* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:10] INCIDENT TO PROPOSED AMENDMENT 21 WAS SHORELINE CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT. LLC FOR MC RILEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, FISCAL YEAR 26 8% CIP PARTIAL HVAC SYSTEM REPLACEMENT AND CORRIDOR PAINTING SCOPE GUARANTEE MAXIMUM PRICE PROPOSAL. DISCUSSION OF NEGOTIATION INCIDENT TO PROPOSED AMENDMENT NUMBER 30 WITH MB CONN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INCORPORATED FOR BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL FISCAL YEAR 24, UH, 8% CIP MODULAR CLASSROOM RELOCATION SCOPE, GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE. PROPOSAL AND RECEIPT OF LEGAL ADVICE REGARDING PENDING LEGAL CLAIMS COVERED BY THE ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE PURSUANT TO SOUTH CAROLINA CODE ANNOTATED SECTION 30 T FOUR. T 40 A FOUR. DO WE HAVE A SECOND DISCUSS? UM, ACTUALLY ON THE, ON THE AUDIO, WE COULD NOT HEAR, UH, UH, WE, WE NOT, WE NOT HERE UNTIL MR. THEY STARTED, SO WE KIND OF PLAYING FROM BEHIND ON THE AUDIO. SO I'M NOT SURE WE WANNA RESTART THAT OR NOT THAT HAVE A QUESTION. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION? CARRIE? OPPOSED? CAN Y CAN Y'ALL NOT HEAR ME? NOT YOU AS OPPOSED YES, BUT I ALSO MADE A STATEMENT THAT WE COULD NOT HEAR YOU AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING. SO THE, THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING WAS NOT REC, WAS NOT RECORDED BECAUSE YOUR MIC WAS MUTED. FOR THE RECORD, YOUR COMMENTS ARE ON THE RECORD, SIR. YES, SIR. REMAKE THE MOTION. MR. CHAIRMAN, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION EXCEPT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE RENEWAL OF CERTIFIED EMPLOYEES FOR THE 20 25 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR, SECONDED BY MR. CARR. I'M SORRY, DID MR. GEIER JUST SAY MY NAME? HIS MIC KEEPS GOING OUT. MR. CHAIRMAN BOARD OF EDUCATION EXCEPT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION THAT THE CONTRACT OF A LETTER OF AGREEMENT TEACHER, EMPLOYEE A, IS NOT RENEWED FOR THE 20 25 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR. DO YOU HAVE A SECOND? SECOND IN FAVOR? IN THE ROOM PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. VOTE STATE DALLAS. AYE. A AYE. I SEE YOUR HAND WAS UP. YOU SAY A AYE. I I SAID AYE. IF YOU ASKING ME. OKAY. UM, ASK THEN ASK HER IF SHE HOW SHE VOTES. OKAY. UH, MS. HAY, HOW DO YOU VOTE IN THE CHAT? UM, CAN Y'ALL NOT HEAR ME? I HEAR YOU NOW. A AYE. A AYE. ALL RIGHT. MOTION CARRIES. NEXT MOTION PLEASE. MR. CHAIRMAN, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ACCEPT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION THAT THE CONTRACT OF A LETTER OF AGREEMENT TEACHER, EMPLOYEE B, IS NOT RENEWED FOR THE 20 25, 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR. SECOND. SECOND BY MS. FRAZIER, FRAZIER, , SINCE I COULD BE HEARD, UH, DISCUSSION, HEARING NONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR IN THE ROOM PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. AYE IS SAYING THAT CARLTON, AND, UH, SHE CAN HEAR EACH OTHER, BUT WE CANNOT HEAR HER. SO THERE MUST BE A VOLUME ISSUE ON OUR SCREEN THINKING. I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT I ALLUDED TO EARLIER WHEN I, WHEN I, UH, MADE THE, MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, I COULD NOT HEAR IT. AND THEN ONLY THING I HEARD WAS VICTOR NATE COMING ON AND, AND, AND MAKING A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. SO, UH, YEAH, THAT, THAT'S WHAT I ALLUDED TO. AND THEY SAID THAT, ARE YOU IN THE ZOOM THERE? I KNOW. SHOULD BE TAKEN. OKAY. YEAH. ALRIGHT. I, I VOTED. AYE DO YOU, HOW DO YOU VOTE? DALLAS VOTES AYE, THAT THESE MEANS [00:05:01] ARE BEING RECORDED AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD GET THE PROBLEM FIXED. AND THAT WAS, THAT THAT'S THE NORMAL, THAT'S THE NORMAL PROCEDURES, SIR. THE PROBLEM IS, IS IT WITH ONE PERSON, MR. THE VOLUME ISSUE? BECAUSE APPARENTLY THEY CAN HEAR EACH OTHER, BUT WE ARE HAVING TROUBLE HEARING THEM. BUT I DO THINK THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY, THAT IF FOR RECORDING PURPOSES, THEY CAN HEAR ME? YES. I COULDN'T HEAR ANYTHING UNTIL I PUT MINE INTO THE, UH, CHAT ROOM. EXCUSE ME. EVERY EVERYONE WHO WAS SPEAKING. IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? MS. CHRISTIAN BERRY. OKAY. SO THE MEETING WASN'T, THE MEETING WAS MUTED, SO YOU COULDN'T HEAR THE MEETING. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFICATION. AYE MS. HAY, MS. HAY SAYS, MS. AYE, THIS IS AYE. MOTIONS. SO WE'LL, WE'LL, UH, AND MR. JOHAN'S WORKING ON IT. OKAY, THE, THE MOTION CARRIES. UH, NEXT MOTION PLEASE. MR. CHAIRMAN, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ACCEPT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION THAT THE CONTRACT OF A LETTER OF AGREEMENT TEACHER, EMPLOYEE C, IS NOT RENEWED FOR THE 20 25 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR. I HAVE A SECOND, SECOND, SECOND BY MS. FRAZIER DISCUSSION SAYING, AYE. AYE. AYE. UH, NO. NO. AND, UH, MR. MS. HAY OR MR. DALLAS, COULD YOU, UH, TEXT US AND GIVE US YOUR VOTE? I SEE MISS, I PUT IT INTO THE CHAT ROOM. AYE MR. CHAIRMAN, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ACCEPT THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION THAT THE CONTRACT OF A LETTER OF AGREEMENT, TEACHER, EMPLOYEE D, IS NOT RENEWED FOR THE 20 25 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR DISCUSSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? NA ROOM PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? I'LL, I'LL CALL FOR THAT IN A MINUTE. OKAY. THOSE ARE ALL THOSE OPPOSED? AYE, MR. SMITH? OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. WOULD YOU GO TO THE NEXT ONE PLEASE? MR. CHAIRMAN, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION ACCEPTS THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION THAT THE CONTRACT OF A CONTINUING CONTRACT TEACHER, EMPLOYEE E IS NOT RENEWED FOR THE 20 25, 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR. DO HAVE A SECOND? SECOND FRAZIER. IT'S BEEN SECONDED. ALL RIGHT. DISCUSSION. ALL FAVOR. IN THE ROOM PLEASE. SEAT IN FIVE. AYE. SAYING AYE. AYE. AYE. LINE AND AYE. THANK YOU. AND THOSE OPPOSED? OPPOSED? MR. SMITH? MR. SMITH. OKAY. OKAY. NEXT WE HAVE, UM, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE THE SUPERINTENDENT'S RECOMMENDATION FOR THE MONTHLY ADULT EDUCATION REPORT FOR APRIL 25TH, 2025. SEC SECOND. OKAY, ANY DISCUSSION? FAVOR IN THE ROOM, PLEASE, UH, SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. AYE. I, DALLAS AYE. FROM BOTH, UH, MS. HAY AND MR. DALLAS. MOTION CARRIES. I MOVE THAT THE BEAUFORT COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION ON APRIL 25TH, 2025 DIRECT THE SUPERINTENDENT TO REVIEW AND APPROVE QUALIFYING 17-YEAR-OLD ADULT EDUCATION WAIVERS TO ATTEND BCSD ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM. SECOND BY MR. NAY. ANY DISCUSSION, MR. YES. UH, UM, SO IS THIS, SO TO ME, THIS MOTION RIGHT HERE, UH, IT STATES THAT BASICALLY THIS IS, IF I'M GETTING THIS UNDERSTANDING, IS THAT WE'RE SAYING THAT WE DON'T WANT TO HEAR THE ADULT EDUCATION REPORTS AND THAT WE WANT TO, TO BE LIC TO OUR DUTIES BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE TIME AND WE, WE, UH, CLEARLY DON'T, UH, THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON IN, IN, IN OUR ADULT ED ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAM. SO, UH, I'M DEFINITELY CONCERNED FOR, BECAUSE AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, WE'VE BEEN GETTING THESE REPORTS AND EVERY REPORT IS DIFFERENT IN EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT. UH, AND THIS IS A ANOTHER WAY OF, UH, UNDERSTANDING WHAT IS GOING ON IN OUR PROGRAMS. UH, AND I MEAN IN, IN, IN THE DISTRICT AND, UH, AS WELL AS WELL AS THE SCHOOLS BECAUSE EVERY SCHOOL BRINGS DIFFERENT REPORTS AND EVERY KID HAS A DIFFERENT SITUATION. SO I'M REALLY TAKEN BACK AND KIND OF LOST FOR WORDS WHEN IT COMES TO, UH, MY COLLEAGUES SAYING, AND, AND I, AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS HAS CAME UP BEFORE. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST FUNNY THAT, THAT WE BRING THIS DURING THE WORK SESSION AND SAY THAT WE DON'T WANT TO, UH, THAT THERE WAS A PROPOSED MOTION [00:10:01] MADE, UH, FOR THIS. UH, SO I, I'M REAL TROUBLED OF WHY MY COLLEAGUES WILL THINK THAT IT'S A APPROPRIATE TO ACCEPT A, UH, ACCEPT THE, UH, EMOTION OF A EMOTION OF THIS, UH, OF THIS NATURE WHEN WE, WHEN WE HAVE THIS, THIS CONVERSATION THAT LINK AND WE, AND, AND MOST, AND WE HAD OTHER COLLEAGUES WHO, WELL, WHO HAVE SAID THAT THEY THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS, UH, SOMETHING THAT NEEDED TO BE BROUGHT FORTH. SO I, I MAY, MAY MAYBE SOME OF US DON'T, SOME OF US, SOME TURN THINGS AREN'T IMPORTANT JUST WHEN IT COMES TO THE EDUCATION, UH, SPECTRUM. THANK YOU, MS. BOATRIGHT. MR. SMITH, I RESPECT YOUR OPINION ON THIS. AND I KNOW WE DISAGREE ON THIS. I DON'T DON'T APPRECIATE BEING TOLD THAT IT'S A DERELICTION OF DUTY OR I DON'T THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT THIS LAW WAS CHANGED IN 2003. PRIOR TO 2003, SCHOOL BOARDS DID REVIEW ADULT EDUCATION IN 2003 THAT WAS VACATED. MOST SCHOOL DISTRICTS DO NOT REVIEW IT. IT'S VERY OPERATIONAL. WE DON'T HAVE A POLICY OR A STATUTE THAT REQUIRES US TO REVIEW IT, AND WE HAVE NEVER NOT APPROVED THEM. SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS, IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, REVIEWING INDIVIDUALLY EACH ONE OF THESE STUDENTS' REQUEST. AND THE STATE LEGISLATURE CLEARLY GAVE THAT BACK TO THE SCHOOLS AND TOOK IT AWAY FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD. SO WE HAVE JUST BEEN KIND OF DOING IT OUT OF PAST PRACTICES. AND IN MY OPINION, WE DO FALL INTO A DERELICTION OF DUTY WHEN WE BEGIN TO PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT OPERATIONAL PROCESSES WE WILL PARTICIPATE IN. AND THIS ONE, EITHER WE HAVE A POLICY OR WE HAVE A STATE STATUTE. BARRING THAT, I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN OPERATIONAL. SO I THINK IF WE COULD, IF MR. SMITH, IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO DO THIS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED AND ADDED TO POLICY. BUT UNTIL THAT HAPPENS, WE SHOULD HONOR THE LEGISLATORS, UH, DECISION BACK 22 YEARS AGO TO RETURN THIS OPERATIONAL CONTROL TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. UH, THANK YOU TO THE SCHOOL, UH, NOT THE BOARD. AND I, AND I WOULD, AND I I WOULD JUST SAY IT'S, IT IS MIGHT FUNNY THAT YOU SAID THAT 22 YEARS AGO AND YOU'VE BEEN ON THIS BOARD FOR, UH, OVER FOUR YEARS AGO, AND YOU THINK THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT. AND TO ME, ONCE AGAIN, I'LL GO BACK TO SAY I MET WHAT I SAID AND I SAID WHAT? I SAID, IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN US ONCE AGAIN, HOW WE'RE TAKING PUBLIC FUNDS AND PUTTING THEM INTO PRIVATE AND INTO PRIVATE SCHOOLS. AND THIS GOES UP TO ME, THIS GOES ON THE SAME MERITS OF, OF, OF THE, OF THAT, UH, BASICALLY IT GOES ON AND IT, IT IS IN THE SAME BUBBLE, UH, OF THE, OF THE SAME RESULTS OF WHAT THAT GETS. SO THEREFORE, ONCE AGAIN, I WILL SAY THAT TO ME, I STILL FEEL THAT WE SHOULD GET THESE, WE SHOULD GET THIS, THESE REPORTS. AND REMEMBER SOME OF YOU SAID THAT WE, IT IS JUST A RUBBER STAMP. MAYBE EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IS RUBBER STAMP. MAYBE. I MEAN, JUST GO LET THE PUBLIC KNOW THAT WE DO, WE RUBBER STAMP A LOT OF THINGS. IS THAT, I MEAN, BECAUSE THAT, THAT, THAT'S WHAT WAS SAID. WE WAS SAID ABOUT THIS RIGHT HERE. SO JUST TO BE CLEAR ABOUT IT, THANK YOU. THAT'S THE REAL REASON WHY WE WANNA GET RID OF IT, SOME OF US FOR AS RUBBER STAMPED. THANK YOU. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? I HAVE A COMMENT AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME, MR. CHAIR. HAVE A COMMENT ON THIS MOTION, SIR? YES, SIR. UM, I AGREE A THOUSAND PERCENT WITH MS. BOATWRIGHT. I THINK WE, THROUGH THE COHERENT LEADERSHIP MODEL, HAVE DELEGATED THE AUTHORITY AND THE ABILITY FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT TO GO INTO DETAIL AND CORRECT, TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS OR SUPPORTIVE ACTIONS OR WHATEVER'S REQUIRED BASED ON OUR JUST MERE QUESTIONING. UH, BECAUSE AS, AS I'VE SHARED WITH OTHERS TO GET INTO THE DETAILS AND HAVE PEOPLE EXPECT A BOARD TO GET INTO THE MOST, YOU KNOW, CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, BUT DETAILS THAT ARE DELEGATED TO THE SUPERINTENDENT MEANS IF I MISS AS A BOARD MEMBER, A PARTICULAR ITEM, THEN PEOPLE MAY SAY, WELL, YOU'RE NOT DOING MY YOUR JOB. AND OUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO THE SUPERINTENDENT AND OUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE TO THE SUPERINTENDENT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, VOTE ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. HERE IN THE ROOM. AYE, LET'S TRY THIS. CAN YOU HEAR ME? AYE. DALLAS. AYE. A DALLAS AYE. WE HAVE ONE DALLAS. AYE. WE HAVE, UH, EVERYBODY VOTING FOR IT. MR. SMITH, I ASSUME YOU VOTE NO. OKAY. WE HAVE TWO NO VOTES AND THE REST OF POSITIVE VOTES. AND MOTION CARRIES. NEXT MOTION OVER HALF. I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE AMENDMENT NUMBER 20 WITH SHORELINE CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT LLC FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE HE MCCRACKEN MIDDLE SCHOOL, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2026 8% CIP PARTIAL HVA SYSTEM REPLACEMENT BASED ON THE GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE OF [00:15:01] $870,133. SECOND, SECOND VOTE. DR. CARR, ANY DISCUSSION? A FAVOR IN THE ROOM SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. AYE. FOR DALLAS? AYE. AYE FOR DALLAS, I HAVEN'T VOTED YET. OKAY, SIR, I'M GOING TO ABSTAIN ON THAT. ABSTAIN. THANK YOU. UH, NEXT I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE AMENDMENT NUMBER 21 WITH SHORELINE CONSTRUCTION DEVELOPMENT, LLC FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MICHAEL CRE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FISCAL YEAR 2026, 8% CIP PARTIAL HVAC SYSTEM REPLACEMENT AND CORRIDOR PAINTING SCOPE BASED ON THE GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE OF $783,209. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND BY DR. CARR? ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? IN THE ROOM PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. AYE. AYE. UH, AND ANY ABSTENTIONS MOTION THERE? ALRIGHT, FINAL MOTION. I MOVE THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVE AMENDMENT NUMBER 30 WITH NB CONN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INCORPORATED FOR THE BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL FISCAL YEAR 2024 8% CIP MODULAR CLASSROOM RELOCATION SCOPE BASED ON THE GUARANTEED MAXIMUM PRICE PROPOSAL OF $1,071,060. NA ROOM, UH, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. AYE. MR. DALLAS IS AYE, I'M GONNA SAY NO ON THAT, UH, ONE NO VOTE. THE, UM, MOTION CARRIES, SIR. UH, BE BEFORE WE MOVE ON, UH, THERE, THERE WAS SOME, UH, MOTIONS THAT MRS. UH, OUTRIGHT MADE ABOUT THE, UH, UM, ABOUT THE, IN EIGHTH, THE HR AND, UM, I BELIEVE THERE WAS ONE THAT I DID NOT GET. I ACCOUNT, I THINK THE SECOND ONE, I JUST WANTED TO CHECK THE RECORDS. I, I, I, UH, I, I, I, I SAID NO ON THAT ONE. I JUST WANTED, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE WAS A, THAT, THAT I HAVE ALL NOS. I BELIEVE I, I BELIEVE IT WAS FOUR THAT MAY BE CA CALCULATED, BUT IT'S, IT SHOULD BE FIVE. YES. OKAY, THANKS. MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA, PLEASE. I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND BY MR. NAY? ANY DISCUSSION ON THE AGENDA? ALL THOSE PAPER ON THE AGENDA IN THE ROOM, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. UH, ONLINE, THE LSI, UH, ANY, ANY NAYS? ANY ABSTENTIONS? MOTION CARRIES. OKAY. NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS, UH, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WITH, FOLLOWED BY A MOMENT OF SILENCE MEDIA. BEEN NOTIFIED, BEEN NOTIFIED, BERRY. THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? BUDGET. GOOD. THANK YOU, COLONEL, THIS MORNING. UM, MS. CROSBY IS GOING TO WALK US THROUGH OUR BUDGET PRESENTATION WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. IT, IT'LL PROBABLY PRESENTATION THIS MORNING. [00:20:01] AND SO, UH, WE'RE GONNA BRING A TABLE FOR MS. CROSBY AND IT'S CHAIR AND, UH, SO HAVE ROOM TO SPREAD OUT MATERIALS AND, UM, UH, SINCE IT'LL BE LENGTHY, HAVE A PLACE TO SIT WHILE WE GO THROUGH IT. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING. MORNING. YES. IT IS A LONG TIME TO STAND WITH THESE, UH, AND ESPECIALLY THE INITIAL BUDGET PRESENTATION. SO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO, TO, TO SIT AND BE A LITTLE MORE COMFORTABLE TODAY. SO WITH, UH, TODAY WE HAVE, UH, A BINDER FOR YOU, UM, THAT HAS TODAY'S PRESENTATION AND HANDOUTS IN IT FOR YOU. UM, IN THE FUTURE, IF YOU, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TAKE IT HOME WITH YOU, THAT'S FINE, I WOULD ASK THAT YOU BRING IT BACK AT THE NEXT BUDGET MEETING ON MAY 6TH, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO FILL THAT, UH, WITH VARIOUS PRESENTATIONS. SO YOU HAVE EVERYTHING IN ONE FOLDER. UM, IF NOT, THAT'S FINE. WE'LL JUST PROVIDE, USE THE DOCUMENTS AND, UH, HOLE PUNCHED IN, THEN YOU CAN JUST FILL THEM IN AS YOU NEED. OR YOU CAN LEAVE THEM WITH US, EITHER ONE E UM, LEAVE THEM WITH ROBIN, AND, UH, WE CAN FILL THOSE IN FOR YOU. SO TODAY'S PRESENTATION, THE FISCAL YEAR 25 26 BUDGET, UH, PROVIDES A RECOMMENDATION BASED ON AVAILABLE REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES THAT ALIGN WITH THE BUDGET PRIORITIES. UH, THERE IS NO VOTE REQUIRED TODAY, UH, BUT WE DO, UH, ASK FOR SOME CONSENSUS OF HOW WE MOVE FORWARD. UH, WE DO HAVE TWO PUBLIC FORUMS, UH, THIS COMING WEEK ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. AND, UH, WE DO HAVE ANOTHER BUDGET PRESENTATION COMING UP VERY QUICKLY ON MAY 6TH, WHICH WE'LL NEED TO PROVIDE DOCUMENTS TO YOU BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK FOR, UM, SO THERE, UH, WE HAVE SOME BUDGET DETAIL TODAY, MOSTLY A HIGH LEVEL, UH, THE BIG PICTURE. UM, BUT THERE ARE SOME DETAILS, AND I'LL SHOW THOSE FOR YOU IN THE HANDOUTS, AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE TO GIVE YOU MORE GRANULAR DETAIL, UH, AS THE NEXT FEW PRESENTATIONS COME ON. UM, SO MORE, MORE DETAILS WILL BE BROUGHT FORWARD IN THAT, IN THE MAY 6TH BOARD MEETING THAT WE HAVE. SO, BASICALLY, THIS BUDGET IS A STRATEGIC INVESTMENT IN THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN THE FUTURE OF BEAUFORT COUNTY STUDENTS. UM, WE HAVE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY THE, UH, THE TASK OF GETTING STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT. UM, NOT ONLY DID WE WORK WITH YOU, THE BOARD, UH, ON BUDGET PRIORITIES IN JANUARY, BUT WE HAVE, UH, SENT OUT SURVEYS WITH TO SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES. UH, WE HAVE DONE, UH, THROUGH A BUDGET SURVEY, WE HAVE, UH, RECEIVED FEEDBACK FROM OUR DEPARTMENTS. AND MOST RECENTLY THIS WEEK ON TUESDAY, WE MET WITH A GROUP OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM EVERY, ACROSS THE ENTIRE SCHOOL DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES FROM EVERY HIGH SCHOOL, AND HAD A GREAT, UH, INTERACTION WITH THEM. AND FOR THE MOST PART, UM, THERE WAS REALLY A GENERAL CONSENSUS FROM ALL THE STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK THAT ARE VERY CONSISTENT WITH THE BOARD'S PRIORITIES. SO, UM, WE'RE GONNA FOCUS REALLY ON THREE PRIORITIES TODAY. SO THOSE TOP THREE PRIORITIES ARE TEACHER AND SUPPORT, STAFF COMPENSATION, ACADEMIC PROGRAMS, AND SAFETY AND SECURITY. AND SO THIS BUDGET REALLY FOCUSES A LOT OF THE EXPENDITURES AND THE INCREASES ON THOSE THREE AREAS. UM, SO IN THE AREA OF TEACHER SALARIES, UH, OUR GOAL IS TO MAINTAIN ONE OF THE HIGHEST STARTING TEACHER SALARIES IN SOUTH CAROLINA. SO, BACK A COUPLE, TWO, THREE YEARS AGO, WE MADE AN EFFORT TO, UH, BOOST OUR SALARIES AND WE RANKED NUMBER ONE IN TERMS OF STARTING TEACHER SALARIES. UH, AND WE STAYED THERE FOR A SECOND YEAR AS WELL. SO FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE YEARS, UH, OUT THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE BEEN OUTPACED BY OUR NEIGHBORS IN CHARLESTON AND BERKELEY. UM, SO THE REALLY, THE GOAL OF, OF THIS HIGHEST TEACHER SALARY HAS REALLY BEEN TO ATTRACT THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST INTO OUR AREA. WE'RE REALLY, UH, BEAUFORT IS A VERY ATTRACTIVE PLACE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE BECAUSE IT'S A COASTAL COUNTY. IT HAS A LOT OF SHOPPING, A LOT OF, A LOT OF GREAT THINGS, FUN THINGS TO DO, FESTIVALS THAT, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S VERY APPEALING TO YOUNG PEOPLE. UM, BUT IT ALSO, HAVING A HIGH SALARY ALSO INCREASES JOB SATISFACTION. WHO OF THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY HERE AND WANNA STAY HELPS IMPROVE RETENTION AND REDUCE TRAINING COSTS IF THEY'RE ALREADY HERE, THERE'S LESS TRAINING COSTS THAT WE HAVE ON, ON AN ONGOING BASIS. AND THEN THE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS, UM, THERE WERE [00:25:01] FIVE PARTICULAR AREAS THAT WE FOCUSED ON, UH, FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS, SCIENCE, UH, CTE, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UH, DUAL DUAL ENROLLMENT OR EXPANSION OF THE TIDES PROGRAM. UH, AND EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY, PARTICULARLY IN THE AREA FOCUSED ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. AND THEN SAFETY AND SECURITY, UM, IS THE THIRD AREA. AND JUST WE ARE C ARE COMMITTED TO MAINTAINING SAFETY AND SECURITY FUNDING FOR THE COST OF SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS AND SECURITY GUARDS AT ALL SCHOOLS, EXPANDING CONTINUOUSLY AND STRENGTHENING OUR CRISIS PREVENTION AND RESPONSE EFFORTS, WHICH ARE, UH, IT'S AN AMAZING TEAM OF PEOPLE WHO ARE, HAVE DONE A WHOLE LOT WITH THAT PROGRAM. AND WE CONTINUE TO, UH, STAY AT PACE WITH THAT. I THINK THERE ARE PROBABLY LEADERS IN THE COUNTRY, I'M SURE, UH, I COULD SAFELY SAY, UH, IN THAT REGARD. UH, AND THEN CONTINUING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR OUR STUDENTS EMPLOYEES. SO THIS GRAPH IS, UH, A GRAPHIC OF THE TOP 10 SOUTH CAROLINA STARTING TEACHER SALARIES FOR THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, CHARLESTON IS AT THE TOP, BUT 56,000 1 46, UH, THEN BERKELEY, UH, SLIGHTLY LOWER YORK THREE, UM, AND THEN BEAUFORT AT 51, UM, 51,000, RIGHT AROUND 51,000. SO WE CURRENTLY RANK FOUR OF 74 SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE. UH, TWO OF THE THREE, UH, DISTRICTS ABOVE US ARE IN NEAR NEARBY COUNTIES, NOT NEIGHBORING, BUT NEARBY COUNTIES. UH, THEY'RE ALL COASTAL AREAS AND ATTRACTIVE TO YOUNG PROFESSIONALS. UM, AND THIS YEAR, UH, THERE WAS BEEN A LOT OF ATTENTION AROUND CHARLESTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT BECAUSE THEY CAME OUT VERY EARLY AND INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD BE MOVING TO A STARTING TEACHER SALARY OF RIGHT UNDER $65,000. SO WE HAD SOME CONVERSATION, UM, MYSELF AND MS. WALTON WITH OUR COUNTERPARTS TO SEE AND, AND I BELIEVE A ANOTHER GROUP MEETING, UH, WITH THEIR TEAM TO SEE WHAT THEY WERE DOING, JUST TO GET SOME IDEA OF WHAT OTHERS, UM, WHAT OTHERS ARE PROPOSING. UM, SO WE'LL SHOW YOU SOME MORE ABOUT THAT IN JUST A MOMENT. BUT THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS, UM, WHERE WE ARE. SO CURRENTLY WE ARE AT $51,066 AS A STARTING TEACHER PAY. THIS IS A FIRST YEAR TEACHER COMING IN WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE. UM, SO WE HAVE FIVE LEVELS OF EDUCATION LEVELS. THIS WOULD, UH, SO BACHELOR'S, BACHELOR'S PLUS 18 MASTER'S, AND SO ON, ALL THE WAY TO PHD. UH, SO THIS IS JUST THE BACHELOR'S LEVEL WITH, UH, NO YEARS OF EXPERIENCE COMING FRESH OUTTA COLLEGE. UM, SO THIS PROPOSAL TODAY INCREASES, UM, THE STARTING TEACHER SALARY AND EVERY CELL OF THE TEACHER'S SALARY SCHEDULE BY $4,000, MOVING US TO 55,066. UM, AND IN LINE, UM, MIRRORING THE TACTICS OF THE CHARLESTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. UM, WE PROPOSE TO COLLAPSE STEPS ZERO THROUGH FIVE AND START NEW TEACHERS AT STEP FIVE, WHICH WOULD BOOST. SO ZERO STEP 0 1, 2, 3, 4, AND FIVE WOULD ALL BE $60,087. UH, AND THEY WOULD, UM, SO, AND THEN EVER AFTER THAT, THERE WOULD INCREASE IN STEPS. SO IN YOUR HANDOUTS, THERE IS A PROPOSED, UM, AND I HAVE A TABLE OF CONTENTS THERE, AND THERE IS A PROPOSED TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE ON PAGE EIGHT OF THE HANDOUT. AND IT SHOWS THE CURRENT SALARY SCHEDULE AND THE PROPOSED ONE. SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, THAT WILL INDICATE, THAT WILL GIVE YOU A COMPARISON SIDE BY SIDE OF WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING TO DO. SO, UH, 60,000, WHY 60,000? UM, SO WE EACH YEAR, UM, AND BACK IN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, UH, WHEN WE MADE, UH, HUGE EFFORTS TO BOOST, UH, TEACHER SALARIES, WE ASKED, THE BOARD ASKED US AND ASKED HUMAN RESOURCES, WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO, UH, GET US TO A POINT WHERE WE HAVE, UM, WE ARE ATTRACTING THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST. AND THAT NUMBER, UH, WAS 50,004 YEARS AGO. UM, THAT NUMBER THAT NOW IS 60, UH, IT WON'T PUT US AT 65,000 WHERE CHARLESTON'S GOING TO BE, BUT 60,000 WILL BE AN ATTRACTIVE NUMBER TO BRING MANY, MANY STUDENTS, UM, OF TEACHERS TO OUR AREA. SO THE NEXT SLIDE IS SORT OF ANALYSIS OF WHERE WE'VE COME FROM, FROM THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, ACTUALLY. UH, I BELIEVE DR. RODRIGUEZ BEGAN WITH US IN JULY OF 2019, I THINK. [00:30:01] UM, SO THIS CHART REALLY GOES BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF HIS TENURE WITH THE DISTRICT. AND WE WERE AT 36,928 AT THAT TIME. AND, UH, THEN WE HAD A PANDEMIC AND WE HAD A CONTINUING RESOLUTION, MEANING EVERY, THE BUDGET WAS FLAT, HELD FLAT, AND THEN THE NEXT YEAR WE WERE ABLE TO RAISE A THOUSAND. AND THEN THAT BIG JUMP TO 45,566 WAS THE YEAR THAT WE, UH, RANKED NUMBER ONE RESULTED IN US RANKING NUMBER ONE IN TEACHER SALARIES. AND THEN WE MAINTAINED THAT, UH, BY AN INCREASE THE FOLLOWING YEAR AS WELL. AND SO WHERE WE ARE CURRENTLY IS 51 0 66 IN THE 24 25 SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH IS A 38% INCREASE FROM WHERE WE WERE BACK PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC. THIS BUDGET PROPOSES, UM, THE FIRST YEAR TEACHING SALARY. SO THE, THE RAISE, THE 4,000 WOULD GET THEM TO 55 AND COLLAPSING THOSE FIRST FIVE STEPS WOULD GET ANOTHER $5,000. SO THIS INCREASE WOULD REPRESENT A 63% INCREASE IN STARTING TEACHER'S SALARY IN BEAVER COUNTY FROM THE 20 19 20 20 SCHOOL YEAR. SO THOSE ARE BOLD MEASURES TO A, TO ALIGN WITH THE BUDGET PRIORITIES OF RAISING TEACHER SALARIES IN BEAUFORT COUNTY AS TANYA PREPARES TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD. UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT AT ONE JUNCTURE WENT APPROXIMATELY, UH, 10 YEARS WITHOUT AN INCREASE IN SALARY OR AN INCREASE IN STEPS FOR, FOR, UH, FOR A LOT OF EMPLOYEES. SO WE FOUND OURSELVES IN 20 22, 20 23, UH, WELL BEHIND, UH, WHEN IT CAME TO THE COMPENSATION. AND, AND THAT REQUIRED, UH, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF WORK TO, TO ETERNALLY TO FIND DOLLARS AND, AND THEN, UH, UH, A MILLAGE CONVERSATION TO, TO FINISH OFF THE DIFFERENCE . AND SO, UH, WE'VE AGAIN DONE, UH, SOME INTERNAL WORK, BUT, UM, FINDING WE DON'T WANNA FIND OURSELVES SLIDING BACK AWAY FROM WHERE TOP COMPENSATION IN THE COUNT IN THE, IN THE STATE, UH, OR IN THE REGION BEGINS TO BE. THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT HAPPENED OVER A 10 YEAR PERIOD WITHOUT INCREASING, WITHOUT RAISES OR WITHOUT, UH, A STEP INCREASE ALONG THE WAY BACK THEN. OKAY, MS. CROSBY? MM-HMM . BEFORE WE GO, UH, ON, LET'S GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM, UH, BOARD MEMBERS BEFORE WE POP IN. NEXT THING, ANY ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? UH, CAN YOU PLEASE DEFINE OR EXPLAIN THE COLLAPSING OF THE FIRST FIVE STEPS? UH, SURE. IT'LL BE HELPFUL. UH, ON THE SECOND, ON THE, ON THE HANDOUT SECTION, IF YOU LOOK AT PAGE EIGHT MM-HMM . WHEN MS. CROSBY, UH, YES. GIVES YOU THE EXPLANATION. SO, UM, THE HANDOUT IS IN A, A TAB AREA, UH, IT IS ON PAGE EIGHT, AND IT HAS A CURRENT AND PROPOSED, UH, SCHEDULE. YEAH. SO IT LOOKS LIKE THIS. UM, SO CURRENTLY WE HAVE 50 1066, UH, AT THE BACHELOR'S IN ZERO, THE TOP LEFT HAND CELL. UM, SO TYPICALLY IF WE WERE TO MOVE JUST A $4,000 INCREASE, THOSE WOULD MOVE TO 55 0 66. SO IN LIEU OF DOING THAT, UM, WELL, IN ADDITION TO DOING THAT, WE WOULD, UH, PROPOSE TO MOVE ALL ZERO THROUGH FIVE CELLS TO 60,000. UM, I SPOKE WITH THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LAST WEEK AND SAID, DO WE NEED TO DEMONSTRATE GRADUATED CELLS AND JUST TO START A TEACHER AT, AT FIVE, AT STEP FIVE? AND SHE SAID, NO, THE ONLY REQUIREMENT FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IS THAT YOU PAY AT, OR MORE THAN THE STATE'S MINIMUM SALARY SCHEDULE. AND THEIR MINIMUM SALARY SCHEDULE, I BELIEVE IS 46,500 OR 47,500. SO AS LONG AS WE PAY MORE THAN THEM, OR THE SAME, OR MORE THAN THEM, WE ARE FINE WITH THE SCHEDULE. SO I SHOWED HER, UM, ACTUALLY CHARLESTON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT'S SCHEDULE, UM, WHICH SHOWED A 61, 62 63 IN EACH OF THOSE CELLS. BUT THEY'RE STARTING THEIR TEACHERS AT FIVE, I THINK. UH, AND WITH WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH HUMAN RESOURCES, IT'S MORE APPROPRIATE IF WE ACTUALLY INDICATE IN OUR SOFTWARE SYSTEM THAT THEY ARE STEP ZERO AND THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE, UM, [00:35:01] TO RECEIVE THOSE STEPS. THEY WILL GET, UH, WHAT, SO THERE WON'T BE A STEP INCREASE, UH, NECESSARILY A DOLLAR AMOUNT OF A STEP INCREASE THROUGH THOSE YEARS. BUT THEY WOULD BE SUBJECT TO ANY, UH, COST OF LIVING INCREASE, LIKE THE 4,000 OR THE 1500 OR WHATEVER AMOUNT, OR 3% IF WE GO BACK TO A PERCENTAGE BASE. SO THEY WOULD STILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A COST OF LIVING INCREASE, JUST NOT THE STEP INCREASE UNTIL THEY EXCEED STEP FIVE. QUESTION MS. FRAZIER. NO, THIS IS AMAZING. AND I'M GONNA, I LEFT IN 2019, AND WHEN I STOPPED TEACHING, I THINK MY TAKE HOME PAY WAS LIKE $1,600 EVERY OTHER PAYCHECK. SO, UM, MIGHT WANNA MAIL THIS OUT TO TEACHERS THAT LEFT THE DISTRICT. MS. FRAZIER, I'M HIGHER. I, I'M, I'M, I'M, I AM READING THIS AND I'M LIKE, UH, Y'ALL MIGHT HAVE TO START ELECTING SOMEONE THROUGH DISTRICT NINE , BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN FOCUS ANYMORE TODAY AFTER SEEING THIS PAY SCALE. I, I, I'M GOING, I'M TRYING TO BE PROFESSIONAL, BUT THIS IS WOW. BECAUSE LEAVING WORK AND GOING AND CLOCKING IN AT KROGER OR WALMART FIVE DAYS A WEEK, WHAT I HAD TO DO MM-HMM . TAKE CARE OF MY TWO KIDS, AND FOR TEACHERS NOT TO DO THAT ANYMORE. IT'S REALLY MAKING ME EMOTIONAL. MM-HMM . BECAUSE THIS IS AMAZING. REALLY, THAT'S MR. NAY. I, I JUST WANNA BE TRANSPARENT HERE, SINCE WE'RE IN PUBLIC FORUM, UH, A TEACHER WITH ZERO EXPERIENCE WILL BE HIRED AT 60,000 IN CHANGE, UH, 60,087, AND WILL NOT RECEIVE A PAY BASED INCREASE FOR SIX YEARS, EXCEPT FOR ANY COST OF LIVING INCREASES EXCEPT OF COST OF LIVING. THAT WOULD BE PROVIDED. I UNDERSTAND THAT WE, WE PROVIDE EVERY YEAR. I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A, UH, UH, I GUESS SOME, UH, A MODEL THAT IS BEING PICKED UP BY OTHER DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE ALSO. SO ARE WE STILL COMPETITIVE IN THAT, IN THAT FASHION, IF WE'RE NOT GIVING OUR TEACHERS PAY RATES FOR THE FIRST FIVE YEARS? , I WOULD SAY YES, BECAUSE, UM, AT THE MOMENT WITH THE SURROUNDING, UH, UM, COUNTIES, I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO THIS YEAR, BUT, UH, COMPENSATION WISE REGIONALLY, THAT STILL KEEPS, BUT WE'RE STILL AHEAD. AND AS MS. CROSBY SAID, IT'S, IT'S STILL SUBJECT TO ANY COST OF LIVING INCREASE THAT WE GIVE, RIGHT? UH, YES. IN, IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS. RIGHT. SO, SO SOMEBODY WHO IS AT, UH, STEP ZERO, 60,000 8 87 WORKED THE FULL YEAR, THE FOLLOWING YEAR, WHATEVER WE GIVE IN COST OF LIVING INCREASE WOULD BE ADDED TO THAT 60,087. SO THEY'LL MOVE UP A STEP TO STEP ONE, AND THEIR, AND THEIR SALARY WOULD BE 60,087 PLUS COST OF LIVING INCREASE. MM-HMM. AND ANY INCREASES MANDATED BY THE STATE ALSO. RIGHT. THE INCREASE IS MANDATED ON THE STATE SCHEDULE. SO IF WE'RE ABOVE THE STATE SCHEDULE, TECHNICALLY WE DON'T HAVE TO INCREASE. BUT WE HAVE ALMOST ALWAYS IN MY, IN MY HISTORY WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, ALMOST ALWAYS PROVIDED AT LEAST THE MINIMUM INCREASE THAT THE STATES PROVIDES AND FUNDED IT LOCALLY, IF, IF, UM, GENERALLY IT'S FUNDED LOCALLY. SO IF THEY WERE TO INCREASE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE STATE IS INCREASING $1,500, FUNDING AN INCREASE OF $1,500 THIS YEAR. UM, IN MY, I WOULD, BASED ON THE WORK THAT I'VE DONE, I WOULD PUT IN A $1,500 INCREASE AT A MINIMUM, UH, FOR COST OF LIVING FOR TEACHERS. THAT NUMBER, UM, IN PAST YEARS WAS A PERCENTAGE. UM, SO IT MIGHT BEEN 2% OR 3%. BUT THE STATE DEPARTMENT REALIZED THAT THE TROUBLE WITH KEEPING TEACHERS IS IN THE ZERO TO FIVE YEAR RANGE. AND SO BOOSTING THAT NUMBER BY A FLAT AMOUNT, SUCH AS 1500 OR 2000 OR WHATEVER THE NUMBER MIGHT BE, BRINGS UP A, A, A LARGER PERCENTAGE THAN A, THAN A TWO OR 3%. AND THE TROUBLE IS NOT NECESSARILY KEEPING THE MOST SENIOR TEACHERS WHO ARE CLOSE TO THEIR, UH, RETIREMENT AGE. SO THEY MAY BE RECEIVING A SMALLER PERCENTAGE OF COST OF LIVING AS, UH, AS OPPOSED TO THE, TO THE YOUNGER TEACHERS WHO ARE HAVING A SMALLER SALARY. SO THAT'S THE REASON FOR CHANGING OVER THE STATE, CHANGING TO A FLAT RATE LIKE THAT. UM, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE TYPICALLY GO ALONG WITH THE MINIMUM, AT LEAST THE MINIMUM. IF [00:40:01] WE CAN AFFORD MORE, WE WILL DO THAT. UM, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY OTHER DISTRICTS CURRENTLY THAT ARE DOING THIS CONSOLIDATION OTHER THAN CHARLESTON. UM, BUT I SPOKE WITH A J TESTER TWO YESTERDAY. UM, THEY ARE TRYING TO DO AT LEAST 2000. UM, BUT, UH, THEY ARE A VERY, VERY LEAN DISTRICT AND, UH, THEY ARE TYPICALLY NOT RANKED IN THE TOP FIVE OR EVEN THE TOP 10 OF TEACHER SALARIES IN THE STATE. UH, THEY STRUGGLED TRYING TO COMPETE WITH CHARLESTON AND BERKELEY, UH, IN, IN THAT AREA. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MS. MS. , YOU KIND OF ANSWERED MY QUESTION. 'CAUSE I DO THINK THAT CONSOLIDATING THE TOP FIVE, I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT WOULD AFFECT, 'CAUSE I KNOW ONE OF THE BIG HURDLES IS THE NU PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE THAT DROP OUT IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS. THAT THAT'S, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NUMBERS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I KNOW THAT'S BEEN A, ABOUT, THAT CAN BE AN ISSUE. ABOUT 50% OF TEACHERS ENTERING THE PROFESSION NATIONWIDE DROP OUT BY THE FIF BY THE FIFTH YEAR, ABOUT 50% OF ANY COHORT DROP OUT BY THE FIFTH. SO THAT'S WHY I'M JUST WONDERING IF, AND I, I'M FOR THIS, AND I THINK IT'S CREATIVE, YOU KNOW, AND IT IS NOT MY DECISION, IT'S NOT SOMETHING I KNOW ABOUT, BUT I'M JUST, BECAUSE I'VE HEARD THAT ALL ALONG, THAT GETTING KIDS OR NOT KIDS, GETTING TEACHERS TO THE SIXTH YEAR IS A BIG MILESTONE. SO I WAS JUST WONDERING HOW THAT WAS GONNA FACTOR IN. SO YEAH, MS. FRAZIER SPEAKING AS A PAST TEACHER, UM, THE PAY INCREASE WILL ATTRACT THE TEACHERS, BUT IT, TO GET PAST THAT FIVE YEARS, IT'S A LOT MORE THINGS DEALING WITH CLASSROOMS, DEALING WITH PARENTS. IT TAKES A LOT MORE FOR A TEACHER TO SAY, HEY, I HAVE THE GRIT TO STICK IT OUT, BUT TO INCREASE IT WILL BE LIKE, OOH, THIS IS SOMETHING MAYBE I CAN DO. AND IT BRINGS THEM INTO THE CLASSROOM, BUT IT TAKES A WHOLE LOT TO KEEP YOU THERE. RIGHT. AND IF YOU DON'T MIND, I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO A BACK, BUT I, I APPRECIATE THAT. I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. UH, MY PARENTS WERE TEACHERS, SO I, THAT'S ALL I KNOW ABOUT TEACHER SALARY FROM MY PARENTS. UM, BUT I DO WONDER, 'CAUSE I HAVE, WE'VE HIRED SOME YOUNG PEOPLE WHERE I WORK AND WHEN THEY, YOU KNOW, YOU START OFF AT 60 AND ONE OF THE THINGS IS LIKE, YOU JUST HAVE THESE INCREMENTAL MOVES UP WHERE IF YOU START IN AS, AS A PA OR AS A NURSE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE MAKING BIGGER JUMPS AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU LOOK AROUND AT SIX YEARS AND YOUR FRIENDS IN FINANCE OR DOUBLE YOUR SALARY. SO I'M JUST SAYING, LIKE, I WONDER IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO, I DON'T KNOW, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THAT'S MY, I WOULD, IN OTHER WORDS, IF WE TRY THIS MODEL, I WOULD PAY ATTENTION TO HOW THAT IMPACTS, UM, FIRST, SECOND, THIRD YEAR TEACHERS, AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE WE NEED TO DO. MR. SMITH. OH, MICHAEL, MY QUESTION IS, UH, WELL I LIKE THIS, BUT MY QUESTION IS NOW I'M IN THE RESULTS SECTION RIGHT NOW AND, AND THE RESULTS, WHAT RESULTS HAVE WE BEEN GIVEN TO MOVE THIS? UH, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S, IT IS GOOD TO BE IN THE TOP. EVERY, EVERYONE WANTS TO BE, EVERYONE WANTS TO BE MICHAEL JORDAN. EVERYONE, EVERYONE WANTS TO WIN, BUT, AND THE WINNING SECTION, WE MUST HAVE RESULTS. AND, AND, AND, AND, AND WHAT ARE YOU SAYING, MR. SMITH? WELL, WE'VE SAID THAT WE'VE MOVED IT FOR SO FOR, SO FOR A COUPLE YEARS, AND WE, WE ARE COMPETING WITH THE TOP FIVE IN TERMS OF THAT, WHAT HAS BEEN THE RETURN ON, ON OUR INVESTMENT? BECAUSE IT'S, IT IS MORE THAN TEACHERS THAT WHO ARE MAKING THIS WHEEL GO AROUND. YOU HAVE BUS DRIVERS, YOU HAVE TEACHERS ASSISTANTS, YOU HAVE OTHER THINGS. AND WE JUST CAN'T TAKE UP, WE CAN'T TAKE, WE CAN'T TAKE ONE SIDE OF THE, OF THE BUSINESS UP AND THEN WE LACKING IN THE OTHER SIDE. SO AT SOME POINT, IT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE A, A, A A, UM, UNILATERAL MOVE TO WHERE WE ARE ELEVATING EVERYONE. AND BECAUSE EVERY, EVERYONE IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE BOTTOM LINE. SO I, I, I TOO COME FROM A TEACHING BACK FROM A TEACHING A MO ACTUALLY MY MOTHER WAS A TEACHER ASSISTANT. SO I LOOK AT THE, AT THE, I LOOK DEEPER INTO THE BUILDUP, INTO THE RESULTS SECTION, INTO WHAT WE'RE BRINGING AS A WHOLE, BECAUSE THAT, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S VERY VALUABLE. SO WHAT BANG ARE WE GETTING FOR OUR BUCK? BECAUSE IT IS ONE THING TO PAY YOU, BUT THEN THERE'S A, THERE'S A, THERE'S ANOTHER, THERE'S, THERE'S A, THERE'S ANOTHER THING TO GET RESULTS. AND I THINK I, I THINK, I THINK OUR CONSTITUENTS AND THE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE GONNA BE PAYING THESE BILLS, THEY WANNA KNOW, OKAY, WELL YOU KEEP TAKING 'EM UP. WHAT ARE WE GETTING FOR IT? THAT'S MY QUESTION. I DON'T WANNA GET EXCITED BEFORE I UNDERSTAND THAT. PASTOR GORDON. YEAH. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT BEEN ON MY MIND, AND THIS IS AWESOME TEACHERS, YOU KNOW, WE ALL NEED TO BE LOOKING OUT, UM, FOR THEM. UM, BUT BRINGING UP THE SALARY TO WHERE WE, WE TRYING TO GET IT, [00:45:01] WHAT DOES THAT DO? IS THERE, WOULD THERE BE A CONFLICT BETWEEN, UM, ADMINISTRATION, LIKE ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS AND PRINCIPALS WHEN IT COME TO THIS SALARY? SO WE HAVE, UH, A NUMBER OF OTHER SLIDES THAT TALKING ABOUT COMPENSATION, AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, UH, CLASSIFIED ADMINISTRATIVE AND OTHER PROFESSIONAL GROUPS AS WELL. OKAY. AND THERE ARE INCREASES IN THIS BUDGET FOR THEM AS WELL. WE JUST HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THAT POINT YET. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY, MS. GORDON. THANK YOU, MS. CROSBY. UM, I'M LIKE, MS. BRASIER, I'M SITTING HERE SAYING, WOW, I REMEMBER I STARTED OUT HERE IN THIS DISTRICT AS THE SECRETARY TO, AND I MADE MORE THAN THE FIRST YEAR. HMM. WHICH IS WHY I TOOK THE, UH, AND THEN LATER ON I SWITCHED TO TEACHING. BUT HERE WAS ANOTHER POINT THAT THOSE OF US WHO ARE SITTING HERE HAVEN'T BEEN IN CLASSROOM. YOUR FIRST YEAR TEACHERS WHO ARE COMING FROM OHIO, ARIZONA, FOREVER, THEY WOULD COME HERE AND TAKE THAT $36,000 SALARY, TEACH UNTIL 2 45, 3 O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON, LEAVE OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT AND GO TO COSTCO OR WALMART OR SOME RESTAURANT TO MAKE ENDS MEET. SO YOU HAVE A KID WHO'S WORKED FROM SEVEN 30 IN THE MORNING, THREE IN THE AFTERNOON. NOW THEY'RE REPORTING TO ANOTHER JOB FROM FOUR TO 10. AND THEN THEY'RE GETTING HOME GRADING PAPERS, PROBABLY FALLING ASLEEP ABOUT ONE O'CLOCK, AND THEY GOTTA BE BACK UP AT SIX HEAD BACK TO OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. THIS IS THE MAIN JOB. AND I SAW THAT A LOT. AND I KNOW THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT WE STARTED LOOKING AT INCREASING SALARY OF OURT BECAUSE AT THAT FIVE YEAR MARK, THOSE TEACHERS, NO, WERE NO LONGER HERE IN BUFORT COUNTY, THEY'RE WORKING TWO JOBS, SOME OF THEM THREE, AND THEY GOT ROOMMATES. SO IF OUR GOAL IS TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN, HAVE THE BEST TEACHERS POSSIBLE, THEN I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO. 60,000 A YEAR BEGINNING SALARY OR TEACHER, A 24-YEAR-OLD TEACHER. THAT'S AWESOME. PEOPLE. THAT IS AWESOME. AND IT DOESN'T, I'M NOT SAYING THAT THE BUS DRIVER AND THE, UH, CLASSROOM ASSISTANCE DOES NOT MATTER. THEY DO. AND WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THAT. BUT THE CHILD WHO'S IMPACTING THAT CHILD THE MOST IN THE CLASSROOM EVERY DAY IS YOUR TEACHER. SOME OF OUR TEACHERS NOW, I THINK SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS, THEY'RE LIKE 11 TEACHERS IN THE HOLE. WE DON'T HAVE 'EM. WE DON'T HAVE 'EM. WHY? WE'RE NOT PAYING. NO, BECAUSE NATIONWIDE KIDS DON'T WANNA TEACH. IT'S NOT PAYING THEM ENOUGH. WHEN I LOOKED AT RETIRING, I HAD TO LOOK AT MY LAST THREE YEARS TO MAKE SURE THAT I HAD ENOUGH MONEY RETIRE. SO IF WE CAN HELP THEM ALONG THE WAY, I THINK THIS IS MAGNIFICENT. AND I'M QUITE SURE TEACHERS ARE JUMPING UP AND DOWN BECAUSE IT WILL IMPACT THEM. SO LET'S NOT FORGET THIS IS NOT JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE MONEY TO THROW AROUND, BUT IF WE DO, WE'RE PUTTING IT IN THE RIGHT PLACES. BECAUSE IF WE DON'T HAVE TEACHERS TO TEACH, KIDS WILL STAY HOME AND WE'LL BE TEACHING THEM VIRTUALLY. SERIOUSLY. SO I LOVE THIS AND I, I, I WANT TO SEE MORE AND I WANT US TO DO MORE FINANCIALLY FOR OUR TEACHERS. AND IF WE FIND AN EXTRA DIME, LET'S GIVE IT TO EM. . SO I, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THIS IS, THIS [00:50:01] IS MAGNIFICENT AND I DON'T WORRY ABOUT CHARLESTON HAPPY FOR THEM. MM-HMM . THEY SEE THE NEED, THEY'RE RAISING THE BAR. PARDON ME? THEY'RE RAISING THE BAR ACROSS THE STATE. THEY'RE RAISING THE BAR JUST LIKE WE. AND WE, WE WERE THE STARTER. WE WERE, UH, BEGAN THAT EFFORT ABSOLUTELY. I THINK A FEW YEARS AGO AND LED THAT EFFORT. AND IT REALLY BROUGHT THE ATTENTION ACROSS THE WHOLE STATE TO, TO RAISING TEACHER SALARIES. AND I THINK THAT LED, WE WERE THE LEADERS IN THAT. I BELIEVE, UH, CHARLESTON JUMPED ON BOARD AS WELL. CHARLESTON HAS, UM, IS ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST COUNTIES IN TERMS OF PROPERTY VALUES IN THE STATE. SO THEY HAVE THE MEANS TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS, TO DO THIS. SO I, I APPLAUD YOU. MM-HMM . I APPLAUD YOU AND YOUR TEAM, UH, FOR BRINGING THIS TO OUR ATTENTION. BUT I, I LIKE TO BE ON THIS BANDWAGON. OUR TEACHERS, OUR ADMINISTRATORS, EDUCATORS ALONG THE WAY. