[A. CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:09]
WELCOME TO THIS STUDY SESSION OF THE HENRY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION. IN ORDER TO ENSURE A PRODUCTIVE MEETING, ATTENDEES AT THE MEETING HAVE AGREED TO THE DECORUM EXPECTED OF A MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION. DISRUPTION TO CONDUCTING THE BUSINESS OF THE BOARD WILL RESULT IN THE BOARD MOVING TO RECESS, A VIRTUAL FORMAT OR SUSPENSION OF THE MEETING. WE HAVE A PRODUCTIVE MEETING AHEAD AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO THE CHAIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MISS RIDDLE, AND GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. WELCOME THIS AFTERNOON, AND I WOULD LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED STUDY SESSION OF THE HENRY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH AT 4:00 PM. AND WE WILL BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON BY ME
[B. SUPERINTENDENT'S WELCOME]
TURNING IT OVER TO DOCTOR PACE FOR HIS WELCOME. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND OUR COMMUNITY, WELCOME TO THE FEBRUARY MEETING OF THE HENRY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION. WE HAVE SEVERAL IMPORTANT RECOGNITIONS THIS MONTH, BEGINNING WITH ACKNOWLEDGING THAT FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH, A TIME TO HONOR THE ACHIEVEMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS THROUGHOUT HISTORY. WE JOIN OUR SCHOOLS IN CELEBRATING THIS YEAR'S THEME, A CENTURY OF BLACK HISTORY COMMEMORATIONS, WHICH ACKNOWLEDGES THE ORIGIN OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH. AS FOUNDED BY HISTORIAN DOCTOR CARTER G.WOODSON IN FEBRUARY 1926, AND EXPLORES THE IMPACT OF THE PAST 100 YEARS OF NATIONAL EFFORTS TO STUDY, HONOR, AND COMMEMORATE BLACK HISTORY, CULTURE, AND CONTRIBUTIONS IN OUR COUNTRY AND BEYOND. THIS MONTH, WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF CAREER, TECHNICAL AND AGRICULTURE EDUCATION IN OUR MIDDLE HIGH SCHOOLS AND ACADEMY FOR ADVANCED STUDIES, HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS HAS THE FIFTH LARGEST CTE ENROLLMENT IN THE STATE. BUILDING BRIGHT FUTURES BY PREPARING STUDENTS FOR HIGH DEMAND PROFESSIONS IN FIELDS SUCH AS AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS, NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH, CYBERSECURITY, AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRIES, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, CULINARY ARTS, AND MORE. LAST WEEK, WE CELEBRATED NATIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELING WEEK ACROSS HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS. RECOGNIZING THE VITAL ROLE OF THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR IN PREPARING OUR STUDENTS FOR ACADEMIC SUCCESS, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND COLLEGE AND CAREER PLANNING. IF WE HAVE, AND I KNOW WE DO, ANY COUNSELORS IN THE AUDIENCE, WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED? THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEDICATION, COMMITMENT TO OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY. I WAS HONORED TO PARTICIPATE IN LAST FRIDAY'S SCHOOL COUNSELOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS AT THE MCDONOUGH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, WHERE JESSICA THOMPSON OF LOCUST GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS NAMED HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS 2026 SCHOOL COUNSELOR OF THE YEAR. CONGRATULATIONS, MISS THOMPSON. FEBRUARY 15TH IS NATIONAL SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER APPRECIATION DAY. WE THANK THESE DEDICATED OFFICERS WHO WORK TIRELESSLY TO KEEP OUR SCHOOL CAMPUSES SAFE EACH DAY THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HENRY COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND LOOK FORWARD TO CELEBRATING THEM AT A RECEPTION ON FEBRUARY 25TH. WOULD YOU JOIN ME IN A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR SROS, INCLUDING THOSE THAT MAY BE IN ATTENDANCE TODAY? MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES MY WELCOME. AND I TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH,
[C. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS]
DOCTOR PACE, FOR YOUR WELCOME. WE WILL NOW MOVE TO OUR INFORMATIONAL ITEMS. TODAY WE WILL BEGIN WITH ITEM C1A DOCTOR PACE. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, FOR ITEM C ONE A HCB E BOARD POLICY, FDC NAMING FACILITIES. I'D LIKE TO INVITE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT OF STAFF AND OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS MISSUS SUMMER COX TO THE PODIUM. GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR.MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE. TONIGHT I AM PRESENTING A NEW POLICY FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, IDENTIFIED AS POLICY FDC FOR NAMING FACILITIES. THIS BOARD PARTICIPATED IN DISCUSSIONS RELATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS POLICY AT WHOLE BOARD TRAINING IN FALL 2025, AND A COPY OF THE DRAFT POLICY WAS RECENTLY SHARED WITH YOU AT JANUARY. AGENDA REVIEW ACTIVITIES FOR INITIAL REVIEW AND FEEDBACK. THIS PROPOSED POLICY WAS AGAIN SHARED WITH ALL BOARD MEMBERS DURING FEBRUARY. AGENDA REVIEW AND
[00:05:02]
PREPARATION FOR TONIGHT'S BOARD MEETING. PROPOSED POLICY FDC STATES THAT THE SUPERINTENDENT WILL MAKE NAMING RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BOARD BASED ON PROCESSES THAT WILL BE DEFINED IN A REGULATION, AND THE BOARD WILL HAVE THE FINAL DECISION FOR THE NAMING AND RENAMING OF ALL SCHOOL SYSTEM BUILDINGS. FACILITIES. AREAS WITHIN SYSTEM FACILITIES.SPORTS FACILITIES AND SYSTEM PROPERTY. THE PROPOSED POLICY FDC NAMING FACILITIES WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AFTER TONIGHT'S BOARD MEETING, AND WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR BOARD ACTION AT THE MARCH BOARD MEETING. DOCTOR PACE, THIS CONCLUDES WHAT I HAVE PREPARED AND I TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU, MRS. COX. MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR INFORMATIONAL ITEM. C ONE A HCB BOARD POLICY, FDC AND I TURN IT BACK OVER TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU, DOCTOR PAYSON. THANK YOU, MRS. COX, FOR THAT REPORT. DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? NO.
SEEING NONE. WE APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH. AND WE WILL NOW MOVE TO ITEM C2A DOCTOR PACE. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR FOR INFORMATIONAL ITEMS C2A IMPLEMENTING GEORGIA'S NEW ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS. I'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR CHIEF LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE OFFICER, DOCTOR CLEVELAND CHIP JOHNSON, TO THE PODIUM. GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE, TODAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SHARING AN UPDATE ON OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF GEORGIA'S NEW ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS. AS A BOARD, YOU HAVE CONSISTENTLY EMPHASIZED THAT STUDENTS PERFORMING AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL IS A TOP PRIORITY.
YOUR HIGH EXPECTATIONS ARE REFLECTED IN THE CORE POLICIES, PRIORITY OUTCOMES, AND ARE ALIGNED TO YOUR COMMUNITY INSPIRED STRATEGIC PLAN. TODAY, I WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE RELATED TO THE PRIORITY OUTCOME FOCUSED ON STUDENTS READING AND WRITING AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL.
STRATEGIC ACTION ONE. INITIATIVE ONE. YOU CALL FOR THE CREATION OF A COMMUNITY OF POWERFUL READERS AND WRITERS. AS A RESULT OF YOUR INVESTMENTS, FOCUS HAS BEEN PLACED ON IMPLEMENTING RESEARCH BASED LITERACY MODELS SUPPORTED BY ALIGNED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE READING AND WRITING INSTRUCTION. AS A BOARD, YOUR COMMITMENT TO LITERACY HAS SET A TONE THAT RESONATES IN EVERY CLASSROOM, EMPOWERING OUR STUDENTS WITH THE EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCESS THEY NEED TO SUCCEED IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY. GEORGIA'S NEW ELA STANDARDS REPRESENT A MAJOR SHIFT TOWARD INTEGRATED LITERACY INSTRUCTION, WHERE READING, WRITING, SPEAKING, LISTENING, AND GRAMMAR ARE TAUGHT TOGETHER RATHER THAN ISOLATED RATHER THAN IN ISOLATION. THIS APPROACH HELPS STUDENTS BUILD STRONGER COMPREHENSION AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS WHILE ENSURING THAT INSTRUCTION IS CONSISTENT AND ALIGNED ACROSS CLASSROOMS. OUR FOCUS IS SIMPLE. WE START WITH CLARITY OF EXPECTATIONS, WHICH LEADS TO CONSISTENCY OF PRACTICE ACROSS ALL SCHOOLS. THAT ULTIMATELY RESULTS IN A POSITIVE IMPACT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT. THIS GRAPHIC HIGHLIGHTS THE CRITICAL COMPONENTS TO A STRONG IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AND CYCLE OF INSTRUCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT.
IT DEMONSTRATES THAT STUDENT SUCCESS ISN'T ACCIDENTAL. IT IS THE RESULT OF A DELIBERATE PROCESS THAT CONNECTS ADULT LEARNING TO CLASSROOM ACTION, AND FINALLY TO STUDENT RESULTS.
