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OKAY. IT IS NOW 6:00, AND I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE JUNE 24TH MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION .
THIS IS A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING, WHICH MEANS WE DO NOT HAVE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION THIS EVENING.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE.
NOW, IF YOU WILL, PLEASE STAND AND LET'S REPEAT 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.
OKAY. THE AGENDA HAS BEEN CIRCULATED AND WE RECEIVED NO FEEDBACK ASKING FOR CHANGES AND SO FORTH SO WE WILL APPROVE THE AGENDA AS SUBMITTED.
WE HAVE ONE SET OF MINUTES REQUIRING APPROVAL THIS AFTERNOON.
THE MEETING, THE MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING ON JUNE 10TH, 2025.
IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES? MR. CHAIRMAN SO MOVED. MOVED BY MR. LINDELL. SECOND.
SECOND. SECOND BY MR. SILAS. ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE.
ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S FIVE FOR.
WE ARE SHORTHANDED TONIGHT, BUT WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.
SO WE'RE GOING TO PROCEED AS USUAL. UNDER THE OFFICE OF BOARD CHAIRMAN, I HAVE ONE ITEM THAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO. TONIGHT IS KIM CRYSTAL'S LAST BOARD MEETING FOR A TIME, AT LEAST. AND I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS MOMENT TO SAY A HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO HER.
I'VE KNOWN KIM FOR MANY, MANY YEARS IN A VARIETY OF SITUATIONS, AND SHE'S ALWAYS COME THROUGH.
BEEN A TROOPER. DONE A WONDERFUL JOB FOR US. BEEN A LOYAL FRIEND.
AND I WISH FOR HER ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD MANY HAPPY YEARS OF RETIREMENT.
SO THAT'S ALL. WE'LL SAY GOODBYE TO KIM WITH A ROUND OF APPLAUSE [APPLAUSE].
AND I HAVE A LITTLE TOKEN OF APPRECIATION ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD.
UNDER INDIVIDUAL ITEMS WE HAVE ONE, IT'S THE PERSONNEL APPOINTMENTS.
AND WE'VE REVIEWED THAT. SO IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE PERSONNEL? SO MOVED, MR. CHAIRMAN, MOVED BY MR. LINDELL, SECOND BY SECOND MISS TYLER, ANY DISCUSSION ON THE PERSONNEL RECOMMENDATIONS? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR OF APPOINTING THESE PEOPLE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THAT'S EVERYONE SIX FOR. NEXT COMES A NUMBER OF CONSENT ITEMS. THESE ARE ITEMS THAT WE WILL CONSIDER AS A GROUP AND VOTE ON AS A GROUP.
WE'LL GO THROUGH THEM ONE BY ONE AND DISCUSS THEM AS NEEDED.
LEVER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. DO WE HAVE, MRS. YARBOROUGH YOU CAN COME FORWARD.
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WISH TO SAY, OR DO YOU JUST WANT TO BE IN A REACTIONARY MODE TONIGHT? YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A PRESENTATION? YES, DR. BRADLEY.
LEVER ELEMENTARY. AND OUR ARCHITECTURE FIRM IS HERE FROM METHOD WORKS.
AND I WOULD ASK MIKE PRZYBYLOWICZ TO COME FORWARD AND PRESENT THAT TO YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
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MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, DR. YARBOROUGH THANK YOU. I WANTED TO TEST THE POINTER THIS TIME TO MAKE SURE I COULD OPERATE IT BEFORE WE GOT STARTED, BUT THANK YOU FOR HAVING US TO TALK ABOUT THIS PROJECT. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT REALLY IS, IS THAT WE ARE UNDER BUDGET STILL.THE SCOPE EFFECTIVELY REALLY HASN'T CHANGED. WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN EVERYTHING WE LOOKED AT LAST TIME IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE KIDS ARE GOING TO GET AND WE'RE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE BY A COUPLE OF MONTHS. AND SO IT'S ALL POSITIVE BUT WE CERTAINLY WANT TO GO THROUGH THIS DETAIL WITH YOU QUICK SO YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK. SO BID DOCUMENTS ARE READY TO GO OUT. SO WE'LL BE SUBMITTING THAT HERE SHORTLY PENDING APPROVAL.
WE'VE SUBMITTED THE PROJECT THROUGH OSF, RECEIVED COMMENTS THERE'S NOTHING CRAZY ON THAT. THERE'S JUST SOME SIMPLE COMMENTS TO PICK UP SOME DIMENSIONS AND STUFF. AND THEN LIKE I SAID, THE PROJECT'S UNDER BUDGET AND AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
AND SO THIS IS A SITE PLAN AGAIN, NOTHING'S REALLY CHANGED.
BUT THE YELLOW LINE THERE INDICATES THE SECURITY FENCING SHOULD JUST MAKE THAT CLEAR.
SO WHILE THE KIDS TRAVEL TO THE BUILDING, THEY WILL BE WITHIN THE SECURE PERIMETER OF THE SCHOOL.
