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[00:01:46]

MIC].

ACCORDING

[00:05:01]

TO MY WATCH AT 6:00.

SO WE'LL CALL THE MEETING OF THE OCTOBER 25TH MEETING OF BOARD OF EDUCATION ORDER.

[CALL TO ORDER]

WE BEGIN OUR MEETINGS WITH A MOMENT OF SILENCE TO ORGANIZE OUR THOUGHTS AND PREPARE FOR THE FOLLOWING ME.

SO PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND WE'LL FOLLOW THAT WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.

THANK YOU. PLEASE STAND.

PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC, FOR WHICH IT STANDS.

ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

THE AGENDA HAS BEEN CIRCULATED TO THE BOARD AND TO THE PUBLIC.

I'VE GOTTEN NO FEEDBACK ABOUT MODIFICATIONS TO THE AGENDA, SO WE'LL STAND UP, APPROVE THE AGENDA AS SUBMITTED.

WE HAVE ONE SET OF MINUTES REQUIRING APPROVAL THIS EVENING, THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF OCTOBER THE 11TH.

IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? MOVED BY MS.. RHINEHART-JACKSON.

IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND BY MR. CRANE. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

AND THE MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 11TH MEETING ARE APPROVED.

THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.

I HAVE NO REQUEST THIS EVENING FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, SO WE'LL GO TO THE OFFICE OF BOARD CHAIR.

[SPECIAL ORDERS OF BUSINESS:]

I HAVE ONE ANNOUNCEMENT TONIGHT.

WE BID MR. CRANE FAREWELL. THIS IS HIS SWANSONG AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD.

HE CHOSE NOT TO RUN AGAIN.

AND I JUST WANT TO WISH HIM WELL IN WHATEVER ENDEAVORS HE UNDERTAKES.

IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE SERVING WITH YOU FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS.

HE'S VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND VERY COMMITTED AND DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, AND I'D LIKE TO GIVE ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBER AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY SOMETHING SPECIAL TO JUST.

IF YOU HAVE IT. MR. SMITH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION, THAT INFORMATION THAT YOU WROTE AND FOR ME.

I KNOW THAT WAS TOUGH ON YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

I REALLY APPRECIATED THAT.

WE'RE GOING TO MISS THAT.

OKAY, MS. SHEALEY.

AND AS I LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK HERE ON THE BOARD, YOU DEFINITELY HAVE BEEN A TREMENDOUS ASSET TO THE BOARD.

AND I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS AND WE'RE GOING TO MISS YOU.

ALL RIGHT, JASON, IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE GETTING TO KNOW YOU PERSONALLY AS WELL AS AS A FELLOW BOARD MEMBER.

AND I'VE ENJOYED THAT AND APPRECIATED SERVING WITH YOU THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEARS.

SO I WISH YOU WELL AND I'M SURE WE'LL BE IN TOUCH.

JASON, I APPRECIATE YOUR LEGAL MIND AND ALWAYS JUST BEING LOGICAL AND FAIR.

I DON'T KNOW AT THIS POINT WE'RE GOING TO DESIGNATE TO REPLACE YOU TO DRILL WHOEVER'S AT THE PODIUM WITH A PRESENTATION FOR THE ZILLION QUESTIONS.

BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU.

OKAY. TIM? YEAH.

NO. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS.

BUT ALSO CONGRATULATIONS ON THE ARRIVAL OF YOUR DAUGHTER WHO IS IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM.

AND THAT. THAT'S.

THAT'S. THAT'S HIS NEXT CHALLENGE.

AND THE ONE I'M SURE HE LOOKS FORWARD TO MORE THAN COMING HERE ON TUESDAY NIGHTS, A COUPLE OF TIMES A MONTH.

BUT IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THIS, BUT BEING A PARENT, IT'S ONE OF THE BEST THINGS YOU CAN DO.

AND IT'S A GROWTH EXPERIENCE THAT YOU BECOME A BETTER PERSON BECAUSE AND CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU ON THAT BEST WISHES.

WE ALSO HAVE AN ELECTION COMING UP AND WE HAVE SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THAT ELECTION.

ALL ARE UNCHALLENGED WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MR. SILAS. IT HAS THE CHALLENGER AND IT'S AWKWARD THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS HERE IS WHEN YOU YOU GET ELECTED AND THEN IF YOU ARE AN INCUMBENT AND YOU DON'T WIN, YOU'RE DONE.

AND IT DOESN'T GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO.

SAY GOODBYE TO FAVORABLE CONDITIONS OR WHATEVER.

BUT THE ONLY POINT I'M MAKING IS THAT THERE IS THAT ELECTION COMING UP AND YOU WILL SEE A NEW BOARD.

[00:10:01]

THE EXTENT OF WHICH THE BOARD WILL BE NEW IS DEPENDENT ON THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION.

AND SO GO VOTE.

THE NEXT ITEM IS AN INDIVIDUAL ITEM.

WE HAVE ONE. ITS PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS.

THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT HAS SUBMITTED A LIST OF NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING RECOMMENDED FOR EMPLOYMENT BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

BOARD MEMBERS HAVE THAT COPY.

I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE LIST OF PERSONNEL TO BE EMPLOYED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

SO MOVED. MOVED BY MR. CRANE, SECONDED BY MS. SHEALEY. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE RECOMMENDED PERSONNEL FOR EMPLOYMENT.

PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. AND THAT'S EVERYBODY.

NO, I'M SORRY.

NOW, THAT'S USUALLY JASON'S JOB TO KEEP ME STRAIGHT.

I DON'T KNOW WHO'S GOING TO DO IT WHEN HE'S GOT THIS ONE.

ABSTENTION. MS. RHINEHART-JACKSON ABSTAINED BECAUSE SHE HAS A MEMBER OF A FAMILY THAT'S BEING EMPLOYED.

SO WE HAVE EVERYBODY BUT HER FOR AND SHE'S ABSTAINING.

NO VOTES AGAINST.

NOW WE HAVE A GROUP OF FIVE, FOUR B ITEMS. THESE ARE CONSENT ITEMS. WE GO THROUGH THEM INDIVIDUALLY, BUT VOTE ON THEM AS A GROUP.

SO LET ME JUST RUN THROUGH THEM.

THE FIRST IS RATIFICATION OF EXPULSION.

THAT'S THE LIST OF PEOPLE WHO ARE BEING RECOMMENDED FOR EXPULSION AND WHO CHOSE NOT TO APPEAL THE RECOMMENDATION.

THE SECOND ITEM IS APPROVAL OF SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATION AND ADMISSION OF EXCHANGE AND FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS.

THIRD ITEM IS REPLACEMENT OF A BASKETBALL GOLD WINCHES AT NORTH AUGUSTA MIDDLE SCHOOL.

AND THE FOURTH ITEM IS CHANGE ORDER NUMBER TWO FOR THE MILLBROOK ELEMENTARY ADDITION RENOVATION PROJECTS.

IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THESE ITEMS MOVED BY MS..

RHINEHART-JACKSON, SECONDED BY MS. SHEALEY.

ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE FOUR ITEMS. PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

THAT'S EVERYONE. WE HAVE ONE C ITEM AND ONE INFORMATIONAL ITEM, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE DISTRICT SCHOOL REPORT CARD.

MR. LAWRENCE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

I'M DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE TO YOU.

YOU'VE ALREADY MET DR.

EDWARDS, BUT FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE PODIUM TO PRESENT TO YOU THIS EVENING, DR.

EDWARDS IS GOING TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR ACHIEVEMENT DATA OVER THE LAST YEAR.

AND DR. BRADLEY, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.

MR. LAWRENCE I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE, BUT I'M ESPECIALLY HAPPY ABOUT THIS FIRST PRESENTATION.

THE REPORT CARD DATA ACTUALLY, THAT I'LL BE PRESENTING NEXT ACTUALLY GAVE US THE IDEA TO TO RECOGNIZE THIS PARTICULAR SCHOOL.

AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY IT'S SO SPECIAL TO ME.

IT WAS MY FIRST ENCOUNTER IN AIKEN COUNTY AS AN EMPLOYEE, AND I GOT TO KNOW THE STAFF THERE AND THE STUDENTS, AND THEY'RE ALL THEY'RE SO GROWN UP NOW. I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW GROWN THEY ARE.

BUT WITH THIS BEING SAID, THEY'RE BEING RECOGNIZED TONIGHT.

IF THIS WILL WORK FOR ME, PLEASE.

MAYBE FAIL.

YEAH. IT'S NOT TURNING OUT FOR ME.

CAN YOU TURN IT? SORRY.

ANYWAY, THIS SCHOOL HAS ENDED UP BEING THE TOP IN THE TOP 2% OF THE 252 HIGH SCHOOLS IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

AND IF YOU'LL NOTICE, THE FOLKS THAT ARE NUMBER ONE, TWO, FOUR AND FIVE, THOSE ARE VETERANS IN THIS BUSINESS.

THEY'VE BEEN AROUND SINCE THE LATE NINETIES AND EARLY 2000.

SO THIS IS VERY I MEAN, THIS IS SO WORTHY OF A GREAT CELEBRATION IN MACON COUNTY, BECAUSE IN 2018, THIS SCHOOL STARTED.

AND AT THIS TIME I HAVE ASKED THAT THE SENIOR SELECTED GRADUATE SPEAKER FOR THE CLASS OF 2022, THIS PARTICULAR CLASS THAT WE'RE HONORING COME UP AND THAT IS ALUMNUS HALEY EVANS.

SHE'S GOING TO INTRODUCE SEVERAL FACULTY MEMBERS, HALEY.

GOOD EVENING, DR.

BRADLEY. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND MR. LAWRENCE, ON BEHALF OF THE AIKEN SCHOLARS ACADEMY AND THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2022, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR OUR SCHOOL.

[00:15:04]

SINCE DAY ONE, BEING PART OF A BRAND NEW SCHOOL BROUGHT UPON SOME UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES THAT STUDENTS AT MORE ESTABLISHED SCHOOLS DID NOT HAVE TO FACE.

HOWEVER, FROM DAY ONE, THE FACULTY AND STAFF EXPECTED NOTHING BUT GREATNESS OUT OF US, NOT ONLY IN ACADEMICS BUT IN CHARACTER.

THE RIGOROUS WORK THAT ESSA BESTOWED UPON US WAS NOT SOMETHING MOST OF US WERE USED TO, BUT THE ASSAY TEACHERS PUSHED OUR LIMITS AND UNLEASHED OUR POTENTIAL AS STUDENTS.

THEY TAUGHT US THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING GROUP WORK AND LEARNING FROM OUR MISTAKES, EVEN THOUGH THE WORK THAT WE WERE GIVEN MAY HAVE SEEMED EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND FAST PACED AND MADE US BETTER STUDENTS IN THE END.

THE ASSAY TEACHERS WERE TRULY THE BEST INSTRUCTORS THAT I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED AND ARE THE MOST QUALIFIED BY HOLDING ADVANCED DEGREES IN THEIR FIELD AND AP ENDORSEMENTS FOR THEIR COURSES THAT THEY TEACH.

IT WAS BETWEEN OUR HARD WORK AS STUDENTS AND THEIR IMPECCABLE ABILITIES THAT ALLOWED OUR SCHOOL TO BE RANKED NUMBER THREE IN THE ENTIRE STATE WITH AN AVERAGE CLASS GPA OF A 4.6.

ALMOST 2000 HOURS OF DUAL ENROLLMENT CREDITS AND 29 HONOR GRADUATES.

I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE SOME OF OUR INCREDIBLE FACULTY MEMBERS AND STUDENTS THAT WE HAVE WITH US TONIGHT.

WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, YOU CAN COME UP TO BE RECOGNIZED FROM THE MATH DEPARTMENT.

THERE IS MS.. JACOBS AND MS..

HUGHES. FROM THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT. MR. JOHNSON. FROM THE SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT.

MS.. JAMES FROM THE SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.

MS.. WEIMER OUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR.

MS.. MOOTS. OUR PRINCIPAL.

MS.. MESSICK AND WE HAVE EXECUTIVE STUDENT COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE WITH US TONIGHT.

ALSO, OUR SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT, MICHELLE DENT.

OUR SECOND VICE PRESIDENT, CODY GOLDSCHMIDT.

OUR VICE PRESIDENT, MAGGIE ZENG, OUR STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT KAI MCMULLEN.

WE HAVE JOE BROWN AND JAY SAXON, OUR JUNIOR CLASS PRESIDENT.

WE'RE DELIGHTED TO HAVE THEM.

AND I'LL TELL YOU, THIS IS QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT.

I'VE BEEN IN THE STATE FOR A BUNCH OF YEARS AND IN A VERY SHORT TIME THEY'VE DONE IT AND IT'S AMAZING, AN AMAZING FEAT.

SO LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR ONE MORE TIME.

OF COURSE. I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER.

NOT. NOT. I WON'T TAKE MUCH OF YOUR TIME.

I HAD THE JOY THIS AFTERNOON OR THIS MORNING, ACTUALLY, OF SPEAKING WITH OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNSELORS, AS WELL AS SOME OF OUR HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR LEADS AS THEY'RE PREPARING FOR AGPS THIS FALL.

AND SO I.

WE GET TO VISIT WITH THEM EACH YEAR TO KIND OF JUST REMIND THEM ABOUT AIKEN SCHOLARS ACADEMY AND WHAT MAKES US GREAT.

AND TODAY, WHEN I.

EVERY YEAR I'VE TALKED ABOUT OUR PROGRAM AND AND THE ACADEMIC SIDE OF IT.

AND THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE ACHIEVED AND OUR TEACHERS HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THAT IMMENSELY.