EVERYTHING BEGINS WITH STAFF LEARNING. WE CANNOT EXPECT TO CHANGE. WE CANNOT EXPECT CHANGES IN STUDENT OUTCOMES WITHOUT FIRST INVESTING IN THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO THE STUDENTS, OUR TEACHERS AND LEADERS. THE CENTER COLUMN IS THE CORE OF OUR SCHOOLS. AT THE BOTTOM WE HAVE TEACHER INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES, THE ACTUAL DAILY INTERACTIONS AND TEACHING STRATEGIES USED IN THE CLASSROOM. IN THE MIDDLE, WE SUPPORT THOSE PRACTICES WITH COACHING AND FEEDBACK. THIS IS THE PERSONALIZED, ONGOING SUPPORT TO HELP TEACHERS REFINE THEIR CRAFT. AND AT THE TOP, DISTRICT WALKTHROUGHS ALLOW LEADERSHIP TO GATHER DATA ON TRENDS TO ENSURE ALIGNMENT ACROSS SCHOOLS. THE ARROWS CONNECTING THESE THREE MIDDLE BOXES CREATE CONSTANT DIALOG. WALK THROUGH DATA, INFORMS WHO NEEDS COACHING. EFFECTIVE COACHING IMPROVES INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE AND IMPROVE PRACTICE, IS OBSERVED IN FUTURE WALKTHROUGHS, AND A STRONG IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW ELA STANDARDS LEADS US TO OUR ULTIMATE GOAL ON THE FAR RIGHT IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES. HOWEVER, IF WE STOP THERE, IT WOULD JUST BE A DEAD END PROCESS. BUT SUSTAINABLE IMPROVEMENT AND EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION REQUIRES A CYCLE. WE DON'T JUST MEASURE STUDENT OUTCOMES AND FILE THEM AWAY. WE ANALYZE THAT DATA TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WORKED AND WHAT DIDN'T. THAT ANALYSIS LOOPS DIRECTLY BACK TO THE BEGINNING TO RESHAPE OUR FUTURE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. BEGINNING IN JANUARY 2025, HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS TOOK A STRATEGIC, PHASED APPROACH TO PREPARE FOR THE STATEWIDE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW ELA STANDARDS. WE LAUNCHED DISTRICT WIDE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO BUILD AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING. THEN, IN MAY 2025, EXPANDED TO SCHOOL BASED SUPPORT LED BY LITERACY LEADERS. IN JUNE 2025, EDUCATORS DEEPENED THEIR CAPACITY AT THE SUMMER LITERACY CONFERENCE AND AT THE START OF THE 2025 2026 SCHOOL YEAR, TEACHERS BEGAN
[00:10:03]
IMPLEMENTING THE NEW STANDARDS WITH STATE APPROVED, HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AND DISTRICT GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS. ONGOING COLLABORATIVE LEARNING AMONG SCHOOLS, INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CYCLES HAVE CONTINUED THROUGHOUT THIS SCHOOL YEAR.FORWARD. IT IS ONE OF YOUR CORE BELIEFS THAT EFFECTIVE TEACHERS AND LEADERS AND STAFF PRODUCE EXCELLENT RESULTS. FOR THIS REASON, HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS HAS INVESTED INTENTIONALLY IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO ENSURE THE EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW STANDARDS. DISTRICT LEADERS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN MULTIPLE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FACILITATED BY THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND OUR REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICE AGENCY. THESE LEARNING EXPERIENCES STRENGTHEN OUR SCHOOL'S COLLECTIVE CAPACITY TO SUPPORT TEACHERS ONLINE INSTRUCTION TO THE STANDARDS AND ENSURE CONSISTENCY CONSISTENCY ACROSS SCHOOLS. AS WE CONTINUE TO TEACH THE STANDARDS WITH CLARITY AND PURPOSE. ADDITIONALLY, OUR SCHOOL LEADERS AND TEACHERS RECEIVE ONGOING INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT. THIS SUPPORT INCLUDES MONTHLY PROFESSIONAL LEARNING SESSIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING LABS. TEACHERS HAVE PROVIDED HIGHLY POSITIVE FEEDBACK REGARDING THEIR LEARNING. ONE TEACHER STATED, I FEEL MORE CONFIDENT IN IMPLEMENTING RIGOROUS, STANDARDS ALIGNED INSTRUCTION, USING DATA AND APPLYING NEW STRATEGIES. THROUGH THESE INTENTIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, WE STRENGTHEN TEACHER PRACTICE, DEEPEN UNDERSTANDING OF THE STANDARDS, AND ENSURE EVERY CLASSROOM IS EQUIPPED TO TEACH THE STANDARDS AS INTENDED. THE DISTRICT'S ELA TEAM IS COMMITTED TO BUILDING THE INSTRUCTIONAL CAPACITY WITH ALL SCHOOLS. WE EQUIPPED OUR INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES TO CONFIDENTLY LEAD STANDARDS BASED INSTRUCTION AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WITHIN THEIR BUILDINGS. INSTRUCTIONAL COACHES MODEL LESSONS, SUPPORT TEACHERS IN REAL TIME, AND FACILITATE ONGOING DISCUSSIONS ABOUT EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING. AN INSTRUCTIONAL COACH RECENTLY SHARED THAT THIS LEARNING WAS ESPECIALLY HELPFUL, MADE EXPECTATIONS CLEARER, AND HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO INFLUENCE OVERALL LESSON DELIVERY. THIS WORK ENSURES THAT EVERY CLASSROOM, ACROSS EVERY SCHOOL IS CONSISTENTLY TEACHING TO THE RIGOR AND INTENT OF THE STANDARDS, RESULTING IN MORE ALIGNED INSTRUCTION AND STRONGER STUDENT OUTCOMES. WITH THE ADOPTION OF NEW ELA STANDARDS ALSO COMES IMPORTANT SHIFTS IN THE GEORGIA MILESTONES ASSESSMENT SYSTEM.
THESE UPDATES ARE DESIGNED TO MORE ACCURATELY REFLECT THE SKILLS STUDENTS NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL READERS, WRITERS, AND THINKERS IN TODAY'S WORLD, ONE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IS AN INCREASED EMPHASIS ON MULTIMODAL TEXTS. STUDENTS ARE NOW EXPECTED TO ENGAGE NOT ONLY WITH WRITTEN PASSAGES, BUT ALSO WITH IMAGES, CHARTS, AUDIO AND OTHER VISUAL ELEMENTS, MIRRORING HOW INFORMATION IS ENCOUNTERED BEYOND THE CLASSROOM. WE ARE ALSO SEEING A GREATER USE OF MULTI-PART TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED QUESTIONS. THESE ITEM TYPES, SUCH AS DRAG AND DROP AND TEXT HIGHLIGHTING, REQUIRE STUDENTS TO DEMONSTRATE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING AND APPLY THEIR THINKING IN MORE INTERACTIVE WAYS. IN ADDITION, THE EXTENDED WRITING SECTION HAS BEEN REVISED TO EMPHASIZE RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS. STUDENTS WILL SYNTHESIZE INFORMATION FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES, MOVING BEYOND SURFACE LEVEL RESPONSES TO THOUGHTFUL, EVIDENCE BASED WRITING. WRITING TASKS WILL CONTINUE TO BE ASSESSED IN KEY GRADE LEVELS, INCLUDING THIRD, FIFTH, AND EIGHTH, AS WELL AS IN LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION. COMPOSITION TWO ENSURING STUDENTS DEVELOP AND DEMONSTRATE WRITING PROFICIENCY THROUGHOUT THEIR ACADEMIC JOURNEY. FINALLY, NEW PEER REVISION TASKS IN FOURTH, SIXTH, AND SEVENTH GRADES REINFORCE WRITING AS A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS, HELPING STUDENTS LEARN TO GIVE AND APPLY FEEDBACK, REVISE THEIR THINKING, AND STRENGTHEN THEIR WORK. THERE ARE A FEW ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT UPDATES CONNECTED TO THE TRANSITION THAT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT. FIRST, ALL STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO USE HEADPHONES DURING THE ELA ASSESSMENT TO ENSURE CONSISTENCY AND EQUITY. HEADPHONES HAVE ALREADY BEEN PURCHASED AND DISTRIBUTED TO EVERY SCHOOL YEAR. SCHOOL. THIS YEAR AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL, THERE IS ALSO A SHIFT IN THE END OF COURSE ASSESSMENT. IT WILL MOVE FROM AMERICAN LITERATURE IN 11TH GRADE TO LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION TWO IN 10TH GRADE, ALIGNING MORE INTENTIONALLY WITH THE NEW STANDARDS. THERE WILL BE NO END OF GRADE RETEST IN ELA. AND FINALLY, BECAUSE THESE ASSESSMENTS ARE ALIGNED TO THE NEW STANDARDS, SCORE, REPORTS WILL BE DELAYED UNTIL THE LATE FALL LATE FALL OF 2026, TO ALLOW THE STANDARDS TO ALLOW FOR STANDARDS SETTING. THIS MEANS STUDENTS SCORES WILL BE HELD HARMLESS THIS YEAR, WHILE STILL CONTRIBUTING TO PE SCORES FOR SCHOOLS AND THE DISTRICT. IN HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS, WE KNOW LITERACY CHANGES LIVES AS WE IMPLEMENT GEORGIA'S NEW ELA STANDARDS. WE'RE GIVING OUR TEACHERS CLARITY AND SUPPORT AND OUR STUDENTS EQUITABLE ACCESS TO RIGOROUS, HIGH QUALITY INSTRUCTION. THROUGH INTENTIONAL PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND COACHING, WE ARE STRENGTHENING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN EVERY CLASSROOM. THIS IS MORE THAN A SHIFT IN STANDARDS. IT'S A COMMITMENT TO TRANSFORM OUR LITERACY LANDSCAPE. THIS WORK ENSURES LITERACY IS NOT A PRIVILEGE FOR SOME, BUT A PROMISE WE KEEP TO EVERY STUDENT, IN EVERY CLASSROOM, EVERY DAY. DOCTOR PACE, THIS CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION. I YIELD THE FLOOR TO YOU. THANK YOU, DOCTOR JOHNSON. MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR INFORMATIONAL ITEM, C-2A. AND WE MADE
[00:15:03]
AVAILABLE TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, DOCTOR PACE. AND THANK YOU, DOCTOR JOHNSON. DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? MISTER MCDANIEL THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AND THANK YOU, DOCTOR JOHNSON FOR THIS UPDATE. FORGIVE ME, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. SO I WAS READING OVER THE WEEKEND. SCARY ENOUGH ABOUT SOMETHING THAT THE STATE IS TRYING TO DO THE STATE LEGISLATURE IS DOING RIGHT NOW. IT'S CALLED THE GEORGIA EARLY LITERACY ACT, THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE SPEAKER AND IT TALKS ABOUT HAVING A FULL TIME LITERACY COACH IN EACH SCHOOL FROM K THROUGH THREE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE QBE FORMULA, BECAUSE THERE WAS AN ARTICLE THAT CAME OUT THAT SAID ABOUT 30% OF FOURTH GRADERS ARE READING PROFICIENTLY HERE IN THE STATE. BUT FROM WHAT YOU'RE TELLING US HERE, WE'VE ALREADY HENRY COUNTY HAS ALREADY STARTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE AHEAD OF THE GAME. WE SEE WHAT WE HAVE TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE READING ON GRADE LEVEL AND OR ABOVE, AM I CORRECT? YES, SIR. AND SO HOW, JUST FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC THAT'S LOOKING, HOW ARE WE ACTUALLY DOING THAT? BECAUSE YOU SAID ABOUT BUILDING INSTRUCTIONAL CAPACITY AND YOU TALKED ABOUT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND THEN YOU BROUGHT UP SOME WORDS THAT I'VE NEVER HEARD OF. LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIND IT. DROP IN DRAG, DROP DOWN LIST. OR CAN YOU EXPAND ON WHAT THAT IS AND HOW THAT ACTUALLY HELPS OUT OUR OUR YOUTH? FOR A PARENT LIKE ME WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. ABSOLUTELY. SO ONE WAY THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS AND OUR TEACHERS WITH LITERACY IS THAT WE'RE VERY DATA DRIVEN. WE HAVE TO ASSESS OUR STUDENTS TO KNOW WHERE THEY ARE. USING THAT DATA THEN TELLS US HOW TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE MEETING OUR STUDENTS NEEDS. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THOSE TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED QUESTIONS, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE GOING TO ONLY SEE ONE TIME, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO ASSESS AND GET INFORMATION FROM OUR STUDENTS, WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING IT IN A WAY THAT'S MEANINGFUL AND RELEVANT, SO THAT WHEN THEY SEE IT IN THE TEST, IT'S NOT A SURPRISE FOR THEM. AND SO THOSE TOOLS THAT THEY WILL BE USING, THEY'VE BEEN USING ALL YEAR LONG. AND SO AGAIN, WE USE THAT EXPERIENCES ALONG WITH OUR DATA TO INFORM OUR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING. AND THEN WE GO BACK INTO THOSE THOSE CLASSROOMS TO SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO MEET OUR STUDENTS NEEDS. OKAY. SO WHAT IS DROPPING DRAG OR DRAG AND DROP. WHAT WHAT IS THAT. SO ON A ON A ASSESSMENT ITEM THEY MAY HAVE TO MOVE A PHRASE FROM ONE SECTION THAT MAY NOT BE FITTING IN THAT TEXT TO ANOTHER SECTION. SO THEY LITERALLY JUST KIND OF CLICK ON IT AND DRAG IT TO SOMETHING TO ANOTHER PLACE WHERE MAYBE MORE APPROPRIATE OR MAKE MORE MEANING IN THE PASSAGE FOR PARENTS. OKAY, SO EVERYONE'S MAKING FUN OF ME UP HERE, BUT AGAIN, THE REASON WHY I ASK THOSE QUESTIONS IS I'M NOT AFRAID TO ADMIT, I MEAN, I, I HAVE A YOUNG DAUGHTER WHO'S IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND, YOU KNOW, SHE COMES HOME, DOES WHAT SHE DOES. AND I'M SEEING THESE WORDS NOW. SO FOR ME, IT'S JUST EDUCATION, EVEN ON MY ON MY BEHALF. BUT WHAT I WILL END WITH THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ME AND THE CHAIR ACTUALLY KIND OF CHUCKLED ABOUT WAS AT THE END. YOU SAID THAT OUR SCORES WOULD BE DELAYED. THE STUDENTS WILL BE HELD HARMLESS, BUT THE DISTRICT SAID IT ONE MORE TIME.THE SCORES FOR STUDENTS WILL BE HELD HARMLESS, HELD HARMLESS. BUT FOR SCHOOLS AND THE DISTRICT, THEY WILL APPLY TO OUR. OUTSTANDING. SO I WANT TO END BY SAYING THIS TO ALL OF OUR LANGUAGE ARTS TEACHERS AND TO ALL OF OUR TEACHERS. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I KNOW I HAD A LITTLE MOMENT HERE JUST TO LAUGH. I LIKE TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FUN. EVERYONE'S.
