[00:05:02]
OKAY. IT IS 6:00. I'LL CALL THE OCTOBER 8TH REGULAR MEETING OF THE AIKEN COUNTY BOARD OF
[00:05:07]
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. I 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.
WE DID NOT HAVE ANYONE SIGN UP IN ADVANCE THE MEETING OR OR AT THE MEETING.
UNDER OFFICE OF BOARD CHAIRMAN.
I JUST WANT TO KIND OF STATE THE OBVIOUS THAT I'M GLAD THAT I'M.
I FEEL SORRY FOR THE FOLKS THAT SUFFERED LOSSES WITH HURRICANE HELENE.
AND I HOPE EVERYONE CAME THROUGH THAT.
OKAY. AND IS RETURNING TO SOME SENSE OF NORMALCY.
AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO ALL THE CHILDREN COMING BACK TO SCHOOL NEXT WEEK.
WE HAVE TWO. WE HAVE A SHORT AGENDA IT TONIGHT.
A COUPLE KEY ITEMS WE NEEDED TO TAKE CARE OF.
TWO INDIVIDUAL ITEMS. THE FIRST ONE WAS A BUDGET AMENDMENT THAT WAS PRESENTED BY MR. TRAXLER TO US WITH SOME ADJUSTMENTS FOR THE CURRENT BUDGET.
IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE BUDGET AMENDMENT NUMBER THREE? MOTION MADE BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON.
IS THERE A SECOND SECOND BY MISS TYLER? ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING BUDGET AMENDMENT THREE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
JUST FOR A LITTLE BACKGROUND, I THINK FOLKS HAVE BEEN KEEPING UP TO WITH EVENTS. WE HAVE ONE MEETING SCHEDULED IN NOVEMBER.
THAT IS CURRENTLY SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 12TH.
THERE ARE FOUR SEATS IN SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICTS UP FOR ELECTION ON NOVEMBER 5TH, AND WE TYPICALLY WOULD SWEAR THOSE PEOPLE IN ON NOVEMBER 12TH.
BUT THIS YEAR THERE IS ALSO THROUGH HOW LOGISTICS WORKED OUT A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR DISTRICT SIX THAT WILL BE ON NOVEMBER 12TH.
SO IDEALLY WE I THINK WE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE THAT MEETING FROM THE 12TH TO THE 19TH SO THAT ALL THE FOLKS GET ELECTED IN THOSE TWO ELECTIONS THAT COULD BE SWORN IN AT THE SAME TIME. SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND MAKE A MOTION THAT WE CHANGE THE SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS AND MOVE OUR NOVEMBER MEETING FROM NOVEMBER 12TH TO NOVEMBER 19TH.
YEAH. THANK YOU, MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON.
SO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO MOVE OUR NOVEMBER MEETING FROM THE 12TH TO 19TH.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THAT'S UNANIMOUS. THE MOTION CARRIES.
WE DID NOT HAVE ANY CONSENT ITEMS TO CONSIDER FOR THIS EVENING, NOR INFORMATIONAL ITEMS NOR INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBER ITEMS. AND I'LL TURN IT OVER TO DOCTOR MURPHY FOR HIS UPDATE.
GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I WANT TO BEGIN BY EXPRESSING MY SINCERE GRATITUDE THAT WE ARE EVEN HERE TOGETHER TONIGHT, SAFE AND BEGINNING TO RETURN TO A SENSE OF NORMALCY FOLLOWING HURRICANE HELENE.
I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN A CHALLENGING TIME IN OUR COMMUNITY AND SURROUNDING AREA.
SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE STILL WITHOUT POWER AND A FEW ARE EVEN WITHOUT WATER.
WE ARE CURRENTLY AWARE OF EIGHT EMPLOYEES WHOSE HOMES ARE CURRENTLY UNINHABITABLE DUE TO DAMAGE SUSTAINED DURING THE STORM.
AS STUDENTS RETURN TO SCHOOL NEXT WEEK AND MORE STAFF MEMBERS COME BACK TO WORK, WE FULLY ANTICIPATE LEARNING OF ADDITIONAL TEACHERS AND STAFF AND STUDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING SIGNIFICANT HARDSHIPS AND LOSS IN THE AFTERMATH OF THIS HURRICANE.
I AM PLEASED TO SHARE WITH YOU TONIGHT THAT A MAJORITY OF OUR SCHOOLS WERE LARGELY SPARED FROM MAJOR DAMAGE. WE HAVE EXACTLY ONE SCHOOL, AND I BELIEVE IT MAY ACTUALLY BE COMING UP RIGHT NOW IN THE PROCESS OF BEING RESTORED WITH POWER AND INTERNET, AND WE FULLY EXPECT TO BE AT 100% OPERATIONAL CAPACITY BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS TOMORROW.