BUT PROBABLY THE GREATEST THING ABOUT ASSAY THAT I WOULD SAY OUTSIDE OF THAT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, WHICH IS REALLY NICE, WE'RE I'M SUPER PROUD OF ALL OF OUR TEACHERS, ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. BUT IS THE CULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WE CREATE THAT REALLY DOES FOCUS ON LEARNING? AS HALEY MENTIONED, THEY THEY LEARNED HOW TO LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES.

AND THAT'S WHERE LEARNING TAKES PLACE ON THE STRUGGLE BUS, AS MS..

HUGHES LIKES TO CALL IT, LEARNING DOESN'T TAKE PLACE IF YOU'RE NOT STRUGGLING OR IF YOU'RE NOT MAKING MISTAKES OR MAKING ERRORS.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT NOT THAT OUR KIDS MAKE MISTAKES EVERY DAY, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY CHOOSE TO FOCUS ON.

AND IT JUST PROVIDES A WONDERFUL ENVIRONMENT FOR TEACHERS TO TAKE RISKS IN THE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES THAT THEY'RE USING TO WORK WITH OUR STUDENTS, BUT ALSO FOR STUDENTS TO FEEL COMFORTABLE TAKING RISKS AND MAKING THOSE MISTAKES, KNOWING THAT ULTIMATELY THE END RESULT IS WHAT THEY KNOW AND ARE ABLE TO DO AS AS A RESULT OF THEIR TIME.

SO I CAN'T BE MORE EXCITED TO GO TO WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I THINK I SPEAK FOR ALL OF OUR FACULTY, MAYBE NOT ALL THE STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL TEENAGERS, BUT THAT WE LOVE COMING TO WORK EVERY DAY.

WE LOVE WORKING WITH THESE KIDS.

THERE'S ONLY SIX FULL TIME TEACHERS, SO THEY SPEND A LOT OF TIME AT THE SCHOOL.

THEY THEY NOT ONLY TEACH PLAN AND TEACH, BUT THEY SPONSOR ALL OF OUR CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH WE HAVE MORE THAN SIX.

SO MOST OF THEM SPONSOR MORE THAN ONE THING.

[00:20:03]

SO IT'S JUST IT'S BEEN A JOY.

IT'S THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY CAREER.

AND I'LL BE HAPPY TO SPEND THE NEXT EIGHT YEARS AT AIKEN SCHOLARS ACADEMY AND HOPEFULLY RETIRE.

BUT ON TOP, WE'RE SHOOTING FOR NUMBER ONE.

SO BECAUSE WE KNOW OUR STUDENTS HAVE THE POTENTIAL AND I'LL ADD, IT'S NOT JUST OUR TEACHERS THAT HAVE DONE AN AMAZING JOB.

THEY'RE PARENTS.

WE HAVE SOME HERE TONIGHT AS WELL AS THEIR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS REALLY LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR THESE STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO COME IN AND HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO DO WHAT WE ASK THEM TO DO EVERY DAY.

PART OF OUR REPORT CARD COMES FROM THEIR MIDDLE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE IN ALGEBRA ONE, IN ENGLISH ONE.

SO IT'S JUST AS MUCH THEIR THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS AS IT IS OURS.

SO THANK YOU FOR LETTING US HAVE THIS.

SCHOOL IS SUCH AN AMAZING PLACE TO BE AND WORK OUT EVERY DAY.

SO. I'VE TOLD THE STUDENTS THAT THEY CAN LEAVE.

I THINK THEY HAVE TESTS TOMORROW IF THEY NEED TO SLIP OUT, THEY CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT.

BUT THIS MESSAGE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FOR COMING OUT AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THE STUDENTS AND SUPPORTING THIS SPECIAL CELEBRATION TONIGHT, SUPPORTING THIS CAUSE.

NOW, THE NEXT SECTION THAT WE HAVE ON THE I GOT TO REMEMBERED, I GOT TO BE SOME.

NOW WE GET TO THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF I'M REALLY HERE TONIGHT.

I WANT TO THANK KATE OLIN FOR HELPING ME PUT THIS TOGETHER.

AS YOU ALL KNOW, I'M ABOUT I'M 40 SOMETHING DAYS IN.

SO I CAME IN AND REALLY DUG INTO THE DATA TO SEE WHAT WAS WHAT I THINK AND FEEL THAT WE NEED TO COLLABORATE AND COLLABORATE ON THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR AND TURNING A COUPLE OF THINGS AROUND.

I WAS REMINDED ONCE THAT WE CANNOT HAVE IMPROVEMENT WITHOUT MEASUREMENT, AND SO THAT KIND OF KEEPS OUR EYE ON THE BALL.

WE HAVE TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE SO WE CAN DETERMINE WHERE WE'RE GOING.

I'M ALSO GOING TO REMIND YOU ALL THAT THIS SERVES AS GREAT BASELINE DATA FOR US MOVING FORWARD.

LET'S JUST START OUT WITH HOW THIS LOOKS.

AND IF YOU'RE I KNOW YOU'RE REMINDED OR REMEMBER THAT SOUTH CAROLINA PAINTS A REALLY PRETTY PICTURE OF OUR REPORT CARDS, AND THEY SHOW IT AS THE PROFILE OF A SOUTH CAROLINA GRADUATE.

AND WHENEVER WE LOOK AT THIS, IT IS BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE WE TALK ABOUT WORLD CLASS KNOWLEDGE, WORLD CLASS SKILLS, LIFE AND CAREER CHARACTERISTICS.

BUT WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE REPORT CARD IS THAT THERE'S MUCH MORE INVOLVED WITH IT IN IT, IN CALCULATING HOW WE RATE AND HOW THINGS ARE SCORED.

TAKING A LOOK AT THAT, I JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU HOW THAT LOOKS.

AND IN YOUR HANDOUT, YOU SEE THIS AND I'VE LISTED THE INDICATORS HERE SO THAT YOU CAN BE REMINDED HOW WE ARE SCORED OR GRADED FOR REPORT CARDS. AND THE INDICATORS HERE WILL GO THROUGH THEM AS THEY COME UP ON THE STATE WEBSITE ACTUALLY, SO THAT YOU CAN FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE WITH THE HANDOUT.

THAT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IS 40 POINTS WITHOUT A L.

AND I'LL JUST REMIND YOU WITH THE ELL, THE POINTS CHANGE.

THIS IS THIS IS AN OLDER SLIDE, SO I KNOW YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT WHAT MISS MESSIC WAS REALLY CELEBRATED OVER WAS HER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.

AND IN HIGH SCHOOL THAT IS THE ALGEBRA ONE AN ENGLISH ONE EOC SCORES OF STUDENTS THAT MAY SEE OR HIGHER.

SO WE'LL COME BACK TO THIS.

BUT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, IF YOU JUST TAKE A LOOK FIRST AT THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND WHAT I'VE DONE HERE IS I'VE COMPARED AIKEN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT WITH THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA SO THAT YOU CAN SEE HOW WE COMPARE.

AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THIS IS A CELEBRATION BECAUSE WE ARE PERFORMING A LITTLE HIGHER THAN THE STATE.

AND THIS IS AN IMPROVEMENT FROM LAST YEAR.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN WE SCORED OR RATED ON THE 2021 REPORT CARD.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN GRADES THREE THROUGH EIGHT.

WE LOOK AT THE ELA AND THE MATH SC READY SCORES.

AND HERE AGAIN, I HAVE LISTED THE COMPARISON WITH AIKEN TO THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ACROSS THE BOARD.

AND ALTHOUGH THE STATE IS A LITTLE HIGHER, IT GIVES US SOME AREAS CERTAINLY THAT THAT WE CAN LOOK AT AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A PLAN TO SHOW IMPROVEMENT.

BUT WITH THREE, FOUR AND FIVE, YOU CAN SEE THE COMPARISON THERE.

AND THEN SIX THROUGH EIGHT IS A LOWER.

[00:25:01]

AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT WE SEE GAPS WHENEVER WE REALLY LOOK AT THE DATA CLOSELY.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, AGAIN, THIS IS AN IMPROVEMENT FROM LAST YEAR.

WE SHOWED GAINS FROM 2021 REPORT CARD.

FOR PREPARING FOR SUCCESS.

THE NEXT INDICATOR ON THE REPORT CARD WE LOOK AT THE SC PAST SCIENCE SCORES, BIOLOGY, EOC AND US HISTORY.

ALTHOUGH U.S. HISTORY WAS NOT.

IT'S JUST THERE FOR REPORTING PURPOSES.

THEY DID NOT USE THAT IN THE CALCULATION THIS YEAR, BUT THE SC SCIENCE GRADES FOUR AND SIX.

IF YOU'LL NOTICE, WERE JUST BELOW THE STATE.

BUT FOR THE BIOLOGY, WE ARE EXCEEDING THE STATE.

SO AND THAT'S AGAIN, ANOTHER CELEBRATION BECAUSE WE MADE GAINS FROM LAST YEAR.

THE INDICATOR FOR SCHOOL CLIMATE.

SCHOOL CLIMATE IS MEASURED THROUGH A SURVEY AT THE STATE LEVEL.

AND THIS IS ACTUALLY THIS IS REALLY HARD TO KIND OF WRAP MY MIND AROUND BECAUSE AS MS. OLIN AND I WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS, THIS IS BASED ON FIVE SURVEY QUESTIONS AND IT'S WORTH TEN POINTS ON THE REPORT CARD.

AND WE'RE DELIGHTED THAT WE ARE RIGHT THERE WITH THE STATE ON THIS TOO.

THE CLIMATE SURVEYS.

WE HAD A BETTER RESPONSE THIS YEAR THAN NORMALLY AIKEN HAS HEARD, BUT IT WAS REALLY THREE QUESTIONS FOR STUDENTS AROUND SCHOOL SAFETY AND THEN TWO QUESTIONS TO TEACHERS.

AND THEY TAKE WHAT THEY DO IS THEY SEND A SURVEY OUT WITH 50 QUESTIONS AND THEY PICK OUT JUST A COUPLE OF THEM TO CALCULATE THE OVERALL SCHOOL CLIMATE.

ENGLISH LEARNERS MEETING THE LANGUAGE GROWTH GOALS.

WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THIS.

WE HAVE 20 EL TEACHERS IN OUR DISTRICT SERVING OVER 1400 STUDENTS.

AND CURRENTLY WE'VE HAD ACTUALLY A LITTLE OF AROUND 400, A LITTLE LESS THAN 400 EXIT THE PROGRAM.

SO WE'RE DELIGHTED THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SUPPORT THESE STUDENTS AND WE CERTAINLY ARE DOING MUCH BETTER THAN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA IN THIS DEPARTMENT, TOO.

AND IT'S BECAUSE OF THE WONDERFUL TEACHERS THAT ARE OUT SUPPORTING THE KIDS.

FOR THE GRADUATION RATE.

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE WE ARE RIGHT BELOW 90% GRADUATION RATE.

AND THE WAY THIS IS MEASURED, THIS REALLY HELPED A LOT OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS PERFORM AT A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL BECAUSE OUR GRADUATION RATE IS SO HIGH.

SO COMPARED TO THE STATE, WE ARE DOING MUCH BETTER THAN THE STATE.

AND THIS IS NICE DATA WHENEVER YOU'RE LOOKING, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE BEING RATED THE WAY GOING BACK TO THE INDICATORS THAT THE STATE RATES US. COLLEGE AND CAREER READY.

THIS IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE SIDE JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE BEAT THE STATE TO DEATH IN ALL CATEGORIES HERE.

AND I LOVE CTE, BUT THIS PARTICULAR CATEGORY CARRIED A LOT OF OUR HIGH SCHOOL WEIGHTINGS AS WELL.

AND I JUST WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE, BECAUSE THIS INVOLVES A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS WHEN WE LOOK AT COLLEGE AND CAREER READY AND I'M SURE, YOU KNOW, AIKENS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROBABLY IS TICKLED WHEN THEY SEE THIS COMING OUT OF AIKEN COUNTY SCHOOLS.

BUT THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE COUNTED IN THIS CAREER READINESS ASVAB TESTING, SAT, ACT, AP COURSES, CAMBRIDGE WORK BASED LEARNING, DUAL CREDIT, CTE COMPLETERS AND THEY TAKE ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND PUT THEM IN THE FORMULA SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHERE WE STAND COMPARED TO THE STATE.

SO COLLEGE READY, CAREER READY, COLLEGE OR CAREER COLLEGE AND CAREER, WE'RE DOING VERY WELL WITH THOSE.

SO THIS AGAIN, IF YOU HAD ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THINGS ARE CALCULATED AND IF YOU DO THIS, I JUST TOOK YOU BACK TO THIS SLIDE SO YOU COULD JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT POINT SYSTEMS HERE.

AND I WANTED TO REMIND YOU ABOUT REPORT CARD PROFICIENCY RATINGS.

SO WHENEVER THEY RATE US, THEY TELL IF WE EXCEED AND THERE'S A FORMULA, A VERY COMPLICATED FORMULA.

AND WHENEVER THEY ADD ALL THE POINTS TOGETHER, IF YOU SUBSTANTIALLY EXCEED THE CRITERIA, YOU WRITE AS EXCELLENT AND SO FORTH.

AND I JUST PUT THIS IN HERE SO THAT YOU CAN BE REMINDED WHEN I SHOW YOU THE NEXT SLIDES OF HOW WELL WE ARE DOING IN AIKEN COUNTY.

SO GOOD IS EXCEEDS THE CRITERIA.

AVERAGE MEETS THE CRITERIA.

BELOW IN JEOPARDY OF NOT MEETING.

AND UNSATISFACTORY SATISFACTORY FAILS TO MEET THE CRITERIA.

SO LOOKING AT OUR OVERALL CARD REPORT CARD RATINGS, EXCUSE ME, I'M NOT SURE WHY THAT'S THERE.