I KNOW YOU HAD A LONG DAY, BUT AGAIN, I DO WANT TO SAY, BECAUSE EVEN FOR MY DAUGHTER, I HAVE SEEN THE GROWTH THAT SHE HAS HAD, THAT DUTCHTOWN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. SO I'VE SEEN THE GROWTH THAT SHE'S HAD. I'VE SEEN THE GROWTH OF OUR STUDENTS. I'VE SEEN THE LOVE FOR WHAT THEY'RE DOING. I TALKED TO THE SUPERINTENDENT THIS WEEKEND ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF READING.
WE HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT. SO I APPLAUD WHAT WE ARE DOING HERE IN HENRY COUNTY. AND I SAY THAT TO SAY THIS, WHATEVER WE AND I SAY THIS BEFORE, WHATEVER WE NEED TO DO TO CONTINUE TO LEAD, TO CONTINUE TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT, PLEASE KNOW THAT WE'RE RIGHT HERE TO SUPPORT, TO MAKE SURE THAT IT HAPPENS BECAUSE WE WANT THE BEST READERS RIGHT HERE IN HENRY COUNTY. BUT WE ALSO WANT THE BEST LEADERS COMING FROM RIGHT HERE IN HENRY COUNTY. SO THANK YOU, YOUR STAFF, AND TO ALL THE TEACHERS FOR WHAT THEY'RE DOING. THANK YOU, MR. MCDANIEL. ANY OTHER COMMENTS, MRS. EDWARDS? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT. I'M SITTING HERE LOOKING AT THE TRANSFORMING THE LITERACY LANDSCAPE. I MEAN, THIS IS IT'S POWERFUL. THIS HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS REGARDING THE DRAG AND DROP PROCESS. I DO KNOW WHAT IT IS. I JUST WANTED TO ASK ARE THE STUDENTS WHO ARE ACTUALLY IN THAT IN THE PROCESS OF DRAGGING AND DROPPING RIGHT NOW? ABSOLUTELY. YES, MA'AM. THEY ARE DOING THOSE TYPE OF TECHNOLOGY ITEMS RIGHT NOW. OKAY. MY NEXT QUESTION IS YOU SAID THE HEADPHONES ARE IN THE SCHOOLS. YES, MA'AM. ARE THEY BEING USED RIGHT NOW ON A DAILY BASIS. HOWEVER, THEY HOW OFTEN THEY USE THEM. SO THOSE HEADPHONES WERE SPECIFICALLY FOR ASSESSMENT. BUT THERE ARE
[00:20:04]
OTHER HEADPHONES THAT ARE USED REGULARLY. ARE THEY THE SAME HEADPHONES BECAUSE THEY DO THE CHAIR. CAN I ASK FOR A CLARIFICATION? SAME TYPE OF HEADPHONES OR SAME HEADPHONES OKAY, I'M I, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE THAT THEY'RE SAME TYPE OF HEADPHONES, BUT HEADPHONES ARE BEING USED. SO STUDENTS ARE EXPERIENCING ASSESSMENT THAT HAS AUDIO. START USING THE ONE FOR TESTING. THANK YOU. THEN IT WON'T IT WON'T BE A SHOCK TO THEM. YOU KNOW IT WON'T BE A GREAT DIFFERENCE. A VAST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HEADPHONES. I KNOW HEADPHONES ARE HEADPHONES. THEY ALL WORK THE SAME WAY. YES, MA'AM. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MISS EDWARDS. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? MADAM CHAIR, CAN I ADD JUST ONE COMMENT? AND THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR OUR PARENTS TO LEARN THIS WITH OUR STUDENTS. AND I JUST WANT TO REITERATE, MANY OF OUR SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN HAVING CURRICULUM NIGHTS FOR PARENTS. AND YOU CAN LEARN AT THESE CURRICULUM NIGHTS, NOT ONLY ABOUT THE NEW STANDARDS FOR ELA AND MATH, BUT YOU GET A CHANCE TO LEARN ABOUT THESE MULTI MODAL DRAG AND DROP MULTIPLE SELECT QUESTIONS THAT YOU. YOU'RE RIGHT. WHEN WE WERE IN SCHOOL WE DID NOT EXPERIENCE THIS. IT WAS JUST PICK A, B, C OR D OR ALL OF THE ABOVE.STUDENTS NOW ARE HAVE HAVING TO USE MORE CRITICAL THINKING THROUGH THESE TYPE OF MECHANISMS. SO I'M GLAD YOU ILLUMINATED THAT. SO OUR PARENTS ARE AWARE THAT IT'S YOU KNOW IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT, WHICH IS THE RIGOR OF THE STANDARDS THAT OUR STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO MASTER. BUT WITH OUR LEADERS, OUR TEACHERS, WE'RE VERY CONFIDENT THAT THEY'RE TEACHING THEM EVERYTHING THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DRAG AND DROP MULTI-SELECT AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE BEING CREATED TO ASSURE CRITICAL THINKING. THANK YOU, DOCTOR PACE, AND I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS REPORT. I LOVE SEEING THE CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE DISTRICT AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STANDARDS, BUT ALSO THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT'S HAPPENING. AND I KNOW THAT'S HOW WE ENSURE EQUITABLE OUTCOMES ACROSS THE DISTRICT, TOO. SO I'M JUST REALLY, REALLY GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE LEADERS, FOR YOUR TEAM, AND OF COURSE, FOR ALL THE TEACHERS WHO HAVE BOOTS ON THE GROUND HELPING OUR KIDS EACH AND EVERY DAY. BECAUSE I KNOW NEW STANDARDS ROLL OUT IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE'RE SO GRATEFUL AND WE WILL NOW MOVE IN OUR AGENDA. TURN MY MIC OFF. WE WILL NOW MOVE TO OUR NEXT INFORMATIONAL ITEM WHICH IS ITEM C2B DOCTOR PACE. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, FOR ITEM INFORMATION ON ITEM C2B HENRY REED'S FAMILY FIRST AND LITERACY, I'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR CHIEF FAMILY AND STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES OFFICER, MRS. MEGAN SAGO, TO THE PODIUM. GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE THIS AFTERNOON. I'M EXCITED TO FOLLOW DOCTOR JOHNSON'S PRESENTATION AND SHARE HOW YOUR INVESTMENTS EXTEND BEYOND THE CLASSROOM TO SUPPORT THE ROLES OF FAMILIES AND THE COMMUNITY IN LITERACY. OUR LITERACY EFFORTS BEGIN WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL WHEN THEY ARE SURROUNDED BY STRONG INSTRUCTION, CONSISTENT PRACTICE, AND MEANINGFUL SUPPORT AT HOME AND AT SCHOOL. BECAUSE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IS CRITICAL TO STUDENT SUCCESS, WE INTENTIONALLY DESIGNED LITERACY EXPERIENCES THAT EXTEND BEYOND THE SCHOOL DAY. WE EQUIP FAMILIES WITH TOOLS, RESOURCES, AND CONFIDENCE TO SUPPORT READING AT HOME, AND WE ENGAGE COMMUNITY PARTNERS WHO HELP MAKE READING VISIBLE AND JOYFUL.