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . THANK YOU. UH, I'D LIKE TO JUST TALK A LITTLE. LABOR ECONOMICS AND LABOR ECONOMICS IS BASED ON SUPPLY AND DEMAND AND SUPPLY OF TEACHERS IS DOWN CONSIDERABLY. AND I BELIEVE DR. RODRIGUEZ HAS TOLD US ABOUT THE ENROLLMENT IN THE SCHOOLS OF EDUCATION IN THIS STATE ARE DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. SO WHEN YOU HAVE A DIFFERENCE IN SUPPLY AND DEMAND, YOU HAVE TO INCREASE DEMAND BY INCREASING COMPENSATION. WHAT I'VE SEEN IN SIX YEARS ON THIS BOARD IS I'VE SEEN TEACHERS TELL 'EM, TALKING TO ME AND TELLING ME ABOUT THEIR SECOND JOB. I HAD TWO TEACHERS IN MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL TELL ME THEY LIVE IN JASPER COUNTY 'CAUSE THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. SO THEY HAVE TO COMMUTE. BUT ONE TEACHER SAID, I HAVE $61 IN MY CHECKING ACCOUNT AND I HAVE ONE WEEK, OR I GET PAID AGAIN AND I'M NOT SURE HOW I'M GONNA GET MY KIDS AND MYSELF THROUGH IT FOR THE NEXT WEEK. THAT'S A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER. NOW, MY GRANDSON, UH, JUST IS GONNA GRADUATE FROM, UH, CLEMSON IN TWO WEEKS. HE'S, UH, GET HIS BACHELOR'S DEGREE, CIVIL ENGINEER, HE'S GOT A JOB WITH A FIRM IN CHARLESTON MAKING $75,000 A YEAR. FOUND AN APARTMENT BETTER THAN ANYTHING IN THIS COUNTY AT A PRICE RANGE OF, OF 1500 A MONTH. WHAT WE GET, AND I SEE FROM OUR YOUNG TEACHERS, OUR YOUNG TEACHERS THAT COME HERE OUT OF COLLEGE, COME FROM OHIO STATE OR OR WHEREVER THEY COME HERE BECAUSE OF THE BEAUTY AND THE RECRUITING EFFORT THAT WE DO WHEN THEY GET HERE, THEY GET IN THE CLASSROOM. IT'S A, IT'S A CULTURAL CHANGE FOR THEM. THEY, THEY'RE STRUGGLING TO LEARN ABOUT OUR CULTURE AND OUR, OUR COUNTY AND WHERE DO THEY GO ON THE WEEKENDS? WHAT IS THERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY OR A 22-YEAR-OLD SINGLE GIRL, BOY TEACHER. THEY GO TO SAVANNAH SAVANNAH'S CLOSER, AND THERE'S SOME, THERE'S SOME VENUES THERE FOR THEM. BUT THEY GO TO CHARLESTON AND THEY GO TO CHARLESTON EVERY WEEKEND. AND SO THEY, THEY WILL LOOK AT AND SAY, HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH FOR ME TO STAY HERE? I I MAY LIKE IT, I MAY LIKE LIVING HERE MORE. IT'S NOT AS CROWDED AND EVERYTHING ELSE, BUT IF I SPEND EVERY WEEKEND IN CHARLESTON HMM. AND THEY'RE PAYING THAT MUCH MORE. WE'RE IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET. WE HAVE TO COMPETE. AND THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THIS DOES. IT ALLOWS US TO COMPETE. WE WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MATCH CHARLESTON. WE, WE DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES CHARLESTON, BUT WE HAVE TO BE CLOSE TO CHARLESTON AND WE CERTAINLY HAVE TO BE BETTER THAN GREENVILLE AND SO ON. BUT, YOU KNOW, SO THIS IS A GREAT STEP IN THE, IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. I'LL ALSO TELL YOU, THIS IS VERY MUCH LIKE THE MILITARY. MILITARY. WE START OUT AS A SECOND LIEUTENANT AND WE GET SECOND LIEUTENANT PAY UNTIL WE GET PROMOTED AND THEN WE GET FIRST LIEUTENANT PAY UNTIL WE GET PROMOTED. SO THIS, FOR THE FIRST FIVE YEARS, YOU START OUT AS A TEACHER AT A HIGH SALARY, BUT THEN IT'S YOUR SIXTH YEAR, BOOM, GET IN THE NEXT STEP. AND THAT'S VERY SIMILAR [00:55:01] TO WHAT WE DO IN, IN THE MILITARY IN THE PROMOTION SYSTEM. SO, UH, MY COMPLIMENTS SAYS THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO GO. ANY OTHER? YEAH, I'D LIKE TO COMMENT IT. AUSTIN? YEAH, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YEAH, I'D LIKE TO COMMENT IT. YEAH. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, SIR. OKAY, GO AHEAD. OKAY. THERE'S A DELAY, SO, UM, WE CAN HEAR YOU. ALRIGHT, GOOD. OKAY, GOOD. OKAY. THERE'S A DELAY. SO, UM, I, I DON'T WANNA, I DON'T WANNA SOUND LIKE THE GRINCH, BUT, UH, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS I, I DON'T WANNA, I DON'T WANNA SOUND LIKE THE GRINCH, BUT, UH, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS I THINK SHOULD OCCUR BEFORE WE ACTUALLY, UH, TAKE THIS IMMEDIATE STEP. UH, AND I WOULD, BEFORE WE ACTUALLY, UH, TAKE THIS IMMEDIATE STEP, UH, AND I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE, UM, C THIS, LET ME JUST ADD A FEW THINGS. ONE, SUGGEST THAT WE, NUMBER ONE, LET ME JUST ADD A FEW THINGS. ONE, THE NUMBER ONE REASON THAT PEOPLE LEAVE A JOB IS AN INTERFAITH BETWEEN THEM AND THEIR SUPERVISOR. AND SO PEOPLE LEAVE A JOB, THERE'S AN INTERFAITH BETWEEN THEM AND THEIR SUPERVISOR. AND I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LOOK AT A COUPLE OF DATA POINTS. ONE, I THINK THERE'S POSITION OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LOOK AT A COUPLE OF DATA POINTS. ONE OUT WHAT POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE HERE, WHAT IS THE PERCENTAGE THAT ARE FILLED? AND THAT WILL TELL US HOW EFFECTIVE WE ARE IN CLOSING THAT GAP. WHAT IS THE PERCENTAGE THAT ARE FILLED? AND THAT WILL TELL US HOW EFFECTIVE WE ARE IN CLOSING THAT GAP. THE SECOND THING IS TO LOOK AT THE TURNOVER HOTSPOTS WHEN YOU'RE MANAGING MULTI-UNIT . THE SECOND THING IS TO LOOK AT THE TURNOVER HOTSPOTS. WHEN YOU'RE MANAGING MULTI-UNIT AREAS, YOU CANNOT A LOT OF TIMES IDENTIFY THAT THERE ARE A FEW AREAS THAT ARE CREATING THE MAJORITY OF THE NEGATIVE. IDENTIFY THAT THERE ARE A FEW AREAS THAT ARE CREATING THE MAJORITY OF THE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THEIR, SO WE ANALYZE WHAT'S HAPPENING BY UNIT AND AREA AND JOB CATEGORY OF WHAT'S HAPPENING BY UNIT AND AREA AND JOB CATEGORY. THEN WE MAY IDENTIFY SOME SUCCESSFUL MECHANISMS THAT THOSE UNITS THAT HAVE LOW TURNOVER AND WE MAY IDENTIFY CAN BE REPLICATED SUCCESSFUL MECHANISMS THAT THOSE UNITS THAT HAVE LOW TURNOVER CAN BE REPLICATED. AND I THINK THAT WILL GIVE US JUSTIFICATION. SO I'D LIKE TO ADD A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE REALLY, I THINK THAT WOULD GIVE US JUSTIFICATION. SO I'D LIKE TO ADD A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE REALLY RELEVANT. SO ONE IS THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS BEEN TASKED, UH, WITH A 25% REDUCTION IN THERE HAS BEEN TAXED, UH, WITH A 25% REDUCTION IN THERE O OPERATING EXPENSE OPERAT. SO THE OTHER THING, THE OTHER THING THAT, UM, WE HEARD IN OUR MEETING WITH SUPERINTENDENT, THE OTHER THING THAT UM, WE HEARD IN OUR MEETING WITH SUPERINTENDENT ER IS THAT THEY REALLY ARE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THE PERCENTAGE OF OUR EXPENSES THAT ARE ALLOCATED TO, THEY'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THE PERCENTAGE OF OUR EXPENSES THAT ARE ALLOCATED TO LEADERSHIP. SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, THE NATIONAL AND GLOBAL ECONOMY, IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE ENTERING A VERY TURBULENT TIME, NATIONAL AND GLOBAL ECONOMY. IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE ENTERING A VERY TURBULENT TIME. AND SO I WOULD, THIS IS GOING TO RESULT IN A, AND I DON'T HAVE THE GRAPH IN FRONT OF ME, POINT 0.3 MILLION. THIS IS GOING TO RESULT IN A AND I DON'T HAVE THE GRAPH IN FRONT OF ME, 4.3 MIL . AND I THINK THAT POLITICALLY, IN TERMS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING, I'LL SUGGEST A COUPLE OF STEPS INTERIM AND THINK THAT POLITICALLY STEPS IN TERMS OF WHAT'S HAPPENING. I'LL SUGGEST A COUPLE OF INTERIM STEPS. FOR EXAMPLE, COLLAPSING THE FIRST THREE, UH, LEVELS OF THE SALARY WAGE, FOR EXAMPLE, COLLAPSING THE FIRST THREE, UH, LEVELS OF THE SALARY WAGE THIS YEAR, AND THEN THE REMAINING TWO NEXT YEAR, AND THEN THE REMAINING TWO NEXT YEAR. I ALSO WAS SUGGESTED WE TAKE A LOOK AT DELAYING BY A YEAR, THE PETITION OF ITEMS TAKE A LOOK AT BY A YEAR, THE, UH, PETITION OF ITEMS 29 AND 30. AND I THINK THAT WILL GIVE US COVER, UH, POLITICALLY SO THAT WE ARE NOT ONLY JUST THE SALARY POLITICALLY, [01:00:02] SO THAT WE ARE NOT ONLY JUST PROVING THE SALARY OF IT, BUT WE ARE BEING FISCALLY PRUDENT IN A TIME WHEN I THINK THAT, THAT, THAT BEARS A LOT. BUT WE ARE BEING FISCALLY PRUDENT IN A TIME WHEN I THINK THAT THAT, THAT BEARS A LOT. OKAY. SO IT'S KINDA A LOT OF REVERB HERE AND DELAY. SO I'M GONNA STOP THERE, BUT HOPEFULLY YOU CATCH 'EM. OKAY. SO IT'S KINDA A LOT OF REVERB HERE AND DELAY, SO I'M GONNA STOP THERE, BUT HOPEFULLY YOU CATCH 'EM, MIKE. OKAY, THANK YOU SIR. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? THEN LET'S, LET'S GO ON. GO ON. OKAY. YES. ALRIGHT. UM, SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, THE SALARY INCREASE, TEACHER SALARY INCREASES THE COSTS. UM, SO THAT WOULD BE, I DON'T HAVE THE SLIDE NUMBER ON MINE. UH, THAT'S THE ONE. SO THE COST OF THE $4,000 INCREASE TO TEACHER'S SALARIES, UH, IT'S, SO IT'S ABOUT $2 MILLION, UH, A LITTLE OVER $2 MILLION PER THOUSAND. SO 9.4 MILLION WOULD BE THE TOTAL OF THE TEACHER SALARY INCREASE. UM, THE STEP INCREASE IN ADDITION TO THAT WOULD BE 2.7 MILLION. THAT WAS THE ANNUAL STEP INCREASE THAT IS REQUIRED. UM, SO CONSOLIDATING STEP ZERO TO FIVE WILL COST $1.2 MILLION. SO THAT'S A RELATIVELY MINIMAL COST COMPARED TO A, WITH A HUGE IMPACT, UH, COMPARED TO A TEACHER SALARY INCREASE. 'CAUSE THERE'S A SMALLER NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THOSE ZERO TO FIVE STEPS. SO I THINK IT WAS ABOUT 338 TEACHERS WOULD BE CONSIDERED IN THAT, IN THOSE CATEGORIES. AND IN ADDITION TO ANY NEW ONES COMING ON BOARD, UM, WE'RE ALSO PROPOSING TO, IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WE HAVE, UM, MOVE FROM OUR MAX STEP. WE BEGAN, UH, IN 20 19, 20 20 AND IN, UM, WHEN DR. RODRIGUEZ CAME ON BOARD, WE WERE AT A MAX STEP OF 24 STEPS. UM, SO THE RETIREMENT AGE ELIGIBILITY AGE IS 28 YEARS, SO OUR GOAL WAS TO MOVE TO 28. UH, WHAT WE'RE SEEING ACROSS THE STATE IS THAT MANY OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE AT 40, 36 YEARS, UH, WELL ABOVE OUR STEP RANGE. SO WE MADE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO MOVE FORWARD ONE STEP AT A TIME EACH YEAR. EACH STEP COST ABOUT $200,000. UM, AND SO IN EFFORTS TO BOOST, UH, AN AN ADDITIONAL, UH, TO EVEN BRING OUR MOST VETERAN TEACHERS IN HOLD ONTO THEM FOR ONE MORE YEAR, UM, WE ARE PROPOSING TO DO TWO STEPS THIS YEAR TO MOVE US FROM 28 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE TO TO 30. UM, SO AGAIN, THAT WOULD PROVIDE INCENTIVE TO OUR MOST VETERAN TEACHERS. AND IT MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR, FOR HOLDING THOSE FOLKS FOR ONE ADDITIONAL YEAR BEFORE THEIR PLANS FOR RETIREMENT. UH, AGAIN, THE MAX STEPS AFFECTS, UM, ABOUT 180 EMPLOYEES AND THOSE AT THE 29TH YEAR GOING TO 30 IS ABOUT 144 OF THOSE. SO 80% OF THE PEOPLE IN THE 28 YEAR PLUS CATEGORY ARE ALREADY AT 29 OR MORE. SO, UM, IT WOULD AFFECT THAT, THAT GROUP AND HAS A POTENTIAL OF IMPACTING 144 EMPLOYEES THERE. SO, UM, SO THAT IS A, COULD POTENTIALLY PROVIDE US SOME ADDITIONAL RELIEF HOLDING ONTO SOME OF OUR POTENTIAL, UH, UH, UPCOMING RETIREES JUST A LITTLE LONGER. UM, SO SALARY SLIPPAGE IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, WE DID NOT TAKE IN THE CURRENT YEAR BUDGET, AND WE DID HAVE, ARE SHOWING SOME SAVINGS IN SALARIES THIS YEAR. SO I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PROVIDE AT LEAST A MINIMAL LEVEL OF SLIPPAGE. SO, UH, WHAT I DID WAS TAKE THE TOTAL TEACHER SALARIES AND, UH, WE DETERMINED THAT ABOUT 1.5% WOULD BE A REASONABLE NUMBER. SO WE BELIEVE THAT WE CAN HAVE AT LEAST 3 MILLION IN SLIPPAGE TO HELP OFFSET THE COST OF, OF TEACHER SALARIES. THESE ARE, THIS WILL BE SALARY SLIPPAGE FOR ALL OTHER EMPLOYEES AS WELL. SO IF SOMEONE STARTED MIDYEAR, THERE WOULD BE SLIPPAGE, UM, IF THEY LEFT EARLY DURING THE YEAR, UH, AND THAT SORT OF THING. SO THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THAT CAN BE EXPERIENCED, BUT, UH, RATHER THAN JUST, IT'S NOT JUST A FULL YEAR OF VACANCY. UM, SO THIS WILL HELP TO OFFSET THAT COST AND MAKE THAT BUDGET MORE, UM, CLO CLOSELY ALIGNED TO THE ACTUALS THAT WE WILL EXPERIENCE AT THE END OF THE YEAR. SO THE TOTAL PROPOSED SALARY INCREASES HERE ARE $10.5 MILLION. AND THE NEXT SLIDE WE HAVE OTHER COMPENSATION INCREASES. THIS WOULD BE FOR CLASSIFIED PROFESSIONAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEES. UH, WE'RE CURRENTLY PROPOSING A 3% COST OF LIVING INCREASE. THIS IS THE SAME AS WE PROPOSED, UH, IN THE CURRENT YEAR. THAT WOULD REFLECT THE [01:05:01] SAME AMOUNT AS CURRENT YEAR. SO IN THIS CATEGORY OF EMPLOYEES, EACH 1% COSTS ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS. SO THROUGH, UH, IT'S RIGHT AT 2.9 MILLION HERE. SO EACH 1% AGAIN IS 1 MILLION. THE ANNUAL STEP INCREASE COSTS ABOUT 1.7 MILLION FOR THIS CATEGORY. THIS WOULD, SO THE ADMINISTRATORS WOULD BE YOUR PRINCIPALS, YOUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, YOUR ADMINISTRATORS AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE. PROFESSIONAL STAFF WOULD BE NURSES, I BELIEVE SOCIAL WORKERS AND, AND THAT CATEGORY OF, I BELIEVE OTS AND PTS, UH, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, PHYSICAL THERAPISTS ARE IN THAT CATEGORY. AND THEN CLASSIFIED WILL BE ALL OTHER STAFF. UM, SO AGAIN, INCREASING MAX STEP FROM 28 TO 30, UH, IT MAKES IT MUCH, UH, MORE EFFICIENT IF WE ARE ALIGNING THAT, UH, HIGHEST STEP WITH OUR CERTIFIED STAFF. SO WE'RE PROPOSING, AND THIS GROUP OF EMPLOYEES, WE HAVE TWO, ABOUT 2000 TEACHERS. WE HAVE ABOUT A THOUSAND OF THIS GROUP EMPLOYEES. SO ABOUT A TWO THIRDS, ONE THIRD SPLIT. SO THE COST IS ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ANNUAL STEP INCREASE ON THE, ON THE SCREEN. UM, IT IS, I HAVE 13, I BELIEVE. 13. WOW. AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, A COUPLE OF REDUCTIONS AREAS THAT WERE OVER BUDGETED IN THE CURRENT YEAR. UM, SICK LEAVE PAYOUTS, ADDITIONAL CLASS PAY, AND SUMMER LEARNING. WE HAD BUDGETED A LITTLE HIGHER THAN WE, UM, THAT IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S COMING IN AT. UH, OUR ACTUALS ARE COMING IN, SO WE'RE ABLE TO REDUCE THAT BUDGET. WORKERS' COMP IS REALLY UP AND DOWN DEPENDING ON THE CLAIMS THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING FROM YEAR TO YEAR. SO I THINK WE MUST HAVE HAD A BAD YEAR IN IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. WE, UH, RAISE THE BUDGET AND WE REALIZE THAT THIS YEAR WE NEED TO BRING THAT BACK DOWN. SO WE HAVE SOME SAVINGS THERE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO BRING DOWN TO REFLECT ACTUAL SPENDING PATTERNS. SO THIS CATEGORY WILL NET AT $3.7 MILLION. ALRIGHT, SO THIS ONE MAY NEED TO REFER TO THE NEXT SLIDE. WE, I'M GONNA REFER SOME TO THE HANDOUTS. SO THE HANDOUTS, WE HAVE A SUMMARY OF INCREASES AND DECREASES REALLY MORE NARRATIVE BEHIND THE, THESE LINE ITEMS. UM, SO IN ON PAGE THREE OF THE HANDOUT I'M GOING TO REFERENCE, UM, SCHOOL STAFFING AND SUPPORT ALLOCATIONS. SO THE FIRST LINE, UM, IS, UH, SUPPORT THE 4.9 MILLION REFERS TO BRINGING THE, UH, ESS OR THE T FULL-TIME TEACHING ASSISTANT POSITIONS BACK IN HOUSE. AND I'M GONNA REFER DOWN TO THE CONTACTED CONTRACTED SUPPORT STAFF OF A NEGATIVE 3 MILLION. THOSE TWO THINGS ARE SHIFTING STAFF FROM A SERVICE TO A, UH, SALARY AND BENEFIT CATEGORY. THE NET OF THE TWO IS ABOUT $1.9 MILLION AND THAT WOULD REFLECT THE BENEFITS INCLUDING HEALTH INSURANCE AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS. SO THOSE TWO CATEGORIES REALLY, UM, GO TOGETHER. UM, THE NEXT CATEGORY IS SUPPORT FOR, UH, SUPPLEMENTAL POSITIONS. AND THOSE PROVIDE, UM, THOSE ARE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, TUTORING, SUMMER ARTS PROGRAM, CRISIS PREVENTION, CULTURAL EVENTS, CHILDCARE, VIRTUAL SCHOOL PROGRAMS. SO THAT 1.1 MILLION, 1 67 IS FOR A, A VARIETY OF SUPPLEMENTAL PROGRAMS THAT, UM, WE HAVE, UM, TWO SUPPORT STUDENTS AND THEN SUPPORT FOR ACADEMIC PROGRAMS, UH, ARE ADDITIONAL, UH, POSITIONS THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE ACADEMICS, UH, PRIORITY SLIDE. UH, SO THEY RELATE TO SCIENCE FINE ART FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS, UH, CTE, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, UH, AI AND EXPANSION OF THE TIDES PROGRAM. UM, AND THEN THE NET DECREASE. SO LET'S SEE. UH, THERE'S A NET DECREASE TO CERTIFIED STAFFING OF 6.5 MILLION. SO, UM, LET ME BACK UP A LITTLE AND GIVE SOME HISTORY ON THIS. UH, SO FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC, UM, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A STAFFING FORMULA FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. WE, UH, A FEW YEARS AGO WE DEVELOPED [01:10:01] A WEIGHTED STAFFING FORMULA. AND SO I HAVE THE STAFFING FORMULAS IN THE HANDOUT AS WELL, ONE FOR EACH GRADE LEVEL, ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE HIGH, AND A PRE-K EIGHT. UM, WHAT I DON'T HAVE FOR YOU BACK THERE, AND I'M GONNA BRING FOR YOU, UH, THE NEXT, UH, BUDGET MEETING IS THE WEIGHTED STAFFING MODEL. SO ANY, UH, WE WEIGHT SCHOOLS BASED ON THE HIGHEST POVERTY. SO, UH, IF YOU HAVE A HIGH LEVEL OF POVERTY OR A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF POVERTY, YOU COULD GET A LOWER CLASS SIZE IN CERTAIN GRADE LEVELS. AND SO WHEN WE APPLY THE ENROLLMENT NUMBERS TO OUR BUDGET, UH, WE APPLY THAT TO A STAFFING MODEL. WE THEN, UH, DETERMINE HOW MANY CLASSROOM TEACHERS A SCHOOL IS ELIGIBLE FOR FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC WE HELD, ALTHOUGH WE FELL IN ENROLLMENT, RIGHT? UH, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC, UH, WE HELD NOT AT THE SAME LEVEL, BUT WE, WE DID REDUCE TEACHERS BASED ON THE CORRESPONDING FORMULA, BUT NOT TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE FORMULA. BUT WE NEEDED TO PRODU PRODUCE SOME, UH, RESULTS, UM, RECOVERY OF THE LEARNING LOSS. AND SO, UH, WE DIDN'T GO STRICTLY TO THE ADHERE STRICTLY TO THE FORMULA. UM, SO WE LEFT THAT VERY, UM, LEFT POSITION SO THAT THE CLASS SIZES WERE, UH, SMALLER THAN THEY WOULD NORMALLY BE IF WE WERE TO HAVE APPLIED THE FORMULA. SO WE'VE GRADUALLY SCALED BACK POSITIONS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, BUT THIS YEAR WE ADHERED STRICTLY TO THE FORMULA. UM, THE WEIGHTED STAFFING FORMULA PROVIDES A LOWER, LOWER, UM, RESULT FOR THE HIGHER POVERTY SCHOOLS, UH, AS FAR AS IN TERMS OF CLASS SIZE. BUT IT ALSO, BY STRICTLY DOING THAT, WE REDUCED THE NUMBER OF TOTAL TEACHING POSITIONS. SO OUR STAFFING FORMULAS CAN BE FOUND IN THOSE HANDOUTS. AND THEN, UM, WE WILL BRING THAT MAY SIX WEIGHTED STAFFING FORMULA TO YOU. UM, SO THIS DECREASE, UH, IN ADDITION TO, UM, APPLYING OUR, UH, INTERVENTION TEACHERS TO A FORMULA AS WELL RESULTED IN A DECREASE OF $6.5 MILLION. AND SO THAT COST WILL OFFSET AND, UH, ASSIST THE DISTRICT WITH BEING ABLE TO FUND THE TEACHER SALARY INCREASE. ALL RIGHT. THE NEXT SLIDE IS OPERATIONAL EXPENDITURES. UM, SO THIS IS PRIMARILY THE CUSTODIAL MAINTENANCE AND GROUNDS CONTRACTS. UM, WE DO EXPECT ABOUT A $4 MILLION INCREASE IN THOSE CONTRACTUAL AREAS. UH, WE JUST, WE HAVE A NEW CONTRACT IN THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR FOR CUSTODIAL, AND WE'RE CURRENTLY OUT FOR BID ON THE MAINTENANCE CONTRACT. UM, AND BASED ON OUR ANALYSIS, UM, TO THE, THE, WITH THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE, IT, IT DOES, UH, WE ARE EXPECTING, UH, A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT INCREASE THERE. UM, BUT ALSO WE ARE ALSO EXPECTING A, A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE LEVEL OF SERVICE AS WELL. UM, SECURITY, UH, THIS IS A RELATIVELY MINIMAL COST CONSIDERING THE SI CONSIDERING THIS BUDGET. HOWEVER, WE DO EXPECT THAT WE WILL BE, UM, AN, WE ARE ANTICIPATING FUNDING FOR THE THREE REMAINING SR SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS TO BE FUNDED FROM THE STATE, WHICH WOULD PRODUCE A SAVINGS IN OUR, UH, BUDGET. SO IT WOULD ALLOW US SOME SAVINGS IN THE SECURITY GUARDS THAT WE'RE PURCHASING RIGHT NOW. SO WE HAVE THREE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTERS THAT, UH, HAVE SECURITY GUARDS, BUT NOT SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER. AND THOSE LOCATIONS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR STATE FUNDING. YES, SIR. SORRY. UM, I DO HAVE A CONCERN THERE. UH, IN TERMS, UH, IN TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT CAME FROM THE, THE GOVERNOR'S DESK, UH, A COUPLE OF, UH, WEEKS AGO, , UM, THAT, WHERE, THAT THE, UH, THE STATE, THE STATE DID NOT FUND IT, WERE NO, THEY WERE NO LONGER FUNDING SOME OF THE, UH, SECURE SECURITY, UM, THE, THE SECURITY, UH, OR SROS. SO MY QUESTION IS, UH, IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE PLANNING ON IT, AND HE, AND HE WAS STATING HE WAS ASKING US TO ASK OUR LE LOCAL LEGISLATORS TO GIVE THEM THE FUNDING, THEN I'M NOT SURE IF IT WOULD BE, WHEREAS ONE THAT'S CONCERNING WOULD BE PRUDENT FOR US NOT TO, TO, UH, TO US NOT TO THINK THAT WE MAY BE, WE, WE, WE MAY GET A RELIEF WHEN WE POSSIBLY MAY NOT EVEN GET A RELIEF. AND MY QUESTION WOULD BE, DO, DO WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE AS A DISTRICT ON THAT, IN TERMS OF [01:15:01] THAT MATTER? I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION. I, I THOUGHT WHAT I SAW THE OTHER DAY, UM, UH, AND, AND I MEAN, ONE OR TWO DAYS AGO THOUGHT WHAT I SAW ONE OR TWO DAYS AGO WAS THAT THE SENATE SIDE OF THE BUDGET WAS LOOKING AT INCREASING THE COMPENSATION FOR SROS. NOT THE, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT WAS WHAT I THOUGHT WAS COMING FROM THEIR SIDE. AND I THINK THE HOUSE AND THE, AND THE SENATE STILL HAVE TO, UH, NOW WORK OUT WHATEVER DIFFERENCES MIGHT BE, UH, THAT MIGHT EXIST IN THERE. BUT I'M, I'M GONNA LOOK FOR THAT. 'CAUSE I HAVEN'T, I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. YOU'RE SAYING, YOU'RE SAYING THEY'RE CUTTING IT, UH, SOUTH CAROLINA, SOUTH CAROLINA SCHOOL FACES POTENTIAL LOSS AND NEARLY 200 SROS AND, AND, AND FUND FUNDING. AND GOVERNOR HENRY MCMASTER, UH, PUT OUT, HE PUT, HE PUT OUT A STATEMENT SO THAT THAT'S, UH, THAT TO, SO TO ME THAT'S, DO YOU KNOW WHAT DATE THAT WAS? UM, YEAH. ON THIS ONE HERE, IT SAYS MARCH. IT IS, UH, MONDAY, MARCH 10TH, 2025. YEAH. UH, I, THAT MAY HAVE BEEN PART OF THE INITIAL, UH, BACK AND FORTH. I, I WILL, I, I WILL LOOK INTO IT TO FIND OUT, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE WE'RE COVERED IN THAT AREA. YEAH. YEAH. BECAUSE THAT DEFINITELY IS, UM, CONCERNING. AND I WOULD HATE FOR US TO MOVE FORTH AND, AND WE'RE THINKING THAT WE'RE GONNA GET A RELIEF AND THEN WE HIT WITH ACTUALLY WITH ANOTHER, AND YET ANOTHER BILL. SO I WOULD DEFINITELY MAKE, WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE, UH, HAVE OUR, I'S CROSSED AND NOT OUR DOTS CROSSED AND OUR I'S, UH, DOTTED. SO YEAH, THAT'S DEFINITELY A, UM, A CONCERN. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I MADE A COMMENT ON THAT IN THE, UH, SO THIS CATEGORY, WE'RE EXPECTING A PROJECTED COST OF 4 MILLION. SHE MADE A COMMENT ON, HE MADE A COMMENT ON THE CHAT. OKAY. UP PLEASE. YEAH. THIS IS, THIS DISPLAYS ONE OF OUR CHALLENGES IS THAT THE STATE IS NOT FINISHED WITH THEIR BUDGET, THEREFORE, WE'RE, WE ARE TASKED WITH BUILDING A BUDGET WITHOUT SOLID FINAL INFORMATION FROM THE STATE. SO THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF OUR CHALLENGES EVERY YEAR. I MEAN, BUT IT, IT'S A CONSTANTLY CHANGING AND WE STILL HAVE UNTIL MAY 20TH TO MAKE, UH, TO GET FINAL VOTES SO WE CAN MAKE SOME ALTERATIONS IF WE NEED TO BASED ON NEW INFORMATION IN THE FUTURE. I MEAN, AND, AND, AND I DO AGREE, I, AND I DO AGREE, UH, I DO UNDER WHY STEP SAID, I DO UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT, UH, KUDOS ARE TO THE, UH, GOVERNOR, 'CAUSE HE DID JUMP OUT IN FRONT OF THIS AND PUTS OUT THERE SO THAT PEOPLE ARE KNOWING. AND I THINK THAT KNOWING THAT WHAT, WHAT COULD POTENTIALLY HAPPEN AND, UH, BEING, UM, BEING GOOD STUDENTS WITH STUDENTS AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS A, SOMETHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN AND MAKING SURE THAT, THAT WE ARE, UH, THAT WE ARE ANTICIPATING JUST IN CASE THAT THEY DON'T HAPPEN, THAT WE ARE PREPARED FOR IT. I THINK IT JUST SHOWS. IT JUST SHOWS. GOOD, GOOD, GOOD DILIGENT WORK. I JUST, AND MR. SMITH, THIS IS JUST ONE OF MANY AIR BILLS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT COULD HAPPEN AND CHANGE, UH, COULD, YOU KNOW, BE VOTED ON, UH, AND PASSED AND HAVE, UH, A LACK OF FUNDING OR, OR NOMINAL FUNDING FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS. UM, THERE IS AT LEAST ONE OTHER THAT I HAVE MY EYE ON, AND THAT'S PAID PARENTAL LEAVE, UH, THAT CAME WITH A, WITH NO FUNDING A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND THEY'RE PROPOSING TO EXPAND IT, UH, DOUBLE THE SERVICES AND THE, UM, THE DAYS THAT ARE AVAILABLE, WHICH WOULD DOUBLE THE SPENDING FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. UM, WE'RE STILL WATCHING THAT ONE VERY CLOSELY. SO THERE ARE GOING TO BE A FEW BILLS THAT COULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON US, AND WE'LL KEEP MONITORING THAT. THANK YOU. I, I'M SURE. I'M SURE, I'M SURE THERE WILL AND OTHER THINGS WILL COME, WILL OCCUR AS, AS WE MOVE FORWARD. MM-HMM . THIS IS MYSELF HERE, THIS, SO YEAH, I'VE SEEN THAT FOR ME WITH THAT. YEAH. THANK YOU. SO THE NEXT SLIDE IS OTHER OPERATIONAL INCREASES. UM, SLIDE 16. AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH UTILITIES, WATER, ENERGY. UH, SO THOSE CATEGORIES, WE DO EXPECT AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 550,000, UM, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS, I BELIEVE. UM, TRASH DISPOSAL MAY BE IN THAT CATEGORY AS WELL, WHICH WE JUST [01:20:01] WENT OUT FOR BID, EXCUSE ME. UM, UH, AND, AND HAVE SOME NEW VENDORS ON THE TRASH DISPOSAL AREA AS WELL. SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS DISTRICTWIDE, UH, 457,000 TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE, 138,000 PROPERTY AND ATHLETIC INSURANCE. UH, THIS IS A LINE ITEM THAT IS NETTED AGAINST THE REBATE THAT SKIS BID IS PROVIDING OF $200,000. SO INSTEAD OF A $229,000 INCREASE, WE ARE PROJECTING ONLY 29 BECAUSE OF THIS POTENTIAL REBATE, OR IT IS NOT A POTENTIAL, IT'S GOING TO BE A REBATE ON OUR PREMIUMS IN THE 25 26 SCHOOL YEAR. AND THEN WE DID SEE SOME SAVINGS IN, UH, OUR CAPITAL LEASES. OUR, UH, OUR AUDITORS, UH, WERE FOLLOWING A GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING STANDARD AND BELIEVED THAT WE HAD CERTAIN LEASES THAT WERE ELIGIBLE FOR, UH, RECORDING AS A CAPITAL LEASE. AND WE HAD TO BUDGET FOR THOSE. UM, WHEN WE CHANGED AUDITORS OR CHANGED TEAMS, THE NEW TEAMS SAID THESE, THOSE PARTICULAR SUBSCRIPTIONS THAT WE WERE, UM, RECORDING DID NOT QUALIFY AS A CAPITAL LEASE. SO WE NO LONGER NEEDED TO BUDGET THIS LINE ITEM. IT WAS NOT A CASH TRANSACTION, IT WAS NOT A PURCHASE. THESE ARE JUST AN ACCOUNTING ENTRY. UM, SO WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE SOME SAVINGS IN THAT LINE ITEM 'CAUSE WE NO LONGER HAVE TO BOOK THAT ENTRY, UH, AT YEAR END THROUGH HUNDRED 50,000. SO THE NET OF THESE EFFECTS ARE HUN, 825,000. AND THEN, UM, LASTLY IN THE, IN THE CATEGORIES, UH, THESE ARE OTHER INCREASES IN DECREASES, WELL, THESE ARE JUST INCREASES ACTUALLY. UM, SO TWO CATEGORIES. I ALWAYS DISPLAY, UH, RIVERVIEW CHARTER SCHOOL EXPECTING 525,000, UH, AND BEAUFORT, JASPER ACE, OUR ALLOCATION, WHICH IS TWO THIRDS OF THE SCHOOL'S COSTS OPERATING COSTS WOULD BE 212. SO LET ME MENTION RIVERVIEW. SO WE HAVE SOME NEW, UH, AS OF TWO DAYS AGO, WE RECEIVED NEW TAX COLLECTION INFORMATION THAT FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH, UM, RIVER VIEW'S ALLOCATION FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR IS BASED ON THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR'S TAX REVENUE. UM, SO AS IT CHANGES THE ALLOCATION FOR RIVERVIEW CHANGES AND OUR LATEST, UH, PROJECTIONS OR OUR LATEST, UH, TAX COLLECTIONS ARE DEMONSTRATING THAT WE ARE, UM, NOT NO LONGER A LITTLE AHEAD OF THE GAME AS FAR AS REVENUES. WE, WE BELIEVE WE WERE GONNA COME ABOUT 2 MILLION OVER. WELL, NOW WE'RE CLOSER TO BREAKING EVEN. SO THESE PROJECTIONS FOR RIVERVIEW ARE BASED ON WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE A $2 MILLION FAVORABLE VARIANCE. SO THIS NUMBER IS GOING TO COME DOWN JUST SLIGHTLY. SO WE HAVE NOT GIVEN RIVERVIEW THEIR BUDGET YET, BECAUSE I WAS AFRAID THIS MIGHT HAPPEN. I DIDN'T WANT TO OVERSTATE THEIR REVENUE. AND THEN THEY BASE THEIR BUDGET FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR ON AN INFLATED NUMBER AND THEN HAVE TO LOWER IT. SO WE HAVE, UM, NOW WE ARE ALIGNED BASICALLY ON THE MARK WITH E EXACTLY WHAT WE BUDGETED FOR THE CURRENT YEARS, UH, TAX, UH, REVENUES. AND WE WILL UPDATE THEIR BUDGET, UH, REPORT AND PROVIDE TO THEM BY MONDAY. UH, SO IT'S GONNA BE SLIGHTLY LOWER NUMBER OF AN INCREASE THAN THIS, BUT I DON'T ANTICIPATE IT BEING SIGNIFICANT IN ANY WAY. SO, UH, IF THAT'S, UM, AND I'LL BE IN TOUCH WITH MR. DR. SINGLETON TO, UH, PROVIDE THAT, UH, EARLY NEXT WEEK. AND IN GRAND TOTAL, THESE ARE THE, JUST ALL THE MAIN CATEGORIES AS YOU CAN SEE THERE. UM, BASICALLY THE MAIN, UH, THIS, UH, POINTS OF THIS SLIDE IS THAT WE, OUR CURRENT YEARS APPROVED EXPENDITURES ARE 359.2 MILLION. THIS WOULD MOVE US TO A $377 MILLION BUDGET. UH, IT'S ABOUT A 5.6% INCREASE, AND 80% OF THE BUDGET INCREASES IN THIS PROPOSAL OUR FOR EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION INCREASES. SO, AGAIN, I, I WANNA REITERATE, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT THE SALARY INCREASES, BUT THESE ARE PROPOSED AT THIS TIME. UM, WE, WE DO HAVE SOME TIME TO GO. WE HAVE SOME DI UH, DISCUSSION TO BE HELD, SOME THINGS TO ANALYZE AND SOME NEW, NEW INFORMATION TO RECEIVE. SO, UH, WE STILL HAVE, UH, UNTIL MAY 20TH TO MAKE A FINAL DECISION. SO AGAIN, THESE ARE PROPOSED. UM, WOULD YOU LIKE A PAUSE THERE OR SHALL I MOVE RIGHT INTO REVENUES? PAUSE. OKAY. JUST A FEW MORE SLIDES LEFT. SHOULDN'T TAKE LONG. SO IN THE PROPOSED REVENUES, UM, AND AS IS ALMOST ALWAYS, UH, THE CASE IS TWO THIRDS OF OUR REVENUE ARE LOCAL TAX REVENUE. UM, DUE TO THE, UM, INDEX OF TAX PAYING ABILITY, THE HIGH PROPERTY VALUES IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, WE RECEIVE A LOWER PROPORTIONATE SHARE OF STATE FUNDING THAN MOST SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE [01:25:01] STATE. SO 36% IS STATE REVENUE REPRESENTS STATE REVENUE, AND THEN A TINY FRACTION IS FEDERAL. IN THIS CATEGORY, THERE ARE FEDERAL REVENUES IN OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE SOURCES, BUT IN THIS CATEGORY IS IMPACT AID AND E-RATE, WHICH IS LESS THAN A MILLION, IT'S ABOUT $600,000. UM, SO THAT GIVES YOU A PERSPECTIVE ON SORT OF WHERE MONEY COMES FROM, THE BULK OF IT BEING LOCAL TAX REVENUE. SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE IS OUR HISTORIC VALUE OF THE MILL. THE MILL VALUE IS PROBABLY THE, THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN OUR BUDGET. THE VALUE OF EACH OPERATING MILL DETERMINES HOW MUCH LOCAL TAX REVENUE WE RECEIVE. AND LOCAL TAX REVENUE IS 66% OF OUR BUDGET. SO THAT IS REALLY CRITICAL TO THE CALCULATIONS OF WHAT WE CAN AFFORD TO DO AND, UM, HOW WE, UH, PAY FOR THE EXPENDITURES IN THIS BUDGET. SO, A COUPLE THINGS I JUST WANNA DRAW TO YOUR ATTENTION. I KNOW THIS IS A LOT OF NUMBERS, BUT I THINK THE HISTORY IS IMPORTANT. UM, THERE WERE TWO REASSESSMENT YEARS IN HERE, UH, 2019 AND 2023. SO THE YEAR, THE FISCAL YEARS AFTER, THOSE ARE TAX YEARS. SO THE FISCAL YEARS FOLLOWING THAT, UM, ARE AFFECTED. AND THERE ARE GROWTH PATTERNS. YOU WILL SEE, UM, THE VAL THE MILL RATE, FOR EXAMPLE, WILL FLUCTUATE IN 2019 BECAUSE OF ROLLBACK MILLAGE. AND THEN, UM, AGAIN, IN 2024, FROM 23 TO 24, WE WENT DOWN FOUR MILS THERE. WE ACTUALLY ROLLED BACK 8.2 MILS, BUT THEN ADDED 4.4. SO THE NET IT WAS A FOUR MIL DECREASE. SO WHEN YOU SEE MAJOR FLUCTUATIONS LIKE THAT, THEY ARE ROLLED, THEY ARE REASSESSMENT YEARS WHERE THE TAX REVENUE, THE MILLAGE IS ROLLED BACK TO GENERATE THE SAME LEVEL OF TAXES AND NOT HAVE A TAX WINDFALL. UM, SO THE MILL RATE FLUCTUATION IS IMPORTANT. THE GROWTH RATES ARE ALMOST, UM, MORE IMPORTANT. AS YOU CAN SEE, FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, OUR GROWTH RATES WERE IN THE ONE TO 4% RANGE. LOOK AT 2023. WE JUMPED IN 2023 TO 7.2% GROWTH FACTOR. THAT WAS TOTALLY UNPRECEDENTED, BUT THEN IT WAS EVEN MORE UNPRECEDENTED. IT DOUBLED THE NEXT YEAR, 2024. SO NO ONE, NONE OF US COULD HAVE EXPECTED, UM, THE VALUE OF THE MILL TO GO UP SO MUCH. AND THAT IS THE RATIONALE BET BEHIND ROLLING BACK THE MILLAGE. WE WERE GENERATING MORE, UM, MORE AS AS, UH, WITH THE MILL RATE, WITH THE MILL VALUES THAT WE WERE. SO WE MOVED FROM A 1.5 MILL VALUE TO A 1.6 MILLION OR 7 MILLION MILL VALUE. SO IT'S BEGINNING TO COME BACK DOWN. WE'RE LOOKING AT MORE OF A 7%, 7.5% MILL VALUE GROWTH THIS YEAR IN THE CURRENT YEAR. BUT WE ARE EXPECTING IT TO FALL BACK. WE THINK THAT'S GOING, THAT HAS PEAKED AT 14% IS GOING TO BE FALLING BACK. SO WE ARE, UM, I'M, I, WE REALLY FOUGHT AND BATTLED WITH THE, THE GROWTH FACTOR. UM, THAT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THOUGH, THAT DETERMINES HOW MUCH REVENUE WE'RE GONNA GET IN THE CURRENT YEAR AND NEXT YEAR. UM, SO I WENT SORT OF MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, NOT TOO CONSERVATIVE AND NOT TOO LIBERAL ON THE, UH, ON THE FACTOR. AND I'M COMFORTABLE WITH A 3.7% RATE . ALL RIGHT, SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, THIS IS HISTORICAL MILLAGE RATES, AND IT'S JUST A GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF WHAT YOU SAW ON THE LAST PAGE. AND YOU'LL SEE THE DIPS AND THE JUMPS. UH, THE DIPS ARE REASSESSMENT YEARS, UM, IN 2019, AND THEN 2024. UM, IN 2019, WE ACTUALLY HAD A $9.2 MILLION SHORTFALL BECAUSE THE MILL VALUE WAS ESTIMATED TOO HIGH. AND THE FOLLOWING YEAR WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO USE ALL OF OUR AVAILABLE MILLAGE THAT WAS BANKED AND CURRENT AND HAD TO REPLACE THAT MILLAGE, UM, AND MOVE IT BY 9.2 MILLS TO THAT NEXT YEAR. UM, WE ALSO ASKED FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE NINE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, WHICH WAS ULTIMATELY DENIED BY COUNTY COUNCIL. SO WE HAD TO BUILD OUR FUND BALANCE BACK UP. UH, SO IT WAS A $9.2 MILLION USE OF FUND BALANCE THAT YEAR, UM, WHICH I DON'T EVER WANT TO HAVE TO MANAGE THAT AGAIN. UM, AND WE HAVE BEEN MANAGED TO REPLACE THAT AND BUILD IT, UH, THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. SO, UH, OVER [01:30:01] BETWEEN THE 20, 20, 21 YEAR, WE WENT TO A MORE SIMPLIFIED MODEL TO CALCULATE THE MILL VALUE. UM, AND THAT IS TO BASE IT ON COLLECTIONS AND THE ACTUAL CASH IN THE BANK THAT WE HAVE, AND NOT A CO, UH, A CALCULATION THAT HAS EXEMPTIONS AND DELETIONS AND REBATES AND ALL THESE OTHER VARIABLES. UH, WE JUST TAKE A SIMPLIFIED VARIABLE AND IT'S BEEN MORE, IT'S BEEN MORE, UM, FAVORABLE OUTCOME FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT BY DOING THAT. SO, UH, THE PROPOSAL IS, SO YOU CAN SEE WE RAISED, UM, UH, FOUR MILLS IN THE 22 TO 23 RANGE. UH, THEN WE ROLLED BACK IN 20, 24, 8 MILLS AND THEN ADDED FOUR THERE. SO WE HAVE A PATTERN OF RAISING ABOUT FOUR MILLS MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT THIS TIME SPAN ON THE NEXT SLIDE. YOU, YES, SIR. MM-HMM . GO BACK TO THAT SLIDE PLEASE. OKAY. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SLIDE. AND YOU SEE YOU HAD THE SAME MILLAGE RATE FOR BASICALLY TWO YEARS, 21.8. OKAY. I TOOK A LOOK. I JUST RAN THE US INFLATION NUMBERS. UM, COUNTY INFLATION DURING THIS PERIOD WAS HIGHER THAN THE US RATE, BUT I'M JUST GONNA GIVE YOU THE US RATE OF INFLATION FOR THOSE, UH, TWO YEARS. THE YEAR BEFORE LAST, THE INFLATION RATE NATIONALLY WAS 4.1%. HERE TO DATE, TODAY, RIGHT NOW, THE US INFLATION RATE IS 2.4%, BUT INFLATION BUILDS HAVE 4.1% ONE YEAR, AND YOU HAVE 2.9%, 2.4%. THE NEXT YEAR YOU GET 6.5% INFLATION. AND WE ARE LOOKING AT INCREASING OUR MILLAGE, WHICH IS BRINGS IN OUR REVENUE AT 3.7%. ANYTIME YOU GET BEHIND INFLATION RATE, YOU HAVE TO CATCH UP EVENTUALLY. AND SO WHEN I SEE THIS 3.7, HAVING LOOKED AT A 6.5 INCREASE PERCENT IN THAT TIME PERIOD, WE ARE UNDER THAT. SO I WANT MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE NOT FUNDING ABOVE INFLATION RATE IN OUR TOTAL BUDGET, OUR TOTAL ACTUALLY FOR OUR REVENUES THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR. SO THAT'S, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THIS, IS WHAT IS THE MILLAGE RATE AND WHAT IS THE INFLATION RATE? BECAUSE TAXPAYERS UNDERSTAND INFLATION AND TAXPAYERS UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'RE PAYING MORE, PAYING MORE FOR HOUSING, THEY'RE PAYING MORE FOR GROCERIES, THEY'RE PAYING MORE FOR UTILITIES. WELL, SO ARE WE. BUT IF YOU LET IT STAY STABLE FOR 2, 3, 4 YEARS, THEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE A HUGE JUMP. AND THAT'S WHEN WE GET AS ELECTED OFFICIALS IN TROUBLE. SO IT'S BETTER TO GO UP, GRADUALLY STAY AT, OR JUST UNDER THE INFLATION RATE IN A STRATEGIC BUDGET PLANNING. MM-HMM . SO ON THAT TOPIC, UM, ACTUALLY MS. PHILLIPS AND MY OFFICE, UH, MY, ONE OF MY TEAM MEMBERS ACTUALLY IS VERY IN TUNE WITH INFLATION AND CPI, THOSE FACTORS. AND THIS MORNING PROVIDED ME WITH AN INFLATION CHART THAT SAYS EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. UM, SO AS WE'RE BUILDING COST OF LIVING INCREASES AND THE PERCENTAGES, WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT INFLATION RATE TO HOPEFULLY STAY AT OR, OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE THAT RATE SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO, ONE, TO JUSTIFY IT, BUT ACTUALLY TO, UH, COMPENSATE OUR EMPLOYEES AT A LEVEL THAT HELPS TO, UM, KEEP PACE WITH THAT RATE. SO THAT'S MY HANDOUT RIGHT THERE. SO, UM, OKAY. LET'S, UH, JUST ONE LAST SLIDE ON THE LOCAL, LOCAL TAX REVENUE. SO THIS KIND OF REFLECTS WHAT I WAS MENTIONING BY SIMPLIFYING THE CALCULATIONS. UM, THIS BASICALLY SHOWS THE BUDGET FOR LOCAL TAX REVENUE, THE ACTUALS FOR THE LAST, UH, FOUR YEARS, AND WHAT OUR VARIANCE WAS. SO THIS SHOWS THAT IN, UH, FY 22, BY CALCULATING IT THE WAY WE DID, WE HAD A $4.89 MILLION VARI POSITIVE VARIANCE. SO WE CAME ABOVE REVENUE. UM, THE NEXT YEAR WAS EIGHT. AND THESE WERE, THESE GREW WITH THE LEVELS OF, UM, THE GROWTH FACTOR IN THE MILLAGE. SO IN FY 23, WHEN WE HAD A 7% GROWTH FACTOR, WE CAME ABOVE AT 8.2 MILLION AND FY [01:35:01] 24, WE HAD A 14%, UH, GROWTH FACTOR IN MILL VALUE, W WHICH WE WERE NOT EXPECTING, 12 POINTS 8 MILLION. UH, WE ULTIMATELY ENDED UP MOVING MONEY TO, UH, SOME EXCESS FUNDS TO A CAPITAL PROJECTS FUND LAST YEAR, WHICH WERE THOSE DOLLARS. AND THEN THIS YEAR WE'RE EXPECTING, WELL, THIS, THIS REPORT WAS WRITTEN A WEEK AGO, UH, DOES NOT REFLECT THE TWO DAY AGO VERSION, UH, FROM THE TAX, UH, FROM THE TAX OFFICE. SO THE TREASURER'S OFFICE, UH, WE ARE EXPECTING EVEN LESS OF A VARIANCE OF TAX REVENUE. WE DO EXPECT A POSITIVE NUMBER, BUT IT MAY NOT BE AS LARGE AS 2.6 MILLION. SO, UM, WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO THAT NUMBER AS WE WERE ABLE TO PREDICT THE GROWTH FACTOR A LITTLE, A LITTLE MORE ACCURATELY. AND THEN FINAL, THE TOTAL PROPOSED REVENUES ON THE NEXT SLIDE SHOW THAT THE CURRENT MILL MILL RATE, UH, AT 1 21 0.8 MILLS WILL GENERATE 233 MILLION. UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A SLIGHT REDUCTION IN STATE REVENUE, UM, IN, IN THE GENERAL FUND. SO EVEN THOUGH THE STATE IS MOVING UP $1,500, WE'RE SEEING LESS STATE REVENUE AS A RESULT OF THE EN ENROLLMENT DECLINES AND ANY OTHER FACTORS THAT THE STATE IS BUILDING INTO THEIR CALCULATION. FEDERAL REVENUE, I MENTIONED EARLIER, 620,000, BUT WE, IN ORDER TO FUND THIS BUDGET, WE NEED A 4.3 MIL INCREASE. UM, EACH MILL IS VALUED AT JUST UNDER $2 MILLION. SO 2, 4, 6, 8 MAKES SENSE. SO, UH, 8.2 MILLION IS THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING NEEDED IN ORDER TO FUND THIS PROPOSED BUDGET. UH, AND WHAT IMPACT WOULD THAT HAVE ON THE TAXPAYER? SO WE PROVIDED, UM, PRIMARY HOME, SECONDARY HOME, AND A VEHICLE. SO I JUST WENT ON ZILLOW, LOOKED UP, UH, PROPERTY, UH, AVERAGE PROPERTY IN BEAUFORT COUNTY AS A WHOLE. SO THIS AVERAGE IS HILTON HEAD ALL THE WAY TO ST. HELENA, SHELDON AREA. UH, 543,000 WAS JUST AN ESTIMATE THAT WAS PROVIDED. UH, SO I WENT WITH THAT. UH, IF YOU ARE A PRIMARY HOME, YOU HAVE A 4% ASSESSMENT RATIO. WITH A 4.3 MIL INCREASE, YOU WILL HAVE ZERO IMPACT ON YOUR PRIMARY HOME, BECAUSE WE DON'T PAY SCHOOL OPERATIONS TAXES ON OUR PRIMARY HOME. A SECONDARY HOME WOULD HAVE 6% RATIO WOULD BE AT A 4.3 MIL INCREASE WOULD BE $140. AND THAT IS AN ANNUAL NUMBER, IS THAT RIGHT, MS. PHILLIPS? THAT PER YEAR? YES. UH, YEAH, IT SAYS IT RIGHT THERE. ADDITIONAL TAX PER YEAR, UH, VEHICLES, UH, JUST ESTIMATED 50,000 AT A 6% RATIO WOULD BE $13 PER YEAR. UH, AND THEN FINALLY, THE BEFORE YOU, BEFORE YOU GO, I'D LIKE TO PUT THIS INTO PERSPECTIVE. SO THE LANDLORD LANDLORDS PAYING THE TAXES, UH, FOR OUR OPERATIONAL REVENUE, LANDLORDS AND BUSINESSES. SO AT THIS HOUSE, SECONDARY HOME AT $140 A YEAR, THAT MEANS THAT THE LANDLORD WOULD HAVE TO RAISE RENT $11, $11 A MONTH. HE'S COVER COVERING THAT. SO THAT IS WHEN I HAVE, I HEAR LANDLORDS TELL ME ABOUT, WELL, YOU'RE RAISING RENT AND BRINGING PEOPLE OUT OF, UH, OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. I SAY, YES, IF YOU RAISE $11, IT'S GONNA HURT 'EM A LITTLE BIT, BUT I'LL BET YOU, YOU RAISE IT $20. SO $11 IS, IS NOT SOMETHING A MONTH THAT IS GOING TO, UH, CAUSE ANYBODY TO HAVE TO GO TO THE BANK AND GET A LOAN. IT'S A MINIMAL IMPACT. IT IS AN IMPACT, BUT IT'S A MINIMAL IMPACT. AND THIS BUDGET IS A BALANCED BUDGET. SO WITH THE ADDITIONAL, UH, MILLAGE PROPOSED, UM, THE EXPENDITURES WOULD MATCH THE REVENUES, WHICH IS REQUIRED BY A BOARD POLICY. UH, IT WOULD BE 126.1 MILS. UM, IT, WE ARE SHOWING, UH, I AM PREDICTING A ABOUT A $4 MILLION INCREASE IN FUND BALANCE THIS YEAR TO STAY AT THE 20% RATIO. UM, HOWEVER, A BALANCE BUDGET WILL KEEP THE, UH, WILL LOWER THE FUND BALANCE SLIGHTLY TO 19%, UH, OF NET OF THE FOLLOWING YEAR'S EXPENDITURES. BUT WE DO EXPECT TO OUTPERFORM THE BUDGET AS WE TYPICALLY WANT A SLIGHT SAVINGS IN THE BUDGET. UM, AND THAT THAT WILL RECOVER TO A 20%, UH, RATIO RATIO, WHICH WE, UH, ARE WHAT IS OUR GOAL TO MAINTAIN THAT RATIO SO THAT OUR CREDIT RATING REMAINS STRONG. [01:40:01] UH, WE ACTUALLY GOT A CREDIT RATING, UH, A DRAFT OF OUR CREDIT RATING REPORT 'CAUSE WE'RE GETTING READY TO GO OUT FOR REFERENDUM BONDS. UM, SO THAT REPORT CAME IN YESTERDAY. SO IT'S CRITICAL THAT AS WE ARE ISSUING BONDS FOR REFERENDUM PURPOSES AND THE, IT'S $139 MILLION BOND, UM, THAT WE ARE MAINTAINING THAT RATIO OF 20%. AND I, UM, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THE BALANCE BUDGET DOESN'T REALLY REFLECT THAT, BUT THAT WE TIP, WE HAVE A HISTORY OF OUTPERFORMING THAT TO BRING IT BACK ABOVE AT OR ABOVE THE 20%. UH, AND THAT WOULD BE AT 72 DAYS OF OPERATIONS. AND I BELIEVE OUR RECENT PROPOSAL, UH, TO SLIGHTLY MODIFY THE FUND BALANCE POLICY THAT WILL BE COMING FORWARD TO THE BOARD, I BELIEVE ON THE NEXT BOARD MEETING COMING OUT OF OPERATIONS COMMITTEE, UH, EXCUSE ME, FINANCE COMMITTEE, UM, IS PROPOSING A, A NEW FUND BALANCE POLICY THAT'S NO LESS THAN 60 DAYS OF OPERATIONS OR TWO MONTHS. SO YOU WANNA BE ABLE TO SURVIVE AND PAY THE BILLS FOR AT LEAST TWO MONTHS WITH THE, WITH THE FUND BALANCE IF THERE WERE TO BE A CATASTROPHIC EVENT OF ANY KIND OF FINANCIAL EVENT THAT MIGHT AFFECT, UH, THAT FUND BALANCE. UH, SO OUR BUDGET RECOMMENDATION TODAY IS 376,980,000. AND, UH, WE PROPOSE TO HAVE, UH, A CERTIFIED BUDGET BY MAY 20TH. UH, WE STILL DO HAVE TWO COMMUNITY FORUMS NEXT WEEK AT BEAUFORT HIGH AND BLUFFTON HIGH, I BELIEVE IT IS. UM, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT IT'S ON THE CALENDAR FOR YOU IF YOU'D LIKE TO ATTEND. AND FINALLY, THE ADOPTION SCHEDULE. WHAT ELSE IS LEFT? UM, WE DO HAVE ONE MORE BUDGET DISCU, UH, A BUDGET DISCUSSION ON MAY 6TH. SO WE'LL BE PREPARING FOR THAT ALONG WITH THOSE BUDGET FORUMS. BUT, UH, UH, AND THEN ON, WE'RE GONNA DO A FIRST GLANCE WITH COUNTY COUNCIL OF THE BUDGET, A PRELIMINARY BUDGET ON MAY 19TH. THEY KNOW THAT IT WILL NOT BE A CERTIFIED BUDGET WHEN WE COME TO THEM. UM, AND THEN HOPEFULLY CERTIFY THE NEXT NIGHT ON THE 20TH. AND THEN WE'LL BEGIN OUR THREE READINGS WITH COUNTY COUNCIL. UM, SO WE DO STILL HAVE A, WE HAVE A BUDGET WEBSITE CALLED BUDGET AT, OR AN EMAIL ADDRESS BUDGET AT BUDGET K12 SC US. SO IF ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS OR ANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ITEMS IN THE BUDGET, UM, UH, THOSE CAN BE EMAILED TO OUR STAFF AND A TEAM OF OUR PEOPLE, UH, RECEIVE THOSE. AND I WANNA RECOGNIZE MY STAFF. THEY'VE WORKED VERY HARD. UH, WE HAD, MS. HAMLIN WENT BACK HOME TO, UM, WEST GEORGIA, SO SHE'S NO LONGER WITH THE BUDGET TEAM. AND SO WE'VE, UH, REALLY PICKED UP, UH, AND, AND COME TOGETHER. AND MR. ACKERMAN, A KATIE ABAR AND MS. PHILLIPS OVER HERE ARE THE BACKBONE BEHIND ALL OF THIS WORK. AND I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THEM. SO I WANNA RECOGNIZE THEM VERY QUICKLY. BUT , AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. ANY QUESTIONS, FINAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR MS. ? OH, RIGHT. I GOT TOO MUCH GOING ON UP HERE. UM, OKAY. SO I HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. ONE WAS, I NOTICED $620,000 UNDER FEDERAL REVENUE. YES. DOES THAT INCLUDE TITLE IX AND E-RATE AND EVERYTHING? OR DOES THAT COME THROUGH STATE? OKAY, SO IT SEEMS REALLY LOW. SO IT IS TWO THINGS. IT'S IMPACT AID AND A PORTION OF E-RATE. SO IMPACT AID IS FLUCTUATES ANYWHERE BETWEEN 25 AND $75,000 A YEAR. SO THAT IMPACT AID IS FEDERALLY MONEY WE RECEIVE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT WE HAVE TO APPLY FOR, DO SURVEYS FOR A FEDERALLY IMPACTED PROPERTY AND, AND STUDENTS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. SO IF A, IF A, UM, STUDENT LIVES ON LAUREL BAY AND GOES TO BATTERY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL, WE GET FUNDING FOR A PROPORTION, A PORTION OF THAT, UM, TO BE, IM AN IMPACTED ON THAT. SO IT'S A VERY SMALL PROPORTIONATE SHARE. THE OTHER HA PART OF THAT, MORE THE, PROBABLY MORE LIKE HALF A MILLION IS ACTUALLY E-RATE, BUT IT'S NOT ALL OF E-RATE. SO IT , SO THERE'S TWO SOURCES OF FUNDS WHERE WE HAVE ELIGIBLE FOR E-RATE. THE, UM, UH, THE TELEPHONE SERVICES, TELECOM SERVICES. I WISH MARK WAS HERE, HE COULD EXPLAIN IT A LITTLE BETTER. TELECOM SERVICES ARE REIMBURSABLE AND THAT PAY IS PAID FOR THROUGH THE GENERAL FUND AND REIMBURSED INTO THE GENERAL. SO FEDERAL IMPACT AID IN THE GENERAL FUND IS COMING FROM REIMBURSEMENTS FROM THAT WHICH, WHAT WE SPEND OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND, WHEN THERE IS INFRASTRUCTURE WIRING, UH, WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS, THINGS THAT ARE ALSO ELIGIBLE FOR THAT ARE MORE LARGER TECHNOLOGY ITEMS, WE PAY [01:45:01] FOR IT WITH 8%. AND THOSE COME BACK INTO CAPITAL PROJECTS FUNDS. SO THE BULK OF OUR E-RATE FUNDS COME BACK IN, UH, AND WE PUT IT IN A SEPARATE FUND, AND THEN WE UTILIZE THAT TO HELP OFFSET THE COSTS OF THE PURCHASES GOING FORWARD. I GUESS WHAT I'M DRIVING AT IS WE GET, WE GET MY MONEY FROM TITLE ONE, RIGHT? TITLE ONE TITLE, UH, IDEA. ALL OF THOSE FUNDS ARE IN SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS. IS THAT CONSIDERED STATE FUNDING THEN WHEN YOU HAVE THAT LITTLE BREAKDOWN AND NOT, 'CAUSE THE REASON IS IT'S OBVIOUSLY, IT'S, IT'S NOT IN THIS BUDGET, OKAY? IT'S, IT'S NOT IN THIS BUDGET. THERE IS A SPECIAL REVENUE BUDGET AND THE NEXT TIME WE COME FORWARD, WE'RE GONNA BRING YOU A COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET AND LIST EVERY SINGLE FUND WE HAVE AND SHOW YOU THE AMOUNTS THAT WE EXPECT TO RECEIVE FOR THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. I GUESS WHAT I'M DRIVING AT IS, ARE WE AT RISK IF WE LOSE FUNDING AS IT'S BEING DISCUSSED AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WILL THAT IMPACT THE BUDGET? BECAUSE I DON'T SEE IT IN, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, IN OTHER WORDS, THAT TYPE OF THING. GOOD QUESTION. UM, SO WE BELIEVE IT WILL NOT IMPACT THE 25 26 SCHOOL YEAR BECAUSE THE FEDERAL FUNDING YEAR HAS BEEN APPROVED ALREADY THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH. SO THAT IMPACTS THE 25 26 SCHOOL YEAR. HOWEVER, WE DO, UH, I MENTIONED IT LAST BOARD MEETING I BELIEVE, BUT WE, WE MOVED LAST YEAR, $10 MILLION OF WHAT WE BELIEVED WAS GOING TO BE AN ADDITION TO FUND BALANCE. WE MOVED THAT AND TRANSFERRED IT TO CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT CAN BE MOVED BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND BY THE BOARD'S DISCRETION. UM, SO I TREAT THAT AS OUR, AS PART OF OUR SAFETY NET FOR ANY FEDERAL REDUCTIONS THAT WE HAVE. AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE THAT ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE TRANSFERRED TO ADD TO THAT THIS YEAR AS WELL, BECAUSE WE HAVE SAVINGS IN, IN POSITIONS AND, AND BENEFITS THIS YEAR. SO IT COULD BE AS MUCH AS FIVE TO 7 MILLION MORE IN THE CURRENT YEAR THAT WE, THAT I WILL BE BRINGING FORWARD TO YOU AND SAYING, I THINK WE NEED TO MOVE THIS TO ADD TO THAT. AND WE COULD HAVE $15 MILLION AVAILABLE TO OFFSET ANY MAJOR FEDERAL FUNDING CUTS. I REALLY ADMIRE THAT. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A GREAT CREDIT RATING. 'CAUSE THAT'S STRATEGIC THINKING. MM-HMM . AND WE'RE NOT GONNA GET CAUGHT. UM, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD AS FAR AS THE BUDGET, I HAD TWO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BUDGET. ONE IS WE, I I NEED A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ON THE WEIGHTED STAFF, UH, THE WEIGHTED, UH, PUPIL FUNDING. NOT TODAY, BUT WHEN YOU BRING IT BACK, 'CAUSE I DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT AS WELL, BUT I, ONE THING THAT'S ALWAYS KIND OF RAISED MY INTEREST IS OUR STAFFING FORMULA BECAUSE THERE ARE, WE HAVE A LOT OF EXCEPTIONS TO OUR STAFFING FORMULA, PARTICULARLY AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL AT SCHOOLS. FOR EXAMPLE, LADIES ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL SHOULD HAVE ONE AP AND THEY HAVE THREE. UM, AND I KNOW I'VE TALKED TO PEOPLE THERE, THERE ARE REASONS TO ADD DIFFERENT, UH, STAFFING LEVELS. IS THAT ALREADY FACTORED INTO THE BUDGET OR DOES THAT COME IN AFTER THE BUDGET'S APPROVED? IT'S ALREADY FACTORED INTO THE BUDGET. SO ANY CHANGES WE HAVE IN THIS BUDGET ARE ALREADY REFLECTED. SO WE'VE MET WITH EVERY SINGLE PRINCIPAL HAVE STAFFING, UM, UH, CALCULATIONS DONE THAT APPLY TO THIS, UH, TO THE FORMULAS, THE ALLOCATION FORMULAS YOU SEE ABOVE, ABOVE, UM, ON THE SCREEN. I'M SORRY. UH, SO THOSE HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPLIED. AND YOU ARE RIGHT THAT SOME SCHOOLS HAVE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, UH, ALLOCATIONS BASED ON A UNIQUE NEED OF THE SCHOOL. AND EVERY SCHOOL HAS UNIQUE NEEDS, BUT IT COULD HAVE TO DO WITH THE MAKEUP OF THE BUILDING, IT COULD BE WITH, HAVE TO DO WITH DISCIPLINE, IT COULD BE, UH, A TEMPORARY PLACEMENT OF SOME SORT. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT FACTORS INTO EVERY SCHOOL THAT COULD, THAT WE TRY TO ALLOCATE AS STRICTLY TO THE FORMULA AS POSSIBLE. AND MY FINAL QUICK QUESTION IS, UM, THE GET IT RIGHT, THE CONTINUATION OF EXTENDED LEARNING PROGRAMS, IT SAYS GRANTS WERE RECEIVED TO SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM MM-HMM . IS THAT FOR ALL THE PROGRAMS OR JUST THE ONES SOUTH OF THE BROAD? ARE WE STILL PAYING OUTTA THE GENERAL BUDGET FOR THE, THE NORTH OF THE BROAD ONES? UM, WE ARE, HMM. THAT DOCUMENT STRATUS, THE, UM, AFTERSCHOOL COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS THAT ARE THE, I KNOW WE ARE PAYING SPECIAL REVENUE DOLLARS TO FUND OR, OR GRANT DOLLARS FOR THOSE ARE THAT, IS THAT SUPPORTING BOTH THE WHOLE COUNTY OR JUST ONE AREA OF THE COUNTY EXTENDED LEARNING OR SUPPORTING SOUTH SOUP KITCHEN AS WELL AS OUR OTHER, UM, PROGRAMS NORTH OF ABROAD. RIGHT NOW WE ONLY HAVE ONE EXTENDED LEARNING SOUTH ABROAD. THE ONE SITE WE HAD AT HILTON HEAD SHOWS NOT TO PARTICIPATE. YOU, UH, SAY IN THE MICROPHONE. I APOLOGIZE. THANK YOU. SO THAT PEOPLE ON, UM, SO IT'S, IT'S SUPPORTING ONE SITE SOUTH OF THE BROAD, THE SOUP KITCHEN AND ALL OTHERS, UH, ON THE NORTHERN SIDE OF THE RIVER. BUT THEY'RE ALL GRANT SUPPORTED NOW. YES, ALL GRANT SUPPORTED. THANK YOU, MS. GORDON. PUT YOUR HAND UP. UH, MS. CROSBY. THANK YOU. UH, YOU AND YOUR TEAM. YES, MA'AM. I REMEMBER THE DAYS WHEN THE BOARD WAS GIVING EACH [01:50:02] A THREE, A THREE INCH BINDER FOR ALL THIS INFORMATION IN IT. AND POP, UH, I APPRECIATE YOU GOING OVER THIS WITH US. UM, I, I HAVE QUESTIONS, WHICH I WILL, UH, WAIT UNTIL NEXT TIME. BUT LISTENING TO THIS, UM, AND WHAT WE'VE COME UP WITH FOR, FOR, UH, PRESENTATION THAT GOES BEFORE, UH, COUNTY COUNCIL, IF THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE LISTENING ARE LIKE ME, UH, I UNDERSTAND SOME BUDGET STUFF, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO BE A CPA, LIKE YOU. SO I APPRECIATE THE GRAPHS AND, AND THE EXPLANATION, BUT I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS. UM, IS VOTE RIGHT BROUGHT UP ABOUT THE, UM, TITLE IXS AND MM-HMM . AND, UH, SOME OF OUR SCHOOLS GET TITLE IXS, NOT ALL OF THEM. RIGHT? THAT MY UNDERSTANDING, UM, IS EVERYONE A TITLE IX TITLE? I APPLIES TO ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, BUT I DON'T KNOW OF ANY SPECIFIC FUNDING THAT COMES FROM TITLE IX, BUT DEFINITELY THE OTHER TITLES. TITLE ONE, TITLE TWO, TITLE THREE, TITLE FOUR. UM, BUT I DON'T THINK ANY SPECIFIC FUNDING COMES FROM TITLE. THEY'RE JUST A REGULAT REGULATIONS, REGULATIONS THAT REQUIRE US TO DO CERTAIN THINGS BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON I THOUGHT WE USED SOME KIND. MM-HMM. , THANK YOU FOR THAT. SEE, I'M, I'M WRONG ALREADY. UM, BUT I APPRECIATE IT. BUT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. YES, MA'AM. AND, UH, EXPLAINING HOW THIS WORKS, HOW THE MILLAGE IS INVOLVED AND HOW IT IMPACTS MM-HMM . THE COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT. YES, MA'AM. THANKS, MR. SMITH. UM, HERE I JUST TAKE A PIC. I'LL JUST TAKE A PICTURE OUTTA ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES BOOKS, UH, THE, UH, PHONE, THE FORMER MR. Y CAMPBELL. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S AMAZING HOW, YOU KNOW, WE PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT THINGS WE WANT TO ADDRESS AND WHEN DO WE WANT TO, AS I SAY, GET IN THE WEEDS OR WHEN DO WE WANNA MAKE IT OPERATIONAL VERSUS NOT BEING OPERATIONAL. LIKE ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES JUST SAID ABOUT LAY, ABOUT THE FACT THAT LAZO MIDDLE SCHOOL HAVE, UH, THREE, THREE ADMINISTRATORS, UH, HELL, I COULD SAY THAT'S OPERATIONAL. WHY YOU WORRYING ABOUT THAT? SO, YOU KNOW, SO WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL. WE DON'T WANNA STOP POINTING OR ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT DIFFERENT, UH, MATRIX OR DIFFERENT DECISIONS AND CHOICES THAT ARE BEING TAKEN IN THIS DISTRICT BECAUSE EVERYONE WHO SITS ON THIS DAIS, UH, THAT WHO'S ELECTED, WE GOT A RIGHT TO ASK QUESTIONS. WE DO. SO WE CAN'T PICK AND CHOOSE WHEN IT'S CONVENIENT FOR US, OR WE WANNA MAKE A POINT TO SOMEBODY, UH, WHEN IT'S, WHEN, WHEN IT IS APPROPRIATE OR WHEN IT'S NOT APPROPRIATE TO, UH, SAY WHAT'S OPERATIONAL OR WHAT'S NOT OPERATIONAL. YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST FYI, I'M, I'M GONNA MOVE ON, BUT I'M SURE THE PEOPLE WHO NEED, WHO, WHO, WHO NEED TO HEAR THIS, THEY GOT THE POINT. UH, THAT'S THE FIRST THING. UH, THE, THE, THE SECOND, THE SECOND THING IS, UH, IN, IN, IN, IN TERMS OF THIS BUDGET, UM, MR. DALLAS BOUGHT SOME DIFFERENT, SOME DIFFERENT, UH, SOME DIFFERENT, UH, POINTS THAT I, THAT I, I, I, UM, KIND OF CONCUR WITH AND, AND, AND, AND DID ALL BUT ONE OF MY, ONE OF MY QUESTIONS, I MEAN, 1, 1, 1 OF MY STATEMENTS IS THAT I'M STILL GONNA STAND BY IS, UH, IN THE NOTION OF RESULTS BECAUSE, UH, AS THE, IT WAS JUST ALLUDED IN TERMS OF PROGRAMS AND WHAT BANG WE'RE GETTING FOR OUR BUCK, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN ALL, ALL, ALL, ALL DUE RESPECT WHEN THEY MOVE FROM OHIO AND, AND GOD KNOWS WHERE ELSE THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE COMING INTO. BECAUSE WE HAVE PEOPLE RIGHT HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY WHO LIVE HERE, BORN AND RAISED HERE, WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE HERE. AND SO WE'RE NOT REALLY CHANGING THE, UH, THE FINANCIAL FOR THEM AS WELL. SO WE HAVE TO TAKE, TAKE, WE HAVE TO TAKE THAT IN, UH, UH, UH, WE HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION BECAUSE ONCE AGAIN, WE ALSO DO HAVE STAFF MEMBERS WHO LEAVE THIS DISTRICT OFFICE AND WHO GO TO SECOND JOBS AND WHO WORK BECAUSE OF THE SAME THINGS THAT WE'RE SAYING THAT WE WANT TEACHERS TO BE ABLE TO NOT DO. SO THAT'S, THAT'S MORE REASONING OF THE DRIVING FORCE OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE'RE REALLY GETTING BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN SHOWN THAT WE'VE BEEN [01:55:01] CHANGING, WE'VE BRINGING UP THE SALARIES, BUT IN, IN TERMS, IN TERMS OF THE EDUCATIONAL UPON STUDENTS IN THE CLASSROOMS, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND, AND, AND, AND I'M LOOKING FOR THAT IN SOME PART OF THIS PRESENTATION TO BE EX EXPOSED IN, IN THE DRIVING FORCE OF JUST NOT SAYING THAT, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO REALISTICALLY, UH, BEING, BEING, BEING, BEING IN COMPETITION WITH, WITH THE, WITH THE TOP FIVE. BECAUSE REAL REALISTICALLY, UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT, THAT THAT'S A, A, A TOTAL GREAT SELLING POINT WHEN I LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF THE CRIME RATE, THE, UH, DIFFERENT LIVING STYLES, BECAUSE WE DO AT SOME DEGREE, WE, WE, WE, WE, WE HAVE TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF SOME OF THAT STUFF TOO. SAME WAY WE TELL COUNTY COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, WE NEED THEM TO, UH, CREATE JOBS AND DIFFERENT THINGS. WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE IT'S OUR, IT IS OUR, IT IS OUR DUTY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR KIDS ARE BEING EDUCATED AND THAT WE ARE GIVING THEM THE, THE BEST POSSIBLE VENUE TO GET EDUCATED IN. AND THAT WE GIVING 'EM THE BEST PEOPLE TO EDUCATE THEM. SO, YOU KNOW, I, I MEAN RESPECTFULLY, I, I I UNDER, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE WANT TO BE COMPETITIVE, BUT I WANNA BE COMPETITIVE IN THE CLASSROOMS. NUMBER ONE. THAT, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE. SAFETY AND SECURITY IN TERMS OF EDUCATION, THE CLASSROOMS AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR KIDS ARE, ARE, ARE ABLE TO GET SUCCESSFUL JOBS AND THAT, AND THAT WE ARE DELIVERING A PRODUCT WHERE A KID CAN'T GO AND COMPETE ANYWHERE IN THIS COUNTRY. SO, SO THAT'S JUST SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS. AND, AND WITH THAT NOTION OF HAVING A ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO HAVE 12 MISSION MISSING POSITIONS, 12 TE TEACHERS THAT DIDN'T, THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS YEAR. I THINK THAT AS MR. AS MR. DOW SAID, SAID, AND SOME OTHER PEOPLE SAID, I THINK THE OTHER, THE OTHER PARTS OF IT IN, IN TERMS OF THE BUILDING CLIMATE AND SOME OTHER THINGS THAT, THAT GOES INTO IN EFFECT AND NOT JUST PAY. SO WHEN WE COME FORWARD AND WE BRING THIS ABOUT, OH, PEOPLE NOT COMING HERE BY JUST PAY NOW WE HAVE TO DISCUSS THE WHOLE CHILD. I MEAN, AND EXCUSE ME, NOT THE WHOLE CHILD. WE HAVE TO DISCUSS THE WHOLE, EXCUSE ME, THE HOLD, UH, THE WHOLE DECISION AND WHAT AND WHAT AND WHAT'S THE DRIVING FORCE OF IT. WE JUST CAN'T SAY, OH, IT'S BECAUSE OF THE PAY. YOU PAY ME TO DEAL WITH IT. 'CAUSE WE HAVE OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS, AND WE HAVE OTHER DISTRICTS IN THIS, IN THIS COUNTY THAT PEOPLE, THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO, THAT ARE RIGHT HAND BEFORD, THAT PAYING LESS THAN WE ARE PAYING AND, AND, AND, AND THEY'RE DROPPING OFF AND THEY'RE LEAVING. SO REALITY IN THE REALISTIC, WHEN THE REALISTIC THING IS THAT WE HAVE TO FACE THAT. SO ALL THAT'S A PART OF DISCUSSING THIS BUDGET. AND WHEN I SAY I'M LOOKING AT 12 AT ONE SCHOOL THAT DON'T HAVE 12 PEOPLE, IT JUST CAN'T BE BECAUSE, OH, WE HAVE TO PUSH THE BUDGET SO THAT WE, WE CAN TAKE TO, UH, TO PAY UP ON TEACHERS. ALL, ALL THAT HAS TO BE ADDRESS SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING FORWARD SO THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT WE'RE REALLY GETTING WHEN WE'RE, WHEN WE'RE JUST, WHEN WE'RE MAKING THESE BUDGETS DECISIONS. BECAUSE IT'S JUST NOT TEACHERS. ONCE AGAIN, I SAY THIS, IT'S JUST NOT TEACHERS WHO ARE BEAR, WHO ARE, WHO IS BEARING THIS BURDEN. SO IT'S THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE. THANK YOU. OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, LET'S GO ON TO THE NEXT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT ITEM, UM, COLONEL GEIER IS STRATEGIC PLAN, UH, UPDATE AND SRPS. AND THAT'S DR. RAOS, UM, AND HER TEAM. YEAH, WE'RE GONNA SPLIT HERE. LET'S, UH, LET'S TAKE A 10 MINUTE BREAK, UH, BEFORE WE START. THANK YOU. THIS OPPORTUNITY, WHAT WE'RE BRINGING FORWARD TO YOU TODAY, NOTE WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE IN YOUR POSSESSION IS AN PACKET THAT IDENTIFIED AS BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN AND SCHOOL RENEWAL PLAN. THIS IS AN ANNUAL UPDATE. WITH ME TODAY IS OUR DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY, NICHOLAS FLOWERS. I'M GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH QUICKLY AS TO WHAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU. IF WE GO TO THE NEXT PAGE TO THE TABLE OF CONTENTS, YOU'LL SEE FOUR COMPONENTS TO THIS PACKET THAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU. SIGNATURE PAGE SUMMARY REQUIREMENTS, MEANING THE SUMMARY REQUIREMENTS BY ITS STATE REGULATION FOR A DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN, AS WELL AS OUR EXEC FOR OUR SCHOOL RENEWAL PLANS. AND YOU'LL HAVE [02:00:01] A COPY OF THOSE UPDATES. I'D LIKE TO TAKE YOU TO PAGE THREE OF YOUR DOCUMENT. THAT IS A SIGNATURE PAGE THAT WILL GO TO OUR CHAIRMAN AFTER THE ACTION IS TAKEN BY YOU AS A SCHOOL BOARD IF YOU'RE IN AGREEMENT FOR THE UPDATES. IF WE GO TO PAGE FOUR, I'D LIKE TO WALK YOU TO THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. IN THE VERY TOPIC, IT GIVES YOU AN IDENTIFIES TO YOU THE NATURE OF STRATEGIC PLANS. I REALLY DO WANNA DRAW TO YOUR ATTENTION THE GRAPHIC ON THE BOTTOM THAT IS IN RELATION TO WHAT YOU WILL SEE ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS PULL TOGETHER FOR OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT OUR DISTRICT STRATEGIC STRATEGIC PLAN IS COMPOSE OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, PREPARING STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS, MULTILINGUAL STUDENTS' PROGRESS, SCHOOL CLIMATE, STUDENT PROGRESS, GRADUATION RATE, COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS, AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT SUCCESS. THERE ARE FOUR GOALS THAT YOU'LL BE PROVIDED, UPDATES FOR THE DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN. TODAY AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, OUR GRADUATION RATE, SCHOOL CLIMATE, AND TEACHER EQUALITY. AND LET ME CORRECT MYSELF GIFTED AND TALENTED WITH THAT. IF YOU LOOK AT PAGE FIVE, YOU'VE HEARD LANGUAGE IN OUR SYSTEM REGARDING OUR WORK FOR SUPPORT, ENGAGEMENT, ACHIEVEMENT AND STEWARDNESS. I'M GONNA BRING NICHOLAS FLOWERS UP AT THIS POINT FOR HIM TO WALK YOU THROUGH THESE PILLARS AND THEN HE'LL WALK YOU THROUGH THE UPDATES IN OUR DISTRICT PLAN AND WE'LL OPEN THE FLOOR SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR OUR SCHOOL RENEWAL PLANS THAT ARE ACTUALLY IN YOUR PACKET BY ALPHA, STARTING WITH BATTERY CREEK, ALL TO OUR WELL BRANCH CLUSTER. SO WITH THAT, MR. FLOWERS, GOOD MORNING. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT GRAPHIC, IT'S REALLY KIND OF SUMMARIZING AND ENCOMPASSING EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING OF HAVING OUR COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT, ALL OF THE DATA, UM, THAT IS BEING COLLECTED. WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THAT THE SAFE DEPARTMENT REQUIRES THAT WE BRING THEM BEFORE THE BOARD BY APRIL 30TH TO SUBMIT TO THE STATE. BUT MANY OF THE DATA COMPONENTS THAT, UM, WE USE TO MONITOR TEACHER RETENTION AND, UM, SC READY EOC SCORES, UM, ARE JUST NOW STARTING TO BE COLLECTED OR WILL BE ADMINISTERED IN THE MONTH OF MAY. SO MANY OF THE DATA POINTS, UM, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO REPORT OUT ON BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE THE DATA COLLECTED, UM, IN ORDER TO REPORT OUT ON THOSE GOALS. SO THE COMPREHENSIVE NEEDS ASSESSMENT WILL BE UPDATED AS DATA COMES IN, AND THEN THAT WILL DRIVE THEN THE FOUR PILLARS WITH THE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES THAT ARE ALIGNED TO THEM. THAT WILL COME BACK BEFORE THE BOARD. THEN, UM, FOR AN UPDATE, UM, ONCE THAT DATA HAS BEEN COLLECTED, UM, BECAUSE THE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES WILL DRIVE THE 75 75 92 TARGET. SO ON PAGE SEVEN THAT STARTS THEN THE UPDATE TO OUR DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS. SO THAT WILL HAVE THEN AN ELA TO DO AN INCREASE BY 2%, UM, WHEN THEY TAKE THAT SC READY, UM, ASSESSMENT THAT WILL BE ADMINISTERED IN THE MONTH OF MAY. SO, UM, WE DO NOT HAVE THAT DATA YET ALONG WITH MATH TO LOOK AT AN INCREASE OF 6%. UM, FOR THE SC READY MATH PERFORMANCE, OUR ACTION STEPS ARE STILL TARGETING KIND OF THAT NEXT PHASE OF THE WORK. UM, AND AS THE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES ARE UPDATED, THAT'S WHEN, UM, THOSE ACTION STEPS THERE ALSO WILL CONTINUOUSLY BE UPDATED BASED ON THE DATA COMING IN. THEN FOR OUR HIGH SCHOOLS TO GO WITH THE 75, 75, 92 ON PAGE EIGHT, WE WILL LOOK FOR ANOTHER 1% INCREASE IN OUR GRADUATION RATE. SO OUR HIGH SCHOOLS ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING, UM, STUDENTS THAT HAVE TRANSFERRED OUT AND ALIGNING ALL OF THE DOCUMENTATION, UM, IN ORDER TO, UM, SOLIDIFY OUR CURRENT RATE. SO THOSE ENCOMPASS OUR, UM, STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT PIECES FOR, UM, THE DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN THAT GO TO THE STATE. SO THEN LOOKING AT PAGE NINE, THAT IS OUR GIFTED AND TALENTED GOALS. SO HERE WE'RE LOOKING TO IDENTIFY, UM, ARTISTIC [02:05:01] STUDENTS BY 1.2%. WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING OUT THE ARTISTIC, UM, PROCESS FOR THIS CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR. AND THEN THE SECOND GOAL FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED, WE'LL LOOK AT INCREASING BY 1.5%. ALL OF OUR STUDENT GROUPS WILL THINK GIFTED AND TALENTED IDENTIFICATION. THEN AT THE BOTTOM OF PAGE NINE, THERE YOU HAVE THE TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR QUALITY GOALS. SO HERE WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, WHEN THEY ADMINISTER THE UPBEAT SURVEY, WHICH IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING, UM, ADMINISTERED, UM, LOOKING AT THAT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO INCREASE BY TWO PERCENTAGE POINTS. UM, HONING IN ON TWO SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OF GOOD USE OF TIME AND IMPROVES MY TEACHING AS MEASURED BY, UM, THE CURRENT UPBEAT SURVEY. AND THEN LOOKING TO MAKE AN ADDITIONAL INCREASE FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR, CONTINUING TO LOOK AT REDUCING THE INDUCTION TEACHER TURNOVER RATE BY 0.5%. AND THEN THE THIRD ONE IS TO INCREASE THE SATISFACTION, UM, ON OUR EVALUATION CATEGORY BY 0.5% ON THE UPBEAT SURVEY. THEN THE FINAL SET OF GOALS ON PAGE 11, LOOK AT SCHOOL CLIMATE. THAT WOULD HAVE AN INCREASE IN OUR SCHOOL CLIMATE RATING BY 2% AS MEASURED ON THE ANNUAL SCHOOL CLIMATE SURVEY, WHICH IS JUST FINALIZED ADMINISTRATION, UM, BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT. SO WE ARE WAITING FOR THAT DATA TO BE REPORTED OUT. THEN STARTING ON PAGE 12, YOU WOULD GET A SUMMARY FOR EACH OF OUR SCHOOLS, UM, FOR THEIR SCHOOL, UM, RENEWAL PLANS. UM, MANY OF THEM DO HAVE GOALS CONNECTED TO THE SC READY ADMINISTRATION, EOCS, UM, GRADUATION RATE, UM, AND UPBEAT SURVEYS FOR THE DATA THAT IS STILL BEING COLLECTED AT THIS POINT. UM, SO THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO ALSO REPORT OUT ON THE SPECIFIC DATA PIECES OTHER THAN BASED ON PRELIMINARY DATA THAT THEY'VE BEEN LOOKING AT, UM, OF WHERE THEY THINK THEY ARE TO BE ABLE TO DRAFT THE CURRENT GOALS. SO IF I COULD BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION BOARD MEMBERS, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE STATE IDENTIFIES THE APRIL 30TH DUE DATE OF OUR DOCUMENTS BEING IN RECEIPT. WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THE STATE IS IN CONTROL OF THE RELEASE OF DATA IN ASSOCIATION TO THESE DOCUMENTS. WITH THAT YOU ARE IN POSSESSION OF, WE NORMALLY AND ALWAYS HAVE UPDATED YOU WHEN THOSE DATA POINTS DO COME FORWARD. I DO WANNA BRING THAT TO YOUR ATTENTION AS WELL. REDUCE THE INDUCTION RATE INTERNAL IT SAID BY, WAS IT 1.5% ON PAGE, UH, NINE NINE. OOPS, SORRY. NEXT HERE. SO IF I COULD SHARE WITH YOU THE ACTION STEPS PROVIDED TO US BY HUMAN RESOURCES. WE ALSO HAVE MS. ALICE WALTON, OUR CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES IN THE ROOM. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT PAGE 10, IT IDENTIFIES ACTION STEPS, IMPLEMENT IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING OF THE FOLLOWING, PROVIDE ONGOING SUPPORT TO DISTRICT AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP THROUGH PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. I INTERPRET THAT IN THE PRACTICE. PLEASE DON'T LET ME PUT DIRECT WORDS INTO OUR HUMAN RESOURCE. AND WE DO WORK VERY CLOSE WITH THEM. BUT AS WE BUILD THAT CAPACITY OF OUR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP, WE ALSO BUILD THAT CAPACITY FOR THE SCHOOL CLIMATE IN ORDER FOR TEACHERS TO REMAIN. AND I THINK THAT PART OF A CONVERSATION, MAYBE NOT POINTED AT EARLIER TODAY, BUT IF THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT AND SCHOOL CLIMATE IMPROVES, DO I REMAIN THERE BEYOND MY FIVE YEAR TERM EXPECTATIONS? SO PART OF THAT IS BUILDING THAT CAPACITY OF THE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP. WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF WORK IN THE DISTRICT ON SINGLE SCHOOL CULTURE. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR SOME TIME ACTUALLY WITH A CONSULTANT. WE'RE ALSO PUTTING INTO PLACE CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE AT BUILDING THAT CAPACITY, THE ADULT CAPACITY TO UNDERSTAND THE WHY OF OUR STUDENTS. AND INSTEAD OF ME REACTING, BUT PULLING BACK AND UNDERSTANDING OUR STUDENTS PRIOR TO US REACTING TO SOMETHING, UH, DIS WHAT WE MAY INTERPRET AS A DISCIPLINARY ITEM. SO I DO WANNA POINT THE PEN TO CULTURE AND CLIMATE, WHICH WE DO RECOGNIZE HAS BEEN SHARED WITH MANY OF YOU THAT WILL GO FORWARD STRONGER THAN MANY SYSTEMS IF WE IMPROVE THE CULTURE AND CLIMATE AT OUR SCHOOLS AS WELL, MEANING TAKING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR STUDENTS. [02:10:09] SO WITH THAT BOARD MEMBERS, IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS, WE HAVE PROVIDED YOU WITH A MOTION THAT IDENTIFIES, UM, YOUR APPROVAL FOR THE DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATES, AS WELL AS OUR SCHOOL RENEWAL PLAN UPDATES. SO I'M GONNA TURN THAT THAT'S THE ACTION THAT IS REQUIRED TODAY, SIR. SO I WASN'T SURE IF WE WERE, IF YOU WERE DONE WITH YOUR PRESENTATION. DONE. DONE. OKAY. I DO HAVE ONE, ONE CONCERN AND THAT IS THE GIFTED AND TALENTED SECTION SEEMS TO HAVE ONE GOAL AND THAT ONE AND THAT ONE GOAL GOES TO REPRESENTATION. IT DOESN'T GO TO SPECIALIZED CURRICULUM, IT DOESN'T GO TO RIGOROUS OPPORTUNITIES. IT DOESN'T GO TO, YOU KNOW, WHEN I LOOK AT WHAT OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE DOING, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE 12% REPRESENTATION GOAL. I JUST DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE THE ONLY ONE. BECAUSE WHAT WE HAVE SEEN WHERE I'M FROM IN SEATTLE , WHERE I STILL HAVE A LOT OF CONNECTIONS TO THE EDUCATION COMMUNITY THERE, I HAVE FRIENDS WITH KIDS IN THERE. IT HAS ABSOLUTELY DRIVEN PEOPLE INTO THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS. IF THAT IS YOUR ONLY GOAL FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED. THERE WAS AN ARTICLE THAT CAME OUT THAT I READ RECENTLY IN SEATTLE PUBLIC TIMES, UH, SEATTLE TIMES WHERE BASICALLY THEY ATTRIBUTED A TREMENDOUS LOSS OF FROM OUT OF THE SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY SHUTTERING OF THEIR GIFTED PROGRAMS AND A RE-IMAGINING IT. UM, AND BASICALLY WHAT I HAVE A HARD TIME WITH IS LET'S HAVE THE 12% REPRESENTATION GOAL, BUT I WANNA HEAR MORE ABOUT RIGOROUS OPPORTUNITY, YOU KNOW, RIGOROUS CURRICULUM, OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVANCED EDUCATION, INTERNSHIPS LOCALLY, PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, SPECIALIZED COUNSELING. ONE THING I DO THINK WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH, WE HAVE VERY GOOD COUNSELORS, BUT, UM, I WENT TO A SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY THAT MY SON HAD AND ALL THE COUNSELORS WERE WITH THEIR STUDENTS. THESE WERE ALL PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND THE COUNSELORS CAME TO THE SCHOLARSHIP AND THAT WAS KIND OF EXPECTED. WE DON'T HAVE THAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT. WE CERTAINLY DON'T HAVE THAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR KIDS PURSUING ADVANCED DEGREES IN ARTS, NO HELP FOR KIDS WHO ARE DOING PRE-SCREENS AND AUDITIONS AND LOOKING AT PROGRAMS. SO IF YOU'RE GONNA HAVE ARTISTIC AND YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THAT PART OF YOUR STRATEGIC RENEWAL, I FIND THAT THE ABSENCE OF ANY LANGUAGE ABOUT THAT TO BE A CONCERN, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE NEXT PRESENTATION WE'RE GONNA HAVE IS CALLED LET'S GO PUBLIC. AND THE DATA IS CLEAR THAT IF YOU'RE HYPER-FOCUSED ON THAT, YOU WILL LOSE KIDS INTO THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHAT PARENTS WANNA HEAR. UM, MAY I, EXCUSE ME. SO JUST TO BUILD ON THAT, WE, WE WANNA SHARE WITH YOU THAT THIS IS A GOAL. WE'VE IDENTIFIED A, A ACTION STEPS BELOW. I WILL NOT SAY THAT THAT IS A LIMITATION OF THE PERFORMANCE WITHIN THE SYSTEM. WE HAVE AN ACCELERATED PROGRAM, ONE OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AT BLUFFTON ELEMENTARY, WHERE ACTUALLY YESTERDAY I REVIEWED THE DO THE DATA POINTS OF STUDENTS WHO ARE PERFORMING AT FIFTH GRADE AT EIGHTH AND NINTH GRADE AND BEING ABLE TO BRIDGE THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS. A DO WE LOOK AT AN ACADEMIC GROWTH BY GRADE LEVEL ADVANCEMENT OR LOOK AT CREATING A, A PATHWAY AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS THAT WE HAVE THAT STRONGER FEEDER PATTERN. WE'LL BUILD ON THAT EVEN FURTHER. THIS YEAR WE'VE HAD 334% OF ACADEMIC REPRESENTATION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS. WITH THAT, WE'VE ALSO PUT INTO PLACE TO HAVE GREATER UTILIZATION OF WILLIAM AND MARY UNITS OF STUDY WITH AMONGST ALL OF OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. WE'RE PACING THAT OUT IN WRITING BECAUSE IT'S NECESSARY. WE'VE ALSO, THROUGH OUR ANALYSIS OF MASTER SCHEDULES, TAKE A STRONG LOOK AT WHERE ARE WE PUTTING OUR STUDENTS. OUR DISTRICT HAS BEEN VERY, VERY MUCH SUPPORTIVE AT BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT TWO SPECIFIC MIDDLE SCHOOLS, ONE SOUTH OF ABROAD, ONE NORTH OF THE NORTH OF ABROAD IN REGARDS TO INCREASING REPRESENTATION OF SHIFTED AND TALENTED TEACHERS. 'CAUSE OUR ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT IS THE STEP OR THAT EXIT ON THE HIGHWAY AS YOU'RE GOING FORWARD OF WHERE WE ARE LOSING STUDENTS OR THE POTENTIAL OF LOSS OF STUDENTS. SO WE HAVE BEEN ANALYZING THAT, PUTTING ITEMS IN PLACE IN ORDER TO RETAIN AND INCREASE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE FOR OUR A HIGH ACHIEVING STUDENTS, BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T MONITORING THAT VERY CLOSELY. SO HOW ARE WE GONNA MONITOR THIS? BECAUSE IT'S EASY IF YOU HAVE YOUR GOAL, 12% INCREASE IN REPRESENTATION THAT YOU CAN PROVIDE NUMBERS FOR. HOW ARE WE GONNA MO IF YOU'RE SAYING WE'RE ALSO DOING THESE OTHER THINGS, BUT IT'S NOT LISTED AS A GOAL. WHAT METRICS, YOU KNOW, ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? ARE WE GONNA HAVE MORE SECTIONS OF ALGEBRA IN, UH, NI IN EIGHTH GRADE? THAT COULD BE ONE METRIC. ARE WE GONNA HAVE HIGHER, YOU KNOW, IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO SO THAT I CAN, AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER, WHEN, AND I GET, I, I JUST TALKED TO ONE OF MY NEIGHBORS TODAY WHO MOVED DOWN HERE FROM JERSEY. I ALWAYS THINK IT'S JERSEY. UM, AND HIS SON'S AT PREP, BUT HE IS LIKE, TELL ME ABOUT THE HIGH SCHOOL. MM-HMM . I WANNA POINT TO, YOU KNOW WHAT WE HAVE THIS, THAT, AND WHAT I DO AT HILTON HEAD IS I POINT TO THE IB PROGRAM WITH BOTH FINGERS, RIGHT? I MEAN, WITH EVERYTHING I'M LIKE, WE HAVE THE IB PROGRAM, [02:15:01] ET CETERA, ET CETERA. BUT WHAT I WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO IS SAY, EXCUSE ME, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOLS TO PREPARE YOUR KID TO COMPETE IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY, IN A HIGHLY GLOBALIZED ECONOMY. AND RIGHT NOW, WITH THIS, I'M NOT GONNA POINT TO REPRESENTATION OF GIFT AND TALENTED. I WANT TO POINT TO CURRICULUM. I WANT TO POINT TO OPPORTUNITIES. AND SO I, THAT'S WHY I'M SAYING LEAVE THE REPRESENTATION. I THINK THAT'S A VERY GOOD GOAL AND IT'S EASY TO TRACK, BUT WE NEED TO ADD IN SOME STUFF ADDITIONALLY THAT WE CAN TRACK AND POINT TO. SO, IF I MAY, MADAM, MADAM SECRETARY, SO WE'VE ACTUALLY ASKED THE STATE THE OPPORTUNITY, AND I'M, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU BOARD MEMBERS ARE FAMILIAR WITH A PRODUCT CALLED PODIUM THAT IS FROM THE STATE. THEY DID NOT INCLUDE GIFTED AND TALENTED IN ORDER FOR US TO DISAGGREGATE THE DATA. THAT IS ONE FIRST STEP THAT WE'RE DOING I NEED TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION. AS MS. CROSBY DID EARLIER TODAY. OUR TIDES PROGRAM, WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAD A PILOT LAST YEAR. WE HAVE 19 STUDENTS WHO ARE STARTING AS NINTH GRADERS, UM, AT THE NEW RIVER CAMPUS WITH TCL. I WILL SHARE WITH YOU THAT THIS COMING ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR, UM, WE HAVE A 67 ELIGIBLE STUDENTS SOUTH OF ABROAD, 19 STUDENTS NORTH OF ABROAD FOR TWO, RUNNING, THREE NEW COHORTS. AND THESE ARE STUDENTS WHO ARE COMING IN VERY HIGH IN PSAT. WE OPEN PSAT TESTING FREE FOR ALL EIGHTH GRADERS. THAT IS YOUR GENEROSITY AS A BOARD AND OUR GENEROSITY THROUGH OUR DISTRICT, UM, BUDGET OFFICE THAT HAS GIVEN US THAT OPPORTUNITY. WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE AWAY AS MANY BARRIERS AND GIVE OPPORTUNITIES TOO. AND WE ARE MEASURING AND MONITORING. SO WE'RE NOT ACTING IN ISOLATION, BUT WE ARE BUILDING PROGRAMS. 'CAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THE NEED. IT IS A GROWTH AREA FOR US AS A SYSTEM. SO I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT FORWARD, MS. MO, MRS. BOATWRIGHT, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S RECOGNIZED. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. I I HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION. THE GIFTED AND TALENTED, ARE THOSE PROGRAMS IN THE ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS ONLY, OR IS IT HIGH SCHOOL AS WELL, OR SO STATE, MME. GORDON, THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION. STATE REQUIRES THAT CLASSIFICATION. WE UTILIZE IT AT THE ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL. THEN THE STATE DEFINES GIFTED AND TALENTED FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES, AS WELL AS IB. THEY HAVEN'T INCLUDED INTO THE REGULATION, THE LANGUAGE OF CAMBRIDGE, WHICH YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR. THAT'S AT BATTERY CREEK, ALSO AT, UM, MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL. SO THAT IS THE PATHWAY THAT THEY BELIEVE FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS TO GO ON THAT PATH. SO AS YOU COME OUTTA THE MIDDLE SCHOOL, YOU GO INTO HIGH SCHOOL, THE STATE USES THE LANGUAGE OF AP ADVANCED PLACEMENT AND INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE AS A PATHWAY. IT DOESN'T GO ANY DEEPER THAN THAT AT THE HIGH SCHOOL REGULATION. BUT FOR OUR OPERATIONS OF OUR SCHOOLS, OUR STUDENTS ARE GIVEN THOSE OPPORTUNITIES TO EITHER BE ON A STRONG PATHWAY, EITHER THROUGH ADVANCED PLACEMENT CAPSTONE THAT WE HAVE AT BLUFFTON, BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL, AS WELL AS BEAUFORT HIGH, OR CONTINUING AS MRS. BOATRIGHT BROUGHT FORWARD FROM THE MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAM AT THE HILTON HEAD HIGH SCHOOL TO THE DIPLOMA PROGRAM THAT THEY GRADUATE WITH. OR THEY CAN TAKE SINGLETON COURSES. YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAY IN A FULL DIPLOMA PATHWAY. STUDENTS HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY AS WELL. A ACTUALLY, ALL STUDENTS NOW HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE SINGLETONS AS WELL, FOR THOSE ACCELERATED COURSES. AND MANY STUDENTS ALSO TAKE A DUAL ENROLLMENT PATHWAY. MR. SCH SMITH. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, SO MY, MY, UH, MICHAEL, ONE OF MY MAIN QUESTIONS ARE FIRST, UH, JUST TO, UM, WHEN YOU OPENED UP INTO THIS DISCUSSION, YOU MENTIONED CLIMATE DEFINE CLIMATE. WHAT DOES THAT, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHAT, WHAT, WHAT IS, WHAT IS THAT? I'LL USE A SIMPLE EXAMPLE. I JUST OPENED THE BUTTON IN MY JACKET BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU FEEL. I'M GETTING WARM. , THE TOES ARE SWEATING. IT'S WHAT YOU FEEL. OKAY. CULTURE IS WHAT YOU DO. SO WITH, WITH SAYING THAT IN THIS, THIS DOCUMENT, IN THIS PARTICULAR DOCUMENT, HOW DO WE DEFINE CLIMATE AND, AND TURN AND TURN INTO WHAT WOULD BE YET, BUT YET, WHAT'S THE MEAT THAT HELPS US NAVIGATE THROUGH THIS DOCUMENT, UNDERSTANDING THE CLIMATE, BUT YET, SO IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT WRITTEN SPECIFICALLY WITHIN THIS DOCUMENT TO GIVE A DEFINITION VOCABULARY, BUT FOR US AS A SYSTEM IN MANY SYSTEMS HERE IN SOUTH CAROLINA, WE UTILIZE THE ACCOUNTABILITY SURVEY THAT IS VERY KEY BECAUSE THOSE ARE POINTS WHERE ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE RATING OF YOUR SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, [02:20:01] AS WELL AS EVERYBODY ELSE, YOUR SCHOOL RATING TIES TO WHERE YOU LOOK TO LIVE, TO LIVE AND WHERE YOU LOOK TO LAND. SO THERE'S VERY CLOSE EYE THAT IS PROVIDED BY OUR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION AS WELL AS ACCOUNTABILITY AND AS WELL AS OUR DATA SERVICES DEPARTMENT ON THAT, KEEPING AN EYE ON WHERE ARE WE GOING, OUR UPBEAT, OR IS THAT INTERMITTENT ROADMAP BEFORE THOSE STATE ACCOUNTABILITY, UM, SURVEY GOES OUT. SO THIS, OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS ITEMS IN PLACE, SO WE COULD HAVE A ROADMAP, AND THEN WE LAND ON THE STATE SURVEY, SIR. AND, AND, AND THANK YOU. UH, THE FIRST TIME YOU DID IT, I HIT IT, BUT YOU KNOW ME SO WELL. I WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY THAT WAS MY WHO, WHAT, WHERE, AND WHY AND HOW. AND I, I APPRECIATE YOU, UH, ANSWERING, ANSWERING THAT SO ELOQUENTLY. UM, BUT ALSO ONE OF MY CONCERNS WERE, UH, THAT WHEN HE, UH, INITIALLY WHEN Y'ALL INITIALLY BROUGHT IT FORWARD, IT WAS KIND OF CLEAR THAT THIS DOCUMENT MAY STILL NEED SOME INFORMATION THAT I, THAT I, THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN. AND I'M JUST ONE THAT I LIKE, THAT I LIKE TO PUT MY, AS I SAY, RUBBER STANDPOINT, WHEN, WHEN EVERYTHING IS THERE. SO I'M NOT SURE AT THIS TIME THAT I WILL BE OKAY WITH IT AND SEEING WHAT ELSE, UM, COULD BE GOOD, GREAT INFORMATION THAT COULD BE ADDED TO THIS, BECAUSE THIS IS A PART OF THE SELLING, THE SELLING POINT. THIS IS A VERY STRONG, SERIOUS DOCUMENT WHEN YOU SUPPORTING ANY, ANYTIME YOU'RE SOMEWHAT SUPPORTING IT, SENDING A DOCUMENT TO THE STATE, THAT'S A, THAT'S A VERY CRITICAL, UH, PIECE OF THINK, THAT'S A VERY CRITICAL, UH, DECISION. SO, UM, AT THIS TIME, I, I WOULD DEFINITELY SEE WHAT THAT INFORMATION IS AND POSSIBLY, UM, BE ON THE SIDE OF WAITING UNTIL WE GET THAT INFORMATION TO, UH, VOTE IN SUPPORT OF HAVING THIS DOCUMENT, UH, SENT UP RIGHT AT THIS POINT, OR GIVEN THE AUTHORITY TO, TO VOTE. SO MAY I, UM, WITH THIS, JUST KNOW THAT THE STATE IS AWARE THAT, UM, SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS, SO WHEN THE LEGISLATURE BUILT THE LAW, UM, IT WAS SET FOR THAT APRIL 30TH. SO, UM, OUR SCHOOLS AND DISTRICT, WE HAVE BILLED IT KNOWING THAT, UM, WE HAVE NO, NONE OF THIS DATA IN ORDER TO REPORT OUT. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT METRICS OF WHERE WE WANT TO BE, AND THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO CLOSE UP THE CURRENT PLAN AND BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD, UM, WHEN THE DATA'S THERE. SO REALLY, WE'RE JUST, UM, OUR, OUR PURPOSE IS TO REQUEST TO BE ABLE TO SEND THESE GOALS PRELIMINARILY TO THE STATE. WE CAN ALWAYS COME BACK TO THE BOARD AND, UM, MAKE ANY CHANGES AS NEEDED BASED ON WHAT THE DATA ACTUALLY SHOWS. UM, BUT THE STATE DEPARTMENT DID SAY THAT THEY ARE FULLY AWARE THAT THESE ARE PRELIMINARY GOALS BASED ON, UM, WHAT WE'RE SEEING AND TRENDS THAT ARE COMING ACROSS AT THIS TIME. SO THIS IS A SO PRELIMINARY, BASICALLY SLASH THIS IS A LIVING DOCUMENT AS IT CHANGES COME ABOUT AS AS TIME GOING. BUT THIS IS SOMETHING JUST TO, YEP. SO WE, WE HAVE TO HAVE IT TO BE ABLE TO SUBMIT TO THE STATE, UH, THE BOARD TO BE ABLE TO ALLOW US TO SUBMIT IT. AND THEN WHEN REPORT CARDS COME OUT IN OCTOBER, IS GENERALLY WHEN WE'RE ABLE TO FINALIZE IT AND COME BACK TO THE BOARD AT THAT TIME AND GIVE THE DATA PRESENTATION OF WHAT OUR TEST SCORES LOOK LIKE AND WHERE OUR REPORT CARDS ARE COMING AT. AND THAT'S A CHANGE EVERY YEAR AS, UH, OVER A FIVE YEAR PERIOD, BECAUSE, BECAUSE THEY'RE REQUIRING YOU TO TURN IT IN RIGHT NOW, KIDS HAVEN'T TAKEN A SINGLE TEST YET, RIGHT. THAT THAT'S COMING UP IN, IN A WEEK OR TWO. SO THEY KNOW THAT THROUGH THEIR OWN PROCESS THAT'S DESIGNED, UH, BECAUSE THIS ISN'T ABOUT ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT YEAR, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A FIVE YEAR PIECE. SO IT'S A LIVING DOCUMENT. THEY NEED TO, AND COLONEL GUYER TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION BEFORE WE PUT THIS SUMMARY TOGETHER FOR YOU. THESE PLANS HAVE GONE THROUGH SIGNIFICANT SCRUTINY AND SENT TO THE STATE, BACK AND FORTH TO THE POINT THAT WE SAY WE ARE READY TO BRING IT FORWARD. SO THEY'RE NOT COMPLETED IN ISOLATION. THERE HAS BEEN VETTING, THERE HAS BEEN AT LEAST THREE LEVELS OF REVIEW BEFORE WE EVEN HAD THE STATE TAKE A LOOK. AND THEN IT COMES BACK FOR US AND BE ABLE TO, TO PUT THIS, PREPARE TO BRING FORWARD TO YOU, TO EACH OF YOUR BROAD BOARD MEMBERS, MR. NAY. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UH, SO THE, ALL THE GOALS THAT ARE LISTED FOR THE DISTRICT, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, UH, I'M, I'M JUST PICKING, UH, 10%, UH, INCREASE, UH, FOR TALENTED STUDENT POPULATION, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF, UH, OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, OF COURSE, IS THIS DRIVEN BY, WE HAD A 2% INCREASE LAST YEAR. HOW, HOW ARE THESE NUMBERS GENERATED? WHERE IS IT JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I'M SURE THERE'S A METHOD BEHIND IT, UH, BUT IS IT BASED ON PAST PERFORMANCE? UH, AND ARE THESE ATTAINABLE GOALS? SO THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION. SO THE ANSWER TO THAT IS YES. AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN, A TREND ANALYSIS WAS COMPLETED ON THE GROWTH TARGETED TO EACH ONE OF THE GOALS THAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR. WE ALSO THEN LOOKED AT THAT TREND ANALYSIS IN COMPARISON TO THE STATE'S TARGETS THAT WERE PUBLISHED ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY. AND THEN WE LANDED TO SAY, WHAT CAN WE DO? LOOKING AT THE TREND AND LOOKING [02:25:01] AT WHERE HAVE WE GONE STEPWISE DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR LOOKING AT OUR DIAGNOSTICS? AND I LIKE TO SAY THAT'S OUR IN BETWEEN ROADMAP, AND THAT'S HOW THOSE STEPS WERE IDENTIFIED. CERTAIN NOT IN ISOLATION, THAT THE STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS WHERE WE SET 75, 75, 92, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE, I MEAN, I SAID FROM THE GI, THE BEGINNING, THOSE ARE, ARE THEY LOFTY LARGE GOALS, RIGHT? THAT, THAT, UH, I PREFER TO SET THEM WAY OUT THERE. OKAY. UH, MADAM SECRETARY, UH, LET'S, UH, LET'S READ THE MOTION AND, UH, HAVE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION AFTER THE MOTION HAS BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. UH, I MOVE THAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION APPROVED THE DISTRICT STRATEGIC PLAN AND SCHOOL RENEWAL PLANS FOR THE 20 25, 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR. SECOND FOR MS. GORDON. OKAY. ANY, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION QUESTION? GO AHEAD. ARE THESE, ARE, ARE THESE FIVE-YEAR PLANS, AREN'T THEY GENERALLY FIVE-YEAR PLANS? WE PRESENTED OUR FIVE-YEAR PLAN A YEAR AGO, SO EACH YEAR WE WILL GIVE YOU AN YES MA'AM. OTHER QUESTIONS? MR. DALLAS? UH, MY QUESTION IS IN THE CHAT ROOM. ARE TEACHERS TESTED ON RETENTION OF THIS? UH, MY QUESTION IS IN THE CHAT ROOM, ARE TEACHERS TESTED ON RETENTION OF THESE DELIBERATE DATA TECHNIQUES, SOFT SKILLS, SAY 12 MONTHS, HENCE FROM WHEN THEY'RE TAUGHT TECHNIQUES, SOFT SKILLS, SAY 12 MONTHS, HENCE FROM WHEN THEY'RE TAUGHT. MAY YOU REPEAT THE FIRST PART OF THAT FROM THIS PART. IT WAS ECHOING FOR MYSELF. I DO APOLOGIZE, MA'AM. THE QUESTION IS IN THE, UH, CHAT ROOM BECAUSE OF THE REVERB, IF THAT HELPS. THE QUESTION IS IN THE, UH, CHAT ROOM BECAUSE OF THE REVERB, IF THAT HELPED, CAN MS. CUSHING BEAR READ? YEAH, I THINK SHE'S GONNA READ RIGHT NOW. I DON'T THINK YOU HEARD IT BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T HAVE THE MIC, BUT SHE'S USING THE MIC RIGHT NOW PUSHING HER TO READ. YES, SIR. SHE'S GONNA READ IT RIGHT NOW. THE QUESTION, ARE TEACHERS TESTED ON RETENTION OF THESE DELIVERED DATA TECHNIQUES OR, AND SOFT SKILLS? SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT STUDENTS IN OUR ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR, DAY ONE, STUDENTS COME AND ARRIVE. WE START WITH DIAGNOSTICS WITHIN 30 DAYS. THOSE ARE THE FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS WE HAVE IN BETWEEN UNTIL WE GET TO THE ACTUALLY STATE TESTING WINDOW. SO STUDENTS ACTUALLY SIT FOR THE ASSESSMENTS, AND IN PARALLEL TO THAT, TEACHERS OBSERVE FOR THEIR EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES IN THE CLASSROOM. SO I'M NOT SURE IF I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION IS DEEP. SO IF I CAN GET A POINT OF CLARIFICATION, MR. DALLAS, HOW DO WE CONFIRM THAT TEACHING? I UNDERSTAND, MR. DALLAS, DO YOU HAVE A CLARIFICATION? HOW DO WE CONFIRM THAT TEACHERS ARE INCULCATING WHAT THEY ARE TAUGHT, AND THEN EXECUTING WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT AND WHAT THEY ARE TAUGHT AND THEN EXECUTING WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT AND HAVE LEARNED? SO I THINK, I THINK THE, UH, I THINK I'M, I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE ASKING. SO ONE, YOU HAVE CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS AND CLASSROOM VISITS. YOU HAVE INSTRUCTIONAL REVIEWS AT SCHOOLS, UH, THAT, THAT ARE DONE FOR THE PURPOSE OF, UH, IDENTIFYING, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES WITHIN SCHOOL, BUT BUILDING CONTINUED ACTION PLANS THAT, THAT THEN SUPPORT THE WORK AT SCHOOLS. BUT THROUGH THOSE, UH, CLASSROOM WALKTHROUGHS, CLASSROOM OBSERVATIONS, PLC PLCS WHERE OUR TEACHERS COME TOGETHER AND, AND WORK THROUGH PLANNING AND IDENTIFYING, UH, THE, THE TOOLS WITHIN THEIR TOOLBOX TO USE IN ORDER TO, UH, TO SUPPORT, UH, UH, THE INSTRUCTION THAT THEY'RE DELIVERING FOR IMPROVED, UH, OUTCOMES, THAT THROUGH THOSE PROCESSES AS PART OF OUR SYSTEMS TO CHECK AND MONITOR, UH, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WHAT THEY'RE LEARNING THROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, UH, UH, TO, TO, AND, AND ACTUALLY BEING UTILIZED IN THE CLASSROOMS. I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE ASKING. MR. DALLAS, DO YOU HEAR THAT? YES, I DID. THANK YOU. OKAY. I GOT IT. I SEE IT. OKAY. THANK YOU MR. SMITH. YES, I DID. THANK YOU, MR. SMITH. [02:30:01] UM, I WILL HONESTLY, UH, STATE THAT I COULD GIVE, UH, I COULD GIVE DEFINITELY, I WILL DEFINITELY HONOR THAT. UM, THAT THE QUESTION, MR. DO, MR. UH, DALLAS HAS ASKED, BECAUSE I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WATCHING AND SITTING IN A, UH, KIND OF A, UH, THE EVALUATION OF A, UH, WHERE, WHERE THEY HAVE TEAMS AND WHERE THEY'VE RIGHT INSTRUC IN INSTRUCTIONAL REVIEW, WHERE THE TEAM HAS LOOKED AT TEACHER AND, UH, HAVE LOOKED AT THE SKILLS OF A TEACHER AND TOLD HER WHERE HER STRONG POINTS IN HER, SO NOT GOOD POINTS ARE, AND HOW TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE CRITICALLY GETTING THE POINTS ACROSS TO THE, TO THE, UH, STUDENTS AND THEN, AND HOW STUDENTS WERE ENGAGED AND DISENGAGED. SO THAT, SO, UH, THAT I HAVE AS A BOARD MEMBER, I HAVE THE ACTUAL PLEASURE OF DO I HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN, AND I WILL PUBLICLY MOM SAID, YOU SPANK ME PRIVATELY. YOU SPANK ME PUBLICLY, GIMME MY PRAISE PUBLICLY. AND I HAVE SEEN MR. FLOWERS AND HIS TEAM, UH, OUT THERE, UH, DOING THAT. SO, YOU KNOW, UH, EVEN THOUGH I SAID I LIKE FOR IT TO BE COM COMPACTED, UM, I, IT WOULD, IT WOULD, IT WOULD DEFINITELY NOT BE, BE THE TRUE WHO I AM IN TERMS OF, UH, SAYING THAT YOU DIDN'T DO YOUR, YOUR FULL DUE DILIGENCE TODAY, BUT MA, MAJORITY OF IT. SO I, I WILL, I WILL SUPPORT, UH, A MOTION TO MOVE THIS MEETING THAT THIS IS A LIVING DOCUMENT, AND I'M STILL LOOKING FOR Y'ALL TO BRING THE BREAD SO THAT WE HAVE THE NUMBER ONE KIDS ACROSS THE STATE IN THIS COUNTRY. SO, I, UH, I WILL APPRECIATE, I DO APPRECIATE YOUR PLAN. I'M STILL LOOKING FOR THE, UH, SOME, SOME MORE RESULTS IN TERMS OF WHAT ALL, WHAT ALL, WELL, HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH BANK WE'RE GETTING FOR OUR BUCK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OKAY. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE? ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE IN THE ROOM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF, UH, THE MOTION PLEASE SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. ONLINE, MR. DALLAS. AYE. MR. DALLAS IS AYE, AND MS. HAY, SIR? AYE, YES. I DON'T HEAR FROM MS. HAY, BUT THE MOTION. MOTION, OKAY. BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE A POINT THAT I'M ABSTAINING AND I'M ABSTAINING BECAUSE I GENERALLY DON'T ENGAGE THAT MUCH IN THESE DOCUMENTS BECAUSE I THINK THESE FIVE YEAR STATE MANDATED PLANS CREATE MORE WORK THAN THEY PROVIDE VALUE. I THINK THAT YOUR TEAM IS MUCH MORE STRATEGIC ON THE GROUND. SO I JUST KIND YEAH, FINE. THIS IS YOUR FIVE-YEAR PLAN IN THIS ENVIRONMENT. A FIVE-YEAR PLAN, NOT SUPER HELPFUL. BUT WHAT I WANNA SAY, THE REASON I'M STAYING IS BECAUSE I, I, FOR MY PREVIOUS COMMENT, SO YES, THERE'S ONE ABSTENTION. I GOT IT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU. BOARD. LET'S, LET'S GO PUBLIC. MR. NATE, MS. BRUDER, OOPS. THERE'S SOME COFFEE OVER THERE IF ANYBODY WANTS IT. . THANK YOU DR. BRUDER AND IS COMING FORWARD, AND SHE'S GOT SOME GUESTS WITH US HERE THAT, THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING, UH, WITH US ON, UH, A INFORMATION STRATEGY, UM, OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY CALLED LET'S GO PUBLIC. NO, THANK YOU. WE'RE VERY EXCITED, UM, TO SHARE OUR GO PUBLIC CAMPAIGN WITH YOU TODAY. AND I HAVE WAYNE AND SUSAN FROM WORLD DESIGN MARKETING WITH US. UM, THEY CAME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FROM TCL. THEY KNOW OUR COMMUNITY REALLY, REALLY WELL. THEY ARE LOCAL AS WELL, AND WE'RE VERY EXCITING TO THE, FOR THE MARKETING EXPERTISE THAT THEY BRING TO THE TABLE. AND I'M GONNA LET WAYNE TAKE OVER. THANK YOU. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. AM I THE LAST THING BETWEEN YOU AND LUNCH? YEAH, WE'LL MAKE IT BRIEF. WE'LL KEEP IT GOING. I'M EXCITED TO SHARE OUR PRESENTATION, UH, AS MS. KANSAS SAID, I'M WAYNE, THIS IS SUSAN. WE'RE FROM WORLD DESIGN MARKETING ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND. UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO CHANGE THIS. OH, YOU'RE GONNA CHANGE THE SLIDES. PERFECT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, AND WE'VE, UH, BEEN SERVING, UH, CLIENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION FOR 23 YEARS NOW. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS SPACE, AND WE'RE SEEING MORE AND MORE NOW, UH, ACTUALLY SCHOOL DISTRICTS THEMSELVES THINKING ABOUT HOW THEY PRESENT THEMSELVES TO THE PUBLIC. AND WE'RE EXCITED TO BE ON THIS JOURNEY WITH YOU ALL. UH, I FIRST CAME TO THE LOW COUNTRY IN THE EARLY NINETIES WITH THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY. I SPENT 14 YEARS WITH DISNEY WHERE I LEARNED THE POWER OF GREAT STORYTELLING AND THE METHOD BY WHICH GREAT BRANDS ARE DEVELOPED AND BUILT AND BROUGHT TO THE PUBLIC, AND THE METHODOLOGY THAT WE STILL USE IN OUR FIRM TODAY. UH, DURING MY YEARS WITH DISNEY, UH, I WORKED ON FOUR BUSINESSES FOR DISNEY, AND THE LAST ONE BROUGHT ME TO HILTON AND ISLAND. WE WERE GOING TO BUILD 30 RESORTS AROUND THE WORLD IN FIVE YEARS. THAT WAS THE CHARGE MICHAEL EISNER GAVE US. HILTON HIT ISLAND WAS OUR FIRST STOP ON THE WORLD TOUR. WHILE WE WERE HERE, HE DECIDED TO BUY A, B, C TOOK, UH, OUR PROJECT OFF THE SHELF. WE WERE TYING UP WAY TOO MUCH MONEY. WE HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THE LOW COUNTRY, AND WE STAYED AND RAISED OUR FAMILY HERE, UH, SINCE THEN. AND, UH, OUR GIRLS NOW ARE COLLEGE GRADUATES, BOTH HAVE HOMES IN HILTON HEAD THEMSELVES, AND ARE STARTING TO RAISE THEIR OWN FAMILIES NOW. SO IT'S BEEN A GREAT STORY AND, UH, AND WE'RE SO [02:35:01] GLAD WE DID. UH, WE HAVE A LOVE FOR THE COMMUNITY AT LAST, UH, LAST, UH, COUNT. WE'VE SERVED OVER 38 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS COMMUNITY, NORTH OF THE BROAD SOUTH THAT BROUGHT EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN. AND, UH, AND WE, AND WE LOVE THAT, UH, SERVED ON NUMBER OF BOARDS, UM, TO, TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY. THE MITCHELLVILLE PRESERVATION PROJECT. I WAS ONE OF THE EARLY BOARD MEMBERS OF THAT PROJECT TO BRING THAT TO LIFE AND JUST LOVE THAT STORY. UM, AND LOVE THE HISTORY OF THE AREA. WE GOT INTO HIGHER EDUCATION, UM, UH, ALMOST BY ACCIDENT DURING, UH, A DOWNTURN IN THE ECONOMY WHEN EVERYTHING CHANGED. WE WERE DOING HIGH END RESORT DEVELOPMENT, MARKETING, AND EVERYTHING STOPPED, IF YOU GUYS REMEMBER, A FEW YEARS BACK. AND WE GOT INTO HIGHER EDUCATION, AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE REALLY, REALLY GOOD FOR US. WE, UM, UH, STARTED OUR BUSINESS 23 YEARS AGO. WE FOCUSED ON BRANDING, STORY DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION OF THOSE BRAND STORIES. WE'RE A FULL SERVICE AGENCY AND WE'RE BUILT TO SERVE EDUCATION CLIENTS. WE HAVE ALL THE TOOLS WE NEED IN HOUSE TO PROVIDE THE MATERIALS THAT THE DISTRICT NEEDS TO GET THE WORD OUT, TO GET THE STORY OUT, TO MAKE THIS A BIG STORY AND, AND REALLY, UH, PROACTIVELY DELIVER OUR MESSAGE INTO THE HOMES AND FAMILIES OF OUR COUNTY TO, UH, GET THEM TO ENGAGE WITH US IN GREATER NUMBERS. OKAY. UM, THE, UH, NEXT SLIDE IS, UH, JUST AN IDEA OF WHERE WE WORK. WE WORK THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. WE HAVE CONTRACTS WITH THESE COLLEGES TO, UH, WE'VE HELPED THEM GET THEIR STORY STRAIGHT, AND THEN WE MOVED TO IMPLEMENTATION. AND MANY OF THEM, AS CANDICE SAID, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH TCL NOW FOR OVER 20 YEARS, IMPLEMENTING THEIR MARKETING AND SEEING THEM THROUGH TREMENDOUS GROWTH OVER THE YEARS. BUT WE'RE IN, IN FLORIDA AND TEXAS, ALABAMA, GEORGIA, CAROLINA, NORTH, ALL AROUND. SO WE HAVE A LOT OF, UH, INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE WE BRING TO THE TABLE. RECENTLY DURING, UH, A PROJECT IN WACO, TEXAS WHERE WE WERE REBRANDING MCCLENNAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE THERE, THE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS WAS IN ONE OF OUR WORKSHOPS AND SAID, MAN, WE COULD REALLY USE THIS FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. CAN YOU HELP US? AND I SAID, BOY, THAT'S AN INTERESTING PROPOSITION. I THINK WE CAN, AND WE REBRANDED THE SCHOOL DISTRICT THERE, AND IT WAS A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS STORY. UH, AND THEN NOT LONG AFTER, I THINK WE GOT A CALL FROM CANDACE AND SAID, CAN YOU HELP US? SO WE'RE SEEING THIS TREND, UH, IN ALL THESE STATES WE'RE WORKING WITH, WHERE THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S A CHANGING TIME AND WE HAVE TO BE PROACTIVE IN THE WAY WE'RE DELIVERING OUR STORY AND OUR MESSAGE TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND, UH, AND KEEPING OUR FAMILIES ENGAGED WITH WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND WE'RE HAPPY TO DO THAT WITH YOU. SO, UM, UM, WE FOLLOW A, A VERY METHODICAL APPROACH TO THIS. UM, WE HAVE REALLY THREE PHASES TO OUR PROCESS. WE START WITH UNDERSTANDING THE STORY. ONE OF THE THINGS I LEARNED, LEARNED IN MY YEARS WITH DISNEY IS, UH, UH, THE VALUE OF RESEARCH AND REALLY UNDERSTANDING THE STORY WE'RE TRYING TO TELL. UH, WE WORKSHOP, WE MEET, WE GATHER RESEARCH, WE GATHER DATA. WE REALLY UNDERSTAND ALL THE VARIOUS AUDIENCE SEGMENTS. UM, YOU KNOW, AND WE UNDERSTAND THE, THE COMPLEXITIES OF THIS COMMUNITY. THERE'S LOTS OF VARIABLES HERE AT PLAY WITH ALL THE VARIOUS AUDIENCES WE'RE TRYING TO REACH AND THE FAMILIES WE'RE TRYING TO DRAW TO US. AND WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT. AND WE DO, UH, THEN WE MOVE TO THE CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT PHASE. ONCE WE GET OUR STORY STRAIGHT, WE MOVE TO HOW DO WE CREATIVELY PRESENT IT TO THE COMMUNITY? AND THEN FINALLY, IMPLEMENTATION. AND THAT'S WHERE REALLY SUSAN EXCELS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE OF THE STRATEGY, TACTICS, TIMING, BUDGET, AND ALL THE TOOLS THAT WE USE. AND WE HAVE SOME REALLY BRIGHT YOUNG PEOPLE BACK AT WDM THAT IMPLEMENT ALL OF THIS STUFF AND SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF OUR FAMILIES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO REACH. SO THAT'S OUR PROCESS. UH, ONCE WE GET THIS DONE, THIS IS WHAT WE SEE IN 23 YEARS OF DOING THIS. NOW, WE WILL START TO SEE INCREASED ENGAGEMENT AMONG CON UH, THE, THE CONSTITUENTS WE WANT TO REACH AND THE LEADERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. WE'LL START TO SEE A CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF ALL OF OUR OUTREACH WHEN WE GET THIS BRAND DONE RIGHT, AND, AND THE PLATFORM ON WHICH WE BUILD OUR COMMUNICATIONS, PEOPLE START TO RECOGNIZE IT, AND OUR MARKETING AND OUR COMMUNICATIONS BECOMES MORE EFFECTIVE. AS PEOPLE, UH, RECOGNIZE THE MESSAGES, UH, WE GET CLOSE ALIGNMENT. I, I GUESS THAT WAS A BIG STEP YOU GUYS JUST TOOK, APPROVING YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN. UH, THAT'S GREAT NEWS. BUT WE WANNA ALIGN WITH THAT STRATEGIC PLAN. WE WANNA MAKE SURE WHAT WE'RE DOING AND IMPLEMENTING AND THE STRATEGIES AND TACTICS WE'RE DEPLOYING ARE SUPPORTING THE PLAN AND THE GOALS OF THE DISTRICT, AND MEETING ALL OF THOSE NEEDS. UH, INTERNALLY, WE SEE BENEFITS. PEOPLE GET EXCITED ABOUT THESE THINGS. LIKE LET'S GO PUBLIC. UH, IT'S ALREADY STARTING TO TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF A LIFE ON ITS OWN. UM, ULTIMATELY WE INCREASE OUR VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY. THAT'S WHY WE'RE ALL SITTING HERE TO SERVE THIS COMMUNITY IN, IN BIGGER AND GREATER AND BETTER WAYS. UH, WE WILL PROVIDE A TOOLBOX OF ASSETS FOR ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS TO USE, UH, AS WE ROLL OUT THIS, UH, CAMPAIGN. AND ULTIMATELY, THE END GOAL IS TO INCREASE ENROLLMENT IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALL STRIVING FOR. SO, UH, WITH THAT, THE, UM, WE START, UH, AND, AND DID A GOOD BIT OF, TO SPEND A GOOD BIT OF TIME WITH, UH, CANDACE AND DR. STRATOS AND THEIR TEAMS AND UNDERSTANDING THE ASSIGNMENT AND, AND THE NEED FOR WHAT [02:40:01] WE'RE DOING HERE. WE WROTE, UM, A PLAN TO, TO IMPLEMENT THAT. THE RATIONALE IS A SUMMARY OF THAT PLAN. UH, THIS IS JUST A VERY BRIEF STATEMENT THAT REALLY SETS THE PLATFORM FOR THE COMMUNICATIONS AND THE THEME OF OUR, OF OUR CAMPAIGN. IT'S AN EXCITING TIME AT THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. YOU COULD READ THIS, BUT IT TALKS ABOUT, UH, ALL OF THE GOOD THINGS HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT ABOUT THE COMPREHENSIVE PATHWAYS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO EVERY FAMILY IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND ALL OF THE AWARDS AND THE, UH, PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE IMPLEMENTING NOW ARE GOOD NEWS. IT'S EXCITING. WE'RE READY. WE'RE SET. IT'S NOW TIME TO GO PUBLIC WITH ALL OF THIS EXCITING NEWS. AND THAT LEADS US TO OUR CAMPAIGN THEME. AND THE CAMPAIGN THEME IS LET'S GO PUBLIC. LET'S GO PUBLIC IS, UM, IS THE FOUNDATION ON WHICH WE WILL BUILD. YOU CAN STOP THERE FOR JUST A SECOND AND TALK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE. UH, THIS IS THE FOUNDATION ON WHICH WE WILL BUILD ALL OF OUR MESSAGING FOR ALL OF THE NEEDS OF OUR COUNTY AND ALL OF THE SCHOOLS THAT WE'RE GOING TO SUPPORT. UH, THIS HAS MULTIPLE MEANINGS THIS TERM. IT'S A, A SIMPLE STATEMENT, BUT IT REALLY IS A POSITIVE WAY TO SAY THAT WE GO TO PUBLIC SCHOOL AND WE'RE PROUD OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND WE SUPPORT PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND YOU SHOULD TOO. LET'S GO PUBLIC, MEANING PUBLIC SCHOOLS. IT'S ALSO A REFERENCE TO ALL OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE SCHOOLS, IN THE DISTRICT. AND IN THE DISTRICT. THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD THINGS HAPPENING, AND WE'RE NOT GONNA KEEP IT QUIET ANYMORE. WE'RE GONNA GET BIG AND BOLD AND LOUD ABOUT ALL THE GOOD NEWS THAT'S HAPPENING, AND WE'RE GONNA GO OUT THERE AND TELL OUR STORY. AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT ALL OF THESE, UH, THINGS IN, IN A WAY THAT WE'RE GONNA SAY, LET'S GO PUBLIC WITH ALL OF THE GOOD THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN OUR DISTRICT. AND FINALLY, IT'S ALMOST LIKE A CHEER. IT'S LIKE A RALLY AND CRY. IT'S A, IT'S A, A POSITIVE STATEMENT, AN INVITATION, IF YOU WILL. AND A WAY TO SPEAK PROUDLY ABOUT A FAMILY'S DECISION TO GO TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS. LET'S GO PUBLIC. WE CAN ALMOST HEAR IT BEING CHEERED RIGHT NOW. UH, THE FONT YOU SEE HERE IS A, IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART OF THIS. IT'S A FRIENDLY FONT. IT'S A HANDWRITTEN STYLE, BUT IT'S ALSO VERY CLEAN. IT'S VERY READABLE, AND IT'S VERY APPROACHABLE AND IT'S FRIENDLY. SO THIS IS THE THEME OF OUR CAMPAIGN. UH, WE BEGAN WITH A PILOT PROGRAM THAT IS FUNDED BY A GRANT, SPECIFICALLY FOR HILTON HEAD ISLAND SCHOOLS. SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT FOCUSED ON THOSE IF YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT. WE ARE RIGHT NOW IN THE VERY BEGINNING STAGES OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS. UH, WE'RE STARTING WITH SOME MAILERS THAT ARE INVITING, UH, FAMILIES TO TAKE A PRIVATE TOUR OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. MS. MEGAN IS PART OF THAT GRANT CHANGEMAKERS GRANT, AND AVAILABLE TO MEET WITH FAMILIES AND HELP UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT'S ON THEIR HEART AND MIND, AND GET 'EM IN THE HANDS OF THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN OUR SYSTEM TO, TO HELP THEM MAKE A DECISION TO ENROLL THEIR CHILD IN OUR HILTON HEAD PUBLIC SCHOOLS. UH, WE HAVE A FEW ACCOLADE CARDS GOING OUT AMONG THE HIGHEST PERFORMING IB PROGRAMS IN SOUTH CAROLINA. THAT'S A BIG PART OF OUR STORY. THERE'S BEAUTIFUL COPY ON THESE POSTCARDS ALSO THAT EXPLAIN IT A LITTLE FURTHER. AND, UH, TAKE A NEW LOOK AT BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL, DISTRICT BCSD. UH, LOTS OF EXCITING THINGS ARE HAPPENING, AND WE OUTLINE THAT IN THIS CARD. THIS, UH, CARD MAY GO WIDER THAN JUST HILTON. THE NEW LOOK MAY ACTUALLY GO BEYOND, UH, JUST THE ISLAND. UH, DIGITAL ADS, UH, GIVE US THE ABILITY REALLY TO TARGET OUR MESSAGE INTO VERY SPECIFIC ADDRESSES, ROOFTOPS, FAMILIES, DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS. UH, FOR EXAMPLE, WE ARE ABLE TO IDENTIFY DEVICES THAT ARE OWNED BY PEOPLE THAT JUST MOVED TO THIS AREA AND JUST MOVED TO THE COMMUNITY. SO MAYBE THEY HAVEN'T REGISTERED THEIR CHILD IN SCHOOL YET, SO WE CAN SEND THEM A MESSAGE. TAKE A LOOK AT BEFOR COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, AND INVITE THEM. SO WE'RE ABLE TO VERY PRECISELY TARGET OUR MESSAGE USING DIGITAL ADVERTISING. THESE DIGITAL ADVERTISEMENTS WILL, WILL APPEAR ON MOBILE DEVICES, PHONES, TABLETS, COMPUTERS AT HOME, UH, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, WE USE EVERY DAY. AND THESE ADS WILL THEN LINK TO A LANDING PAGE, WHICH WE'LL SHARE IN JUST A MINUTE. UH, THESE, UH, CARRY OUR MESSAGE FORWARD. IF YOU CAN GO ON FROM HERE, THESE ARE SOME SAMPLES OF DIGITAL ADS THAT WE'RE SENDING OUT, I BELIEVE. THEN WE HAVE SOME MORE TARGETED MESSAGES. UH, THESE ARE A LITTLE MORE, UH, BROAD MESSAGES THAT WILL GO JUST BEYOND HILTON HEAD ISLAND. WE HAVE THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR HERE, DR. RODRIGUEZ, WHICH IS A WONDERFUL ACCOLADE THAT WE'RE ALL VERY PROUD OF. AND THERE'S LOTS MORE TO SEE AT BCSD. THE LANDING PAGE IS WHERE ALL OF THIS, UH, ALL OF THIS COMMUNICATIONS BRINGS PEOPLE. AND THAT'S ON OUR WEBSITE RIGHT NOW. THEN IT'S LIVE AND IT WELCOMES PEOPLE TO YOUR PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. IT ALSO GIVES THEM SEVERAL OPTIONS TO CONTINUE TO GATHER INFORMATION AND LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND, UM, CAN UNDERSTAND THE PATHWAYS AND THEY CAN GET REGISTERED. UH, WE ARE PRESENTING SOME IDEAS HERE FOR JUST SOME FUN TYPE GORILLA TYPE MARKETING. GET OUT IN THE MARKET AND, AND PUT SOME POSTERS UP IN THE STORE WINDOWS HERE. WE HAVE A FUN, TAKE A NEW LOOK AT BCSD, UH, RENDERING OF OUR HILTON HOOD, NEW HILTON HEAD HIGH SCHOOL ON THERE. AND, UH, I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA PARK IT RIGHT NOW. SO THAT'S [02:45:01] THE BEGINNINGS OF WHAT WILL GROW TO BE A MORE EXPANSIVE CAMPAIGN. LET'S GO PUBLIC. WE'RE PROUD OF IT, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT, AND WE HOPE YOU ARE TOO. SO, OKAY, SIR. THANK YOU. QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, MS. GORDON? HI. DID YOU TAKE YOUR, YOUR NAME IS MR. WAYNE? YES. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UM, YOUR FOCUS RIGHT NOW IS THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND SCHOOLS. ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO MOVE ON THIS SIDE OF THE BROAD AS WELL? ABSOLUTELY. AND I MEAN, IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE, NOT 10 YEARS FROM NOW. YES, WE ARE. DID YOU WANNA SPEAK TO THAT CANDACE? SO, YES. THE REASON IT'S A PILOT PROGRAM IS, IS A, WELL, WE WANTED TO HAVE A PILOT PROGRAM JUST TO WORK OUT ANY KINKS AND THINGS LIKE THAT AND FURTHER REFINE, BUT DR. STRATOS, UM, HAD FUNDS WITH HER CHANGE MAKERS GRANT, AND AS PART OF THE GRANT, IT'S GETTING THE WORD OUT AND CREATING AWARENESS ABOUT THOSE PARTICULAR SCHOOLS. SO WE THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO START THERE. AND WE DO HAVE PLANS TO EXPAND THAT, AND THAT WILL BE HAPPENING. OBVIOUSLY, WE WANT TO PROMOTE THE WHOLE DISTRICT, AND WE'RE VERY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. BUT WE ALSO WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO JUST SHOW YOU WHAT SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE GOING TO LOOK LIKE FOR THE ENTIRE DISTRICT. DEFINITELY. THANK YOU. SURE. UM, MS. BOATRIGHT. HELLO. EXCUSE ME. I'M HILTON HEAD BOARD REPRESENTATIVE. THANK YOU. UM, THE OTHER TWO ARE ONLINE, BUT I AM ACTUALLY PROBABLY YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE, RIGHT? I HAVE, MY SON'S ABOUT TO GRADUATE FROM THE HIGHEST RANKED IB PROGRAM IN THE STATE. UM, AND I LIVE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S HAD A HUGE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN I LIVE IN WEXFORD, WHICH YOU'RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH. SURE. WE HAVE 120 SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN WITH OVER 90% OF WHICH ARE IN PRIVATE SCHOOL. YES. UM, WHEN I READ THE COPY ON THESE, I SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING TO PEOPLE ABOUT WHY THEY SHOULD GO TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL. I SPEND A LOT OF TIME SHARING MY EXPERIENCES ABOUT WHY I CHOSE THE PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL. UM, AND I MEAN, NOT TO, WE'RE ALL SHARING A LITTLE BACKSTORY. PEOPLE ASK OUR OPINION A 'CAUSE I'M ON THE SCHOOL BOARD, MY HUSBAND WENT TO HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL, HE'S A RHODE SCHOLAR, SO HE GETS THAT KIND OF ATTENTION. LIKE YOU SEND, WHERE DO YOU SEND YOUR KIDS? HILTON HEAD HIGH. AND LET ME TELL YOU WHY. SO PROBABLY I'M, I'M PROBABLY THE BIGGEST BOOSTER IN THE COMMUNITY FOR THE IB PROGRAM AT HILTON HEAD HIGH. THAT'S NOT DIRECTLY EMPLOYED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. NONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SHARE ARE ON THESE CARDS. AND I'LL TELL YOU THE REASON I'M, I'M GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT, UM, FRANK ABOUT IT. THE AWARD-WINNING PROVEN AND POWERFUL IB PROGRAM SOUNDS LIKE A MED SPA. IT IS A COLLEGE MINDED FAMILIES. WHAT YOU WANT TO TELL THESE PARENTS IS THAT THEY CAN SEND THEIR KIDS ANYWHERE FROM HILTON HEAD HIGH, FROM THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, WHICH I THINK IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING WE DO BETTER THAN THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS. AND YOU LOOK AT THE EXAMPLES OF KIDS, I WOULD PUT SOME KIDS IN SOME OUTCOMES ON HERE. MY DAUGHTER'S YEAR, I'M GONNA CALL THIS PERSON OUT. MADDIE PRINCE. SHE'S AT CAMBRIDGE OR WAS AT CAMBRIDGE ON A NUCLEAR ENGINEERING FELLOWSHIP. JALEN SNEAD IS PLAYING FOOTBALL FOR NOTRE DAME. HE STARTED IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. THAT'S NOT HAPPENING AT HILTON HEAD PREP. THAT'S NOT HAPPENING AT HILTON HEAD CHRISTIAN. THE OTHER THING IS, YOU'RE PREPARING YOUR KID FOR THE WORLD BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT GETTING A SMALL PRESELECTED GROUP OF STUDENTS. THEY ARE EXPERIENCING EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTY. THEY'RE, THEY'RE HAVING INTERACTIONS WITH PEOPLE THAT DON'T LOOK LIKE THEM, TALK LIKE THEM, THAT DON'T HAVE THEIR BACKGROUND. TO ME, THOSE ARE THE SELLING POINTS. THE IB PROGRAM HAS AN 84% COLLEGE PERSISTENCE RATE COMPARED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, SO THESE ARE THE KIND OF THINGS, IF YOUR KID DOES IB, THEY ARE ALMOST THREE TIMES AS LIKELY TO GRADUATE FROM COLLEGE. NOT ONLY GET IN, BUT TO GRADUATE, SO TO SAY, KIND OF GENERIC PROVEN POWERFUL AND AWARD-WINNING IB PROGRAMS, THAT'S NOT GONNA CAPTURE ANYONE'S ATTENTION. AND IF YOU'RE SENDING THESE CARDS OUT, SO I, LET ME JUST BACK UP AND SAY, I LIKE THIS CAMPAIGN. I THINK IT'S WELL-BRANDED, BUT I THINK WE'RE MISSING SOME OPPORTUNITIES. AND IF YOU'RE DOING IT ON HILTON HEAD AND YOU'RE DOING A PILOT PROGRAM, UM, I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK THESE ARE GONNA GRAB THE PEOPLE THAT I KNOW ON THE ISLAND IN THE, FROM THE COPY STANDPOINT. AND AGAIN, I THINK PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR OUTCOMES. IF I'M WEIGHING HILTON HEAD PREP OR HILTON HEAD CHRISTIAN, I TALK TO, UM, I ALWAYS ASK PEOPLE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY SEND THEIR SCHOOL, THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL. AND I TALKED TO A RECENT PHYSICIAN WHO HAD MOVED DOWN TO THE AREA AND HE SAID HE SENT 'EM TO A PRIVATE SCHOOL. AND I SAID, DID YOU CONSIDER THE PUBLIC SCHOOL? AND HE SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, I SHOULD KNOW IF THEY HAD CLASSES FOR MY KIDS. AND THAT GOES BACK TO THIS, YOU KNOW, RIGOROUS CURRICULUM. SO I THINK THAT WE NEED TO REALLY WORK ON THE, I MEAN, IN MY OPINION, AND LIKE I SAID, I'M YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE. I REALLY AM. I, I, WE THOUGHT ABOUT JP TWO, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE MY KIDS WENT TO OUR, UH, WE LIKE CATHOLIC EDUCATION AND THESE ARE THE REASONS WE DECIDED TO GO TO HILTON HEAD HIGH. UM, I THINK COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, ANOTHER THING PARENTS CARE DEEPLY ABOUT ARE EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, INTERNSHIPS. AND TO [02:50:01] THAT QUESTION TOO, YOU KNOW, HAVE YOU INVOLVED SOME OF THE STUDENTS IN, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE MARKETING THINGS? 'CAUSE WE HAVE AN AMAZING BLUFF AND DECA CLUB THAT DOES, I THINK, PHENOMENAL MARKETING. YOU GUYS COULD REALLY GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT MARKETING LOOKS LIKE. SO I GUESS MY COMMENTS ARE, I WOULD REALLY LIKE, IF YOU'RE GONNA DO THIS AT A HILTON HEAD PILOT TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THE AUDIENCE. AND THEN IF YOU'RE GONNA PILOT, I'M ASSUMING YOU'RE DOING SOME SORT OF OUTREACH SOURCE CODE FOR SOME OF THESE MAILERS AND WHATNOT. SO YOU'RE TRACKING WHO IS, WHO'S ACTUALLY SCHEDULING A TOUR BASED ON YOUR MARKETING. I'LL BE INTERESTED TO SEE. 'CAUSE I, I DO THINK THAT'S AN EXCELLENT WAY TO SEE IS THIS MESSAGE LANDING WITH PEOPLE. BECAUSE I LIKE THE IDEA, I LIKE THE BRANDING, I LIKE THE LOOK, I LIKE, LET'S GO PUBLIC. I JUST AM NOT SURE IF WE'RE MAKING THE MOST COMPELLING ARGUMENT FOR THIS HILTON HEAD PILOT PROGRAM TO PEOPLE THAT LIVE ON HILTON HEAD. THANK YOU. INSIGHT. I'D LIKE TO, UH, MAKE A COMMENT. YES. UM, I, I LIKE THE PRIVATE TOUR PIECE. EVERY TIME THAT I GET, UH, A CONSTITUENT THAT COMES UP TO ME AND SAYS, I THINK YOUR SCHOOLS ARE NOT UP TO STANDARD OR WHATEVER, THEY WILL COME ALONG WITH ME. I'LL TAKE YOU TO A SCHOOL. YEAH, EXACTLY. AND EVERY TIME I'VE TAKEN THESE PEOPLE, SOME ARE VERY ADAMANTLY AGAINST US, ESPECIALLY THE OLDER FOLKS THAT, UH, HAVEN'T BEEN IN A SCHOOL FOR 20, 30 YEARS. AND I TAKE 'EM INTO AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND IT BLOWS THEIR MIND TO SEE WHAT THE, THE KIDS ARE DOING. BUT I, I REALIZE THIS IS A GRANT, BUT HOW MUCH DOES, HOW MUCH DOES THIS COST? NUMBER ONE, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE COST AND THEN WHAT'S THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT? HOW DO YOU MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS? SO I'LL TELL YOU ON THE, ON THE COST, I DON'T HAVE THAT EXACT NUMBER IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW, BUT I WILL GET IT FOR YOU. UM, I CAN GO BACK TO MY OFFICE AND GET THAT. UM, BUT I THINK, LIKE DR. RODRIGUEZ AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS TOO, UM, THE RETURN ON THE INVESTMENT IS GONNA BE INCREASED ENROLLMENT. AND I THINK THIS WILL END UP PAYING FOR ITSELF WHEN WE BRING IN MORE STUDENTS. UM, AND MS. BOATWRIGHT, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS ON THAT. I WOULD LIKE TO SAY IN W UM, DMS DEFENSE, WE DID ASK THEM TO WORK AT A QUICKER THAN NORMAL PACE. THEY NORMALLY DO, DO A BIT MORE FOCUS GROUPS, BUT WE WERE WORKING TO GET SOME THINGS OUT BEFORE SCHOOL CHOICE. SO PLEASE KNOW THAT IS NOT, THAT IS NOT ON THEM . AND I WILL JUST SAY, AND YOUR INFO WAS HELPFUL, SO THANK YOU. YES. I WAS A FOCUS GROUP OF ONE HERE IN PUBLIC SESSION, SO YEAH, IT'S VERY HELPFUL. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MR. SMITH. ANYTHING ELSE? WELL, I GUESS I'M GONNA BE ANOTHER SIDE AND SAID, UH, UH, I, I GUESS Y'ALL, THIS, Y'ALL GOT THIS ON 2 78. WHEN Y'ALL GONNA BRING THIS UP? WHEN Y'ALL GONNA BRING THIS DOWN TO SEVEN, EIGHT TO BEAUFORT? BUT I GUESS, UH, WE DIDN'T GET THE GRANT THIS TIME. SO, UH, I GUESS, UH, MR. SMITH, I, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THIS AGAIN, THIS IS A PILOT PROGRAM AND WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED. WE ARE DEFINITELY COMMITTED TO DOING THIS ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTY. I LIVE IN BEAUFORT. I'M WITH YOU. LIKE, THIS IS JUST, WE'RE JUST GETTING STARTED. SO IT, WE'RE EXCITED. IT'S ALSO, WE'RE ALSO GONNA BE WORKING WITH HR ON RECRUITMENT EFFORTS THROUGH GO PUBLIC. IT WORKS FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS. UM, AND WE'RE JUST REALLY HAPPY. I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHENEVER WE TALK WITH YOU GUYS ABOUT THINGS YOU TELL US REPEATEDLY, UM, PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. WE PUSH THINGS OUT LIKE RON LOES, OUR SOCIAL MEDIA, ALL THESE THINGS. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE NEED SOMETHING BIGGER NOW AND WE NEED TO COMPETE WITH THESE CHARTER SCHOOLS AND THESE PRIVATE SCHOOLS JUST LIKE A BUSINESS WOULD. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING AND WE'RE, WE ARE GOING TO HIT THE ENTIRE COUNTY. MOST DEFINITELY. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR FEEDBACK. I I GET THAT. YEAH. BUT YEAH, I WAS JUST KIND OF JUST BEING, UH, ALSO, UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NORMALLY WOULD HEAR FROM ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES. IT DIDN'T HAPPEN ON 2 78, SO I'M GLAD THIS, THAT THIS IS GOING ON ON 2 78. AND, UH, BECAUSE, UH, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU ON OUTSIDE OF TOWN, UH, WHAT WE DO HAVE GOING FOR US IS THAT, UM, OUR SCHOOLS, I WILL SAY THAT THEY DO A GOOD JOB ON THE FACEBOOK POSTING. MM-HMM . THEY LET YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON. AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT MY COLLEAGUE HAS BROUGHT FORTH, IF YOU GO TO OUR SCHOOL'S FACEBOOK POSTING ACTUALLY, UM, AND THEN, AND THEN THAT'S, AND THESE ARE ACTUALLY PEOPLE WHO ARE IN-HOUSE THAT WE HAVE ALREADY WORKING FOR US ON THE DISTRICT, THAT THEY DO A GREAT JOB OF LETTING PEOPLE KNOW ON THE FACEBOOK POST, UH, FROM EACH INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL, UH, UH, LETTING THEM KNOW, HEY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE DOING. THIS IS WHAT WE HAD GOING ON. SO, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, GIVING CUES OUT TO THEM TOO, THAT THEY DO A GOOD JOB OF LETTING US KNOW THAT. BUT YEAH, THEY DEFINITELY DO. AND, AND APPRECIATE YOURSELF WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW. WE, WE DO APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE THAT TOO. BUT YEAH, I'LL JUST KIND OF BE, YOU KNOW. YEAH. NO, NO, NO. THANK YOU. YEAH. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. MRNE ONE. OH, GOOD. OH, YOU SMILING. HE'S SMILING. . I LOVE IT. THAT'S IT. OH, GOOD. GOT IT. I LIKE THAT. GOT IT. NO OTHER, NO OTHER QUESTIONS. WE WANNA THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH, THANK YOU. [02:55:01] JUST THE BEGINNING. IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING, SO WE'RE EXCITED TO TAKE IT ON. OH, THERE'S A QUESTION. ALL RIGHT, MR. CARLTON, HOW ARE YOU, SIR? I'M DOING GREAT. GOOD TO, UH, SEE. WDM IS REPRESENTED HERE. MY BROTHER, CAN YOU HEAR ME? UM, HIS DOING GREAT. GOOD TO, UH, SEE W DM IS REPRESENTED HERE. YES. GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO. MS. CUSH, BEAR, IF YOU COULD READ MY QUESTION, PLEASE. HIS, HIS QUESTION IS, UM, MR. BERG, IF YOU CAN READ MY QUESTION PLEASE. , HOW DO YOU BUILD THE INTERPERSONAL CONNECTIONS WITH KEY LEADERS? HOW LONG IS THE PILOT? GOOD QUESTION. THE PILOT'S GOING TO RUN, I BELIEVE, THROUGH THE SUMMER. THE PILOT PROGRAM RUNS THROUGH THE SUMMER. THE RELATIONSHIPS, UH, WITH, YOU KNOW, KEY, UM, LEADERS IS BUILT THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS, UH, MARKETING SUPPORTS THAT THIS MESSAGE WILL SUPPORT THAT. IT GIVES US SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT. WE OFTEN SEE IN THE COMMUNITIES WHEN WE ROLL SOMETHING OUT, VERY VISIBLE, LIKE, LET'S GO PUBLIC. OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS TAKE NOTICE OF IT, AND THEY SAY, WHAT'S GOING ON? AND DR. R MIGHT GET SOME CALLS AND SAY, WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING OVER THERE? I SAW SOME MESSAGES ON MY COMPUTER, OR I SAW AN AD ON A TV SHOW I WAS WATCHING. AND, UH, THAT'S KIND OF, SO THIS TYPE OF EFFORT BRINGS THEM FORWARD. IT BRINGS INQUIRIES, IT BRINGS THEM, GETS, GETS US SOME NEW EYES AND ATTENTION. THAT'S TYPICALLY WHAT WE SEE. BUT THE ACTUAL RELATIONSHIP, I MEAN, IS BEYOND, YOU KNOW, UM, BACK IN MY CORPORATE ROLE, WE HAD LIKE MARKETING AND WE HAD SALES, YOU KNOW, AND THE, THE MARKETING WAS OUT THERE COMMUNICATING, TRYING TO BRING PEOPLE TO US. AND THE SALESPEOPLE HAD TO GO BUILD THE RELATIONSHIPS AND, AND MAKE IT ALL WORK. SO I THINK THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING ALMOST FALLS MORE IN A, A, IT'S KIND OF A SALES CATEGORY, IF YOU WILL, BUT THIS WILL CERTAINLY SUPPORT THAT. IT WILL FOSTER IT, IT WILL, UH, AND I BELIEVE IT WILL CREATE SOME, UM, ACTIVITY, PROACTIVE ACTIVITY FROM OUR LEADERS TO COME TO US AND FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON. THANK YOU, SIR. IF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH. THANK YOU MUCH. IT'S, UH, LUNCHTIME. ENJOY YOUR LUNCH. THANK YOU. SO WE'LL TAKE A, UH, A 30 MINUTE BREAK. SO, UH, THAT'LL BE 20 MINUTES, UH, TO ONE, AND WE'LL RECONVENE. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES. THESE, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I'VE CHANGED LOCATIONS. UH, HOPEFULLY YOU CAN HEAR ME NOW WITHOUT THE ECHO. ARE YOU READY? THE LOCATIONS? OKAY. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN HEAR ME NOW WITHOUT THE ECHO. SOUNDS GOOD TO US. OKAY. I HEAR THE ECHO, BUT I'LL TRY TO SPEAK, UH, IN A STATIC WAY SO I DON'T REPEAT IT WHILE I'M TALKING, BUT I'LL TRY TO SPEAK, UH, IN A STAG WAY SO I DON'T REPEAT IT WHILE I'M TALKING. SO THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIZATION IS, WE SENT OUT A GO AHEAD, SIR. SO THE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIZATION IS WE SENT OUT A, A LIST OF POTENTIAL PRIORITIES AND WE SOLICITED FEEDBACK FROM THE ENTIRE BOARD, AND OF COURSE, INCLUDING THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE. UH, AND WE'VE ALSO SHARED IT WITH THE LEGAL STAFF AS WELL. AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS TO AVOID BEING REACTIVE AND, AND BE MORE PROACTIVE, ESPECIALLY IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT WE NO LONGER HAVE THE, UM, ADVOCACY ROLE. OH, I DON'T HEAR ANY REVERB. OKAY. SO, UH, THAT MEANS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO EXPAND THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS, FRIENDSHIPS, UH, POSITIONS THAT OTHERS HAVE THAT ALREADY SOME OF OUR COLLEAGUES, LIKE I KNOW, UH, CFO CROSBY AND HER COUNTERPARTS, MS. WALTON, CHRO, AND HER COUNTERPARTS, THEY TALK, I KNOW THE SUPERINTENDENT AND OTHER BOARD MEMBERS REACH OUT TO, UM, SIMILARLY SITUATED BOARD MEMBERS IN OTHER DISTRICTS. SO THAT'S ALL INPUT, AND WE JUST, AGAIN, WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT SURPRISED AND WE CAN ACTUALLY GO TO A POINT WHERE WE COLLECTIVELY ARE PROPOSING THINGS THAT MIGHT BE BENEFICIAL TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. ONE EXAMPLE OF THAT IS I THINK THERE'S A GROWING RECOGNITION, OR AT LEAST I KNOW IT IS ON MY PART OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT BIRTH TO FIVE PERIOD IN A CHILD'S LIFE, AND HOW IMPORTANT DUAL MEMBER PARENTS ARE ABLE TO EXPEND A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME IN HELPING EDUCATE THEIR OFFSPRING. AND THAT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. UH, ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF WHERE THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS ALREADY MOVING IN THIS AREA IS TO PARENTS AS TEACHERS PROGRAM, [03:00:01] HAVING SPOKEN TO TWO OF THOSE TEACHERS AND HEARD HOW PARENTS BASICALLY JOIN IN AND HELP LEARN AND UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE. THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT IS VI TO ME, VITALLY IMPORTANT, UH, THAT WE TAKE A LOOK AT. AND THEN THE LAST THING IN TERMS OF THE PRIORITIZATION IS WE HOPE YOU'LL PROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK, UH, SO THAT WE CAN THEN USE THE MENTEE SYSTEM THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT AND THE BOARD USE TO BASICALLY CALL FROM A LARGE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUAL RECOMMENDATIONS DOWN TO A SELECT FEW USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY, WHICH MEANS WE CAN DO IT VERY QUICKLY AND VERY EFFICIENTLY. SO THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT, AND WE LIKE TO GET YOUR RESPONSES CERTAINLY BY THE END OF THIS, BY THE, UH, SAY THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK, SO THAT WE CAN INCLUDE IT AND HAVE IT SET UP FOR OUR BOARD FOR OUR LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING IN THE MONTH OF MAY. SO THAT'S THE HIGH LEVEL. WE JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THIS AND ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO TAKE A LOOK AND RESPOND. UM, THERE ARE NO GUARDRAILS IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU MIGHT SUGGEST OR, OR SHARE. WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE CAN LIST IT AND COLOR IT DOWN DIGITALLY SO WE CAN START MOVING FORWARD AND MAKING PLANS BASED ON WHAT THE PRIORITIZATIONS ARE FOR GOING FORWARD 2025 IN 2026. SO WITH THAT, MR. CHAIR, I OPEN THE FLOOR FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANYONE MAY HAVE, ACTUALLY WITH THE QUESTION. ACTUALLY, I DO HAVE A CO I COMMENT TO, UH, FOR THE, UH, CHAIR OF THIS, UH, LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE. UM, MR. DALLAS, I WOULD SAY, UH, MY HAT'S OFF TO YOU WHEN I STARTED TO, UH, READ, I WAS READING SOME OF THESE IN, UM, OVER THE WEEKEND AND JUST, UH, LOOKING AT, AT, AT, AT SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT YOU'VE, UH, BROUGHT MY ATTENTION TO AND TO UNDERSTANDING, UNDERSTAND THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT YOU'VE PUT INTO THIS. YOU KNOW, I PUBLICLY DIDN'T SAY IT. SAY, UH, WELL, I WANTED TO SAY IT TO YOU THAT I DEFINITELY APPRECIATE THE, UH, AMOUNT OF WORK THAT I WENT INTO READING ALL THESE BILLS AND BRINGING THIS, BECAUSE ALSO, NOT, NOT ONLY DID I, I I READ SOME OF IT AND, UH, ALSO IN A MEETING, IN A MEETING, UH, A COUPLE, WELL, WE ACTUALLY, IN A COUPLE MEETINGS, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO TELL THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT OUR LOCAL LEGISLATORS ARE PUTTING TO, UH, PUTTING FORTH THAT DOES AFFECT US ON THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL. AND, UH, EVEN, UH, ME AND THE, UH, MR. CAR WAS AT A MEETING LAST NIGHT AND WE DIDN'T, AND THAT MEETING WAS TALKED ABOUT THE, THE LEVEL OF EDUCATION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF, UH, THE, WHAT OUR, OUR STATE HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES ARE PUTTING FORTH, AND HOW THAT, HOW THAT DOES AFFECT US MOVING FORWARD, UH, IN TERMS OF GROWING OUR KIDS AND GROWING AND GROWING OUR COMMUNITY. SO, UM, THE, THE INFANT HAD THE INFANT, THE, THE, THE INITIATIVE AND INTEREST HAS DEFINITELY SPIKED A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE PEOPLE. AND I DID DEFINITELY LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR REVAMPING THAT AND, AND RE-ENERGIZING US ON THAT AND UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING TOGETHER AND BE GOOD COUNTERPARTS WITH OUR LEGISLATORS AND HAVING GOOD RELATIONSHIPS SO THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER FOR ALL THE GOOD OF OUR STUDENTS. I DEFINITELY DO WANNA APPRECIATE, I APPRECIATE YOU FOR THAT. I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT, AND AS WELL AS YOUR COMMITTEE FOR PUTTING IN THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE PUTTING IN THEN, BECAUSE THEY, THEY HAVE AT CERTAIN POINTS IN OUR MEANS, IT HAVE BEEN KIND OF CHALLENGING WHERE, WHERE WE'VE ABLE TO ALWAYS COME TO COMMON GROUND. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. SMITH. I, I, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SAY, IF I MAY IN RESPONSE, MR. CHAIR, THAT A KEY, UH, PLATFORM OF ALL THIS WORK, AND IT'S BEEN A COMPREHENSIVE EFFORT, UM, IS THAT COMMUNICATION GOES BOTH WAYS. SO WE HAVE TO SELECT AND, AND, AND SOLICIT INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE. SO WE HAVE TO SELECT AND, AND, AND SOLICIT INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE. NOW, THE REVERB'S BACK, OKAY, MAYBE IT'S NOT. SO WE, WE NEED TO COLLECT INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLIC. BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT IS AS WE BECOME A REPOSITORY FOR ALL THIS INFORMATION WE'RE GATHERING THAT THE BOARD MEMBERS, THE STAFF, THE COMMUNITY LEADERS, WE'RE THAT THE BOARD MEMBERS, THE STAFF, THE COMMUNITY LEADERS THAT WE ENGAGE [03:05:02] ARE, WE ARE INFORMING THEM. AND THEN ALL OF US ARE TAKING THOSE RESPONSES AND INSIGHTS THAT WE'RE GETTING BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY SO THEY CAN ACTUALLY BE AWARE AND TAKE ACTION. SO WITH THAT, DUE TO THE REVERB, MR. CHAIR, I'LL TRY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, UH, UH, TYPING IN THE CHAT IF THAT'S OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. DR. CART? YEAH. UH, MR. UM, HOW WOULD YOU SEND THE INFORMATION DIRECTLY TO YOU? YES, THAT'S FINE. AND ABSOLUTELY IS THERE THOUGHTS OR IDEAS OR QUESTIONS? ABSOLUTELY. SEND IT TO ROBIN. YES, THAT'S FINE. AND ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. ALRIGHT. I'M JUST GETTING CLARITY. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? I JUST WANNA THANK YOU, UH, CARLTON, THIS IS, UH, A GREAT EFFORT AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE, UH, NOT DONE A VERY GOOD JOB, UM, IN THE PAST. AND, UM, IT'S NOT ANYBODY'S FAULT REALLY. IT'S JUST A, A LACK OF EMPHASIS I BELIEVE, IN THE, IN THE PAST. THIS HAS GREAT POTENTIAL FOR PAYOFF AND, UM, THE MORE WE GET INVOLVED IN IT, THE MORE WE WILL, UH, RECEIVE FROM IT. SO, UH, WE'LL ALL MAKE SURE THAT WE GET OUR INPUT INTO, UH, CARLTON AND LET HIM KNOW WHAT YOU WANT THIS TO BE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. THANKS EVERYBODY. ANYTHING FURTHER? MR. DALLAS? NO, NOTHING HERE, SIR. THANK YOU. UH, YES SIR. THANK YOU. AND NEXT ITEM IS THE CTE ALIGNMENT AND, UH, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND OUR CTE PROGRAMS AND FACILITIES AND DR. STRADDLES AND, UH, MS. GILBERT. THANK YOU BOARD MEMBERS. THANK YOU DR. RODRIGUEZ. THIS AFTERNOON I HAVE MRS. GILBERT, SHE IS OUR DIRECTOR FOR CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION. SHE'S GONNA COME FORWARD AND BRING YOU UPDATES ON OUR PATHWAYS FOR CAREER TECHNICAL ED AND ALIGNMENT WORK THAT SHE HAS CONDUCTED WITH HER TEAM TO OUR REFERENDUM. WE HAD A PRELIMINARY PRESENTATION AT ACADEMIC COMMITTEE. THIS WAS THIS PAST, EARLIER THIS WEEK, AND WE'VE SAVED SOME POINTS TO COME FORWARD TO YOU. SO, SO IT WON'T BE REPETITIOUS, BUT ONE THING I WOULD BE REMISS NOT TO BRING FORWARD, AGAIN TO EACH OF YOU BOARD MEMBERS THAT AS YOU ARE VERY GENEROUS AT DESIGNING AS OUR VO VOTERS ARE VERY GENEROUS AT SUPPORTING OUR REFERENDUM, MS. GILBERT AND HER TEAM HAVE BEEN VERY HARD ALSO AT WORKING WITH OPERATIONS TO MAKE SURE THE STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES COME FORWARD. SO I DO WANNA SHARE THAT WITH ALL OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS. SO WITH THAT, MRS. GILBERT? YES MA'AM. SO CHAIRMAN GEIER AND BOARD MEMBERS, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, UH, APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND DEDICATION. I ALSO WANNA THANK THE ACA, UH, THE ACADEMIC COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR ALLOWING ME TO PREVIEW, UH, THE CLEAR AND TAKE ED UPDATES, UH, ON TUESDAY. I WANNA CALL YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE TO THE PICTURES THAT'S ON THAT FIRST SLIDE. IT'S JUST A GOOD SNAPSHOT OF WHAT THE SPIRIT OF CAREER AND TECH ED IS HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT. IN THE MIDDLE, YOU HAVE A PICTURE OF A YOUNG LADY THAT PLACED THIRD IN THE STATE A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AT A WELDING COMPETITION, UH, THAT MEL WELDING SCULPTURE, UH, IS OF THE TWIN TOWERS. AND A TRIBUTE TO NINE 11. UH, HER, HER INSTRUCTOR BELIEVED SHE SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED FIRST PLACE, BUT, AND WE AGREE, BUT HE ALSO HAD A TEAM TO PLACE FIRST PLACE IN A DIFFERENT CATEGORY. THERE'S A YOUNG, UH, THERE'S A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT THAT'S WORKING WITH AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT ON CODING AS PART OF OUR, ONE OF OUR COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES. UP IN THE CORNER, YOU HAVE A, UM, HIGH SCHOOL AND A WELL BRANCH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT PARTICIPATING IN A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TRAINING AT BEAUFORT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. AND WE HAVE SOME EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE WITH YOU ABOUT J-R-O-T-C. SO IN ADDITION TO OUR MISSION AND VISION OF HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE TO NAVIGATE THEIR JOURNEY AND THE RESOURCES THAT COME INTO OUR COUNTY FOR THAT, WE ARE ALSO PART OF A BIGGER PICTURE OF HOW WE PREPARING A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TALENT PIPELINE AND THEN ULTIMATELY CONTRIBUTING BACK TO THE ECONOMY. SO, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, MR. BERRY. SO I WANNA DIVIDE THIS UP, UM, THREE PARTS, BUT I WANNA, UH, REALLY, UH, UH, CONCENTRATE ON THE THIRD PART OF WHERE ARE WE GOING FROM HERE. BUT FOR THOSE OF [03:10:01] YOU WHO ARE NEW, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL JUST TO GIVE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF HOW WE'RE STRUCTURED HERE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. YOU'LL SEE ON THE RIGHTS SOME COMPONENTS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT CAN TAKE JUST ONE COURSE AND, AND THAT'S FINE. BUT IF THEY TRULY WANT TO HAVE THAT ENGAGING EXPERIENCE BY THE TIME THEY GRADUATE, THERE ARE SEVERAL QUALITY COMPONENTS THAT WE'LL TOUCH ON. THANK YOU, MS. CUSHEN BERRY. SO WE'RE STRUCTURED TO, WITH FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDS THAT COME INTO OUR DISTRICT FOR STARTING AT GRADE SIX AND MOVING ON INTO 12. WE ALSO SUPPORT ACTIVITIES AT OUR ELEMENTARY GRADES. AND, UH, COLONEL GUYER HAD MENTIONED THERE'S ALREADY SOME GREAT THINGS THAT'S GOING ON, SAY, WITH PROGRAMMING AND CODING WITHIN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. UH, WE ALSO ARE A PROJECT LEAD THE WAY DISTRICT, WHICH IS JUST A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED VENDOR, UH, CURRICULUM. AND SO THAT'S DOING SOME MATH AND SCIENCE AND HOW STUFF WORKS WITH ELEMENTARY STUDENTS, BUT THEN AS WE MOVE INTO MIDDLE SCHOOLS, WE USE CAREER AND TECH ED STATE APPROVED PATHWAYS AND COURSES. AND THAT'S KEY BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE DO OUR SUSTAINABILITY FOR OPERATIONS, STARTING WITH EXPLORATION. SO WE HAVE STUDENTS THAT CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF COURSES ON ALL TYPES OF DIFFERENT CAREERS AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT THEY BEGIN TO, UM, DETERMINE WHAT ARE THEY INTERESTED IN, WHAT DO THEY LIKE. WE ALSO SUPPLY THROUGH CAREER AND TECH ED SEVERAL CAREER PLANNING RESOURCES THAT HELP THAT STUDENT ONCE THEY SIT DOWN FOR THEIR INDIVIDUAL GRADUATION PLAN, THEIR IGP PROCESS. AND OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, WE'RE GONNA FOCUS MORE ON DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND COMPUTER SCIENCE AND BRING THAT DOWN TO OUR MIDDLE GRADES. UM, SHOUT OUT TO THE PRINCIPAL AT, WELL BRANCH MIDDLE SCHOOL. HE IS GONNA HELP US PILOT, UH, WHERE WE HAVE FOUR CREDIT HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT FOR STUDENTS TO TAKE THE COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSE. AND IF THAT WORKS, WE'RE GONNA EXPAND THAT TO ALL OF OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS, AND THAT'LL JUST BE A GOOD JUMPSTART, UH, TO FREE UP SCHEDULES WHEN STUDENTS MOVE INTO THE HIGH SCHOOL. NEXT SLIDE. WE'RE VERY PROUD IS WHEN WE MOVE INTO THE HIGH SCHOOL SETTINGS. WE HAVE OVER, WE HAVE 25 STATE APPROVED PATHWAYS NOW, PLUS AN ADDITIONAL EIGHT THAT IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT WITH BEAUFORT, JASPER ACE FOR A TOTAL OF 33 FOR THIS YEAR. UH, WE ARE CONTRIBUTING TO, AS DR. RODRIGUEZ MENTIONED, THE OVERALL, UH, UH, PLAN OR VISION FOR 75, 75, 92, UH, 92 IS WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS FOR OUR OVERALL GRADUATION RATE. I'M PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR OF OUR STUDENTS WHO STARTED WITH THEIR COHORT AND THEY SELECTED A CAREER IN TECH ED PATHWAY, AND THEY GRADUATED ON TIME. WE HAD A 98%, UH, GRADUATION RATE. AND YOU SAY, WELL, WHAT'S THAT PERCENTAGE WISE? THAT WAS 971 STUDENTS WHO FELT, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY HAD A FOCUS, THEY HAD A PURPOSE. THEY, THEY PARTICIPATED IN THOSE KEY COMPONENTS AND THEY GRADUATED ON TIME. AND TYPICALLY THAT'S INDICATIVE ACROSS THE STATE. STUDENTS WHO HAVE A FOCUS AND SOMETHING IN CAREER IN TECH ED OR EVEN IN THE ARTS, UH, THEY TEND TO STICK WITH IT. SO I KNOW THAT WE'LL BE CONTRIBUTING, UH, TO THAT OVERALL GOAL OF 92%. WE ALSO, IN THE, IN THE PATHWAYS AND COURSE OFFERINGS, WE HAVE 112 RIGHT NOW THAT STATE APPROVED THAT STUDENTS CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. THAT INCLUDES GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS, SUCH AS ANY COMPUTER SCIENCE RELATED AND PERSONAL FINANCE. AGAIN, THAT IS CTE COURSES, AND THAT IS, UH, CTE CERTIFIED TEACHERS. WE ALSO, UM, PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH CAREER AND TECH ED FUNDING. I THINK MISS BOATWRIGHT, YOU HAD MENTIONED ABOUT, UH, HAVING A STELLAR DECA PROGRAM AT HILTON HEAD, SO DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THAT, BUT, UH, OUR FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING, UH, HELPS TO SUPPORT THAT, UH, FOR THEIR COMPETITIONS. UH, WE, WE TRY TO COVER MOST OF THE COSTS AT THE STATE LEVEL AND THEN, AND THEN BUDGET ACCORDINGLY FOR NATIONAL. BUT IT'S A GREAT LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY FOR SKILLS HOSA, FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS OF AMERICA. AND THEN ANOTHER AREA THAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON AT THE NINTH GRADE OR AT THE, THE SECONDARY LEVEL IS TO MAKE SURE WHEN THE STUDENTS GRADUATE, THAT THEY'RE BUILDING A PORTFOLIO OF EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS. UH, A STRONGLY RECOMMENDED, UM, UH, INITIATIVE IS THAT ALL OF OUR CAREER AND TECH ED TEACHERS INCORPORATE WHAT WE CALL SOFT SKILLS. I THINK THEY'RE HARD SKILLS. I THINK THEY NEED TO BE INCORPORATED WHERE, UH, TEACHERS WORK WITH THEIR STUDENTS TO MAKE SURE THE IMPORTANCE OF SHOWING UP ON TIME ONCE YOU GO INTO THE WORLD OF WORK. UH, BEING ABLE TO LOOK SOMEONE IN THE EYE, BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE, BEING ABLE [03:15:01] TO WORK IN A TEAM TEAM. SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE AN EMPLOYABILITY CREDENTIAL THAT STUDENTS CAN EARN WITHIN OUR COURSES. SO WORKING TOWARD THAT WELL-ROUNDED STUDENT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO IN MOVING FORWARD, THIS IS WHERE I REALLY WANNA START, UH, TO, TO EMPHASIZE WHERE WE GOING IN THE NEXT FIVE YEAR PERIOD. I CALL IT ACCELERATES. UH, WE'RE, WE'RE DRIVING, WE'RE EXPLORING, BUT THEN WE'RE ALSO PUTTING OUR FOOT ON THE GAS AND MOVING FORWARD OVER SOME EXCITING STATE INITIATIVES. SO I WANNA SLOW DOWN AND GO THROUGH A FEW OF THESE IN CASE YOU HEAR THIS FROM YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND YOUR PARENTS. WE HAVE A NEW UPDATED COLLEGE AND CAREER READY FRAMEWORK THAT WILL GO INTO FULL IMPLEMENTATION STARTING NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. AND WE'LL LOOK AT A SLIDE IN A MINUTE ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS. UH, WE HAVE NEW ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES WITH STACKABLE CREDENTIALS, AND I'LL GO INTO DETAIL WITH THAT. I'M EXCITED THAT JRTC IS GONNA BE JOINING CAREER AND TECH ED AS A PATHWAY STATEWIDE. SHOUT OUT TO MR. RALPH LATA, OUR CT COORDINATOR. HE'S HERE TO, UH, TO BE WITH ME AT THE END TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. UH, BUT THAT'S GONNA BE A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE THAT STARTS NEXT YEAR. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. UH, WE'RE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE REFERENDUM DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, BUT I'M VERY PROUD THAT BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL WAS NAMED ONE OF THE 30 SITES STATEWIDE TO PILOT AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PATHWAY. WE'LL START WITH THE FIRST COURSE, AND THEN, UM, WE'LL OPEN THAT UP TO ALL HIGH SCHOOLS STARTING IN 26, 27. BUT WE'RE, WE ARE APPRECIATIVE OF MR. MATT HALL, THE PRINCIPAL THERE, AND HE'S GOT AN EXCELLENT TEACHER THAT'S GONNA, UH, BE VERY SIGNIFICANT IN THE FEEDBACK THAT THEY PROVIDE TO THE STATE FOR THAT. ALSO, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, WE'VE ALREADY STARTED THIS WITH OUR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIFIC EXPANSION OR WORKING THROUGH, UH, TECHNICAL CAUSE OF LOW COUNTRY AND SOME LOCAL BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIES. AND THEN, UH, WE'LL DEFINITELY GET INTO, UH, THE SUPPORT OF THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THEIR REFERENDUM AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FOR US OVER THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS. NEXT SLIDE. MS. CHRISTIAN BARRY. THANK YOU. SO, THE NEW COLLEGE AND CAREER READY FRAMEWORK, I REALLY LIKE IT. IT'S, IT'S THE OLD ONE, OR THE CURRENT ONE WE HAVE NOW IS 50 YEARS OLD. THAT'S THE LAST TIME IT HAS BEEN UPDATED. IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY OF THE NEW, UM, OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE SUCH AS DRONE TECHNOLOGIES, DATA ANALYTICS, THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. UM, AND I LIKE THE WAY THEY'RE PACKAGING IT. IT'S GONNA BE A MORE USER-FRIENDLY TOOL FOR OUR SCHOOL COUNSELORS, FOR OUR STUDENTS, AND FOR OUR PARENTS. SO YOU'RE GONNA START SEEING SOME ADDITIONAL BRANDING AND PACKAGING OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. AND I JUST, I LISTED THE 14, UH, PATHWAYS THERE IN FRONT OF YOU. IT'S NOT PATHWAYS. IT'S 14, UH, DESCRIPTORS OF, OF WHAT DIFFERENT JOBS AND CAREERS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR OUR STUDENTS. AND SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT CULTIVATING SUSTAINABILITY, THAT'S OUR AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES PROGRAMS. UM, WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT, UM, FOR THE DRIVING ENGINEERING INNOVATION, THAT'S WHAT THEIR IT AND IN ENGINEERING. SO I LIKE THE, THE, THE WORDING THAT THEY'RE USING AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL. AND THEN I, I GAVE, I INCLUDED FOR YOU A CROSSWALK FROM WHAT THE CURRENT PATHWAYS ARE TITLED. AND THEN WHAT THEY, UH, ARE GONNA BE, SEVERAL OF THEM WILL HAVE RECEIVE A NEW TITLE OR THEY'RE GONNA BE COMBINED. UH, I NOTE THIS TO YOU ALL BECAUSE IT IMPACTS FOUR AREAS. IT IMPACTS OUR PROGRAM DESIGN, IT IMPACTS OUR INDUSTRY ALIGNMENT AND COLLABORATION. IT IMPACTS OUR COLLEGE AND CAREER ADVISING OF HELPING STUDENTS TO MAKE DECISIONS AND IT INCREASE, IT, IT IMPACTS OUR ACCOUNTABILITY. SO THIS IS A STATE MANDATED, UH, THING FOR ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND CAREER CENTERS THAT WE MUST HAVE IN PLACE STARTING IN 25, 26 SCHOOL YEAR, BUT WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE FOR THAT. ALSO, YOU'LL NOTE SOME, WHAT THEY CALL CROSS-CUTTING PATHWAYS. I, I LIKE THEIR, UH, TAKE ON THIS, FOR EXAMPLE, ENTREPRENEURSHIP THAT WILL GO ACROSS ALL PATHWAYS. SO IF I'M A WELDER OR I WANNA GO INTO THE WELDING AREA, BUT I ALSO WANNA LEARN HOW TO RUN MY OWN BUSINESS, UH, I CAN TAKE THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLASSES, AND THAT COUNTS AS PART OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND REPORTING PROCESS. SO IT'S GONNA BE A, I THINK, A VERY GOOD THING FOR OUR COMMUNITY AS FAR AS, UH, SOME PLANNING TOOLS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. ANOTHER KEY AREA THAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT IS STACKABLE CREDENTIALS. LAST YEAR, WE, OUR STUDENTS EARNED OVER 1400 CERTIFICATIONS IN AUTOMOTIVE WELDING. OUR CULINARY, OUR HEALTHCARE STARTING, UH, [03:20:01] ACTUALLY IT'S, IT'S PILOTED THIS YEAR. IT GOES INTO FOUR IMPLEMENTATION NEXT YEAR WITH THE NINTH AND 10TH GRADERS. THEY WILL HAVE TO EARN ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATIONS, NOT JUST THE ONE. IT'S A BENEFIT FOR OUR STUDENTS BECAUSE THAT BUILDS THEIR PORTFOLIO. IT MAKES THEM MORE MARKETABLE, BUT IT ALSO IMPACTS OUR ACCOUNTABILITY FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS. BUT I FEEL VERY GOOD. WE'RE, WE'RE WELL PREPARED FOR THIS. WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS IN PREPARATION, AND I'LL GIVE YOU A GOOD EXAMPLE. OUR, OUR TEACHER, UH, MRS. VAA GRISWOLD AT MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL, WHO HAS THE NURSE AID PROGRAM. THIS IS WHAT HER STUDENTS HAVE EARNED SO FAR THIS YEAR. THEY'VE EARNED A NATIONAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT, 100% PASS RATE. THEY EARNED THEIR EKG. SHE HAD A 95% PASS RATE, A ECHOCARDIOGRAM TECHNICIAN. THEY EARNED HER NURSING ASSISTANT CREDENTIAL. SHE HAD A 100% PASS RATE ON THE, ON THE STATE EXAM. THEY ALSO DO AN OSHA HEALTHCARE. SO THAT'S FOUR CERTIFICATIONS. SO WE'RE, WE'RE ALREADY MEETING THAT IN SEVERAL OF OUR SCHOOLS. AND WE'LL, WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THAT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. I WANTED TO BRING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION. UH, BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS ARE SO CRITICAL TO THE SUPPORT AND SUCCESS OF OUR PROGRAMS. AND WE HAVE, UH, TO THE SHOUT OUT TO THE SCHOOLS AND OUR PRINCIPALS, OUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACILITATORS AT OUR SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS. UH, I THINK OVER THE YEAR, WE ARE NOW CLOSE TO, UM, 80 TO A HUNDRED DIFFERENT COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, EMPLOYERS, UH, LOCAL COMMUNITY LEADERS THAT EITHER COME INTO THE CLASSROOM TO SPEAK. THEY DO SOME MENTORING WITH OUR STUDENTS. I JUST HAD A GREAT, UM, UH, INTERACTION YESTERDAY WITH SOME LOCAL, UH, UH, CAR CLUB. THEY'RE GIVING A SCHOLARSHIP TO OUR AUTOMOTIVE RELATED STUDENTS. AND, UH, JUST TO HEAR THEM TALK WITH THE AUTOMOTIVE STUDENTS, UM, WAS, UM, UH, VERY INVALUABLE TO THEM. I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT TWO OF THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON. HILTON HAD, UH, BLUFFTON CHAMBER. I WANNA DO A SHOUT OUT TO MR. TOM HENS AND HIS EDUCATION COMMITTEE. THEY WENT TO GREENVILLE COUNTY, AND THEY SAW A GREAT MODEL ON HOW TO PULL C COMMUNITY RESOURCES TOGETHER IN A ONE STOP SHOP. AND SO THEY, UH, UTILIZE OUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT FACILITATORS. I'VE SAT IN ON SEVERAL OF THE MEETINGS, AND IF YOU GO TO THEIR SITE, IT'S WWW.LOWCOUNTRYJOBSNOW.ORG. AND THEY HAVE A ROBUST SYSTEM NOW TO BE ABLE TO CAPTURE BUSINESSES THAT ARE INTERESTED IN PUTTING, UH, AN INTERNSHIP UP. AND ALSO, IT'S, IT'S A WAY FOR US TO SEND STUDENTS WHO WANT TO APPLY. THIS IS NOT OUR ONLY WAY FOR STUDENTS TO, TO GET, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTERN, BUT THEY HAVE A SECTION FOR HIGH SCHOOL. THEY HAVE A SECTION FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS, FOR VETERANS, EVEN FOR SENIORS, AND FOR, UH, SPECIAL NEEDS PERSONS. SO SHOUT OUT TO THAT CHAMBER FOR BEING, UM, PROACTIVE AND HAVING A GREAT TOOL FOR OUR STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS LOCAL EMPLOYERS. AND THEN BEAUFORT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. UM, SO, UH, VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THEIR PARTNERSHIP. UH, MR. NEIL BAXLEY, THE CEO, UH, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR ABOUT A YEAR, ALMOST TWO YEARS WITH THEM. WE HAVE OUR FIRST COHORT THAT'S GONNA GRADUATE MAY THE 13TH. THIS IS FROM FOUR DIFFERENT HIGH SCHOOLS, BLUFFTON, BEAUFORT, BERRY CREEK, AND WORLD BRANCH. THEY WILL EARN THEIR, EITHER THEIR PATIENT CARE TECHNICIAN OR THEIR CERTIFIED MEDICAL ASSISTANT, UM, CREDENTIAL. AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS THEY'VE GONE OVER TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, THEY'VE TRAINED WITH BEAUFORT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL NURSES AND STAFF. THEY UTILIZE THEIR EQUIPMENT. THEY HAVE SOME VERY HIGH-END MANNEQUINS AND SO ON. THERE'S A GOOD VIDEO OUT THERE THAT RON LOES TOOK, AND THEN THEY, UM, WORK ON CLASSWORK ON THE OFF DAYS, OR THEY GO TO TCL FOR, FOR OTHER DUAL ENROLLMENT. UM, BUT IT HAS JUST BEEN PHENOMENAL WITH THAT PARTNERSHIP. AND SO WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO GROW THAT ALSO SOUTH OF THE BROAD WHEN WE, UH, EXPAND AT HILTON HEAD FOR OUR HEALTHCARE PROGRAM THERE. SO I JUST WANTED TO SHOUT OUT TO OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE, UH, AGAIN, IT'S HELPING TO CONNECT WHAT STUDENTS ARE IN THEIR CLASSROOM TO THE REAL WORLD. SO THIS LAST PART, UH, AND I'LL, I'LL WELCOME YOUR QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK, UH, AS WE MOVE INTO THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK THE WORLD OF WORK IS GONNA LOOK LIKE? IS IT GONNA BE THE SAME FOR OUR, OUR, OUR STUDENTS WHO ARE GRADUATING FOR OUR KIDS WHO ARE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RIGHT NOW? YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS IT GONNA LOOK LIKE FROM THEM WHEN THEY GRADUATE? AND WHAT ARE WE DOING IN PUBLIC EDUCATION? I'M SO GLAD WITH DR. BRODER IN, YOU KNOW, LET'S GO PUBLIC. WHAT, WHAT, [03:25:01] WHAT IS IT THAT WE'RE DOING THAT'S GONNA HELP YOUNG PEOPLE TO MEET CURRENT LABOR MARKET DEMAND? AND ALSO, UH, WHAT'S GONNA BE IN THE FUTURE THAT'S NOT EVEN COME TO FRUITION YET? SO THESE ARE FIVE, UH, GOALS THAT WE FEEL LIKE ARE MEASURABLE AND ATTAINABLE. UH, THAT, AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, THIS WILL CONTINUE TO MORPH. I DO WANT TO NOTE ON SUPPORTING HIGHLY QUALIFIED CT TEACHERS. I APPRECIATE, UH, WHAT THE BOARD AND MS. CROSBY ARE WORKING TOWARD THAT. UH, IF YOU COULD POTENTIALLY ADD TO THE LIST FOR LEGISLATION. THERE IS A, IS AN S SB, UM, BILL 78. IT'S ALMOST THERE. AND SO ANY ADVOCACY YOU COULD DO THAT WOULD HELP, BECAUSE WHAT THIS WILL DO IS A WORK EXPERIENCE CREDIT, UH, LEGISLATION. AND IF IT PASSES, THAT MEANS THAT, UH, PEOPLE WHO WANNA COME INTO THE INDUSTRY IN THE CLASSROOM, IF THEY'RE A NURSE OR THEY HAVE AN IT BACKGROUND, OR THEY HAVE A CONSTRUCTION TRADES BACKGROUND, RIGHT NOW, IF THEY DON'T HAVE A TEACHING EXPERIENCE, THEY HAVE TO START AT A ZERO, UH, LEVEL SALARY. OKAY. IF THIS LEGISLATION PASSES, THEN THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO COUNT THEIR WORK, RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE, AT LEAST FOR EVERY TWO YEARS OF RE RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE. IT'LL COUNT FOR ONE SO THAT IT'LL BUMP 'EM UP A LITTLE BIT ON THE, THE STARTING SALARY LEVEL. SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE ANY PULL WITH THAT, UM, THIS CAN CERTAINLY HELP US AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME OF OUR EXPANSION, UH, WITH OUR MORE TECHNICAL FIELDS. REPEAT THAT BILL. YES, SIR. IT IS, UH, BILL 78. IT'S ALREADY PASSED THE, THE SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE. UM, SO, AND I CAN SEND A LINK TO CHAIRMAN GEIER, UH, AND, UH, THAT HAS MORE DETAILS ON IT. SO I'D GREATLY APPRECIATE ANY, UH, SUPPORT ON THAT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, AND MOVING FORWARD, HOW DO WE SELECT THESE PROGRAMS AND, AND WHERE DO THEY GO? UH, PURPOSELY WANTED TO SHOW YOU A PICTURE OF THE MAP. WE ALL KNOW WHAT BEAUFORT COUNTY LOOKS LIKE, BUT WE HAVE A LARGE GEOGRAPHICAL FOOTPRINT. IT TAKES ABOUT WHAT TO GO FROM HILTON HEAD HIGH SCHOOL TO WELL, BRANCH HIGH SCHOOL, DR. RODRIGUEZ, ABOUT AN HOUR AND 15 MINUTES ON A GOOD DAY, . UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW DO WE STRATEGICALLY PLACE MORE OF THESE TECHNICAL SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS THAT REQUIRE SOME TYPE OF FACILITIES, LEARNING SPACES THAT'S DIFFERENT FROM A REGULAR CLASSROOM. AND ALSO, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE SERVING, UH, ALL STUDENTS FOR BEING EQUITABLE? WE HAVE, UM, I'M A PART OF A REGIONAL KOREAN ADMINISTRATORS TEAM FOR COLLEGE AND JASPER AND, UM, HAMPTON CAMPUS. AND WE DO ASSESSMENT EVERY TWO YEARS THAT'S REQUIRED BY THE STATE. BUT WE, WE'VE THOROUGH ENJOY GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER AND SHARING AND COLLABORATING. THIS INCLUDES OUR CAREER CENTERS FOR COLTON AND ACE, AND THESE ARE THE AREAS, LOCAL, UH, OR REGIONAL LABOR MARKET THAT WE HAVE LANDED ON THAT WE FEEL LIKE IS DEFINITELY GONNA BE A VIABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE IN MOVING FORWARD. AND WITH THE NEW FRAMEWORK, THERE'LL BE FLEXIBILITY TO ADD AND GROW AS NEW ITS COME, UH, DOWN THE PATH. SO LET'S LOOK AT SOME SPECIFICS ON THE NEXT PAGE. PLEASE. UH, THANK YOU. SO I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE COMMUNITY. UH, WHEN I PRESENTED TO THE EDUCATION, UH, TO THE CITIZENS LED OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, AND THEN IT CAME TO THE FORMER BOARD, AND TO DR. RODRIGUEZ, I WAS SO APPRECIATIVE THAT THEY RECOGNIZED A NEED FOR HELPING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO MOVE INTO SOME TYPE OF TECHNICAL FIELDS. AND I WANT TO NOTE TO YOU GUYS, WE'RE CURRENTLY SERVING, WE HAVE 8,700 COURSE ENROLLMENTS JUST AS OF LAST MONTH UNDUPLICATED COUNT. WE'RE SERVING AN AVERAGE ABOUT 4,000 STUDENTS, UH, EVERY YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL AND 2020 400 AT MIDDLE GRADE. SO THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER THAT STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE OPTIONS WITH THE, THE REFERENDUM PASSING, THE LAST ONE. AND THEN, THEN THE MOST CURRENT ONE, WE'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE. THIS'S GONNA ALLOW US TO RENOVATE SOME MUCH NEEDED SPACES TO EITHER BE ABLE TO EXPAND OR MODERNIZE. AND I WANT TO REITERATE, IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT ADDING NEW PROGRAMS, BUT IT'S JUST KEEPING UP WITH THE STATE STANDARDS AND HELPING STUDENTS TO BE PREPARED. AND BEFORE WE GO TO THE OTHER DOCUMENT, IF YOU SEE IN THE CORNER, THIS IS A PICTURE I KNOW MR. ALI KNOWS THIS OF, OF HILTON HEAD, THEIR CONSTRUCTION. AND I'M EXCITED BECAUSE THAT VERY CORNER [03:30:01] THAT YOU SEE, UH, STICKING OUT, THAT'S GONNA BE THE NEW HEALTH SCIENCES WING AT HILTON HEAD ISLAND HIGH SCHOOL. SO I'M, I'M EXCITED ABOUT BRINGING THAT ON BOARD. SO IF WE COULD PLEASE MOVE TO THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, IF EVERYONE COULD TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. AND IF MS. CUSHEN BERRY, IF YOU COULD BRING THAT UP, MA'AM, THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HAS SOME SPECIFICS ABOUT THE REFERENDUM PROJECTS, AND IT, IT, IT'S A TWO PAGE ONE IN, IN YOUR, IN YOUR BOARD DOCS. SO IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, REALLY NATIONWIDE, FEDERAL STATE DOLLARS FOR OPERATIONAL COSTS. AND THEN, THEN WHAT IS KICKED IN LOCALLY, IT CAN BE IN DIFFERENT FORMATS. IT CAN BE HELD AT A COMPREHENSIVE HIGH SCHOOL WITH A SEPARATE BUILDING ON THE CAMPUS, OR A WING. IT CAN BE A SEPARATE CAREER CENTER LIKE WE, WE HAVE SHARED WITH JASPER COUNTY. IT CAN BE HOUSED WITHIN A, A TECHNICAL COLLEGE. SO THERE'S DIFFERENT MODELS WHERE STUDENTS CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE OPTIONS. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE BOTTOM ON YOUR EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, IS THE VISION THAT IN MOVING FORWARD, ALL OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS WILL HAVE THESE PATHWAYS AND COURSES AVAILABLE TO THEM. WE FEEL LIKE IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE SUPPORT TEACHERS AND LEARNING SPACES FOR BUSINESS, MARKETING, FINANCE, UM, HEALTHCARE ENGINEERING. ALL OF THOSE ARE KEY, CURRENT AND EMERGING JOBS THAT CAN BENEFIT OUR STUDENTS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. THE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, WE WANT THAT AT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS BECAUSE WITH THAT NEW FRAMEWORK, FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT'LL COME DOWN THE PIKE, UNMANNED VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY, IN OTHER WORDS, DRONES, WHAT'LL COME DOWN THE PIKE, UH, FOR ROOM TO GROW WILL BE DATA ANALYTICS, THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. UM, THERE'LL BE NEW EXPANSION WITH ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES. SO BY HAVING ACCESS TO ALL OF THESE, WE WILL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDS TO HELP SUPPORT THE OPERATIONS SIDE OF IT. WE ALREADY HAVE MOST OF THIS IN PLACE. WE CURRENTLY SERVE AS 87, UH, CERTIFIED TEACHERS. NOW, THEN WHEN YOU GO TO THE NEXT PAGE, MS. UH, CHRISTIAN MARY FOR THE REFEREND PASSING, WE'RE EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO NOTE THAT AT BEAUFORT HIGH SCHOOL AND AT BLUFFING HIGH SCHOOL, WE WILL HAVE AN ADDED BUILDING THAT WILL HOUSE A CONSTRUCTION TRADES PATHWAY. AND THIS IS GONNA BE A MODERN TAKE. STUDENTS WILL LEARN THE BASICS, FOUNDATIONS OF OUR, OUR, UH, DWELLING RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, UH, STRUCTURES. BUT THEN AS THEY MOVE INTO THEIR JUNIOR AND SENIOR YEAR, THEY'LL BRANCH OUT IN THE HVAC PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL, OR THE BUILDING TRADES THEMSELVES. WE WILL PARTNER WITH LOCAL BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY SO THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO DO A, UH, ON THE JOB TRAINING THAT SENIOR YEAR IN ONE OF THOSE FOUR KEY AREAS. BUT THEY'LL GET THEIR BASICS AND FOUNDATIONS AT BLUFFTON HIGH AND BEAUFORT HIGH IN THE BUILDING TRADES IN A NEW BUILDING THAT'S PART OF THE REFERENDUM. ALSO PART OF THAT BUILDING AT BOTH THOSE SCHOOLS WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE THE PUBLIC SAFETY FIREFIGHTER PROGRAM THAT'S CURRENTLY IN A MOBILE AT BLUFFTON HIGH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE IT OVER TO THE NEW BUILDING. IT'LL BE ADJACENT IN TWO SHOP AREAS. AT BEAUFORT HIGH, WE ARE ADDING A PUBLIC SAFETY FIREFIGHTER AND EVENTUALLY EMT PROGRAM THERE. OKAY. SO, UH, IN TALKING WITH OUR, OUR LOCAL, UH, FIRE DEPARTMENTS, THEY'RE EXCITED ABOUT IT. AND THEY SAY IT'S ALSO A GOOD FIT, THAT IT'S GONNA BE BESIDE CONSTRUCTION TRADES, BECAUSE THEN FIREFIGHTERS NEED TO LEARN ABOUT BUILDING STRUCTURES AND HOW THAT WORKS FOR WELDING AND AUTOMOTIVE. WITH THIS LAST REFERENDUM, UH, WE WILL BE EXPANDING THE BUILDING FOR ADVANCED WELDING AND ADVANCED AUTOMOTIVE, UH, WITH THE MOBILITY INDUSTRY. AND THEN FOR HILTON HEAD, THEIR BUILDING WILL HOUSE A SMALL ENGINE AND MARINE TECHNOLOGY REPAIR SHOP, AGAIN, PER, UH, UH, LOCAL INDUSTRY, UH, INPUT. AND WE'LL ALSO INCLUDE THE ENGINEERING ASPECT TO THAT THERE. AND THEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SHOP ROOM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PUBLIC SAFETY FIREFIGHTER PROGRAM THERE. UH, THE HILTON HEAD FIRE DEPARTMENT, THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN VERY, VERY SUPPORTIVE. THEY ALREADY COME INTO OUR SCHOOLS. THEY, THEY ALREADY DO A LOT OF CAREER AWARENESS ACTIVITIES, SO THEY'RE, UH, EXCITED ABOUT ADDING THAT AS WELL. IT WILL ALSO HAVE AN EMT COMPONENT BECAUSE MOST FIREFIGHTERS, THEY [03:35:01] REQ, THEY REQUIRE FIRE DEPARTMENTS REQUIRE THE EMT CERTIFICATION. ANOTHER AREA THAT OUR REFERENDUM IS SUPPORTING US IS THROUGH, UH, FAMILY CONSUMER SCIENCE. RIGHT NOW, AND I'M GONNA SAY IT, I I'VE SHARED IT WITH OUR ACADEMIC COMMUNITY ON TUESDAY. WE'RE IN AN OLD HOME EC. IT'S, IT'S BEEN, WE'VE TRIED TO REFURBISH IT, BUT IT'S AN OLDER HOME EC AT BLUFFTON HIGH AND AT, AT, UH, BEAUFORT HIGH. SO THOSE ARE GONNA BE GUTTED, AND IT'LL BE A MUCH MORE MODERN COMMERCIALIZED KITCHEN, UH, WITHIN, UH, THE NEW BUILDING FOR BRETON HIGH. AND THEN, UH, A CLASSROOM, TWO CLASSROOMS ARE BEING RENOVATED AT BEAUFORT HIGH, AND THEY ARE BEING, UH, TRANSFORMED INTO A COMMERCIAL KITCHEN. AND THEN FOR, UM, CULINARY ARTS AT HILTON HEAD, UH, AGAIN, HE HAS BEEN OPERATING OUT OF A REFURBISHED, UH, OLDER HOME REC LAB. SO HE'S EXCITED THAT HE'S GETTING A FULL-BLOWN COMMERCIAL KITCHEN ALONG WITH THEIR HOSPITALITY PROGRAM TO MIRROR AND WORK WITH OUR LOCAL, UH, RESORTS THERE. I ALSO WANNA CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO SOME ADDITIONAL ADVANCED CT PATHWAYS THAT WE ARE DEVELOPING, UH, OBVIOUSLY AT BATTERY CREEK. THE LAST REFERENDUM WAS VERY HELPFUL. WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE A GREENHOUSE BUILT, AND THE TEACHER THERE IS DOING A PHENOMENAL JOB, UH, WITH THAT. SO, UH, EVENTUALLY WE'LL ABLE TO ADD A HORTICULTURE PATHWAY, MEDIA TECHNOLOGY. WE ADDED THAT AT WELL BRANCH EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL. THE TEACHER THERE HAD SOME GREAT IDEAS OF, OF HOW HE'S WANTING TO BUILD THAT PROGRAM. AND HE HAD SOME STUDENTS THIS YEAR THAT COMPETED AT A STATE, UH, COMPETITION AND DID WELL, CYBERSECURITY. WE ADDED THAT AT BEAUFORT HIGH THIS YEAR. SO IT'S GOING STRONG AT BEAUFORT WELL BRIDGE AND AT HILTON HEAD HIGH SCHOOLS FOR, UM, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AS I SAID, IT'S GONNA BE PILOT AT BLUFFTON HIGH, BUT EVENTUALLY BE AVAILABLE TO ALL HIGH SCHOOLS. DRONE TECHNOLOGIES. WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU THAT BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL'S FIREFIGHTER PROGRAM HAS BEEN USING DRONE TECHNOLOGIES PATHWAY. WE'RE ADDING IT NEXT YEAR AT BATTERY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL. IT TIES IN NICELY WITH THEIR AEROSPACE AVIATION PROGRAM. AND THEN LASTLY, WE'RE EXCITED AT, WELL BRANCH EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL. THEY ARE STARTING A GLOBAL LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN PATHWAY. THOSE STUDENTS, ONCE THEY WORK THROUGH THE FIRST FEW COURSES, THEIR SENIOR YEAR, WILL PARTNER WITH TCL. SO IF THEY WANT TO EARN THEIR CDL LICENSE, UH, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT. WE MAY HAVE ANOTHER GROUP OF STUDENTS THAT WANNA GO MORE ON THE BUSINESS SIDE OF HOW TO MOVE AND MANAGE PRODUCT, BUT, UH, UH, SHOUT OUT TO DR. LEACH, THE PRINCIPAL THERE AND HER TEAM FOR, UH, UH, REQUESTING THAT. AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE THAT HAPPEN. AND THEN JUST LASTLY, I WANTED YOU TO SEE, FOR OUR MIDDLE SCHOOLS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEAR PERIOD, ALL EIGHT MIDDLE SCHOOLS WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO OFFER ANY OF THESE PROJECT RELATED THE WAY STEM RELATED COURSES. THEY JUST NEED TO LET ME KNOW, I PUT IT IN OUR GRANT AND, AND WE'LL MAKE IT HAPPEN. WE ALSO WILL HAVE THAT BUSINESS AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES COURSES. UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO CAREER EXPLORATION. AND THEN I WANNA SHOUT OUT TO NOT ONLY LENS MIDDLE, UH, OF HAVING A GREAT FOCUS PER, UH, DR. STRATUS AND THEIR MED TECH SEVEN GRANTS THAT THEY'VE HAD, BUT ALSO, UH, H HM, MCCRACKEN WILL BE ADDING THE INTRO TO HEALTH PROFESSIONS. AND HE'S GONNA HAVE A HEALTHCARE FOCUS AT H HM MCCRACKEN AND MOVING FORWARD, STARTING NEXT YEAR. UH, JUST WANTED, BEFORE WE ANSWER QUESTIONS, I REALLY WANNA TAKE TIME TODAY. IT'S JUST TWO MINUTES. MS. CUSH, IF YOU COULD PULL UP THAT WORD DOC THAT HAS THE LITTLE LINK. UM, I, I THINK THIS VIDEO THAT CELEBRATING CTE WILL BE A GREAT WAY JUST TO SHOW YOU WHAT PHENOMENAL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS THAT WE HAVE. AND THEN I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS. HOPEFULLY IT'S GONNA COME UP. I'LL ASK MR. LA TO COME UP AS THIS IS PLAYING. IF EVERYBODY COULD TAKE A LOOK AT THIS. I THINK HE, I THINK THINK WE NEED TO JUST TURN THE VOLUME ON THE BOARD. THIS NEVER SEEMS TO WORK. NO. AND IT'S SUCH A GOOD VIDEO. TRY THIS NEVER SEEMS TO WORK. IT'S JUST SUCH A GOOD VIDEO. THANKS FOR TECHNOLOGY. IF [03:40:01] IT DOESN'T WORK IN 10 SECONDS, WE'LL, WE'RE GONNA DO A PATHWAY ON. THERE WE GO. CTE IS GREAT FOR SCHOOLS. CTE IS GOOD FOR STUDENTS. CTE IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS. CTE IS GOOD FOR ME. CTE IS GREAT FOR THE COMMUNITY AND BUSINESSES. OUR PROGRAMS HELP TRAIN THE NEXT GENERATIONS OF CHEFS AND WELDER MECHANICS. AND WITHOUT THESE PROGRAMS, THE COMMUNITY WOULD HAVE A GREAT DEFICIT. AND HAVING SKILLED EMPLOYEES IN KNOWLEDGEABLE LABOR TO GO INTO THOSE JOBS. CTE IS GREAT FOR STUDENTS FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN SKILLS THAT THEY CAN USE IN THEIR CAREER FIELDS. CTE IS GOOD FOR STUDENTS BECAUSE IT GIVES 'EM A CHANCE TO WORK WITH THEIR HANDS TO LEARN COMMUNICATION SKILLS THAT ARE VITAL TO WORKING IN ANY ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY GO INTO AFTER HIGH SCHOOL. CTE IS VERY GOOD FOR ME 'CAUSE IT HELPS ME LEARN THE SKILLS I NEED TO GO INTO AN AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY SO I CAN WORK ON CARS AND HELP PEOPLE WITH AUTOMOTIVE. PPE GOT GOOD. HELP ME TO WORK IN A COSMETOLOGY FIELD SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY AMONGST MARKETS. CTE AND PTLW HAS HELPED COMMUNITY BECAUSE I WANNA BECOME AN ENGINEER WHEN I GROW UP. I WANT TO BECOME AN ENGINEER BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO WORK FOR NASA WHEN I GROW UP. CTE IS GOOD FOR ME BECAUSE I WANNA BE AN ELECTRICIAN AND I'M LEARNING ELECTRICAL AND CONSTRUCTION. CT E IS GOOD FOR STUDENTS BECAUSE IT PREPARES THEM FOR JOBS AND CAREERS RIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL AND ALSO PREPARES THEM TO GO STRAIGHT INTO BUSINESS IF THEY'RE WANTING TO DO THAT IN THEIR FUTURE. CT E IS GOOD FOR ME BECAUSE IT HELPS ME LEARN NEW SKILLS. SINCE I WANNA GO TO CULINARY SCHOOL AND BE CT E IS GOOD FOR ME. IT HELPS ME PRACTICE SKILLS FOR FIREFIGHTING AND ALSO FOR MEDICAL. SO I CAN SAVE ANYONE'S LIVES THAT I COME ACROSS. CTE IS GOOD FOR ME BECAUSE I'M LEARNING TO CODE AND PROGRAM, AND YOU'RE GONNA NEED THAT IN LIFE. FROM THE WORLD THAT WE ARE LIVING IN TODAY. CTE IS GOOD FOR STUDENTS BECAUSE IT EQUIPS STUDENTS WITH PRACTICAL SKILLS AND CERTIFICATIONS FOR HIGH DEMAND CAREERS. CTE IS GOOD FOR STUDENTS BECAUSE IT PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND REAL WORLD EXPERIENCES THAT PREPARES THEM FOR SUCCESSFUL CAREERS. THEY ALSO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN CLASSROOM LEARNING AND INDUSTRY DEMANDS, ENSURING THAT STUDENTS ARE NOT ONLY ACADEMICALLY PREPARED, BUT ALSO EQUIPPED WITH PRACTICAL SKILLS THAT ARE HIGHLY VALUABLE. AND WORKFORCE CT E IS GOOD FOR STUDENTS BECAUSE IT PREPARES THEM FOR THE NEXT GENERATION. CYBERSECURITY, KATE IS GOOD FOR SCHOOLS BECAUSE IT OFFERS MANY OPTIONS FOR THEM TO DO HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE PROGRAMS, OFFER CERTIFICATIONS THAT GET THEM READY FOR THE WORKFORCE. I'M SO PROUD OF ALL MY STUDENTS' ACCOMPLISHMENTS. CTE IS GOOD FOR ME, AND CTE IS GOOD FOR ME AND IT'S GOOD FOR ME. MR. SMITH, FIRST OFF, LEMME START OFF BY YOUR WORKING FOR WHAT, WHAT YOU'VE DONE IN, UH, IN CTE. BUT, UH, LATELY I'VE BEEN HAVING SOME, UH, UH, QUESTIONS ABOUT IN TERMS OF CTE, WHAT WE HAVE, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, ON THIS SIDE. AND ALSO, LET ME, LEMME LEMME START OFF WITH THIS. I WENT TO, UH, DR. RODRIGUEZ AND, UH, DR. CAMPBELL HAD A CON, HAD A BOYS CONFERENCE OVER AT BATTERY CREEK HIGH SCHOOL A WHILE BACK, I BELIEVE THAT WAS. UM, AND IN, AND IN THAT CONFERENCE WE WENT TO, UH, CHEF, UH, LIGHT CHEF, CHEF LIGHTNER. HE'S A, HE'S A VERY POWERFUL CHEF. UH, AND THE, THERE WERE SOME KIDS FROM WELL BRANCH, UH OH OH. AT THAT SETTING. AND THEY WERE, THEIR QUESTION WAS, WELL, WHAT, WHAT CAN WE DO TO TRANSFER FROM WELL BRANCH TO, TO, TO TO BATTER CREEK? BECAUSE WE LIKE CO WE LIKE COOKING. WE, AND WE LIKE, YOU KNOW, CHEF LIGHTNER WAS, I, HE GAVE HIM DISCIPLINE. HE, HE GAVE HIM TIME, AND HE, HE WAS ON 'EM, AND THEY TOOK A LOT LIKING TO IT. AND THEY WERE LIKE, WELL, YOU KNOW, I, I CAN COOK. AND, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES MY MOM WOULD TALK ABOUT COOKING, YOU KNOW, I CAN I THIS AS THAT. SOMETHING ELSE I MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO. AND SO WHAT I'M SAYING IS THOSE STUDENTS TOOK A, A LIKING IN TO HIM TOO. BUT ALSO HE, HE, UH, HE EXPANDED THEIR, HE EXPANDED THEIR, THEIR THINKING IN TERMS OF, HEY, THIS IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY. AND, AND, AND, AND I'M, AND I'M USING THAT AS A A AS A SOFT SEGUE INTO SAYING THAT. AND IN THE, AND THE LATELY IN THE MEETINGS AND THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN IN THE COMMUNITY, A LOT OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE ASKING ME, , I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT HOW BIG OF THE FIREFIGHTER PROGRAM WAS OVER AT BLUFF, MR. SMITH. OH, WHAT WE HAVE, MR. SMITH, WHAT DO WE HAVE OVER AT, OVER, OVER AT BAT? I SAID, WELL, I SAID, WELL, I, I COULD, I SHOT SCRAP FROM THE HIP. BUT WE GOT THE [03:45:01] COOKING OVER AT BATTER CREEK AND THE, A COUPLE DIFFERENT OTHER THINGS OVER AT BAT. WHAT DO WE, WHAT DO WE HAVE AT BEAUTIFUL BEHIND ANDWELL BRANCH? WHAT DO WE HAVE AT, AT, AT, AT, AT, AT THESE SCHOOLS? AND I, AND I SAY THIS AND, AND I DON'T TAKE IT LIGHTLY BECAUSE I, IF, IF YOU KNOW ME, I GO TO COUNTY COUNCIL AND I HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE IN THE LAST YEARS, WE'VE VERY, WE'VE BURIED A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE DUE TO THE, THE DUE TO THE DUE TO GUN VIOLENCE. SO IT IS UP TO US AS A SCHOOL BOARD, WE HAVE TO TOO, TAKE OWNERSHIP THAT WE ARE OP WE ARE OFFERING OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR YOUNG FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO CREATE LIFE AND TO CREATE SOME TYPE OF SAFE LIVING AND SOME TYPE OF OPPORTUNITY WHERE EVERY KID AIN'T GONNA GO TO SCHOOL. EVERY KID AIN'T COLLEGE, AIN'T AIN'T IN EVERYBODY'S PAST. THE MILITARY AIN'T IN EVERYBODY'S PAST. BUT IT IS OUR, IT IS, IT IS OUR FUNCTION AS PART OF OUR JOB FUNCTION IS TO OFFER THEM SOME TYPE OF SKILLSET. SO WHERE THEY CAN GO OUT AND, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR FAMILY. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE MAJOR ONE FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO CAN'T DO THOSE THINGS. AND SO I'M BRINGING THIS TO OUR ATTENTION BECAUSE THIS IS, THIS IS OUR DUTY WHEREVER WE KIND OF WANNA HAVE THIS DISCUSSION OR WHEREVER, WHEREVER WE TAKE IT LIGHTLY, BECAUSE, SO NOW WE FOCUS SO MUCH ON, ON, ON, ON THE EDUCATION COMPONENT OR ON ONE PART OF IT. BUT THIS IS A, A, A MULTI TIER THING. THIS IS NOT A ONE SIDE SHOE FIT ALL. SO THIS IS A BIG PART OF IT THAT SOME PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, ARE NOT ALWAYS INTERESTED IN. AND I, AND SO TO ME AND TO SOME OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT I SERVE, THIS IS A BIG OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN HAVE YOUNG, PRODUCTIVE, UH, CITIZENS IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO, UH, YOU DID, I WILL I GIVE YOU CREDIT, YOU DID ANSWER, UH, A COUPLE OF THEM, UH, IN TERMS OF, UM, YOU DID BRING TO, TO MY ATTENTION THAT WE ARE DOING THE FIREFIGHTER AND EMS OVER AT, UM, BE BEAVERT HIGH SCHOOL. UH, I'M NOT SURE HOW HOW SOON THAT IS, BUT I MEAN, AND EMTS AND, AND EMTS OVER AT BEAVER HIGH SCHOOL, BUT ALSO AT WE BRANCH IN, IN OTHER SCHOOLS IS BECAUSE ONCE AGAIN, THESE ARE THINGS THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN BRINGING TO ME AND ASKING ME, WELL, WE HAVE THIS ON THE OTHER SIDE, SO APPARENTLY MAKE MS. SMITH YOU OFF YOUR GAME BECAUSE WE WATCHING OVER THERE AND O OVER THERE, THEY HAVING A LOT OF CTE PROGRAMS. WHAT ARE WE HAVING IN OUR AREA? SO I I I TAKE IT OFF OF ME AND, AND IMPOSE IT TO YOU. AND I I DO HAVE THESE, BUT WHAT OTHER PROGRAMS AND, AND HOW, HOW ARE WE GOING TO, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S, IT IS VERY THE WAY TECHNOLOGY. YOUR, YOUR FIRST QUESTION WAS WHEN YOU STARTED, WE STARTED YOUR PRESENTATION WAS THIS, WHERE DO WE SEE EDUCATION? I MEAN, WHERE DO WE SEE TE GOING AND, AND WHAT CTE ARE WE FOCUSED ON? WHEN I LOOK, WHEN I LOOK AT TECHNOLOGY AND WHERE TECHNOLOGY'S MOVING AND HOW FAST AND INNOVATIVE IT IS MOVING WHERE OVERNIGHT WHEN THEY SHOW YOU, JUST LIKE THE GUY CAME ABOVE THEN THE LAST HOUR, I THINK THE LAST PRESENTATION MAYBE I HEARD, WE HEARD LAST NIGHT, UH, MY DAYS ARE RUNNING CONGRUENT ABOUT, UH, ONCE YOU LEARN A ONCE YOU LEARN ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, AI SHOW YOU ONE THING, BUT BY THE TIME YOU LOOK AGAIN, THERE'S, THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE. FIRST IT WAS FACEBOOK, THEN IT'S INSTAGRAM. AND WHEN IT'S, WHEN YOU LEARN, WHEN YOU GET GO INSTAGRAM, IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S, THERE'S ANOTHER PLATFORM THAT'S BEEN GIVEN TO US MM-HMM . SO WE WE'RE SAYING THAT WHERE, WHERE DO WE SEE, WHERE DO WE SEE THE DISTRICT IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE BRINGING NEXT ON THIS SIDE OF THE BROAD, BUT ALSO SOMETHING THAT'S RELATABLE AND THAT KIDS CAN FIND A PEAK OF INTEREST TO THAT CAN BRING THEM A, A GREAT AMOUNT OF STABILITY IN RAISING FAMILIES IN THIS DISTRICT. YES, SIR. SO, MR. SMITH, I'M MAY, DR. RODRIGUEZ, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING THAT FORWARD. YOU'RE ALWAYS A GREAT ADVOCATE FOR OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS. AND I THINK WHAT MAY BE HELPFUL IS IF, UH, CHAIRMAN GUYER, I CAN SHARE THAT YOU COULD SHARE OUT WITH THE BOARD. I HAVE A CHART THAT WE USE FOR, FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. AND THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE, RATHER THAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. IT, IT, IT HAS ALL SIX HIGH SCHOOLS AND ACE AND IT JUST LISTS, UH, JUST WITH A CHECK MARK WHERE WE'RE OFFERING THE, THE 15 CURRENT PATHWAYS. AND I'VE HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW WHAT WE'LL BE ADDING. SO I THINK THAT'LL BE A GOOD JUST VISUAL, UH, SIR, TO SHOW WITH YOU. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, WELL BRANCH, WE HAVE A VERY STRONG SPORTS MEDICINE PROGRAM. ALSO, THE STUDENTS THAT ARE THERE, UH, THEY ARE, UH, UH, COMPRISED AT TCF FOR THE CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT. THEY'RE ALSO ABOUT TO GRADUATE. I THINK I, I DIDN'T, UH, REFERENCE THAT THEY DO A BIOMEDICAL PATHWAY THERE. THEY HAVE A STRONG, UH, INFORMATIONAL TECH PROGRAM THERE. THEY DO THE CYBER. WE'VE HAD WELL BRANCH STUDENTS THAT HAVE ACTUALLY PLACED IN FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD PLACES IN THE, UH, UH, CYBER PATRIOT COMPETITION. UH, WE HAVE OUR BUSINESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT. THAT'S WHERE STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO DO WEBPAGE AND, UH, DIFFERENT, UH, UH, FLYERS. AND WE HAVE GENERAL MANAGEMENT WHERE THEY CAN DO, UM, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND, UM, ACCOUNTING. AND THEN LASTLY, WITH THE NEW, UH, MEDIA TECH ONE THAT MR. BERNARD REED, HE'S GONNA BE A PHENOMENAL TEACHER THERE. [03:50:01] I'M EXCITED FOR HOW HE'S GONNA TAKE STUDENTS INTO THE ARTS AND AV TECHNOLOGY. AND THEN LASTLY, NEXT YEAR, WE'LL ADD THAT GLOBAL LOGISTICS. AND YOU BRING UP ANOTHER GOOD POINT THAT, UM, UH, WE COLLABORATE SO MUCH WITH, UH, DR. VEO. HE'S DONE A GREAT JOB OF, OF REBOUNDING ACE. AND SO ANYTHING THAT'S NOT OFFERED AT OUR REGULAR HIGH SCHOOLS, OBVIOUSLY IF THEY'RE ELIGIBLE. SO THOSE STUDENTS AT WELL BRANCH HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE THE CULINARY AT, AT ACE THERE. THEY'VE GOT A PHENOMENAL, UH, CHEF THERE AS WELL. SO IT, IT'S A MATTER OF STRATEGICALLY PLACING. I THINK THAT CHART WILL BE A GOOD VISUAL BECAUSE IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, UH, MR. SMITH, WE WANNA HAVE CONSTRUCTION BUILDING THAT'S GONNA SUPPORT THAT LABOR MARKET NEED IN SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY, NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTY IN THE MIDDLE OF BASE. WE ALREADY HAVE A GREAT MODEL WITH WELDING. WE HAVE ONE, A PHENOMENAL PROGRAM AT MOLE RIVER, BATTERY CREEK AND AT ACE. SO THAT IF A JOHN O'TOOLE WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HE SAYS, KAREN, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE NEW COMPANIES, MIDDLE FABRICATION COMPANIES COMING IN, WHAT'S YOUR PIPELINE? WE CAN SAY, WELL, WE'RE, WE'RE TURNING OUT ABOUT 60 STUDENTS GRADUATING THAT HAVE SOME TYPE OF STICK STICK TIG AND MIG WELDING, UH, OPPORTUNITIES OR SKILLS. SO IF WE'RE STRATEGICALLY LOCATING, SO SAME THING WITH THE FIREFIGHTER. WE'LL HAVE IT AT BEAUFORT HIGH, WE'LL HAVE IT AT BLUFFTON, AND WE'LL HAVE IT AT HILTON HEAD. SO WHILE WE CAN'T DO THESE HIGH END SPECIALTY PROGRAMS AT EVERY HIGH SCHOOL DUE TO THE LEARNING SPACES, WE'LL AT LEAST HAVE SOME GREAT REPRESENTATION ACROSS OUR DISTRICT AND COUNTY. UH, AND THEN THEY ALWAYS CAN CHOICE IN, YOU KNOW, IF THEY REALLY FEEL IT'S IMPORTANT AND THERE'S SOMETHING THEY WANNA DO, UH, THEY CAN CHOICE IN AS WELL. BUT THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT FORWARD, AND I'LL SHARE THAT CHAIRMAN GUYER THAT CHART. I THINK IT'LL LAY IT OUT NICELY AS TO WHAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE AND, AND WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH IT. SO THANK YOU. I, I I WOULD ADD THAT, UM, 20 19, 20 20, UH, WHEN I FIRST GOT HERE, WE GOT, UH, WE RECEIVED AN MSAP GRANT THAT MSAP GRANT WAS REALLY A STRICTLY NORTHERN BEAUFORT COUNTY GRANT. AND, AND THAT GRANT, ACTUALLY, WHAT IT DID WAS IT, IT LAUNCHED REALLY A CYBERSECURITY PROGRAM AT WHALE BRANCH. IT LAUNCHED A BIOMEDICAL PROGRAM OVER AT BEAUFORT HIGH SCHOOL, AND IN ESSENCE, AND THEN ARCH INTEGRATION ACROSS THE CLUSTERS. AND IN ESSENCE, WHAT THAT DID, UH, IN LAUNCHING THAT CYBERSECURITY, UH, INITIATIVE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, BUFORT COUNTY'S ACTUALLY TRYING TO PLANT ITS FLAG AS CYBERSECURITY HUB FOR THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES. AND ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, COLONEL WARREN PARKER THROUGH HIS, UH, CYBER, UH, PROGRAM, AND THEY HAVE A SUMMIT COMING UP. UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID WAS THERE WAS AN ACTUAL INTEGRATION AND ARTICULATION BETWEEN K 12, THAT'S US, OUR SPACE, TCL AND USCB, AND ESTABLISHING A PIPELINE FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN THAT TECHNOLOGY REALM TO TAKE THAT ROUTE AND TO GO FURTHER, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING CYBERSECURITY, CYBER PATRIOT IS ACTUALLY A COMPETITION, WHICH IS, UM, UH, HOSTED REALLY IS BY THE, UH, MILITARY THAT, THAT HOSTS IT. AND IT'S A COMPETITION FOR PEOPLE NATIONALLY WHO, WHO, WHO, WHO WANT TO COMPETE. WHALE BRANCH EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL HAS RIGHT AROUND 30% OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA'S CYBERSECURITY TEAMS THAT COMPETE A THIRD OF ALL THE PROGRAMS ACROSS THE STATE. THOSE TEAMS COME FROM WELL, BRANCH THIRD OF THE, ANYTHING ELSE ON PLUS, UH, ANYTHING ELSE ON THERE? NO, SIR. BUT THE NURSING PROGRAM, YOU CAN SEE WHEN THAT WAS LAUNCHED THROUGH MSAP. THE OTHER THING THAT, UH, NOT NURSING, SORRY, BIOMEDICAL THROUGH THAT MSAP GRANT, THE OTHER THING THAT IT DID WAS IT WAS A SEEDS BEING SPRINKLED AROUND THIS OPPORTUNITY AND THIS OP, THIS PROGRAM THAT EXISTS AS WELL IN PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION WITH, UH, BEAUFORT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL. AND, UH, IT'S ALSO PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY NOW TO SEE HOW, UH, HOW WHETHER OPPORTUNITIES ARE TO REPLICATE THOSE KINDS OF, OF PROGRAMS. BUT THOSE STARTED, BUFORD WILL BRANCH FOR THAT GRANT. OKAY. I'D, I'D LIKE TO, UH, FOLLOW ON TO WHAT, UH, MR. SMITH WAS, UH, SAYING. UM, YOU TOLD ME, YOU SAID YOU HAD 4,000 STUDENTS PARTICIPATE [03:55:02] HIGH SCHOOL LAST YEAR. MM-HMM . HIGH SCHOOL, RIGHT? MM-HMM . THAT'S, UH, THAT'S 19% OF OUR 21,000, UH, STUDENTS. AND WE ALSO HAVE STUDENTS THAT ARE, ARE COLLEGE READY. AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE STUDENTS ARE COLLEGE READY, BUT I WOULD BE WILLING TO BET THAT THERE'S A GAP BETWEEN WORKFORCE READY AND COLLEGE READY. AND I, I SAY THAT BECAUSE I GO TO GRADUATIONS EVERY YEAR, AND I LOOK AT THE PROGRAM AND I SEE THEIR NAMES, AND I SEE A LITTLE ASTERISK BY THEIR NAMES, COLLEGE AND CAREER READY. AND THEN I SEE KIDS WITH NO ASTERISK. THEY'RE NOT COLLEGE OR CAREER READY. SO MY, MY QUESTION IS, THOSE KIDS IN THAT GAP THAT ARE NOT COLLEGE AND CAREER READY, WHY ARE THERE PROGRAMS THAT THEY WANT THAT WE DON'T HAVE? ARE THERE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE THAT THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED IN? OR, OR WHY THAT SEEMS TO BE THAT THERE'S, THERE'S, AND MAYBE WHAT MR. SMITH IS SAYING, BECAUSE WHEN I LOOKED AT THAT LAST YEAR, I COUNTED UP THE NUMBERS OF CON NON-COLLEGE AND CAREER READY. AND BUFORT HIGH HAD BY FAR THE LARGEST NUMBERS. SO WHAT'S HAPPENING AT BUFORT HIGH THAT WE ARE NOT EITHER GETTING ENOUGH INTO COLLEGE OR ENOUGH INTO CURRENT TECHNICAL EDUCATION THAT'S, THAT'S GOING TO YOUR POINTS OR, UH, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE A, I DON'T EXPECT AN ANSWER TO THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS OF, OF CONCERN. COULD IT BE, AND THANK, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP, COLONEL GEIER. UM, SO IN 23, 24, IT COULD BE IN THE WAY THINGS ARE BEING REPORTED OR JUST CAPTURED AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY DO THEIR GRADUATIONS, UH, DIFFERENT SCHOOLS, UM, PROVIDE DIFFERENT RECOGNITIONS. BUT IN, FOR 23, 24 OF THE CAREER READINESS INDICATOR, WE HAD AN 81.2%. AND YOU TALK ABOUT NUMBERS. OUT OF 1,728 STUDENTS THAT GRADUATED LAST YEAR, 1,403 OF THEM MET THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE CAREER READINESS INDICATOR. THAT MEANT THEY EITHER SCORED A 31 ON THE ASVAB OR THEY WERE A CTE COMPLETER WITH A, THEY EARNED AN INDUSTRY CREDENTIAL, OR THEY SCORED, UH, A THREE OR HIGHER ON THE WHEN READINESS WORKPLACE READINESS ASSESSMENTS, OR THEY, UH, DID A, UM, WORK-BASED LEARNING. SO WE WERE, I I, YOU BRING UP A VERY GOOD ALMOST PHILOSOPHICAL POINT, BECAUSE AS A DISTRICT, WE ALSO WANNA SUPPORT OUR COLLEGE BOUND. UH, YOU KNOW, MRS. BOATRIGHT, YOU MADE A VERY GOOD POINT EARLIER ABOUT HAVING A VERY PRESTIGIOUS IB PROGRAM AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO PARENTS AND HOW WE PACKAGES THIS. AND I'D ALSO SAY THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS WHO ARE, WHO TAKE CAREER AND TAKE ED COURSES THAT'S GOING ON TO COLLEGE SPORTS MEDICINE TO BE A PHYSICAL THERAPIST TO GO INTO THAT. UH, TYPICALLY IT IS GONNA REQUIRE A FOUR YEAR DEGREE TO BE AN ENGINEER. IT'S GONNA REQUIRE A FOUR YEAR DEGREE. UM, SO WE ARE, I WISH WE WOULD GET TO THE POINT WHERE IT WASN'T SEPARATED, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. I, I WISH, BECAUSE ULTIMATELY WHERE THEY GO TO COLLEGE, WHERE THEY GET THE TRAINING IN THE MILITARY OR STRAIGHT TO WORK, THAT ULTIMATE GOAL IS ARE THEY GOING TO GET A GAINFUL, UH, CAREER THAT'S GONNA HELP SUPPORT THEMSELVES IN A FAMILY, HOPEFULLY LIVE AND WORK AROUND HERE AND CONTRIBUTE BACK TO OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S, TO ME, THAT'S OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IN PUBLIC EDUCATION, REGARDLESS OF HOW THE, THE DE THE, THE JOURNEY THAT THEY GET THERE. UH, WE, I THINK AS A B COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, WE ARE PROVIDING WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES THAT WON'T HEAR MY OTHER COLLEAGUES NOTING IN OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS. SO I, I, I APPLAUD THIS SCHOOL BOARD FOR LOOKING AT ALL OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS. AND WE JUST PROBABLY NEED TO MAYBE DIG A LITTLE DEEPER IN THIS, HOW WE'RE CAPTURING COLLEGE AND OR CAREER READY. BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF CT KIDS GOING ON TO COLLEGE. LET ME, WELL, LET ME PUT IT TO YOU ANOTHER WAY. OKAY. I SIT ON THAT STAGE AT GRADUATION AND I WATCH THE KIDS. I GO TO ACE COMPLETER CEREMONIES AND SEE THE COMPLETER CEREMONIES, AND THEY PUT A CORD YES, SIR. AROUND THERE, DIFFERENT COLORS AND DIFFERENT COURTS. I SIT AT THE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION CEREMONY AND I SEE KIDS COMING UP WITH A COURT THAT SHOWS THAT THEY'RE COLLEGE READY OR SOMETHING THAT THEY LEARN. [04:00:01] AND THEN I SEE THE KIDS THAT COME UP THERE WITH NO COURTS, BUT PERHAPS IT'S NOT. AND EVERY AND EVERY TIME I ASKED MYSELF, WHAT DID WE DO? OR WHAT DID WE NOT DO FOR THOSE KIDS THAT COME UP THERE WITH NO CORDS, JUST GOT THROUGH THE SCHOOL, DID WHAT? AND THAT, THAT'S MY QUESTION. AND THAT'S MY FRUSTRATION BECAUSE EVERYONE I SEE WITH NO CORDS, I THINK OF AS, AS A FAILURE. AND I KNOW THEY'RE GRADUATING. I GOT, I GOT THE, I GOT THAT. I, I JUST, JUST, AGAIN, 1,403 STUDENTS, WHETHER THE SCHOOL ELECTED TO GIVE THEM A COURT TO, TO RECOGNIZE THEIR CTE, UH, UH, UH, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 1,403 STUDENTS WERE SOME TYPE OF CAREER READY. SO, TO, TO ME, THAT'S, THAT'S AN 83, THE SAME, THEY WERE THE SAME STUDENT THAT DID NOT HAVE AN ASTERISK NEXT TO THEIR NAME. YES, SIR. I, I, I THINK WHAT MS. GILBERT IS SAYING, AND YOU'RE SAYING IS SPOT ON. WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU TAKE ALL THE PEOPLE, 'CAUSE WE'VE NOTICED IT AS WELL, AND YOU LAY 'EM OUT. CAN YOU SPEAK TO MIKE ACROSS, AND I'LL GIVE AN EXAMPLE. CAN YOU SPEAK, OH, I'M SORRY. UM, WHEN YOU SEE THE STUDENTS THAT COME ACROSS THE STAGE, FOR INSTANCE, IF MY DAUGHTER TOOK DANCE OR ART WOULDN'T HAVE A COMPLETE ACCORD, AND DEPENDING ON THE BENCHMARKS, UM, IF THEY DIDN'T SCORE HIGH ENOUGH ON A WIN, OR IF THEY DIDN'T TAKE AN AP EXAM OR AN IB, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE THAT CR CHORD. SO THERE'S, THROUGH THE CLASSIFICATION, IT USED TO BE BEFORE CCR, IT USED TO BE, UM, YOU HAD THE H SAP AND YOU WERE A COMPLETER OR YOU WENT TO COLLEGE AND THERE WASN'T A, AN ASTERISK OR A LABEL AFTER IT. WITH THE NEW STATE MODEL, THEY HAVE THESE PIPELINES THAT THEY GO INTO, BUT IT ALSO LEAVES OUT THE KIDS THAT DIDN'T DO THE CTE OR DIDN'T DO THE DUAL ENROLLMENT, OR DIDN'T DO THE AP OR IB, BUT WILL GO ON TO COLLEGE OR ANOTHER VENUE. BUT THEY DON'T, THEY WON'T HAVE THAT ASTERISK. AND THAT'S A LARGE NUMBER. 'CAUSE IF YOU TAKE THE NUMBER OF KIDS, LIKE IN THE IB PROGRAM, OKAY, TAKE THE IB KIDS OUT, WHERE ARE THE REST OF THE KIDS GOING? THEY'RE GOING IN THE ARTS, THEY'RE GOING TO CT. OKAY, WELL, I, I GET THAT, BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IF THAT STANDARD APPLIES TO ALL THE SCHOOLS. MM-HMM . WE HAVE SIX HIGH SCHOOLS. I COUNT 'EM IN EACH ONE OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS. BUFORD HIGH SCHOOL HAD THE LEAST NUMBER OF ASTERISK BEHIND THEIR NAME. SO ARE YOU JUST SAYING IT'S JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT'S AT BEAUFORT HIGH SCHOOL, OR WHAT'S, WHAT, WHAT CAUSES THAT ISSUE? WE, WE CAN LOOK INTO THAT FURTHER FOR YOU, COLONEL GEIER. WE DON'T, I AGAIN, DON'T HAVE THE BEAUFORT HIGH SCHOOL SPECIFIC GRAD, UH, NUMBERS IN FRONT OF US, BUT WE'LL BE GLAD TO, TO LOOK INTO THAT FOR YOU. AND AGAIN, IT IS A GOOD CONVERSATION TO HAVE AT THIS WORK SESSION ON WHERE, WHERE DO WE GO IF, IF 92% GRADUATION RATE OVERALL FOR BEAUFORT COUNTY IS, IS WHAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARD THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, THEN, THEN WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE AS FAR AS ACCESSIBILITY TO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, COLLEGE AND OR CAREER TO HELP THESE STUDENTS? SO, WE'LL, I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THAT UP. AND WE WILL DEFINITELY, DR. RODRIGUEZ, WE CAN LOOK INTO HOW THEY'RE CAPTURING THAT DATA. YES, SIR. ONE, ONE LAST ONE LAST OBSERVATION 25 YEARS AGO, I WAS THE, UH, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER COMBINED OF A, UH, COMMUNITY COLLEGE, ABOUT THE SAME SIZE AS TCL. AND THEY CAME TO ME AND SAID, UM, WE WANT A COUPLE MILLION DOLLARS TO BUILD A NEW PHOTO LAB. SAID $2 MILLION TO BUILD A PHOTO LAB. OH YEAH, WE NEED A DARK ROOM. WE NEED CHEMICALS AND ALL THIS KIND OF STUFF, AND WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF THE CHEMICALS. AND I SAID, NO, WHY? WHY, WHY NOT? I SAID, BECAUSE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY IS GOING TO BE THE FUTURE. UH, IT'S NOT BUILD A WHITE ELEPHANT. AND THE INSTRUCTOR SAID, OH, NO. OH NO. IT WILL ALWAYS HAVE CHEMICAL DIGITAL WILL NEVER MATCH THE QUALITY OF WHAT WE CAN GET IN A PHOTO LAB. HE WAS WRONG. I WAS RIGHT. . AND I SAY THAT TO YOU BECAUSE AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY, I'VE SEEN WHAT OUR, WE HAVE AN AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY, WE HAVE OIL CHANGING, AND WE HAVE LIFTS AND WE HAVE COMPRESSION TESTERS AND, AND ALL THE THINGS THAT INTERNAL COMBUSTION [04:05:01] ENGINES, UH, HAVE TO BE TAKEN CARE OF 20 YEAR, 25 YEARS FROM NOW, UH, WE NEED A WHOLE DIFFERENT SET. AND SO WHAT I I'M SAYING TO YOU IS, IS WE HAVE TO STAY AHEAD OF TECHNOLOGY. AND ONE OF THE THINGS, THE WAYS WE DO THAT IS WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL OUR INSTRUCTORS IN THOSE PARTICULAR AREAS. AND AND YOUR STAFF ARE REALLY LOOKING AT THE FUTURE AND LOOKING AT THE TRENDS AND STAYING AHEAD SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE A WHITE ELEPHANT THAT WE'RE BUILDING IN OUR CTES AND OUR CTA BUILDINGS ARE ADAPTABLE MM-HMM . TO NEW TECHNOLOGIES AS THEY COME ONLINE. SO JUST KIND OF PUT THAT IN THE BACK OF YOUR HEADS AND KEEP THAT IN MIND IF YOU WOULD. PLEASE. VERY GOOD POINT. THANK YOU, SIR. UH, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, UH, UH, YOU CAN LEAD A HORSE TO WATER, BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE 'EM DRINK. THERE. THERE ARE SOME KIDS THAT, UH, THAT DON'T DO THAT. THERE IS SOMEBODY CLOSE TO ME THAT TOOK A YEAR OFF OF HIGH SCHOOL, UH, AND NOW SHE'S A REGISTERED NURSE. UM, SO IT JUST BECAUSE, UH, THEY DON'T HAVE AN ASTERISK NEXT TO THEIR NAME, DOESN'T MEAN THEY DON'T HAVE A PLAN, YOU KNOW, SAYING, I, I THINK THOSE, UH, AND THAT'S OKAY. YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT BECAUSE THE PROGRAMS WEREN'T THERE. YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE DONE, AND I SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING WE CAN, UH, TO LEAD EVERY HORSE TO WATER. UH, AND IF THEY DON'T DRINK, THEN AT SOME POINT IT'S ON THEM. , I KIND OF TEND TO AGREE. ALSO, I THINK IT'S WORTH HAVING A DISCUSSION ABOUT CORDS, BECAUSE WE ARE GIVING OUT CORDS FOR STUFF NOW. I MEAN, MY KID, I'VE SEEN THESE KIDS COME UP, THEY CAN BARELY WALK. AND I'M LIKE, TO WHAT END? UM, YES, MA'AM. SO I THINK I LOVE WHAT YOU'RE DOING. YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT IT, AND I THINK COLONEL GEIER IS CORRECT IN THAT, YOU KNOW, THE FUTURE. BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, RIGHT NOW, I PAID A LOT OF ATTENTION TO AI AND EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, AND I WAS TALKING TO A FRIEND OF MINE AT UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, WHICH IS A VERY TECH HEAVY SCHOOL, AND HE'S AN ADVISOR THERE. AND I SAID, K THROUGH 12, AND THIS IS NOT A REFLECTION OF BEAUFORT COUNTY. THIS IS THE GREATER CONVERSATION. I SAID, K THROUGH 12 IS OBLIVIOUS TO WHAT'S GOING ON OUTSIDE. THEY JUST LIKE, IT'S COMING LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN. MM-HMM . AS FAR, AND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I COULD BE WRONG. DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY MAY MAKE A COMEBACK. I DON'T KNOW, , BUT, UM, IT'S SO HARD TO ADJUST. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THESE BIG SYSTEMS AND HE SAID IT'S WORSE IN THE COLLEGES. AND I'VE NEVER HAD SO LITTLE CLARITY ON WHAT THE NEXT FOUR YEARS ARE GONNA LOOK LIKE. I GOT A KID GOING OFF TO COLLEGE, AND I'M LIKE, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT JOB SET USED TO BE. GENERALLY, THERE WAS KIND OF A PATH AND THERE WAS VARIATIONS. AND HE SAID, UM, HE SAID, WHAT'S HAPPENED IN PO IN HIGHER EDUCATION THIS YEAR IS THAT PREVIOUS TO THIS YEAR, EVERYONE'S RUNNING AROUND GOING, OH, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, IT'S A HAMMER, IT'S A TOOL. WE JUST GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE IT. AND HE'S LIKE, NOW EVERYONE'S GOING, OH MY GOD, WE JUST INVENTED ELECTRICITY. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO? AND SO THIS IDEA OF A VARIATION ON A THEME FOR CAREERS, I THINK IS GOING OUT THE WINDOW. AND IT'S, NO ONE HAS CLARITY ON THE NEXT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS. BUT WHAT I DO THINK IS IMPORTANT, AND I DO THINK THAT PARENTS ARE LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, LET'S GO PUBLIC, UM, IS EXPERIENTIAL, HANDS-ON PROJECT-BASED LEARNING, WHICH YOU GUYS ARE DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB OF PIVOTING TOWARDS. UM, I HAVE A, UH, CHILD WHO'S APPLYING TO MEDICAL SCHOOL. THEY REQUIRE 500 HOURS OF PATIENT, PATIENT CONTACT WORK EXPERIENCE, AND SCRIBING DOESN'T COUNT. SO ALL THESE KIDS NOW ARE BECOMING EMTS TO GET THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF HOURS REQUIRED. I HAVE A FRIEND WHO'S IN A LAW FIRM, HE SAID, WE WILL NOT HIRE ANY LAW STUDENT OUT OF LAW SCHOOL WITHOUT WORK EXPERIENCE. THEY HA THEY'RE JUST DONE WITH THESE REALLY SMART KIDS COMING OUT OF COLLEGE WITH THESE SKILLSET WITH NO APPLICABLE SKILLS. SO I THINK THE MORE THAT WE CAN PROMOTE THIS SORT OF EXPERIENTIAL BASED LEARNING, UM, WHICH WE'RE DOING IS IMPORTANT TO THE POINTS ABOUT BUFORT COUNTY, THERE IS A THEME THAT GOES ON , KIND OF BELOW THE SURFACE HERE, IS EVERY TIME SOMETHING GOOD, WE HAVE SIX HIGH SCHOOLS IN A VERY GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE AREA. WE CAN, IN MY OPINION, WE CANNOT OFFER EVERYTHING TO EVERYBODY, BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS MAKE IT WHERE EVERYBODY HAS ACCESS. AND ONE OF MY CONCERNS HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOUTH OF THE BROAD SCHOOL CHOICE DOES NOT EXIST LIKE IT DOES NORTH OF THE BROAD AND YOU'VE GOT TRANSPORTATION ISSUES. BUT WHAT I DO HOPE IS THAT WE FIGURE OUT A WAY THAT ANY KID IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, IF THEY'RE LIKE, I AM INTERESTED IN CONSTRUCTION, BUT I LIVE ON HILTON HEAD, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO APPLY. I DON'T CARE WHAT THE CAPA WE GOTTA FIGURE THAT OUT. YES, MA'AM. BECAUSE WE CANNOT REPLICATE THESE PROGRAMS ALL OVER THE PLACE, BUT WE WANT EQUITY AND PARITY. AND ALSO I THINK WHAT I SEE AS A TREND DEVELOPING AS WELL, UM, IN OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND THROUGH COLLEGES, PEOPLE ARE COMING OUT WAY MORE SPECIALIZED THAN WE DID. I MEAN, I TOOK LIKE A FEW, YOU KNOW, YOU HAD SORT OF YOUR STANDARD CLASSES AND YOU WENT TO COLLEGE AND I JUST GOT DONE GOING THROUGH THE WHOLE COLLEGE. WHAT MAJOR ARE YOU INTERESTED IN STUDYING? THAT'S A BIG THING NOW. [04:10:01] AND MY KID'S LIKE, I DON'T KNOW, HE'S PUTTING STUFF DOWN. YOU KNOW, I, AM I LOCKED INTO THIS? DOES THIS MEAN I CAN'T? AND, UH, BUT THERE IS, PEOPLE ARE COMING IN, INTO COLLEGES AND INTO CAREERS WITH A LOT OF EXPERIENCE AND A LOT OF SPECIALIZED LEARNING. SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, MAGNET SCHOOLS, I KNOW I'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LOT, UM, OR SCHOOL CHOICE. I DON'T SEE HOW WE DON'T DO THAT. YES, MA'AM. UM, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T, YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE SIX EXCELLENT PHYSICS TEACHERS AT SIX HIGH SCHOOLS, BUT IT SHOULDN'T MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE. MM-HMM . IF YOU WANNA DO ENGINEERING, YOU CANNOT DO COLLEGE ENGINEERING WITHOUT TAKING SOME PHYSICS. I MEAN, YOU'RE JUST GONNA RIGHT. FLAME OUT. SO I THINK THE BIGGER CONVERSATION TO HAVE IS WE'VE GOT ALL THESE PROGRAMS, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN HOUR AND A HALF BETWEEN HERE AND BEAUFORT, BETWEEN HILTON HEAD AND BEAUFORT. HOW DO WE FIGURE OUT, DO WE USE TECHNOLOGY, VIRTUAL EDUCATION? DO WE PARTNER WITH TCL? DO WE, HOW ARE WE GONNA DO IT? I THINK THAT THERE'S SOME REAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR INNOVATION. UM, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S A THEME THAT JUST KEEPS COMING UP. HOW DO WE GIVE ALL THE KIDS IN BEAUFORT COUNTY, WHEREVER YOU'RE BORN, WHOEVER YOU'RE BORN TO, THERE'S THAT GREAT SPEECH. WE DON'T CARE IF WHO YOUR DADDY IS OR IF YOU KNEW YOUR DADDY AT ALL. YOU KNOW, IT'S THAT, THAT KERNEL, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. UM, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T, IT SHOULDN'T MATTER. IF YOU WANT TO PURSUE A CAREER PATH, WE HAVE IT FOR YOU AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO ACCESS IT. SO I, KUDOS TO WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND LET'S JUST TRY AND FIGURE OUT SOME WAYS TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, ALL THE TIME. THANK YOU, MS. BOATRIGHT. MS. GORDON. GORDON . YEAH. THERE YOU GO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, . UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA THANK YOU, UH, YOU AND MR. LAIE AND, AND THE ACADEMICS, UM, FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING. UH, I DON'T THINK SOME OF YOU WERE EVEN IN BEAUFORT, UH, IN 92, 93, OR YOU MAY HAVE BEEN BABIES, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE WHAT WE HAVE NOW IN EDUCATION. WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS TEAM THAT WE HAVE HERE NOW. AND I AGREE WITH COLONEL TO A CERTAIN EXTENT ABOUT THE NUN ASTERISK, BUT I ALSO GIVE KUDOS TO MR. NAY BECAUSE SOME KIDS, YOU CAN'T MAKE THEM HAVE A CAREER PATH. THEY'VE CHOSEN WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO OR THEY THINK THEY HAVE. AND THEN YOU HAVE THAT CHILD WHO HAS ALWAYS KNOWN, OR HE OR SHE WANTED TO DO IN SCHOOL AND GET THAT CTE. BUT I THINK THAT THIS TEAM HAS DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB OF LOOKING AT THE CTES, LOOKING AT THE KIDS, LOOKING AT WHAT, 1400 OF OUR KIDS WHO, UH, ARE CAREER READY. I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT CAREER READY WAS. YOU KNOW, WHEN I, WHEN I CAME OUTTA HIGH SCHOOL, I JUST KNEW I HAD TO GET OUTTA MY MAMA'S HOUSE, , YOU KNOW, AND, AND I WAS GOING TO COLLEGE SOMEWHERE. BUT I'M SAYING THAT TO SAY WE HAVE A LOT OF TOOLS THAT WE OFFER OUR KIDS, AND ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS HERE HAS BEEN TRANSPORTATION OR LACK OF, WE DON'T HAVE A CITY BUS. WE DON'T HAVE A AMTRAK, WE DON'T HAVE A BUS OR BUSES THAT WILL TRANSPORT ALL THE CHILDREN WHO NEED TO GO TO SOME OTHER SCHOOL TO GET SOMETHING ELSE. IT COSTS MONEY LOTS AND LOTS OF MONEY, YOU KNOW. SO NOT SAYING THAT WE COULDN'T DO IT BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE APROPOS TO THE KIDS WHO WANTED TO DO IT, BUT THEN THEIR KIDS WHO DON'T WANT TO, THEY JUST DON'T WANT TO. I'VE SEEN THEM AND I KNOW MS. FRAZIER HAS SEEN THEM, AND YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW MR. IS NOW SEEING THEM. AND THOSE ARE THE KIDS THAT YOU DO TRY TO ENCOURAGE. YOU WANT THEM TO GRADUATE. YEAH. YES, MA'AM. BUT THEN WE HAVE THE OTHER KIDS WHO ARE LOOKING AT THEIR TEST SCORES, LOOKING AT WHERE THEY WANNA BE, TEACHERS WHO WANNA HELP THEM GET THERE AND DO THE BEST THAT THEY CAN DO WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW. SO, I APPLAUD YOU. I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO THIS NODDING OFF . NOT, NOT, NOT BECAUSE OF YOU , UH, BUT JUST LISTENING AND, AND REMEMBERING, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE IN THE HALLWAYS AND GRABBING KIDS, TALKING TO THEM, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GRADUATE. AND THEN THERE ARE OTHERS. THEY JUST FLY [04:15:01] OFF TO YOU. THEY'RE GONNA DO. SO CONTINUE DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND THIS TOO SHALL PASS. WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT. YOU KNOW, WE WILL FIGURE IT OUT, BUT WE CAN'T BE ALL TOO ALL, BUT WE CAN BE THE BEST THAT WE CAN BE AND WORK AS HARD AS WE CAN WORK TO GET THEM. SO I APPLAUD YOU FOR DOING IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, . ANYBODY ELSE THAT HASN'T SPOKEN THAT WOULD LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING BEFORE WE GO BACK TO SECONDS? OKAY, MR. SMITH. UM, I'VE HEARD OF, I'VE HEARD WHAT, WHAT, WHAT SOME, WHAT, UH, MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID. UH, LEMME START OFF BY SAYING, UH, JUST TO, UH, RE RECENTLY, I, I, I DEFINITELY DO AGREE WITH CROWN, I THINK FOR BRINGING THAT, BRINGING THAT POINT OUT. 'CAUSE THAT POINT IS ABSOLUTELY, UH, ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. UM, IN, IN, IN TERMS, IN TERMS OF WHAT, UH, ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES JUST SAID ABOUT, ABOUT GETTING THEM AND BEING ABLE, THAT IF A KID WANTS TO GET FROM 1.1 PART OF THE CITY TO THE OTHER PART OF THE CITY, LISTEN, IN BEFORD COUNTY SCHOOL, I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF MY COLLEAGUES KNOW, BUT WE HAVE 5:00 AM FOOTBALL PRACTICE AT CERTAIN TIMES, CERTAIN PARTS OF THE YEAR. IF, IF OUR KIDS CAN GET UP AT FIVE O'CLOCK TO GO CHASE A FOOTBALL, AND THERE'S NO REASON IN HELL WE CAN'T PUT THEM ON A BUS TO GO FROM ONE SIDE OF BEAUFORT COUNTY TO THE NEXT, TO, TO GO TO ANOTHER SCHOOL THIS IN THIS, IN THIS COUNTY, WHERE THEY WANT A CERTAIN, THEY, THEY, THERE'S A CERTAIN PROGRAM THAT WE ARE, THAT WE ARE OFFERING. WHEN I'M DRIVING AROUND, I SEE ALL THE TIME, I SEE THESE LITTLE MINI SCHOOL BUSES THAT SAYS BEAVER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT ON IT. NOW, WHERE THESE BUSES GOING? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THESE BUSES REALLY DO. I'M NOT SURE OF, BUT I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF LITTLE MINI SCHOOL BUSES THAT SAYS BEFORD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT ON IT. SO WHAT YOU SAYING, MR. SMITH, IF THESE KIDS CAN GET UP AT FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING TO PRACTICE FOOTBALL, THEN THESE KIDS CAN GET UP. IF WE, IF WE PUT OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS AS A DISTRICT, AND IF WE PROVIDE THEM WITH THE TRANSPORTATION, IF THEY WANNA GO TO HILTON HEAD HIGH SCHOOL AND DO I I I DO IB PROGRAM, IF WE ARE WILLING TO PUT THE, TO PUT A BUS DRIVE IN ONE OF THOSE BUSES AND GET 'EM THERE, IT'S, THEN, THEN, THEN, THEN, THEN, THEN, THEN LET'S DO IT. BUT LET'S NOT SAY THAT THE OPPORTUNITY IS NOT THERE BECAUSE WE HAVE, WE HAVE THE TIME TO SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY. BECAUSE EVERY TIME I GO OUT TO ONE OF THESE FUNERALS AND I SEE THESE BABIES LAYING IN THE CASKET, I OFTEN ASK MYSELF, WAS THERE ANY WAY NOT TAKING IT PERSONAL? WAS IT ANY WAY I COULD HELP OR STOP THAT KID OR THAT PERSON FROM HURTING THAT KID BEING THAT CASKET? I'M TALKING ABOUT OFFERING OPPORTUNITY TO SHOWING A KID ANOTHER PART OF LIFE. 