[00:00:45] ALL [00:05:01] RIGHT. IT IS 6:00. WE WILL CALL THE MAY 28TH MEETING OF THE AIKEN COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION TO ORDER. WE BEGIN ALL OUR MEETINGS WITH A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE. PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE. ALLEGIANCE] THE AGENDA FOR TONIGHT'S MEETING WAS PUBLISHED BOTH TO THE BOARD AND THE PUBLIC IN ADVANCE. AND I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY REQUESTS FOR CHANGES TO THAT AGENDA, AND IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS, WE'LL ACCEPT THE AGENDA AS APPROVED WITH NO OBJECTIONS. WE HAVE ONE SET OF MINUTES TO APPROVE. THAT'S THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF MAY 14TH. WHERE SOME OF US WERE ABSENT. IS THERE A MOTION IN REGARDS TO THE MEETING MINUTES OF MAY 14TH MEETING. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MEETING MINUTES? SECOND. SO MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON MADE A MOTION. MR. SILAS SECONDED THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MEETING MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF MAY 14TH OF THIS YEAR. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? EXCUSE ME. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS MOTION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S SIX IN FAVOR IF I, HOLD ON A SECOND. NO, FIVE, THAT'S FIVE IN FAVOR, I GOT TO COUNT. ALL THOSE OPPOSED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. ALL THOSE ABSTAINING, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S THREE IN ABSTENTION. THE MOTION CARRIES FIVE TO 0 TO 3. THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED. NO ONE SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN ADVANCE, BUT WE DID HAVE ONE REQUEST FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION HERE SIGN UP AT THE MEETING AND MISS DOCTOR JOSH PNIEWSKI WANTS TO SPEAK TO US ABOUT ATHLETIC TRAINERS AND AN ALTERNATIVE PLAN TO INCREASE COVERAGE IN THE SCHOOLS. ONE LAST TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK AGAIN. SO THE LAST MY INITIAL PROPOSAL WAS TO HAVE THE DISTRICT TO BE COMPLETELY FUNDED, THE ATHLETIC TRAINERS AND HAVE OVERSIGHT OF THOSE EMPLOYEES AS EMPLOYEES OF THE DISTRICT. WE CAME TO A CONCLUSION THAT THAT CANNOT BE DONE THIS YEAR. THAT'S OKAY. ALL RIGHT. BUT I THINK WE HAVE ALTERNATIVE PLANS THAT WE CAN PUT IN MOTION, WHICH I PRESENTED AT THE LAST MEETING WITH A HANDOUT THAT WAS HOPEFULLY DISSEMINATED TO EVERYBODY ELSE, THAT AT A FRACTION OF WHAT WE ADDED OF WHAT WE INITIALLY WANTED FOR A FRACTION, WAS AROUND $294,000, IN ADDITION TO THE 265. NOW, WHAT THIS CAN DO IS IMPROVE THE INCREASED COVERAGE AGAIN TO THE SCHOOLS. BUT WE WOULD HAVE TO REINTRODUCE CONTRACTORS BECAUSE IT'S AN ADDED EXPENSE TO HAVE A PART TIME EMPLOYEE. THE CITY REQUIRES STATE BENEFITS AND ALL THE REST. SO I HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS WITH CONTRACTING AGENCIES THAT WOULD LIKE TO TALK FORWARD, TO SEE IF WE CAN REACH ANOTHER COMPROMISE, BUT WE HAVE TO HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING IN ORDER TO MAKE THE POT RICH ENOUGH IN ORDER TO GET SOMEBODY TO BE ON THE FIELD. KEEP IN MIND, I HAVE A FIRST GRADER, I HAVE TWO FOURTH, TWO THIRD GRADERS, SOON TO BE FOURTH GRADERS, AND I HAVE AN EIGHTH GRADER THAT'S GOING TO BE A NINTH GRADER. AND EVERYTHING WE TALKED ABOUT WOULD AFFECT ALL OF THOSE. SO ONE THING TO THINK ABOUT. THE ONLY PLAN I WAS PRESENTED OR GIVEN AS WE'RE KIND OF LIMITED WITH INFORMATION IS, WELL, HOW DO WE DO THIS? AND WE TALKED ABOUT CLASS CAPSIZES A FEW MEETINGS AGO. AFTER DOING SOME MORE RESEARCH WITH THAT AND UNDERSTANDING HOW THAT KIND OF ALL FLOATS THOSE 35 UNFILLED POSITIONS WE'RE HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME FILLING THOSE WITH QUALIFIED TEACHERS. SO THE ADDITIONAL PLAN THAT I HAD PRESENTED TO THE LAST MEETING AND REINTRODUCED CONTRACTORS TO ASSIST US IN PROVIDING COVERAGE FOR OUR SCHOOLS. I THINK THAT IS VERY NECESSARY. AND I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR TIME WILLING TO DEDICATE TO THE DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC. [00:10:07] THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DOCTOR PNIEWSKI. THERE ARE NO SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS FOR THIS EVENING. THE ONLY THING I WANTED TO SAY UNDER OFFICE OF BOARD CHAIRMAN IS I THINK EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM KNOWS IT, BUT GRADUATIONS AND HALF DAYS START TOMORROW, SO WE HAVE A LOT OF CELEBRATING TO DO OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS GRADUATIONS, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. AND I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T TAKE A MINUTE TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2024 IN ALL OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS. WE'LL MOVE THEN TO INDIVIDUAL ITEMS. THE FIRST, EXCUSE ME, INDIVIDUAL ITEM IS PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS. THESE ARE CERTIFIED AND CLASSIFIED PERSONNEL THAT WERE SCREENED BY HUMAN RESOURCES AND AND APPROVED BY THE ADMINISTRATION. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE LIST OF PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS? MOVED BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON? IS THERE A SECOND SECOND BY MISS TYLER? SO THERE'S A MOTION BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON, SECONDED BY MISS TYLER, TO APPROVE THE LIST OF PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS AS PRESENTED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT IS EIGHT IN FAVOR. THE MOTION CARRIES. THE NEXT INDIVIDUAL ITEM IS THE SECOND AND FINAL READING OF THE 2024-2025 BUDGET. INVITE MR. TRAXLER TO COME AND REVIEW HIS PRESENTATION OF WHERE WE STAND CURRENTLY. GOOD EVENING, MR. CHAIR, MR. LAURENCE, BOARD MEMBERS. IN YOUR PURPLE FOLDER, YOU HAVE A COPY OF THIS PRESENTATION. I APOLOGIZE THAT WE DIDN'T GET IT OUT SOONER, OR A LOT OF IT IS GOING TO BE A REPEAT OF OF WHAT YOU SAW IN THE FIRST READING OF THE BUDGET. PENDING YOUR DISCUSSION TONIGHT. ITEMS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE SECOND AND FINAL READING OF THE BUDGET. INCLUDES A STEP INCREASE FOR ALL ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES. THE TEACHER SCALE INCREASES AS DESCRIBED ON THIS DOCUMENT. WE SHARED BEFORE THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT VARYING AMOUNTS BASED ON DEGREE. BUS DRIVER SCALE HAS INCREASED BY THE STATE REQUIRED AMOUNT AND IF YOU WOULD KIND OF KEEP THAT IN MIND WITH AN ASTERISK BESIDE IT, THE STATE IS STILL IN THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING THEIR BUDGET. AND THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT THE HOUSE IS REQUIRING FOR BUS DRIVER INCREASE AND WHAT THE SENATE'S REQUIRED. THE HOUSE VERSION WOULD INCREASE HOURLY RATES BETWEEN 17 AND $0.24 PER HOUR. THE SENATE VERSION WOULD BE BETWEEN 31 AND $0.46 DEPENDING ON STEP. SO, OUR STATE IS POSSIBLY NOT FINALIZING ITS BUDGET UNTIL LATER ON IN JUNE, SO WE WON'T KNOW UNTIL THEN OR UNTIL WHICH TIME THEY DO APPROVE THE BUDGET. STATE HEALTH AND STATE RETIREMENT INCREASES ARE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET. YOU MAY RECALL THAT STATE HEALTH, WE'RE LOOKING AT IT INCREASING 11.8%. THAT'S EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1ST. SO THE AS OF 5.9% INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR, APPROXIMATELY INCREASE UTILITIES FOR ENERGY BUDGET AND WATER OR ENERGY, WATER AND SEWER. INCREASE BUDGET FOR SROS. INCREASED BUDGET FOR CUSTODIAL SUPPLIES. NEW