? THEY, THEY, THEY DON'T FEEL SAFE IN THOSE.
IF THERE ARE NO MORE QUESTIONS, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IF YOU DO FIND SOMETHING YOU WANT ME TO BE AWARE OF, YEAH, SEND ME AN EMAIL OVER THE WEEKEND.
UH, ROBIN, ARE YOU ABLE TO PULL UP THE LITTLE PRESENTATION I HAVE ON THE AFTER ACTION REPORT? SO, WHAT, UH, I'M GONNA GO OVER IS, WE'VE CALLED IT IN THE PAST LESSONS LEARNED, BUT WE'RE ALSO CALLING IT THE AFTER ACTION REPORT.
UM, WE HAVE DONE THIS EVERY YEAR AS FAR ON THE STAFF LEVEL OF EVALUATING THINGS WE, UH, WOULD LIKE TO WORK ON, UH, AS WE GO THROUGH THE REFERENDUM, KIND OF TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, UH, FOR THE 2019 REFERENDUM, WE STARTED THIS ROUGHLY RIGHT AFTERWARDS.
ACTUALLY, I THINK IT CAME FROM EITHER THE CLOCK OR THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE SUGGESTIONS THAT INSPIRED US TO DO THIS.
UM, AND WE DID IT EVERY YEAR THROUGHOUT THE REFERENDUM.
UM, AND THEN THIS YEAR WE ACTUALLY ALSO ADDED A MEETING WITH THE FACILITY STAFF AND THE IT STAFF, BECAUSE THIS REFERENDUM WAS SO IT HEAVY AND THERE'S A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY INPUT.
SO ROBIN, IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO WHAT I PUT TOGETHER WAS KIND OF A SUMMARY OVER THE FOUR YEARS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SHRINK THAT DOWN TO SEE IT ALL, BUT IT FELL INTO FOUR MAIN CATEGORIES THAT YOU SEE THERE.
YOU KNOW, WE BROKE IT DOWN AND KIND OF WHETHER DESIGN ELEMENTS, COMMUNICATION ELEMENTS, CONSTRUCTION OR TECHNOLOGY.
AND THAT STAIR STEP IS KIND OF THE ONES ON THE FA LEFT AND HIGHER
[05:25:01]
ARE EARLIER IN THE REFERENDUM.AND AS WE GO DOWN, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS THAT WE CAME TO LATER IN THE REFERENDUM.
JUST AN EXAMPLE OF ONE I'LL PULL OUT THERE THAT I THINK WAS, UM, UH, THAT WE ENACTED THAT WAS VERY BENEFICIAL WAS THE USE OF THE PROJECT CHARTER MEETINGS.
AND THIS WAS BASICALLY, UH, DEFINING THE SCOPE OF THE PROJECT, MEETING WITH THE PRINCIPAL, MAKING SURE THEY UNDERSTOOD THE SCHEDULE, THE SCOPE, AND WHAT'S GONNA BE GOING ON.
AND ACTUALLY HAD THEM KIND OF SIGN OFF ON THAT AS FAR AS THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD, YOU KNOW, THIS IS HOW THINGS ARE GONNA TAKE PLACE.
SO THEN FOLLOWING THAT, UM, IF YOU WOULD, ROBIN, THE NEXT SLIDE IN DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR, WE ACTUALLY DID THIS WITH THE CLOCK.
SO, UM, WHAT YOU SEE THERE IS SOME OF THE, UM, ELEMENTS THAT CAME OUT OF THAT MEETING WITH THE CLOCK.
ONE OF THE ONES THAT THEY FOCUSED ON, I'D SAY WAS GETTING PROJECT FEEDBACK FROM SCHOOL STAFF AND TEACHERS.
THAT WAS SOMETHING THEY REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, ONCE PROJECTS ARE DONE, FOLLOWING BACK, UH, WITH, UH, THE SCHOOL STAFF TO GET SURVEYS AND INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE PROJECTS WENT.
SO, AND THEN AFTER THAT, WE ACTUALLY WENT TO THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE AND HAD A SIMILAR, SIMILAR SESSION WHERE WE WENT OVER, UH, WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED THROUGHOUT OVER THE YEARS.