ACROSS HENRY COUNTY. HENRY READS IS OUR DISTRICT'S COMPREHENSIVE LITERACY INITIATIVE, BUILT ON SIX KEY COMPONENTS THAT WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE EVERY STUDENT BECOMES A CONFIDENT READER, THESE PRACTICES SHAPE HOW WE TEACH, WHAT RESOURCES WE USE, HOW WE MONITOR PROGRESS, HOW WE RESPOND WHEN STUDENTS NEED MORE, WHILE STRENGTHENING THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT MAKE LITERACY THRIVE BEYOND THE CLASSROOM. OUR FOCUS ON FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT BRINGS THIS WORK TO LIFE. LITERACY DEEPENS WHEN FAMILIES ARE INVITED INTO THE WORK WITH STRAIGHTFORWARD RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE THROUGH CROSS DIVISIONAL COLLABORATION, WE MAKE SURE PARENTS RECEIVE CONSISTENT TOOLS, GUIDANCE AND OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR CHILD'S LITERACY JOURNEY. A KEY COMPONENT OF OUR HENRY REED OF A KEY COMPONENT OF HENRY REED'S IS OUR YEAR LONG HENRY REED'S CHALLENGE. USING AN ONLINE APP, STUDENTS LOG THEIR READING MINUTES AT SCHOOL AND AT HOME, PROVIDING A CONSISTENT WAY TO TRACK ENGAGEMENT ACROSS THE DISTRICT. THROUGH YOUR COMMITMENT TO LITERACY, STUDENTS CAN CHECK OUT PHYSICAL AND EBOOKS THROUGH THEIR SCHOOLS, MEDIA CENTERS,
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AND ALL STUDENTS CAN ACCESS A DIGITAL LIBRARY CARD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HENRY COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM. SCHOOLS CELEBRATE AND REWARD STUDENTS THROUGH READING RALLIES, CLASSROOM COMPETITIONS, AND RECOGNITIONS, AND EMPHASIZE THAT READING IS A SKILL THAT IS STRENGTHENED THROUGH DAILY PRACTICE. I HAVE AN UPDATE JUST SINCE LAST WEEK WHEN THE SLIDE WAS PUT TOGETHER. TO DATE, OUR STUDENTS HAVE LOGGED 6,000,821 440 MINUTES SINCE THE START OF THE 2025 2026 SCHOOL YEAR. DEMONSTRATING THAT STUDENTS ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE AND ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN READING, BOTH AT SCHOOL AND AT HOME. OUR COMMUNITY WIDE READATHON EFFORTS HIGHLIGHT HOW LITERACY THRIVES WHEN SCHOOLS AND PARTNERS COME TOGETHER. IN NOVEMBER, THE HENRY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION HOSTED A DISTRICT WIDE FEED THE BLOCK READATHON. FAMILIES PARTICIPATED IN READING STATIONS, BOOK GIVEAWAYS, AND A NEW LITTLE LIBRARY INSTALLATION, ALL REINFORCING THAT READING IS A SHARED COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY. THIS MOMENTUM CONTINUES INTO OUR UPCOMING MARCH READATHON AND READING CHALLENGE CELEBRATION, WHERE WE WILL HONOR TOP READERS FROM EACH SCHOOL THROUGH GENEROUS DONATIONS AND SUPPORT FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS. THESE EVENTS BRING FAMILIES, LOCAL LEADERS, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE STUDENTS HARD WORK AND TO SHOW IN A POWERFUL AND VISIBLE WAY THAT HENRY COUNTY STANDS IN, STANDS UNITED IN SUPPORT OF LITERACY.OUR LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE TEAM SPONSORS LITERACY EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR THAT PROMOTE A LOVE OF READING AND STRENGTHEN THE BRIDGE BETWEEN SCHOOL AND HOME. STUDENTS IN GRADES FOUR THROUGH 12 COMPETE IN THE HELEN RUFFIN READING BOWL. THAT'S A COMPETITIVE EVENT THAT BUILDS READING STAMINA AND COMPREHENSION. STUDENTS READ AND ARE QUIZZED ON A SERIES OF AWARD WINNING BOOKS. DISTRICT WINNERS THEN COMPETE IN REGIONAL AND STATE COMPETITIONS. READ ACROSS. HENRY BRINGS TOGETHER VOLUNTEERS INCLUDING PARENTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, DISTRICT STAFF AND LOCAL LEADERS TO READ IN CLASSROOMS AND ACROSS THE DISTRICT. THIS WEEK LONG CELEBRATION INCLUDES FUN ACTIVITIES LIKE BOOK, CHARACTER PARADES AND AUTHOR VISITS. THIS EVENT CREATES A SHARED CELEBRATION OF LITERACY AND HIGHLIGHTS THE COMMUNITY'S COMMITMENT TO OUR STUDENTS. FINALLY, LITERACY DAYS IS AN ANNUAL EVENT IN HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS THAT CELEBRATES WRITTEN AND SPOKEN COMPONENTS OF LITERACY THROUGH OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO PERFORM POETRY RECITATION, DRAMA, OR WRITING FOR VARIOUS AUDIENCES. THIS COMPETITION CONCLUDES WITH OUR LITERACY DAYS EXHIBITION NIGHT, WHICH WAS RECENTLY HELD AT THE MCDONOUGH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER. FIRST PLACE WINNERS FROM OUR DISTRICT COMPETITION ARE INVITED TO COMPETE IN THE REGIONAL COMPETITION AT GRIFFIN RESA LATER THIS WEEK. TOGETHER, THESE EVENTS CREATE A LITERACY ECOSYSTEM WHERE FAMILIES, SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS WORK TOGETHER TO NURTURE CONFIDENT, ENGAGED READERS.
ADULT LITERACY IN HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS FOCUSES ON SUPPORTING ADULTS AS THEY BUILD THE SKILLS NEEDED, THE SKILLS NEEDED TO ENGAGE CONFIDENTLY IN THEIR CHILD'S EDUCATION. OUR CLASSES STRENGTHEN COMMUNICATION WITH SCHOOLS AND EQUIP FAMILIES WITH PRACTICAL LITERACY STRATEGIES THEY CAN USE AT HOME. IN ADDITION TO ADULT LITERACY CLASSES, GED PREPARATION IS AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH SOUTHERN CRESCENT TECHNICAL COLLEGE TO HELP ADULTS ADVANCE THEIR EDUCATION AND EXPAND WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITIES. THESE PROGRAMS BUILD READING, WRITING, MATH, AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS THAT BENEFIT BOTH LEARNERS AND THEIR FAMILIES. TO INCREASE ACCESS. ADULT EDUCATION IS OFFERED IN MULTIPLE LOCATIONS AND FORMATS, INCLUDING MORNING AND EVENING CLASSES AT THE LEARNING AND SUPPORT CENTER, EVENING CLASSES AT STOCKBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL, AND ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH SOUTHERN CRESCENT. THESE FLEXIBLE OPTIONS ENSURE FAMILIES CAN PARTICIPATE IN WAYS THAT FIT THEIR SCHEDULES. ADULTS ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO SOFT SKILLS TRAINING SUCH AS COMMUNICATION, PROFESSIONALISM AND WORKPLACE READINESS, REINFORCING OUR BELIEF THAT STRONG FAMILIES HELP CREATE STRONG STUDENT OUTCOMES. FAMILIES CAN REGISTER THROUGH THE HCS WEBSITE AT THE LEARNING AND SUPPORT CENTER, OR THROUGH INFORMATION SHARED IN THE FAMILY CONNECTIONS NEWSLETTER. DECADES OF RESEARCH AFFIRM WHAT WE SEE EVERY DAY IN OUR SCHOOLS. WHEN FAMILIES ARE ENGAGED, STUDENTS THRIVE. STUDIES ACROSS THE FIELD CONSISTENTLY SHOW HIGHER ACHIEVEMENT, STRONGER ATTENDANCE, AND BETTER LONG TERM OUTCOMES. WHEN SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES WORK TOGETHER, ALIGNING DIRECTLY WITH YOUR CORE BELIEF THAT ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN AT OR ABOVE GRADE LEVEL. THIS IS WHY, THROUGH THIS BOARD'S INVESTMENTS IN LITERACY, HENRY READS IS ABLE TO REACH BEYOND THE CLASSROOM AND REFLECT OUR SHARED COMMITMENT TO BUILD A POWERFUL COMMUNITY OF READERS AND WRITERS. DOCTOR PACE, THIS CONCLUDES WHAT I HAVEANK YOU, MM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR INFORMATIONAL ITEM. HENRY READS
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FAMILIES, FAMILIES FIRST AND LITERACY AND REMAIN AVAILABLE TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS.THANK YOU, DOCTOR PACE. AND THANK YOU, MRS. SAYAGO. DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM, MISS CARTER? YES. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH, MEGAN, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK. THIS IS SO AMAZING. LIKE, I LOVE THE ENTHUSIASM, THE EXCITEMENT THE KIDS HAVE. AND SO I JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE DETAILS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MRS. CARTER. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? I ALSO JUST WANT TO ECHO MRS. CARTER AND SAY IT IS AMAZING TO SEE THE EXCITEMENT AROUND OUR ENTIRE DISTRICT AROUND READING. IT IS DEFINITELY HAPPENING IN MY OWN HOME WITH MY STUDENTS AND I LOVE SEEING IT. SO I JUST THINK THIS IS INCREDIBLE. I'M ALSO SUPER GRATEFUL FOR THE ADULT LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE, AND I THINK IT JUST SHOWS THE POWER OF THIS COMMUNITY AND OUR SHARED BELIEF IN THE POWER OF EDUCATION AND LITERACY. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS IS GREAT. MRS. EDWARDS. THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT. I WAS JUST LOOKING AT THE CLASSES THAT ARE BEING OFFERED ADULT LITERACY CLASSES, GED PREP, SOFT SKILLS TRAINING. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED IN THE ARE INVOLVED IN THESE PROGRAMS? THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION. WE'RE SERVING ABOUT 280 STUDENTS FOR THE GED PREP, AND SO FAR 16 STUDENTS HAVE RECEIVED THEIR GED AT THIS LOCATION. OUR ADULT LITERACY CLASSES, WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 90 WHO ARE REGISTERED. OF COURSE THEY DON'T. EVERY EVERY FAMILY THAT'S REGISTERED DOESN'T COME EVERY TIME. BUT WE HAVE 30 REGISTERED IN THE MORNING CLASSES AND 60 REGISTERED IN THE EVENINGS. I RECENTLY VISITED OUR EVENING ADULT LITERACY CLASSES AND IT WAS JUST THRILLING AND ENGAGING. IN FACT, THEY'VE ADDED A WE'VE ADDED A BASIC LEVEL COURSE BECAUSE WE'VE HAD SO MANY MORE FAMILIES WISH TO JOIN. THAT'S WONDERFUL, AND I'M SO GLAD THE BOARD MADE THE DECISION TO KEEP THAT BUILT, TO OPEN THAT BUILDING UP, YOU KNOW, FOR THE HENRY LEARNING CENTER, BECAUSE IT WAS WE SEE WHAT BENEFIT IT OFFERS THE COMMUNITY NOW. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT. YES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
THANK YOU, MISS EDWARDS. MR. MCDANIEL, I'M SORRY, MADAM CHAIR, A QUESTION. YOU SAID THAT WE HAVE 280 IN THE GED PROGRAM, AND YOU SAID 16 HAVE HAVE COMPLETED THEIR GED AT THIS LOCATION. YES. SO THERE'S 264, I THINK IF MY MATH IS OKAY. SO WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH THE OTHER WHAT'S WHAT'S THE PROCESS GOING ON WITH THE OTHER 260 PLUS STUDENTS? ARE THEY WORKING TOWARDS THEIR GED OR ARE THEY STILL JUST IN THE. YES WORKING TOWARDS. AND I CAN GET YOU MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE GED PREPARATION PROGRAM, BUT THEY'RE TAKING COURSES IN ALL OF THE AREAS I MENTIONED BASIC READING AND WRITING AND MATH. SO IT'S A PROCESS. YOU CAN REGISTER FOR GED AS LONG AS YOU'RE 16 YEARS OF AGE. AND PEOPLE COME TO THOSE PROGRAMS WITH ALL DIFFERENT LEVELS OF BACKGROUND, DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EDUCATION, DIFFERENT LEVELS OF LITERACY. SO THE OTHER INDIVIDUALS ARE JUST WORKING THROUGH THE PROCESS, GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE THEY'RE READY TO SIT FOR THE EXAM. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MCDANIEL. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN, MRS. SAYAGO. OH, I'M SORRY, MRS. EDWARDS. I JUST WANT TO KNOW, REGARDING THE GED PROGRAM, SAY I'M 35 AND I WANT TO COME. COULD I COME AND ENROLL? YES, MA'AM. ABSOLUTELY. ANY AGE 16 PLUS. OKAY, SO THEY WORK AT THEIR OWN PACE? YES.