WEBSITE THAT BOARD APPROVED OVER THE WINTER. BUDGET HAS BEEN INCREASED FOR THAT. WE HAVE CERDEP AND LITERACY OR INSTRUCTIONAL COACH FUNDING SHORTFALLS. THIS IS STATE FUNDING THAT'S INSUFFICIENT TO COVER THOSE BODIES IN THOSE TWO PROGRAMS. THE GENERAL FUND PICKS THAT UP. WE HAVE THE SHIFT OF NINE ESSER FUNDED POSITIONS TO THE GENERAL FUND. SEVEN OF THOSE ARE TECHNOLOGY RELATED, SIX IN THE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT, ONE IN THE INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND TWO ARE MAINTENANCE POSITIONS. SO NINE THAT HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER FROM ESSER AS IT GOES AWAY OVER INTO THE GENERAL FUND. THE BOARD APPROVED THE SOAR PROGRAM WELL OVER A MONTH AGO. THAT'S INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET. WE HAD AN INCREASE IN DEBT SERVICE RELATED TO THE ABM ENERGY CONSERVATION PROJECT. [00:15:07] WE TRANSITIONED FROM LAWN MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS IN AREAS ONE AND THREE TO HANDLING THAT IN-HOUSE BY HIRING LOAN CREWS UNDER OUR MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT. SO THAT'S REFLECTED IN THIS BUDGET DOES NOT INCLUDE FUNDING FOR INTERSESSION. WE WE MENTIONED A POSSIBLE OPTION FOR THAT BEING FUND BALANCE FOR THIS NEXT YEAR. I DID RUN NUMBERS TODAY AND FALL IN SPRING. INTERSESSION ENDED UP COSTING SLIGHTLY MORE THAN $1 MILLION. IT WAS RIGHT AT $1,000,007 OR $7000. THIS BUDGET PROPOSAL INCLUDES NO COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT FOR NON TEACHERS DUE TO THE TIGHT BUDGET, BUT IT DOES INCLUDE THE USE OF FUND BALANCE FOR NON-RECURRING BONUSES. WE'RE LOOKING AT $1,000 AS STANDS, $1,000 FOR BASE SALARY OF LESS THAN 50. OR 2% OF A BASE SALARY, THAT'S OVER 50,000. WE DIDN'T ADD AN ADDITIONAL STEP AT THE TOP OF THE TEACHER SCALE. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAD BEEN IN PLACE FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW. SO THAT'S NOT INCLUDED IN THIS BUDGET. IT INCLUDES 265,000 FOR A CONTRACTED TRAINER. SERVICES. NOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED IN LENGTH. SO THAT 265 IS THE SAME AMOUNT THAT WE BUDGETED FOR 2324 TO TO ENSURE THAT WE HAD SOME FUNDING IN THERE. IN THE EVENT THAT WE'RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO FIND SOME SOME TRAINERS TO CONTRACT WITH INCREASES IN VARIOUS STATE REVENUE AMOUNTS. AND FORTUNATELY, IT'S NOT AS MUCH AS WE'D LIKE TO SEE IN THIS BUDGET. THIS IS ONE OF THE TIGHTER BUDGET YEARS THAT WE'VE DEALT WITH IN A LONG TIME. INCREASES IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE FROM GROWTH IN THE TAX BASE. BUT IT IS NOT THE RESULT OF AN INCREASE IN SCHOOL OPERATING MILLAGE. WE ALSO INCREASED FEES IN LIEU OF TAX INTEREST AND INVESTMENT EARNINGS, AMONG OTHERS. OVERALL, THE PROPOSED GENERAL FUND BUDGET, AGAIN PENDING YOUR DISCUSSION, IS 262,569,000 AND CHANGE. I'LL HIT THESE SLIDES QUICKLY. JUST A SNAPSHOT OF WHERE THINGS STAND AS OF NOW. THOSE HIGHLIGHTS. WHILE PERHAPS DIFFICULT TO READ, THE ONE HIGHLIGHT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PAGE SHOWS FUND BALANCE DOLLARS THAT WOULD BE USED TO BALANCE THE BUDGET THAT COVERS THOSE ONE TIME NON-RECURRING BONUSES FOR NON TEACHERS. WELL, SO THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION DURING THE FIRST READING. THE TIMING OF THAT AND PLANS AT THIS POINT WOULD BE TO SPLIT THOSE BONUSES IN TWO PAYMENTS. I BELIEVE WE SAID IN NOVEMBER OR MAY. THOSE ARE SOME DETAILS THAT WE CAN SOLIDIFY LATER ON, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT TWO PAYMENTS FOR THAT. YOU SEE THE $262.6 MILLION THERE. AND AGAIN ONTO THE GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES BUDGET AND SAME BOTTOM LINE AMOUNT. OVERALL, WE'RE LOOKING AT JUST SHORT OF A 5.5% INCREASE IN THE BUDGET. BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. I WILL NOTE THAT WITH THE STATE HAVING YET TO FINALIZE ITS BUDGET, THERE'S ALWAYS A POTENTIAL THAT WE COME BACK AND AND NEED TO AMEND THINGS. IF THE STATE FINALIZES ITS BUDGET IN LATE JUNE, AS THEY HAVE DONE IN SOME RECENT YEARS, WE'VE COME BACK IN JULY AND ASKED FOR THE BOARD TO CONSIDER A BUDGET AMENDMENT. SO WE'LL BE WATCHING THAT. BUT IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, WHENEVER THE STATE FINALIZES IT, IT'S STILL GOING TO BE SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE WE GET SOME FINAL PROJECTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR. MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON. GOOD EVENING, MR. TRAXLER. GOOD EVENING. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WOULD BE FOR YOU OR DOCTOR EDWARDS POSSIBLY. MY, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. ONE OF THE MAJOR FACTORS REGARDING I'M SORRY IS REGARDING THE INTERCESSION. ONE OF THE MAJOR FACTORS THAT WAS STRESSED WHEN THE NEW CALENDAR WAS INTRODUCED WAS INTERCESSION. AND NOW ACCORDING TO THIS BUDGET, THERE WILL BE NO INTERCESSION. [00:20:05] WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR THOSE AT RISK STUDENTS WHO BENEFIT FROM INTERCESSION? AND WOULD IT BE A STRAIN ON OUR FUND BALANCE IF WE WERE TO FUND INTERCESSION? SO, YES, MA'AM, I'LL ADDRESS THE FUND BALANCE PORTION. SO OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE THREE MONTHS RESERVES WITH A FLOOR OF TWO MONTHS RESERVES. WE'RE CLOSER TO THREE MONTHS, EVEN WITH THE USE OF FUND BALANCE FOR THE BONUS. AND IF WE WERE TO USE FUNDING TO FUND BALANCE TO FUND INTERCESSION. YES, SO WE, I WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE MENTIONED THAT AS A POSSIBLE OPTION IF I FELT LIKE IT PUT US IN A PROBLEM SPOT. SO I FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THAT. IF IT WERE TREATED AS A ONE TIME TYPE EXPENSE THAT THE BOARD WISHES TO REEVALUATE NEXT YEAR WHETHER TO CONTINUE BEYOND THAT. OKAY, SO IT DOES DEPEND, GOOD EVENING, IT DOES DEPEND ON THE LEVELS. AT ELEMENTARY, WE DO HAVE INTERVENTIONS IN PLACE THAT HAPPEN EVERY DAY IN OUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. AND AT MIDDLE WE ARE PUTTING IN SOME OTHER INTERVENTIONS. AND WHEN I SAY THAT IT'S IT'S BASICALLY TIER TWO INTERVENTIONS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY FOR STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY THAT NEED THOSE THINGS. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. IN HIGH SCHOOL, WE'RE TRYING SOME THINGS TOO, AND I KNOW YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH READ 180. AND OF COURSE, WITH THE NEW GRANT THAT WE GOT WITH THE ELEMENTARY, WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PUSH IN SOMETHING WE'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE. AND THAT'S TIER THREE FOR OUR BOTTOM 20TH PERCENTILE OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS ACROSS THE DISTRICT. SO THAT'S EXCITING THAT.. WELL, MY CONCERN WITH BRINGING IT UP IS ONE OF LIKE I SAID, ONE OF THE MAJOR SELLING POINTS OF THE CALENDAR WAS THAT WE WERE GOING TO PROVIDE INTERCESSION SERVICES TO THOSE STUDENTS WHO REALLY NEEDED IT. AND SO NOW IF WE DO NOT HAVE INTERCESSION, THEN PARENTS HAVE TO COME UP WITH NOT ONE WEEK OF ADDITIONAL CHILDCARE, BUT TWO WEEKS. NOW, DON'T GET ME WRONG, THEY'RE STILL GOING TO BE THOSE PARENTS WHOSE CHILDREN WHO DON'T ATTEND INTERCESSION, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO FIND DAYCARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. BUT MY CONCERN IS IT WAS STRESSED TO US AS A BOARD THAT THIS INTERCESSION WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO OUR STUDENTS. AND I UNDERSTAND, AND IT HAS BEEN I'M ALL FOR IT, AT EVERY SINGLE LEVEL, IT'S DONE GREAT THINGS, AND WE'VE HAD IT TWO TIMES, AND EVERY TIME I FEEL LIKE EVERY TIME WE HAVE IT, IT'S GOING TO GET BETTER AND BETTER. ALL RIGHT. WELL I PERSONALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US BOARD MEMBERS CONSIDER USING THE FUND BALANCE TO CONTINUE THE INTERCESSION. IF I MIGHT ADD, AND I KNOW OUR BOARD IS WELL AWARE OF FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE, FOLKS WATCHING ONLINE MAY NOT BE AWARE. INTERCESSION WAS FUNDED IN 23-24 USING ESSER FUNDING. SO THIS WAS THIS IS FUNDING THAT'S GOING AWAY SEPTEMBER 30TH. THIS IS PROVIDED CLOSE TO $100 MILLION OVER A THREE, FOUR YEAR STRETCH. NOW THAT'S GOING AWAY. THAT'S WHY WE'RE ABSORBING SOME POSITIONS INTO THE GENERAL FUND. THIS IS WHY WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER FUNDING SOURCES, OTHER OPTIONS FOR INTERCESSION. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS IS A TIGHT BUDGET YEAR. IDEALLY, WE'D BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THAT WITHIN THE BUDGET. MISS TYLER, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? I DO HAVE A QUESTION, AND IT MAY HAVE BEEN ANSWERED PREVIOUSLY, BUT IN REGARDS TO THE MAINTENANCE CREW THAT WILL COVER THE AREAS ONE AND THREE, HAVE WE ALREADY HIRED THOSE? WE YES, MA'AM. SOME WERE HIRED MID-YEAR BECAUSE ONE OF THE AREAS, AND I DON'T RECALL WHICH RAN OUT. THE CONTRACT EXPIRED IN JANUARY. SO IMMEDIATELY WE LOOKED AT FILLING SOME OF THOSE POSITIONS, I BELIEVE THE OTHER ONES EXPIRING IN JUNE. WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF FILLING THOSE, EQUIPPING THOSE STAFFS TOO. YES, MA'AM. DO YOU MIND MY ASKING, AND IT MAY BE A QUESTION FOR DOCTOR MURPHY, HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE ON YOUR GROUNDS CREW NOW? GOOD EVENING. ARE YOU ASKING ME HOW MANY WE HAVE HIRED OR DO WE, HOW MANY DO WE HAVE ON THE GROUNDS CREW? HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE ON YOUR GROUNDS CREW PRESENTLY? THAT'S TAKEN CARE OF THE THE LAWNS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT. I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER FOR YOU RIGHT NOW. I CAN GET IT. THAT'S NO PROBLEM. I WAS JUST CONCERNED BECAUSE I REMEMBER WE WE'VE DONE THIS BEFORE AND WE WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL IN IT. SO I JUST WAS WONDERING IF WE HAD AN ABUNDANCE OF WORKERS THAT COULD TAKE CARE OF THE DISTRICT. [00:25:08] JUST UNDER BASICALLY ADVISEMENT OF DOCTOR YARBOROUGH. HE FELT VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO HIRE AT THIS POINT, AND HE ALSO AT THE PRICE THAT WE WERE SPENDING FOR THAT AREA ONE MAINTENANCE, WE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE FAR MORE COST EFFECTIVE TO GO AND BRING THEM ON BOARD. THANK YOU. WE'LL GO TO MR. BROOME AND THEN MR. MOULTON. FIRST, I DO HAVE A FOLLOW UP QUESTION ON THAT WASN'T PART OF WHAT I WAS GOING TO ASK, BUT IN THE BUDGET THAT'S PROPOSED NOW, WE STILL HAVE 100,000, WHICH WAS THE SAME AS LAST YEAR, BUDGETED FOR LAWN MAINTENANCE. IS THAT JUST KIND OF A FALLBACK FOR RIGHT NOW OR? I THINK IT MAY BE LANDSCAPING SUPPLIES SO.. MAYBE I READ THAT WRONG. THAT WOULD INCLUDE THINGS LIKE PINE STRAW, SOME CURB APPEAL ITEMS THERE. OKAY, I DID LOOK. OH, IT SAID LANDSCAPING. YEAH, I JUST ASSUMED THAT WAS. YES, SIR. THAT'S LANDSCAPING SUPPLIES. AND IT IS FOR PINE STRAW FLOWERS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, MULCH. GOING BACK TO MISS TYLER'S QUESTION, IT LOOKS LIKE, AND I DON'T HAVE THE GRAND TOTAL NUMBER OF LAWN CREW, BUT WE ADDED 12 AS A RESULT OF TRANSITIONING FROM CONTRACTED TO A DISTRICT EMPLOYED FOR AREA ONE AND AREA THREE. OKAY, THAT THAT WASN'T WHAT I ACTUALLY WANTED TO ASK, BUT YES. SO AND I GUESS THIS IS TO THE BOARD. YOU KNOW, WE ALREADY AT ALMOST 2 MILLION. OVER BUDGET. THUS WITHOUT INTERCESSION. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF TALK ABOUT CLASSROOM CAPS, WHICH I VOTED IN FAVOR OF, AND I DO THINK CAPS ARE IMPORTANT. BUT AFTER LOOKING AT WHERE WE'RE AT NOW WITH THE SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS, HOW THEY WERE FALLING OUT WITH SOME SCHOOLS WITH 14 STUDENTS AND THEN ANOTHER SCHOOL WITH 26 IN A CLASSROOM. AND LISTENING TO THE FACT THAT WE MAY HAVE SOME UNCERTIFIED TEACHERS THAT ARE LONG TERM SUBS IN THESE CLASSROOMS, I'M GOING TO ASK MISS AMY, SHE CAN MAY OR MAY NOT CAN ANSWER. I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT MAYBE WE'RE NOT REALLY FOR THE $3 MILLION WE'RE SPENDING AT THIS POINT. BECAUSE OF THE WAY THINGS ARE OPERATING, WE'RE NOT GETTING OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD IN THESE CLASSROOM CAPS. WE'RE NOT ABLE TO JUST THE WAY THE EVERYTHING'S WORKING OUT RIGHT NOW, WE'RE NOT ABLE TO FULLY UTILIZE WHAT WE FELT LIKE AS A BOARD, OR AT LEAST WHAT I FELT LIKE THE CAPS WERE GOING TO DO. SO I THINK MISS HART COULD ANSWER THIS A LITTLE BETTER, BECAUSE SHE'S GOTTEN REALLY CLOSE WITH THE EXACT NUMBERS, IF THAT'S OKAY. THAT'S FINE. SO FROM JUST TO CLARIFY THE QUESTION, WE'RE LOOKING AT KIND OF THE NUMBER OF, OF POSITIONS. WELL, FROM WHAT MY IMPRESSION WAS AND IT MAY BE RIGHT OR WRONG, WE ENDED UP WITH A FAIRLY LARGE NUMBER OF LONG TERM SUBS IN CLASSROOMS WITH THE POTENTIAL OF SOME OF THEM NOT BEING CERTIFIED. AND THERE'S SOME DISCUSSION THAT POSSIBLY SOME STUDENTS IN THESE CLASSROOMS REALLY AREN'T RECEIVING THE BENEFIT WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD RECEIVE BY BRINGING THE CLASSROOM SIZE DOWN. I'M NOT SAYING IN ALL CASES BECAUSE I SUPPORTED THAT, BUT I'M SAYING THAT THE POTENTIAL WAS THERE, THAT THE WAY IT'S BEING UTILIZED AT THIS POINT, NOT OF OUR FAULT, BUT JUST OF THE WAY THE GENERAL ECONOMY WITH THIS IS RUNNING IS MAYBE WE DIDN'T HELP OURSELVES LIKE WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO. SO CERTAINLY THERE'S A TEACHER SHORTAGE. HAVING EVERYBODY ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS FACING THAT. ALONG WITH A HUGE INCREASE IN ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PATHWAYS OR INDIVIDUALS JOINING THIS PROFESSION AS A SECOND CAREER. I DID A GREAT DEAL OF RESEARCH ON THE SPECIFIC DIRECT IMPACT THIS PAST YEAR. OF THOSE CLASSROOMS THAT WERE FILLED WITH A SUB, THOSE CLASSROOMS. WHO WERE FILLED, WE HAD TWO THAT WERE FILLED WITH A CERTIFIED ONE IN CONTENT, ONE OUT OF CONTENT AREA. AND THEN A NUMBER OF INTERVENTIONISTS AND LITERACY COACHES WHO WERE PULLED FROM THEIR SUPPORT ROLE AND PUT INTO A CLASSROOM TO HELP FILL THAT NEED, DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE COULD TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY STUDENT HAD A CERTIFIED TEACHER. BUT ULTIMATELY, THERE WAS AN IMPACT. [00:30:02] YOU KNOW. IT'S DIFFICULT. I DON'T KNOW THAT I'M THE RIGHT PERSON TO ANSWER THE IMPACT INSIDE OF A CLASSROOM ON THOSE STUDENTS. I CAN TELL YOU FROM A RECRUITING STANDPOINT THAT WHILE WE'RE DOING ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING WE CAN TO ATTRACT TEACHERS TO THE DISTRICT, THOSE ADDITIONAL NEEDS CERTAINLY PUT A HEAVY BURDEN ON OUR ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY RECRUIT. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND I'M GOING TO ADD ON TO THIS THAT I DO AGREE WITH MR. TRICHE THAT FUND AN INTERSECTION. I WASN'T ON THE BOARD THEN, BUT I KNOW THAT WAS A BIG SELLING POINT WHEN WE WENT TO A MODIFIED CALENDAR AND I HEARD A LOT ABOUT THAT. I WILL GO ON TO SAY THAT I'VE BEEN ATTENDING OUR ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETINGS, AND THE PRINCIPALS AT THE LAST MEETING RAVED ABOUT THE LAST INTERSESSION CLASS AND HOW MUCH IT HELPED THEIR STUDENTS, WHICH THEY SAID IT WAS MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THE FIRST GO AROUND. SO I THINK THAT THAT'S TOUGH WHEN WE LOOK AT ACADEMICS, BECAUSE THEM ARE SOME OF THE STUDENTS, WHAT I WOULD ASSUME WOULD HAVE THE MOST NEEDS TO, TO BE ABLE TO STAY ON GRADE LEVEL. SO I'M GOING TO JUST THROW IT OUT THERE, AND I'VE SAID IT BEFORE, I FEEL LIKE THAT I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF RELOOKING AT THIS CAP. I FEEL LIKE THAT THE DISTRICT PERSONNEL IS BETTER EQUIPPED THAN I AM TO DETERMINE WHICH TEACHERS AND WHICH CLASSROOMS COULD GO TO, PLUS OR MINUS TWO. TAKE THAT SAVINGS. FUND INTERCESSION. FUND THESE TRAINERS, AND LOOK AT OUR MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENTS, WHICH WE KNOW IS WOEFULLY UNDERSTAFFED. AND WE'VE ALREADY HAD TALK ABOUT THAT AND START MAKING SOME EFFORT TO FUND OUR MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT. PLUS, IF WE DID THIS. YOU WOULD JUST ABOUT COME OUT OF HAVING TO GO INTO THE FUNDS, TO STAY IN BUDGET. AND THAT'S THAT'S WHAT I'VE GOT TO SAY. SO JUST SO WE KNOW THE ORDER, IT'S MR. MOULTON AND MR. SMITH AND DOCTOR BRADLEY. MR. MOULTON. MR. TRAXLER. JUST TWO QUESTIONS REAL QUICK. ONE IS THE 100,000 FOR THE LANDSCAPING SUPPLIES. IT CAME UP WHEN MR. BROOME BROUGHT IT UP TO ME. I'M JUST WONDERING, DO YOU HAVE A PROJECTION OF HOW THAT GETS DIVIDED AMONG SCHOOLS? AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY I'M ASKING. PROBABLY NOT. THE ANSWER IS, IT'S NOT DIVIDED AMONG SCHOOLS THAT'S HANDLED IN OUR MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT. SO IT'S IT'S A SINGLE ACCOUNT. IT'S HANDLED BY MAINTENANCE. AND THEN THEY USE AT SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT AS, AS THEY SEE FIT TO SEE THAT NEED. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. I JUST WANT TO KNOW I KNOW I'VE BEEN PUSHING FOR GRANITEVILLE ELEMENTARY. THEY GOT LEFT OUT OF THE PINE STRAW LOOP FROM THEIR CONTRACTOR, I SUPPOSE, AND THEY CAME AND DID ABOUT HALF OF IT. BUT THERE'S ABOUT ANOTHER HALF THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE. AND I'M SURE THERE'S OTHER SCHOOLS THAT HAVE THE SAME SITUATION, BUT THAT'S WHY I WAS WONDERING, NUMBER TWO IS KIND OF IN LIEU WITH MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON, I AGREE WITH WE DID GO INTO WANTING TO FUND INTERSESSION. THAT WAS THE SELLING POINT OF THE CALENDAR. BUT ONE THING I HAVEN'T HEARD YET AND I'D LIKE TO KNOW, DO WE HAVE ANY HISTORICAL OR PROJECTED COST FOR DOING SO? BECAUSE, I MEAN, THAT COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS TO HOW I WOULD VOTE ON THAT. WELL, THE THE COST FOR FALL OF 23, SPRING OF 24 WAS A MILLION, $7,000. SO I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY A GOOD ESTIMATE. WE'RE ONLY LOOKING AT ONE YEAR. WE ONLY HAVE ONE YEAR'S WORTH OF DATA. BUT IF THE RATES ARE THE SAME, IT'S COMPARABLE NUMBER OF STUDENTS, WE'RE LIKELY LOOKING AT SOMETHING IN THAT RANGE, GIVE OR TAKE. THANK YOU. THAT HELPED. YES. MR. SMITH. ONE QUESTION. THIS IS PROBABLY FOR DOCTOR MURPHY. WITH THE NEW PEOPLE THAT WE'VE HIRED, WITH THE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS THAT WERE COMING THROUGH AREA ONE AND AREA THREE, THEY NOT ONLY WERE CUTTING GRASS, BUT THEY WERE ALSO TRIMMING HEDGES AND THIS KIND OF STUFF BECAUSE I KNOW THE BUILDING DOESN'T HAVE THE STAFF TO DO EVERYTHING. AND I WENT THROUGH THAT ERA WHEN WE WERE TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING, AND IT WAS. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WILL STILL BE AVAILABLE TO OUR SCHOOLS TO HAVE THOSE TYPE THINGS. TAKE CARE OF OUR STAFF IN HOUSE. ABSOLUTELY. THAT'S THAT'S THE INTENT IS TO BASICALLY TAKE THE SCOPE OF WORK THAT WE WERE USING. WE WERE CONTRACTING OUT AND TO BRING IT IN-HOUSE. AND FINALLY, MY LAST ONE IS THIS HE IS. [00:35:02] THE CAPS ME ARE ONE OF THE MOST VITAL THINGS WE CAN DO FOR OUR YOUNG CHILDREN. WE CAN LOOK AND SAY SOME CLASSES ARE 14, SOME CLASSES HAD 25 TO 27. BUT YOU ALSO GOT TO LOOK AT THE STUDENT TEACHER RATIOS OF WAR FOR THOSE GRADE LEVELS. AND THAT IS THAT IS REALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE FROM WHAT I'M HEARING FROM TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS. NOT ONLY, THIS IS NEW TO THE BOARD. THE SHORTFALL OF TEACHERS IS NOT NEW TO THE BOARD. IT WAS HERE BEFORE THE CAP WAS PUT ON SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE. EVERYBODY'S GOING THROUGH IT. WE'RE MAKING IT. AND YOU GOT A YOUNG CLASS OF FIRST GRADERS THAT 15 TO 1. AND IF YOU GOT A GOOD SUB IN THERE AND SOMEONE WORKING WITH HER, THERE'S A LOT OF GROUND TO STILL BE DONE. AND. IF YOU PUT MORE IN THERE AND STILL HAVE TO PUT A SUB OR RETIRED TEACHER, WHATEVER, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS IT. THEN I AM TOTALLY AGAINST TAKING THAT CAP OFF. DOCTOR BRADLEY. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE CAP ALSO. WHAT I HEARD MISS HART SAY, I THOUGHT APPLIED TO THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE, NOT TO JUST THE ELEMENTARY, PARTICULARLY THE FIRST THREE GRADES. YEAH. WE HAD VACANCIES ALL YEAR, AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE VACANCIES NEXT YEAR, AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO FILL THEM WITH QUALIFIED TEACHERS, WHETHER WE HAVE A CAP OR NOT. NOW, THE CAP CREATES THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL TEACHERS. AND OBVIOUSLY, IF YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO START WITH YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE MORE VACANCIES THAN YOU WOULD WITHOUT THE CAP. BUT AGAIN, YOU KNOW THE PROBLEM IS NOT CAUSED BY THE CAP. YOU CAN DO AWAY WITH THE CAP, AND YOU'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE 25, 30 VACANCIES THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR. PROBABLY. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CAP IS THAT UNLESS YOU HAVE IT IN PLACE, THE REDUCTION IN CLASS SIZE IS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. IT'S JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. THE ONLY WAY YOU'RE GOING TO REDUCE THE PUPIL TEACHER RATIO IS TO FORCE IT. AND YOU FORCE IT BY HAVING AN ABSOLUTE POLICY. WE ARE WILLING TO SACRIFICE THE CAP FOR ALL MANNER OF OTHER THINGS. YOU KNOW, WE ADDED ALL A BUNCH OF GOT A WHOLE BIG LIST HERE, THINGS THAT WE'VE ADDED TO THE TO THE BUDGET. NOBODY'S TALKING ABOUT DOING AWAY WITH ANY OF THOSE. YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO CUT THE GRASS WHETHER WE HAVE KIDS LEARNING OR NOT. BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING. WE'RE FIXING TO ADD $1 MILLION. TAKE $1 MILLION OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND FOR THIS INTERSESSION. AND, YOU KNOW, TREY SAYS IT'S JUST A ONE TIME DEAL, AND AND I BET YOU IF YOU PRESS HIM, HE KNOWS IT'S NOT JUST A ONE TIME DEAL. ONCE WE DO IT, IT'S DONE. AND IT'LL BE HERE EVERY YEAR. AND WE REALLY DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY DATA TO SHOW THAT THE THING WORKS. BUT I AGREE WITH MISS REINHARDT. IT WAS A BIG SALES PITCH TO. OF COURSE. I THINK I SAID AT THE TIME THAT IT THAT WASN'T REALLY THE REASON TO DO IT. I THINK IF. I THINK IF WE'RE GOING TO DO ANYTHING WITH THE CAP. AND I'M NOT REALLY IN FAVOR OF THIS, BUT IF WE'RE GOING TO DO ANYTHING WITH THE CAP, YOU NEED TO START WITH THE FIFTH GRADE AND WORK BACKWARDS. MY APPROACH WOULD BE THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO DO ANYTHING WITH THE CAP, WHAT WE SHOULD DO IS TO TAKE SITUATIONS ON A SITUATION BY SITUATION BASIS. IF WE HAVE A SITUATION WHERE WE CAN'T FIND A TEACHER, OR IF WE HAVE A SITUATION WHERE WE DON'T HAVE A CLASSROOM. THEN BRING THAT TO THE