FLOOR PLAN ALSO HAS REMAINED THE SAME. WE'VE GOT A LARGE, NICE, SIMPLE MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM FOR THE KIDS TO TO ENGAGE IN PE, COACHES OFFICE STORAGE AND THEN A MECHANICAL MEZZANINE ABOVE THE RESTROOMS. THESE ARE SOME EXTERIOR IMAGES. WE DID LOOK AT A SIMPLE CHANGE OF THE LEVER LINE.
WE HAD THAT ON THE OTHER SIDE. WE KIND OF MOVE THAT AROUND SO IT FACES THE HIGHWAY THAT'S SOMETHING THAT CAME FROM OUR MOST RECENT CONVERSATION WITH THE PRINCIPAL, WHICH I THINK WAS A GOOD CHANGE. WE WENT THROUGH MATERIALS AND EVERYTHING, AND EVERYONE'S ON BOARD WITH THAT TOO.
HERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL EXTERIOR VIEWS OF IT.
AND THEN TAKING THE INSIDE JUST A LARGE, OPEN, LIGHT FILLED SPACE.
THE ITEMS IN YELLOW ARE ALTERNATES THAT WE'LL BE PRICING.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF REALLY GOOD INTERESTS FROM GENERAL CONTRACTORS.
THERE'S SEVERAL FOLKS THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE DISTRICT AND IN AND AROUND THE AREA THAT HAVE TALKED TO US ABOUT BIDDING THE PROJECT. SO WE'RE HOPEFUL OF GETTING SOME GOOD COMPETITIVE BIDS, I THINK SHOULD WE GET SOME GOOD COMPETITIVE BIDS WE HAVE SOME ROOM TO PICK UP SOME OF THESE ALTERNATES.
AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL DISTRICT FUNDING FROM OTHER SOURCES THAT SOME OF THEM MAY BE PICKED UP YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE OF THAT, THAT $2.2 MILLION BUDGET. SO, LIKE WE SAID, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET THE PROJECT BID AND UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN THE NEXT KIND OF MONTH AND A HALF OR SO. ONCE WE DO THAT, WE EXPECT CONSTRUCTION PROBABLY ABOUT TEN MONTHS.
AND SO WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO OPEN THE BUILDING, YOU KNOW, COMFORTABLY FOR, YOU KNOW, SUMMER OF 26.
ANY QUESTIONS? ANYONE HAVE QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. THANKS. THE NEXT ITEM IS THE SCHEMATIC DRAWING DESIGN, DRAWING AND BUDGET FOR THE NORTH AUGUSTA MIDDLE SCHOOL, DR.
YARBOROUGH. YES, SIR. DR. BRADLEY, BOARD MEMBERS, DR.
MURPHY. IN FACT ITEMS B2, B3, B4, AND B5 WERE ALL PRESENTED AT OUR LAST BOARD MEETING.
GOOD. YES. LET'S JUST WALK THROUGH THOSE AND SEE IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS COMMENTS ABOUT THE NORTH NORTH AUGUSTA MIDDLE SCHOOL? WELL, I'M JUST GOING TO SAY FOR ALL THE PROJECTS THAT ARE RELATED TO NORTH AUGUSTA TONIGHT, I JUST WANT TO THANK STAFF AND THE SUPERINTENDENT AND ALL THE VENDORS FOR THEIR WORK AND AND THE SCHOOL LEADERS AND THE STAKEHOLDERS AROUND THE COMMUNITY.
ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS ABOUT THAT? HEARING NONE.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENT? AND FINALLY, DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, DRAWINGS AND BUDGET FOR BELVEDERE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? HEARING NONE. I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE FIVE CONSENT ITEMS. SO MOVED MR. CHAIRMAN. MOVED BY MR. LINDELL, IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND BY [INAUDIBLE] ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? IF NOT, ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
THAT'S THAT'S EVERYONE. ALL RIGHT. NOW WE HAVE AN INFORMATIONAL ITEM.
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ONE INDIVIDUAL ITEM. THAT'S THE PRESENTATION ON EXIT INTERVIEWS.THAT IS OKAY, DR. MURPHY. OKAY. GOOD EVENING, DR.
BRADLEY BOARD MEMBERS. TONIGHT WE HAVE MISS ASHLEY WATSON, AND SHE'S GOING TO GIVE US A BRIEF PRESENTATION IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION FROM ONE OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS PREVIOUSLY, I THINK IN EITHER EARLY, LATE LAST MONTH OR EARLY THIS MONTH WE WANT TO EXPLAIN TO YOU OUR EXIT INTERVIEW PROCESS.
SO WITHOUT FURTHER MISS WATSON.
ALL RIGHT, THERE WE GO NOW I'M ON. AND SO WE WILL GET STARTED WITH OUR EXIT SURVEYS AND HOW IT CORRELATES TO RETENTION EFFORTS, AND HOW WE CAN IDENTIFY PATTERNS THAT HELP US INFORM HOW TO IMPROVE THE OVERALL EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE HERE IN AIKEN COUNTY.
SO A LITTLE BACKGROUND, AN OVERVIEW OF OUR EXIT INTERVIEW PROCESS IN 2020 WE INVITED ALL DEPARTING EMPLOYEES, CERTIFIED AND CLASSIFIED STAFF TO COMPLETE OUR EXIT SURVEY.