THE THE GED PROGRAM IS IN PREPARATION WITH SOUTHERN CRESCENT. AND SO I WILL GET THE BOARD MEMBERS MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SPECIFICALLY HOW THE PROGRAMS WORK. BUT YES, THE INDIVIDUALS COME AS YOU ARE. START WHERE YOU ARE AND WORK TOWARDS THAT ULTIMATE GOAL. SO WHERE DO THEY ACTUALLY TAKE THE TEST? WHERE DO THEY SIT FOR THE TESTS? WHEN THEY GET READY TO TAKE THE GED TEST, I'LL HAVE TO GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU. THE CLASSES ARE AT SOUTHERN CRESCENT AND AT STOCKBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL. BUT SITTING FOR THE TEST, I'M NOT CERTAIN IF WE OFFER THAT AT BOTH PLACES OR JUST THROUGH THE COLLEGE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MISS EDWARDS, AND THANK YOU AGAIN. MRS. WE WILL NOW MOVE TO OUR NEXT INFORMATIONAL ITEM, WHICH IS C3A DOCTOR PACE. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. INFORMATION ITEM C3A UNDER ENSURING OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS WE HAVE THE JANUARY 2026 CONSTRUCTION OF E SPLASH REPORT GIVEN BY OUR CHIEF OPERATION OFFICER, MR. BARRY MOUSE. GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE, AS STATED, I BRING YOU THE JANUARY CONSTRUCTION REPORT, BEGINNING WITH OLD MIDDLE SCHOOL. THE ADDITION IS OCCUPIED BY THE SCHOOL. NOW. WE ARE STILL WORKING THROUGH THE ROAD GRADING ON THE SITE. THE SCHOOL SIDE OF THE BRIDGE CONTINUES THAT STEM HIGH SCHOOL. THE SITE WORK UNDERGROUND ELECTRICAL AND PLUMBING. ROUGH SECOND STORY DECK WORK FIRST FLOOR EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR. CMU AND SPRAY FIREPROOFING CONTINUES THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING. THE DECKING BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THIRD FLOOR HAS BEGUN, AS WELL AS DUCTWORK INSTALLATION IN SECTOR A, AND THE SLAB FOR THE BIOTECH SCHOOL
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HAS ALSO BEGUN. COMPLETED IS THE WEST STAIRWELL BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND FLOOR, AND THE KITCHEN, HOOD AND SERVING LINE ROLL UP DOORS ARE ALSO INSTALLED. MOVING TO DUTCHTOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL, SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION HAS BEEN ACHIEVED THERE. THEY'RE WORKING THROUGH THE PUNCH LIST ON THAT PROJECT. OLA HIGH SCHOOL UNDERGROUND ELECTRICAL PLUMBING IS COMPLETE, AS WELL AS THE SLAB AND EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR CMU WALLS CONTINUE. WOLF CREEK WE CONTINUE THE SAME AS LAST MONTH WITH CLEARING AND SITE WORK UNDERGROUND STORMWATER MANAGEMENT ALSO, AND THE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM. THE LAST PROJECT TO DISCUSS THIS EVENING.SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM UPGRADE MIDDLE AND HIGH. THE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES DO CONTINUE THERE, WITH INDIVIDUAL CAMERA INSTALLATION HAPPENING THROUGHOUT AT ALL THE MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS, SPECIFICALLY AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL. THEY ARE FOUR SCHOOLS THAT ARE 100% COMPLETE AND THREE HIGH SCHOOLS THAT ARE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE. WITH THE STADIUM WORK REMAINING.
DOCTOR PACE, THIS CONCLUDES WHAT I PREPARED AND I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU, MR. MILES. MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR JANUARY 2026 CONSTRUCTION OF EAST BLOCK REPORT AND REMAIN AVAILABLE TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, DOCTOR PACE. AND THANK YOU, MR. MILES. DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM SEEING NONE. WE THANK YOU SO MUCH AND WE WILL NOW MOVE TO INFORMATIONAL ITEMS C3B DOCTOR PACE THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR FOR INFORMATIONAL ITEMS C3B DECEMBER 2025 AND JANUARY 2026 FINANCIAL REPORTS I INVITE OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, MRS. SHAMIKA CLAY, TO THE PODIUM.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND DOCTOR PACE. TODAY I WILL BRING TWO FINANCIAL REPORTS BEGINNING WITH THE FINANCIALS FOR THE PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER 31ST, 2025, WHICH WAS THE FINAL REPORTING PERIOD OF THE 2025 CALENDAR YEAR AND THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE FY 26 SCHOOL YEAR. I'LL START THE REPORT WITH A LOOK ACROSS ALL FUNDS AND THE FIRST COLUMN OF FIGURES. YOU CAN SEE THE AMENDED BUDGET FOR EACH OF THE FOUR GOVERNMENTAL FUNDS. LOOKING AT THE LAST COLUMN AND THE YELLOW HIGHLIGHT, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE COLLECTED 67.1% OF BUDGETED RECEIPTS AS OF THE PERIOD END, AND EXPENDITURES REACHED 50 53.8% OF THE PLAN. TOTAL OBLIGATIONS OUTSTANDING TOTALED $6.9 MILLION, WHICH IS SHOWN IN THE THIRD COLUMN FROM THE RIGHT AT THE BOTTOM. ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE WILL TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE WILL TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE GENERAL FUND ACTIVITY. WE HAVE COLLECTED 71.2% OF BUDGETED REVENUES, WHICH IS SHOWN IN THE YELLOW HIGHLIGHT, WHICH IS 1.3% LESS THAN THE COMPARATIVE PERIOD OF DECEMBER 2024. HOWEVER, WE KNOW THAT OUR LOCAL RECEIPTS ARE SLIGHTLY BEHIND PACE GIVEN THE DELAY IN TAX BILLS TRIGGERED BY IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW STATE LEGISLATION. MOVING DOWN TO THE GREEN HIGHLIGHT, GENERAL FUND EXPENDITURES FOR THE PERIOD REACHED 50.1% OF BUDGETED EXPECTATIONS, WHICH IS RIGHT ON PACE OF THE FISCAL YEAR ON A LINEAR BASIS. SINCE WE WERE 50% OR SIX MONTHS THROUGH THE FISCAL YEAR. NEXT, WE WILL REVIEW THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE SHEET, THE TOTAL VALUE OF THE GENERAL FUND'S ASSETS AT THE CLOSE OF DECEMBER WAS $273.8 MILLION. THE NEXT SLIDE PROVIDES A VIEW OF CASH ON HAND ACROSS ALL FUNDS. THE TOTAL OF CASH AND EQUIVALENT INVESTMENTS TOTALED $453.3 MILLION FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD. MOVING TO THE FINANCIAL REPORT FOR EDUCATION SIX PROJECTS DECEMBER 2025 EXPENDITURES TOTALED $7.1 MILLION, WHICH IS SHOWN IN THE SECOND COLUMN. FROM THE RIGHT, 54% OF THE SPEND IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE PROJECT COST ASSOCIATED WITH THE FACILITY GROWTH PROJECTS OF THE STEM HIGH SCHOOL AND THE DUTCHTOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL ADDITION. NEXT, WE WILL REVIEW THE CAPITAL ACCUMULATION REPORT FOR THE PERIOD ENDING DECEMBER 31ST, 2025. THERE WERE SAFETY AND SECURITY RELATED EXPENDITURES TOTALING $518,186 FOR THE PERIOD. TURNING THE PAGE TO THE FINANCIALS FOR THE PERIOD ENDING JANUARY 31ST, 2026, WITH THE SEVENTH MONTH OF THE FISCAL YEAR CLOSED, WE WERE 58% THROUGH THE YEAR ON A LINEAR BASIS, STARTING WITH THE ALL FUNDS FINANCIAL REPORT, COLLECTIONS FOR THE PERIOD END REACHED ALMOST 73%, WHICH IS SHOWN IN THAT YELLOW HIGHLIGHT.