BOARD WITH A SOLUTION. DON'T JUST AUTOMATICALLY THINK THAT YOU'VE GOT A. YOU MEAN THE ADMINISTRATION HAS THE RIGHT TO BREAK THE POLICY? ADD, YOU KNOW, ADD KIDS TO EXISTING CLASSROOMS. I THINK THAT BY DOING THAT, WHAT IT DOES IS IT MAKES THE BOARD IT EDUCATES THE BOARD ABOUT HOW WIDESPREAD THIS IS AND ABOUT THE NEEDS AND INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS. IT'S ONE THING TO SAY WE DON'T HAVE CLASSROOMS, BUT WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS WHERE DON'T WE HAVE CLASSROOMS AND HOW MANY CLASSROOMS THAT ARE NON CLASSROOMS BEING USED FOR NON CLASSROOM PURPOSES. WHAT WHAT ARE THEY BEING USED FOR. I MEAN, WE FOUND WHEN THIS CAME UP TEN, 15 YEARS AGO, WE FOUND OUT THERE WERE ALL KINDS OF THINGS GOING ON IN THE SCHOOL THAT WEREN'T CLASSROOMS, YOU KNOW, WITH REGULAR GRADES IN THEM. [00:40:02] THERE WERE OTHER THINGS GOING ON. SO YOU WERE MAKING A DECISION THEN THAT THESE OTHER ACTIVITIES IN THE SCHOOL WERE MORE IMPORTANT THAN REDUCING THE PUPIL TEACHER RATIO. AND I THINK THAT THAT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN. AND THE ONLY WAY I KNOW TO PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING IS TO HAVE A REVIEW ON A SITUATION BY SITUATION BASIS. I MEAN, I'M NOT STUPID ENOUGH TO SAY WE'RE GOING TO PUT A KIDS IN THE LIBRARY AND TRY TO TEACH FIRST GRADE IN THE LIBRARY WITH A WITH A SUBSTITUTE. YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE GOT A SITUATION LIKE THAT, LET'S MAKE A PROVISION TO COME IN AND REVIEW IT, BRING A SOLUTION, LIKE, OKAY, WE'LL JUST ADD TWO MORE KIDS TO THE EXISTING CLASS OR WHATEVER, AND THEN MAKE THE DECISION TO EXCEED THE REQUIREMENT BY SUCH AND SUCH AT THAT PARTICULAR SCHOOL. YEAH. IT'S WORKED. BUT IT'S ALSO ASSURANCE, AND IT'S ALSO EDUCATING THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ESSENTIALLY THE DECISION MAKERS. YEAH, AND I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT. I MEAN, I DON'T WANT TO BE SO HARD HEADED THAT WE ARE INSISTING ON A RULE THAT DOESN'T WORK. BUT IF WE'RE GOING TO BREAK IT, I WANT TO DO IT IN A SYSTEMATIC WAY. WHERE? THE BOARD MEMBERS ARE INFORMED ON A SCHOOL BY SCHOOL BASIS WHAT THE SITUATION IS AND WHY WE ARE NOT ABLE TO FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES. AND IF NECESSARY, WE CAN TAKE A VOTE ON IT THEN TO TO MAKE AN EXCEPTION TO THE POLICY, SO TO SPEAK. IF I COULD ADD ONE POINT THERE. SURE. OKAY. JUST ONE THING WE WOULD WANT TO BE MINDFUL OF. IF WE LOOKED AT THINGS ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS, WE'D HAVE TO BE MINDFUL THAT WE WEREN'T SUPPLANTING. SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND AS FAR AS TITLE ONE, TO MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO ISSUES THERE. BUT YEAH. WELL, I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER IN THE PRESENTATION. YES. YOU KNOW. YEAH. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THERE. COMPETITION FOR CLASSROOMS. THERE ARE CERTAIN FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS AND SO FORTH THAT SAY, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO GET THE MONEY, WE'VE GOT TO DO IT. WELL, THAT'S CERTAINLY A PERSUASIVE ARGUMENT FOR NOT INSISTING ON FOLLOWING THE CAP. BUT JUST TO SAY, WELL, WE'VE GOT A. I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, COME UP WITH SOME SOMETHING THAT'S NOT REALLY REQUIRED. BUT MAYBE IT'S A GOOD THING, BUT IT'S NOT REQUIRED. THAT WOULD BE MY SUGGESTION. IF WE'RE GOING TO DO AWAY WITH THE CAP, OR TRY TO LOOK AT CORRECTING THE PROBLEMS CAUSED BY THE CAP. I THINK THAT JUST SAY WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THE CAP. OH, IT'S A BAD MISTAKE. WE'RE GOING BACKWARDS IF WE DO THAT. JUST A SECOND. OKAY. SO I HAVE PEOPLE THAT HAVE ALREADY SPOKEN THAT WANT TO SPEAK AGAIN. OH. I'M SORRY. MR. SILAS, DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BEFORE WE MOVE BACK TO SOMEONE ELSE THAT'S ALREADY SPOKEN? MR. SMITH. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. TRAXLER OR ANYONE IN THE ADMINISTRATION? ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE NOW. THANK YOU, MR. TRAXLER. I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO RECALL YOU. THE, ARE THERE ANY MOTIONS ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IN REGARDS TO THE BUDGET? YES. MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON. I MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THE BUDGET AS PRESENTED WHILE ADDING INTERSESSION BACK INTO THE BUDGET USING ONE TIME FUND BALANCE AND REEVALUATE INTERSESSION NEXT BUDGET CYCLE. [00:45:02] SO MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON HAS MADE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE BUDGET ON SECOND READING, WITH THE CHANGE TO USE FUND BALANCE FOR ONE TIME EXPENDITURE OF TO FUND INTERSESSION AT THE SAME LEVELS AS THIS YEAR. AND THE BOARD WILL COME BACK AND EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF THAT. THE RESULTS OF THAT AFTER ESSENTIALLY AFTER TWO YEARS OF DOING IT. IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND THAT MOTION. SO MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON HAS MADE THAT MOTION. I'LL SECOND IT. DISCUSSION. I HAVE A QUESTION. DOCTOR BRADLEY'S FIRST. COULD MR. TRAXLER, COULD YOU SAY AGAIN WHAT THIS DOES TO THE FUND BALANCE? TAKING $1 MILLION OUT. HOW MANY? HOW MANY MONTHS THIS OUT? I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT NUMBER, BUT IT'S SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THREE MONTHS. WE'RE PROBABLY IN THAT TWO MONTHS, THREE WEEKS RANGE. SO CLOSER TO THREE THAN TO. WHAT'S THE REQUIREMENT? STATE REQUIRES ONE MONTH, WHICH IS EXTREMELY LOW. OUR POLICY IS IS A FLOOR OF TWO MONTHS WITH A DESIRE OF THREE. DO YOU MIND IF I PUT YOU ON THE SPOT? I THOUGHT Y'ALL ALREADY DOING THAT. YES, SIR. AT WHAT LEVEL WOULD YOU SAY WE SHOULD NOT GO BELOW IN TERMS OF THE FUND BALANCES? I DO THINK TWO MONTHS. I WAS HERE IN 07-08-09 WHEN THE STATE CUT WHAT WAS THEN THE EFA FUNDING FROM 57 MILLION TO 35, 36 MILLION. WE HAD LESS THAN A MONTH'S FUND BALANCE. WE CUT EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE. WE TALK ABOUT CLASS SIZES. WE JACKED CLASS SIZES UP. WE HAD REHIRED RETIREES THAT WERE WORKING IN A VARIETY OF POSITIONS. THOSE FOLKS WE DID NOT REHIRE OR WE NEGOTIATED THOSE INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING TEACHERS AT STEP TEN OR STEP 11 OF THE PAY SCALE, EVEN THOUGH BASED ON YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, THEY COULD THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOPPED OUT AT THE TIME, I THINK IT WAS A 22 OR 23 STEP SCALE. WE CUT OUT TRAVEL. WE CUT OUT SUPPLIES AND LIMITED HOW MUCH OF A SUPPLIES BUDGET SCHOOLS COULD UTILIZE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SO I LIKE TWO MONTHS, EVEN THOUGH THE STATE UTILIZES ONE. I LIKE TWO MONTHS AS AN ABSOLUTE FLOOR BEFORE WE DO SOMETHING ELSE. BUT AGAIN, WE'RE CLOSER TO TO THREE MONTHS, WHICH IS OUR GOAL. WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THE BATTLES, THOUGH. WE HAD TO CUT DEEP. BUT WITH THE INTERCESSION, WE'D GO TO TWO MONTHS IN THREE WEEKS OR SOMETHING. YES, SIR. YES, SIR. SLIGHTLY. SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THREE MONTHS. I WAS HERE THEN TOO, AND TALKING ABOUT THE CAP ON THE CLASS SIZE. WE HAD WORKED THE BOARD THEN HAD WORKED FOR YEARS TO LOWER THE PUPIL TEACHER RATIO, AND WE MADE SOME PRETTY MAJOR INROADS IN THAT IT WENT AWAY IN ONE YEAR. IN FACT, IT GOT BIGGER AFTER THAT ONE YEAR, 2008. YES SIR. WE UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS A SITUATION WHERE WE HAD ALMOST NO