THIS WAS ORIGINALLY DONE THROUGH THE SURVEYMONKEY PLATFORM.
THE GOAL OF EXIT SURVEYS ARE TWOFOLD. ONE IS TO LISTEN AND LEARN FROM DEPARTING EMPLOYEES.
SO THIS IS A SNAPSHOT. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THE COMPLETION RATES VARY OVERALL DURING THE COURSE OF THOSE TIME PERIODS, IT WAS ABOUT A 10% COMPLETION RATE THAT WE WERE SEEING.
SO IT WAS A SNAPSHOT OF KIND OF WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO GLEAN.
NOT A WHOLE LOT OF GREAT RESPONSE RATES, AND NO ONE REALLY MANAGED THAT DATA VERY WELL AND REALLY DIDN'T USE IT AS ACTIONABLE TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE ANY PROGRESS TOWARDS IT. SO ON IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR BECAUSE I'M NOW THE OWNER OF IT I DECIDED WHEN I WAS ABLE TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE SURVEYMONKEY DATA THAT IT WASN'T REALLY PROVIDING US THE DETAILS THAT WE NEEDED TO REALLY MAKE HEADWAY AND STRENGTHS.
IT WAS KIND OF AGGREGATED IN A WAY WHERE IT GAVE YOU ABOUT 32 OPTIONS OF WHY YOU LEFT AND YOU HAD TO RANK THEM, AND IT WASN'T REALLY YIELDING ANY GREAT RESULTS.
SO I'VE REVAMPED IT IN FEBRUARY USING MICROSOFT FORMS AND KIND OF GETTING AN OVERALL IDEA OF WHY THEY ARE LEAVING AND PILOTING IT WITH OUR EMPLOYEE RELATIONS COORDINATOR.
HE'S BEEN A INTEGRAL PART OF THIS WITH ME. WE FOUND A BETTER WAY.
BEFORE WE WERE SENDING IT WITH OUR COBRA STATEMENTS, AND THAT WASN'T REALLY BEING EFFECTIVE.
SO NOW WHEN WE RECEIVE THE RESIGNATION PAF, WE SEND AN EMAIL WITH THE RESPONSE LINK.
IF THE EMAILS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ACTIVATED, WE SEND A TEXT.
AND SO TO DATE, WE'VE HAD 90 RESPONSES OF THE 256 THAT WE'VE SENT OUT SINCE FEBRUARY.
THE 511 ARE THE AMOUNT OF EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE DEPARTED, BUT THAT'S A 35% RESPONSE RATE.
IT'S A HARD WORD ANONYMITY OF THE SURVEY IN PERSON EXIT INTERVIEWS.
ALSO, I DECIDED TO IMPLEMENT A TRANSFER SURVEY THIS YEAR JUST SO THAT WE COULD LOOK AT THE MOBILITY FROM SCHOOL TO SCHOOL OR DEPARTMENTS IN OUR DISTRICT AND WE HAD A 71% COMPLETION RATE ON THAT. SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT'S CAPTURED.
SO IN OUR SURVEY PROCESS, WE WANT TO CAPTURE THE REASONS FOR LEAVING, MAKING SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE FACTORS THAT LEAD TO THE DEPARTURE IF THEY'RE RELATED TO THE EDUCATION PROFESSION IN GENERAL, IF IT'S SCHOOL SPECIFIC, DISTRICT SPECIFIC, OR UNRELATED TO THE JOB.
THIS HELPS US UNDERSTAND WHETHER THE EXIT IS WITHIN OUR CIRCLE OF CONTROL.
WE ALSO LOOK AT SATISFACTION LEVELS AND GAUGE THEIR EXPERIENCE REGARDING SCHOOL CULTURE, ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT, AND OTHER RESOURCES AND OPEN ENDED FEEDBACK. THIS QUALITATIVE DATA REALLY GIVES US OUR RICHEST FEEDBACK, WHERE THEY CAN ELABORATE ON EXPERIENCES AND SUGGEST IMPROVEMENTS OR SHARE FINAL REFLECTIONS.
WHAT WE DON'T CAPTURE IS IDENTITY BECAUSE THEY ARE ANONYMOUS.
SO IT'S NOT LINKED TO ANY INDIVIDUALS. THE QUESTIONS DON'T TIME THEM BACK TO ANY INDIVIDUALS.
AND SO IT ALLOWS THEM TO SHARE OPENLY AND HONESTLY.
THAT WAS SOMETHING IN SURVEYMONKEY IT ASKED FOR THEIR EMPLOYEE ID AND THAT THAT WAS KIND OF A, YOU KNOW, INDICATOR OF WHO THEY WERE. SO I CHANGED THAT IN THE REVAMP.
BUT THIS BALANCE BETWEEN CONFIDENTIALITY AND TRANSPARENCY HELPS US BUILD TRUST AND SUPPORT SYSTEM LEVEL TRENDS WITHOUT ATTRIBUTING FEEDBACK TO SPECIFIC PEOPLE OR YOU KNOW, IDENTIFYING INFORMATION LIKE THAT.