OVERALL EXPENDITURES REACHED 62.1% OF OUR BUDGETED EXPECTATIONS, WHICH IS SHOWN IN THE GREEN HIGHLIGHT. OBLIGATIONS OUTSTANDING AS OF THE JANUARY MONTH END TOTALED $12.6 MILLION, WITH 87% OF THE OBLIGATED FUNDS PERTAINING TO THE CAPITAL PROJECT SCOPE AND THE CAPITAL FUND. MOVING TO THE NEXT SLIDE AND FOCUSING ON THE GENERAL FUND, YOU CAN SEE THAT REVENUE RECEIPTS YEAR TO DATE WERE 76.8% AS OF THE JANUARY MONTH END. SHIFTING DOWN TO THE GREEN HIGHLIGHT, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE PACE OF EXPENDITURES FOR THE PERIOD END WERE RIGHT ON PACE AGAIN WITH THE FISCAL YEAR FROM A LINEAR BASIS AT 58.4%. NEXT, WE WILL REVIEW THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE SHEET, THE TOTAL VALUE OF THE GENERAL FUND'S ASSETS AT THE CLOSE OF
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JANUARY TOTALED $256.1 MILLION. THIS IS $17.7 MILLION, DOWN FROM THE DECEMBER BALANCE THAT I JUST REPORTED. AND THIS BALANCE WILL CONTINUE TO DECLINE IN THE SUCCESSIVE MONTHS AS THE ONE TIME FUNDING INFLUX OF OUR PROPERTY TAX REVENUES WILL SUSTAIN OUR OPERATIONS FOR THE DURATION OF THE FISCAL YEAR. THE NEXT SLIDE PROVIDES A VIEW OF CASH ON HAND ACROSS ALL FUNDS. THE TOTAL OF CASH AND EQUIVALENT INVESTMENTS TOTALED $434.2 MILLION FOR MONTH END. LOOKING AT THE EDUCATION REPORT, THERE WERE EXPENDITURES OF $4.4 MILLION, AS SHOWN IN THE SECOND COLUMN FROM THE RIGHT, BRINGING TOTAL PROGRAM EXPENDITURES AT THE END OF JANUARY TO $263.3 MILLION, OR 61% OF OUR CURRENT BUDGETARY PLAN. AND FINALLY, I'LL CLOSE OUT THE JANUARY FINANCIAL REPORT WITH A REVIEW OF OUR CAPITAL ACCUMULATION FUNDS.THERE WERE SAFETY AND SECURITY EXPENDITURES OF $5,400 REPORTED FOR THE PERIOD. DOCTOR PACE, THAT CONCLUDES WHAT I'VE PREPARED, AND I YIELD THE FLOOR TO YOU. THANK YOU, MRS. CLAY.
MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR DECEMBER 20TH 25TH JANUARY 2026 FINANCIAL REPORTS AND REMAIN AVAILABLE TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, DOCTOR PAYSON. THANK YOU, MRS. CLAY, FOR THAT REPORT. DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? MISS EDWARDS? I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK. BECAUSE WHEN I LOOK THROUGH ALL OF THESE PAGES THAT YOU JUST WENT THROUGH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MISS EDWARDS. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? THANK YOU, MRS. CLAY. WE'LL NOW MOVE TO OUR LAST INFORMATIONAL ITEM FOR THE AFTERNOON, WHICH IS C3C DOCTOR PACE. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, FOR INFORMATIONAL ITEM C3C IS THE FY 27 BUDGET OUTLOOK. I'LL ASK OUR CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, MRS. CLAY, TO REMAIN AT THE PODIUM FOR THIS INFORMATIONAL ITEM. GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE, AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT SEASON, WE CONTINUE TO MONITOR STATE AND LOCAL TRENDS THAT SHAPE THE OUTLOOK OF THE FY 27 BUDGET FORECAST. IN TODAY'S REPORT, WE WILL REVIEW KEY EXTERNAL INDICATORS THAT ARE INFORMING THE SUPERINTENDENT'S BUDGET RECOMMENDATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH POLICY DC, THE BOARD TAKES ACTION ON FOUR FUNDS ANNUALLY. TODAY'S REPORT WILL FOCUS ON THE GENERAL FUND, AS THIS IS THE FUNDING SOURCE THAT SUPPORTS THE DAILY OPERATIONS OF OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
AS WE START, THIS REPORT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE SOURCES AND USES OF GENERAL FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM TO PROVIDE PUBLIC EDUCATION WITHIN THIS COMMUNITY.
THE TOP PART OF THIS GRAPHIC OUTLINES THE CURRENT COMPOSITION OF FUNDING THAT IS RECEIVED FROM LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL SOURCES, AS WELL AS PROVIDES THE TRENDING OF THE COMPOSITION OVER TIME. LOCAL FUNDS ARE PRIMARILY GENERATED THROUGH PROPERTY TAX REVENUES, AND STATE FUNDING IS DERIVED FROM A FORMULA INITIALLY DEVELOPED IN 1985 THAT IS MECHANICALLY DESIGNED TO SHIFT THE COST PROFILE OF EXPENDITURES DESIGNED TO SHIFT THE PROFILE OF OUR EDUCATION EXPENSES RELATIVE TO OUR COUNTY'S WEALTH, MEANING YOU WILL SEE HIGHER RATES OF STATE LEVEL SUPPORT FOR LOWER WEALTH COUNTIES AS OPPOSED TO HIGHER WEALTH COUNTIES. AS OUR COUNTY HAS GROWN, THE VALUE OF OUR TAX DIGEST HAS ALSO GROWN RELATIVE TO OTHER COUNTIES, AND THIS CONTRIBUTES TO THE TREND YOU WILL SEE OF THE LOCAL REVENUES PLAYING A BIGGER ROLE IN THE OPERATION OF OUR DISTRICT. THE BOTTOM HALF OF THIS SLIDE OUTLINES HOW WE USE THE FUNDS WE COLLECT. YOU CAN SEE THAT CATEGORICALLY, WE EXPEND OUR FUNDS CONSISTENTLY YEAR OVER YEAR, WITH 97% OF FUNDS ALIGNED TO THE FUNCTIONS OF TEACHING, TRANSPORTING AND ENSURING A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR THE STUDENTS ATTENDING OUR SCHOOLS. AS A SCHOOL SYSTEM, OUR BUSINESS IS STUDENT LEARNING AND THIS IS A PEOPLE ORIENTED SERVICE WITH STAFF ENGAGED IN TEACHING, COUNSELING, MONITORING, COACHING, DRIVING AND SUPPORTING STUDENTS EVERY DAY. AS SUCH, IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT THE EXPENDITURE TYPE VERSUS THE FOUR FUNCTIONS SHOWN, YOU WOULD SEE THAT 92% OF OUR EXPENDITURES ARE RELATED TO STAFF SALARIES AND BENEFITS, AS WELL AS THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THE CONTRACTED WORKFORCE THAT PROVIDES A WIDE RANGE OF SERVICES AND SUPPORTS TO HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS. WHILE WE ARE EARLY IN THE FY 27 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT, HAVING CONTEXT OF OUR SYSTEMS, PRACTICES AND TRENDS RELATED TO THE SOURCES AND USES OF FUNDS PROVIDES A BUDGETARY FRAMEWORK. GIVEN THE GROWING IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL REVENUES, WE WILL START OUR REVIEW FOCUSING ON LOCAL EXTERNAL INDICATORS THAT ARE SHAPING THE FY 27 OUTLOOK. AS A REMINDER, LOCAL FUNDS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO OUR SYSTEM'S ABILITY TO SUPPORT THE INSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH ARE PRIMARILY GENERATED THROUGH THE LEVY OF TAX. PROPERTY TAX. THE LEFT HAND OF THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE COMPOSITION OF HENRY COUNTY'S TAX DIGEST. AND THROUGH THIS VISUAL, YOU CAN SEE THAT TWO
[00:45:05]
THIRDS OF OUR DIGEST VALUE IS CATEGORIZED AS RESIDENTIAL. ACCORDINGLY, WE ARE HYPER FOCUSED ON MONITORING LEGISLATIVE AND ECONOMIC INDICATORS, WHICH COULD NEGATIVELY IMPACT REVENUE CAPACITY FROM RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY AND WEAKEN THE FISCAL AUTHORITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND BOARDS OF EDUCATION. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF PROPOSALS BEING CONSIDERED DURING THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION THAT WE ARE ACTIVELY MONITORING TO INCLUDE THOSE CALLED OUT ON THE SLIDE, BECAUSE OUR DIGEST IS PRIMARILY RESIDENTIAL, THERE WILL BE NEGATIVE FISCAL IMPLICATIONS WITH THE ADVANCEMENT OF ANY OF THESE PROPOSALS, EVEN THOSE PROVIDING CONSIDERATION OF AN OFFSETTING REVENUE STREAM OF OPTIONAL SALES TAX AUTHORITY.ANOTHER LOCAL INDICATOR WE ARE MONITORING IS RELATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES AND SALES TRENDS OF EXISTING HOMES. WE SEE ROBUST DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE COUNTY, AND A POPULAR REALTY SITE STATES THAT HOME SALES ARE UP WHEN COMPARING DECEMBER 2025 TO DECEMBER 2024. HOWEVER, THE SAME WEBSITE NOTED THE SALES PRICE OF HOMES HAS BEEN TRENDING DOWN. WHILE OUR FORMAL DIGEST IS UNDER DEVELOPMENT BY OUR TAX ASSESSOR'S OFFICE, THESE TRENDS SHOW THAT THERE ARE PRESSURES THAT COULD LIMIT THE GROWTH IN LOCAL REVENUES, WHICH, IF REALIZED, WILL LIMIT INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COMING SCHOOL YEAR.