[00:30:02]

THAT JUST APPEARED. IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THIS THE OVERALL RATINGS, WE ARE 83% AS FAR AS ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS RATING, AT LEAST AVERAGE OR HIGHER.

SO THAT'S PRETTY GOOD.

WHENEVER WE TAKE A LOOK AT Y'ALL, I APOLOGIZE.

OH.

WE CAN SEE THIS ONE, BUT THEY CAN AND THEY HAVE SLIDES.

I JUST WISH THEY CAN SEE THIS.

[INAUDIBLE] WAS BACK. GOOD.

SO IF YOU GO BACK TO THE OVERALL.

SO DR.

MURPHY IS MY BUDDY AND I THINK HE'S PLAYING TRICKS ON ME BEHIND ME BECAUSE HE ACTUALLY GAVE ME THE CLICKER AND SAID, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE ANY PROBLEM.

AND HE'S KIND OF WINKING HIS EYE LIKE.

HE'S GOING TO BE THE HERO RIGHT NOW.

YES, HERE WE ARE.

SO THE OVERALL HERE WE ARE.

WE ARE 83%, WHICH THIS IS AIKEN COUNTY SHOULD BE VERY PROUD OF THIS SLIDE BECAUSE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH IN OUR WORLD.

I HATE TO MAKE EXCUSES.

I'M NOT THE EXCUSE TYPE, BUT THIS WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE TO ME THAT 83% OF THE SCHOOLS IN AIKEN COUNTY ARE RATING AVERAGE GOOD OR EXCELLENT.

THAT'S IMPRESSIVE AND IT'S QUITE IMPRESSIVE ACROSS THE STATE.

AS FAR AS THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS I'VE BROKEN DOWN FOR YOU SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THESE.

I DO HAVE A SHOUT OUT IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, THOUGH.

WE DID HAVE TWO EXCELLENT SCHOOLS IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, AND THAT'S MILLBROOK AN MOSSY CREEK.

SO THEY WERE TWO THAT DID PERFORM AT THE EXCELLENT RIGHT HERE.

THAT'S THE 10% ACTUALLY PUT NUMBERS IN SO THAT YOU COULD SEE WHAT THOSE PERCENTAGES LOOK LIKE IN REAL NUMBERS.

SO AS FAR AS THE ELEMENTARY, WE HAD ONE UNSATISFACTORY.

FIVE THAT WERE BELOW AVERAGE, 11 THAT WERE AVERAGE, ONE THAT WAS GOOD, AND THEN TWO THAT WERE EXCELLENT . IN MIDDLE SCHOOL OUR NEW ELLENTON IS OUR HIGH FLIER OVER HERE IS EXCELLENT.

AND THEN WE HAD ONE THAT WAS BELOW AVERAGE HERE, EIGHT THAT WERE AVERAGE AND TWO THAT WERE GOOD.

AND THEN FOR HIGH SCHOOL, Y'ALL, CHECK THIS OUT BECAUSE THIS IS SO IMPRESSIVE.

WE HAD NO UNSATISFACTORY OR BELOW AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOLS IN AIKEN COUNTY.

THAT'S WONDERFUL.

100% OF THEM WERE AVERAGE, GOOD, OR EXCELLENT . THAT IS IMPRESSIVE.

[APPLAUSE] SO MOVING FORWARD.

WHAT, I FORGOT TO COUNT HOW MANY DAYS THEN I AM TODAY.

I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS.

I USED TO TELL MR. LAWRENCE. OKAY, I'M ON DAY WHATEVER.

SO GIVE ME A BREAK. I'M JUST GOING FORWARD HERE.

BUT I'VE INCLUDED IN YOUR PACKET SOMETHING THAT OUR TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON DILIGENTLY SINCE I CAME, AND IT'S A CATALOG OF INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S DRAFTED A DRAFT WATERMARK ACROSS IT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT FINISHED.

THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE OFFER ACROSS THE DISTRICT IN ALL SCHOOLS AS FAR AS SUPPORTS.

BUT RIGHT NOW WE ARE COMING UP WITH A CATALOG OR AN ADDENDUM TO THIS PARTICULAR CATALOG THAT SHOWS WHAT TITLE 1 SCHOOLS HAVE IN THEIR SCHOOLS. ALSO SOME TIERED INSTRUCTION SUPPORT SO THAT WHENEVER WE GO INTO THE SCHOOLS AND WE REALLY DO TARGET AREAS OF INTERVENTION, WE'LL KNOW WHAT THOSE INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE SCHOOLS.

WE'RE ALSO MEETING COLLABORATIVELY AT EVERY LEVEL.

I WAS GOING TO I WAS TRYING TO THINK OF ALL THE EXAMPLES SO FAR THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE.

AND ONE OF THE MAJOR THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE, MR. POSTELL AND I HAVE BEEN IN EVERY HIGH SCHOOL DOING PLCS AROUND ALGEBRA ONE, BECAUSE WE REALIZE THAT ALGEBRA ONE IS AN AREA THAT WE REALLY NEED TO FOCUS ON AS FAR AS OUR POINTS AND THE PRINCIPALS, TEACHERS, THEY'VE ALL BEEN VERY RECEPTIVE AND READY TO GO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE INTERVENTIONS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE.

AND WE'RE OFFERING AND THE SUPPORT THAT WE'RE OFFERING IN ALGEBRA ONE.

[00:35:02]

YOU KNOW, AIKEN COUNTY HAS SO MANY WONDERFUL THINGS.

I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU EVERY DAY I SEE SOMETHING NEW AND AMAZING.

BUT I HAVE TO JUST APPLAUD THE TEACHERS HERE BECAUSE THEY'RE SO RECEPTIVE TO WANT TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR STUDENTS.

AND IT MAKES ME FEEL VERY PROUD AND EXCITED AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER THAT WE HAVE THAT SUPPORT OUT IN THE FIELD, ALONG WITH A VERY KEY GROUP OF LEADERS AT THE DISTRICT OFFICE REALLY PUSHING IN ON OFFERING THE SUPPORT OF THE SCHOOLS.

SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, DO YOU ALL HAVE QUESTIONS SINCE I REALLY DIVERTED YOUR ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE PRESENTATION WITH ALL THE, YOU KNOW, CRAZY MALFUNCTIONS? YES.

I GUESS I'LL START MY TENURE AS JASON CRANE TONIGHT WITH THE HARD QUESTIONS.

AND I'M GOING TO FOREWARN YOU IT'S GOING TO BE A DOOZY.

[LAUGHTER] KING AND A SHORT ANSWER WOULD BE GREAT.

WHAT IS THE PLAN TO GET THE SCHOOLS THAT WERE RATED BELOW AVERAGE AND UNSATISFACTORY TO AVERAGE AND ABOVE? WELL, I TELL YOU, THAT IS REALLY MY FORTE AND REALLY PULLING DATA.

