CC Board of Education 10.22.2024 Notes
Work Session
Note 1 : Mr. Dekle is absent. Mr. Alalof acting as Chair.
Call To Order
Invocation by Woodlawn Baptist Church Senior Pastor Floyd Harrison
Pledge of Allegiance by Brookwood Elementary School 4H Presidents
Approval of Agenda: Yay 4, No o
Special Recognitions
eCybermission STEM Competition (winning project - biotech project to help with malnutrition/vitamins for people who live in “food deserts.”): 2 Greenbrier HS Students
Junior Achievement of Georgia Nineteen Under Nineteen Program: 1 student Greenbrier MS
State Superintendent Woods Student and Teacher Advisory Council
1 Student Greenbrier HS
1 Student Grovetown HS
Crystal McDowell - Greenbrier HS
National Association of Biology Teachers Outstanding Biology Teacher Award
Crystal McDowell - Greenbrier HS
Board Comments:
Meyer: Mr. Dekle, our chairman, is out for a procedure. 4H projects can lead to lifelong careers (gave examples of her and her sister with cooking and photography.) Amazing Cyber project. Not sure I understand it, but that’s really awesome. We usually only have 1 representative on the State’s advisory board and it’s amazing that we have 2 students this year. Congratulations to the JA winner and for representing us so well.
Teasley: That is awesome that you won the competition out of 1700 students! Keep up the good work. With 3 representatives to the GADoE advisory committee [from the county] I’m sure it’ll get straightened out. It can only go up from here. Ms. McDowell - you are a frequent flier here for recognitions and we look forward to seeing more of you.
Baker: Thanks to Pastor Harrison for the invocation. We appreciate all the prayers and support. 4Hers did a great job- Thanks for your excellent leadership. Mr. Phillips - great job in helping our students win the eCybermission competition. I’m not quite sure I understand how it works - maybe you could send us some slides or something because it sounds amazing! Congratulations to our JA winner - Look forward to seeing great things from you in the future. For the representatives on the advisory council, I’ll be interested in any updates you might have - feel free to send us an email. Thanks so much Ms. McDowell for your hard work. I’m sure you’ll continue to do great things. It’s nice that we’re starting to get back to normal slowly. Some buses still can’t get down certain streets, but slowly the debris is getting picked up and we’ll get back to normal.
Alalof: Stand up 4H parents again so we can recognize you. Always amazed at the greatness of our staff and students during recognitions. It’s really amazing all of the things our district accomplishes.
Approval of Consent Items: Yay 4, No 0
Minutes of 10/8/2024, Regular Session Meeting
September Financials
Budget transfers
Fundraisers
Employee Travel
Program/Camp/Employee Participation Request
Lease/Use of facilities
Discussion Topics and Presentations
Student Achievement Update (Math), Steve Cummings (See Slides) *Rankings are based on comparison to other districts who tested over 1000 students.
3rd grade 90.2$ 2 and up, 64.1% 3&4
4th Grade: 93.9% 2 and up, 73.6% 3&4
5th Grade: 86.8% 2 and up, 60.7% 3&4
6th Grade: 86% 2 and up, 49.1% 3&4
7th Grade: 85.9% 2 and up, 56.3% 3&4
8th Grade: 82.7% 2 and up, 49.3% 3&4
Algebra 1: 83.6% 2 and up, 50.6% 3&4
All 8th grade students took the 8th Grade math.
Combination of 8th & 9th grade students took the Algebra 1 test. 8th graders taking Algebra 1 took both tests.
Moving in the right direction. More 8th graders are taking Algebra now so we’re going to see the numbers improve. Proud of the teachers and students and overall improvement.
Baker: Does taking Algebra in 8th Grade better prepare the students for higher level maths or are we finding when they get to those higher level math, Do they have holes?
Flynt: There is an increase in the number of students that are taking Algebra 1 in 8th grade. Research says that taking Algebra in 8th grade better prepares these students later. We are going to work more algebra concepts into 6th and 7th grades to better prepare students for Algebra in 8th grade.