SHIFTING TO A REVIEW OF INDICATORS ASSOCIATED WITH STATE REVENUES AND STATE MANDATED STATE MANDATED EXPENDITURES, WE WILL START WITH THE PLANNED INCREASE OF THE TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM CONTRIBUTION. THE GOVERNOR'S FY 27 BUDGET PROPOSAL OUTLINES THAT THERE WILL BE AN INCREASE IN THE EMPLOYER'S CONTRIBUTION RATE TO TRS FROM 21.91% TO 22.32%, APPLICABLE FOR THIS COMING FISCAL YEAR. WHILE THERE WILL BE APPROXIMATELY $800,000 IN FUNDING EARNED THROUGH THE STATE'S QUALITY BASIC EARNING FORMULA ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CHANGE, IT WILL NOT OFFSET THE TOTAL COST INCREASE ANTICIPATED OF $1.3 MILLION, AND THUS OUR LOCALLY GENERATED FUNDS WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS STATE MANDATED EXPENSE THAT HAS BEEN CONTINUALLY INCREASING. THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL INCLUDES ANOTHER ROUND OF INCREASES FOR STATE HEALTH BENEFITS AS WELL. THIS WILL BE THE FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW OF SUCH INCREASES. THE EMPLOYER PAID PREMIUM FOR EACH ENROLLED EMPLOYEE IS PROPOSED TO INCREASE $143 PER MEMBER PER MONTH, WHICH EQUATES TO A $1,716 INCREASE ANNUALLY FOR EACH ENROLLEE. WE WILL REVIEW SOME FLOW THROUGH FUNDING FROM THE STATE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE INCREASES. WE WILL RECEIVE, SORRY, SOME FLOW THROUGH FUNDING FROM THE STATE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE INCREASES FOR THE CERTIFIED STAFFING POSITIONS THAT WE EARN THROUGH THE QUALITY BASIC EDUCATION FORMULA. HOWEVER, THE LOCAL FUNDS OUR SYSTEM GENERATES WILL HAVE TO SUPPORT THE COST INCREASE FOR CERTIFIED STAFF THAT WE HIRE BEYOND THE STATE'S FORMULA AND WILL BEAR THE FULL BURDEN OF ALL CLASSIFIED STAFF. ULTIMATELY, WE ANTICIPATE THAT THE EMPLOYER PAID HEALTH CARE COST BURDEN WILL INCREASE BETWEEN 7 TO $8 MILLION, WITH LOCAL FUNDS NEEDING TO CARRY AT LEAST $3 MILLION OF THIS COST. THE INCREASES IN EMPLOYER COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND STATE HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN ARE IMPORTANT CALL OUTS TO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE THESE ARE STATE CONTROLLED EXPENDITURES THAT THE LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS NO OPTION TO MITIGATE. WE WILL EXPLORE THIS FURTHER IN THE COMING SLIDE TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS HAS IMPACTED OUR BUDGET CONSTRUCT THE PAST FEW YEARS. ON A POSITIVE NOTE, THE GOVERNOR HAS SIGNALED INCREASED FUNDING TO SUPPORT SCHOOL SECURITY EFFORTS AND TRANSPORTATION, WITH THE RISING COST ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING TRANSPORTATION SERVICES TO SCHOOL RANGING FROM COMPENSATION TO FUEL, WE ARE HOPEFUL TO SEE MORE GAINS IN THE STATE'S FUNDING SUPPORT, WHICH PRESENTLY REPRESENTS ONLY 18% OF OUR TRANSPORTATION OPERATING COSTS. AND LASTLY, BOARD, YOU'RE AWARE THAT OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM DID NOT RECEIVE ANY EQUALIZATION FUNDING FROM THE STATE FOR OUR CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR, WHICH IS FY 26, BASED ON HOW THE STATE'S FORMULA RANKS RELATIVE COUNTY WEALTH. WHILE THIS TREND COULD REMAIN, THERE IS ALWAYS THE POSSIBILITY OF UPSIDE FROM ZERO. INFORMATION REGARDING THE EQUALIZATION GRANT AND THE LOCAL FIVE MIL SHARE EARNINGS FROM THE STATE WILL RETAIN, WILL RETAIN, WILL BEGIN TO EMERGE IN MARCH AND APRIL AS THE STATE'S FY 27 BUDGET IS FINALIZED. WE WILL NOW TAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE EMPLOYER PAID BENEFITS MANDATED BY THE STATE AND THE INCREASING RATES THAT HAVE BEEN PUSHED DOWN TO SCHOOL SYSTEMS THE PAST FEW YEARS. ON THE LEFT HAND OF THE SLIDE, YOU SEE A CHART OUTLINING THE HISTORY OF EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTION RATES FOR THE TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND THE STATE HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN GOING BACK TO FY 16 FOR THE TRS COLUMN. THE WAY TO INTERPRET THE PERCENTAGE IS THAT THIS RATE WOULD BE APPLIED TO THE EMPLOYEE'S SALARY. TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS WILL PAY TO THE STATE ON THE EMPLOYEE'S BEHALF. NEXT TO THIS, YOU CAN SEE THE ANNUALIZED EMPLOYER RATE HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS PAYS FOR EACH STAFF MEMBER THAT ENROLLS IN THE STATE HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN. LET ME REITERATE THAT THE DATA THAT I'M SHOWING IS WHAT HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS, AS AN EMPLOYER, PAYS TO THE STATE ON BEHALF OF EMPLOYEES. AND LOOKING AT THIS
[00:50:02]
TABLE ON THE LEFT, YOU CAN SEE THAT SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THE RATES BEGAN FOLLOWING FISCAL YEAR 2022. LET'S FOCUS ON THE STATE HEALTH BENEFITS CONTRIBUTION INCREASES FOR JUST A MOMENT. YOU CAN SEE THAT GOING INTO FY 23, THE RATE WAS $11,340 PER ENROLLED EMPLOYEE.AND OUR CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, FY 26, THE RATE IS 22,200 AND $620 PER EMPLOYEE. THAT'S A 99% INCREASE OVER FOUR YEARS. AND AS WE JUST REVIEWED, THE RATE IS PROPOSED TO INCREASE BY ANOTHER $1,716 IN THE COMING FISCAL YEAR. THE TRS AND STATE HEALTH BENEFIT CONTRIBUTION RATES ARE STATE CONTROLLED EXPENDITURES. HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS HAS LIMITED LEVERS TO MITIGATE THESE COSTS. SO LOOKING AT THE GRAPHIC ON THE RIGHT, YOU CAN SEE THAT AT THE CLOSE OF FISCAL YEAR 2023, OUR SYSTEM WAS REMITTING $100.8 MILLION TO THE STATE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE TWO BENEFIT PROGRAMS. BASED ON THE RATES PROPOSED, HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS IS ON PATH TO REMIT OVER $150 MILLION TO THE STATE BASED ON THE RATES SET BY THE LEGISLATURE. THE TREND IS CONCERNING BECAUSE OVER THE SAME SPAN OF TIME, THE LEGISLATURE HAS PUSHED MORE COSTS DOWN TO THE LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEMS. THERE HAS ALSO BEEN INCREASING LEGISLATIVE COMMENTARY ON LIMITING LOCAL FUNDS THAT A SCHOOL SYSTEM CAN ACCESS. RECALL THAT LOCAL FUNDS COVER 100% OF THE TRS AND STATE HEALTH BENEFIT CONTRIBUTIONS. FOR OUR CLASSIFIED STAFF, THERE IS NO STATE FUNDING PROVIDED TO OFFSET THE COSTS THAT WE ARE MANDATED TO INGEST. AS I BEGIN TO WRAP THE REPORT, THE REPORT I WANT TO REITERATE THE STUDENT CENTERED BUDGETARY FRAMEWORK THAT WE EXERCISE IN HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO ENSURE THAT 97% OF OUR FUNDS ARE ALLOCATED TO THE OBJECTIVES OF TEACHING AND LEARNING, MAINTENANCE AND SECURITY OF FACILITIES AND TRANSPORTATION OF STUDENTS. KEEPING RESOURCES CLOSE TO THE CLASSROOM HAS BEEN A CONTINUING PRIORITY OF THE BOARD, AND AS SUCH, ONLY 3% OF OUR EXPENDITURES ARE DIRECTED TO FUND THE CENTRAL OPERATIONS THAT PROVIDE SUPPORT SERVICES TO SCHOOLS THAT AMPLIFY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP AND PROVIDE CRITICAL SUPPORTS TO STUDENTS. BOARD.
YOU'RE AWARE THAT HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS IS THE LARGEST EMPLOYER IN THE COUNTY, AND ONE OF YOUR STATED PRIORITIES IS TO BE A STABLE EMPLOYER. AS WE PLAN FOR FY 27, WE ANTICIPATE THAT 92% OF OUR EXPENDITURES WILL CONTINUE TO BE ALIGNED TO THE COMPENSATION OF EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTED WORKFORCE. I'LL CONCLUDE WITH A REMINDER OF SOME KEY TIMELINES WITHIN THE BUDGET CALENDAR AND THE MARCH MEETING OF THE BOARD. I WILL SHARE ADDITIONAL LEARNINGS FROM THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND PROVIDE A PRELIMINARY OVERVIEW OF THE REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE PROFILES ANTICIPATED FOR FY 27. WE ANTICIPATE THAT WE WILL BE PRESENTING THE SUPERINTENDENT'S TENTATIVE BUDGET RECOMMENDATION AND HOLDING THE FIRST OF TWO REQUIRED BUDGET HEARINGS ON APRIL 20TH, 2026. THE SECOND BUDGET HEARING AND FINAL BUDGET ADOPTION ARE PLANNED FOR MAY 11TH OF 2026. SUPERINTENDENT PACE, THAT CONCLUDES OUR PREPARED AND I YIELD THE FLOOR TO YOU. THANK YOU, MRS. CLAY. MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR FY 27 BUDGET OUTLOOK AND REMAIN AVAILABLE TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, DOCTOR PACE. AND THANK YOU AGAIN. MRS. CLAY. DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM, DOCTOR NUTT? WELL, WE KNEW IT WAS COMING AND YOU KNOW IT'S HERE. AND SO I JUST WANT US TO BE PREPARED FOR BECAUSE WE WE'RE SEEING OUR NEIGHBORING SYSTEMS. THEY'RE NOT DOING WELL. AND I DON'T WANT US TO BE IN THAT GROUP. ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN OUR CURRENT LEVEL, WHAT WE ARE NOW, WITHOUT LOOKING AT REDUCING OUR TEACHER WORKFORCE BECAUSE WE WANTED TO ADD TO IT? AND WITH TWO NEW SCHOOLS COMING ONLINE PRETTY SOON. WHERE DO WE GO FROM THERE? AND I KNOW OUR FUNDING, WE CAN'T. WE CAN'T LOOK AT THE STATE HELPING US THERE. THEY ARE FUSSING ABOUT BEING REELECTED AND HOW MUCH THEY'RE GOING TO ADD TO THEIR RETIREMENT CAMPAIGNS. SO WHAT CAN WE DO AS. THE COMMUNITY AND FAMILY? WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM TO GET IT IN A BETTER PLACE THAN WHAT MAYBE WE HAD THOUGHT IT WOULD BE? WELL, TO START, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS BOARD HAS DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB OF SETTING THIS ORGANIZATION ON A FIRM FOOTING. THROUGH YOUR FISCAL STEWARDSHIP AND YOUR CONSERVATISM, WE ARE WELL POSITIONED CONSIDERING, YOU KNOW, OTHER NARRATIVES THAT MIGHT BE OUT THERE IN THE ECOSYSTEM. YOU ALL HAVE PREPARED US. WE AS AN ORGANIZATION WILL ENSURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO BE THAT STABLE EMPLOYER AND MAKING SURE THAT ANY ADJUSTMENTS ARE RELATIVE TO THE ENROLLMENT THAT WE HAVE WITHIN OUR SYSTEM. SO WE ARE GOING TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE THAT STABLE EMPLOYER DURING THIS PERIOD. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT DRIVING ANY
[00:55:07]
OF THE COW BUSSES THAT I SAW TODAY. I'M NOT NEED OUR ART DEPARTMENT TO DESIGN HAVE DESIGNS FOR THESE BUSSES. THEY'RE JUST SEEMS LIKE WE SHOULD BECAUSE WE'RE WE. HENRY COUNTY IS LEADING THE WAY IN SO MANY OF THESE PROJECTS, AND I JUST WANT TO BE SURE WE'RE THE LEAD DOG BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE THE NOTHING CHANGES IF YOU'RE NOT THE LEAD DOG. SO THANK YOU.THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE. BECAUSE THIS IS NOT THIS IS NOT AN EASY JOB IN TRYING TO FORECAST ANYTHING IN IN THESE THESE TIMES. I COMMEND YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, DOCTOR NUTT. MRS. CARTER, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH, MISS CLAY. THIS IS SO AMAZING. AND THIS IS A LOT. AND AS YOU KNOW, I'M NOT A NUMBERS PERSON, SO THIS IS JUST REAL. I'M REAL APPRECIATIVE. YOU'RE VERY TRANSPARENT. YOUR TEAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY. SO THANK YOU FOR JUST PLANNING AHEAD PRETTY MUCH AND JUST FOR BEING AMAZING. Y'ALL HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB WITH ALL THIS, AND I JUST THANK YOU FOR BEING TRANSPARENT AND JUST GIVING US ALL THIS INFORMATION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MRS. CARTER.