OPTIONS. AND I FAILED TO MENTION THAT WE FURLOUGHED STAFF FOR TEACHERS FOR FIVE DAYS, ALL OTHER EMPLOYEES FOR TEN DAYS. THAT WAS A BIG ONE TOO. SO IT WAS WITHOUT PAY. WE TURNED OVER EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE TO BALANCE THAT BUDGET AND MAKE IT WORK. AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO BUILD THAT FUND BALANCE OVER THE YEARS FOR SITUATIONS LIKE THIS. THANK YOU. MR. BROOME. IF WE ADD BACK FOR INTERCESSION AND WE'RE GOING TO BE RIGHT AT $3 MILLION IN THE FUND BALANCE ON THIS BUDGET, CORRECT? YES, SIR. JUST RIGHT AT $3 MILLION. WE DON'T ADDRESS AT ALL OUR SEVERE SHORTAGE AND MAINTENANCE, WHICH. IS A HUGE PROBLEM. WE. THAT'S NOT EVEN BEGINNING TO ADDRESS. THE TRAINER ISSUE. AND WE STILL GOT THE SHORTAGE OF TEACHERS. THAT I KNOW THAT THE LITERACY COACHES AND THAT TYPE STUFF, AND I DON'T KNOW ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THAT BUT ARE BEING PULLED AND THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO EVEN DO THEIR JOBS A LOT OF TIMES BECAUSE THEY'RE COVERING CLASSROOMS. AND WITH $3 MILLION OVER BUDGET. I JUST THINK WE NEED TO RELOOK AT WHAT WE'RE DOING, AND I'M NOT AGAINST HAVING SMALL CLASSROOM SIZES. WHAT I'M AGAINST IS BEING $3 MILLION OVER BUDGET AND NOT EVEN TOUCHING PROBLEMS THAT I'VE GOTTEN CALLS ON OVER AND OVER IN MY YEAR [00:50:10] TENURE AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER. AND I'M GOING TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT MY PEOPLE AND SAY. WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR YOU. AND. I THINK WHEN I'VE GOT PROFESSIONALS IN THIS DISTRICT. THAT TELL ME THAT A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, BECAUSE I KNOW ALL OUR HEARTS ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. BUT SOME OF WHAT WE'RE DOING IS COSTING MONEY, AND IT'S NOT WORKING RIGHT NOW. WE GET MORE MONEY, WE GET MORE TEACHERS, WHATEVER IT TAKES TO BALANCE IT OUT. I THINK WE NEED TO DO THEM THINGS. BUT TO SAY WE'RE GOING TO APPROVE A BUDGET THAT'S $3 MILLION OVER AND NOT ADDRESSING WOEFUL DEFICIENCIES THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE YEAR, I CANNOT SUPPORT. AND THAT'S ALL I GOT TO SAY. MR. MOULTON. JUST A QUICK NOTE. I DEFINITELY THINK I, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE NEED TO PUSH FOR THIS INTERCESSION AND I'M 100% BEHIND THAT. THE ONLY THING I'D LIKE TO DO IS SOMETHING WE MENTIONED EARLIER. I'D LIKE TO SEE THE EFFECTS OF THAT. I'D LIKE AS MANY THINGS AS WE MEASURE, AND WE MEASURE WHEN THERE'S A POSITIVE EFFECT, WHEN WE REDUCE STUDENT TO TEACHER RATIO. WELL, I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT SAME THING MEASURED WHEN IT COMES TO INTERCESSION. I'D LIKE TO KNOW IF WE'RE SPENDING $1 MILLION ON THIS. I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THAT'S DOING FOR US. THAT'S ALL. MS. RHINEHART-JACKSON. WHEN THIS WAS FIRST INTRODUCED. THE DISTRICT MADE A PLEA OF HOW BENEFICIAL THIS WOULD BE TO STUDENTS. ACROSS THE BOARD AND IN LONG TERM, AFFECTING GRADUATION RATES IN THE FUTURE. WELL, NOW AND IT WAS FUNDED WITH ESSER FUNDS TO BEGIN WITH, BUT AT SOME POINT WE ALREADY KNEW THE DISTRICT ALREADY KNEW THAT THOSE ESSER FUNDS WERE GOING TO RUN OUT. LET'S JUST CALL A SPADE A SPADE. YOU KNEW THAT THOSE FUNDS WERE GOING TO RUN OUT EVENTUALLY. YOU KNEW EVENTUALLY THAT AS A DISTRICT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE TO FUND IT. BUT GUESS WHAT? WE HAVE TO FUND IT NOW. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE CHILDREN WHO NEED THIS ASSISTANCE GET IT NOW. MISS EDWARDS WAS DOCTOR EDWARDS, EXCUSE ME, WAS KIND ENOUGH TO SAY THAT WE'RE DOING I'M SORRY. WHAT DID YOU CALL IT DOCTOR EDWARDS, TIER. IT'S THE TIER THREE INTERVENTION. TIER THREE INTERVENTIONS. WELL, WE WERE GOING TO DO TIER THREE INTERVENTIONS IN THE CLASSROOM, WE COULD HAVE SAVED ALL OF THIS TIME AND MONEY AND DID IT LAST YEAR. IF THAT WAS THE CASE, BUT THE DISTRICT WAS INSISTING. VERY INSISTENT THAT WE NEEDED INTERCESSION FOR THESE KIDS. AND NOW THAT IT'S HERE, TAKING IT AWAY. I DON'T I DON'T SEE THAT. I'M SORRY. AND JUST FOR THE PARENTS AT HOME. IF THAT WAS THE CASE, THEN WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO CHANGE THE SCHEDULE. I SAID IT, IT'S OUT THERE. WE DID NOT EVEN HAVE TO CHANGE THE SCHEDULE. WE WERE NOT GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO INTERSESSION. IT WAS A WASTE OF TIME, ENERGY. I'M SORRY. IT WAS. IF THAT WAS THE CASE. I'M I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS INTERSESSION BECAUSE AS A BOARD AND AS A DISTRICT, IF WE'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING AND COMMIT TO SOMETHING, WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO DO IT AND COMMIT TO IT. PERIOD. MR. BROOME JUST SO I DON'T MISLEAD. I'M 100% FOR YOUR INTERCESSION. I JUST FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO LOOK, AS I SAID EARLIER, ABOUT THE MEANS OF OUR BUDGET. I AGREE IT NEEDS TO BE FUNDED. LIKE I TOLD YOU BEFORE, VERY UNUSUAL THAT I HAD THE PRINCIPALS RAISE, BUT THEY RAISED AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING ADVISORY COUNCIL ABOUT HOW WELL INTERCESSION DID AND HOW MUCH THEY FELT LIKE IT BENEFITED THEIR KIDS. THAT WAS IN THEIR STUDENTS. THANK YOU. AND THIS AND I KNOW WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN VIEWPOINT. THE THE ONE COMMENT I WANTED TO MAKE ABOUT ONE DISCUSSION POINT ON THIS MOTION IS THAT WE USE ONE TIME MONEY AND ONE TIME EXPENSES FROM THE GENERAL FUND ROUTINELY FOR THINGS THAT WHERE WE THINK WE'RE NOT CREATING POSITIONS OR WE ARE NOT CREATING POSITIONS WITH THIS MOTION. JUST LIKE IF WE USE FUND BALANCE TO BUY LAPTOPS. AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND I THINK IN THIS CASE, THIS IS SOMETHING NEW AND THAT, YOU KNOW, LONG TERM WE NEED TO DECIDE THE VALUE OF IT. BUT I THINK YOU NEED TO GIVE IT A LITTLE BIT LONGER RUN. [00:55:04] AND I THINK I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM PERSONALLY WITH USING ONE TIME FUNDS OR ONE TIME EXPENSE TO CONTINUE TO SEE WHAT VALUE WE GET OUT OF IT. I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION, DOCTOR. BRADLEY. HAVE WE DONE ANYTHING TO ASSESS THE VALUE OF THE INTERCESSION? I MEAN, DO WE HAVE A DATA? IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE I HEARD SOME DATA SOMEWHERE ABOUT THE BENEFIT OF. WE DON'T HAVE DATA UNTIL THESE TEST RESULTS COME IN, AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO DO VERY INTENTIONAL DATA AROUND THE KIDS THAT WE SERVED. OKAY. SO WE'RE JUST GOING TO OPERATE ON FAITH. WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS WHEN WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE DATA, WHEN WE GET IT, WHEN YOU GET IT. FAITH IS A GOOD THING TO HAVE, THOUGH. CAN WE VOTE ON THIS WHEN YOU GET THE DATA? NO. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS MOTION. SO THE MOTION AT HAND IS TO APPROVE THE SECOND READING OF THE BUDGET, WITH ONE CHANGE TO USE THE FUND BALANCE AS A ONE TIME EXPENDITURE TO FUND INTERSESSION AT THE SAME ACTUAL EXPENSE RATE THAT WE HAD THIS YEAR, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY $1 MILLION. AND THEN FOR THE BOARD TO EVALUATE THE RESULTS OF THAT NEXT YEAR. THAT'S THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED. MOTION'S BEEN SECONDED. I HAVE A LITTLE MORE DISCUSSION. GO AHEAD, MR. BROOME, BECAUSE I HAVEN'T CALLED FOR A VOTE. BEFORE WE VOTE, I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND ONE THING. I'VE LOOKED AT THE DATA WHEN WE GO BACK TO ATHLETIC TRAINERS. WE HAVE HIGH SCHOOLS THAT HAVE ZERO. NO MONEY SPENT. NO MONEY. THEY DON'T HAVE ATHLETIC TRAINERS, PERIOD. AND MY SCHOOL? HIGH SCHOOL HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THEM. SO. I'M JUST GOING TO SAY IT'S A LITTLE BIT RECKLESS FOR THIS DISTRICT TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE. AND BE IN THE SPORTS BUSINESS, WHICH WE ARE, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, AND NOT HAVE AT LEAST SOME KIND OF SYSTEM OUT OF THIS DISTRICT OFFICE THAT CONTROLS AND LOOKS AND ENSURES THAT EACH SCHOOL HAS GOT SOME TYPE OF ATHLETIC TRAINER SYSTEM. NOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE LIABILITY BACK ON THE DISTRICT IS, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S ANOTHER DISTRICT IN. THERE'S NOT MANY IN THE STATE LIKE THIS. WE'RE TOO GOOD OF A DISTRICT. TO OPERATE LIKE THIS. I PULLED, HAD THE NUMBERS PULLED. SILVER BLUFF HIGH SCHOOL HAS SPENT $0 ON ATHLETIC TRAINERS IN THE LAST YEAR, SO HAS MIDLAND VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL ZERO BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE TRAINERS. IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT THIS DISTRICT PUTS SOME KIND OF SYSTEM IN PLACE. WE'VE GOT A MAN, A GENTLEMAN THAT'S COME AND TALKED HERE TO US SEVERAL TIMES. LET'S GIVE HIS OWN BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS DOING IT FOR FREE. BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TAKING UP RESPONSIBILITY OF WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING. THAT'S WRONG. THAT'S WRONG. THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT NEEDS TO STEP UP. IF WE'RE GOING TO BE IN THE SPORTS BUSINESS AND WE NEED TO PUT TRAINERS IN PLACE FOR THESE ATHLETES. IT'S WRONG THAT WE DON'T DO THAT. THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT TO SAY. SO BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE AND JUST. IT WOULD BE PROBABLY CLEANER THIS WAY. GIVEN THE DISCUSSION. MR. BROOME, WOULD YOU LIKE TO OFFER AN AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION BEFORE WE TAKE A VOTE? MY AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION WOULD BE TO, AS MR. PNIEWSKY. IS THAT CORRECT? STATED THAT AT A MINIMUM, WE HAVE SOMEONE THAT OVERSEES THE DISTRICT. TRAINERS AND HELPS PUT CONTRACTS IN PLACE. WE PUT ENOUGH MONEY IS NOT THE FULL, FULL BLOWN. TRAINER SITUATION, BUT IT WOULD PUT ENOUGH MONIES IN PLACE TO AT LEAST WE WOULD GET STARTED AND HAVING SOME TYPE OF UNIFORM SYSTEM WHERE WE FEEL LIKE AND PARENTS CAN FEEL LIKE THEIR THE STUDENT ATHLETES AT LEAST HAVE A CHANCE IF THEY GET INJURED OF GETTING PROPER CARE. AND THE THE PROPOSAL THAT WAS MADE TODAY, I DON'T THINK IT I DON'T THINK IT AFFORDED US A DOLLAR FIGURE. IS THAT CORRECT? [01:00:01] IT WAS IT WHAT, 295 K, 295,000. SO THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD NEED TO ADD TO THE BUDGET FROM SOMEWHERE. TO. MY PROPOSAL IS TO ADD THE 295 AND WORK TO TRY TO GET SOME TYPE OF UNIFORM SYSTEM PUT INTO PLACE THAT WE CAN BUILD ON IN THE FUTURE. OKAY, SO I'M GOING TO RESTATE THE MOTION. MR. BROOME HAS MADE AN AMENDMENT TO THE MAIN MOTION, THAT WE ALSO ADD $295,000 TO THE LINE ITEM IN THE BUDGET, WHICH WE PAY FOR CONTRACTOR SERVICES, ESSENTIALLY FOR ATHLETIC TRAINERS TO GET IN MORE EXPANSIVE COVERAGE. THAT WAS OUTLINED AT, I BELIEVE, THE MAY 14TH MEETING AND DISCUSSED. AND THEN HONESTLY, THAT'S WE CAN TAKE CARE OF OTHER STUFF LATER. BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, WE NEED TO ADD MONEY TO THE BUDGET OR THAT LINE ITEM. IS THERE A SECOND FOR THIS AMENDMENT TO THE MAIN MOTION? SECOND. SO MR. SILAS IS SECONDED IT. SO WE NOW HAVE A MOTION BY MR. BROOME, SECONDED BY MR. SILAS, TO AMEND THE MAIN MOTION TO ADD $295,000 TO THE LINE ITEM IN THE BUDGET FOR ATHLETIC TRAINERS CONTRACTED SERVICES. ANY DISCUSSION? JUST FOR MY CLARIFICATION, MISS TYLER, WHERE ARE WE GOING TO PULL THIS MONEY FROM FUNDS BALANCE AGAIN? THAT WASN'T PART OF THE AMENDMENT. SO IT WOULD BE, WE'D BE CREATING A YEAH, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT, MISS TYLER. I WAS TRYING TO THINK OF HOW TO PHRASE THAT, BUT. YEAH. OTHER QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION ON THE AMENDMENT TO THE MAIN MOTION. OKAY, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF MAKING THE AMENDMENT TO THE MAIN MOTION, RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S THREE. FOUR IN FAVOR? ALL THOSE OPPOSED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S THREE AGAINST ALL THOSE ABSTAINING. THAT'S ONE. SO THAT MOTION CARRIES FOUR TO 3 TO 1 TO ADD $295,000 TO THAT PARTICULAR ITEM IN THE BUDGET FOR CONTRACTED SERVICES FOR ATHLETIC TRAINERS. WHICH PUTS US AT A DEFICIT THAT WE'LL HAVE TO WORK OUT. BUT NOW THAT WAS JUST AMENDING THE MAIN MOTION. SO I WILL RESTATE THE MAIN MOTION THAT'S NOW AMENDED. THE WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE SECOND READING OF THE BUDGET WITH TWO CHANGES THAT HOPEFULLY I'VE SAID ENOUGH THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHAT I MEAN IF I JUST SHORTEN IT. BUT WE APPROVE THE SECOND READING OF THE BUDGET WITH TWO CHANGES. ONE IS TO USE FUND BALANCE AT THE RATE OF $1 MILLION, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE EXPENDED THIS PAST YEAR TO FUND INTERSESSION. THE BOARD WILL EVALUATE THAT AFTER ITS SECOND YEAR OF DOING INTERSESSION TO ASSESS THE VALUE, AND IF WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT. THE SECOND CHANGE TO THE BUDGET IS ALSO TO ADD $295,000 TO THE LINE ITEM IN THE BUDGET FOR CONTRACTED SERVICES FOR ATHLETIC TRAINERS, IN ORDER TO EXPAND COVERAGE. MUCH GREATER THAN WE IN HOPES OF GREATER THAN WE DO TODAY. THAT IS NOW THE MOTION. I'M KIND OF LOST MY PLACE FOR A SECOND. YEAH. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THIS NOW AMENDED, HAVE DISCUSSION. YOU'RE RIGHT SIR. DOCTOR BRADLEY, YOU'RE ASKING US TO APPROVE A BUDGET NOT BALANCED BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT NO WORDS, NO DIRECTION ABOUT WHERE THE $295,000 IS COMING FROM. THAT'S CORRECT, SIR. OTHER QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION.. ON BALANCED BUDGET. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT. SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE'LL JUST AUTOMATICALLY TAKE THE MONEY OUT OF THE FUND BALANCE IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, RIGHT? IF IT'S APPROVED AS IS. NO OTHER OPTIONS AT THIS TIME. IT AUTOMATICALLY FALLS BACK TO FUND BALANCE. AND AGAIN, WE'LL CONTINUE TO MONITOR WHENEVER THE STATE HAS FINAL BUDGET PROJECTIONS TO US. BUT BARRING SOME OTHER REDUCTION IN THE BUDGET. [01:05:04] ANY OTHER DISCUSSION OR QUESTIONS? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. ONE. TWO. THREE. THAT'S FIVE IN FAVOR. ALL THOSE OPPOSED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S THREE AGAINST MOTION CARRIES. 