Baker: Can they take other math in High School?
Flynt: It gives them more flexibility in HS to take more upper level math or maybe take different types of math to better prepare for their chosen fields of study after high school.
Meyer: Is there a way to track these students from this year to see how they do later?
Flynt: We’re watching overall but it’s hard to track exactly how they do….. We’re really proud of the results in Elementary School. We’ll see more success in 8th grade in the future as we adjust the program more.
SAT & ACT Update, Dr. Kellye Bosch (See Slides)
SAT
60% of students took the SAT
1082 Average score (3 point increase)
See slides (rankings are based on other districts that had at least 1000 students take the SAT)
ACT
9-21% of students in each High School took the ACT
Less than 300 students in the district took the ACT. (Rankings are based on districts that tested 250+ students)
Next Gen Cyber Update, Dr. Kellye Bosch
22-23 Launched in Greenbrier cluster
23-24 Greenbrier & Lakeside clusters
School advisory teams
Piloting standards
Aligning Lessons from standards
AI
AI Guidance
Integrating AI standards into Next Gen Standards
AI guidelines for standards
Professional Learning
Cohort 1 Training
7/2024
Best Practices
Robotic Support: VEX PD+
Comprehensive PD Covering Stemp & Robotics
Support & Funding
Interns/work-based learning in cyber industry
Support for clubs/classrooms
Cyber individual volunteer support
Increase funding for expansion of K12 robotics program
Community partnerships
Teasley: Is this in CTAE or is it in all courses?
Bosch: It’s embedded in all courses.
Teasley: Robotics too?
Bosch: Robotics will be offered in every school - through clubs, computer science classes… different ways.
Alalof: What grade are we starting to embed the NextGen into the curriculum?
Bosch: Kindergarten
Baker: How is it embedded?
Bosch: Having it fit within existing standards. The pilot schools are helping to see where/how it fits. One aspect might fit well with a certain math standard, for example. We will have full implementation next year.
Baker: Has there been an increase in interest for interns/work-based learning? Which companies are we partnering with?
Bosch: There has been an increase in these cyber opportunities with companies. We’re working with Columbia County Board of Commissioners, EMC Engineering, Augusta ENT. I can get a full list for you later.
Baker: How do we fund the changes?
Bosch: It’s worked into our budget and through some community partnerships.
Staff Reports
School Nutrition, Dr. Bing: Centered around Success
All Columbia County Schools had perfect scores from the Dept of Public Health
Understanding
Plans have been implemented to receive feedback from students
Complements
Enhance flavor of meals
Seasonings and spices
condiments/sauces
A La Carte
Cooking
Professional development training to enhance culinary skills
Equipment
Combi Ovens Installed
Additional equipment upgrades include warm/cold holding units, serving lines, dish maching
Schooling
6 Elementary School sites received grants for fresh fruit/veggie (FFV) program
FFV served as sample outside of regular meal
Stats
197 Employees
14,609 lunches served daily
4,518 breakfasts served daily
Lunch Particpation
22-23 SY 51.1%, 23-24 SY 53.8%
Alalof: Can I get one of those push-button ovens?
Baker: Do we compare our lunches to typical packed lunch? I used to pack my kids’ lunches and sometimes I might throw unhealthy stuff in there. How does it compare?
Bing: I don’t know if we can really compare school lunches to a packed lunch because it varies so much. Students might not have tried a school lunch before. Sometimes we set up a sample so they can try it. $3 is a pretty good deal for lunch so it might be cheaper for parents to buy lunch rather than pack it….. This is a team effort. I want to thank all of my staff. I give all credit to everyone who makes this happen.
Red Ribbon Week & National Bullying Prevention Month, Michael Jackson
“Life is a movie, film drug-free.”
Roots of red ribbon week - 1985 death of Enrique Camarena
Numerous activities for both red ribbon and bullying prevention month
706-541-3600 CCSD Hot Line to report bullying
See Something, Say Something
Alalof: Are there any guest speakers?
Johnson: That depends on the school. Judge Evans comes and speaks frequently. Schools plan for speakers.