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SO AS WE MOVE ON, WE GET INTO THE DATA ANALYSIS, AND I'VE CREATED DASHBOARDS OVER HERE TO YOUR RIGHT SO THAT THEY COULD CORRELATE TO THE EXIT SURVEY DATA ON THE LEFT.THIS IS A DISTRICT OVERVIEW. AND I'LL ENLARGE THAT ON A FURTHER SLIDE.
BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY OF OUR EXIT DATA COULD INFLUENCE OUR RETENTION EFFORTS.
SO THAT THAT WAS WELL CORRELATED. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT WHY TEACHERS ARE LEAVING OUR DISTRICT, THIS KIND OF GIVES US A SNAPSHOT. THE TWO TOP REASONS ARE FACTORS UNRELATED UNRELATED TO THE JOB AT 54%.
SO THAT'S OUTSIDE OF OUR DISTRICT CONTROL, BUT AT 27% SPECIFIC FACTORS AT SCHOOL LOCATIONS.
IT TALKS ABOUT SCHOOL CULTURE AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'LL EXPLORE IN MY RETENTION DASHBOARDS.
SO ACROSS THE DISTRICT I CREATED INDIVIDUALIZED RETENTION DASHBOARDS.
IT GIVES AN OVERVIEW OF EACH SCHOOL OF HOW MANY CERTIFIED AND CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES THEY HAVE, AS WELL AS HOW MANY VACANCIES. THE PENDING WITH THE EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION INDEX IS WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO GET OUT NEXT YEAR WITH PULSE SURVEYS, JUST SO THAT WE CAN KIND OF GET A GAUGE ON HOW INVESTED OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE AT THAT LOCATION.
LONGITUDINALLY I'VE INCLUDED THE TURNOVER DATA AS WELL OVER THE SPAN OF 2018 TO CURRENT.
WE LOOK AT ABSENTEEISM. THAT'S A WAY TO DO EARLY PREDICTORS OF EARLY LEAVERS, AND THEN WE LOOK AT OUR RETENTION FOR THE PREVIOUS YEAR IN A SNAPSHOT WE HAVE A 90% RETENTION RATE TARGET. AND SO EACH SCHOOL HAS THAT INFORMATION AS WELL.
AND SO I DIRECTLY CORRELATE THAT WITH THE EXIT SURVEY, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT ANY PROACTIVE SOLUTIONS THAT WE HAVE FROM OUR EXIT SURVEY DATA, LEAD TO STRONGER RETENTION. AND SO IN CLOSING, OUR EXIT SURVEYS ALLOW ME TO DO A DATA ANALYSIS TO CREATE A TARGETED PLAN.
AND THEN WITH THOSE THEMES I'M ABLE TO GET YOU KNOW, PRINCIPALS OR ADMINISTRATORS MORE YOU KNOW, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WAYS THAT WE CAN BUILD CULTURE.
THEN I MONITOR THE IMPACT AND IF WE NEED TO MONITOR THE PLAN OR REFINE THE PLAN, WE CAN DO THAT.
SO LISTENING TO OUR EMPLOYEES AS THEY LEAVE HELPS US RETAIN THOSE WHO REMAIN.
SO THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THIS IMPORTANT WORK, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING OUR EFFORTS IN AIKEN COUNTY TO MAKE THIS PLACE WHERE TALENTED EDUCATORS AND STAFF WANT TO GROW AND STAY.
SO I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE OR PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DETAILS.
SO, MR. BROOME FIRST. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I KNOW THAT OBVIOUSLY CULTURAL SURVEYS AND EXIT INTERVIEWS ARE VERY IMPORTANT. I GOT A COUPLE OF COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS.
YES, SIR. ONE, OBVIOUSLY, I GUESS IT MAYBE YOU CAN ANSWER.
WE'VE DONE IN-PERSON EXIT INTERVIEWS AND NOW WE'RE DOING ANONYMOUS EXIT INTERVIEWS.
IS THAT. NO, SIR. SURVEYMONKEY WAS A THIRD PARTY.
IT ALWAYS HAS BEEN. THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN DIGITAL.
IS THERE A WAY? BECAUSE I'VE THIS HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO ME AS RECENTLY AS THE LAST MONTH.
OKAY. IS THERE A MECHANISM THAT SOMEBODY CAN GET AN IN-PERSON EXIT INTERVIEW? ABSOLUTELY. AND SO THAT'S SOME FEEDBACK THAT I'VE RECEIVED THAT THEY WOULD LIKE IT IN PERSON.
SO THAT'S THAT'S PROBABLY SOMETHING HAPPENED YET OKAY.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE I KNOW SOME PEOPLE THAT THAT REALLY WANTED THAT.
ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE OF JUST FOR DIFFERENT REASONS.
YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. BUT THEN THE OTHER THING IS AND I'M GOING TO MAKE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS.
CULTURE SURVEYS, IF YOU'RE AN EMPLOYEE AND I KNOW I WORK AT A BIG COMPANY.