AND THE, UM, THOUGHT WAS TO BRING THAT HERE FOR THE FULL BOARD.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE OR LET Y'ALL HAVE A DISCUSSION.
COLONEL GEIER, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LEARNED WAS THAT, UH, IN OUR TWO FIRST, FIRST TWO PROJECTS, THE, UH, EXPANSION OF RIVER RIDGE AND MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL WENT PERFECTLY.
I MEAN, IT REALLY WENT WELL, BUT THAT WAS GROUND THAT WE KNEW IT WAS, UH, THE BUILDINGS WERE KIND OF PLANNED FOR THAT EXTENSIONS, SO WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO A WHOLE LOT OF, UH, UH, DESIGN WORK AND SO ON.
AND WE CAME IN REALLY WELL UNDER BUDGET.
WE BROUGHT BACK SOME CONTINGENCY FUNDS, AND I THINK IT FRANKLY GOT US A LITTLE BIT THAT OVERCONFIDENT THAT THAT TREND WOULD CONTINUE.
BECAUSE AFTER THAT WE STARTED ADDING THINGS AND LIKE WEIGHT ROOMS AND OTHER THINGS THAT WE, AND WE WOULD COME BACK TO THE BOARD AND WE'D SAY, HOW ABOUT THIS EXTRA MILLION HERE, MILLIONAIRE? OH YEAH, THAT'S NO PROBLEM.
WE GOT THE CONTINGENCY AND THEN COVID HIT, AND THEN PRICES WENT ABSOLUTELY CRAZY.
AND THE ONLY THING THAT SAVED OUR BACON WAS THE BOND PREMIUM.
A $30 MILLION BOND PREMIUM SAVED OUR BACON.
IF WE HADN'T HAD THAT, IF TANYA HADN'T BEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO KNOW NOT TO INCLUDE THAT IN THE TOTAL REFERENDUM REVENUE, WE WOULD'VE BEEN IN A TRICK BAG.
WE WOULD'VE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH EVERYTHING IN THIS, UH, REFERENDUM.
SO ONE THING I CAN TELL YOU FOR SURE, WE WILL NOT GET $30 MILLION IN BOND PREMIUM THIS TIME.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE REALLY, REALLY CIRCUMSPECT ON WHAT CHANGES OR ADDITIONS THAT WE MAKE ARE ALWAYS GONNA FIND SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T, YOU KNOW, ANTICIPATE.
BUT WE WERE A BIT CAVALIER EARLY ON ON THAT.
THE OTHER THING I NOTICED IS WHEN WE DID HAVE TO COPE WITH THIS, WE STARTED DOING VALUE ENGINEERING.
WHAT'S VALUE, WHAT'S VALUE ENGINEERING? IT'S CUT OUT THE FAT.
AND WE FOUND, WELL, WE COULD, WE COULD DO WITH FEWER CAMERAS OR FEWER CABLES OR SOMETHING A LOT CHEAPER.
WELL, WE NEED TO DO VALUE ENGINEERING EARLY ON AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THAT RATHER THAN DOING IT IN RESPONSE TO A CRISIS OR AN ISSUE.
UM, BUT I'LL TELL YOU ALSO, WE STILL HAVE A MAJOR ISSUE IN CLOSEOUTS.
AND I WILL TELL YOU AS JUST ONE BOARD MEMBER, IF I SEE CONTRACTS FOR CONTRACTORS THAT DON'T HAVE A PENALTY FOR NOT HAVING THEIR PAPERWORK IN AND CLOSEOUT IN A, IN A EXPEDITIOUS MANNER, THAT THEY GET FINED BY DAY AND MAKE IT HURT, BECAUSE THAT ALSO CAUSED US A LOT OF GRIEF AND TRYING TO KNOW WHAT CONTINGENCIES WERE AVAILABLE TO PUSH DOWN THE ROAD.
