[00:05:07] MIC] OKAY. THE TIME IS HERE. [00:05:10] I'D LIKE TO CALL THE SEPTEMBER 13TH MEETING OF BOARD OF EDUCATION ORDER, PLEASE. WE BEGIN OUR MEETINGS WITH A MOMENT OF SILENCE TO GATHER OUR THOUGHTS AND PREPARE FOR THE MEETING THAT'S BEFORE US. SO IF YOU WOULD JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE, AND WE'LL FOLLOW THAT WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. OKAY. THANK YOU. PLEASE STAND AND LET'S SAY THE PLEDGE. UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THE AGENDA HAS BEEN CIRCULATED TO BOARD MEMBERS AND TO THE PUBLIC. I'VE HAD NO FEEDBACK ABOUT SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGE, SO WE'LL APPROVE THEM, AGENDA AS SUBMITTED. WE HAVE ONE SET OF MINUTES REQUIRING APPROVAL, THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF AUGUST 23RD 22. IS THERE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS SUBMITTED. MOVED BY MS. RHINEHART-JACKSON, SECONDED BY MS. SHEALEY. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES. PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S EVERYONE. THE FIRST ITEM UNDER SPECIAL ORDERS OF BUSINESS IS PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. WE HAVE ONE REQUEST FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION THIS EVENING. THAT'S FROM ANDREW MCCASKILL, WHO WANTS TO SPEAK ABOUT ASVAB SUPPORT AND HE HAS REQUESTED SOME ADDITIONAL TIME FOR THIS PRESENTATION. IT'S VERY UNUSUAL THAT WE DO THAT. BUT SINCE THIS IS A PROGRAM, IT'S A VERY POSITIVE PROGRAM, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, I WOULD ACCEPT A MOTION FROM A BOARD MEMBER TO EXTEND SOME ADDITIONAL TIME TO SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. ALL RIGHT. MR. MCCASKILL. THANK YOU. IF YOU WOULD. THAT'D BE FINE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA TIME WITH THAT SPEAKING. WHAT I CAME HERE FOR IS TO SPEAK ABOUT THE ASVAB MILITARY ENTRANCE EXAM. I'D LIKE TO CALL CHIEF PETTY OFFICER [INAUDIBLE] AND STAFF SERGEANT [INAUDIBLE] UP AS WELL. THEY ARE AIKEN COUNTY RECRUITERS. COME ON DOWN. THE THE SITUATION BEING THAT WE. LET ME BACK UP. I'M A PARENT OF THREE CHILDREN THAT ARE GRADUATES OF AIKEN HIGH SCHOOL. AND TWO OF MY CHILDREN ARE ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY PERSONNEL. MY DAUGHTER IS A UNITED STATES MARINE AND MY SON IS A NAVY SAILOR. UNITED STATES NAVY SAILOR. YOU PROBABLY FIGURE OUT WHY I HAVE A MARINE, A SAILOR. AND WHAT'S HAPPENING IS, IS THE MILITARY OFFERS TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY, AND PARTICULARLY FOR STUDENTS WHO HAVE CHALLENGING BACKGROUNDS. I GAVE YOU ALL A PACKET YOU'LL SEE ON THIS FIRST PAGE I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT. THIS IS A YOUNG MAN I'VE WORKED WITH FOR MANY YEARS. HIS NAME IS JAMEL, AND I HAVE HIS PERMISSION TO SHARE A STORY. JAMEL IS A GRADUATE OF AIKEN HIGH SCHOOL. HAD SOME LEGAL HICCUPS. CHIEF BURNET WORKED VERY DILIGENTLY AND HARD, AND JAMEL GRADUATED AUGUST 12TH AND IS NOW A SAILOR IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY. NOT ONLY IS HE A SAILOR, HE'S MARRIED, HAS A SON THAT'S HIGH SPECIAL NEEDS IN THE NAVY, ACTUALLY HAS FAMILY SERVICES TO SUPPORT HIM. AND HE GOT A $25,000 SIGNING BONUS. NOT BAD WHEN YOU'RE 28. AND SO I THINK WHAT'S HAPPENING IS, IS THIS ASVAB TEST IS BECOMING A STUMBLING BLOCK FOR MANY STUDENTS IN AIKEN COUNTY AND KING OR MR. LAWRENCE, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG. I BELIEVE THE GRADUATE OR THE PASSING RATE FOR STUDENTS IS AT 40%. SO 40% OF STUDENTS TAKING OUR ASVAB TEST IN OUR SCHOOLS ARE THE ONLY ONES PASSING, MEANING 60% OR NOT. AND I THINK THAT'S A PROBLEM. I WANT TO LET THE RECRUITER SPEAK REAL BRIEFLY AND JUST SHARE FIRSTHAND AND THEN I'LL COME BACK. I THINK I HAVE A SOLUTION PLOT THAT DOESN'T COST MONEY, THAT CAN HELP IMPROVE OUR SITUATION. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS [INAUDIBLE] I AM THE AIKEN COUNTY MARINE CORPS RECRUITER, ALONE AND UNAFRAID. BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID, I COVER DOWN ON MOST OF THE AIKEN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS, INCLUDING USC, AIKEN AND ECONTECH. [00:10:04] JUST FROM MY EXPERIENCE, I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE SEVEN SHORT MONTHS. BUT JUST FROM MY EXPERIENCE, I'VE NOTICED. PRETTY MUCH HIT IT RIGHT ON THE HEAD. MR. MCCASKILL REGARDING ONE IN THREE PEOPLE THAT ARE HIGHLY INTERESTED IN. SERVING IN MILITARY SERVICE, WHETHER IT BE ARMY, NAVY, MARINE CORPS, WHATEVER. THEY DO HAVE CHALLENGING ISSUES WITH TAKING THE BASIC ASVAB. IT SHOULD BE ON A 10TH GRADE ACADEMIC LEVEL, MATHEMATICALLY SPEAKING, TO INCLUDE READING KNOWLEDGE, COMPREHENSION. I'VE KIND OF NOTICED A ONE IN THREE PASS RATE KIND OF REALLY HURTS OUR RECRUITING EFFORTS WHEN IT COMES TO CERTAIN JOBS AND THE NEEDS OF THE MARINE CORPS SPECIFICALLY. SO ACADEMICS IS SOMETHING THAT WE TAKE EXTREMELY SERIOUS IN THE MILITARY, SPECIFICALLY THE MARINE CORPS. FOR MYSELF, I TOOK IT SERIOUSLY WHEN I TOOK THE ASVAB. IT'S A ONE TIME ENTRY LEVEL. PRETTY MUCH DICTATES WHAT KIND OF MOS'S YOU CAN HAVE. OBVIOUSLY, THE HIGHER SCORE YOU HAVE, THE BETTER TECHNICAL JOBS YOU CAN QUALIFY FOR. SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN LIKE CYBERSECURITY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO SCORE PRETTY WELL, MATHEMATICALLY SPEAKING. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S HURTING US RIGHT NOW. SO I FEEL LIKE ANYTHING WE COULD DO TO KIND OF LEAN INTO THAT AND KIND OF PROMOTE, WHETHER IT BE WITHIN THE HIGH SCHOOLS OR WHATEVER, ANY TYPE OF PROGRAM, I MYSELF DON'T HAVE THE TIME, ENERGY OR EFFORT OR EVEN ALLOWED TO TUTOR, SO TO SPEAK. SO THEREFORE WE HAVE TO KIND OF RELY ON THE COMMUNITY OR PARENTS, EDUCATORS, ADMINISTRATORS, ANYTHING LIKE THAT TO KIND OF HELP US NOT ONLY ALIGN WITH WHAT THIS COUNTRY NEEDS AS FAR AS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, BUT MAKE SURE THAT THEY QUALIFY FOR THESE POSITIONS THAT THE MILITARY, SPECIFICALLY THE MARINE CORPS OFFER. SO ANYTHING THAT WOULD HELP THAT IN THIS COUNTY AND AIKEN COUNTY WOULD BE EXTREMELY BENEFICIAL, NOT JUST FOR ME, BUT AS FAR AS THE OTHER BRANCHES AS WELL. THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT IT. AGAIN, I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE SEVEN MONTHS. I'LL BE HERE FOR A FEW MORE YEARS. SO I'M THE GUY THAT THE STUDENTS OF ALL THE HIGH SCHOOLS IN AIKEN COUNTY THAT I COVER DOWN ON ARE GOING TO SEE I'M THE ONE THAT THEY'RE GOING TO TALK TO, INTERVIEW WITH THEIR PARENTS, WHATEVER IT IS. SO ANYTHING THAT Y'ALL WOULD NEED FOR ME TO HELP PROMOTE THIS, JUST LET ME KNOW. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MY NAME IS CHIEF [INAUDIBLE]. I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR FOUR YEARS NOW, SO I'VE KIND OF SEEN A LOT OF STUFF. I WAS TALKING TO MR. MCCASKILL EARLIER. I THINK THE FIRST YEAR IN 2018 WHEN WE GOT HERE, OUR STATION WAS ONLY A TWO MAN STATION, PUT IN ROUGHLY AROUND 50 PEOPLE. THE SECOND YEAR IS AROUND 60. COVID HIT AND I THINK EVERYBODY WENT TO KIND OF VIRTUAL LEARNING AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AND THAT'S WHERE WE STARTED SEEING THE DECREASE. I THINK WE PUT IT IN ROUGHLY AROUND 30 PEOPLE LAST YEAR AND ONLY 20 THIS YEAR. SO I MYSELF WOULD AGREE WITH [INAUDIBLE] STAFF SERGEANT G, AS I CALL HIM. BUT JUST A DECLINE, I WOULD SAY SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE FOUR YEARS, ONE IN THREE IS PROBABLY WHAT WE'RE GOING TO GET AND USUALLY THAT ONE IS GOING TO BE A 49 OR LESS ASVAB. SO, YOU KNOW, THE HIGHER YOU GET, OBVIOUSLY, THE BETTER JOBS YOU GET. ANYTHING ABOVE 50 IS CONSIDERED UPPER CATEGORY AND THAT'S WHEN JOBS STARTED OPENING UP. ANYTHING BELOW A 50 THAT'S KIND OF LIKE OUR YOU KNOW, BOTTOM JOBS. [INAUDIBLE] BUT FOR THE MOST PART, YEAH THOSE ONE AND THREE, IT'S USUALLY PRETTY LOW, YOU KNOW, IF WE GET ANYTHING ABOVE 50 THAT'S YEAH. I DON'T, I DON'T SEE THAT MUCH IN AIKEN IN THE FOUR YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, UM, THE HIGHEST, THE HIGHEST THAT I'VE SEEN HAS BEEN 95 OR 96, BUT THEY WEREN'T FROM SOUTH CAROLINA. SO, UM, YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT MY TAKE ON IT IS. I THINK THAT, I THINK THE VIRTUAL LEARNING THING KIND OF, KIND OF PUT A DAMPER ON SOME STUFF, OBVIOUSLY, BUT IT'S JUST ONE IN THREE IS A GOOD NUMBER. SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I HAVE. ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? I'VE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE. SO WHAT IS THE HIGH SCORE POSSIBLE? 99. SO IT'S KIND OF BASED OFF OF IT'S GOT A CURVE. SO A 50 IS A GOOD SCORE. A 31 WILL GET YOU INTO THE NAVY OR THE MARINES, BUT 31 ISN'T GOING TO GET YOU THE GREATEST JOB, YOU KNOW? SO THERE'S LIKE, YEAH, THERE MIGHT BE FIVE, FIVE JOBS YOU QUALIFY FOR. ANYTHING ABOVE 50 IS CONSIDERED GOOD UPPER CATEGORY SO. BUT USUALLY WE DON'T SEE THAT. I MEAN, I WOULD SAY ON AVERAGE AN AVERAGE WEEK. I'LL SEE 11, 12, 16. AND THESE ARE COULD BE JUNIORS, HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS, MAYBE ONE YEAR OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. [00:15:01] AND LIKE HE SAID, IT'S A 10TH GRADE. IT'S A 10TH GRADE CURRICULUM. SO THAT'S KIND OF MY TAKE ON WHAT I'VE SEEN. BUT IT'S DEFINITELY BEEN DECREASING IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS I'VE BEEN HERE. WE'VE ONLY PUT 20 PEOPLE IN THE NAVY THIS YEAR, SO. WE CAN DEFINITELY TALK TO THEM IN NINTH GRADE. IN 10TH GRADE, OBVIOUSLY WE CAN'T REALLY. BUT WE TELL HIM TO TAKE THE ASVAB AS MANY TIMES THEY CAN BECAUSE YOU CAN TAKE IT AND YOU CAN TAKE IT IN HIGH SCHOOL EVERY YEAR THEY HAVE IT. I THINK MOST, MOST SCHOOLS DO IT TWICE A YEAR SO THEY CAN TAKE IT AS MANY TIMES AS THEY WANT. BUT OBVIOUSLY, I MEAN, THEY NEED TO BE STUDYING THOSE, THOSE SECTIONS. IT'S GENERAL SCIENCE, ARITHMETIC, REASONING, MATH, KNOWLEDGE AND WORD KNOWLEDGE. SO IF THEY START YOUNG AND START STUDYING THAT KIND OF STUFF, MAYBE OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL AND STUFF, I THINK IT'LL BE BENEFICIAL. BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT, WHAT HE'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT HERE IN A MINUTE. I'VE SEEN I'VE SEEN KIDS COME IN AND GET VERY LOW SCORES AND THEN GO TO WHAT HE'S GOING TO KIND OF PITCH AND COME BACK AND PASS [INAUDIBLE]. AND IT IS WORKING. AND IT'S BEEN VERY BENEFICIAL TO ME AND G HERE. SO I DON'T WANT TO JUST LEAVE YOU ALL WITH A DOOM AND GLOOM. I'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ASVAB IN THIS FORM. IT KIND OF GIVES YOU THE NUMBERS. AGAIN, THE 31 IS THE MINIMUM PASSING SCORE. YOU'LL SEE ON THE THIRD PAGE. I ACTUALLY GOT THE TOTAL ASVAB SCORES FOR THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND FOR THE STUDENTS THAT ARE GOING IN TO MEPS, WHICH IS THEIR MILITARY ENTRANCE, IT'S THESE ARE THE KIDS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP SAID, HEY, I WANT TO BE A SAILOR, HEY, I WANT TO BE A MARINE, I WANT TO BE A SOLDIER. THEY'RE FINDING THAT THESE KIDS WHO ARE MOTIVATED TO GO IN THE MILITARY, THEY'RE HAVING AS OF AUGUST, THEY HAVE A 37% FAIL RATE. SO WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM. AGAIN, NOT BLAMING ANYBODY. IT'S A SITUATION WE HAVE. WE STARTED TWO YEARS AGO AT PARTNERSHIP WITH CHRIST CENTRAL AND THEY STARTED AN ASVAB TUTORIAL PROGRAM. AND THE WAY WE WERE WORKING WAS THE KIDS WOULD HAVE TO EXPRESS INTEREST IN THE MILITARY AND THEN THE RECRUITERS WOULD REFER THEM. AND WE HAVE SEEN KIDS GO FROM 12 TO 15 AND COME UP WITH PASSING SCORES. ONE OF THE STUDENTS, I DON'T HAVE A PICTURE OF THEM. HIS NAME IS [INAUDIBLE] A STUDENT THAT I'VE WORKED WITH FOR A LONG TIME. HE IS CURRENTLY IN HE'S SUFFERING BADLY. HE'S ON A MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE VISITING SPAIN, ITALY AND GREECE. HE'S SUFFERING TERRIBLY. BUT HE WAS A YOUNG MAN WHO CAME FROM A VERY CHALLENGING CIRCUMSTANCE, AND WE WERE ABLE TO HELP HIM AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET HIM ABOVE THAT 31 THRESHOLD. AND NOW HE'S A UNITED STATES SAILOR AND HE GOT A $14,000 SIGNING BONUS. SO HE'S ABLE TO HAVE SOME MEANS TO ACTUALLY DO MORE THAN LIFE THAN EXIST. SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE IS YOU'LL SEE THAT YOU'LL SEE A LETTER ON THE THIRD PAGE THAT ROGER FLOYD, WHO OVERSEES THE TUTORIAL PROGRAM, THE ASVAB TUTORIAL PROGRAM AT CHRIST CENTRAL, HE ALSO RUNS THE GED PROGRAM FOR CHRIST CENTRAL IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. CHRIST CENTRAL IS THE LARGEST PROVIDER OF GEDS IN SOUTH CAROLINA, BEHIND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, WHICH I THINK IS FAIRLY SIGNIFICANT. AND HE'S A RETIRED IBM EXECUTIVE AND ENGINEER, SO IS VERY GOOD AT COMPARTMENTALIZING SITUATIONS AND COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST IS CREATING AN ASVAB TUTORIAL PROGRAM IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS AND DR. HANKS TO YOUR QUESTION, WHAT CAN WE DO? LAST NIGHT I WAS AT THE AIKEN VETERANS COUNCIL AND SPEAKING TO THEM ABOUT THE SAME SITUATION AND THE AKIN THE AIKEN VETERANS COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO SEE ABOUT US CREATING A PARTNERSHIP WHERE WE HAVE A TUTORIAL PROGRAM WHERE WE HAVE VETERANS COMING IN AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE VETERANS, BUT COMING IN, HELPING OUR STUDENTS. FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE KNOW LIKE THE SAT, IF THE SAT OR THE ASVAB TEST IS NOVEMBER 15TH AND WE COME IN FOUR WEEKS PRIOR AND WE HAVE THESE VOLUNTEERS WILLING TO COME IN AND TUTOR OUR STUDENTS IF WE CAN GET THEM AT A NINTH GRADE FUNCTIONAL MATH LEVEL, THEN WE FOUND THAT GENERALLY THEY CAN PASS THE ASVAB. THE ASVAB ROUGHLY IS 50% MATH, 25% READING COMPREHENSION AND 25% VOCABULARY. SO OBVIOUSLY, IF WE CAN FOCUS ON THE MATH, WE HAVE THE MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK. [00:20:02] I WOULD LIKE TO ASK WITH PERMISSION IF WE COULD TRY THIS OUT AT AIKEN HIGH SCHOOL. INITIALLY, I MAY HAVE ALREADY TALKED TO ONE OF THE VICE PRINCIPALS OVER THERE ABOUT THIS. SOME OF