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News
Class of 2016 Receives $121.7 Million in College Scholarship Offers
Greenville County Schools Class of 2016, with over 4,200 graduates, received more than $121.7 million in college scholarship offers, a $3.2 million increase over last year's offers. This amount includes $32.9 million in Legislative Incentive for Future Excellence (LIFE) Scholarships and $7.9 million in Palmetto Fellows scholarships. Both LIFE and Palmetto Fellows scholarships are merit-based programs. GCS seniors have earned more than $564.7 million in scholarships over the past five years.
Three Educators Named Emerging Leaders
 June 30, 2016 Edition |
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| Kelli Coons | Jake Gambrell | Damon Qualls |
Three Greenville County Schools educators have been named to the South Carolina ASCD Emerging Leaders Class of 2016. They are Kelli Coons, Instructional Coach at Bryson Elementary; Jake Gambrell, Second Grade Teacher at Oakview Elementary; and Damon Qualls, Assistant Principal at Berea Middle School.
The South Carolina Emerging Leader Program is comprised of an accomplished group of educators, typically with 5 to 15 years of experience, who desire to become more involved in the state's educational community. Emerging Leaders are passionate and committed to the "Whole Child," a belief that every child in the state of South Carolina deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. More: https://goo.gl/qCClvD
GCS Expands Partnership with Discovery Education
Greenville County Schools has expanded its 14-year partnership with Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms. In the latest phase of this collaboration, 480 educators representing every school in the district will participate in Discovery Education's Digital Leader Corps. A comprehensive professional development system, Digital Leader Corps supports the development of teacher-leaders as they serve as change agents powering the district's transition to dynamic digital learning environments.
Since 2002, all K-12 classrooms have had access to engaging digital content through Discovery Education Streaming Plus, a digital service supplementing instruction across all K-12 curricular areas. Last year, ten GCS schools piloted Discovery Education's Digital Leader Corps Beginning in August, 77 additional schools will implement the Digital Leader Corps model, providing 330 new teacher leaders and 150 administrators with nearly 2,800 days of professional development over the next three years.
Unofficial Board Meeting Summary
June 28, 2016
Welcome, Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance - Mrs. Rohleder
Adoption of Consent Calendar
Minutes, Regular Board Meeting, May 24, 2016
Minutes, Special Called Meeting, June 3, 2016
Minutes, Budget, Public Hearing, June 6, 2016
Minutes, Budget, Second Reading, June 6, 2016
Personnel Recommendations
Appearance of Visitors - None.
Superintendent's Report - Dr. Royster introduced new assistant principals and an assistant director who were present at the meeting. He also shared the 2016 Scholarship Report, which shows scholarship offers for graduating seniors of over $121.7 million dollars.
Action Items
NOTE: The board is in the process of reviewing 51 policies that are either outdated, no longer reflecting current research and best practice and considered urgent, in need of updating but not urgently, or considered for elimination. Nine policies, beginning with IA: Philosophy, are in the first priority group. For further details on the policy revisions, please visit http://www.boarddocs.com/sc/greenville/Board.nsf/Public.
Revision of Policy IA: Philosophy - Approved recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to approve Policy IA: Philosophy as presented.
Revision of Policy IB: Goals and Objectives - Approved recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to approve Policy IB: Goals and Objectives as presented.
Revision of Policy IDA: Curriculum Design: Basic Program - Approved recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to approve Policy IDA: Curriculum Design as presented.
Revision of Policy IDAA: Career and Technical Education - Approved recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to approve Policy IDAA: Career and Technical Education as presented.
Revision of Policy IEB: Organization for Instruction - Approved recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to approve Policy IEB: Organization for Instruction as presented.
Revision of Policy IG: Guidance - Approved recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to approve Policy IG: Guidance as presented.
Revision of Policy IHAA: Final Exams -Approved recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to approve Policy IHAA: Final Exams as presented.
Revision of Policy IHB: Homework - Approved recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to approve Policy IHB: Homework as presented.
Revision of Policy IJ: Instructional Program - Approved recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to approve Policy IJ: Instructional Program as presented.
SCDOT Right of Way at Duncan Chapel Elementary School - Approved recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to approve SCDOT's offer of $200.00 for this right-of-way acquisition of 130.25 square feet of property and permissions for slopes, sidewalks, ramps, and curb as required for a Safe Routes to School Project.
FY 17 General Obligation Bonds Resolution - Approved recommendation from the Administration to approve the Resolution for the FY 17 General Obligation Bonds, Series 2016. The Administration annually projects the amount of General Obligation Bonds that must be approved for issuance to fund the BEST bond payments and the operations of the Facilities Department. The amount to be issued for FY 17 is not to exceed $125 million.
FY 17 Debt Service Budget - Approved recommendation from the Administration to approve the FY 17 Debt Service Budget. The Debt Service Budget accounts for Debt Service revenues, annual general obligation bond payments and distribution of General Obligation Bond proceeds to the BEST Debt Service and Building Fund Budgets.
FY 17 BEST Debt Service Budget - Approved recommendation from the Administration to approve the FY 17 BEST Debt Service Budget. During FY 17 interest and principal payments, totaling $73,252,761 for BEST Bonds, will be paid on December 1, 2016 and June 1, 2017. The funding sources are Interest Income and transfers from District Debt Service.
FY 17 Building Fund Budget - Approved recommendation from the Administration to approve the FY 17 Building Fund Budget. During FY 17, the projected expenditures are $75.9 million with major projects, roof renovations and technology refresh programs, the largest scheduled expenditures. The projected revenues are interest income, proceeds from General Obligation Bonds and fund balance.
FY 17 Food and Nutrition Services Budget - Approved recommendation from the Administration to approve the FY 17 Food and Nutrition Services Budget. The revenue budget reflects a 2.97% increase in the USDA per meal reimbursement rate. It also includes an increase in the estimated number of lunches and breakfasts due to the projected enrollment increase, a 10-cent increase in adult meal prices and a 10-cent increase in full-paid student lunch prices as required by the USDA.
The USDA requires that the price of a full paid student lunch equal $2.86. This is the difference between the USDA reimbursement rate for a free student lunch, projected at $3.24 for FY 17 and the USDA reimbursement rate for a full paid student lunch, which is $.38. The FY 16 full paid student lunch price was $2.30 and will be $2.40 for FY 17. Since FANS is not charging the required USDA lunch price of $2.86, FANS (as required by the USDA) has to increase the full paid lunch price by a minimum of 10 cents every year until the $2.86 price is met. As the USDA adjusts its reimbursement rates, the $2.86 price may increase.
The expenditure budget includes a 5% raise for FANS staff, increase in staff hours due to culinary training and projected additional meals due to enrollment increase; increase in employer portion of employee benefits and a projected 3.0% increase in cost of food due to inflation and projected increase in number of meals to be served.
FY 17 Special Revenues - Approved recommendation from the Administration to accept the proposed FY 17 Special Revenues Budget. A "Special Revenue Budget" is established when the District receives Federal, State or Local funds that have restrictions on how the funds can be spent. While the District's "General Fund Budget" funds the "general" day-to-day operations of the District, a special revenue budget is set up with a specified purpose or direction.
There have been no material changes in allocations between FY 16 and FY 17. As in prior years there are 28 special revenue projects for which the District has not received the final FY 17 allocations.
Information Items
Internal Auditing Services' Project Status Report - The report was presented as information.
Information/Action From Board Committees/ Liaisons
Committee /Liaison Reports - None.
Finance Report - The report was presented as information.
The meeting adjourned at 8:08 p.m.