SO GET THE, WE'RE GONNA GET THOSE CLOSEOUTS, UH,
[05:30:01]
TAKEN CARE OF AND THE NEW CONTRACTS ARE THE WAY WAYS TO DO THAT AND GIVE IT, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, TELL THE PRIME CONTRACTORS THAT THEY BETTER MAKE THEIR SUBS MEET THAT, OR THEY WILL PAY.WE WON'T GO TO THE SUBS TO GET ANY MONEY.
WE'LL GO, WE'LL GO TO THE PRIME CONTRACTOR.
SO THOSE ARE MY ITEMS THAT ARE NOT ON THIS PARTICULAR LIST TO, TO SEE FROM A BOARD PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT WE COULD DO BETTER.
THE TECHNOLOGY WAS THE OTHER THING.
WE, WE HOPEFULLY ARE SMARTER NOW TO KNOW HOW TO HAVE CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY, BUT NOT TOO CUTTING EDGE
AND THAT'S, THAT'S A HARD, THAT'S A HARD BALANCE.
BECAUSE TECHNOLOGY CAN CHANGE FROM THE DAY YOU BREAK GROUND TO THE DAY YOU OCCUPY.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE ANOTHER ISSUE.
AND, AND YOU ALL AND MARK, HAVE GOT TO REALLY BE IN LOCKSTEP ALL THE WAY, ALL THE TIME TO KEEP ON TRACK BECAUSE THE TECHNOLOGY'S GONNA CHANGE BETWEEN OUR FIRST BUILDING THAT WE BUILT AND OUR LAST BUILDING WE BUILT.
SO THAT, THAT'S ANOTHER ISSUE.
UM, THANK YOU MSTI, YOU AND YOUR, UH, OPERATIONS GROUP FOR PUTTING THIS CONCISE, UM, UH, AFTER ACTION REPORT.
I AGREE WITH COLONEL GEIER TOTAL, HE WAS ALWAYS A PLEASURE WHEN HE WOULD SHOW UP AT THE CLOCK MEETINGS BECAUSE HE WOULD EXPRESS THAT TYPE OF, UH, PROJECT DISCIPLINE, UH, AND APPRECIATE THE
UM, BUT I THINK IT'S AVOIDABLE SECOND TIME AROUND.
SO THE CLOSEOUTS AND THE VALUE ENGINEERING, ABSOLUTELY MOVING THAT FORWARD.
THE CLOSEOUTS, UH, MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING TO ACTUALLY BE TRACKED.
SO YOU HAVE A NUMERICAL VALUE OF HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE, AND YOU CAN JUDGE PEOPLE AND THEN HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE AS HE'S SAYING.
UH, THE OTHER THING IS, PRIOR TO THE REFERENDUM, UH, UH, PRIOR TO CO AND WHEN COVID HIT AT THAT POINT IN TIME, IT PROBABLY HAS CHANGED.
A LOT OF THE SUPPLIERS WOULD TELL US WHAT THE PRICE REFERENCE WAS FOR SUPPLIES.
AND MAYBE ANOTHER ELEMENT TO ADD IS TO CONFER WITH GLOBAL MARKETS SO THAT YOU, THE OPERATIONS GROUP IS COMING TO US IN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY.
IF OUR PRICE CREW, SOMEONE, 'EM, WILL SAY, BULL, I CAN GO TO THE NEW YORK MERCANTILE EXCHANGE OR THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE, HERE'S WHAT IT IS.
YOU, YOU'RE GOUGING ME, RIGHT? SO IF THERE'S A EXTERNAL REFERENCE POINT, THEN YOU CAN ALWAYS CHALLENGE THEM.
WELL, WHY IS YOUR PRICE SO HIGH? AND MAYBE THAT WILL HELP BE PART OF THE VALUE ENGINEERING.
SO, JUST, JUST A THOUGHTFUL CONSIDERATION, SIR.
UH, ONCE AGAIN, UH, STOLE MY THUNDER, BUT, UH, NOW I'M JUST JOKING OUT.
UM, BUT I, I, I, I DO AGREE WITH HIM IN TERMS OF THE CLOSEOUT, AND I'VE HAD SOME CONCERNS IN TERMS OF CLOSING OUT AND IN, IN TERMS OF LESSON LEARNED.