YOU ALL KNOW I'M A PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER. BUT WHAT I WANT, WHAT I WHAT I BELIEVE IS, IS WITH THIS EXTRA SUPPORT, WE CAN GET STUDENTS PASSING THE ASVAB, GIVING THEM OPPORTUNITIES. WE'RE NOT WE'RE NOT SOLICITING KIDS. WE'RE NOT TRYING TO SAY, HEY, YOU NEED TO JOIN THE MILITARY. WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. ADDITIONALLY, IF A CHILD IF A PARTICULARLY A SENIOR PASSES THE ASVAB, THEN THEY ALSO QUALIFY UNDER THE SCHOOL REPORT CARD AS CAREER READY. SO WE HAVE THE BENEFIT OF NOT ONLY HELPING STUDENTS MOVE FORWARD IN LIFE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE SCHOOL CAREER READY SCORES, WHICH I THINK EVERYBODY WALKS AWAY WITH A WIN WIN SITUATION. AND WOULD LOVE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WANT TO THROW DARTS. EXCEPT FOR JASON, HE'S NOT ALLOWED TO. YES, SIR. SPECIFIC TO WHICH BRANCH AND SPECIFIC TO JOB. WHICH JOB HE, HE OR SHE THE SCORE AFFECTS THAT, FOR EXAMPLE. I HATE TO SAY THIS PUBLICLY, BUT MY SON, WHO'S A SAILOR, HE SCORED HE SCORED ABOVE 50. HE QUALIFIED TO BE A MACHINIST MATE. AND HE'S GOING ON TO SERVE IN ON A SUBMARINE. SO MY SON GOT A $40,000 SIGNING BONUS. I TRIED TO ENLIST AND THEY KEPT LAUGHING AT ME. I DON'T KNOW. I THOUGHT IT WAS AGE DISCRIMINATION MYSELF. BUT. BUT IT'S GOING TO BE DETERMINED BY WHICH BRANCH, WHAT YOUR JOB IS. AND THE ASVAB SCORE IS DIRECTLY INVOLVED WITH THAT OPPORTUNITY. THE MARINES DON'T GIVE A LOT OF BONUSES. THE NAVY AND THE ARMY RIGHT NOW ARE GIVING A LOT. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE AIR FORCE. MR. CRANE. I TAKE UMBRAGE AT THE COMMENT FROM THE SPEAKER. BUT IN ALL SERIOUSNESS, GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, FIRST OF ALL, AND THANK ALL OF YOU ALL FOR BRINGING THIS TO US. WE'VE GOT VETERANS SITTING UP HERE. I'M NOT ONE OF THEM. MY FATHER WAS A VETERAN, IS A VETERAN. AND I TOOK THE ASVAB BACK WHEN I WAS A STUDENT. AND THIS IS A QUESTION BECAUSE I JUST DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER. SO WHOEVER WANTS TO ANSWER THIS. WHEN I WHEN I TOOK IT, I KNOW YOU COULD TAKE IT THERE IN SCHOOL. ARE THESE NUMBERS AN AGGREGATE? THE THE 40% NUMBER? IS THAT AN AGGREGATE OF STUDENTS THAT ARE TAKING THE ASVAB ON THEIR CAMPUS AS WELL AS OTHER FOLKS TAKING THE ASVAB? MY UNDERSTANDING IS, IS THE 40. MR. LAWRENCE, PLEASE CORRECT ME. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE 40% PASS RATE IS AIKEN COUNTY STUDENTS AGGREGATE FROM OUR HIGH SCHOOLS. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WELL, I APPRECIATE THE THOUGHTS HERE. AND OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A PROGRAM THAT WORKS [INAUDIBLE] ALREADY OUT THERE. AND WE TALK A LOT ABOUT PREPARING FOLKS FOR THEIR NEXT STEP IN LIFE, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THAT IS. RIGHT. THERE'S A LOT OF WAYS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE AND WHETHER THAT'S GOING FOR MORE SCHOOL, WHETHER THAT'S GOING TO THE MILITARY TRADE SCHOOL OR STRAIGHT INTO THE WORKFORCE, IT DOESN'T MATTER. BUT THIS IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY THAT'S BEEN MISSED FOR A LOT OF OUR KIDS. AND I, FOR ONE, WOULD CERTAINLY SUPPORT ANYTHING HERE, ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE OF LOOKS LIKE THE LEGWORK IS MOSTLY DONE AND IT'S NOT GOING TO COST THE TAXPAYERS ANYTHING. THAT IS THAT IS HOW WE ARE SETTING IT UP. WELL, I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THIS TO US AND I LOOK FORWARD TO FLESHING THIS OUT. THERE'S SOME COMPELLING, COMPELLING DATA AS YOU GO THROUGH SOME OF THE SCHOOLS, AND I APPRECIATE HAVING SEVERAL YEARS TO LOOK AT AS WELL. AND I'M SORRY I WAS NOT ABLE TO GET THE BREAKDOWN PRIOR OR AFTER THE 2019 DATE. JUST WE TRIED THREE OR FOUR DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET IT, AND I WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL. MR. MCCASKILL. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU HAVE MET WITH MR. LAWRENCE AND THAT YOU ALL HAVE WORKED OUT A PROGRAM WHEREBY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS GIVEN TENTATIVE APPROVAL TO. YES, MR. [INAUDIBLE] I'LL JUST NEED TO WORK THROUGH THE ADMINISTRATION AND COUNSELING OFFICE AT AIKEN HIGH. YES, SIR. SO WE'RE REALLY GOOD TO GO. WE DON'T NEED TO TAKE ANY ACTION, I DON'T BELIEVE. [00:25:01] THE ONLY THING I ASK IS, IS THAT WE BE ALLOWED TO DO IT AT AIKEN. AND THEN AND I KNOW WE CAN DO IT AT AIKEN AND BE SUCCESSFUL, BUT THEN BE ABLE TO TAKE IT TO THE OTHER SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICT. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS I WANTED TO COME TO THE BOARD. WELL, WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR. I'M SORRY. DITTO ON WHAT MR. CRANE SAID. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION AND YOUR SERVICE. I'M A FORMER NAVY OFFICER. GO, NAVY CHIEF. EXCELLENT PROGRAM. I ABSOLUTELY KNOW THAT THE NAVY, THE ARMY, ANY OF THE BRANCHES CAN BE AN OPTION TO KIDS. THEY JUST HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT IT. SO ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO BOOST THOSE SCORES AND THIS IS A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM. I KNOW IT'S NOT JUST AIKEN COUNTY. YES, MA'AM. YES, MA'AM. YEAH, I'M ON BOARD FOR SURE. AND THE OTHER PART WE WANT TO DO IS WITH THE TUTORING. WE ALSO WANT TO BRING IN THE RECRUITERS FOR IN SOME OF THAT TUTORING, NOT AGAIN, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO FORCE ANYBODY TO DO ANYTHING, BUT AGAIN, TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT'S AVAILABLE. AND TO YOUR QUESTION, MR. SMITH, LOOKING AT WHAT'S AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO TO COMPARE APPLES AND ORANGES. OKAY. AS AN ARMY VET, I WOULD BE REMISS TO LET YOU ALL STAND UP THERE. AND THE ARMY'S NOT REPRESENTED. I'M ARMY BRAT. AN ARMY BRAT. SO SOME OF Y'ALL MIGHT JUST SAY I'M A BRAT, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS WELL. AND I AM IN FULL SUPPORT OF THIS AS WELL. THANK YOU. WELL, GOOD AGAIN THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. WE APPRECIATE IT. WE APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AND WE'LL SUPPORT YOU IN EVERY WAY WE CAN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. WE HAVE SEVERAL NEW STAFF MEMBERS. [INAUDIBLE] I'M GOING TO ASK MR. LAWRENCE TO MAKE THE INTRODUCTION OF SOME OF OUR NEW KEY STAFF MEMBERS. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, WE ARE PLEASED TO HAVE A COUPLE OF NEW FACES WITH US THIS EVENING. I WANT TO START WITH OUR NEW COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION, MERRY GLENNE PICCOLINO. AND WE ALWAYS TRY TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE. YOUR FIRST OFFICIAL AIKEN COUNTY MUG. I NEED THAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU ALL. GLAD TO BE BACK. OKAY. SURE. ALSO FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS EVENING, WE'VE GOT OUR NEW CHIEF INSTRUCTIONAL OFFICER, DR. AMY EDWARDS. SO AMY. [INAUDIBLE] YOUR FIRST OFFICIAL MUG. [INAUDIBLE] I'M PRETTY SURE THAT WE HAVE INTRODUCED LIEUTENANT GASKINS, WHO IS OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF SAFETY AND SECURITY. BUT I WANT TO INTRODUCE HER AGAIN. I DON'T HAVE YOUR MUG. IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR MUG, I'LL GET YOU. SHE HAS HER MUG. GOOD. SO WE WANT TO WELCOME VICKY ALSO TONIGHT. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR [APPLAUSE]. THANK YOU. WELCOME ALL OF YOU. AND WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU IN THE FUTURE AND EXPECT WONDERFUL THINGS TO HAPPEN BECAUSE YOU'RE HERE. OFFICE OF BOARD CHAIRMAN. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING MUCH. I WAS GOING TO ALERT THE BOARD THAT NEXT AT THE NEXT MEETING, MR. LAWRENCE IS GOING TO GIVE US AN UPDATE ON HIS GOALS FOR THE YEAR AND WHAT HE HAS ACCOMPLISHED. AND WE WILL BEGIN THE SUPERINTENDENT'S EVALUATION WITH THAT. INDIVIDUAL ITEMS. THE FIRST ITEM IS PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS. WE HAVE A LIST OF INDIVIDUALS WHO'VE BEEN RECOMMENDED FOR EMPLOYMENT BY THE HR DEPARTMENT AND YOU'VE BEEN FURNISHED WITH THAT LIST. I NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE LIST AS SUBMITTED. MOVED BY DR. HANKS. SECONDED BY MS. SHEALEY. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR. PLEASE SIGNIFY YOUR APPROVAL OF THIS LIST BY RAISING YOUR HAND. THAT'S EVERYONE. WE HAVE A POLICY THAT NEEDS TO BE APPROVED ON SECOND READING IT'S THE REVISION OF POLICY IHAQ CAREER TRANSITION TO WORK EDUCATION, ON SECOND READING IS THERE MOTION TO APPROVE POLICY [00:30:09] IHAQ? MOVED BY MS. RHINEHART-JACKSON SECOND AGAIN BY MS. SHEALEY. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE ALL IN FAVOR OF PASSING THIS POLICY REVISION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S EVERYONE. THE THIRD ITEM IS A PROPOSAL TO ADDRESS BUS, RIGHT? BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE. MR. TRAXLER, YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT? YES, SIR. GOOD EVENING, DR. BRADLEY. MR. LAWRENCE, BOARD MEMBERS. AS OF THIS AFTERNOON, WE HAD 34 BUS DRIVER VACANCIES THAT'S 28 FULL TIME, 6 PART TIME. I THINK WE MAY HAVE ONE IN PROCESS RIGHT NOW. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE CONTINUED TO DEAL WITH OVER THE YEARS, BUT ESPECIALLY THESE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. LAST YEAR, IN OCTOBER, OUR BOARD APPROVED TWO TWO BONUSES AS WE AS WE WORK TO BRING IN AND RETAIN MORE BUS DRIVERS. ONE OF THEM WAS A SIGNING BONUS. IT WAS $1,000 WHERE I SAID AT THE TIME THAT IT CONTINUE THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH OF THIS YEAR. SO TO GET US A LITTLE BIT THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. THE OTHER ITEM THAT THE BOARD APPROVED WAS A BUS DRIVER RETENTION BONUS. IT WAS GOING TO BE BASED ON OR IT WAS BASED ON BUS DRIVERS ATTAINING A CERTAIN NUMBER OF DRIVE DAYS, PHYSICALLY DRIVING DAYS DURING EACH QUARTER. AND WE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS WITH THAT. I LOOKED BACK AT THE FOURTH QUARTER OF THIS PAST YEAR AND WE HAD 120 BUS DRIVERS THAT QUALIFIED FOR THAT RETENTION BONUS. BUT WE ALSO WANTED TO LOOK AT SOMETHING THAT WAS MORE PERMANENT. AGAIN, WE CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH THAT SHORTAGE. SO IN THIS AGENDA ITEM, WE'RE ASKING FOR BOARD CONSIDERATION FOR TWO ITEMS. THE FIRST IS CONTINUATION OF THAT SIGN ON BONUS THAT WAS SCHEDULED TO SUNSET IN A FEW WEEKS. CONTINUING THAT THROUGH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, $1,000 BONUS OVERALL, BUT MANY OF THE SAME PARAMETERS APPLY THERE. NOT MUCH CHANGE OUTSIDE OF THE THE END DATE ON THAT. THE OTHER ITEM THAT WE'RE ASKING THE BOARD TO CONSIDER IS A $1 PER HOUR INCREASE ON THE BUS DRIVER PAY SCALE. WE'VE ATTACHED A COPY OF OF A SALARY SCHEDULE EXCERPT. IF THE IF THE BOARD APPROVES THAT WHAT THAT NEW PAY SCALE WOULD LOOK LIKE. AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT NOT ONLY RECRUITMENT OF BUS DRIVERS, BUT RETAINING THOSE AND BEING MORE COMPETITIVE WITH SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS THERE. I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. WE DO HAVE A COST ESTIMATE THERE ON THE PAY SCALE. THE SIGNING BONUSES IS A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO GAUGE BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO BE BASED ON FOLKS THAT QUALIFY HOW MANY HIRES WE HAVE. BUT IF IF WE FILLED ALL 34, LET'S SAY OF THOSE CURRENT ONES THAT DIDN'T LOSE ANYONE ELSE IN THE MEANWHILE, WITH [INAUDIBLE] AND EVERYTHING, WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT ABOUT $40,000 FOR THAT ONE. MR. CRANE. WELL, THANK YOU, MR. TRAXLER. IT'S VERY IT'S A VERY COMPELLING PROPOSAL, VERY COMPELLING SOLUTION TO OUR PROBLEM, WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY, IF PASSES, WILL WILL REAP SOME GOOD REWARDS FOR US. AS FAR AS THE COST OF THE OF THE DOLLAR. I WON'T TALK ABOUT THE THOUSAND DOLLAR BONUS [INAUDIBLE] KIND OF IN FLUX, BUT THAT'S $300,000 OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND AND OUR BUDGET'S PRETTY PRETTY CLOSE TO THE CHEST AS IT IS. $300,000 DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A LOT. AND FOR WHAT WE'RE WHAT WE'RE HOPEFULLY GOING TO GET FOR IT, IT'S REALLY NOT. BUT ASSURE ME THAT WE'RE NOT CREATING ANOTHER PROBLEM FOR OURSELVES. I DON'T THINK WE ARE AND AN IMPORTANT POINT, KEEP IN MIND, IS THAT WE HAVE BUS DRIVERS RIGHT NOW THAT ARE DOUBLE AND TRIPLE ROUTING. SO THEY'RE GETTING OVERTIME ON TOP OF OVERTIME, WELL IN EXCESS OF WHAT THEY TYPICALLY WOULD. SO IF WE HIRE SOME FOLKS THAT TAKE SOME OF THAT BURDEN AWAY, WE'RE GOING TO BE WE'RE GOING TO BE PAYING ADDITIONAL BUS DRIVERS. AT STRAIGHT TIME OR PAYING LESS OVERTIME. SO WE COULD HAVE SOME OFFSET THERE BUT REALLY IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE, [00:35:04] IT'S GOING TO CONTINUE TO GROW, PERHAPS. IS THIS I KNOW YOU SAID THIS BRINGS US IN LINE WITH SOME OF OUR PEER DISTRICTS. HAVE OTHER DISTRICTS DONE THIS AND SEEN RESULTS? AS FAR AS INCREASED PAY, WE WE HAVE A VERY CLOSE NEIGHBOR THAT STILL HAS BUS DRIVER PAY A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN OURS. AND WE BELIEVE THEY'VE SEEN SOME SUCCESS. WE THINK THAT THIS WILL MAKE US MORE COMPETITIVE. AND THIS IS AFTER THIS BUDGET PROCESS, YOU MAY RECALL, INCLUDED A 4.65% COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT. SO IT WAS HIGHER THAN THE COLA FOR FOR ALL OTHER EMPLOYEES AND A STEP INCREASE. WE'RE TAKING AN ADDITIONAL STEP HERE OR OR RECOMMENDING AN ADDITIONAL STEP HERE. WELL, MY FINAL COMMENT TO THIS, I SUPPORT IT AND I'LL SUPPORT IT HERE IN JUST A MINUTE. AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN MAYBE ENCOURAGE OUR FRIENDS AT THE LEGISLATURE TO HELP US OUT WITH THIS SITUATION AS WELL, AND NOT JUST FOR BUS DRIVERS, BUT FOR SOME OTHER POSITIONS. AND I'LL I'LL JUST LEAVE THAT OUT THERE. I KNOW THEY I KNOW THEY WATCH THESE AND LISTEN TO WHAT WE HAVE TO SAY TO THEM. SO. OKAY. MR. NUESSLE THEN MR. SMITH YEAH. TWO QUESTIONS. SO JUST FOR FRAME