'CAUSE THESE ARE OUR KIDS. AND THAT'S WHY YOU, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE PARENTS. SO PARENTS SHOW THE LEADERSHIP SKILLS AND THEY GUIDE THESE KIDS WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. SO THAT'S JUST THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S ONE, UH, UH, POINT OF IT ALSO IN, IN TERMS OF PROGRAMMING. NO, I AIN'T SAYING BECAUSE, UH, BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL GET, UH, FIREFIGHTER EMS, WE HAVE TO GET THAT. YOU GOT TRUCK DRIVERS, YOU GOT C DL, C DL, YOU GOT CDL LICENSE THEIR KIDS IN THIS COMMUNITY WHO WANT CDL LICENSE A LARGE ONE WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT, GUESS WHO THE FIRST PERSON WHO WAS ONE OF THE FIRST LINE OF RESPONSE PEOPLE WITH CDL LICENSE? DO WE HAVE A CDL LICENSE PROGRAM IN THIS DISTRICT? WE DON'T. SO COULD, COULD THAT POSSIBLY BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD OFFER? YES, IT IS. SO, SO, SO THOSE ARE THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT I'M SAYING THAT YES, WE COULD, WE COULD BRING TO, IN HIGH SCHOOL. IN FACT, UH, PENN CENTER, PENN CENTER SCHOOL WAS DOING IT A, A WHILE BACK, BUT I THINK THEY, THEY RAN OUT, THEY RAN OUT OUT OF FUNDING OR SOMETHING HAPPENED, BUT THEY HAD A PROGRAM. THE FACT WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY, WHEN THE PROGRAM STOPPED, THEY HAD A LONG LIST OF PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO GET CDL LICENSES. I KNOW IN, IN COLUMBIA, THEY HAVE A, THEY HAVE, I BELIEVE ONE OF THOSE DISTRICT IN COLUMBIA HAVE A ACTUAL CDL PROGRAM. SO, SO, SO I'M JUST, I'M JUST SAYING, WE HAVE THE FUNDING, WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL, LET'S ACTUALLY PUT OUR MONEY IN OUR OFFICE AND LET'S NOT LET THE BURDEN LIE ON US AND SAY, HEY, WE DIDN'T GET THE OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE WE HAVE THE FUNDING AND WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO, TO DO JUST THAT IF WE CAN GET UP AND PLAY FOOTBALL AND PRACTICE FOOTBALL AT FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE, IN THE, IN THE MORNING. SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL I WANT TO, UH, SAY AND, AND, AND, AND IN TERMS, IN TERMS OF THAT. BUT, UH, I, I THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT Y'ALL DO, BUT IT'S, IT IS JUST THOSE COUPLE THINGS THAT I, THAT I, AND I'M NOT, I'M NOT, YOU KNOW, MS. MS. GILBERT, I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO, BUT I'M JUST SAYING THAT THAT'S, THAT THAT'S THOSE, THERE ARE, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE COULD DO DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT IN A COUPLE YEARS OF TAKING YOUR HAND AND DRAWINGS RIGHT HERE AND WATCHING TV. SO JUST IMAGINE THAT WITH THE INNOVATION AND WHERE WE'RE GOING AT, WE GOTTA GET AHEAD OF IT. THANK YOU. OH, YES, GO AHEAD, MAN. MS. FRAZIER. SO DO STUDENTS FROM HILTON HEAD, THEY DO HAVE, OR ANY OTHER SCHOOL DO HAVE TRANSPORTATION TO GET TO A CS? [04:20:01] UH, YOU YES, MA'AM. THE STUDENTS FROM WHALE BRANCH DO HAVE ACCESS TO GET TRANSPORTATION TO ACE? YES. YES, MA'AM. WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? I, WE'RE GOING OFF ON SOME TANGENTS IF I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, OR SHOULD I BE CALLING POINT OF ORDER AND MR. SMITH, IF THEY CAN GET UP AT FIVE O'CLOCK TO GET THE FOOTBALL PRACTICE, I'M SURE THEIR PARENTS ARE TAKING THEM, THEN THEY CAN TAKE THEMSELVES TO SCHOOL TO GET TO ANOTHER POINT OF ACCESS TOO. THAT'S NOT TRUE. EVERY KID DON'T HAVE ACCESS. HOW DO THEY GET INTO THE SCHOOL AT 5:00 AM BECAUSE COOPER COUNTY'S PICKING THEM UP, UP TAKING THEM THERE. SO HOW ARE THEY GETTING THERE? THEY'RE USING AN INITIATIVE IF, IF, UH, SOMEONE'S TAKING THEM SOMEWHERE THAT'S DIFFERENT. THEY HAVE A LICENSE, THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO SAY, CAN I GET A RIDE WITH YOU SUCH AND SUCH? THEN THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO DON'T. AND, AND YOUR COMMUNITY IS DIFFERENT. THEY'RE GIVING A PRESENTATION AND WE'RE SITTING HERE HAVING THESE OFF IN CONVERSATIONS AND THEY'RE STILL STANDING HERE. CAN THEY SIT DOWN WHILE WE'RE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS? BECAUSE IT'S REALLY NOT APPLYING JUST TO THE TWO OF THEM. I, I'M, AND I'M NOT DIRECTING ALL OF THIS TO YOU. I'M DIRECTING IT ALL TO ANY OTHER FUTURE MEETINGS. WE DO HAVE, WHEN WE DO GET ON TANGENTS, WE HAVE TO REALIZE THAT WE'RE PUTTING TWO PEOPLE ON THE SPOTS WHEN WE GET 90 IN OUR HEAD. AND IT DOESN'T ALWAYS BELONG TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE PRESENTING TO US, AND THEY SIT DOWN. I I NEVER IMAGINED THAT WE TALKED, COULD I, MS. SMITH, I'M GONNA TELL YOU AGAIN THAT I'M NOT DIRECTING IT TO YOU. SO PLEASE DON'T TAKE IT AS I AM DIRECTING IT TO YOU. YOU JUST HAPPEN TO BE THE PERSON THAT SPOKE BEFORE ME. OKAY? OKAY. AGAIN, CAN THEY SIT DOWN? YES, PLEASE. HAVE A SEAT. GUYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THANK YOU, MS. FRAZIER. ALL RIGHT. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PASSION AND YOUR COMMITMENT. AND WE, WE TAKE THIS AND JUST NOTE OUR ROLES. WE'RE GONNA DO THIS WITH FIDELITY, GOOD STORAGE FOR TAX DOLLARS, AND WE'LL FOLLOW DR. RODRIGUEZ AND HIS GREAT VISION. BUT I DO THINK THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT AND IT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. BUT I THINK WE CAN SAY THAT WE UNEQUIVOCALLY DON'T MAKE DECISIONS IN ISOLATION, AND WE'RE GONNA TRY TO SUPPORT ALL STUDENTS. AND YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE I THINK ALL OF YOU, INCLUDING US, HAVE A HEART FOR WHAT WE'RE DOING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY. SO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICES. IT'S NOT A, IT'S A TOUGH JOB, BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. AND J AND JUST TO ANSWER MRS. FRAZIER, ACTUALLY, I WANT TO ANSWER THAT. UH, YOU TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY GET TO THE SCHOOL AT 5:00 AM I'M SURE THE COACHES MAKE HASTE AND THEY MAKE SURE THAT THOSE KIDS GET THERE. SO ONCE AGAIN, THAT IS DISTRICT EMPLOYEES MAKING SURE AND THAT, AND THAT'S NOT WITHIN AN HOUR DRIVE, OR IT'S MAYBE WITHIN FIVE, WITHIN FIVE TO 10 MINUTES OF THEIR, OF THEIR LIVING SPACE. SO THAT, THAT'S, TO ME, THAT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT IN, IN TERMS OF FINANCIAL STABILITY. OKAY, LET'S, LET'S, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND LET'S GO ON TO, UH, ENERGY, STRATEGIC COST. ALRIGHT, THIS IS A GREAT DAY TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION. I'M GONNA TAKE OUR BUDGET CONVERSATION, TIE IT IN WITH CTE AND SHOW HOW WE CAN SAVE MONEY WITH TECHNOLOGY. HOW ABOUT THAT, HUH? YEAH, I'M GONNA PUT 'EM ALL TOGETHER. SO THANK Y'ALL FOR HAVING ME HERE. UM, SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT TODAY. AND, AND ROBIN, LET ME SAY AHEAD OF TIME, I'M PROBABLY GONNA SKIP AROUND A BIT ON THE SLIDES, SO I APOLOGIZE AHEAD OF TIME FOR THAT. I KNOW YOU'RE READY. YOU'RE READY? OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT, UH, SAVING MONEY FOR ENERGY, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT IMPACT? SO, ENERGY COSTS COME OUT OF THE OPERATIONS BUDGET, WHICH YOU SEE THERE IS JUST A LITTLE UNDER $30 MILLION OF THAT $30 MILLION. WE SPEND A LITTLE OVER $7 MILLION JUST ON ENERGY. SO THAT'S ROUGHLY, UH, 2.2% OF THE OVERALL GENERAL FUND, OR 25% OF OPERATIONS. NOW, THAT COMES FROM THE 2324 BUDGET, 'CAUSE THAT'S OUR LAST, UH, FULL BUDGET YEAR. SO THOSE NUMBERS ARE A LITTLE OLD. THEY MAY DIFFER FROM WHAT TANYA WAS SHOWING YOU EARLIER. IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, ROBIN, UH, JUST SO YOU KNOW, UH, WE HAVE TO REPORT ENERGY FOR ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS AND THE DISTRICT EVERY YEAR. IT COMES IN SEPTEMBER, AND THAT GOES TO THE STATE ENERGY OFFICE. NEXT SLIDE. AND, UM, IT LOOKS SOMETHING LIKE THIS. SO EVERY BUILDING WE LOOK AT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE ELECTRICITY USE, GAS USE, ALL THE DIFFERENT, UM, FORMS OF ENERGY THAT WE USE THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT. AND IT ALSO HAS ON THE FAR LEFT USE FOR THE ENTIRE DISTRICT, NOT BROKEN DOWN BY INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS. NEXT SLIDE. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT BUILDINGS AND RATE THEM, ONE OF THE TOOLS WE USE IS CALLED ENERGY USE INTENSITY. AND THAT LOOKS AT THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY USED PER SQUARE FOOT. AND SO IF YOU LOOK, ONE OF THE WAYS TO COMPARE THIS, IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A CAR AND YOU TALK ABOUT MILE MILES PER GALLON, EUI IS BASICALLY MILES PER GALLON FOR A BUILDING AND HOW WELL IT'S DOING. NEXT SLIDE. SO AS A DISTRICT, UM, WE [04:25:01] REPORTED IN 24 THAT OUR EUI WAS 40 KBT PER SQUARE FEET. SO JUST KNOW THAT'S HOW THE DISTRICT RATED. NOW I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO SKIP THE NEXT SLIDE AND GO FORWARD ONE MORE, RIGHT? SO TRENDS, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THIS SHOWS OUR EUI AND OUR COST PER SQUARE FOOT ALL IN ONE GRAPH. AND THE EUI IS THE TOP LINE. AND WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE IS IT'S ACTUALLY INCREASING. WE ARE NOT, UH, GOING DOWN IN OUR ENERGY USE. WE'RE ACTUALLY SLIGHTLY GOING UP. UM, SO IF YOU'LL SKIP THE NEXT SLIDE AND GO ON. THERE YOU GO. RIGHT THERE. SO YOU ASK YOURSELF, OH, GO AHEAD. ENERGY GOING UP. COUPLE, YOU KNOW, COUPLE REASONS, BUT CERTAINLY ONE PRIMARY REASON IS WE'RE STARTING SCHOOL EARLIER. STARTING SCHOOL EARLIER IN THE CALENDAR. UH, IT'S HOTTER, HOTTER IT IS THE MORE YOUR, YOUR ENERGY COSTS GO UP, OKAY? YEP, THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. AND THERE ARE SOME OTHER FACTORS. OUR, OUR BUILDINGS ARE AGING. WE ARE REPLACING HVAC AS FAST AS WE CAN. BUT OUR AVERAGE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT RIGHT NOW, OR WHEN WE ACTUALLY DID OUR FACILITIES CONDITIONS ASSESSMENT WAS A LITTLE OVER 16, ALMOST 17 YEARS OLD. WELL, THE LIFESPAN OF AN HVAC UNIT IS, UH, BETWEEN 15 TO 25 YEARS, DEPENDING ON IT. SO ON AVERAGE, OUR, OUR UNITS ARE ALL AT THE END GOING TOWARDS THE END OF THEIR LIFE. YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED AT WHEN WE, UH, WERE LOOKING AT THE REFERENDUM, THE NUMBER OF RT 22 UNITS, R 22 UNITS HAVE BEEN, HAS BEEN PHASED OUT FOR 20 YEARS. WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF THEM LEFT. SO WE HAVE LOTS OF AGING UNITS AND WE ALMOST CAN'T REPLACE UNITS FAST ENOUGH TO MAKE UP FOR THE AGING OF OUR UNITS. UM, ON TOP OF THAT, YES, OUR SUMMERS ARE GETTING SHORTER. UM, ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, CHANGE IN WEATHER PATTERNS, UH, UH, CLIMATE CHANGE, WE'LL SAY JUST REAL QUICK AND INCREASE PLUG LOADS. THE MORE TECHNOLOGY YOU PUT IN A BUILDING, THE MORE HEAT YOU PRODUCE. SO, UM, ALL THOSE FACTORS COMING TOGETHER IS WHAT'S CAUSING OUR E UIS TO GO UP. ALL RIGHT, ROBIN. NOW IF I CAN ASK YOU TO GO BACK TO THE FIRST SLIDE WE SL, UH, SKIPPED, WHICH IS THE E UI I REDUCTIONS IN SAVINGS. SO OVERALL, WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? SO IF WE ARE ABLE TO MOVE OUR EUI FROM 40 TO 30, UM, OUR SAVINGS WOULD BE $1.7 MILLION A YEAR, WHICH IS A SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS. THAT, THAT, THAT IS MONEY WE CAN TAKE AND USE FOR OTHER THINGS. WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SPEND MONEY ON ENERGY, IT'S REALLY JUST GOING OUT OF THE WINDOW. YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY EXPECTS THE BUILDINGS TO BE COOL AND COMFORTABLE. WE DON'T ALWAYS ACHIEVE THAT, BUT WE WORK VERY HARD TO GET THAT. AND ALL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS COST HERE, THAT GOES AWAY. BUT I WILL SAY THIS, A TO 30% REDUCTION IS A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE WAY BUSINESS. IF ONE OF THOSE UNITS BROKE, PEOPLE WEREN'T IN A HURRY TO REPLACE IT. I MEAN, WE WEREN'T THAT WE'D GET TO IT, BUT IT WASN'T A TOP PRIORITY. NOW THAT IS A TOP PRIORITY. I MEAN, WE HAVE TO HAVE FRESH AIR IN BUILDINGS. UM, IF YOU'LL GO TO THE OTHER SLIDE THAT WE SKIPPED, ROBIN, WHICH IS THE ENERGY USAGE. SO WE SHOWED THIS SLIDE RIGHT HERE TO THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE. THIS SHOWS A, A, A JOINT SLIDE OF ENERGY, COST AND USAGE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. THERE'S SEVERAL ITEMS I WANT YOU TO NOTICE ON HERE. UM, ONE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE APRIL, YOU SEE A BIG DIP DOWN. THAT'S COVID. UH, WE WEREN'T IN OUR BUILDINGS. UH, THAT GAVE US A GREAT ENERGY SAVINGS AND WE WEREN'T USING AS MUCH ENERGY 'CAUSE NO ONE WAS IN THE BUILDING. ANOTHER ITEM TO LOOK AT IS AUGUST. AND YOU SEE IN THE MOST RECENT YEAR THAT BIG JUMP UP. WELL THAT'S BECAUSE THIS AUGUST WE USED OUR BUILDINGS MORE THAN NORMAL. WE STARTED SCHOOL, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST, WHICH WE USED TO NOT DO. SO WHAT ARE WE DOING? WE'RE USING MORE ENERGY IN AUGUST. AND THEN A THIRD WOULD BE IN JANUARY OF, UH, 2024. DOESN'T REALLY POP OUT HERE, BUT KNOW [04:30:01] THAT WE RECEIVED A, A PRETTY LARGE SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN COST FROM THE UTILITY COMPANY. SO AFTER JANUARY OF 24, OUR COSTS WENT UP, I THINK BY 7%. SEVEN, RIGHT? YEAH, 7%. SO THAT'S A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL JUMP IN OUR COSTS. THAT IMPACTS US. WE GET NOTHING MORE OUT OF IT, BUT, UH, OUR COSTS GO UP. ALRIGHT, ROBIN, NOW IF YOU CAN JUST GET BACK TO THE NORMAL PROGRESSION. VERY GOOD. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS WE ARE DOING SPECIFICALLY IN WHAT CAN WE DO? UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REAL EXCITED ABOUT IS THE BUILDING ENVELOPE. SO WHAT IT SHOWS HERE IS, UH, DIFFERENT R VALUES AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION. YOU SEE SOME OF OUR OLDER BUILDINGS, YOU'RE, YOU'RE LOOKING AT R 17 OR EVEN LOWER. MOST OF OUR NEWER BUILDINGS ARE R 24. AND THEN YOU START GETTING TO R 25. WELL, AT MAY RIVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WE'RE VERY EXCITED. IF YOU'VE HEARD US TALK ABOUT, WE'RE BUILDING THAT BUILDING OUT. IT'S CALLED ICF INSULATED CONCRETE FORM. THE R VALUE OF THAT IS R 50. SO, AND WHERE WE'VE, UM, SEEN IT DONE, TEXAS IS DOING A LOT OF 'EM. WE'LL BE THIS FIRST SCHOOL IN SOUTH CAROLINA TO BUILD AN ICF BUILDING. AND IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT NET ZERO SCHOOLS, UM, ONE OF THE PLACES THAT HAS THE MOST NET ZERO SCHOOLS IS IN KENTUCKY. AND SO WHEN THEY START BUILDING THOSE, YOU HAVE TO START LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE, UM, ICF. AND THEY ALSO USE GEOTHERMAL, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT IN A LITTLE BIT. BUT IT ALSO MEANS WHEN I TALKED EARLIER ABOUT CHANGING THE WAY YOU DO BUSINESS, WHEN YOU START GETTING INTO NET ZERO, SOME OF THE THINGS THEY DO AND THEY'RE SIMPLE, BUT IT CHANGES YOUR WHOLE PROCESS. 'CAUSE YOU HAVE TO ALL OF A SUDDEN START FOCUSING ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY. THEY'LL TAKE THEIR MILK COOLERS AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU KNOW, THE ONES, EVERYBODY SITS OUT THERE AND GRABS THEIR MILK, WE LEAVE 'EM OUT, THEY RUN ALL NIGHT, THEY PUT HEAT INTO THE BUILDING ALL NIGHT. WELL, THEY UNPLUG 'EM, PULL 'EM INTO THE FREEZER AND SET 'EM IN THERE. AND WHAT DOES THAT DO? THAT JUST SAVES ENERGY. IT'S AN EXTRA STEP. AND IT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT MIND PROCESS THAT, HEY, WE NEED TO DO SOME THINGS HERE TO HELP THIS BUILDING SAVE ENERGY. NEXT SLIDE. SO YEAH, SO THIS SLIDE JUST KIND OF SHOWS A BUILDING, UH, DIAGRAM OF MAY RIVER ELEMENTARY AND TALKS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF ICF. I'VE KIND OF ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THE, SO GO ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS, UH, THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING USING HEAT PUMPS, YOU KNOW, ANY OF OUR NEW AIR CONDITIONING UNITS THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN, PRIMARILY WE'RE USING HEAT PUMPS. WE LOOKED INTO GEOTHERMAL, UM, ESPECIALLY AT, UH, WE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT IT AT ROBERT SMALLS, LOOKED AT IT, UH, WHEN WE DID MAY RIVER ELEMENTARY, BUT THE COST JUST WASN'T THERE. IT WAS TOO EXPENSIVE IN TEXAS, UM, WHERE THEY'RE DOING A LOT OF ICF BUILDINGS, THEY PAIR IT WITH GEOTHERMAL AND THEY'RE BRINGING THEIR ENERGY, UH, UH, COSTS WAY DOWN. WELL, IN TEXAS THEY HAVE OIL DRILLING INDUSTRY. SO THAT HAS TO DO GEOTHERMAL. AND WHAT GEOTHERMAL BASICALLY DOES, YOU TAKE THE HEAT LOAD OUT OF YOUR BUILDING, PUT IT INTO THE GROUND, THE GROUND ABSORBS, IT COMES BACK WITH COOLER, UH, WATER THAT THEN CAN COOL OFF YOUR EQUIPMENT. AND IN THE WINTER IT'S REVERSE. WELL, TO DO THAT, IT TAKES HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF WELLS IN ORDER TO DO THAT. AND IT JUST BECOMES COST PROHIBITIVE IN SOUTH CAROLINA 'CAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE WELL DRILLING INDUSTRY THEY HAVE IN TEXAS. BUT WE DID LOOK INTO IT. UM, SAME THING WITH SOLAR. UH, WE'VE LOOKED INTO SOLAR. WE'VE NE WE HAVE RIGHT NOW THREE BIG, OUR LARGEST SOLAR PROJECTS. THE LARGEST ONE WE HAVE IS RIGHT OUT HERE. UM, WHEN WE DID THE SOLAR FIELD AT THE TIME, UH, THERE WAS A REBATE, UH, FROM WHAT IS NOW DOMINION ENERGY. AND, UH, THAT MADE THAT, UH, PRETTY QUICK PAYBACK. WE GOT OUR PAYBACK OUT OF IT IN ABOUT FIVE YEARS. SO, UM, WE ALSO HAVE SOLAR PANELS AT, UH, BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL AND WELL BRANCH, UH, EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL. BOTH OF THOSE ARE KIND OF DEMONSTRATIVE, UH, LOCATIONS WHERE YOU CAN KIND OF SEE SOLAR PANELS. AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE ON OUR COMPUTER, UH, MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR OUR, OUR BUILDING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, UH, WHERE YOU COULD PULL UP THE SOLAR PANELS AND SEE HOW MUCH ENERGY'S BEING PRODUCED OUT OF ANY OF THOSE LOCATIONS. NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS, THIS SLIDE JUST SHOWS SOME OF THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS AND THEIR EUIS. UM, WHAT I'D LIKE YOU TO LOOK AT HERE, THE MAIN THING IS JUST THE BUILDING AGE AND KIND OF THE SYSTEM. ONE ERA, I WILL SAY HERE ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND, UH, HILTON HEAD ISLAND EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER. IT SAYS IT WAS FINISHED IN 2014. IT WAS ACTUALLY 2024. SO THAT'S A TYPO. UM, SO WHAT YOU'RE NOTICING IS, UH, THE BUILDINGS WITH THE OLDER SYSTEMS HAVE [04:35:01] THE MUCH WORSE. EUI AND THE OLDER BUILDINGS. YOU SEE PRICHARD VILLE IS IN THERE. THAT WAS IS 2010. WE HAVEN'T REPLACED THOSE UNITS, BUT THAT WAS A GREEN BUILDING. IT HAD A LEAD AWARD, SO IT WAS BUILT WITH LOTS OF HIGH R VALUES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. AND SO THAT'S PAID OFF OVER TIME AND IS CONTINUING TO HAVE A LOW EUI, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS OLDER AIR CONDITIONING UNITS ON IT. NEXT SLIDE. SO IF WE'RE WANTING TO SAVE MONEY, HOW CAN WE DO IT? AND WHAT DOES IT COST US? WELL, NUMBER ONE, REPLACE HVAC SYSTEMS. I CAN, THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE DOING ANYWAY, AS THEY AGE. EVERY HVAC SYSTEM THAT WE PUT IN NEW IS GONNA GET MUCH HIGHER ENERGY EFFICIENCY THAN THE UNIT IT'S REPLACING. UM, OUR, AND I HAVE TO SAY WE'VE BEEN BLESSED BY THE BOARD AND WHAT YOU'VE ALLOWED US TO SPEND MONEY ON WITH HVAC SYSTEMS, WE HAVE THE MONEY TO REPLACE SYSTEMS. OUR PROBLEM MORE IS HAVING THE SUBCONTRACTOR POOL AND THE TIME IN THE SUMMER TO DO THE WORK. 'CAUSE MOSTLY YOU'RE HAVING TO SHUT DOWN BUILDINGS AND THERE'S ONLY A SHORT WINDOW TO DO THAT EITHER THAN THE SUMMER OR, UH, CHRISTMAS BREAK OR TIMES LIKE THAT. SO, UM, THOSE ARE MORE OF OUR RESTRICTIONS AT THIS TIME ON HVAC THAN ACTUAL FUNDING. NEXT SLIDE. UM, SO ANOTHER ITEM, UH, I GOTTA FLIP MY PAGE. LIGHTING. LIGHTING RETROFITS IS SOMETHING THAT HAS A PRETTY QUICK TURNAROUND. UM, ALL OF OUR NEW BUILDINGS AND ADDITIONS IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS HAVE HAD LED LIGHTS, LED LIGHTS. UH, WE LOOKED AT A MASS CONVERSION, UH, PROBABLY OVER FIVE YEARS AGO, AND THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH IT, SO WE KIND OF SLOWED DOWN. BUT THE BULK OF OUR BUILDINGS, LIKE THIS ONE RIGHT HERE HAVE OLD T EIGHTS. SO THERE IS LOTS OF OPPORTUNITY TO SWITCH OUT LIGHTS IN MAJORITY OF OUR BUILDINGS FOR ENERGY SAVINGS. UM, AND AS YOU SEE, IT HAS A PRETTY QUICK TURNAROUND, ONE TO THREE YEARS. UM, THERE ARE COMPANIES OUT THERE THAT WILL COME AND DO IT, BASICALLY TURNKEY. THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN DO IT. YOU CAN EITHER RETROFIT OR TAKE THE ENTIRE, UM, UH, LIGHT STRUCTURE OUT AND PUT A WHOLE NEW STRUCTURE IN THERE. YOU CAN ADD FEATURES TO IT, WHICH MAY INCLUDE DIMMING AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT PAGE, ROBIN, SO WHAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU HERE IS KIND, IS A QUOTE OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO LIGHTING REPLACEMENTS. AND BASICALLY WHAT I'D LIKE TO LOOK AT IS THIS, THE PAYBACK OF 6.3 YEARS. SO THAT'S, IF WE DID THE, THE TOP OF THE LINE VERSION, UH, REPLACING THE ENTIRE LIGHT WITH DIMMING AND EVERYTHING ELSE, IT'S GOT A SIX YEAR PAYBACK. SO EVEN IF YOU DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN, UH, WITH LIGHTING, IT'S STILL A PRETTY QUICK TURNAROUND. SO THAT'S LOW HANGING FRUIT IF YOU WANNA LOOK AT ENERGY SAVINGS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO. NEXT SLIDE. BUILDING ENVELOPE IMPROVEMENTS. WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IN NEW CONSTRUCTION, BUT IN OUR EXISTING BUILDINGS, WE HAVE A LOT OF OLDER BUILDINGS. WE HAVE NOT DONE A LOT OF BUILDING ENVELOPE IMP IMPROVEMENTS. MATTER OF FACT, WE'RE DOING ONE OF OUR FIRST ONES THAT I'M FAMILIAR WITH, UM, AT SHANKLIN IN, UH, COMING UP THIS SUMMER WHERE WE'RE REPLACING THE WINDOWS AND DOORS. WHY ARE WE REPLACING THE WINDOWS AND DOORS WHERE THEY'RE FAILING? THAT BUILDING'S ABOUT 30 YEARS OLD, THEY'RE STARTING TO FOG UP AND THERE'S STARTING TO BE ALL SORTS OF PROBLEMS. WELL, WE HAVE TO, AND THE POINT THERE IS ACTUALLY WE U TO DATE, WE REALLY HAVEN'T DONE, UH, BUILDING ENVELOPE IMPROVEMENTS TO SAVE ENERGY AND, AND CUT OUR UTILITY COSTS, BUT MORE WHEN WE HAVE TO, WHEN THINGS START TO FAIL. NEXT SLIDE. AND THEN FINALLY, UH, IS, UH, SOLAR PANELS AND OF COURSE SOLAR PANELS. THEY WORK GREAT IN SCHOOLS BECAUSE SOLAR PANELS GET THEIR BIGGEST BANG OR BIGGEST RETURN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY WHEN IT'S HOT. AND WHEN ARE WE IN SCHOOLS? WE'RE IN SCHOOLS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY WHEN IT'S HOT AND SUNNY. AND THAT'S WHERE OUR HIGHEST ENERGY USAGE. OBVIOUSLY SOLAR PANELS, YOU CAN TRY TO, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, POWER THE ENTIRE BUILDING. BUT MOST OF OUR CASES, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DO THAT. IT'LL LOWER WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS LOWERING YOUR PEAK LOADS DOWN TO LOWER MOUNT, WHICH IN TURN HAS A BIG IMPACT ON YOUR ENERGY BILL. JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, IF YOU'VE SEEN THE SIZE OF THAT SOLAR PANEL FIELD OUT THERE, THAT FIELD WE WERE, WE COULD NOT BUILD IT LARGER THAN THIS BUILDING USES IN A YEAR. SO BASICALLY THAT LARGE FIELD OUT THERE IS ENOUGH POWER TO RUN [04:40:01] THIS BUILDING FOR ONE YEAR. WHAT THAT MEANS IN THE SUMMER, WE MAY NOT, UM, IT MAY NOT GET SOME SAVINGS. AND OTHER TIMES, ACTUALLY IT'S THE WINTER, IT DOESN'T PRODUCE QUITE ENOUGH FOR THIS BUILDING. BUT IN THE SUMMER IT PRODUCES MORE THAN THIS BUILDING USES. SO KIND OF TO WRAP THIS WHOLE THING UP AND TO SUMMARIZE, YOU KNOW, WHAT I WANT YOU TO REALIZE IS, YES, THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN DO TO SAVE MONEY AND ENERGY, AND BY INVESTING IN CAPITAL IN PROJECTS THAT SAVE ENERGY, THAT'S MONEY THAT COMES BACK TO THE DISTRICT THAT YOU CAN USE FOR OTHER THINGS. BUT I DO WANNA POINT OUT WHERE DOES THAT MONEY BASICALLY COMING FROM, IS YOUR 8% FUNDING? SO WHEN YOU'RE STARTING TO TALK ABOUT ENERGY PROJECTS, YOU HAVE TO THINK, ALL RIGHT, WHAT ARE WE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO WITH OUR 8% FUNDING? NOW WHAT WE NEED IS SOME DIRECTIVE ON HOW MUCH THE BOARD WOULD LIKE US TO HEAD IN THAT DIRECTION. ONE OF THE THINGS, UH, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE SOME LIGHTING PROJECTS THAT ARE AN 8% FUNDING RIGHT NOW TO BE CONSIDERED. UM, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'VE LOOKED AT LADIES ISLAND MIDDLE, UM, ADDING SOLAR PANELS TO THAT ROOF. WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT PUTTING SOLAR PANELS, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT KIND OF SETTING IT UP. SO THAT COULD BE DONE IN THE FUTURE. IN OTHER WORDS, IN THE ROOF HAVE ALREADY, UH, UH, CONDUIT IN PLACE SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO CUT THE ROOF IN THE FUTURE. SIMPLE THINGS LIKE THAT. UM, SO WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS A CONVERSATION FROM THE BOARD AND HOW ENTHUSIASTIC WOULD YOU LIKE US TO GO AFTER ENERGY SAVINGS? AND WITH THAT, I'LL STOP AND TAKE QUICK HOW, HOW MUCH ENTHUSIASM WE GOT ? GOOD QUESTION. WELL, I MEAN, IT'S, UH, IF I MAY, YEAH, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UM, IT'S A LONG GAME, YOU KNOW, UH, IF IT'S GONNA TAKE FIVE TO 10 YEARS, IF I READ THAT CORRECTLY, FIVE, 10 YEARS TO RECOUP THE COST, IT'S A LONG GAME. BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S, I I, I THINK IT'S WORTH THE EFFORT, YOU KNOW? UH, AND THEN WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL SAVINGS AFTER WE'VE RECOUP, RECOUPED THE COST? UM, WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE, THE REPLACEMENT, UH, LIFECYCLE FOR SOLAR PANELS? YOU KNOW? SO IF WE, IF, I MEAN, IF WE'RE PUTTING, STARTING AN, AN AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN TO PUT SOLAR PANELS ON, YOU KNOW, IF NOT ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, AT WHAT POINT DO WE HAVE TO REPLACE THE SOLAR PANELS? SO SOLAR PANELS ARE SAID TO HAVE ABOUT A 25 YEAR LIFE, AND THEN THEY HAVE TO BE REPLACED, SAME ROOF. AND, AND IF I COULD, TO YOUR POINT, UH, MRNE, THAT'S A GREAT POINT. THAT IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. GOING TO A LONG GAME IN KENTUCKY WHERE THEY TALKED ABOUT DOING NET ZERO SCHOOLS. IT WASN'T ABOUT, UH, BEING ENVIRONMENTALISTS, IT WAS ABOUT SAVING MONEY. AND ALL THESE THINGS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THE LONG RUN, SAVE YOU MONEY, IT'S GOING TO SAVE YOU MONEY WHEN YOU HAVE A 10, 20 YEAR VISION, BUT IT COSTS YOU MORE MONEY UPFRONT. SO THAT'S THE CONVERSATION. AND REALLY, SO LIKE, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FUTURE REFERENDUM PROJECTS, IF WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT ENERGY SAVINGS, WE HAVE TO TALK TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT, HEY, THESE THINGS ARE GONNA COST MORE UPFRONT, BUT OVER THE LIFE OF 20 YEARS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SAVING YOU MONEY. SO THAT'S THE CONVERSATION REALLY. MISS, MS. GORDON. THANK YOU, ROBERT. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE DOLLAR AMOUNT. I MEAN, IT'S ONE THING TO SIT HERE AND SAY, GONNA COST YOU IN THE LONG RUN, IT'S GONNA SAVE YOU SHORT RUN, BUT HOW MUCH MONEY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? AND HOW CAN WE PRESENT THIS TO PUBLIC IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY WOULD WANT TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS? WHAT ARE WE TALKING? SO I DID, I DID KIND OF PUT IN BASIC TERMS ON HERE FOR EACH OF THESE ITEMS. WHAT THE PAYBACK IS. I'LL TALK ABOUT THIS. THE SOLAR FARM THAT WE PUT OUT THERE, IT COST US ABOUT $2 MILLION TO CONSTRUCT, I THINK IT WAS A LITTLE UNDER $2 MILLION. IT WAS IN, IT WAS ACTUALLY, IT MAY HAVE BEEN CLOSER TO ONE AND A HALF. OUR BILL IN THIS BUILDING, UH, IS ABOUT 150,000. UM, IS THAT RIGHT? I'M TRYING TO THINK. 158,000 A YEAR FOR THIS BUILDING. YEAH. YEAH. SO WE PAY, UM, AND ENERGY COSTS $150,000 A YEAR. BUT WITH WHAT THAT REBATE FROM DOMINION, THEY ACTUALLY PAID US MORE THAN WE WOULD BUY ENERGY FOR. SO IN THE END, IT COST US ABOUT SEVEN YEARS TO PAY THAT OFF. THAT MAY BE, THAT MAY HAVE MADE THAT TOO CONVOLUTED, BUT YOU, YOU ARE AN, A LIGHTING PACKAGE IN A BUILDING. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AN ENTIRE BUILDING. YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. WHEN YOU START TALKING SOLAR PANELS FOR AN ENTIRE BUILDING, YOU'RE TALKING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, OBVIOUSLY, HVAC EQUIPMENT FOR AN ENTIRE BUILDING THAT'S MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. UM, [04:45:01] BUT YOUR SAVINGS IS LARGE TOO, THAT, HOW IS THAT? NO, I, I, I'LL THINK ABOUT A BETTER WAY TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. REMEMBER WHAT, WHAT, WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR. WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR IS, UM, WHAT'S THE COST TO INSTALL WHATEVER IT IS WE'RE INSTALLING DOLLAR WISE, NOT PERCENT RIGHT OF THE SAVING, RIGHT. DOLLAR WISE, WHAT'S THE COST? AND THEN ON THE BACK END, WHAT'S THE SAVING PER YEAR? SO IF IT TAKES ME FIVE TO SIX YEARS TO TO, TO, UM, PAY FOR IT, THAT'S FINE, BUT THEY'LL SEE REAL DOLLARS, RIGHT? AND THEN, AND, AND I UNDERSTAND IT'S PROJECTED, RIGHT? UH, BUT THEN BEYOND THAT, THEN IT'S SAVINGS, RIGHT? RIGHT. SO YOU PAID FOR THE, THE COST, AND THEN BEYOND THAT, IT'S SAVINGS, RIGHT? YEAH. LET ME GIVE, THAT'S, YEAH. LET ME TELL ME WHAT THEY WANNA SEE. I THINK, YEAH, SO A LIGHTING PROJECT ON HERE, IT SAYS THE PAYBACK IS IN TWO TO, UH, LEMME SEE, WE HAVE IT ONE TO THREE YEARS. SO IF IT HAS A THREE YEAR PAYBACK, IF YOU INVEST A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, YOU SHOULD EXPECT TO SAVE $33,000 A YEAR, ROUGHLY FROM THERE ON. OKAY, MR. SMITH, YOU WERE NEXT. UH, ONCE I GOT THERE, ONE OF MY CONCERNS ARE, I, I, I BELIEVE I'VE TOLD, I'VE TOLD, I'VE TOLD, I TOLD THE, UH, THIS BEFORE, UM, WHEN I PASS THE SCHOOLS BY NIGHT, HOW WE COULD SAVE MONEY IS, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE, THE, THE LIGHTS ARE ON THE WHOLE, IN THE WHOLE BUILDING THROUGHOUT THE, THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT. BECAUSE IF NO ONE'S IN THERE , WHO, WHO, WHO, WHO, WHO'S THE LIGHTS ON FOR? AND SO I THINK THAT WOULD DEFINITELY SAVE US A, A GREAT AMOUNT OF MONEY IF WE COULD CUT SOME OF THOSE LIGHTS OFF, YOU KNOW? I MEAN, UH, BECAUSE THEN, YOU KNOW, AND IN SOME BUILDINGS, LIKE YOU WALK IN, UH, I THINK, I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S, IT IS HERE, UM, WHERE WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU WALK ON THE HALLWAY, THE LIGHT CUT ON, BUT THEN IN BUILDINGS THAT, AND BUILDINGS THAT ARE PASSED, OR I SEE AT THREE AND FOUR, FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, NO ONE'S ARE THESE BUILDINGS. THE, THE, THE, THE LIGHT, THE LIGHT, THE LIGHTS ARE ON. I THINK THAT THAT, THAT, THAT, IF WE CUT DOWN ON SOME OF THAT STUFF, I THINK THAT WE CAN SURPASS, SURPASS SOME OF THIS, SOME, SOME OF THIS RIGHT HERE, BECAUSE I, I, I FORESEE IT GONNA COST US MORE PROBABLY OVER A PERIOD OF TIME THAN WHAT WE, WHAT WE REALLY, UH, ARE, ARE, ARE GONNA SIGN UP FOR. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, UH, ONCE AGAIN, WE, WE USING NUMBERS, HOW, HOW CAN WE ASSURE OUR CONSTITUENTS THAT'S GONNA ACTUALLY WORK AND THAT THE SAVINGS IS GONNA ACTUALLY BE WORTH IT. I MEAN, ONCE AGAIN, I MEAN, LIKE, WELL, I GUESS HE KIND OF, HE TOLD SUPERINTENDENT TOLD YOU WHAT, WHAT, UH, WHAT, WHAT SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES ARE LOOKING FOR. BUT I'M LOOKING FOR THE, THE INSURANCE THAT IF WE SWITCH TO THIS, THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LARGE, TONS, TONS OF SAVINGS. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IF YOU SEE A BUILDING WITH LIGHTS ON AT THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. BECAUSE WHAT YOU DESCRIBED IS IN THIS BUILDING, IS IN THE BULK OF ALL OF OUR BUILDINGS. THERE'S ONLY, UM, THERE ARE A COUPLE BUILDINGS THAT HAVE A DIFFERENT LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM THAN THIS ONE. AND WHAT DOES HAPPEN IS THESE SENSORS GO OUT. SO IF A SENSORS GO OUT, THEY HAVE TO BE REPLACED. BUT MOST BUILDINGS AND ARE GOING FORWARD, ALL BUILDINGS, UH, WILL HAVE MOTION SENSORS JUST LIKE THIS BUILDING. SO IF LIGHTS ARE ON, THAT MEANS PEOPLE ARE IN THERE. IF LIGHTS ARE ON AND PEOPLE AREN'T IN THERE, THAT MEANS SOMETHING'S WRONG AND WE NEED TO LOOK INTO IT AND GET THAT FIXED, ROBERT. AND ARE THERE, ARE THERE SOME SAFETY EMERGENCY LIGHTS OR SAFETY LIGHTS? THERE ARE THAT ARE AUTOMATICALLY ON, AND THAT'S REQUIRED BY CODE. AND THAT'S REQUIRED BY CODE. SO YOU SHOULDN'T BE LIGHT UP LIKE A DAYLIGHT, BUT LIKE IN THIS ROOM, THERE MAY BE TWO LIGHTS ON AND THAT'S REQUIRED BY CODE THAT HAS TO BE THERE. RIGHT. AND I, AND I'M AWARE OF THOSE LIGHTS. THE LIGHTS I'M TALKING ABOUT IS LIGHT AS DAYLIGHT AS THOUGH WE'RE HAVING SCHOOL. YEAH. AND MR. AUTUMN, RESPECTFULLY, I HAVE ALREADY TOLD YOU WHERE I'VE SEEN THAT AT. AND, AND THIS IS NOT, THIS IS NOT MY FIRST TIME HAVING THIS CONVERSATION WITH YOU. SO I, I'VE TOLD YOU SEVERAL TIMES THAT I'VE, THAT I'VE, THAT I'VE SEEN THIS AND THAT I'VE SEEN THAT SOME, SOME SCHOOLS. SO THIS, THIS IS A FAMILIAR CONVERSATION THAT, THAT WE, THAT WE'RE HAVING. IS IT BEFORD DE UH, IT WAS BEFORD A COUPLE TIMES AND SEEN HELENA ST. HELEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AS WELL. I I'M TALKING ABOUT THE, THE WHOLE HALL WITH THE WHOLE SCHOOL IS, IS JUST LIT UP AS, AS THOUGH WE'RE HAVING A FULL FLEDGE, UH, UH, UH, CON CONFERENCE. I MEAN, UM, A FULL-FLEDGED SCHOOL DAY. SO I MEAN, THE, YOU KNOW, UM, SO RESPECTFULLY, I BELIEVE THAT, THAT I, I'VE ALREADY, I'VE ALREADY DONE THAT. SO YEAH, I MEAN, YEAH, I MEAN, NOT THERE, WELL, BEFORD DE IS ONE OF THE SCHOOLS HAS A DIFFERENT LIGHTING CONTROL SYSTEM. IT HAS TO BE PROGRAMMED, UH, RED CEDARS AND OTHERS. SO THOSE ARE TWO THAT THEY MAY NEED TO BE LOOKED AT IN THEIR PROGRAMMING. AND I'LL, I'LL LOOK INTO THAT. ST. HELENA. THAT WOULD MEAN SOMEBODY'S IN THE BUILDING OR SOMETHING'S WRONG. [04:50:02] OKAY. SOMETHING, SOMETHING MUST BE WRONG. MR. NAY, UH, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I THINK, UH, OPERATIONS, UH, COMMITTEE CAN PROBABLY TAKE A LOOK AT, UM, AND MAYBE DO A BREAKDOWN OF LIKE, COST PER SQUARE FOOT OF SOLAR PANEL AND FOR WIND POWER, YOU KNOW, AND THEN HOW MANY SQUARE FOOT PER SCHOOL WE WOULD NEED TO, TO MAKE THE SCHOOL NET ZERO. I MEAN, WE COULD PUT TOGETHER A PRESENTATION AND THEN BRING IT TO THE BOARD AS SOONER THE BETTER. 'CAUSE IF THE TERRA FOUR WITH CHINA GOES ON, UH, IT'S GONNA JUST CAUSE MORE TO GET SOLAR PANELS. YEP. OOH, THAT REMINDED ME OF SOMETHING. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THAT UP, . WE ACTUALLY MET JDS BACK HERE. WE MET WITH AN ENERGY CONSULTANT EARLY IN THE WEEK TALKING ABOUT LIGHT REPLACEMENTS. AND ONE OF THE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOLAR PANELS. AND THE INTEREST, I DON'T INTEREST OF THE BOARDS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS, BUT, UM, I HADN'T HEARD THIS, AND WE'VE CHECKED IT. THE CURRENT TARIFF ON SOLAR PANELS COMING FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA IS OVER 3500%. IT HAPPENED THIS WEEK. NOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I'LL ADD TO THAT, SOLAR PANELS IS AN INDUSTRY THAT THERE ARE AMERICAN PRODUCERS OF. SO THERE ARE AMERICAN PRODUCERS OF SOLAR PANELS. SO OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE NOW GONNA BE BOOKED THROUGH THE ROOF. THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TO COVER ALL THE, THE BULK OF OUR SOLAR PANELS COME FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA, BUT, UM, THEY ARE AMERICAN INDUSTRIES. SO YOU CAN GET 'EM FROM AN AMERICAN COMPANY AND CANADIAN, MS. BORAY. THANK YOU. YEAH. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING TOO WITH ENERGY IS, I MEAN, I, I, I KNOW I'M A BROKEN RECORD, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WITH AI AND DATA CENTERS AND ALL THAT IS THAT ENERGY IS A HUGE OR HUGE USER OF ENERGY. SO SOME PEOPLE ARE PREDICTING THAT EITHER ENERGY COSTS ARE GONNA GO UP DRAMATICALLY, OR SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING IT'S GONNA MAKE US BRING BACK NUCLEAR. YOU JUST DON'T KNOW. LIKE, THERE'S SO MANY UNKNOWNS. I THINK THAT REALLY THE QUESTION HERE IS HOW MUCH YOU, THIS IS A, THIS IS MODERNIZING BEAVER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL BUILDINGS, AND I AM ALL FOR IT. AND I HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR A LONG TIME, OUR BUILDINGS ARE NOT SET UP FOR THE FUTURE. WE DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I HAVE COMPLAINED VOCIFEROUSLY ABOUT THIS BUILDING BEING USED AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE. 'CAUSE WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, CABLES HANGING DOWN THE CEILING. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT MEANT FOR 2025 LEVEL, YOU KNOW, WIFI, ET CETERA. UM, BUT I THINK MY, MY, I GUESS MY OTHER QUESTION WOULD BE, TO ME IT FEELS A LITTLE BIT LIKE WE'RE GOING TO STEP FOUR WITHOUT DOING TWO AND THREE. 'CAUSE THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVEN'T DONE. LIKE WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT RIGHT SIZING BUILDINGS. I MEAN, THAT'S GOTTA BE AN ENERGY THING. WE HAVE A LOT OF BUILDINGS THAT ARE 50% OCCUPIED. ARE WE ZONING THEM? ARE WE, YOU KNOW, SHUTTING DOWN WINGS OF BUILDINGS, ET CETERA? UM, YOU KNOW, DOING THOSE SORTS OF THINGS FIRST, LOOKING AT, UM, LIKE I SAID, HOW DO WE ZONE OUR HVAC? SO I FEEL LIKE, YEAH, I'M FOR IT. I JUST DON'T WANNA LEAP INTO IT AND INTO THE MORE EXPENSIVE, FANCIER SOLUTION WITHOUT HAVING DONE SOME DUE DILIGENCE ON WHAT MIGHT REDUCE THE ENERGY COST. BUT I THINK OVERALL, WHAT I WOULD SUPPORT IS ANY INITIATIVE THAT LOOKS AT MODERNIZING THE BUILDINGS. 'CAUSE THAT ALSO GOES TO LET'S GO PUBLIC WHEN SOMEONE WALKS INTO A BUILDING. AND IT, YOU KNOW, HILTON HEAD 1983, UH, YOU KNOW, IT WAS, IT WAS SAD. I MEAN, THE BUILDING LOOKS SAD. IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE YOU'RE GONNA TRAIN THE YOUTH FOR THE FUTURE IN A BUILDING LIKE THAT. THEY'VE DONE A GOOD JOB, LIKE TRYING TO PAINT IT AND DECORATE IT AND WHATNOT. WE'RE GONNA CORRECT THAT, HUH? WE'RE CORRECTING THAT SOON. OH, ABSOLUTELY. AND I WOULD ASSUME THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, USING MODERN BUILDING TECHNIQUES. OH, YEAH. AND I THINK IT'S AN AREA OF TREMENDOUS INNOVATION. SO I'M ALL FOR IT. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE DON'T JUST LIKE, GET CAUGHT UP IN SOLAR PANELS WHEN WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT ZONING. AND, AND I DO THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT, IF WE HAVE A LOT OF UNUSED SPACE IN THE DISTRICT, HOW ARE WE MAKING THAT ENERGY EFFICIENT AS WELL? OKAY. YOU'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE AND NOW IT'S TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE PAST. WE GOT A SYM, WE GOT A CEMETERY TO TALK ABOUT. YES, SIR. MR. OSBORNE, YOU WANNA COME UP HERE AND JOIN ME? UM, MR. OSBORNE IS THE PRINCIPAL LADIES, ALLEN L AND ROBIN, IF YOU COULD BRING UP, UM, I'M GONNA KIND OF GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT'S GOING ON, AND THEN I'M GONNA HAND IT OFF TO MR. OSBORNE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE AND GIVE MORE DETAIL. UM, THERE YOU GO. SO WHAT YOU, JUST TO GIVE YOU, OH YEAH, THIS IS AN ITEM THAT MR. SMITH BROUGHT FORWARD. UH, SO IF YOU WANNA SORT OF LAY, LAY OUT WHAT AND THEN, UH, LET, LET THEM SHARE A LITTLE BIT. AND THEN I THINK Y'ALL PROBABLY NEED A DISCUSSION, RIGHT? CORRECT. SO, THANK YOU. UH, I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. SO THIS WITH, WITH THIS CEMETERY, UH, THIS IS A CEMETERY AT, AT LAY ISLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AND WE'VE BEEN HAVING THIS CONVERSATION AROUND GIVING THE COMMUNITY ACCESS. AND THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN, HAS BEEN WILLING AND, AND, UH, WORKING WITH US, UM, ABOUT IT. AND THAT, YOU KNOW, AS PEOPLE DON'T [04:55:01] DIE EVERY DAY, BUT AS PEOPLE BEGIN TO, CAN TO BEGIN TO PASS AWAY. AND, UM, IT'S KIND OF A, IT MAY NOT BE ON YOUR RADAR EVERY DAY, BUT EVERY NOW THEN IT RE REOCCURS. AND SO, UH, THE CONVERSATION TOOK, UH, FIRST TOOK PLACE, UH, A COUPLE YEARS AGO, UH, WHEN THE FIRST ONE, UH, UH, WITH ME, UH, WHEN, UH, FIRST WHEN WE MET WITH HIM, UM, MRS. COLEMAN WAS THERE, UH, AS THE, UH, PRINCIPAL THERE. AND THEN, UM, UM, MR. UH, UH, ME, MR. OUTING AND THE MR. UH, BRO, A COUPLE WE MET, WE MET ABOUT IT. AND THEY, AT THAT POINT IN TIME, IT WAS TOLD THAT, UH, I WAS TOLD THAT, WELL, UH, I GUESS, UM, MR. I WAS GOING TO LOOK AT IT AND SOME THINGS WERE, WERE GONNA BE DONE AND SET KIND OF ONE OF THOSE MICROWAVE THINGS. YOU, HOW DO YOU HAVE THAT THING? YOU SET IT AND FORGET IT. UM, AND, AND THEN IT'S REOCCURRED. UM, UH, NOT LONG AGO AGAIN. AND, UH, WITH, WITH MR OR MR UH, MR. EXCUSE ME, I FORGET. PUT IT ON MY HEART. NOT MY MIND. OSBORN, MR. OSBORNE, I SHOULD MR. OSBORNE AGAIN. UM, THERE WERE A COUPLE TIMES, AND, AND, AND ME AND MR. OSBORNE AND MR. BROS WENT OUT AND WE MET. UM, AND ONCE AGAIN, IT WAS THE SAME THING. AND SO THEN, UH, KEN, KEN GAVE IT TO THEM BACK AGAIN. SO THIS TIME IT WAS DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY COMING TO ME TALKING ABOUT IT. I HAD A CALL, I HAD A, A FEDERAL DIRECTOR, UH, CALLED ME AND SAY, HEY, UH, WHAT, WHAT ARE Y'ALL GONNA DO ABOUT THAT GRAVEYARD OVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL? WE NEED ACCESS TO IT. UH, WE GOT IT. A LOT OF THINGS HAVE CHANGED, UH, AS LONG AS, AS WELL AS MY UNDERSTANDING MY, UNDER MY UNDERSTANDING FROM, UM, FROM, FROM THE, FROM A COUPLE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. SO THEN, UH, I WENT AND MET WITH MR. OSBORNE , IT WAS ME, MR. OSBORNE, UM, AND MR. UH, MR. MS DR. I MEAN, DR. LAVAN AND, UH, AND MR. BROS. AND, AND, AND WE HAD A CONVERSATION AROUND ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS BECAUSE WITH THIS, WITH, YOU KNOW, FIRST OFF, IN SA IN SA CAROLINA, YOU NOT YOU, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO BLOCK A CEMETERY. ONE. I SAID ON, ON A GOOD READINESS. WE HADN'T, WE HADN'T, WE HADN'T, WE HADN'T DONE THAT. BUT WHAT HAPPENED WAS, AND WITH THIS CEMETERY, THE ROUTE HAVE CHANGED. AND ALSO THERE, THERE WAS A, THERE WAS A FENCE. THERE WAS A FENCE A COUPLE YEARS AGO THAT WE MOVED. THAT'S, AND, AND, AND IN THIS, IN THIS PICTURE, DO YOU MIND IF Y Y'ALL MIND IF I, IF I STOOD UP RIGHT? THIS, THIS RIGHT HERE. GOT IT. YOU, IF LOOK ALONG, THIS IS I, OH, NO, EXCUSE ME. HERE. I GUESS THIS IS THE BACK OF THE SCHOOL. FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, THEY WERE ABLE TO COME, THE FUNERAL SERVICE WAS COME THROUGH THE BACK OF THE SCHOOL AND ACCESS TO THE CEMETERY THAT WAY. BUT THEN THE, A GATE, THE, THE GATE WAS PUT UP ONCE THE GATE WAS PUT UP, THEN THAT THEN ALL THE, THE ACCESS TO GO ALONG FROM THE FRONT OF THE SCHOOL TO THE BACK OF THE BACK OF THE SCHOOL. AND AT THAT TIME, THE PRINCIPAL IN THE, FROM SAY, I BELIEVE THE, I'M NOT SURE, BUT THE PRINCIPAL IN, UM, UH, COMMUNITY HAD TOLD HIM, LOOK HERE, UH, WHAT WE GAVE, WE PUT A NEW GATE UP, AND THEN THE NEW GATE CAME, CAME ACROSS, AND THE GATE CAME ACROSS THIS RIGHT HERE. AND, AND THERE WAS A GAS, A GAS STICK RIGHT HERE. THAT FIRST, EXCUSE ME. FIRST THERE WAS A, THERE WAS A GUN, THE GATE WAS PULLED UP, THERE WAS ANOTHER ROOM IN HERE, OFF ROOM SESSION, COULD THEN COME IN THIS WAY OFF OF, OFF OF, OFF OF THIS, OFF OF THIS ROAD, OFF THE SIDE OF THE SCHOOL. AND, AND THEN THE FELLOW, THEY COULD GO IN THERE AND . AND THEN THERE WAS, THERE WAS A SECOND GRADE, THERE WAS A SECOND GRADE THERE. AND THEN THAT, AT THAT POINT, THAT GATE THEN WAS THE, ONCE AGAIN, THE SCHOOL AND THE PRINCIPAL, THEM TALKING ABOUT IT. AND SO NOW THEY WERE COMING INTO THE, THERE WAS ACTUAL GROUND HERE WHERE, WHERE THEY WERE COME IN THROUGH THE PLAYGROUND PARKING LOT, AND WHICH THE PLAYGROUND, MY UNDERSTANDING PLAYGROUND ADJACENT TOLD US TWO CAR COMING THE DISPLAY AREA AND GOT THAT WAY. AND SO THAT THEY COULD GIVE, THEY COULD GET, GIVE, UH, GRAVEYARD. AND SO BASICALLY THE SHOULD THE ISSUE, THE ISSUE, THE ISSUE IS CLEAR IS THAT BA BASICALLY, UM, THE ISSUE HERE IS THAT BASICALLY THE, THE LAND HAS BEEN [05:00:01] GIVEN, SO FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, POSSIBLY GIVEN TO THE DISTRICT AS WELL, ATTACHED TO THE COMMUNITY FOR THAT GRAVEYARD. AND WE JUST NEED TO COME UP WITH A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO BE ABLE TO, ONE, KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE, TWO, AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN ALLOW THE, THE FAMILIES TO COME IN AND HAVE, AND HAVE AND HAVE ACCESS. RUBBER AND RUBBER. IT COULD POSSIBLY BE THE, THE, THE, IN TERMS OF PUTTING IT, PUTTING THE, UH, ONE OF OUR FENCES THAT WE HAVE A COUPLE FEET BACK. AND THEN ALSO, I DIDN'T WANNA GET INTO THE LEGALITIES OF IT. THEY WERE ALSO SAYING THAT, THAT WHEN THE FENCE WAS MOVING, THE FENCE WAS, WAS, WAS MOVING BY THE, BY THE DISTRICT ON PAR, ON PARTS, ON PO POSSIBLE PARTS OF THE PROPERTY THAT WAS NOT THE, THE DISTRICT. SO TH THERE'S SOME, THERE'S SOME LEGALITY QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE. AND IF WE COULD MAYBE POSSIBLY SEE THIS OPERATION, BUT GET A CLARITY TO WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY GET THIS ACTUALLY TACK DOWN. SO I CAN STILL, I CAN STOP HAVING THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND SOME OF THEM A, UM, ASK ME WHAT ARE WE DOING TOWARDS IT? IS THE REASON WHY I BROUGHT IT TO THE BOARD'S ATTENTION AS WELL, IS BECAUSE I WANT US TO FIGURE OUT, UH, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT COULD, WHAT, WHAT COULD WE DO TO BRING THE TACKLE, TACKLE THIS DOWN, UH, NAIL THIS DOWN IN THE WAY WE COULD BE A GOOD, GOOD CITIZEN TO OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL IN TERMS OF WHAT LEGALLY WHAT THAT LOOKED LIKE. MR. NATE, DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT? UH, I, I'M SORRY. I MAY, MAYBE OSBORNE, YEAH, MAYBE MR. OSBORNE, WE COULD, UH, LISTEN TO THE, TO THE REST PRESENTATION. BUT IT, IT SOUNDS LIKE, UH, THE BOARD NEEDS TO MAKE A MOTION TO DIRECT THE SUPERINTENDENT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE COMPLIANT WITH STATE AND, UH, LAWS AND ABOUT ACCESS, AND THEN FIND OUT, UH, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT THE PLAN IS, UH, AND MAYBE OUR NEXT MEETING TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT CEMETERY IS ACCESSIBLE. YOU WANNA MAKE A MOTION? WELL, I, WELL, I MEAN, I GUESS WE CAN, SO THE ISSUE, ALRIGHT, SO IT IS ACCESSIBLE AT THIS TIME. THE, THE QUESTION IS THE LEVEL OF ACCESS, UM, AS, UH, MR. SMITH WAS SAYING, IF YOU LOOK ON THERE, THAT FOOTPATH AREA IS ACTUALLY, WE CR ABOUT PROBABLY IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, I'D SAY MAYBE A LITTLE FIVE TO 10 YEARS, WE CLEARED AN AREA THAT IS A FOOTPATH INSIDE THE FENCE, BUT IT'S NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR A HEARSE TO GET INTO. UM, SO IF YOU HAVE A HEARSE OR YOU HAVE SENIORS, THAT'S WHERE THEY WANT TO GET CLOSER TO THE GRAVE SITE SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO WALK AS FAR. SO WE'VE PROVIDED ACCESS VIA THAT FOOTPATH AND WE'VE PROVIDED PARKING BEHIND THE CAFETERIA. SO WE HAVE MET, IN MY MIND, I, I MEAN IT'D HAVE TO BE A, A LAWYER OR A LAWSUIT WOULD'VE TO DECIDE WHETHER THAT IS NOT THE INTENT OF THE LAW BY PROVIDING ACCESS. BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, THE ONLY WAY WE CAN PROVIDE ACCESS FOR A SENIOR IN A CAR OR A HEARSE IS THROUGH THE BACK OF THE SCHOOL, THROUGH THE PLAYGROUNDS OR THROUGH THE SIDE OF THE SCHOOL NEXT TO THE PLAYGROUND. SO THAT'S THE QUESTION IS WHEN DO WE PROVIDE THAT ACCESS AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS? FAIR ENOUGH, MR. SMITH, IS THAT THE, UH, YEAH. AND THEN ALSO IN OUR, IN OUR, IN OUR, IN OUR, I THINK IN OUR SECOND OR THIRD MEETING, WE ALSO TOLD THEM THAT WE WILL, THAT WE WOULD'VE BEEN, IT WOULD'VE BEEN BOUGHT, UH, BECAUSE I DO REMEMBER, UH, HAVING THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT THE FENCE WOULD'VE BEEN MOVED BACK AND, AND, AND, AND, AND I, AND, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE COMMUNITY IS, IS REALLY ASKING WHEN WAS THE FENCE GONNA BE MOVED BACK SO THAT, THAT, THAT THE CARS COULD GET IN THERE AND, AND HAVE TURN, HAVE TURNAROUND SPACE. AND SO WHEN YOU, UH, WHAT WE SAID WAS THAT IF THE DEFENSE HAD TO BE MOVED AND THAT PROBABLY WW WOULD BE A COST. AND SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE, THAT THAT WAS THE ANOTHER ISSUE WAS THAT YEAH. OH, WE, WE COULD GIVE THEM THE, WE COULD GIVE THEM, WE COULD GIVE Y OUT THE SPACE OF MOVING THEIR FENCE BACK FROM, UH, WHERE, WHERE IT POSSIBLY, POSSIBLY SHOULDN'T BE OR SHOULD BE. BUT WE, WE WERE, WE'RE WILLING TO, TO GIVE, UH, TO GIVE YOU THAT. AND, AND THAT WOULD BE A CAUTION. THAT COST WOULD HAVE TO COME FROM THE BOARD. SO I BELIEVE THAT IS ALSO ANOTHER REASON WHY I WAS, UH, WHY, WHY I WAS LOOPED INTO IT AS, AS WELL, I JUST SAY ON THE WHOLE FENCE MOVING. UM, I THINK THAT'S A RECENT CONVERSATION THAT I WASN'T A PART OF. I, I DO KNOW THAT THE, THE PROPANE TANK IS IN THE WAY OF THAT FENCE MOVING AND I UNDER, SO THAT MAY BE SOMETHING WE NEED TO, I DON'T HAVE LIKE A COST OR AMOUNT. 'CAUSE WHAT WE DID IS WE CLEARED THAT PATH. WELL, FIVE PLUS YEARS AGO, WE, WE SAID WE WEREN'T GONNA MOVE THE FENCE. I UNDER UNDERSTAND NOW THERE'S BEEN SOME CONVERSATIONS THAT PEOPLE ARE OKAY WITH MOVING THE FENCE, BUT WE HAVEN'T LOOKED OR PRICED THAT OUT OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE. SO ON MY SIDE, WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TO INVESTIGATE THAT INITIALLY WHEN WE FIRST WENT OUT THERE THAT DAY, THAT WAS THAT HOW THE FENCE, THAT CONVERSATION INITIALLY CAME, CAME ABOUT IF, IF MY MEMORY SHUTS ME SO CORRECT. WELL, I, I GET, I MEAN, IF WE DID, I, I'D NEVER AGREED TO MOVE THE FENCE. WE NEVER, I, ON OUR SIDE, WE SAID WE DIDN'T NEED TO MOVE IT, BUT THAT, BUT IF THE BOARD DIRECTS US TO MOVE THE FENCE, WE'LL MOVE THE FENCE. I MEAN, THAT'S NOT, [05:05:01] WE'LL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING BY THAT PROPANE TANK AND OTHER, BUT, UH, YEAH. CAN I ASK A QUESTION OR ASK THE, UH, MR. OSBORNE TO SAY, UH, HIS TAKE ON THIS ISSUE? UM, I BELIEVE THAT WE MOVED THE FENCE MAYBE RIGHT BEFORE COVID. AND IT'S ACTUALLY A FENCE THAT WE INSTALLED AS A DISTRICT. UM, SO WE REPAIRED THE FENCE BECAUSE IT DIDN'T MEET OUR SECURITY STANDARDS, UM, TO PROVIDE THAT FOOTPATH. THE COMMUNITY IS ASKING TO BRING THE FENCE IN, WHICH REDUCES THE SIZE OF THAT PLAYGROUND, WHICH FROM THE SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE IS NOT REALLY AN ISSUE FOR OUR OPERATIONS BECAUSE IT'S A MASSIVE PLAYGROUND THAT IS REALLY TOO LARGE FOR THE NUMBER OF KIDS, UM, TO BE ABLE TO SUPERVISE IT. SO FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, IT DOES NOT IMPACT, YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOL'S FUNCTIONING AT ALL. UM, WHETHER YOU CHOOSE TO. SO, SO YOUR YOUR ISSUE IS JUST, IT'S NOT A, IT'S NOT A HINDRANCE TO YOU TO BE ACCOMMODATED, BUT YOU NEED A FENCE CORRECT. TO BE MOVED. CORRECT. CORRECT. UM, VERY RARELY DO FUNERALS HAPPEN DURING THE DAY SINCE COVID FOR SOME REASON. UH, WE HAD MANY DURING THE YEARS BEFORE, BUT NOW THEY SEEM TO BE HELD ON WEEKENDS. MAYBE WE'LL GET A CALL, HEY, CAN YOU OPEN THE FENCE AFTER SCHOOL HOURS ON FRIDAY SO THAT EQUIPMENT CAN GO TO PREPARE THE SITE? UM, BUT I, I CAN ONLY THINK OF MAYBE ONCE OR TWICE SINCE COVID WHERE WE'VE ACTUALLY NEEDED TO OPEN THE PLAYGROUND DURING THE DAY FOR A FUNERAL FOR THAT KIND OF, UM, THING. UNLESS IT'S BEEN RAINING, WHICH IS VERY HARD TO GET TO THE SITE AT ALL IF IT'S BEEN RAINING. AND THEN THEY DO GO AROUND. YEAH. THANK YOU. SO THE, THE ONE THING THAT COMES TO MIND, I'M BEEN HEARING FROM MR. OSBORNE DOESN'T SEE AN ISSUE WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE FENCE, UH, THAT THAT ENCROACHES AND WOULD SHRINK THE, THE PLAYGROUND A LITTLE BIT. 'CAUSE THAT'S A BIG ENOUGH PLAYGROUND. SO NOT AN ISSUE THERE. I THINK, UH, THE ONLY QUESTION I HAVE IS YOU MOVE, YOU, YOU MOVE THE FENCE IN. WE, WE WOULD STILL OWN PROPERTY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT FENCE. IF SOMEBODY FALLS OR TRIPS ON THAT SPOT, WHAT IS THE LIABILITY THAT WE WOULD HAVE? AND THEN HOW DO WE RESOLVE THAT IN TERMS OF, UH, THAT THAT'S THE ONLY, THAT, THAT'S THE ONLY THING I THINK I SEE HANGING OUT THERE. CAN I, IF I, BASED ON THAT, SO WE, AND JUST TO CLARIFY HERE, WE OWN IN THE ENTIRE PROPERTY, INCLUDING THE CEMETERY. THAT'S OUR PROPERTY. BUT WE HAVE TO, HUH? WELL, YEAH. I MEAN, WE HAVE TO MAIN, WE HAVE TO ALLOW IT TO BE USED AS A CEMETERY, BUT IT, IT'S NOT ON OUR PROPERTY. NO. UH, THAT'S NOT MY UNDERSTANDING OF IT. MY UNDERSTANDING, MY, MY, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, UH, AND 'CAUSE, 'CAUSE ALSO PAUL SUMMERVILLE A FORMER COUNCILMAN, HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE SITUATION, UH, TOO, TO SOME DEGREE BECAUSE, UM, THIS, I I BELIEVE THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT EITHER THIS LAND WAS DONATED OR WAS GIVEN TO, UH, I, I THINK IT WAS GI IT WAS GIVEN TO THE DISTRICT OR SOMETHING. I'M NOT SURE THE, THE, THE LEGAL, UH, HOW, HOW, HOW THAT, HOW THAT LOOKS. BUT MAYBE, MAYBE WE MAY NEED TO START THERE OF SEEING WHO ACTUALLY OWNS THE ACTUAL WELL PROPERTY, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT MY REMEMBRANCE OF IT. OKAY. UH, MORE INJECTIONS IN HERE. CAN I MAKE A SUGGESTION? CAN, CAN I JUST SUGGEST LET US DO SOME EXPLORATION INTO THIS SITUATION AS, UH, MR. NA WAS, WAS, WAS ASKING. AND THEN, AND WE WILL TRY TO, UH, METHODICALLY MOVE THROUGH WHAT, WHATEVER MIGHT COME UP AND THEN, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU. THAT'S FINE. I'LL HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. YEAH. I'LL DEFINITELY GO TO, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. ALRIGHT. THAT SOUNDS, THAT SOUNDS GOOD. WE DON'T THINK WE NEED A MOTION FOR THAT. WE CAN, WE CAN DO THAT. HAPPY. OKAY. THERE WE GO. GREAT. THERE WE GO. THANK YOU. THAT I, I APPRECIATE. ALRIGHT, SO NOW WE TALK, LET'S GO BACK TO THE FUTURE AGAIN. UH, NEW STUDENT ASSIGNMENT FOR MAY RIVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. HEY, CAROL. COLONEL GUY, I AM GONNA ASK A FAVOR. UM, , WE HAVE ETHAN JAMES HERE WHO'S FOR THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA. OH, I SEE. I WAS GONNA BE WILLING TO LET HIM GO BEFORE ME AND SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST. OKAY. IS THAT OKAY? ? ALRIGHT, SIR, PLEASE, LET'S, LET'S TALK ABOUT, UH, LADIES ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT, UH, GREEN SPACE. I'M NOT SURE HOW THIS CONVERSATION'S GOING. I'M ON THAT MAP. YEAH, PLEASE, PLEASE COME UP, SIR. HOW ARE YOU TODAY, SIR? THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. UH, MY [05:10:01] NAME'S ETHAN JAMES. UH, I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF LANDOWNERS THAT BORDER LADIES ISLAND, UH, MIDDLE SCHOOL. UM, THERE'S A TOTAL OF SIX ACRES THAT RUNS CONTIGUOUS WITH LADIES ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL. UM, IN THE PAST AND MOST RECENT ACTION, WE HAVE GONE BEFORE THE GREEN SPACE TAX COMMITTEE, UH, THROUGH BEAUFORT COUNTY COUNCIL. UH, THE GREEN SPACE TAX COMMITTEE HAS, UH, ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE AN INTEREST IN PUTTING TAX, UH, UH, GREEN SPACE TAX FUNDS TOWARDS THE LAND ACQUISITION AND ESSENTIALLY DONATING THE SIX ACRES TO THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, TO THE SCHOOL. UH, THE, THE PROPERTY IN THIS PARTICULAR, UM, ROADWAY IS UNDERGOING A LOT OF NEW DEVELOPMENT ON LABES ISLAND. THERE IS A NEW TRAFFIC LIGHT THAT IS COMING IN THAT IS CURRENTLY IN RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION WITH BEAUFORT COUNTY FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT TO REROUTE THE SCHOOL BUSES AND, AND A LONG COUGAR DRIVE THERE. UH, I'M HERE TODAY REALLY JUST TO OFFER ANY, UH, OR ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PARCELS. UH, COLONEL GEIER WAS, UH, AT THE GREEN SPACE COMMITTEE MOST RECENTLY, IN WHICH THE GREEN SPACE TAX COMMITTEE ESSENTIALLY DEFERRED, UH, TO THE SCHOOL BOARD HERE. UM, AS FAR AS THE, THE LEVEL OF INTEREST IN OWNING AND MAINTAINING THE PROPERTY AFTER THE GREEN SPACE TAX COMMITTEE WOULD, WOULD USE THE FUNDS TO PURCHASE IT FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD. YEAH, LET ME, UH, UH, EXPLAIN AND WENT TO THE MEETING, UH, WITH THE GREEN SPACE AND, UH, I, I WENT THERE, CAME KIND OF THINKING THAT THEY JUST WANTED OUR PERMISSION, UH, FOR THE COUNTY TO PURCHASE IT FROM GREEN SPACE, BUT THAT WASN'T EXACTLY WHAT I FOUND OUT WHEN I GOT TO THE MEETING IS THEY WANTED TO PURCHASE IT GREEN SPACE, PURCHASE IT AND GIVE IT TO US, NOT THE COUNTY. AND MOSTLY THEIR INTEREST IN JUST LEAVING IT AS A GREEN SPACE. AND I THOUGHT ABOUT, OKAY, SO HOW MUCH MAINTENANCE WOULD BE REQUIRED? AND VIRTUALLY DONE MAYBE BUSH HOG AT ONCE A YEAR OR SOMETHING THAT KNOCKED THE WEEDS DOWN. THIS IS, UH, I'VE, MY TWO GRANDSONS WENT TO, UH, LADIES ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL, SO I SPENT A LOT OF TIME SITTING IN THE LINE, UH, READY TO PICK THEM UP AS YOU COME IN OFF OF, UH, THE MAIN ROAD GOING OUT TO FRI AH, THERE IT IS, THE MAIN ROAD GOING OUT TO FRI COUGAR DRIVE RIGHT HERE. AND SO IT'S ALL GREEN SPACE AND IT'S ADJACENT TO THE DISTRICT'S PROPERTY. RIGHT, RIGHT NEXT TO IT. WHEN I FIRST, WHEN I FIRST HAD A COMMUN COMMUNICATION WITH DAVID BARTH, THE COUNTY COUNCILMAN, HE SAID, WOULDN'T IT BE A GREAT PLACE TO HAVE A PARK? AND, AND WE COULD PUT A, A BANDSHELL OUT THERE AND WE COULD HAVE ENTERTAINMENT AND OR, YOU KNOW, A PARK KIND OF PROGRAMS OUT THERE. JUST VERY MINIMAL, YOU KNOW, NO, NO IMPERVIOUS SURFACE, NO ROADS OR ANYTHING BUILT IN IT. YOU WOULD, THEY WOULD USE OUR ROAD TO GET IN AND THEY WOULD USE OUR PARKING WHEN WE WEREN'T IN SESSION TO PARK AT THAT, THAT PLACE. WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT WAS TALKED ABOUT AT THE GREEN SPACE. IT WAS BASICALLY TALKED ABOUT AS JUST BEING LEFT AS A GREEN SPACE. IT WOULD BE OUR PROPERTY AND THAT MAYBE WE WOULD WORK OUT SOMETHING WITH THE COUNTY TO USE THE GREEN SPACE FOR NATURE WALKS OR SOMETHING LIKE, LIKE THAT. BUT NOTHING THAT WOULD REQUIRE ANY CONSTRUCTION OR ANY MAINTENANCE, UH, OTHER THAN MAYBE KNOCKING DOWN THE WEEDS, UH, ONCE A YEAR OR WHATEVER. UM, AND I, I THOUGHT OF US COMING IN THERE AND SAYING, WELL, I CAN'T, YOU KNOW, SCHOOL DISTRICT CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY THAT. OH NO, NO, WE'LL BUY IT. WE'LL GIVE IT TO YOU AND YOU MAINTAIN IT. SO THE ONLY THING THAT WE WOULD HAVE IS LIABILITY OF HAVING A PIECE OF GROUND THAT SOMEBODY COULD SET UP A DRUG TRAFFICKING PLACE ON IT, ON WHEN, WHEN NO ONE'S WATCHING, WHICH IS MINIMAL RISK. SO, UM, I SAID, OKAY, UM, LET US KNOW, UM, SOME MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IT. AND, UM, HERE YOU ARE. NOW, HERE'S WHAT THE OTHER, IF WE DON'T DO THIS AND IT GETS PURCHASED, THERE WILL BE A GAS STATION OR THERE WILL BE A, UH, APARTMENTS, STORAGE UNITS OR THOSE WOULD THE WHATEVER. YEAH. AND, AND THAT'S NOT WHAT WE DEFINITELY NOT WHAT WE WANT THERE. GET IN [05:15:01] AND OUT OF, UH, THAT SCHOOL. SO SMITH IS, I, I DEFINITELY AGREE AND I THINK THAT THIS WOULD DEFINITELY BE GREAT FOR US BECAUSE, UM, I WAS, UH, UH, A DIFFERENT MEETING OVER BEHIND THE, UH, BANK AND, UH, AND SOME LADIES AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT SPACE AND TALKING ABOUT THERE WAS A RESTAURANT THAT WANTED TO ACTUALLY, THAT WANTED THAT, THAT WANTED THAT SPACE. SO ACTUALLY RESTAURANT, FROM WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT IF WE DON'T PURCHASE THAT, THEN THERE WILL BE A RESTAURANT THERE, UM, AS, AS, AS, AS WHAT I'VE GATHERED INTO THE, THE VALIDITY. I, I'LL LEAVE IT THERE. I WON'T TALK ABOUT HIS BUSINESS. BUT YEAH, SO I THINK THAT IT WOULD BE A, A GREAT THING FOR OUR KIDS AND YOU TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THESE SCIENCE CLASSES, GOING OUT AND DOING ADVENTUROUS WALKS, SPED SUIT, AND I THINK THIS IS A, THIS IS A GREAT, THIS WOULD BE A GREAT, UH, A GREAT THING TO HAVE IF, IF MY COLLEAGUES WOULD SUPPORT THAT. THANK YOU. DR. RODRIGUEZ, WHAT'S YOUR, WHAT'S YOUR FEELING ABOUT IT? I WAS JUST INQUIRING, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE ACQUIRE ANY, ANY PROPERTY, UH, WHAT KIND OF STEPS OR ANYTHING THAT WE HAVE TO DO RELATED WITH THE STATE. AND THERE, THERE ARE SOME YEAH. THAT, UH, THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO, UH, EVEN IF, EVEN IF THEY GIVE IT TO YOU. SO, UH, BUT IT, BUT IT PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, NOT GONNA, I'M NOT, I'M NOT GONNA SAY IT'S A, IT'S AN EASY DONE DEAL THING, BUT IT PROBABLY WOULD BE TOO, TOO DIFFICULT. 'CAUSE IT'S RIGHT, IT'S, IT'S CONNECTED TO OUR PROPERTY, RIGHT? YEAH. CORRECT. YEAH. SO PROBAB THAT PROBABLY MAKES IT EASIER, UH, GOING THROUGH THAT. AND, UH, I MEAN I'M, I'M, I'M COMFORTABLE WITH IT. ARE ARE THEY'RE LOOKING TO, TO BUILD, UH, WALKWAY ON OR JUST LEAVE IT AS IS? MAYBE AS IS THEY'RE JUST LOOKING TO LEAVE IT AS IS. OKAY. YEAH, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE MS. MS. FRAZIER. SO THIS ISN'T THE PIECE OF LAND THAT WE SPOKE ABOUT BEFORE IN AN OPERATIONS MEETING. THIS IS, SO, IT, IT IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT NOW BECAUSE IT DID WANT TO DO SOMETHING WITH THE LAND AND US PAY FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF IT. YES. YES. SO NOW THAT'S OFF THE TABLE AND IT'S GONNA BE FREE AND CLEAR LAND, AS LONG AS THAT'S IN WRITING , EVERYTHING THAT'S FREE ISN'T FREE. ABSOLUTELY. RIGHT NOW, WHEN WE, WHEN WE PURCHASE, UH, WHEN WE PURCHASE SOMETHING, IT BECOMES, UH, DISTRICT PROPERTY AND WE HAVE CONTROL OVER WHAT'S ON. BUT THE GREEN SPACE, PEOPLE THAT HAVE THE MONEY THAT WANT TO PURCHASE IT, THEY WANT GUARANTEES, YOU KNOW, FROM US THAT WE PLAN TO LEAVE IT AS A GREEN SPACE. OH, IS IT? DID I GET THAT RIGHT? YES, SIR. THAT'S CORRECT. I I, I THINK ANOTHER IMPORTANT, UM, KIND OF TIMING OF ALL THIS IS THAT, UH, UH, IS THAT THE, THE, THE NEW ROADWAY IS COMING IN AT, AT THAT LOCATION AS WELL WHERE THESE TWO PARCELS RUN, RUN ADJACENT TO IT. UH, BEAUFORT COUNTY IS, UH, IN, IN, UM, CONVERSATIONS WITH THE LAND O OWNERS THERE FOR RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITIONS. SO THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY, UH, ALLOW SOME FUNDING COMING FROM, UM, THE COUNTY TO GO TOWARDS THIS AND, AND THE GREEN SPACE, UH, COMMITTEE. SO IT'S JUST, IT'S THE TIMING OF ALL THIS ALL, ALL IN THE, UM, KIND OF COMING TOGETHER WITH THE NEW ROADWAY AND THE GREEN SPACE WANTING TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT THE LAND AS WELL. SO, AND CARL, IT JUST MEANT THAT YOU, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? I WAS ACTUALLY, OKAY. UH, IS THAT MR. DALLAS? YES, SIR. MR. DALLAS, DID YOU SAY SOMETHING? YES, SIR. UM, WHENEVER IT'S OKAY, PLEASE GO AHEAD. OKAY. SO I HAD SOME CONVERSATION WITH HIM WHENEVER IT'S APPROPRIATE. OKAY. SO I HAD SOME CONVERSATION WITH SOME MEMBERS OF THE GREEN SPACE COMMITTEE, AND THEY ARE AS, AS IS PER THEIR NORMAL PROTOCOL GREEN SPACE COMMITTEE. AND THEY ARE AS, AS IS PER THEIR NORMAL PROTOCOL, THEY'RE LOOKING TO TAKE, TAKE PROPERTIES OFF THE MARKET AND ARREST SOME OF THE, SO YOU'RE REALLY BREAKING UP, TAKE PROPERTIES OFF THE MARKET AND ARREST SOME OF THE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S TAKEN PLACE. AND SO THEY ARE CERTAINLY PREPARED AND TURN IT OVER TO, THEY ARE CERTAINLY PREPARED TO PURCHASE AND DEVELOP AND TURN IT OVER TO US, NOT DEVELOP IT, BUT TURN IT OVER TO US. OKAY. NOT DEVELOP IT, BUT TURN IT OVER TO US. TURN IT OVER TO US. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. OKAY. MR. SMITH, I WAS GONNA SAY THAT, UH, AND YOU ABSOLUTELY COR OH, YOU ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, CORRECT ABOUT THAT BECAUSE, UH, THEY ARE, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING A LIGHT THERE. I KNOW THAT WE WERE, UH, TALKING ABOUT THAT, THAT, UH, I MEAN BY ABOUT TRYING TO CUT IT OFF AND, AND ACTUALLY PUT THAT LIGHT THERE. AND I THINK THAT, UH, WE, WE ARE LOOKING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH THEM WHEN WE DO MEET WITH THE, UH, COUNTY COUNCIL. UH, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS ON SHOULD BE ONE OF THE THINGS ON, ON, ON OUR AGENDA. [05:20:01] UH, SO I, I THINK THIS, THIS COULDN'T COME AT A BETTER TIME THAN NOT TO GO AHEAD AND MAKE IT ALL, IT ALL WORK FOR THE BETTER FOR, FOR EVERYONE IN THE COMMUNITY. I, I'M SURE, AND I'M SURE MRS. UH, ABSOLUTELY. DO WE, DO WE NEED A MOTION TO, I MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE, UH, ACCEPT THE GREEN, I ACCEPT, EXPECT THE GREEN, EXPECT THE GREEN SPACE, UH, WITH THE NOTION, UH, I MEAN WITH THE YEAH. DUMP A GUN. YEAH. LET'S, LET'S, LET'S, WE NEED WINY, WE NEED ROBERT. YEAH. WE NEED TO GET THIS IN WRITING, RIGHT? OH, OKAY. PUT THAT IN MOTION. THERE YOU GO. YEAH. OKAY. UH, BUT I MEAN, BUT IF, IF Y'ALL, IF, BUT IF I WAS GONNA PUT THAT INTO MOTION, I, I'M GONNA CHOP EXPERIENCE HERE, BUT IF, BUT IF Y'ALL WANT, WE CAN, WE CAN WAIT. THEY BRING IT BACK TO US AND WET ACCEPT IT. BUT I MEAN, WELL, I, I THINK THE MOTION TO ASK THE SUPERINTENDENT TO, UH, DIRECT THE SUPERINTENDENT TO OKAY. GO NEGOTIATE. YEAH. RIGHT. OKAY. AT THIS, AT THIS TIME, I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE DIRECT THE SUPERINTENDENT TO REVIEW THE RECORD REQUISITION ACQUISTION, OH, EXCUSE ME. AC EXCUSE ME, ACQUISITION. AND, AND, AND, UH, IN, IN TERMS OF THIS LAY OUT IN GREEN GRACE, UH, PROJECT INTO, UH, BRING US BACK AN UPDATE. THANK YOU. SECOND. I, SECOND, SECOND FROM MS. FRAZIER. ANY DISCUSSION, MR. NAY? SECOND? UH, IT SEEMS LIKE, UH, THE, THE, THE IT, IT SEEMS, IT SEEMS LIKE THE, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE THE, THE MOTIVES ARE ALTRUISTIC, BUT IT, I I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE, THE, THE AGGRESSIVE, UM, WE WANT YOU GUYS TO HAVE IT. WE WANT TO PAY FOR IT, AND WE WANT YOU GUYS TO HAVE IT, BUT DON'T DO ANYTHING WITH IT. THERE JUST SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING IT'S, UH, I, I'M, I'M NOT, I'M MISSING HERE. UH, IT'S LIKE, UH, I MEAN, I, I I TOTALLY GET IT. I JUST, UH, IT'S, IT, WELL, LET, LET, LET ME, LET ME JUST GIVE YOU AN IMPRESSION. SITTING IN THAT MEETING, UH, YOU'VE BEEN IN A MEETING WITH TREE HUGGERS, THIS WAS TREE HUGGER CENTRAL. OH, OKAY. I GET IT. OKAY. AND THEY JUST WANT NO DEVELOPMENT. RIGHT. AND THEY'LL, AND ANYTHING THEY CAN KEEP INTO GREEN SPACE IS FINE WITH THEM. AND THE MORE VISIBLE THAT GREEN SPACE IS, THE BETTER THEY LIKE IT. AND THIS IS RIGHT. VISIBLE FROM THE MAIN ROAD GOING OUT TO, UH, UH, LIKE, YOU KNOW, ST. HELEN ELEMENT. YEAH. BUT WHY US? WHY NOT GIVE IT TO SOME PHIL PHILANTHROPIST OR SOME DO-GOODER IN COMMUNITY? IT'S BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO US, RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO US. SO WEIRD. AND, AND OH, BY THE WAY, AND OH, BY THE WAY, HERE'S WHAT THEY SAID TO ME. THEY SAID, AND JUST THINK ALL THOSE LITTLE CHILDREN CAN FROLIC IN THE WOODS. AND I OH, IT'S WONDERFUL LIABILITY. YEAH. YEAH. SO IT, IT, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S, IT'S A GOOD DEAL. OKAY. SO, UH, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? YEAH, NO, IT'S ALL RIGHT. ALL ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. ALRIGHT. AYE. ABSTAIN AND, UH, ONLINE? AYE. DALLAS. AYE. AYE. OKAY. MOTION CARRIES. AYE, DALLAS. OKAY. GOT IT. DON'T HAVE AS MANY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, SIR. OKAY. , DO Y'ALL NEED A FIVE? YOU NEED TO STAND UP, STRETCH BREAK. YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH. YEAH, YOU GOTTA GO BACK. YOU, WE SKIPPED ME. REMEMBER? OKAY. ALL RIGHT. DO YOU NEED A FIVE MINUTE STRETCH OR YOU, YOU GUYS NO, STAND UP WHILE I'M TALKING. I'M GOOD. YEAH. THANKS FOR . SO I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE TO TALK ABOUT, UM, THIS PROCESS OF STUDENT ASSIGNMENT FOR OPENING A NEW SCHOOL. SO, ROBIN, IF YOU WILL PULL UP MY LITTLE PRESENTATION. SO WHY DO WE NEED TO DO THIS? WHY DO WE NEED TO CHANGE ATTENDANCE ZONES? WELL, WE'RE DOING IT BECAUSE, UH, PLANNED OPENING OF MAY RIVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN 27 AND WE HAVE TO ASSIGN STUDENTS TO THAT SCHOOL, RIGHT? THERE ARE OTHER REASONS WHY WE MIGHT LOOK AT CHANGING ATTENDANCE ZONES. AND I THINK IT'S SORT OF GOT MENTIONED, UH, A LITTLE BIT EARLIER IN SOME CONVERSATIONS. UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN ONE SCHOOL IS OVER CAPACITY AND THE NEXT SCHOOL NEXT TO IT IS WAY UNDER CAPACITY, THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD TRIGGER, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THOSE CHANGES IN STUDENT ASSIGNMENT. AND YOU SEE IN OUR BOOK EVERY YEAR, FACILITIES MASTER PLAN, WE TALK ABOUT THOSE TRIGGERS FOR CAPACITY. SO THAT'S ONE REASON WE MIGHT WANT TO DO THAT. AND REMEMBER THOSE TRIGGERS, OUR TARGET IS ALWAYS 85%. THAT'S WHERE WE WANNA BE. THAT ALLOWS ROOM FOR GROWTH AND FLEXIBILITY FOR PROGRAM OFFERINGS. NEXT SLIDE, ROBIN. SO I'M JUST GONNA QUICKLY COVER SOME THINGS THAT YOU ALL PROBABLY ALREADY KNOW, [05:25:01] BUT I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT BOARD POLICY THAT AFFECTS STUDENT ASSIGNMENT. UM, SO IT IS, UH, GC THREE BOARD APPROVES ATTENDANCE BOUNDARIES AFTER PUBLIC NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING. SO WE HAVE TO DO THIS IN THE PUBLIC EYE. NEXT SLIDE. UM, OE 10 SUPERINTENDENT REVIEW ZONES ANNUALLY AND MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS. AND WE PUT THIS CONVERSATION EVERY YEAR, AGAIN, IN OUR FACILITIES MASTER PLAN, WHICH YOU ALL HAVE. AND THAT CONVERSATION THIS YEAR STARTS ON PAGE 1 32. SO WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION IN THE BOOK THIS YEAR. OKAY, NEXT SLIDE HAS AR OS 24, WHICH REQUIRES US TO PROJECT STUDENT ENROLLMENTS AND ADJUST ZONES. AND THIS IS DISCUSSED AGAIN IN THE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN. THIS TIME ON PAGE 34. NEXT SLIDE. ALSO, A RS S3 DISCUSSES THE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL ATTENDANCE ZONE. THAT'S WHERE THE STUDENT LIVES, WHAT ZONE DO THEY LIVE IN. AND IT ALSO TALKS ABOUT THE GRANDFATHERING RULE AND THE SCHOOL CAPACITY GUIDELINES. SO THE GRANDFATHER RULE, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS, IS, SO IF YOU'RE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND YOU'VE STARTED FOURTH GRADE AND YOUR PLAN NEXT YEAR WAS TO BE IN FIFTH GRADE, BUT WE'RE GONNA CHANGE AS IN ATTENDANCE ZONES, YOU'RE ALLOWED TO STAY AND FINISH YOUR FIFTH GRADE YEAR. THAT HAS BEEN OUR PRACTICE IN THE PAST AND IT'S ALSO IN OUR AR. OKAY, NEXT SLIDE TALKS ABOUT OTHER PRACTICES THAT AFFECT STUDENT ASSIGNMENT AND SOME OF THOSE ARE BUS RIDES. SO YEARS AGO, UH, WELL FIRST OF ALL, STATE MANDATE SAYS SCHOOL BUS RIDES NEED TO BE LESS THAN AN HOUR AND A HALF. SCHOOL BOARD DECIDED WE WANT THEM TO BE LESS THAN AN HOUR. SO THAT IS OUR TARGET THERE. UM, SCHOOL CHOICE IS ALWAYS A FACTOR WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT STUDENT ASSIGNMENT, SPECIAL EDUCATION, CLUSTER PROGRAMS, THOSE ARE SOMETHING ELSE TO KEEP IN MIND AS WE LOOK AT CHANGES IN STUDENT ASSIGNMENT. AND THEN CLUSTER CONFIGURATIONS. THERE WAS A TIME WE WERE ONLY GONNA TALK ABOUT NORTHERN CLUSTER AND SOUTHERN CLUSTER, BUT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT REALLY IS FEEDER SYSTEMS. SO AT, WELL BRANCH EARLY COLLEGE, THAT CLUSTER, IT'S A CLEAN FEEDER ELEMENTARY, STRAIGHT TO MIDDLE, STRAIGHT TO HIGH. THAT IS IT. HILTON HEAD IS ALSO A GOOD EXAMPLE. EVERYTHING FEEDS STRAIGHT TO HILTON HEAD HIGH IN THE BUFORT, BATTERY CREEK AND BLUFFTON AREAS. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. SO THAT'S A FACTOR THAT YOU ALL MAY WANT TO KEEP IN MIND AS WE HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT STUDENT ASSIGNMENT. NEXT SLIDE. SO WE'VE TAKEN A LOOK AT THE POLICIES AND REGULATIONS. HOW ARE WE GONNA CHANGE THE ATTENDANCE ZONES? SO ONLY THE BOARD CAN CHANGE ATTENDANCE ZONES, NOT US. AND WE ALSO HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS AND THEY HAVE TO GIVE THEIR APPROVAL AS WELL. THE NEXT SLIDE IS A SLIDE I DEVELOPED, UM, AFTER OUR 2010, UM, AGREEMENT WITH OCR. IT WAS A RENEWAL TO THE ORIGINAL ONE. AND I USED THIS FOR FUTURE DISCUSSIONS AS WE WERE GOING THROUGH STUDENT ASSIGNMENT CHANGES BACK IN 2010 WHEN WE WERE BUILDING NEW SCHOOLS. AND I KNOW, UM, MS. CARTILAGE HAS FAMILIARIZED, UM, THIS TOPIC WITH YOU ALL IN YOUR BOARDING, YOUR ORIENTATION, BUT I JUST WANT TO AGAIN BRING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION. NEXT SLIDE. SO WE HAVE NOT CHANGED ATTENDANCE ZONES SINCE 2014 WHEN WE DID PLANNING FOR THE OPENING OF RIVERRIDGE ACADEMY IN MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL. AND WE DID THAT PLANNING ALTOGETHER AS A MULTI-YEAR APPROACH THAT GAVE PLENTY OF ADVANCE TO PARENTS AND STUDENTS AND COMMUNITIES. SINCE 2018, OUR ONLY ASSIGNMENTS HAVE BEEN NEW NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WERE COMING ONLINE WHERE NO STUDENTS WERE LIVING. AND WE MADE ASSIGNMENTS TO SCHOOLS THAT HAD AVAILABLE CAPACITY OR HAD THE ABILITY TO ADD MOBILES ONTO THAT CAMPUS. AND THIS IS PRIMARILY IN THE BLUFFTON AREA. THIS IS NOT ANYWHERE ELSE. SO THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS YOU A MAP OF THE BLUFFTON. I JUST TOOK THE ELEMENTARY ATTENDANCE AREAS 'CAUSE IT'S KIND OF EASIER TO SEE THERE. WHAT THAT HAS DONE IS CREATED DONUT HALLS. SO YOU CAN SEE THOSE LITTLE YELLOW PATCHES THROUGHOUT THE GREEN AND THROUGHOUT THE PURPLE. THAT'S WHAT WE'VE CREATED SINCE TH 2018. THE NEXT SLIDE JUST KIND OF ZOOMS IN ON THAT. [05:30:02] SO, UM, UNDERSTAND THAT ALL THESE THINGS HAPPENED BEFORE THE 2019 REFERENDUM. WE HAD NO FUNDING AT THAT TIME TO ADD ON THE 2000 REFEREND, UH, 19 REFERENDUM GAVE US ADDITIONS AT RIVER RIDGE AND AT MAY RIVER, WHICH BOUGHT US SOME TIME TO, TO DO THIS. SO WE ADDED MOBILES AT PRITCHARD V LIKE RIGHT NOW THEY HAVE 18 CLASSROOMS IN MOBILES. GET YEAH, MAKE IT THERE. UHHUH, , UHHUH, , BLUFFTON ELEMENTARY. YEAH. SO THE LITTLE YELLOW IS, THE YELLOW IS THE BLUFFTON ELEMENTARY ATTENDANCE ZONE. AND SO YOU SEE WITHIN THE GREEN, WHICH IS THE PRITCHARD ELEMENTARY ZONE, THAT THEY'RE LITTLE PATCHES OF YELLOW. THAT'S BECAUSE THOSE WERE NEW NEIGHBORHOODS THAT CAME ONLINE AND GOT DEVELOPED. AND BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ROOM, WE ALREADY HAVE 18 CLASSROOMS IN MOBILES AT PRICHARD V WE SENT THOSE STUDENTS TO BLUFFTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SAME THING UP IN THE RIVER RIDGE ATTENDANCE ZONE. THERE'S SOME LITTLE PATCHES OF YELLOW UP THERE. AND THAT'S ACTUALLY SPLITTING SEA GRASS STATION. PART OF THEM GO TO RIVERRIDGE. PART OF THEM GO TO BLUFFTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BECAUSE THAT WAS, THAT WAS OUR ONLY OPPORTUNITY. SO, UH, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? I MEAN, IT DOESN'T, BUT YOU UNDERSTAND. OKAY, . OKAY. ANYWAY, ALL THAT IS WHY WE'RE BUILDING, YOU KNOW, MAY RIVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO GIVE US CAPACITY TO SERVE THE STUDENTS. AND NOW WE HAVE TO ASSIGN THOSE STUDENTS TO A PLACE. SO WHAT IS OUR PROCESS FOR CHANGING STUDENT ASSIGNMENT? THESE ARE WHAT I CALLED OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES. TARGET RANGE OF 85%. WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT AN ATTENDANCE ZONES, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE STUDENTS EVERYWHERE IN THE AREA THAT WE'RE GONNA TOUCH SO THAT WE'RE MAKING SURE WE'RE ABIDING BY OUR OCR AGREEMENT. AND THAT'S TO MIRROR THE RACIAL MAKEUP OF THE COMMUNITY COUNTY AS A WHOLE, UM, PRIORITY FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO LIVE WITHIN ONE MILE. MINIMIZE TRANSITIONS FOR STUDENTS FROM ELEMENTARY TO MIDDLE TO HIGH SCHOOL. SEVERAL, IF YOU'VE LIVED IN THIS COMMUNITY MORE THAN 15 YEARS. YOU KNOW, AT ONE POINT WE HAD STUDENTS K THROUGH FOUR AT ONE SCHOOL, THEN THEY WERE FIVE, SIX AT ONE SCHOOL, THEN THEY WERE SEVEN, EIGHT AT A SCHOOL. AND THEN, I MEAN, NO, YEAH, EIGHT, NINE. WE HAD EIGHT NINE AT MCCRACKEN AND THEN 9, 10, 10, 12. YEAH, IT WAS. SO WE NEED TO MINIMIZE THOSE TRANSITIONS. 'CAUSE WHAT WE'VE LEARNED FROM THE INSTRUCTIONAL SIDE IS TRANSITIONS ARE NOT NECESSARILY GOOD FOR STUDENTS. SO MINIMIZE THOSE TRANSITIONS WHENEVER POSSIBLE. YOU USE NATURAL BOUNDARIES. SO MAJOR HIGHWAYS, YOU DON'T WANT TO TRY TO BE CROSSING THOSE SPECIAL BUSES, BRIDGES, THOSE KIND OF THINGS. KEEP ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOODS TOGETHER LIKE THE SEA GRASS STATION, WHICH IS A GREAT THING. AND THEN KEEP THE GRANDFATHERING MIND. THAT'S JUST A ONE YEAR EFFECT ON THOSE CHANGES AND ZONES. NEXT SLIDE. SO WHEN DO WE NEED TO START? WELL, WE'RE STARTING BY HAVING THIS CONVERSATION TODAY. OUR GOAL IS OUR END TARGET IS ZONES IN PLACE BY OCTOBER OF 26. THE MORE TIME WE GIVE PARENTS TO PREPARE, THE BETTER. AND THIS ALSO ALLOWS PLENTY OF TIME FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE PROCESS. SO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, OUTLINES A TIMELINE TO GET US THROUGH ALL THOSE STEPS TO GET TO THAT COMPLETION BY OCTOBER OF 26. AND IT DOES ALLOW FOR, AND YOU'LL SEE LOTS OF GOING TO THE PUBLIC, COMING BACK TO YOU ALL TO DISCUSS OPTIONS, GOING BACK TO THE PUBLIC DISCUSS OPTIONS, THEN YOU ALL COMING BACK AND MAKING A FINAL DECISION AND KEEPING, KEEPING SUMMER KIND OF OUT OF THAT CONVERSATION. 'CAUSE PEOPLE AREN'T IN HERE. SO SCOPE OF WORK DISCUSSION. THIS IS WHERE WE NEED GUIDANCE FROM YOU ALL ON HOW FAR YOU WANT TO GO WITH THIS CONVERSATION. OUR GOAL IS TO DEVELOP NEW ATTENDANCE ZONES FOR MAY RIVER ELEMENTARY TO RELIEVE THOSE CAPACITY ISSUES AT PRITCHARD. WE CAN ONLY GO THAT FAR IF YOU WANT TO, BUT WE COULD ALSO, NUMBER TWO, LOOK AT ALL THE ELEMENTARY ZONES IN BLUFFTON. FIX THE DONUT HOLES AND BRING ENROLLMENTS TO OUR TARGET 85% CAPACITY. THEN THE NEXT STEP, IF YOU WANNA GO FURTHER, WE COULD FIX THE DONUT HOLES THAT EXIST AT OTHER LEVELS BECAUSE [05:35:01] THOSE DONUT HOLES ARE THERE ALL THE WAY UP, NOT JUST AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AND THEN WE CAN LOOK AT CREATING CLEAN FEEDERS. I HONESTLY, I HAVE NOT LOOKED AT IT IN A LONG TIME. I'M NOT SURE IT'S GONNA BE POSSIBLE IN THE BLUFFTON AREA. JUST, JUST THE GEOGRAPHY OF THINGS. AND WE'VE GOT RIVER RIDGE AS A K EIGHT IN THERE. IT COULD BE EXTREME CHALLENGE, BUT IF YOU WANT US TO LOOK AT THAT, WE'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT TOO. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, HAVE SOME PUBLIC MEETINGS DETERMINED BY WHAT YOUR SCOPE IS ON THOSE. AND WITH THAT, I SEEK YOUR GUIDANCE QUESTIONS. , MS. FRAZIER? I CHOOSE TWO THROUGH FIVE PLEASE. TWO THROUGH FIVE. OKAY. WELL, ONE'S INCORPORATED WHEN YOU LOOK AT TWO. YEAH. ALL THE ABOVE. YEAH. THE, YEAH, I DEFINITELY, YEAH, I, I, I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH THAT. 'CAUSE I WAS, I REMEMBER THE FIR THE FIRST TIME WHEN WE, WHEN WE DID THIS IN OUR, UM, RIGOROUS, I'M SHOW YOU, I REMEMBER HOW, UH, PEOPLE WERE YEAH. HOW IT GOT, GOT KIND OF TOUGH, BUT DECISION THAT WAS KEEPING WITH THE DECISION, WHAT WERE MADE, WHAT WAS MADE. BUT, UH, YEAH, I THINK ALL THAT WAS THAT WE CAN FIX IT. IT'S, IT'S ABOUT TIME. YEAH. I I HAVE TO AGREE. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU SNAP YOUR FINGERS AND IT HAPPENS. AND, AND IT'S, I CAN REMEMBER WHEN SHELL POINT, UH, HAD TO CLOSE DOWN AND WE HAD TO MOVE PEOPLE AROUND FOR, FOR THAT. I WAS ON THE BOARD, BUT I WAS IN THE COMMUNITY AND IT WAS NASTY. UH, WE, UH, , I LIKE THE TIMELINE AND, AND YOU'RE TAKING YOUR TIME TO INFORM THE, UH, PUBLIC AND YOU'RE HAVING OPEN FORUMS AND, AND BRINGING THEM IN. AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA PLEASE EVERYBODY. HMM. NO WAY. WE WILL PLEASE EVERYBODY. BUT WE'LL TRY TO MINIMIZE IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. AND MAYBE EVOLUTION WILL HELP. YOU KNOW, AS NEW PEOPLE COME IN WHEN THEY MOVE INTO THAT, UH, WHEREVER THEY'RE, THEY'RE AT THEIR CHILDREN, GO TO THE SCHOOL THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO GO TO MM-HMM . AND EVENTUALLY IT'LL ALL WORK OUT. THAT'S ONE WAY OF DOING IT. BUT THAT'S, THAT WOULD TAKE 10, 12 YEARS, RIGHT. PROBABLY TO, TO SORT THAT OUT. I DON'T THINK WE CAN WAIT THAT LONG. WELL, I GET A LOT OF, UH, COMMENTS ON EMAILS ABOUT I JUST MOVED IN, MY CHILD IS GOING TO A SCHOOL THAT I PASS BY ANOTHER SCHOOL TO GET TO THE CHILD DOES TO GET TO THE SCHOOL. AND I SAID, YES, AND WE UNDERSTAND. AND IT'S, IT'S BECAUSE OF SPACING AND WE'LL WORK. WE'RE WORKING ON IT, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A SOLUTION OTHER THAN WHAT WE ARE DOING RIGHT NOW. BUT THAT'S, THAT, THAT ONLY LASTS SO LONG. SO, UH, THIS SEEMS TO ME, UH, AND I STARTED WORKING ON THIS PLAN, UH, SIX YEARS AGO WHEN WE WENT OUT AND LOOKED AND WENT TO EVERY SCHOOL AND LOOKED AT IT AND TALKED TO THE PRINCIPALS AND SAW WHERE WE WOULD PUT EXTRA ADDITIONS TO MAY RIVER AND ADDITIONS TO RIVER RIDGE AND ALL THOSE THINGS. THIS, THIS SOUNDS LIKE A VERY REASONABLE PLAN TO ME. OKAY. LET'S, UH, LET'S GET, UM, UM, MR. UH, PASTOR GORDON, HE'S GOT HIS HAND UP AND THEN WE'LL GET TO MR. DALLAS. YEAH, I'M JUST SAYING, WANTED TO SAY THAT WHEN WE START ADDING OR CHANGING ATTENDANCE ON PLEASE, LET'S, LET'S INCLUDE TRANSPORTATION BECAUSE, UH, A LOT OF IT IS GONNA DEPEND ON HOW THEY PUT THINGS TOGETHER ON THE ROAD. AND I KNOW FROM WORKING OVER THERE, ESPECIALLY IN THE BLUFFTON AREA, UM, 'CAUSE I WAS AREA SUPERVISOR OVER THERE ONE TIME WHEN I CAME BACK, UM, WE HAD INTRICATE MEETINGS ABOUT HOW I NEEDED TO CHANGE THINGS TO MAKE TRANSPORTATION MORE EFFICIENT. SO TRANSPORTATION NEEDS TO BE A PART OF THIS, THIS CONVERSATION. THAT'S A GOOD POINT. YEAH. GOOD POINT. UH, MR. DALLAS, I LEAN TOWARDS TWO TO FIVE, AS MS. FRAZIER SAID, BE A MORE COMPLETE OVERVIEW UNLESS I LEAN TOWARDS TWO TO FIVE, AS MS. FRAZIER SAID, BE A MORE COMPLETE OVERVIEW AND LET'S TRY TO GET IT DONE. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. MS. FRAZIER, I MAY BE GOING ON A TANGENT TOO, BUT DOES THAT ALIGN WITH ME HAVING MAY RIVER HIGH SCHOOL INSTEAD OF BLUFFTON HIGH SCHOOL AS DISTRICT RESTRICT TO? NO. SO THAT'S TWO SEPARATE? THOSE ARE TWO SEPARATE. DONE. YEAH. THAT'S [05:40:01] GREAT. YOUR ZONE, YOUR, YOUR DISTRICT AREAS ALIGN WITH COUNTY COUNCIL'S DISTRICT, UH OH. AND THOSE ARE ONLY ALIGNED EVERY, AFTER EVERY CENSUS. THEN THEY REDRAW THE LINES BASED ON POPULATION. SO THAT WON'T YOU'VE GOT A WHILE. . OKAY. YEAH. OKAY. OKAY. IF ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH, CAROL, AS ALWAYS. GREAT JOB. ALRIGHT. THAT IS THE END OF OUR LONG OH, NOT QUITE. I, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT. CAN WE PLEASE STOP PUTTING ITEMS ON THE AGENDA THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY EXPLANATION? UM, TODAY WAS THE, THE LADIES ISLAND CEMETERY. IT WAS JUST A MAP ON THE AGENDA WITH NO EXPLANATION AS TO WHY IT WAS THERE. I'M A KNUCKLE DRAGON MARINE. I NEED SOME TIME TO DO RESEARCH. I NEED, BUT IT ALSO STOPS ME FROM BEING ABLE TO PREPARE QUESTIONS TO BRING, TO TALK ABOUT IT. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, UM, IT TAKES A WHILE TO PICK OUT THE BEST GRANT TO TAKE NOTES WITH, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S, UH, IF, IF WE COULD PLEASE AT LEAST PUT A SENTENCE OR TWO OR THREE AS TO WHY IT'S ON THE AGENDA. SO LIKE SOMEBODY CAN DO AND IT ALLOWS FOR SOME, UH, YOU KNOW, OFF, UH, YOU KNOW, TOPIC CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN BOARD MEMBERS AS TO WHY IT'S ON THE AGENDA, THINGS LIKE THAT. UH, THAT WOULD BE TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL. GOOD POINT. GOOD POINT. WE'LL, WE'LL DO A BETTER JOB. OKAY. IF THERE'S NO OBJECTION, WE WILL ADJOURN UNDER UNANIMOUS CONSENT. THAT QUESTION VERY QUICKLY. UM, I KNOW WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH MAYOR RIVER ELEMENTARY, BUT WHAT'S THE STATUS OF A ROAD WITH PALMETTO BLUFF? I THINK THAT'S EXECUTIVE SESSION CONVERSATION. GOT IT. AND WE CAN, WE CAN HAVE THAT CONTRACT. WE HAVE TO TALK. OKAY. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.