I'M A LEADER THAT I REALLY BELIEVE IN DATA NUMBERS DON'T LIE TO ME.

AND OFTENTIMES, AS I'VE SHARED AND MOST PEOPLE THAT KNOW ME EVEN IN THE FIELD, UNDERSTAND ME IN THIS RESPECT, IT TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE TO GO IN AND ASK THE QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ASKED, BUT IT TAKES EVEN GREATER COURAGE TO ANSWER THEM.

AND, YOU KNOW, I'M AN OUTSIDER.

I REALLY DON'T KNOW THE HISTORY OF WHY OR WHEN I JUST SEE WHAT'S BEFORE ME.

SO I THINK THE FIRST THING THAT I WOULD DO AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER IS REALLY DEVELOP CONNECTIONS, RELATIONSHIPS WITH THESE LEADERS SO THAT WE CAN COME UP WITH THE BEST PLAN, YOU KNOW, FOR THEIR KIDS.

NOT EVERY SCHOOL IS THE SAME.

YOU'RE GOING TO AND YOU KNOW THIS WE HAVE NEEDS ALL OVER THE COUNTY THAT ARE VERY DIVERSE.

I MEAN, IT'S JUST IT WILL DEPEND ON THE SCHOOL AND THEIR BASIC NEEDS.

BUT, YOU KNOW, MY INTENTIONS ARE THIS.

I WANT TO DIG IN THE WEEDS AND BE ABLE TO TALK TO THE TEACHERS TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY NEED, BECAUSE I'M ALL ABOUT PROVIDING THOSE THINGS.

THAT'S GREAT. NOW, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU.

VERY GOOD. STRAIGHT TO THE POINT AND CONCISE.

I LIKED IT. CERTAINLY GLAD TO SEE THAT GENERALLY SPEAKING, WE'RE AHEAD OF WHERE THE STATE IS.

I WOULD PROBABLY GO OUT THERE ON A LIMB JUST WITH THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS OF HISTORY TO SAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DEALING WITH THE RAMIFICATIONS OF WHAT COVID DID TO EDUCATION FOR A WHILE.

SO YOU'VE CERTAINLY GOT A TASK AHEAD, AND I KNOW THE BOARD WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THAT.

I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU SAYING THAT.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO KIND OF TACKLE THE SCHOOLS THAT MR. RHINEHART-JACKSON ASKED ABOUT INDIVIDUALLY.

I DON'T KNOW THAT A ONE SIZE FITS ALL WORKS ALL THE TIME.

RIGHT. AND WHAT ONE SCHOOL STRUGGLES WITH ANOTHER ONE MIGHT BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

SO I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A QUESTION IN THAT.

I APPRECIATE HOW YOU PRESENTED THIS, AND MAYBE I WILL ASK THIS.

SO WHAT ARE OUR PLANS MOVING FORWARD WITH REMEDIATION? I'LL GO BACK TO COVID ON THAT.

I KNOW WHAT WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT WITH WITH THE FALL BREAK NEXT YEAR, THE TWO WEEKS.

I KNOW WE'VE GOT SOME THINGS BUILT IN.

DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS RIGHT NOW BEING EARLY? SO I'LL PUT YOU ON THE SPOT A LITTLE BIT RIGHT IN YOUR TENURE WITH US.

ANYTHING SORT OF BREWING AS FAR AS REMEDIATION FROM COVID THAT MIGHT THAT WOULD DIRECTLY IMPACT THIS DOWN THE ROAD? SO MY METHOD OF FIRST OF ALL, I TRY TO CREATE A NO EXCUSE ENVIRONMENT WHEREVER I AM.

SO, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING WITH PRINCIPALS OR MY TEAM, WE'LL TRY TO USE THIS AS BASELINE DATA.

LIKE, I REALLY EVEN HATE TO SAY THE WORD COVID, EVERYBODY.

I'M JUST SO TIRED BECAUSE THINGS ARE SO RELATIVE IN OUR WORLD.

THIS IS BASELINE FOR EVERYBODY THIS YEAR.

WE'VE ALL HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCE, SO NOBODY'S AHEAD OF ANYBODY.

WE'RE ALL KIND OF STRUGGLING.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND IN AND YOU CAN SEE IT IN THE DATA SHOWS IT, THAT WE'RE REALLY STRUGGLING IN THE AREA OF MATH.

YOU KNOW, WE START OUT PRETTY STRONG IN GRADE THREE AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, WE'RE DECLINING.

AND IT'S I'M JUST BEING TRANSPARENT.

THIS IS NOT A SECRET.

THIS IS A AN OBSTACLE, REALLY.

SO WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR IS REALLY TRY TO FIGURE OUT, OKAY, WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS? WHAT IS CAUSING IT? AS I'VE MENTIONED EARLIER, MR.

[00:40:01]

POSTELL, AND WE'VE GONE OUT TO ALGEBRA ONE THAT'S PUTTING A BAND-AID ON IT, TRYING TO INTERVENE AT THIS LATE DATE.

BUT WHAT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO DO IS FIND THE ROOT CAUSE OF WHAT'S CAUSING THESE THINGS.

AND I FEEL VERY I'M TICKLED, IN FACT, THAT THE PRINCIPALS HAVE BEEN SO SUPPORTIVE, ESPECIALLY IN DEVELOPING WHAT WE CALL STUDENT INTERVENTION TEAMS IN OUR SCHOOLS SO THAT WE CAN REALLY LOOK AT KIDS INDIVIDUALLY AND FIGURE, YOU KNOW, FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY NEED.

BUT BEYOND THAT, WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME CONCEPTUAL MATH GOING FORWARD JUST BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT'S COMING DOWN THE PIPE FROM THE DEPARTMENT.

I HAVE A VERY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH FOLKS THERE, SO I KIND OF KNOW WHAT RESOURCES ARE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE FOR US.

SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE NEEDS SO THEN WE CAN TARGET THROUGH THINGS LIKE THE INSTRUCTIONAL CATALOG OF WHAT WE HAVE IN HOUSE THAT WE CAN TARGET THESE.

I DON'T WANT TO CALL THEM DEFICIENCIES, BUT I CALL THEM WEAKNESSES SO THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD FROM THERE.

YOU KNOW, OUR GREATEST ASSET IS PEOPLE.

AND RIGHT NOW, WITH THE LACK OF BEING ABLE TO HIRE FREELY LIKE WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST, THAT'S A HUGE CHALLENGE IN EDUCATION.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD THE STAFFS THAT WE HAVE SO THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS SO WE CAN ADDRESS THOSE WEAKNESSES THAT WE HAVE.

THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? I WOULD SUGGEST, BUT ESPECIALLY AT BACKGROUND, I LIKE THE IEP.

MAYBE WE NEED TO DEVELOP AN IEP FOR EACH OF THESE UNSATISFACTORY OR BELOW AVERAGE SCHOOLS.