OF REFERENCE, HOW MANY HOURS WHAT'S THE SCHEDULE OF BUS DRIVER? HOW MANY HOURS DO THEY WORK IN A WEEK? IT REALLY CAN VARY. WE HAVE SOME THAT. OUR MAJORITY ARE FULL TIME, WHICH IS 30 PLUS. BUT WE HAVE SOME FOLKS THAT ARE LIKELY DRIVING 40 PLUS, MAYBE 50 HOURS A WEEK. NOT DRIVE A BUS FULL TIME, BUT THEY WORK IN OTHER CAPACITIES. MAYBE THEY'RE AN AIDE AND A BUS DRIVER. SO I UNDERSTAND NOW. SO OUR BUS DRIVER, IF WE'RE NOT BEING ABLE TO HIRE BUS DRIVERS, THEY'RE NOT THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE BUS DRIVERS IN SOME OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICT. RIGHT. THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING ELSE. AND I'M JUST JUST WHERE I'M GOING WITH THIS IS ARE ARE ARE WE SATISFIED WITH THE AMOUNT THAT'S ON HERE BECAUSE A TEENAGER CAN GO MAKE $15 AN HOUR AT TARGET. AND THEY DON'T HAVE A CDL. AND SO I'M JUST. WHAT DID WE DO? WHAT DID WE DO? WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO GO? WHERE ARE THEY WORKING? AND WHAT ARE THEY MAKING WHERE THEY'RE WORKING? I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IT'S ENOUGH TO KEEP TRACK PEOPLE AND KEEP PEOPLE. WELL, WE BELIEVE AND MAYBE MRS. HART COULD HELP ME OUT ON THIS, BUT WE WE ARE WE'RE AWARE OF SOME THAT HAVE GONE TO OTHER DISTRICTS OR GONE TO OTHER INDUSTRY. BUT WE ALSO, IN MY MIND, WE ALSO HAD TO KEEP IN MIND OUR THE REST OF OUR PAY SCALE, TOO, AND AND HOW THAT PLAYS OUT AS WELL. MR. SMITH. POINT. I DROVE ONE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND I DROVE ONE FOR SEVERAL YEARS AFTER I CAME INTO THE PROFESSION. IT IS A THANKLESS JOB. IT IS A JOB THAT PRETTY MUCH FOLKS GO UNAPPRECIATED. BECAUSE TO SIT BACK IN A CHAIR AND THINK, WE'RE DRIVING A BUS. THERE'S NOTHING TO THAT. WHAT FOLKS DOESN'T REALIZE, AND I HOPE I'M TRYING TO EDUCATE MY PEERS A LITTLE BIT, IS THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON. THERE'S THINGS GOING ON BEHIND YOU. YOU'VE GOT A BIG MIRROR. YOU'RE TRYING TO WATCH THEM. YOU'RE TRYING TO WATCH THE TRAFFIC. YOU'RE TRYING TO WATCH YOUR SIDE MIRRORS. ANY DISTRACTION WILL PULL YOUR EYES TO THAT MIRROR. MY POINT FOR SAYING THIS IS THIS. I'VE TALKED WITH A LOT OF FOLKS ABOUT DRIVING. PAY, I'M ALL FOR PAYING THEM WHATEVER WE CAN. BUT AS MR. JASON SAID OVER THERE, WE GOT TO LET OUR LEGISLATORS KNOW THAT THE $8 AN HOUR THEY GIVE US FOR BUS DRIVERS IS NOT HELPING US. FINALLY, I'M FOR INCREASING IT. BUT MORE ALL OF US UP HERE TO REALIZE. ITS BEHAVIOR IS ONE OF THE MAIN PROBLEMS WITH PEOPLE NOT WANTING TO DRIVE A BUS. AND WE'VE GOT TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT WHEN WE DEAL WITH THESE SITUATIONS. RIDING A BUS IS NOT AN HONOR OR NOT A GIVEN. IT'S A PRIVILEGE. WE DON'T WANT TO PUT NO ONE OUT. BUT WHEN KIDS CONTINUALLY BREAK THE RULES AND WHEN BUS DRIVERS CONTINUALLY WRITE THEM UP, WE NEED TO SEE IF IT'S CONCRETE AND WE NEED [00:40:07] TO DEAL WITH THOSE SITUATIONS. WE'VE GOT TO HELP THEM PAY WISE AS WELL AS WE'VE GOT TO SUPPORT THEM AND BACK THEM SO THEY CAN KEEP THOSE BUSSES SAFE. MRS. RHINEHART-JACKSON. IT'S NOT OFTEN THAT I SAY THIS, BUT I AGREE WITH MR. SMITH. I AM IN FULL SUPPORT OF THIS THIS MOVE, AND I AGREE THAT WE REALLY NEED TO CONSIDER THE PAY AND A BUS DRIVERS WORTH. AND THAT'S ALL I GOT TO SAY. SMITH'S QUESTION MAY BE PART OF THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION, AND THAT IS EITHER MR. TRAXLER OR MS. HART OR ANYONE THAT KNOWS IS DO WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHY PEOPLE THAT WE HIRE ARE LEAVING? PERHAPS PAY IS PART OF IT, PERHAPS DISCIPLINE'S PART OF IT. I MEAN, HAVE WE MADE AN EFFORT TO GET A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHY PEOPLE DON'T STAY SO WE CAN ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES? CHAIRMAN, DR. BRADLEY. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MR. LAWRENCE, YOU BRING UP A VERY GOOD QUESTION OF WHY DO PEOPLE STAY? AND I CAN'T TELL YOU DEFINITIVELY WHY EVERYONE STAYS, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT WE ARE PILOTING A STAY INTERVIEW PROGRAM BEGINNING THIS YEAR AND TRANSPORTATION IS PARTICIPATING IN THAT. SO THE STAY INTERVIEW PROCESS IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN AN EXIT INTERVIEW AND FINDING INFORMATION AND TALKING WITH EACH EMPLOYEE AND DETERMINING WHAT MAKES THEM STAY. WHAT MIGHT PROMPT THEM TO LEAVE? WHAT ARE THINGS WE CAN DO DIFFERENTLY? AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO BEGIN THAT PROCESS SO THAT I CAN PROVIDE MORE DETAILED INFORMATION TO YOU ON WHY PEOPLE SAY, I KNOW PEOPLE MAY LEAVE. THEY CAN TELL US IT'S COMPENSATION OR THEY CAN TELL US IT'S SCHEDULE, OR THEY CAN TELL US IT'S WORKLOAD OR THEY CAN TELL US IT'S BEHAVIOR. ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE REASONS THAT PEOPLE TELL US THAT THEY LEAVE, BUT IT WILL BE VERY INTERESTING TO OBTAIN BETTER INFORMATION ON WHY PEOPLE STAY. GOOD. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING THAT BECAUSE WE DO HAVE SOME LONG TENURED BUS DRIVERS. RIGHT. BUT BUT BUT THERE'S A BIT OF A REVOLVING DOOR THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND. YES, SIR. WHY IT'S SPINNING. SO THANK YOU. YES, SIR. THAT'S RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. I DON'T MEAN TO PUT HIM ON THE SPOT, BUT I AM GOING TO PUT HIM ON THE SPOT. MR. ROWLAND, WOULD YOU MIND COMING TO SPEAK TO US? YOU DON'T HAVE TO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO. BUT AS A BUS DRIVER. AND YOU'RE IN THE ROOM. CAN YOU GIVE US OUR THOUGHTS ON MR. SILAS QUESTIONS, PLEASE? YOUR THOUGHTS ON MR. SILAS QUESTION. GOOD EVENING, CHAIRMAN. SUPERINTENDENT LAWRENCE, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MY QUESTION WAS REALLY, HAVE WE MADE AN EFFORT? DO WE DO WE FEEL LIKE WE KNOW ARE ENGAGED BUS DRIVERS, THE ONES THAT STAY OR PERHAPS ONES THAT LEAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHY ARE THE ONES THAT ARE STAYING STAY AND WHY ARE THE ONES THAT ARE LEAVING LEAVE? WHAT ARE THE ISSUES? IS IT IS IT BEHAVIOR ON BUSSES? IS IT PAY? IS IT ADMIN SUPPORT? IS IT WORKLOAD ALL THOSE WHAT WHAT DO YOU SEE HERE? IT'S A MIXTURE OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT YOU HEAR OR YOU SEE WHAT PEOPLE LEAVE. A GOOD BIT OF IT IS COMPENSATION. YOU KNOW SOME AND THE WORK LOAD PART, BASICALLY SOMEONE CAN GO DRIVE A DUMP TRUCK WITH A CDL LICENSE AND NOT DEAL WITH 50 KIDS BEHIND THEM. YOU KNOW, AS MS. HART SAID, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE LIKE AN EXIT OR [INAUDIBLE] WHY PEOPLE COME OR WHY PEOPLE LEAVE AS OF RIGHT NOW. BUT THOSE ARE JUST KIND OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO HAVE. IS THIS BASICALLY GOING TO TRY [INAUDIBLE] AND SOME OF THEM DO COME BACK AFTER THEY GO TRY OUT CERTAIN OTHER OCCUPATIONS. THEY ACTUALLY COME BACK AND DRIVE FOR US BECAUSE THEY SEE, OH, IT MIGHT NOT BE AS GREAT AS IT MAY SEEM, BUT THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO HAVE. IT CAN BE JUST A MIXTURE OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT RIGHT NOW IT'S KIND OF COMPENSATION WISE WITH THE MARKETING JUST OPENING BACK UP AND WITH COVID, YOU KNOW, AND DIFFERENT THINGS EVERYBODY'S TRYING DIFFERENT STUFF. EVERYBODY HAS DIFFERENT SIGN ON BONUSES, EVERYBODY HAVING DIFFERENT PAY. SO PEOPLE ARE GOING AND EXPERIENCING AND TRYING THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS AND SEE IF IT WORKS FOR THEM. SO EVERYBODY IS TRYING TO IT'S A IT'S A SMALL POOL OF PEOPLE. EVERYBODY IS TRYING TO PULL THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAVE CDL LICENSE. DO BUS DRIVERS GET BENEFITS AND DO YOU. [00:45:08] THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU, SIR. JUST QUICKLY, THEY GET BENEFITS AT WHAT POINT? WHEN THEY'RE HIRED [INAUDIBLE] IF THEY'RE A FULL TIME DRIVER. THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AT WHAT IS CONSIDERED A FULL TIME DRIVER? 