UH, BECAUSE, UH, IN TERMS, JUST FOR INSTANCE, JUST TO GET TO PUT THE TEETH TO IT, UH, IN TERMS OF ROBERT SMALLS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY, UH, LIKE HOW I'VE ASKED ABOUT THE LIGHTS TODAY, UM, ALSO GOING IN SCHOOL, FIRST COUPLE DAYS, UH, THERE, THERE WAS LEAKAGE.
HOW, YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION IS HOW DO WE TAKE CARE OF THAT? WHAT WAS THAT PROCESS LIKE? YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW ARE WE ASSURED THAT THAT'S NOT GOING, THOSE THINGS ARE NOT GOING TO, UH, TAKE, TAKE, UH, TAKE PLACE, UH, CONTINUE TO STILL TAKE, TAKE PLACE OF THE, THE BUILDING LEAKING IN DIFFERENT AREAS, UH, AND HOW WE, UH, HOW WE EFFECTIVELY DEALING WITH THOSE THINGS IN TERMS OF CLOSING OUT AND MOVING ON, MOVING ON TO THE NEXT CONTRACT.
UM, SO THO THOSE ARE DEFINITELY THINGS THAT I WAS KIND OF LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING TOO, UH, EVEN THOUGH WE, WE DID THIS LIST, BUT I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING SOME OF, SOME OF THAT IN TERMS IN TERMS OF JUST, UH, UH, JUST IN TERMS OF, UH, TRANSPARENT JUST TO, UH, YOU KNOW, TO, TO BE BRING ASSURANCE THAT WE ARE ON THOSE THINGS AND THAT WE ARE, THAT, THAT, THAT WE ARE, UM, ARE BEING AGGRESSIVELY NOT LETTING COMPANIES OFF BECAUSE WE'RE SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WITH THEM, AND WE'RE JUST NOT LETTING THEM SAY THAT, OH YEAH, WE'RE FINISHING, THEY, THEY MOVE INTO THE NEXT PROJECT.
BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE COMPANIES, THEY'RE NOT JUST BUILDING ONE BUILDING FOR US.
THEY'RE BUILDING SEVERAL BUILDINGS AND WE'RE SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WITH THEM.
SO IT'S, IT'S PRETTY, IT'S PRETTY SERIOUS.
AND THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY HAVE, HAVE TALKED ABOUT THAT AND, AND, AND HAVE ASKED THOSE QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW Y'ALL JUST BUILD THIS HUGE, UH, AND THIS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON THIS BUILDING, THIS BUILDING IS LEAKING AND THIS IS DIFFERENT GOING ON, AND THERE'S NO LIGHTS OUT HERE.
YOU KNOW, LIKE, IF, IF IT WASN'T READY, WHY, WHY, WHY DO WE, WHY DID, UH, WE MOVE THE KIDS IN THERE? SO JUST, YOU KNOW, THOSE THINGS TO HAVE TO BE THOUGHT ABOUT WHEN, IN TERMS OF TRANSITIONING FROM WHEN WE MOVE TO THE NEXT SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, THOSE THINGS THAT ARE KIND OF LESSONS LEARNED AS WELL, BECAUSE THO THO THOSE ARE DIRECT
[05:35:01]
COALITIONS TO DO THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF HOW WE'RE SPENDING, HOW WE'RE SPENDING FUNDING HERE IN THIS DISTRICT.SO, UH, THOSE ARE JUST SOME, UH, FY SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT AS WELL AND, AND MOVING FORWARD AND LESSONS LEARNED.
WELL, THANK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS.
I'VE WRITTEN THEM DOWN AND, UH, WE'LL BE, UH, WORK, WORKING TO ADDRESS 'EM ALL IN THE 2023 REFERENDUMS. AND WITH THAT, I THINK, ARE WE MOVING ON TO THE NEXT YEP.
SECTION, SO THE NAMING COMMITTEE? YES.