YOU KNOW. I WOULD LIKE TO SORT OF FORMALIZE THE REMEDIATION PLAN FOR THESE TWO SO THAT WE COULD KEEP TRACK OF WHAT IT IS WE ARE NEEDING TO DO.

WE'VE GOT BUDGET WORKSHOP STARTING NOT TOO LONG FROM NOW.

WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT A BETTER WAY OF ALLOCATING OUR RESOURCES TO WHERE THE NEED IS.

YOU KNOW, SO IF WE CAN IDENTIFY WHAT PROBLEMS ARE IN CERTAIN SCHOOLS AND THOSE KINDS OF THINGS AND THEN START FIGURING OUT HOW TO ADDRESS THOSE PROBLEMS. YES, SIR. IN A LONG RANGE PLANNING FORMAT WITH A COLLECTION OF DATA POINTS, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.

WELL, ONE OF THE BEAUTIES IN AIKEN COUNTY THAT I HAVE FOUND IS JUST THE PEOPLE ARE SO RECEPTIVE.

AND WE KNOW THAT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IS REALLY HURTING US ON THESE REPORT CARDS.

SO WE KNOW THAT BASICALLY THE TARGET AREAS NOW IT'S TIME TO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER FOR THE INTERVENTION PIECES FOR THE STUDENTS WHO ARE REALLY STRUGGLING.

BUT YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

I THINK THAT WE DO HAVE TO TARGET AND REALLY HONE IN ON THOSE AREAS OF WEAKNESS.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DR.

EDWARDS. WE APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.

IT'S BEEN VERY ENLIGHTENING.

THANKS. ALL RIGHT.

MR. CRANE ON THE INDIVIDUAL ITEMS PRESENTED BY BOARD MEMBERS, MR. CRANE ASKED FOR A BIT OF TIME, SO.

WELL, I WON'T SPEAK VERY LONG BECAUSE YOU TOOK MY THUNDER A MINUTE AGO IN THE CHAIRMAN'S SECTION.

I APPRECIATE ALL THE COMMENTS FOR EVERYBODY AND I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT IT'S BEEN A GREAT FOUR YEARS.

I'LL SAY THAT A GROUP OF THE NINE OF US, INCLUDING THE TEN, WILL INCLUDE KING IN THAT I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST WELL-OILED GOVERNING BODIES IN THE COUNTRY, CERTAINLY IN SOUTH CAROLINA, NOT TO THROW ANY SHADE ON OUR FELLOWS AND OTHER ELECTED BODIES.

BUT WE ALL DO VERY WELL TOGETHER.

AND I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH.

I'VE COME TO LOVE AND APPRECIATE AND RESPECT ALL OF Y'ALL, AND WE ALL BRING DIFFERENT THINGS TO THE TABLE.

I KNOW CERTAINLY THERE'LL BE ONE CHANGE AT THE NEXT BOARD MEETING.

JIM BROOM WILL BE HERE.

HE'S BEEN ON AN AREA COUNCIL FOR A WHILE, OUT OUT IN DISTRICT TWO.

SO I'M EXCITED FOR WHAT HE'S GOING TO BRING TO THE TABLE.

AND I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE A LOT OF GOOD STUFF COMING IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

YOU ALL SAW MY REASON ALREADY.

Y'ALL HAVE ALL MET MJ IN THE BACK.

MARTHA WAS HAPPY TO BRING UP HERE AND INTRODUCE TO YOU ALL, BUT I'M NOT NECESSARILY GOING AWAY.

AND I'VE SAID THIS KIND OF INDIVIDUALLY WITH YOU ALL, BUT I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO SERVE AS A COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER ON THE $0.01 AND 90 MILLION

[00:45:06]

OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES.

IF DR.

MURPHY AND TRAY WILL ALLOW ME TO SHOW UP TO THOSE.

AND IN TWO YEARS WE'VE GOT THE NEXT $0.01 INITIATIVE COMING UP FOR THE PUBLIC TO VOTE.

AND I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT THE COMMUNITY WILL SUPPORT THAT INITIATIVE.

WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ADDRESS A LOT OF GOOD THINGS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS AND WITH WAGENER-SALLEY HIGH GROUNDBREAKING NEXT TUESDAY, I'LL BE AT THAT PROBABLY MY LAST OFFICIAL THING.

I'M EXCITED FOR THAT.

BUT THERE'S LOTS OF AREAS OF NEED, PARTICULARLY IN MY DISTRICT.

THERE'S A FEW SCHOOLS THAT NEED SOME LOVE AND SOME EQUITY ADDED TO THEIR FACILITIES, AND I WOULD LOVE TO SHOW BACK UP AS A VOLUNTEER TO HELP ON THAT COMMITTEE AND GO OUT AND RATTLE MY SABER IN FAVOR OF THAT.

SO I'LL BE AROUND AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHAT Y'ALL CONTINUE TO DO TO PROGRESS OUR DISTRICT.

THAT'S IT. GOOD.

FARE THEE WELL IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.

WELL, AGAIN, WE WISH YOU MUCH SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN YOUR LIFE.

AND NO MATTER WHERE IT TAKES YOU AND YOU'LL ALWAYS BE WELCOME HERE AS VOLUNTEER.

I KNOW WE CAN ALWAYS USE SOMEBODY OF YOUR ABILITY AND DEDICATION.

AND IF I MAY JUST PIGGYBACK JUST FOR A MOMENT ON WHAT ONE THING ONE POINT MR. CRANE MADE IS THAT THIS IS MY 19TH YEARS AS A BOARD MEMBER.

I HAD AN INTERRUPTION, BUT MY 19TH YEAR AND I SERVED ON A LOT OF DIFFERENT BOARDS WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

BUT THE LAST THREE YEARS HAVE BEEN UNLIKE ANYTHING THAT I EXPERIENCED IN MY 21 YEARS OF EMPLOYMENT WITH THE DISTRICT IN MY YEARS OF BEING A BOARD MEMBER, EACH OF THESE PEOPLE BROUGHT SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO THE TABLE, AND EACH MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION THROUGH SOME OF THE MOST TRYING TIMES IN PUBLIC EDUCATION HISTORY.

AGAIN, SINCE THIS IS THE LAST MEETING OF THIS PARTICULAR BOARD, I'D LIKE TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS.

ALL RIGHT. WE HAD A REQUEST FOR MR. MOULTON, BUT HE WAS UNABLE TO ATTEND TONIGHT, SO WE'LL CARRY THAT OVER TO ANOTHER MEETING.

SUPERINTENDENT UPDATE, MR. LAWRENCE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. TWO WEEKS AGO, WE RECOGNIZED DR.

TIM YARBOROUGH, BUT HE WASN'T HERE.

SO HE'S HERE TONIGHT.

SO WE'RE GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A PHOTO OP.

AND JUST TO RECAP, THE SOUTH CAROLINA SOLAR COUNCIL RECOGNIZED AIKEN COUNTY AS A SOLAR CHAMPION, AND THAT WAS DUE PRIMARILY TO THE EFFORTS OF DR.