5 TO 3. ALL RIGHT. THAT LEADS US TO CONSENT ITEMS, WHICH THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WILL BE VOTED ON AS A GROUP. INDIVIDUAL ITEMS MAY BE DISCUSSED PRIOR TO A VOTE BEING TAKEN. AND FIRST ONE IS THERE'S A LIST OF THOSE RECOMMENDED FOR EXPULSION THAT WE MUST RATIFY. SECOND IS THE REQUEST TO ADMIT FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENTS. THIRD IS THOSE REQUESTING OUT OF DISTRICT TRANSFERS TO TRANSFER OUT OF OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR. FOURTH, WE WERE PROVIDED A LIST OF LOCAL COURSES TO BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD. THAT WE MUST APPROVE ANNUALLY. FIVE THE CEDAR CREEK LADIES CLUB IS DONATING $100 TO GREENDALE ELEMENTARY. TO SUPPORT SANTA BOOKS PROGRAM. SO THAT PROVIDES A BOOK TO EVERY STUDENT AROUND CHRISTMAS TIME. SIX, PARKERS KITCHEN, WHICH IS NEW TO OUR AREA. PARKERS KITCHEN IS DONATING $5,000 TO AIKEN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SEVEN, PUBLIC EDUCATION PARTNERS HAS AIKEN COUNTY GRANTS GRANT AWARDS TO IN TOTAL OF $6,146.39. NUMBER EIGHT, SAVANNAH RIVER NUCLEAR SOLUTIONS HAS INNOVATIVE TEACHING MINI GRANT AWARDS THAT WE MUST APPROVE THAT, THE TOTAL OF WHICH IS $23,250. NUMBER NINE WAS A CHANGE ORDER ON THE PAINTING AT SEVERAL FACILITIES. AND THIS IS A CHANGE ORDER WHERE WE'RE GETTING MONEY BACK. IF YOU READ THAT. AND LASTLY AN ANNUAL EVENT. NUMBER TEN IS ITEMS TO BE DECLARED SURPLUS AND THEIR METHOD OF DISPOSAL. SO WE'VE GOT A LIST OF MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS AND EQUIPMENT THAT HAVE BEEN SCREENED TO DETERMINE THAT THEY'RE OBSOLETE AND NO LONGER OF USE. WE WILL BE DECLARING THEM SURPLUS. IS THERE A MOTION IN REGARDS TO THESE TEN CONSENT ITEMS? SO MOVED. MOVED BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND? I HEARD A SECOND FROM MISS TYLER. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE TEN CONSENT ITEMS AS PRESENTED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S EIGHT IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION CARRIES. AS FAR AS INFORMATIONAL ITEMS, THERE ARE NONE. THERE WERE NO INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBER REQUESTS. AND THAT BRINGS US TO THE SUPERINTENDENT'S UPDATE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, I JUST WANT TO REPEAT YOUR EARLIER SENTIMENT THAT WE HAVE MANY GRADUATIONS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. WE'VE GOT CAREER AND TECHNOLOGY COMPLETER CEREMONY AND A GRADUATION TOMORROW, THREE ON THURSDAY AND FOUR ON FRIDAY. I WANT TO CONGRATULATE ALL OF OUR GRADUATES AND CONGRATULATE ALL OF OUR TEACHERS AND STAFF ON A SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL YEAR. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT FEW DAYS. IT'S ALWAYS A HIGHLIGHT AS WE AS WE BRING TO A CLOSE ANOTHER SCHOOL YEAR. SO I INVITE YOU ALL TO ALL BE THERE AND PARTICIPATE AND IN AND ENJOY A GOOD TIME. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU, MR. LAURENCE. THAT CONCLUDES OUR REGULAR SESSION. FOR THE MOMENT, WE ARE IN NEED OF AN EXECUTIVE SESSION. I, WE ARE IN NEED OF A MOTION TO ENTER EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE FOLLOWING MATTERS. AS AND SO MOVED. YEAH. AND I'M JUST GOING TO LIST THEM OUT REAL FAST, SO. ALL RIGHT, WE'RE IN NEED OF A MOTION TO GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION HERE. THE FOLLOWING MATTERS. WE HAVE TWO STUDENT APPEALS BOTH FROM AREA TWO. UNDER EMPLOYMENT MATTERS WE HAVE TWO ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS TO CONSIDER. AND THEN WE HAVE SOME LEGAL ADVICE UNDER LEGAL MATTERS FOR RESOLUTION AGREEMENT. IS THERE A MOTION TO ENTER EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THESE PURPOSES? I MOVE SECOND MOTION BY DOCTOR BRADLEY. SECOND BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S EIGHT IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION CARRIES. WE'LL BEGIN EXECUTIVE SESSION ABOUT 715 PER. [02:27:19] ALL RIGHT. WE'RE ARE IN A NEED OF A MOTION TO RETURN TO REGULAR SESSION. [02:27:25] SO MOVED. IS THERE A SECOND? [02:27:28] SECOND. MOTION MADE BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON, SECONDED BY MR. [02:27:32] MOULTON TO EXIT EXECUTIVE SESSION IN THEIR REGULAR SESSION. [02:27:38] ANY DISCUSSION? [02:27:40] ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. [02:27:43] THAT'S EIGHT IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION CARRIES. [02:27:44] WE ARE IN REGULAR SESSION. [02:27:47] WHILE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE DID DISCUSS TWO STUDENT APPEALS, BOTH FROM AREA TWO. [02:27:55] IS THERE A MOTION IN REGARDS TO STUDENT APPEAL A ALPHA. [02:27:59] I MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE UPHOLD THE SCHOOL'S RECOMMENDATION OF EXPULSION FOR STUDENT A SECOND. [02:28:07] THERE'S A MOTION BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON, SECONDED BY DOCTOR BRADLEY TO I'LL JUST SAY IT MY WAY TO [02:28:17] CHANGE THE RESULT FROM ALTERNATIVE PLACEMENT TO EXPULSION IN REGARDS FROM FOR TO STUDENT APPEAL A ANY DISCUSSION. [02:28:30] ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. [02:28:34] THAT'S THREE IN FAVOR. [02:28:36] ALL THOSE OPPOSED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S FIVE MOTION FAILS. THREE, FOUR, FIVE AGAINST. IS THERE A DIFFERENT MOTION IN REGARDS TO STUDENT APPEAL A? I'D MOVE TO UPHOLD THE HEARING OFFICER'S RECOMMENDATION. MR. SILAS HAS MADE A MOTION TO UPHOLD THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE HEARING OFFICER OF ALTERNATIVE PLACEMENT. IS THERE A SECOND, SECOND, SECOND BY MR. MOULTON? ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF ALTERNATIVE PLACEMENT FOR STUDENT APPEAL A, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. SEVEN IN FAVOR? ALL THOSE OPPOSED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S ONE OPPOSED. MOTION PASSES 7 TO 1. WE ALSO HEARD STUDENT APPEAL B, IS THERE A MOTION IN REGARDS TO STUDENT APPEAL B? I RECOMMEND THAT WE UPHOLD THE HEARING OFFICER. THANK YOU, RECOMMENDATION. OKAY, SO THERE'S A MOTION BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON, SECONDED BY MISS TYLER, TO UPHOLD THE DECISION FROM THE THE HEARING OF ALTERNATIVE PLACEMENT IN REGARDS TO STUDENT APPEAL B. ANY DISCUSSION. [02:30:03] ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S EIGHT IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION CARRIES. ALSO, WE HEARD TWO EMPLOYMENT MATTERS, BOTH ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS. IS THERE A MOTION? AS FAR AS A THE ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENT FOR DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT, IS THERE A MOTION REGARDING THIS ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENT? I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE ACCEPT THE ADMINISTRATION'S RECOMMENDATION. SECOND. MOTION BY MISS TYLER, SECONDED BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDED CANDIDATE FOR DIRECTOR OF PROCUREMENT. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S EIGHT IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION CARRIES. EMPLOYMENT MATTER B IS ALSO AN ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENT FOR THE PRINCIPAL AT SILVER BLUFF HIGH SCHOOL. IS THERE A MOTION IN REGARDS TO THIS APPOINTMENT? I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE UPHOLD THE ADMINISTRATION'S RECOMMENDATION. SECOND. SO MISS TYLER HAS MADE THE MOTION. MR. MOULTON HAS SECONDED TO APPROVE THE AND ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDED CANDIDATE FOR PRINCIPAL AT SILVER BLUFF HIGH SCHOOL. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. SEVEN IN FAVOR? ALL THOSE OPPOSED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S ONE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES 7 TO 1. WHILE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE ALSO DID RECEIVE LEGAL ADVICE CONCERNING RESOLUTION AGREEMENT. THERE IS NO BOARD ACTION NECESSARY AT THIS TIME. ON THAT MATTER, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND, SECOND BY DOCTOR BRADLEY? SO MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON MADE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. DOCTOR BRADLEY SECONDED. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S EIGHT IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION CARRIES. WE'RE ADJOURNED. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.