I'M GONNA ASK, UH, MR. FREDDIE LAWTON TO COME UP AND TALK JUST BRIEFLY ABOUT WHAT THE SCHEDULE WILL BE FOR THE COMMITTEE BEFORE YOU, UH, GO AHEAD AND NAME YOUR SELECTIONS.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT SLIDE NUMBER.
DO YOU HAVE A SLIDE FROM MS. ROBIN SHOCKY? DUCKY? NO WORRIES.
WELL, I HAVE SLIDES ON MY PHONE.
SO, YES, WE, UM, SOLE PURPOSE IS TO GET A GROUP TOGETHER SO THAT THEY COULD BE SERVING THE CAPACITY AS AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE BOARD FOR THE NAMING, FOR THE NAMING OF THE SCHOOL, THE MASCOT AND THE COLORS.
SO I HAVE MY MEMBERS ALL QUEUED UP THAT WERE SUGGESTED BY THE, UH, BOARD MEMBERS AND THE PRINCIPALS OF, UH, RED CEDAR, SORRY, OF YES, OF BLUFFTON L AND, UH, CHARVILLE.
AND WE WANNA HAVE OUR FIRST MEETING NEXT WEEK.
THE REASON WE WANNA HAVE OUR FIRST MEETING NEXT WEEK IS BECAUSE WE WERE BEHIND SCHEDULE.
SO WE NEED TO GET OUR SCHOOL'S MASCOT NAME AND COLORS OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, OUR DEAD, OUR HOPEFUL DEADLINES TO BRING TO THE BOARD IN MARCH.
UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO SURVEY THE STUDENTS OF VILLE AND BLUFF AND L AS, UH, SOON AS NEXT WEEK AS WELL, SO THAT THEY CAN CHOOSE, UH, MASCOT AND A NAME.
UM, AND WE'LL DO THAT TWO ROUNDS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET, UM, AS MANY MUCH PARTICIPATION AS POSSIBLE IN EACH SCHOOLS.
WE'LL NARROW IT ALL DOWN WITH THE BOARD OR SUGGEST THAT WITH THE, UH, COMMITTEE THAT WE BRING TOGETHER, AND, UM, HOPEFULLY COME UP TO CONSENSUS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THE FIRST STEP IN PLACE TO BRING BACK INFORMATION TO THE BOARD.
UM, ELSE IS THERE THE COMMITTEE, WE WILL REVIEW THE RESULTS AND THEN DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS AND BRING TO THE BOARD, HOPEFULLY FOR YOUR FIRST MEETING AND MARCH.
SO WHAT I'D NEED YOU TO DO IS APPROVE THE NAMES AND THAT WE HAVE FOR THE, UH, COMMITTEE SO THAT I CAN GO BACK TO MY OFFICE AND PRESS THE BUTTON TO SEND INVITE TO THEM FOR NEXT WEEK.
UM, I DON'T THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A MOTION, ACTUALLY.
UM, IF WE HAVE, UH, AR, UM, IT'S, UH, OSS, EXCUSE ME, 28.
28 NAMING OF NEW SCHOOLS, MASCOTS AND COLLARS.
AND, UM, I WANT TO THANK ROBERT FOR DOING THE LEGWORK ON THIS.
UH, THE TWO PRINCIPALS FOR THE SCHOOLS YOU JUST MENTIONED, PRINCE, UH, MS. BLUE, BRENDA BLUE FOR, UH, PRICHARD V ELEMENTARY, AND CHRISTINE BROWN FOR BLUFFTON ELEMENTARY, UH, GAVE THE NOMINATIONS FOR THE, UH, MEMBERS OF THIS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
AND THEN IN ADDITION, UM, WE HAVE EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS THAT ARE THE, UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT EMPLOYEES AND THE BOARD MEMBER THAT IS, UH, IN, IN THAT AREA THAT WHERE THIS NEW SCHOOL WILL BE PLACED, WHICH IS ON THE MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS.