WHEN YOU DO SURVEYS YOU ALWAYS WONDER, ARE THEY REALLY ANONYMOUS? AND WE HAD SOME SITUATIONS WITH OUR CULTURE SURVEYS WHERE THEY WERE NOT ANONYMOUS, WHICH HAS GOT PEOPLE I'M GOING TO CALL IT SHY FOR OF EVEN DOING
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SURVEYS. SO IT'S PROBABLY YOU GOING TO HAVE A LITTLE WORK ON YOUR HANDS TO MAKE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND.I'M BUILDING THAT TRUST AND IT IS COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS.
THEY DON'T BECAUSE WE HAD SOME VERY MIXED CULTURES SURVEYS WHERE THEY WERE NOT ANONYMOUS.
YES, SIR. AND THE OTHER COMMENT WOULD BE THAT I WOULD HOPE WITH THE CHANGES BEING MADE THANKS TO THE PUBLIC ALLOWING US TO UP SALARIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT MAYBE WE CAN CUT DOWN ON SOME OF THE TURNOVER THAT THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING AND MAKE THIS A BETTER THING.
BUT I DO THINK BECAUSE I DO THINK YOU GOT TO HAVE THE ANONYMOUS TO A POINT, BUT I LIKE THAT, THAT YOU'RE WILLING TO . I'M THE SOLE OWNER OF THE DATA.
AND SO IF YOU'RE WILLING TO ALLOW PEOPLE THAT WANT TO VENT FOR WHATEVER REASON, TO COME DO IT.
THAT'S A HUGE PLUS. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME.
YEAH. MISS WATSON, THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORT TO IMPROVE THIS PROCESS AND MAKE THIS DATA THAT WE'VE HAD, APPARENTLY FOR QUITE A WHILE, A LITTLE MORE USEFUL AND TO FINE TUNE IT AND HOPEFULLY IT'LL PAY DIVIDENDS LIKE MR. BROOME MENTIONED. SO I APPRECIATE ALL THAT WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE AND THAT IS FORTHCOMING.
IT'S BEEN A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH TEACHER OUR SE TEACHER.
BUT TO ADD ON TO WHAT MR. BROOME SAID, AND I'VE OFTEN EXPRESSED THIS HERE AND THERE TO PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT YOU PHYSICALLY WE PROBABLY PHYSICALLY CAN'T IN PERSON INTERVIEW EVERYBODY, NOR DOES EVERYBODY WANT TO BE AS YOU MENTIONED.
IN OTHER WORDS I IMAGINE YOU KNOW MORE THAN ME YOU KNOW, KEY POSITIONS OR AN ODD SITUATION WHERE SOMEBODY IS CLOSE TO RETIREMENT BUT DECIDED TO LEAVE, AND JUST SOME ANOMALIES THAT MAKE YOU SAY HMM.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US BE A LITTLE MORE PROACTIVE IN THOSE CASES AND REACH OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE AND SAY, HEY, CAN YOU COME TALK TO US, TELL US WHAT WE'RE MISSING? WHAT, AND ENCOURAGE THAT INTERACTION FACE TO FACE.
I'M AN IN-PERSON GUY. YES, SIR. AND AGAIN, I KNOW YOU CAN'T DO IT FOR EVERYBODY AND IT WOULD BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO DO THAT, BUT BUT THOSE SITUATIONS THAT APPEAR TO BE OUT OF THE NORM OR A KEY POSITION.
AS I SAID, I'M REPEATING MYSELF, BUT I THINK THERE ARE INSTANCES WHERE WE SHOULD SEEK TO FIND OUT A LITTLE MORE AND DIG A LITTLE DEEPER AND KICK THE SHOVEL AS I'VE HEARD SOME PEOPLE SAY INTO SOME SITUATIONS, SO. UNFORTUNATELY EXIT SURVEYS ARE MORE LIKE AN AUTOPSY.
SOME THINGS AREN'T ON MY RADARS AT TIME, SO I NEED TO JUST HAVE THAT INFORMATION BECAUSE I'D BE HAPPY TO FACILITATE A CONVERSATION, BECAUSE SOMETIMES ALL IT TAKES IS THAT CONVERSATION TO RETAIN AN EMPLOYEE.
HOPEFULLY WE'LL INCH OUR WAY THERE. YES, SIR.
CHAIRMAN. MISS WATSON 10% TURNOVER IS THE GOAL.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT RATE RIGHT NOW? THE CURRENT RATE.
THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION. WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO THAT.
IT WAS ON MY SLIDE. SO THIS IS BY LEVEL. AND SO I DID NOT DO IT SPECIFICALLY OVERALL. AND THIS IS TEACHER DATA.
WE, WE DO NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB OVERALL WITH OUR CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES AS WELL.
BUT TEACHER DATA IS NEARING THAT. I WANT TO SAY WE FLUCTUATE BETWEEN 12 TO 17% TEACHERS, BUT WE DO NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB WITH DATA REPORTING FOR CLASSIFIED. AND THAT'S ON ON MY TO DO LIST. THANK YOU.
YOU'RE WELCOME. MRS. MORRIS, DID YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP.
NO, I DID NOT. ANYONE ELSE? NO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE NEXT GO TO THE INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBERS SECTION WE HAVE ONE REQUEST FROM A BOARD MEMBER, MISS TYLER, WHO WANTS TO DISCUSS THE REVIEW OF POLICY IKA, MISS TYLER.
THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. IN REVIEWING POLICY IKA GRADING AND ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS, IT IT THE FIRST PARAGRAPH STATES THAT THE STUDENTS GRADUATING EARLY WILL BE RANKED AS MEMBERS OF THE SENIOR CLASS, BUT THE STUDENTS MUST ATTEND EIGHT SEMESTERS IN HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH IS LITERALLY 9TH THROUGH 12TH GRADE.
SO HOW CAN A CHILD GRADUATE EARLY IF THEY'RE AT SCHOOL 9TH THROUGH 12TH GRADE?
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SO TO ME, THAT'S A LITTLE CONFUSING. AND THEN THE SECOND PARAGRAPH SAYS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS VALEDICTORIAN OR SALUTATORIAN.STUDENTS MUST BE ENROLLED BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE 11TH GRADE OR THIRD YEAR OR HAVE FOUR CONSECUTIVE SEMESTERS AT THE AWARDING HIGH SCHOOL. SO IF IF MY UNDERSTANDING IS CORRECT, THAT RELATIVELY SPEAKS TO TRANSFERS.
SO IN ESSENCE, A TRANSFER CAN COME IN AT THE 11TH GRADE OR ENROLL AS A JUNIOR AT A NEW SCHOOL AND BE CONSIDERED A VALEDICTORIAN OR A SALUTATORIAN.
BUT A CHILD THAT HAS ADVANCED ACADEMICALLY AND HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO GRADUATE EARLY CANNOT BE CONSIDERED A VALEDICTORIAN OR A SALUTATORIAN. SO MY RECOMMENDATION IS THAT THE ADMINISTRATION MAKE REVISIONS, NECESSARY REVISIONS TO THIS POLICY AND BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR CONSIDERATION.
IS THAT A MOTION? YES, THAT'S A MOTION. SECOND.
SECOND BY MISS MORRIS. ANY DISCUSSION? BROOME. I DON'T, I GUESS I DON'T UNDERSTAND, AND MAYBE THE ADMINISTRATION CAN HELP ME UNDERSTAND. IT SAYS EIGHT SAYS EIGHT CLASSES, SEMESTERS.
SO IF YOU TAKE A HIGH SCHOOL CLASS IN THE EIGHTH GRADE EARLY, WHY IS IT NOT CONSIDERED A HIGH SCHOOL SEMESTER, IF YOU'RE TAKING THAT CLASS? BECAUSE IF THAT WAS DONE, THEN THE ISSUE THAT WE'VE HAD WITH THE PEOPLE THAT'S HAVING TO COME TALK TO, THEY'RE TAKING HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES, WHY ARE THEY NOT GETTING CREDIT FOR? THEY DO GET CREDIT FOR IT.
WELL, I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT GETTING CREDIT TOWARD BECAUSE THEY WAS IN A DIFFERENT GRADE.
I DON'T EVEN GET THAT. I MEAN, IT IS THEY THINK THAT WE THINK THESE CLASSES ARE EASIER IF YOU TAKE IT, THEY TAKE IT AT 9TH OR 11TH. I MEAN, WHAT'S THE REASON FOR THAT? THE REASON? DO YOU WANT IT? I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER IT IF YOU WANT TO.
WELL I WAS ACTUALLY WORKING FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WHEN THAT CAME INTO BEING.
AND THE IDEA IS TO ACCELERATE STUDENTS SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE FIVE MATHS, FOR EXAMPLE, CALCULUS OR SOME OF THAT.
WHEREAS IF YOU WAITED TO START THE MATH SEQUENCE IN THE 9TH GRADE, YOU CAP OUT AT FOUR.
THIS WAY YOU CAN TAKE FIVE MATH COURSES. LANGUAGE, YOU KNOW MANY OTHER COURSES YOU KNOW, YOU YOU YOU WOULD BE RESTRICTED TO THE NUMBER OF COURSES YOU COULD TAKE.
BUT BY STARTING AT THE 8TH GRADE, YOU GET MORE ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT AND MORE CREDITS.
WHEN YOU'RE IN THE 8TH GRADE, ONLY THE CLASS THAT YOU'RE TAKING AT HIGH SCHOOL COUNTS TOWARDS GPA.
SO BASICALLY, YOU ARE AT RISK OF ONLY TAKING THAT ONE CLASS.
AND THERE IS A PROVISION IN THE STATE THAT SAYS, IF YOU'RE IN THE 8TH GRADE AND TAKE A CLASS AND GET A POOR GRADE, YOU CAN GET A DO OVER. YOU DON'T GET A DO OVER IN THE 9TH GRADE.
SO THE 9TH GRADE STUDENTS ARE ONCE YOU'RE IN 9TH GRADE, IT'S LIVE.
THIS IS THE RACE FOR VALEDICTORIAN THAT'S WHEN IT BEGINS.
BASICALLY, THE TWO CAVEATS ARE THEY WANT YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL FOR FOR YOUR POLICY.
NOW, WHETHER THAT BE AT A HIGH SCHOOL SOMEWHERE ELSE OR HERE.