6 HOURS OR MORE. I'LL ADD TO THIS, WE HAVE SOME INDIVIDUALS THAT WORK IN OTHER CAPACITIES TOO THAT MAY BE WORKING PART TIME. AS AN EXAMPLE, WE MAY HAVE SOMEONE THAT WORKS 4 HOURS A DAY IN SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE, AND WE'VE TRIED TO MARRY THAT, OFFERED THEM OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK ON THE BUS TOO. SO BETWEEN THOSE TWO POSITIONS, THEY WILL QUALIFY FOR BENEFITS, RECEIVE THE ADDITIONAL PAY. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH TOO. THANK YOU, MR. ROWLAND, FOR LETTING ME PUT YOU ON THE SPOT. I APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. WE'VE GOT YOU'VE HEARD THE PROPOSAL. I'LL ASK FOR A MOTION AT THIS POINT. DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE ALL IN FAVOR PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. NOTE THOSE ARE APPROVED. THE NEXT ITEM IS PLANNING FOR THE NEW CAREER CENTER ON THE AIKEN TECHNICAL COLLEGE CAMPUS. DR. MURPHY. MR. CHAIR, BEFORE BEFORE DR. MURPHY STARTS, I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE DR. FOREST MAHAN IS IN THE AUDIENCE. HE'S THE PRESIDENT OF AIKEN TECHNICAL COLLEGE. SO IF WE GET TO A POINT WHERE THE BOARD WANTS TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS, HE'S AVAILABLE TO HELP US ANSWER THEM. ALL RIGHT. WELL, GOOD EVENING, MR. CHAIRMAN. BOARD MEMBERS AND MR. LAWRENCE, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO FIND OUT THIS SUMMER THAT AS PART OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY'S BUDGET, THEY DID INCLUDE A $30 MILLION PAYMENT AS PART OF THAT SETTLEMENT FOR THE STORAGE OF PLUTONIUM AT THE SAVANNAH RIVER SITE. AND FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROCESS, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM IS WORKING WITH A CONTEXT TEAM TO TRY TO FIND WAYS WE COULD PARTNER TO GET MORE BANG FOR OUR BUCK PER SAY IF YOU HAVE THE SITES CO-LOCATED. SO BASICALLY TONIGHT WE'RE GOING TO ASK THAT YOU ALL APPROVE THAT THAT PLAN OF ACTION AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN OUR PLANNING PHASES WITH THE THE NEW AIKEN COUNTY CAREER CENTER. OKAY. IS THERE MOTION? RHINEHART-JACKSON, SECONDED BY MR. CRANE. THE MOTION REALLY IS TO APPROVE STATE THAT IN THE FORM OF A MOTION, MS. RHINEHART. MY THOUGHT THERE. CAN YOU RESTATE WHAT YOU SAID? [INAUDIBLE] WE JUST WANT WE WOULD LIKE FOR YOU ALL'S PERMISSION TO PURSUE BUILDING THE NEW AIKEN COUNTY CAREER CENTER ON THE SITE OF AIKEN TECHNICAL COLLEGE. I PROPOSED THAT WE MOVE, A MOTION THAT WE, WHAT HE SAID. [LAUGHTER] OKAY. WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION. MR. NUESSLE. AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, REALLY, FOR ANYBODY THAT'S LISTENING TO THE DISCUSSION, WE'RE NOT APPROVING BUDGETS OR PLANS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT WE'RE APPROVING A PATH FORWARD TO GO DO THIS ON THE PROPERTY, THAT'S AIKEN TECHNICAL COLLEGE. AND SO WE'RE WE'RE WE'RE APPROVING A PATH FORWARD, NOT ANY OFFICIAL PLAN OR PROJECT. YES, SIR. AND EACH STEP THAT REQUIRES BOARD APPROVAL WILL WILL ONLY COME BACK TO THE BOARD. MR. CRANE. THANK YOU, DR. MAHAN, FOR BEING WITH US. I APPRECIATE THAT. I ALWAYS APPRECIATE JOINT PARTNERSHIPS WITH OUR OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE DEDICATED TO EDUCATION. I APPRECIATE THE LEGISLATURE SEEING FIT TO GIVE US $30 MILLION OUT OF THE [INAUDIBLE] SETTLEMENT TOWARDS THIS, I THINK THIS BIG A VERY EXCELLENT THING FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA ON TIMETABLE? THANK. THANKFULLY, WE'RE NOT BUILDING A SCHOOL WITH ESSER MONEY THAT WE HAVE A YEAR AND A HALF TO DO OR WHATEVER THAT TIMELINE IS. BUT WE HAVE A THOUGHT ON THAT. WELL, I HAVE BEEN IN DISCUSSION WITH THE ARCHITECTS AND LOOKING AT THE PLANNING PHASE OF IT ALL. BUT WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK AND TALK WITH THE STAFF AND FACULTY AT THE NATIONAL CAREER CENTER NOW. [00:50:01] AND WE'VE BEEN MAKING SOME SITE VISITS, SO I WOULD LOOK, AT THIS POINT IN TIME. WE'RE 24 MONTHS OUT AT THE VERY LEAST, BECAUSE WE HAVE WE HAVEN'T EVEN BEGUN WITH THE DESIGN PHASE. OKAY. THANK YOU. SILAS? IN THINKING AHEAD, ARE WE TALKING NEW BUILDING OR ARE WE TALKING ABOUT RETROFITTING A CURRENT BUILDING? WHAT'S BEEN SOME OF THE DISCUSSION CURRENTLY? AIKEN TECH HAS DEMOLISHED AN AREA, SO WE'RE JUST GOING TO LEASE THAT PIECE OF LAND AND WE'RE GOING TO TOTALLY CONSTRUCT OUR BUILDING NEW. ANYBODY ELSE? [INAUDIBLE] JUST TO HOP IN ON THAT. AS FAR AS LEASING. WE'VE HAD SOME OFFLINE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT CONCEPTUAL HERE. AS FAR AS LEASING BE SOMETHING LIKE A 99 YEAR LEASE THAT WOULD BE WELL BEYOND THE LIFESPAN OF ANY BUILDING THAT WOULD GO UP, BECAUSE SOMEONE MAY BE CONCERNED ABOUT WHY ARE WE BUILDING SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO LEASE OR SOMETHING? IS THAT CORRECT? YES, SIR. WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT LEAST THAT WOULD THAT WOULD EXCEED THE TYPICAL LIFESPAN OF THE BUILDING. SO THE CURRENT BUILDING THAT WE ARE ABANDONING AS A CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER IS ABOUT 56 YEARS OLD. SO SO WE WOULD WE WOULD WANT TO LEASE CONSIDERABLY LONGER THAN THAT JUST TO ENSURE THAT THAT WE'RE IN A GOOD PLACE. AND AS FAR AS THE CURRENT SITE. YOU USE THE WORD ABANDON. WE'RE ABANDONING IT AS A CAREER IN TECHNOLOGY CENTER. IT WILL LIKELY IT WILL LIKELY HAVE A NEW LIFE OR THE SITE ITSELF WILL LIKELY HAVE A NEW LIFE WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THANK YOU. OKAY. DR. HANKS, I KNOW THIS IS GETTING FAR AHEAD, BUT ALL OF THE CURRICULUM OFFERINGS NOW. ARE THEY MOVING TO THE NEW LOCATION AND ARE WE ADDING ANY ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS FOR THE STUDENTS? AND SPEAKING WITH MR. LOTT, JUST LIKE ALL [INAUDIBLE] IT'S DRIVEN BY STUDENT REQUESTS. AND SO IF THE PROGRAMS ARE VIABLE, THEY'LL DEFINITELY GO OVER. AND THEN WE'LL BE TAKING A LOOK AT SOME PROGRAMS THAT ARE COMING ONLINE, AS WELL AS SOME PROGRAMS THAT WE MAKE IT SHIFT FROM SOME OF THE AREA HIGH SCHOOLS OUT THERE IF WE HAVE A MORE ROBUST FACILITY. MR. NUESSLE I JUST WANT TO SAY HOW EXCITED I AM THAT WE GOT THESE FUNDS AND HOW EXCITED I AM TO SEE IT. ALSO COLLABORATE WITH A TECHNICAL AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE. INVESTMENTS INTO STUDENTS CAREERS AND LEARNING TRADES CAN'T BE UNDERSTATED. AND YOU KNOW THAT OLD FACILITY IS LOOKING OLD. AND THIS WILL ALLOW US TO GET CURRENT ON TECHNOLOGY AND EXPAND OUR OFFERINGS. THAT'S FANTASTIC. CAN'T WAIT TO GET STARTED. OKAY [INAUDIBLE] AND JUST ONE LAST THING WITH WITH DR. MAHAN HERE. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE WE HAVE JUST BEGUN TALKING ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE NOT ONLY FOR OUR STUDENTS, BUT FOR AIKEN TECHNICAL COLLEGE STUDENTS, TOO, AS WE LOOK AT DUAL ENROLLMENT AND SOME SOME SHARED USES. AND WE'RE JUST REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND OF OF EDUCATION IN AIKEN COUNTY. SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PARTNERSHIP. OKAY. WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE, OF APPROVING THE MOTION. PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S EVERYONE. BEFORE WE LEAVE THIS TOPIC, I'D LIKE TO SAY A SPECIAL THANKS TO SENATOR TOM YOUNG, WHO REALLY DID AN AWFUL LOT OF WORK BEHIND THE SCENES AND NEGOTIATING WITH THE FELLOW LEGISLATORS AND THAT SORT OF THING TO BRING THIS ABOUT. HE GOT $30 MILLION OUT OF [INAUDIBLE] FUNDS AND WE ALREADY HAD, WHAT $30 MILLION. WE ALREADY HAD $20 MILLION SET ASIDE FOR CONSTRUCTION. SO RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT $50 MILLION TO PUT INTO THIS THIS PROJECT. SO, AGAIN, THANK YOU TO TOM YOUNG [INAUDIBLE]. WE GO TO THE BIG ITEMS NOW WE HAVE A NUMBER OF LET'S SEE. I THINK IT'S EIGHT OF THOSE. THESE ARE ITEMS THAT WE WILL VOTE ON AS ONE AND WE WILL GO THROUGH THEM ONE AT A TIME. I DO NEED A MOTION TO. WELL, I GUESS WE CAN GO THROUGH THEM AND THEN MAKE THE MOTION. OUR DISTRICT TRANSFER REQUEST. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE REQUESTING TO TRANSFER INTO OUR DISTRICT FROM OTHER DISTRICTS. THAT HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD. SIMILARLY, WE HAVE A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE REQUESTING TRANSFERS OUT OF THE DISTRICT TO OTHER DISTRICTS. WE HAVE A REQUEST FOR HOME INSTRUCTION WHICH HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD. WE HAVE A CHANGE ORDER HAVING TO DO WITH THE EXPENDITURES FOR INSTALLATION OF FLOORING AT CLEARWATER ELEMENTARY, GLOVERSVILLE ELEMENTARY AND MILLBROOK [00:55:05] ELEMENTARY. WE ARE UNDER BUDGET $35,704 REQUEST FOR A PROPOSAL TO EXTEND TWO ADDITIONAL YEARS ON A SEVERAL BUSINESSES OR CONSULTANTS THAT WE DO BUSINESS WITH. WE APPROVED THEM FOR THREE, I THINK INITIALLY, AND WE WERE ALLOWED TO GO FOR AN ADDITIONAL TWO. AND WE DO SEE THE NEED FOR THESE SERVICES TO CONTINUE. AND SO THE ADMINISTRATION IS PROPOSING THAT WE EXTEND THEIR CONTRACTS FOR TWO YEARS. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT WANT TO COORDINATE THE ADMISSION AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS TO OUR DISTRICT. AND OUR POLICIES REQUIRE THAT WE APPROVE THESE ORGANIZATIONS PERIODICALLY. SO THERE'S A LIST OF THOSE THAT ARE BEING RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL. THE SOUTH CAROLINA ARTS COMMISSION HAS A GRANT AWARD. THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO A NUMBER THAT WE DID MEETING OR SO AGO TO PROVIDE SOME MONIES TO IN THIS CASE, NEAR ELLENTON MIDDLE SCHOOL TO SUBSIDIZE OR TO ENHANCE THEIR ART PROGRAM THAT'S BEING OFFERED THERE. A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT ARE LISTED UP THERE IN THE ITEM. NUMBER EIGHT IS A DONATION FROM PUBLIX TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THEY SOLICITED FUNDS AT THE CHECKOUT FOR A WHILE AND TURNED THAT INTO A GRANT. IT'S TO PROVIDE SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS. IT'S THE MOTION TO APPROVE THESE EIGHT ITEMS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE BOARD. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. DID YOU WANT DISCUSSION, MR. NUESSLE FOR DISCUSSION? IF WE GO BACK TO THE REQUEST FOR THE EXTENSION FOR TWO YEARS ON THOSE FOUR FIRMS, CAN YOU GIVE ME AN ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY ON WHAT EACH ONE IS DOING FOR US? DR. MURPHY? THANK YOU. GAVE ME A CHANCE TO GET FAMILIAR. I APPRECIATE IT. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION. IF NOT ALL, IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THESE EIGHT ITEMS. PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S EVERYONE. WE NOW GO TO C ITEMS. THESE ARE INFORMATIONAL ITEMS. THEY DO NOT REQUIRE ACTION ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD. TONIGHT IT'S BASICALLY FOUR CONSTRUCTION STATUS, REPORTS DR. MURPHY. GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN, MR. CHAIRMAN. BOARD MEMBERS. MR. LAWRENCE. TONIGHT, I'M GOING TO BRING YOU A BRIEF UPDATE ON THE CURRENT CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS WE HAVE GOING ON IN THE DISTRICT. I WILL BEGIN WITH AIKEN HIGH SCHOOL'S AUDITORIUM, AND THE CURRENT PICTURE IS OF CONSTRUCTION GOING ON WITH THE ROUGH SITE GRADING AND SITE UTILITY EXCUSE ME, UTILITIES AND STORM DRAINAGE THAT ARE IN PROGRESS. THE ABOVE GRADE CMU AND THE STAGE AT THE STAGE AND BACKSTAGE AREAS ARE ALSO BEING INSTALLED. THE ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING UNDERGROUND ROUGH END AS WELL AS ALL INCH SLAB AND WALL ROOFING WORK IS ONGOING AND CURRENTLY THE $16 MILLION PROJECT IS ON SCHEDULE DUE FOR COMPLETION IN SEPTEMBER OF 2023. OVER AT HAMMOND HILL. HERE'S A SHOT OF THE PLAYGROUND THAT'S FINALLY COMPLETED THERE. THE THE UPPER PLAYGROUND IS STILL IN PROGRESS. THAT'S THE ONE YOU SEE ON THE BOTTOM THERE. IT'S STILL IN PROGRESS. WE'RE HAVING SOME ISSUES WITH SOIL DRAINAGE AND THAT WE'RE HAVING TO REROUTE SOME THINGS. SO THAT'S THAT'S OUR HOLD UP THERE, THE INSTALLATION OF THE [INAUDIBLE] FLOORING AND THE CORRIDORS OF THE NEW TWO STORY BUILDING AND THE EXISTING ADMINISTRATION WING HAS BEEN COMPLETED. YOU CAN SEE HERE, DEMOLITION OF THE EXISTING 1950S CAFETERIA AND KITCHEN HAS BEEN COMPLETED. THE GRADING AND LOWERING OF THE HILLSIDE BEHIND A NEW CAFETERIA AND KITCHEN IS IN PROGRESS CURRENTLY. WE HAVE ALSO COMPLETED, AS YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM HERE, THE PAVING AND STRIPING FOR THE NEW AUTOMOBILE QUEUING LANES ALONG WOODLAWN AVENUE. [01:00:08] AND THAT'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL AS WE IMPLEMENTED IT, OF COURSE, WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF ANGST BECAUSE IT'S A NEW STYLE INSTEAD OF THE THE WHAT WE CALL DISNEYLAND PARK DRIVING CIRCLE. NOW WE HAVE THE PARKING QUEUING LANES, AND THAT'S WORKING OUT VERY WELL FOR THE PARENTS AND THE SCHOOL THERE RIGHT NOW. THIS PROJECT IS ON SCHEDULE TO BE COMPLETED IN MARCH OF 2023 AND HAS A $15 MILLION BUDGET. HIGHLAND SPRINGS. CONSTRUCTION IS CONTINUING AT A STEADY PACE WITH NUMEROUS TRADESMEN WORKING ON SITE. THE ROOFING IS CONTINUING WHILE PLUMBING, FIRE PROTECTION, MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL ROOFING ARE ALL OCCURRING. SITE WORK INCLUDES ROUGH