SO, UM, THE NAMING COMMITTEE IS, WE HAVE IT POSTED HERE, UM, THAT SERVES AS IN THE ADVISORY CAPACITY, UH, TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
AMBER DEAN, WHO'S A PTO PRESIDENT, BERNADETTE MCGUIRE, A SIC, CO-CHAIR, COMMUNITY MEMBER, SHANA OLSSON, AND SIC CO-CHAIR, COMMUNITY MEMBER MARSHA HARDOFF, SIC MEMBER, KRISTEN QUIGLEY, PARENT VICTORIA MAZANO PARENT, AND RACHEL GARROW, SIC MEMBER.
AND SHE'S A RESIDENT OF NEW RIVERSIDE.
THE EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS ARE THE TWO PRINCIPALS.
BRENDA BLUE, THE PRINCIPAL OF PRICHARD V ELEMENTARY, AND CHRISTINE BROWN, THE PRINCIPAL OF BLUFF NAIL.
AND THEN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES ARE, ARE ROBERT OTTING AND CAROL CRUTCHFIELD.
AND, UH, CHRISTINA GUS, THAT'S ME.
I'M THE DISTRICT NINE REPRESENTATIVE WHERE THIS SCHOOL IS BEING PLACED.
SO I THINK IT'S GONNA PROBABLY BE, UM, PROBABLY LIKE TWO MEETINGS.
I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT IT'S GONNA BE VERY MUCH.
UM, AND CAN YOU ANNOUNCE IT'S, YOU SAID IT WAS NEXT WEEK.
DO YOU KNOW THE DATE AND TIME AND LOCATION GAVE, I GAVE THREE DATES, AND THERE'S, AT TIME WILL BE SIX O'CLOCK AT MAYBERRY HIGH SCHOOL.
UM, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY WERE MY CHOICES FOR NEXT WEEK.
AND I'LL SEND THAT OUT WITH A EVITE TO ALL THE MEMBERS THAT YOU JUST LISTED WHEN I GO BACK TO MY OFFICE.
[05:40:01]
REALIZES THAT THE COMMITTEE IS JUST SERVING AS AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO US.THEY'LL BRING THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS BACK TO US, AND THEN THE BOARD WILL VOTE YES OR NO OR WHATEVER.
YOU RECEIVING EMAIL SHORTLY? OKAY.
AND THEN THE NEXT TOPIC ARE THE COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS, BOARD COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS FOR 2024.
AND, UM, THE, THE BOARD MEMBERS WERE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, SEND IN THEIR PREFERENCES FOR WHAT COMMITTEES THEY'D LIKE TO SERVE ON.
AND MOST OF THE BOARD MEMBERS DID DO THAT.
AND, UM, ALL OF THE BOARD MEMBERS THAT SUBMITTED, UH, PREFERENCES GOT AT LEAST TWO OF THE COMMITTEES THEY ASKED FOR.
AND SO WE HAVE POSTED UP ON THE SCREEN HERE, UH, THE COMMITTEES FOR, UH, 2024, AND I'M JUST GONNA READ THEM.
SO THE PUBLIC IN CASE, UH, CAN'T SEE THIS OR ARE, ARE JUST LISTENING, WRAP ACADEMICS.
WE HAVE CHLOE GORDON, CHAIR, ANGELA MIDDLETON, WILL SMITH FINANCE, DICK GEIER, CHAIR, EARL CAMPBELL, ELIZABETH HAY, CARLTON DALLAS, CHAIR, CHLOE GORDON, VICTOR NAY, LEGISLATIVE, RACHEL WISNESKI, CHAIR, EARL CAMPBELL, ELIZABETH HAY POLICY, RACHEL WISNESKI, CHAIR.
INGRID BOATWRIGHT, CARLTON DALLAS RESULTS.
DICK GEIER, CHAIR INGRID BOATWRIGHT, ELIZABETH HAY TECHNOLOGY, INGRID BOATWRIGHT, CHAIR, VICTOR NAY, WILL SMITH, AND THEN BJ, ACE, EARL CAMPBELL, CARLTON DALLAS, DICK GEIER, MR. SMITH, UM, IN, IN, IN TERMS OF, UH, US SENDING YOU THE, UH, IN TERMS OF US SENDING YOU, UH, A, THE, WHAT WE WOULD WANT, UM, I JUST WOULD SAY THAT, UM, I'M GONNA DO, DO THE, DO WHAT I, WHAT I, WHAT I, WHAT I WAS ASSIGNED TO, BUT QUITE DISAPPOINTED THAT I, UH, DIDN'T GET NONE OF MY NONE, NONE OF NONE OF MY TOP PICKS THAT I, UH, THAT I'VE CHOSEN.
