January 29, 2020 Edition

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News

Proposed Shift to Elementary Start Time

Greenville County Schools has proposed a fifteen minute shift in the elementary school start time beginning in the 2020-2021 school year to ensure on-time drop off for high school students.

Problem: Secondary bus riders, especially at the high school level, are regularly missing instructional time due to late morning arrivals. The late arrivals that occur on a regular basis are due primarily to heavy traffic, a lack of transportation infrastructure in our county, and a critical shortage of bus drivers. Students on a traditional schedule who are just 10-15 minutes late on a daily basis miss the equivalent of a full class period every week and as much as seven weeks of instruction over the course of a year.

Proposal: Shift elementary bus rider drop off to 7 a.m. and start the school day at 7:45 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. This enables us to add 15 minutes to the window of time buses have to complete secondary routes, without extending the workday for elementary teachers. Eight years ago, we moved the start times for middle and high schools to build in a window for bus transportation. The length of the existing window is no longer adequate. Read More about Proposed Shift to Elementary Start Time.

Woodland Elementary Selected as Palmetto's Finest Finalist

Woodland Elementary in Greer is one of seven schools in South Carolina selected as a finalist for the 2020 Palmetto's Finest awards. This selection comes after extensive evaluations by a committee of fellow educators and previous Palmetto's Finest winners. The application process includes elements on student achievement, instructional programs, professional learning communities, and school culture. Read More about Woodland Elementary.

4K Pre-Registration for 2020-21

At-Risk 4K Pre-Registration begins January 22, 2020. To be considered, children must turn four-years-old on or before September 1, 2020. Parents may pre-register at any district elementary school or child development center UNTIL MARCH 20, 2020. Pre-registration will NOT be accepted after March 20. Read More 4K Pre-Registration.

Unofficial Board Meeting Summary

January 28, 2020

Welcome, Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance
Tonight's Pledge of Allegiance was led by Charlotte Welsh, a senior at Mauldin High School.  Charlotte is an active member and Commanding Officer of the Navy JROTC unit, where she is also the Captain of the 2020 state champion air rifle team.

Awards Presentation
School Board Recognition Month Presentation of SCSBA Service Pins
Dr. Crystal Ball O'Connor (Area 27) received a 20-year pin, and Lisa Wells (Area 28) received a 10-year pin.

Adoption of Consent Calendar
Minutes, Regular Board Meeting - December 17, 2019
3 Home Schooling Applications
Personnel Recommendations – None.

Appearance of Visitors

Terrell Brown, Greenville County Educators Association

Superintendent's Report
In honor of National School Board recognition month, Dr. Royster expressed his appreciation for the long and storied history of school boards in America, which pre-date the constitution, and for the GCS Board of Trustees in particular. He noted the use of the term Trustees for GCS Board Members because it uniquely describes their role of being a trustee of one of the most important tasks in our society.

Action Items

Capital Budget Adjustment for Long-Range Facilities Plan-Capital Improvement Program – Approved motion from the Committee of the Whole to increase the LRFP-CIP budgets for:

• Robert E. Cashion Elementary School by $3,800,000 in FY22;
• High school weight room enhancement by a total of $10,145,750;
• Technology Refresh for Promethean Board replacement project by a total of $8,000,000.

Renewal of Lease Agreement at Old Bryson Elementary School – Approved motion from the Committee of the Whole to approve a new lease agreement with the Center for Community Services for the period March 22, 2020 through March 21, 2025. The Center for Community Services uses this site to provide services to the surrounding community.

Resolution on 2020 Census – Approved recommendation from the Advocacy Committee to approve the Resolution on the 2020 Census, which encourages all staff and families to actively participate in the 2020 census. The calculation from decennial Census data helps determine state and federal funds that are made available for schools and supporting infrastructure and public services. Children aged 0-5, children in poverty, immigrant families, and families experiencing homelessness are historically undercounted, and, since Greenville County Schools serves these populations, it is imperative to support efforts to account for all individuals residing in our Greenville County communities.

Proposed Internal Auditing Services Master Audit Plan – Approved recommendation from Internal Auditing Services to approve the Proposed Master Internal Audit Plan for the 2020 Calendar Year to June 30, 2020.

Information Items

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

Information/Action from Board Committees/Liaisons – Chuck Saylors, GCS board member and president of the SCSBA, shared the Association's concerns over language in pending legislation that would allow the State Superintendent to remove duly elected school boards in districts for which an academic State of Emergency had been declared.

Dr. O'Connor's board committee on sexuality education interviewed applicants all day Monday for membership on the Sexuality Education Advisory Committee.  Approximately 85 people applied for 13 positions.

Mr. Meek reported the Internal Auditing Committee had its first meeting today.  It was primarily an organizational meeting and will meet again in two weeks.

Finance Report – The general fund financial statement through November show an increase in property tax collections compared to last year.  We believe this is the result of early tax notices this year.

Monthly Finance Report – The report was presented as information.