ONCE YOU HAVE MET THAT REQUIREMENT, YOU CAN THEN GO ON.
IF YOU'RE TRANSFERRING FROM MIDLAND VALLEY TO SILVER BLUFF, YOU'D HAVE TO BE AT THE THE GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL FOR AT LEAST TWO YEARS IN ORDER TO GRADUATE. BUT THERE'S NO SCENARIO THAT YOU COULD GRADUATE.
YOU COULD TRANSFER IF YOU HADN'T ALREADY BEEN IN HIGH SCHOOL FOR THOSE TIMES.
SO IT'S TWO REQUIREMENTS THERE. SO BASICALLY, JUST SO I UNDERSTAND, WE ALLOW SOMEBODY TO TAKE A CLASS EARLY AND THEY CAN GET CREDIT FOR IT. BUT THEN IF THEY HAD A SAY THEY DIDN'T DO WELL, THEN THEY GET TO DO OVER.
SO IT DOESN'T AFFECT THEIR GPA. SO WE'RE IN ESSENCE GIVING THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE MORE CLASSES.
AS YOU SAID, THAT WAS THE WHOLE THE WHOLE THINKING TO EVEN GO FURTHER, PREPARE THEM FOR COLLEGE.
SO WHEN YOU GET CASES WHERE THIS IS THE QUESTION WHERE YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE WANTING TO GRADUATE EARLY, THAT'S DONE WELL, AS WE'VE HEARD, SOME COME IN HERE, IS THERE NOT IS OUR SCHOOLS OFFERING CLASSES ABOVE WHAT THEY'RE NEEDING,
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OR THEY JUST KIND OF FEEL LIKE THEY'VE TAPPED OUT WHAT WE CAN OFFER THEM? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. WE HAVE A VERY, VERY ROBUST CURRICULUM RIGHT NOW.YOU CAN GO OVER TO USC AIKEN OR AIKEN TECHNICAL COLLEGE.
AND ALSO SINCE YOU MENTIONED YOUR WORKPLACE, WE ALSO HAVE SOME KEY INTERNSHIPS.
NOW WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACTUALLY SEND STUDENTS OUT TO SAVANNAH RIVERSIDE FOR THEIR SENIOR YEAR.
SO THERE ARE AMPLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENRICHING CURRICULUM.
BY LETTING THEM TAKE THOSE CLASSES EARLY WE'RE TRYING WE'RE HOPING TO PUSH THEM FURTHER ALONG IN THE CURRICULUM, NOT NECESSARILY GET THEM OUT OF SCHOOL EARLY.
SO THAT'S THE REASON WHY I'M RECOMMENDING THAT IT BE REVISED.
GOOD, GOOD. COULD YOU ELABORATE ON THAT A LITTLE BIT? WELL, WE YOU GAVE US THE PREMISE OF WHY THIS POLICY WAS SET UP, WHICH MEANS THAT IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO.
BUT MAYBE AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME, KIDS DIDN'T HAVE AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES AS THEY HAVE NOW.
I MEAN, I'VE GONE TO SOME HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATIONS WHERE KIDS NOT ONLY GRADUATED WITH A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, BUT ALSO AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE. SO I THINK THAT IT'S WORTH TAKING A LOOK AT THIS POLICY TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS POLICY MIRRORS THE OPPORTUNITIES, THE ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'RE OFFERING OUR KIDS.
OKAY. MR. SILAS, YOU'VE HAD YOUR HAND. I DON'T THINK ANYTHING NEW TO ADD.
I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY IT DOES SEEM IT DOES SEEM LIKE A CURRICULUM OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE OFFER HAVE HAD, YOU KNOW, IS MORE THAN WHEN THIS POLICY WAS WRITTEN.
SO I THINK IT'S A REASONABLE REQUEST. ANYBODY ELSE? WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. MOTION IS I UNDERSTAND IT SAYS THAT MISS TYLER WOULD LIKE THE ADMINISTRATION TO MODIFY THE CURRENT POLICY DEALING WITH THE EIGHT SEMESTER REQUIREMENT, I ASSUME ELIMINATING IT AND BRING IT BACK TO THE BOARD FOR A VOTE ON THE POLICY.
WE NEED A POSITIVE VOTE ON THE MOTION TO ASK THE ADMINISTRATION TO DO IT.
IF THE VOTE IS PASSED, THEN THE ADMINISTRATION WOULD COME BACK TO US AT THE NEXT MEETING WITH A REVISION OF THE POLICY TO BE VOTED ON. WE'RE NOT VOTING TO CHANGE THE POLICY TONIGHT.
I WOULD ASK FOR CLARIFICATION. SO MISS TYLER ALLUDED TO UPDATING THE POLICY YOU REFERENCED.
ELIMINATING THE EIGHT SEMESTER REQUIREMENT. IS THAT THE DIRECTIVE? I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE BECAUSE HERS WAS TO TO UPDATE THE POLICY, TO BRING IT FOR MAKE SURE IT REFLECTED OUR CURRICULAR OFFERINGS.
LET'S ASK HER. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR A STUDENT TO GRADUATE EARLY AND STILL DO EIGHT CONSECUTIVE SEMESTERS? NO. OKAY, THEN LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT LET'S MAKE SURE IT ADDS UP.