THIS IS THE, UH, SECOND YEAR CONSECUTIVE THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED.
UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS UNFORTUNATE, BUT, UM, I JUST WANT THAT TO BE ON RECORD THAT THIS IS THE SECOND, THIS IS THE SECOND YET.
WELL, I'LL HAVE RIGHT ON RECORD WHAT YOU TEXTED ME AFTER THE DEADLINE, AND I STILL HONORED YOUR REQUEST, SO, OH, WAIT A SEC.
NO, YOU'RE NOT GONNA, SIR, IT'S MY TURN.
IF YOU'RE GONNA DO THAT TO ME, I CAN DO IT RIGHT BACK TO YOU.
AS I ANNOUNCED AT THE BOARD MEETING, THE DEADLINE WAS, UH, TUESDAY, A WEEK AFTER THE BOARD MEETING, AND I RECEIVED A TEXT FROM MR. SMITH THE FOLLOWING DAY.
IEA DAY AFTER AT 5:06 PM SO LOOK AT THE LIST.
I'M SENDING YOU TO LET YOU KNOW THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MY EMAIL, SO I COULD NOT EMAIL YOU.
WHAT CAN THESE I LIKE TO BE ON? SO THAT IS MORE REASON WHY I'M TEXTING IT TO YOU.
I WOULD LIKE TO BE THE CHAIR OF THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO BE ON THE TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE, COMMITTEE OUT, ALSO LIKE TO BE ON THE ACE COMMITTEE, ALSO LIKE TO BE ON THE CHAIR OF THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE.
I ALSO LIKE TO BE ON POLICY COMMITTEE.
SO YOU LISTED MULTIPLE COMMITTEES, AND YOU WERE GRANTED TWO OF THEM, EVEN THOUGH YOU SUBMITTED IT LATE.
THE BJ ACE COMMITTEE IS A TWO YEAR APPOINTMENT PER THEIR, UM, UH, DOCUMENTATION.
AND SO THAT'S WHY IT'S THE SAME THREE PEOPLE AGAIN.
SO LET THAT, THAT'S, LET'S HAVE THE RECORD STRAIGHT, SIR.
AND I BELIEVE THAT YOU SAID WEDNESDAY BY, YOU SAID, YOU SAID, YOU SAID, YOU SAID YOU GO LOOK AT THE VIDEO.
WELL, WELL, I BELIEVE YOU SAID, YOU SAID, YOU SAID, UH, WEDNESDAY.
YOU LOOK AT THE VIDEO AND STOP SAYING THINGS THAT ARE UNTRUE.
WELL, WELL, THIS IS THE NO, THIS, SIR, YOU'RE NOT SAYING THINGS THAT ARE TRUE.
THIS IS THE SECOND, THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR THAT I'M, I'M, I'M A VETERAN BOARD MEMBER, AND YOU HAVE NOT GIVEN ME A, A CHANCE TO SHOW MY LEADERSHIP SKILLS.
THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR YOU'VE DONE THAT.
SO IF YOU'RE GONNA GRANT, THEN, THEN, THEN LET'S BE OKAY.
SO MADAM, LET'S HAVE A WINDOW.
MADAM, CAN I SAY POINT OF ORDER? YEAH.
I THINK THAT SHOULD BE A DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU PRIVATELY, BUT THIS IS NOT THE FORUM FOR IT.
MADAM CHAIR HAS MADE HER, UM, SELECTIONS BASED ON WHAT WE SENT.
SO IS THERE A MOTION TO ACCEPT OR WE JUST ACCEPT HER? HOW DO WE DO THIS? MA'AM? YOU CAN HAVE A MOTION TO ACCEPT HER.
AND, AND NO, IT'S, NO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO.
SO I ASKED YOU TO GIVE, GIVE REQUESTS.