AND FINAL GRADING AROUND THE NEW FACILITY, WHILE BUCHANAN PARKWAY, THE LONG ROAD GOING UP THE HILL, IS GRADED WITH A CURVE AND GUTTER NEARLY COMPLETED AND THE SUB BASE IS BEING INSTALLED CURRENTLY. HERE'S AN IMAGE OF THE CAFETERIA AND DINING AREA AND THE RIGHT WILL BE THE GYM AREA. AND THIS $44 MILLION PROJECT IS WITHIN BUDGET AND CONTINUING ON SCHEDULE FOR AN OPENING OF AUGUST OF 2023. YES, SIR. QUICK QUESTION. WHAT DID YOU CALL THE PARKWAY GOING? THAT'S BUCHANAN PARKWAY. THAT'S THE PROPOSED NAME. THAT'S THE CITY'S NAME, THE NAME THE THE CITY'S LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW. MM HMM. THIS THING IS KILLING ME. AND THIS IS THE SHOT OF THE THE RESTROOM AND CONCESSION STAND THAT HAS BEEN BUILT ON NORTH AUGUSTA'S CAMPUS, JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU ALL UNDERSTOOD THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A LOT OF PROJECT PROGRESS UPDATES, BUT IT IS A IT'S AN ONGOING PROJECT. AND WE'RE BREAKING GROUND. WE'RE MAKING SOME GOOD PROGRESS NOW, LET ME SEE. RIGHT NOW, MATRON WORK IS CONTINUING ON. WE'RE SETTING THE DOORS IN PLACE AND THE TRUSSES HAVE BEEN DELIVERED. AND THIS $1.2 MILLION PROJECT HAS A COMPLETION DATE OF NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR. IT'S ON BUDGET AND ON SCHEDULE. AND FINALLY, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU HAD A BRIEF PLAYGROUND UPDATE. I ALREADY MENTIONED HAMMOND HILLS. THEIR PRIMARY PLAYGROUND IS COMPLETED. THE UPPER PLAYGROUND IS STILL IN PROGRESS. BELVEDERE STUDENTS HAVE THEIR PLAYGROUND. IT IS ON SITE RIGHT NOW AND THE KIDS HAVE BEEN PLAYING ON IT FOR ABOUT A WEEK. THERE'S A PART THAT WAS MISPLACED. WE DON'T WANT TO SAY IT WAS STOLEN JUST YET, BUT WE'RE GOING TO REORDER THAT PART AND WE'LL HAVE THAT INSTALLED VERY SHORTLY. OVER AT MILLBROOK EVERYTHING IS ABSOLUTELY GOOD TO GO. THE PLAYGROUND IS INSTALLED. WE'RE COMPLETELY CURED. THAT MUD ISSUE, WE'VE INSTALLED THE TURF SO KIDS ARE HAPPY, WHICH MAKES PARENTS HAPPY. ANY QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT. APPARENTLY NOT. THANK YOU, DR. MURPHY. APPRECIATE THAT. WE HAVE NO REQUEST FROM INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBERS. NEXT ITEM IS THE OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT AN INITIATIVE THAT'S GETTING STARTED THIS WEEK THAT WE CALL A WEEK HERE. AND I WANT TO THANK MR. JEFFCOAT, WHO'S TAKEN THE LEAD ON THIS AND WORKING WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE INSTRUCTIONAL DIVISION AND WITH HUMAN RESOURCES AND AND JUST THE THE ALL OF THE STAFF AT HERE AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE. BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE DOING IS EACH WE'RE NOT EACH. BUT BUT MOST I THINK OF THE DISTRICT OFFICE STAFF MEMBERS HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO VISIT MONTHLY OUR NEW TEACHERS. SOME OF THEM ARE BRAND NEW TEACHERS. OTHERS ARE NEW TO OUR DISTRICT. BUT EVERYBODY'S GOING TO GET A VISIT ONCE A MONTH FROM SOMEBODY AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE. THESE ARE NOT COACHING VISITS. THESE ARE NOT MENTORING VISITS. THESE ARE JUST, HEY, I'M HERE IF YOU NEED SOMEBODY TO TALK TO JUST ONE MORE PERSON TO COME IN AND SAY, WE'RE THINKING ABOUT YOU. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THINGS ARE GOING WELL FOR YOU. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE YOUR EXPERIENCE A LITTLE BETTER? AND WE'RE JUST JUST REAL PLEASED TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY. I'VE GOT MY SIX MARKED ON MY CALENDAR TO VISIT THIS WEEK. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THAT. AND I KNOW THAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS. I NOTICED TODAY AND WE JUST STARTED MONDAY. RIGHT. SO I NOTICED TODAY THAT QUITE A FEW OF OUR TEACHERS HAVE ALREADY HAD THEIR FIRST VISIT. SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT. SO THANK YOU. AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT BEING JUST ANOTHER LAYER IN SUPPORTING OUR NEW TO DISTRICT AND BRAND NEW TEACHERS AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THEIR CAREER HERE IN AIKEN COUNTY. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU, MR. LAWRENCE. WE WILL NEED AN EXECUTIVE SESSION THIS EVENING. WE NEED THE EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DEAL WITH A CONTRACTUAL MATTER. WITH A MATTER CONCERNING AN EMPLOYMENT. AN EMPLOYEE'S EMPLOYMENT. [01:05:03] UNDER CONTRACTUAL MATTERS. WE HAVE A THIS THIS CONTRACTUAL MATTER HAS TO DO WITH THE FACILITY. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO DO WITH PERSONNEL. AND WE NEED A LEGAL UPDATE. SO IS THERE MOTION TO ADJOURN TO EXECUTIVE SESSION, MRS. SHEALEY MADE THE MOTION, IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND BY MRS. RHINEHART-JACKSON. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR. PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. FOLLOWING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE WILL RETURN TO OPEN SESSION AND TAKE ANY ACTIONS THAT ARE DEEMED NECESSARY TO RESOLVE THESE ISSUES. LET'S TRY TO BE READY TO GO IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES. WHO WANTS TO MAKE THE MOTION ON THE NUMBER ONE ITEM? I WILL. [INAUDIBLE] OK CHAIR, I ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO GO BACK INTO OPEN SESSION FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION. SO MOVED. MOVED BY MS. RHINEHART-JACKSON SECONDED MR. CRANE. ALL IN FAVOR OF REENTERING REGULAR SESSION PLEASE SIGNIFY BY RAISING YOUR HAND. THAT'S EVERYONE. WHILE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE HEARD A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE ADMINISTRATION CONCERNING A CONTRACTUAL MATTER THAT INVOLVED A BREACH OF CONTRACT. IS THERE MOTION? YES. I MOVE THAT WE DIRECT THE ADMINISTRATION TO MAKE A FORMAL COMPLAINT TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION REGARDING EMPLOYEE A'S BREACH OF CONTRACT. GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION. PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S EVERYONE. WE HAD SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT AN EMPLOYEE MATTER THAT BASICALLY CENTERED AROUND SUPPORT SERVICES TO YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. IS THERE MOTION ON THAT THAT ITEM. YES, I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE HIRE A FULL TIME CLERICAL POSITION TO ASSIST THE AUDITOR PART TIME AND A DEPARTMENT TO BE DETERMINED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND BY MR. CRANE. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR OF EMPLOYING THE ADDITIONAL CLERICAL HELP. PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S EVERYONE. I DON'T THINK WE HAD ANY OTHER ITEMS THAT REQUIRE BOARD ACTION. SO AT THIS POINT, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN. SO MOVED. MOVED BY MS. RHINEHART-JACKSON, SECONDED BY MS. SHEALEY ALL IN FAVOR OF ADJOURNMENT. PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. WE STAND ADJOURNED. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.