I MEAN, HE DIDN'T STEP OUTSIDE AND TAKE HIM ANYWHERE ELSE.
THERE WERE OFFERINGS THAT THE AIKEN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT PRESENTED.
WELL, LET ME BE CLEAR. YOU CAN YOU CAN GRADUATE EARLY.
THAT'S ALL IT'S FOR. SO WHICH IS THE BASIS OF THIS REQUEST, RIGHT.
OKAY. SO I JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR. SO WE JUST TALKED ABOUT YOU WANT TO TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE DESIGNATION OF VALEDICTORIAN, POTENTIALLY REMOVING THE DESIGNATION THAT YOU HAVE TO ATTEND SCHOOL FOR EIGHT SEMESTERS.
OR SOME SORT OF HYBRID. OKAY. YOU KNOW WE'RE OPEN TO REVISIONS OR A HYBRID MODEL OF THAT.
YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW THAT LOOKS, BUT IF WE KNOW THAT IT'S LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A CHILD TO GRADUATE EARLY AND DO EIGHT SEMESTERS, IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO HAVE THAT REQUIREMENT IN THERE, BECAUSE THAT THAT TELLS ME THAT IF YOU GRADUATE EARLY,
[00:35:08]
THEN THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE OF YOU BEING VALEDICTORIAN OR SALUTATORIAN BECAUSE YOU CAN'T DO EIGHT SEMESTERS.DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? THAT'S EXACTLY. YES, MA'AM.
THAT POLICY, YOU ALL AGAIN BOARD POLICY SO NOT DR.
MURPHY POLICY THESE ARE BOARD POLICIES. YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE. I'M JUST WANTING TO MAKE SURE WE EXPLAIN IT. AND SO MR. POSTELL IS BACK THERE TAKING NOTES. AND WE ALREADY STARTED OUR RESEARCH INTO THE SITUATION RIGHT NOW. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THANK YOU. I THINK, FOR MY CLARIFICATION CLARIFICATION WE NEED TO RESTATE THE MOTION BECAUSE IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING AND I THINK IT IS NOW AFTER THAT DISCUSSION REMAINS THAT WE'RE ASKING THE DISTRICT TO REVIEW THE POLICY, CONSIDERING THE EIGHT SEMESTER REQUIREMENT, AND THEN MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO US. AND IT WAS NOT A DIRECTIVE TO REMOVE THAT REQUIREMENT.
SO I'D LIKE THE MOTION TO BE RESTATED JUST SO IT'S CRYSTAL CLEAR.
SO, MR. CHAIRMAN, I OFFER A MOTION THAT THE ADMINISTRATION REVIEW AND MAKE NECESSARY REVISIONS TO POLICY IKA BRING IT BACK BRING THE REVISIONS BACK TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL.
SECOND. WE HAD A MOTION AND A SECOND. SO YOU HAVE TO WITHDRAW YOUR ORIGINAL MOTION.
I WITHDRAW THE FIRST MOTION. YOU WITHDRAW THE SECOND FOR THE FIRST MOTION.
I WILL WITHDRAW THE SECOND FOR THE FIRST MOTION.
NOW YOU CAN RESTATE YOUR SECOND MOTION. IT'S CONFUSING.
SO I MAKE A MOTION, A RECOMMENDATION THAT THE ADMINISTRATION REVIEWS POLICY IKA, MAKE NECESSARY REVISIONS AND BRING THE REVISIONS BACK TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL.
SECOND, YOU DON'T WANT TO SPECIFY WHAT THOSE REVISIONS SHOULD BE.
NO, SIR. REVIEW THEM AND APPOINT THEM. ALL RIGHT.
EVERYONE'S HEARD THE MOTION. MOTION IS THAT THE ADMINISTRATION'S BE ASKED TO CONSIDER THE POLICY AND BRING BACK REVISIONS TO THE BOARD. IS THAT RIGHT, MISS TYLER? THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
OPPOSED? WE HAVE FIVE IN FAVOR AND ONE AGAINST.
ALL RIGHT. WE WILL NEED AN EXECUTIVE SESSION THIS EVENING.
WE HAVE NO STUDENT MATTERS. WE HAVE TWO ADMINISTRATIVE APPOINTMENTS AND A SALARY SCHEDULE AMENDMENT, AS YOU CAN SEE, TO CONSIDER AND THAT'S IT.
SO IS THERE A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION? SO MOVED MR. CHAIRMAN. MOVED MR. LINDELL IS THERE A SECOND.
SECOND. SECOND BY MISS TYLER. ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THAT'S UNANIMOUS.
SO IF WE COULD MEET IN THE BOARDROOM, THE MEETING WHATEVER THAT ROOM IS THAT WE MEET IN IN ABOUT TEN MINUTES WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THESE ITEMS. WE WILL COME BACK INTO OPEN SESSION FOLLOWING THE EXECUTIVE SESSION TO TAKE ANY ACTIONS
THAT ARE NEEDED BASED ON THE EVENTS OF THE EXECUTIVE SESSION.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.