YARBOROUGH AND HIS INSISTENCE ON OUR ENERGY CONSERVATION AND THE EFFORTS THAT HE ENCOURAGES AND FOLLOWS UP ON AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO.

SO I WANT TO ASK HIM TO COME UP AND I'M GOING TO HAND HIM THIS SINCE WE JUST WAVED IT IN THE AIR LAST WEEK.

BUT I'M GOING TO HAND IT TO HIM THIS WEEK.

[APPLAUSE] THANKS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU.

APPRECIATE GOOD WORK, MR. YARBOROUGH. WE WILL.

DID YOU HAVE OTHER THINGS? THAT'S IT.

WE WILL NEED AN EXECUTIVE SESSION THIS EVENING.

OH, I DID HAVE ONE OTHER THING.

ALL RIGHT. GO AHEAD. IN FRONT OF EACH OF YOU TONIGHT, THERE IS A MUM.

THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE? THERE'S A MUM IN FRONT OF YOU.

AND THESE WERE GROWN BY THE AIKEN HIGH SCHOOL AGRICULTURE CLASSES.

SO? SO ONE OF THOSE FOR EACH OF YOU TO TAKE HOME WITH YOU.

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO, THANKS TO MR. DERRICK AND HIS CLASSES FOR THAT AT AIKEN HIGH SCHOOL.

OKAY. WE WILL NEED A MOTION TO GO INTO AN ADDITIONAL EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONSIDERING THE FOLLOWING MATTERS IN SUCH ORDER AS THE BOARD DEEMS APPROPRIATE.

STUDENT MATTERS. WE HAVE FOUR APPEALS, HAVE ONE EMPLOYMENT APPEAL, AND WE NEED LEGAL ADVICE ON POLICY JICDA AND LEGAL ADVICE CONCERNING POLICY KBE AND BOOSTER CLUB AUDITS.

IT'S A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION MOVED BY MS. SHEALEY, SECOND BY MR.

[00:50:02]

RHINEHART-JACKSON. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

THAT'S EVERYONE. WE WILL RECONVENE FOLLOWING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION TO TAKE ANY ACTION THAT IT'S DEEMED NECESSARY BASED ON THE HAPPENINGS IN THE EXECUTIVE SESSION.

IF WE COULD BE BACK IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES IN THE MEETING CONFERENCE ROOM.

WE'LL DO THE EXECUTIVE SESSION.

IT'S EASY FOR ME TO SAY, RIGHT? OF COURSE. I MEAN, I'M NOT GOING TO WILLIAMS OKAY. I NEED A MOTION TO RETURN TO OPEN SESSION.

SO MOVED. MOVED BY MS. RHINEHART-JACKSON.

SECONDED BY MS. SHEALEY. ALL IN FAVOR OF RETURNING TO OPEN SESSION PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

THAT'S EVERYONE. WHILE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, THE BOARD HEARD SEVERAL APPEALS.

THE FIRST WAS AN APPEAL OF A STUDENT.

A STUDENT APPEALING AN ALTERNATIVE PLACEMENT.

IS THERE A MOTION? MR. CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE UPHOLD THE DISTRICT'S RECOMMENDATION IN REGARDS TO STUDENT A.

SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

THAT'S EVERYONE. WE WILL NOT BE VOTING ON 1B.

THAT'S THE ONE WE'RE CARRYING OVER.

1C ANOTHER APPEAL OF A STUDENT WHO WAS APPEALING THE RECOMMENDATION OF AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL PLACEMENT.

MR. CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE UPHOLD THE DISTRICT'S RECOMMENDATION IN REGARDS TO STUDENT C.

SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION. ALL IN FAVOR PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

OPPOSED? ONE OPPOSED.

F1 D, STUDENT APPEAL AGAIN OF AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL PLACEMENT.

MR. CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE UPHOLD THE DISTRICTS RECOMMENDATION IN REGARDS TO STUDENT D.

ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

THAT'S EVERYBODY. ITEM 2F.

IS THERE A MOTION CONCERNING THE TEACHER'S REQUEST FOR A HEARING ON A DISMISSAL.

MR. CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE DENY THE EMPLOYEES REQUESTS FOR A HEARING.

A HEARING.

AND UPHOLD THE DISTRICT RECOMMENDATION.

IS THERE A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

THAT'S EVERYONE.

I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A.

OH, WE HAD A DISCUSSION CONCERNING A MATTER WITH A BOOSTER CLUB.

IS THERE A MOTION. YES, MR. CHAIRMAN, I HAVE A FAIRLY LENGTHY MOTION, SO I APOLOGIZE.

BUT I MOVED TO REQUIRE THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION TO TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTION WITH REGARD TO THE NORTH AUGUSTA YELLOW JACKET CLUB.

[00:55:04]

ONE DUE TO THEIR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH PREVIOUS REQUIREMENTS, THE NORTH AUGUSTA YELLOW JACKET CLUB HIRE AN INDEPENDENT AUDITOR BY NOVEMBER 30TH.

2022 TO PERFORM A COMPLETE AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL RECORDS AS REQUIRED BY LETTER FROM MR. LAWRENCE TO THEM, DATED DECEMBER 17, 2021 THROUGH THE PRESENT TIME.

TWO THAT, WE REQUIRE ALL CLUB OFFICERS TO ATTEND TRAINING ON DISTRICT POLICIES RELATED TO CLUB ORGANIZATIONS BY DECEMBER 15TH, 2022. AND THIRDLY, THAT WE REQUIRE THE NORTH AUGUSTA YELLOW JACKET CLUB TO PRESENT A MONTHLY REPORT OF INCOME AND EXPENSES WITH SUPPORTING DEPOSIT SLIPS AND RECEIPTS THAT TIE TO THE BANK STATEMENT BY THE 15TH OF THE FOLLOWING MONTH FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR BEGINNING OCTOBER 2022, BEGINNING WITH THE PERIOD OF OCTOBER 2022.

ALL INFORMATION WILL BE SUBMITTED TO THE DISTRICT AUDITOR WHO WILL REVIEW AND REPORT ANY IRREGULARITIES TO THE BOARD AS APPROPRIATE.

FURTHER COMPLIANCE WITH THESE CONDITIONS AND PERFORMANCE FOR THE EVALUATION PERIOD WILL BE CONSIDERED IN NOVEMBER 2023, AT THE END OF THAT ONE YEAR PERIOD FOR CONTINUATION OF MONTHLY OVERSIGHT.

ANY FINDINGS AS A RESULT OF THIS INDEPENDENT AUDIT OR FAILURE TO COMPLY DURING THE EVALUATION PERIOD COULD RESULT IN FURTHER ACTION.

SO [INAUDIBLE] MS. RHINEHART-JACKSON ANY DISCUSSION.

ALL IN FAVOR PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

THAT'S EVERYBODY. IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? MOVED BY MS. RHINEHART-JACKSON SECONDED BY MS. SHEALEY. ANY DISCUSSION.

ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

WE STAND ADJOURNED.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.