January 23, 2019 Edition

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News

From the Classroom to the Board Room

January is School Board Recognition Month and Greenville County Schools is celebrating the contributions and service of our 12 School Board members. GCS trustees develop policies and make decisions on complex educational and social issues impacting the entire community. They bear responsibility for an annual budget of $620 million, 76,000 students, 10,000 employees and 106 facilities. As a part of School Board Appreciation Month, board members will participate in an official signing of the South Carolina School Board Member Ethical Principles during their January school board meeting. By signing the principles, school board members publicly vowed to uphold effective governance principles and pledged to improve public education in their community. Watch their stories here.

Chandler Creek, Stone School Improvement Councils named to 2019 SC-SIC Honor Roll

The School Improvement Councils (SICs) at Chandler Creek Elementary School and Stone Academy of Communication Arts have been named to the SC School Improvement Council's (SC-SIC) 2019 Honor Roll for their significant efforts to foster civic engagement in public education. They are among 11 schools statewide to receive the honor.

Five finalists from this year's list of Honor Roll SICs will be selected in February, with one to be announced as the winner of the annual Riley Award for SIC Excellence on March 30. Read more about Chandler Creek and Stone.

Greenville County Schools Recognizes Michelin North America as Inaugural Partner of the Year

Superintendent Dr. Burke Royster has announced Michelin North America as the 2019 Greenville County Schools Partner of the Year. This award was created to recognize and affirm organizations, groups, or individuals who are making a significant positive impact on our ability to fulfill the school district's mission. This impact could be through volunteer time, financial contributions, in-kind donations, or other collaborative supports to students, schools or the district as a whole. Read more about Michelin North America.

Teacher Recruitment Event Seeks Shining Stars

Greenville County Schools and the business community will host a Shining Stars Teacher Recruitment event at the Greenville Convention Center in Greenville on Monday, March 4 from 8:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Prospective candidates can register online between Friday, February 1 and Wednesday, February 27. Read more about Shining Stars.

Unofficial Board Meeting Summary

January 22, 2019

Welcome, Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance - Ja'Kiya Valentine from Berea Elementary School led the Board in the Pledge of Allegiance. Ja'Kiya is a 5th grader at Berea Elementary. She is a member of the school's safety patrol program and helps students with special needs to walk in to school each morning.

Adoption of Consent Calendar
Minutes, Regular Board Meeting - December 18, 2018
6 Home Schooling Applications
Personnel Recommendations

• Maureen Tiller, Principal, Fountain Inn High School
• Dan Bruce, Principal, Travelers Rest High School

Award Presentation
School Board Recognition Month - Presentation of SCSBA Board Service Award to Roger Meek for 25 years of service on the GCS Board of Trustees

Appearance of Visitors
Terrell Brown - Greenville County Education Association (GCEA Representative) - Appreciation to GCS Board of Trustees.

Superintendent's Report
In honor of the National School Boards Association School Board Recognition Month, Dr. Royster expressed his appreciation to the GCS Board of Trustees for their service to our community, schools, and students.

Action Items

Advocacy Committee Report on School Safety Policy Changes - Approved recommendation from the Advocacy Committee to approve the Advocacy Committee Report on School Safety Policy Changes as amended. The Advocacy Committee has devoted time to studying places where policy changes could improve local school districts' ability to address school safety concerns.

Proposed Master Audit Plan - Approved the 135-day enrollment audit, while postponing the 2019 Master Audit Plan vote until the February Board meeting.

Naming of Mauldin High School Auditorium - Approved recommendation from the Committee of the Whole to approve naming the Mauldin High School Auditorium the Pamela S. Mayfield Auditorium. Long-time Mauldin High School music teacher Pam Mayfield is retiring at the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year. Members of the school community have requested that the school's auditorium be named in her honor.

Naming of Hillcrest High School Upper Courtyard Area - Approved recommendation from the Administration to approve the naming of the Hillcrest High School upper courtyard area for Mr. Steve Chamness. The Hillcrest High School community has expressed support for honoring the late Steven Chamness, a beloved former teacher, coach, and principal.

Information Items

Internal Auditing Services' Project Status Report - The report was presented as information.

Information/Action from Board Committees/Liaisons - The Advocacy Committee will present the School Safety Report approved tonight at the upcoming SCSBA Conference.  Also drafted letter supporting current bills drafted to eliminate EOC and will bring that letter to the Board in February.

The Instructional Policies Committee will bring its final instructional policies to the February Committee of the Whole.

Finance Report - The report was presented as information.  We are running slightly behind on property tax revenue, but believe it is related to tax notices going out later than previous years.  Dr. Royster reported that we are not yet being significantly impacted by the shutdown of the Federal Government.  Additional federal money has been released for the Food Service program.

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.