[00:10:02]
WE OWE A TREMENDOUS DEBT OF GRATITUDE TO THE THE POWER CREWS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS, AS WELL AS COUNTLESS CREWS WHO HAVE WORKED AROUND THE CLOCK TO SUPPORT RECOVERY EFFORTS.MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS, STUDENT GROUPS, LOCAL CHURCHES, CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ALSO STEPPED UP TO ASSIST IN HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORTS SHOWCASING THE STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE OF THIS COMMUNITY AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
OUR TEAM IS WORKING DILIGENTLY TO RESCHEDULE THE ACADEMIC RECOVERY AND ATTENDANCE RECOVERY SESSIONS THAT WERE CANCELED DURING THE INTERSESSION. ADDITIONALLY, STUDENTS WHO WERE PLANNING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CODING CAMP WILL BE PRIORITIZED FOR THE SPRING INTERSESSION ACCELERATION OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS WITH FURTHER DETAILS WILL BE SHARED AS SOON AS AVAILABLE.
OUR TRANSPORTATION TEAM, CHILD NUTRITION SERVICES STAFF AND OPERATIONS AND SCHOOL LEADERS ARE ACTIVELY DRIVING ROADS, RESTOCKING SCHOOL FOOD SUPPLIES AND PREPARING OUR CLASSROOMS AND CAMPUSES TO ENSURE THEY ARE SAFE AND READY FOR OUR STUDENTS RETURN.
WHILE THIS WAS NOT THE BREAK, WE HAD ANTICIPATED A TIME TO REST, REFRESH AND RECHARGE. THERE IS STILL MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR.
OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS CONTINUE TO BE WITH THOSE WHO ARE MOST HEAVILY IMPACTED BY HELENE, AND WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROVIDING SUPPORT AND RESOURCES IN THE DAYS AHEAD.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DOCTOR MURPHY.
WE DO HAVE TWO ITEMS TO DISCUSS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, SO WE'LL NEED A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONSIDERING THE FOLLOWING MATTERS, IN SUCH ORDER AS THE BOARD DEEMS APPROPRIATE.
EMPLOYMENT MATTER. A IS A PERSONNEL MATTER.
BREACH OF CONTRACT AND EMPLOYEE MATTER.
FOLLOWING THAT EXECUTIVE SESSION, THE BOARD WILL RECONVENE INTO REGULAR SESSION TO ANNOUNCE THE MATTERS CONSIDERED AND TO TAKE ANY ACTIONS AS MAY BE NECESSARY.
IS THERE A MOTION TO ENTER EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THIS PURPOSE? MOTION MADE BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND BY MR. MOULTON. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
MOTION CARRIES. WE'LL BEGIN EXECUTIVE SESSION IN ABOUT FIVE MINUTES.
[01:00:49]
OKAY. WE'RE IN NEED OF A MOTION TO EXIT EXECUTIVE SESSION AND ENTER REGULAR SESSION.[01:00:58]
MOTION MADE BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON. IS THERE A SECOND? SECONDED BY MISS TYLER.[01:01:02]
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF EXITING EXECUTIVE SESSION AND ENTERING REGULAR[01:01:07]
SESSION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.[01:01:10]
THAT'S SEVEN IN FAVOR.[01:01:11]
THE MOTION CARRIES. WE DID HAVE TWO EMPLOYMENT MATTERS DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE[01:01:17]
SESSION. THE FIRST OF WHICH WAS EMPLOYMENT MATTER A FOR A BREACH OF CONTRACT.[01:01:23]
IS THERE A MOTION IN REGARDS TO EMPLOYMENT MATTER,[01:01:25]
A BREACH OF CONTRACT? MR.[01:01:30]
CHAIRMAN, I MOVE TO ACCEPT THE DISTRICT RECOMMENDATION ON STUDENT ON EMPLOYEE A, OKAY. THANK YOU. MR. SILAS HAS MADE A MOTION TO AUTHORIZE THE ADMINISTRATION TO MAKE A FORMAL COMPLAINT TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION REGARDING EMPLOYEES A AND B'S BREACH OF CONTRACT. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON? ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S SEVEN IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION CARRIES.WHILE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE DID RECEIVE SOME LEGAL ADVICE REGARDING EMPLOYMENT MATTER B, BUT THERE'S NO ACTION NECESSARY AT THIS TIME.
I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
MOTION MADE BY MISS RHINEHART-JACKSON, SECONDED BY DOCTOR BRADLEY.
ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.