Athletic Survey of Football and Cheerleaders, Chris Christie
Middle School Survey (400 returned)
55% same 6pm game times
37% move to earlier time
7% move to later time
JV (200 surveys returned)
63% same 6pm game time
31% move to earlier time
5% move to later time
Baker: How many of the surveys were sent out?
Christie: We sent about 100-125 to each school and we got 600 back.
Teasley: Are our game times consistent with other schools in the State?
Christie: Yes. Most MS and JV games are between 5-6pm. People don’t want their students to get home too late.
Alalof: Do you recommend keeping the same game times?
Christie: I definitely wouldn’t recommend moving it later.
Meyer: Thanks for doing this survey and getting data on it.
Flynt: There used to be a requirement from the State saying what time. It’s by district now but most people don’t want the students out too late.
Teasley: It can be hard to find a time that suits everyone.
Baker: This was for football/cheerleaders. Are there concerns about the game times for other sports?
Christie: Those fields don’t always have lights - but there’s been no real feedback or community requests to move those games.
Open Enrollment Update, Tony Wright
10/15-11/8 Open Enrollment Period
10/11 sent open enrollment email to employees
New dental/vision - Sun Life
Short Term Disability
Waiting period reduced 21 to 14 days
Reduced premium
Employees - READ Open Enrollment information!
Select the health plan that meets needs
Don’t wait until the last week to enroll, especially for healthcare plan!
Come talk if need assistance.
Hurricane Helene Recovery Update, Penny Jackson
During a recent parent advisory committee/panel: Parents praised school for opening up on Wednesday. Parents loved the daily updates.
FMO
Communicating with Insurance
Clean up
If members of the community feel that the district is at fault for something that happened to their property, call Jocelyn Baker at the district number to coordinate/discuss.
Department of Transportation
Communicate with Roads & Bridges
Access still limited - 27 streets are still inaccessible to buses
Edulog App
Department of Student Support
Close to 175 students displaced due to storm
Some are staying within the district and some are staying outside the district.
Helping with transportation directly where we can
Gas Vouchers
McKinney Veto helps with funding
State reviewing how to reimburse.
Athletic Update (see slides)
School Calendar
No makeup Days
Flex Strategic Waiver
Curriculum adjustments were guided by ACE Curriculum Committee to prioritize standards
Continue to administer/utilize student performance data from benchmarks, diagnostics, classroom assessments
Baker: Is there a limit? Snow days, etc? Unlimited?
Bosch: Technically, it’s unlimited. However, instructionally, we might have to revisit if we miss more days.
Meyers: I just want to praise everyone for getting everyone back to school as early as we did. At some point, we had to get back and we can do hard things. It was a good thing to model to our students. Thanks y’all for getting it done.
Baker: There were a lot of ugly comments that were really unnecessary. We appreciate you for your work and leadership in getting it done and getting the schools back open.
Flynt: Thanks for that board. Thanks to the staff for all of the great presentations.
Board Policies J, Students
JAA-JDE: 22 policies:Approve with the amendment that the missing line at the end of JB is added back in. Yay 4, No 0
JGC - JRB will be open for public comment and voted on at the 11/12 meeting
Some are rescinded because they are no longer necessary
Some changes in wording.
Superintendent Reports
93.4% 2024 Graduation Rate
Change to school lunch menus due to Hurricane Helene
National School Bus Safety Week
America’s Safe Schools Week
Community Building Program Meetings, all start at 5:30PM
EHS 10/28
GHS 10/29
Harlem 10/30
Executive Session
No illegal discussions: Yay 4, No 0
Student Disciplinary Hearing Appeal Case #24-25-054
Personnel: Yay 4, No 0
Workman’s Comp: Yay 4, No 0
Legal
Real Estate Transaction: Yay 4, No 0
Alalof: Thanks for the presentations. Chief Owens had a wonderful training program. Thanks for all that they do. Mr. Dekle is doing well, he’s just moving a little slow. I think that’s about it.
Adjourn: Yay 4, No 0