MRS. EDWARDS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MISS CLAY. THE GENERAL FUND EXPLANATION ON HE ON HERE IS THAT ON OUR WEBSITE, ON OUR BUDGET WEBSITE, WE DO EXPLAIN THE GENERAL FUNDS, THE CONTRACT OF THE FUNDS. BUT I'LL GO BACK AND LOOK. I'LL GO BACK AND LOOK, OKAY. BECAUSE WHEN I RUN INTO CITIZENS IN THE GROCERY STORE OR WHEREVER, THAT'S ALWAYS THE FIRST QUESTION. WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING WITH ALL THE MONEY? YOU KNOW, YOU GET THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF MONEY FROM OUR TAXES.
AND I JUST WANT THEM TO TO DIRECT, BE ABLE TO DIRECT THEM TO THIS, BECAUSE THIS IS VERY CLEAR WHERE THE FUNDS ARE GOING, HOW THEY'RE DISTRIBUTED. SO I JUST UNLESS I CAN DIRECT THEM TO YOU. YES, MA'AM. BUT EVERY REPORT THAT I DO DURING BUDGET SEASON DOES MAKE IT TO OUR WEBSITE. SO I KNOW I AM A LITTLE BIT DELAYED ON POSTING THAT, SO I WILL MAKE SURE THAT GETS UPDATED. THIS SLIDE DECK WILL BE THERE AS WELL AS THE NARRATIVE OF THIS VIDEO. OKAY.
THANK YOU. BECAUSE IT'S VERY CLEAR HERE. YOU KNOW I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT LIKE YOU CAN EXPLAIN IT. SO I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF IT'S ON THE WEBSITE AND WHERE I CAN TELL THEM TO FIND IT, OR IF I CAN DIRECT THEM STRAIGHT TO YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MRS. EDWARDS. MR. MCDANIEL. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I JUST WANT TO PIGGYBACK ON A COUPLE OF THINGS. MISS CLAY, YOU SAID THAT BECAUSE OF US ON THIS, SITTING HERE ON THE DAIS IS THE REASON WHY WE ARE WHERE WE ARE TODAY. AND BEING FINANCIALLY SOUND. AS MUCH AS I THINK THAT ALL OF US WOULD LIKE TO ACCEPT THAT APPRECIATION IS ACTUALLY YOU AND YOUR TEAM THAT RECEIVE THE HARSH CRITICISM, BUT ALSO THE LOVE OF WHAT YOU ALL DO DAY AND NIGHT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE WHERE WE ARE. IT IS BECAUSE OF YOUR CONSERVATISM THAT WE ARE WHERE WE ARE TODAY, THAT WE HAVE NOT HAD TO LAY OFF TEACHERS, THAT WE HAVE NOT HAD TO DO A REDUCTION IN FORCE, THAT WE'RE NOT LIKE OUR NEIGHBORING COUNTIES TO WHERE WE ARE NOW, WHERE WE'RE PENNY PINCHING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THE MOST ESSENTIAL PEOPLE HERE, SOME THAT ARE IN THIS ROOM, SOME THAT ARE ONLINE OR LOOKING, OR SOME THAT MAY BE GOING HOME COOKING DINNER. SO WHILE I, I SAY THANK YOU, IT REALLY GOES TO YOU AND YOUR STAFF AND YOUR TEAM FOR WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING.
BUT I DO WANT TO SAY TO EVERYONE HERE, THIS IS MY FIFTH YEAR ON THE BOARD. I KNOW THAT DOCTOR NUTT ALWAYS SAYS THAT THE SKY'S GOING TO FALL, AND SHE REMINDS US THAT TIMES LIKE THIS, I THINK THERE'S A SONG THAT SAYS, MAMA SAID THERE'D BE DAYS LIKE THIS. THERE'LL BE DAYS LIKE THIS. MAMA SAID, WELL, I WILL SAY THIS. MAMA SAID, THERE WILL BE DAYS LIKE THIS.
BUT I'M SO GLAD THAT WE GOT A CFO THAT CAN HELP US GET THROUGH THESE DAYS. AND I'M SO GLAD THAT WE HAVE A BOARD THAT WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THROUGH THESE DAYS. SO I SAY TO EVERY TEACHER, TO EVERY ADMINISTRATOR, TO EVERY PRINCIPAL, ANYBODY WHO WORKS FOR THE HENRY COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM, WE ARE GOING TO DO WHAT WE DO BEST AND LET'S MAKE SURE WE TAKE CARE OF FAMILY. MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE TAKEN CARE OF AND THAT YOUR HOMES ARE TAKEN CARE OF. BUT THEN I WANT TO SPEAK TO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. YOU KNOW, MISS EDWARDS ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN PEOPLE ASK YOU, Y'ALL GET THE MOST MONEY OUT OF TAXES. YEAH, WE DO, BECAUSE WE'RE IN CHARGE OF TAKING CARE OF 43,000 PLUS STUDENTS, 6000 EMPLOYEES. AND WE ARE ATTACKED EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR BEING A PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM THAT TRAINS TOMORROW'S LEADERS TODAY. SO I SAY TO THOSE THAT ARE ONLINE LOOKING, CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL ECONOMY, CONTINUE TO SHOP AT PUBLIX AND CONTINUE TO BUY RIGHT HERE IN HENRY COUNTY
[01:00:04]
BECAUSE YOUR PENNIES AND YOUR TAX DOLLARS GO RIGHT HERE TO HENRY COUNTY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE THE BEST BUSSES, THE BEST BOOKS, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE BEST TEACHER, THE BEST PRINCIPAL, THE BEST AP RIGHT HERE IN HENRY COUNTY. SO PLEASE, I SAY TO EVERYONE, THE SKY MAY BE GLOOMY, BUT I SURE ENOUGH BELIEVE THERE'S A THERE'S A. IT SAYS LIKE THIS. THE STORM WILL PASS OVER. AND SO I BELIEVE THAT THIS STORM WILL PASS AND THERE'LL BE A SUNSHINY DAY COME TOMORROW. AND AGAIN I SAY THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR WHAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE. BUT I'M. I'M SURE ENOUGH GLAD WE GOT THE BEST CFO RIGHT HERE IN HENRY COUNTY. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU, REVEREND MCDANIEL. WE APPRECIATE IT. JUST TO ECHO ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES, WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU AND YOUR INCREDIBLE TEAM. THANK YOU, DOCTOR PAIGE, THANK YOU FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU BRING BEFORE THE BOARD. AND WHILE I KNOW THAT NEWS CIRCULATING IS CERTAINLY NOT WHAT PEOPLE IN PUBLIC EDUCATION WOULD WANT, I FEEL SO CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE IN THE BEST HANDS. AND I. I KNOW THAT TO BE TRUE. SO I AM EXCITED ABOUT THIS BUDGET SEASON, MOSTLY TO SEE WHAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO TO INCREASE OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCESS FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. AND I KNOW THAT'S WHAT WE'LL DO. SO THANK[D. BUSINESS ITEMS]
YOU SO MUCH. WE APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT. WE WILL NOW MOVE TO OUR ONE BUSINESS ITEM FOR THE EVENING, WHICH IS ITEM D ONE. AND JUST FOR THE SAKE OF CONSISTENCY, THIS IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA THIS EVENING. BUT OF COURSE ANYONE IS WELCOME TO REMOVE IT IF THEY SO WISH. SO I WILL TURN IT OVER TO YOU, DOCTOR PACE. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, FOR OUR BUSINESS.ITEM D ONE NETWORK SWITCH REFRESH. I'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, MR. BARRY MILES, TO THE PODIUM. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE, THIS AFTERNOON I PRESENT TO YOU A PROJECT FOR A NETWORK SWITCH REFRESH AT 49 SCHOOLS IN ALL DISTRICT BUILDINGS AS PART OF OUR NETWORK SERVICES 2026 E-RATE FUNDED WORK. WE RECOMMEND THAT PHARYNX CORPORATION BE AWARDED THIS PROJECT PER POLICY. DG FORMAL SOLICITATION GUIDELINES. THIS VENDOR PROVIDED THE LOWEST COST SOLUTION THAT MEETS HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS. IT WILL BE FUNDED THROUGH ESPLOST SIX MONIES AND THIS WAS A PLANNED EXPENDITURE. THESE TECHNICAL UPGRADES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A MISSION CRITICAL INVESTMENT IN STAFF AND STUDENT SAFETY, AS WELL AS INSTITUTIONAL RESILIENCE. WE CONTINUE WITH OUR COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE A SUPPORTIVE, SAFE AND SECURE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN OUR GROWING IT INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THAT GROWTH AND PROTECT OUR EVOLVING LEGACY SYSTEMS. WE MUST REMAIN VIGILANT IN REPLACING THE HARDWARE AS THE DEMAND MEETS.
THIS REFRESH WILL ALLOW US TO UPDATE THE REMAINING 49 SCHOOLS AT THE E-RATE DISCOUNTED PRICE, AS WELL AS ALL DISTRICT BUILDINGS NOT COVERED BY THE E-RATE DISCOUNT. DOCTOR PACE, THIS DOES CONCLUDE WHAT I PREPARED, AND I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU, MISTER MILES. MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR BUSINESS. ITEM D ONE NETWORK SWITCH, REFRESH AND REMAIN AVAILABLE TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, DOCTOR PACE. AND THANK YOU, MISTER MILES. DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? MISS EDWARDS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. HOW OFTEN ARE THESE SWITCHES? REPLACED? THANK YOU. IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
IT'S ON A 7 TO 10 YEAR REPLACEMENT CYCLE. IT WAS THE 20 1617 SCHOOL YEAR WAS THE LAST TIME WE REPLACED THESE SWITCHES. THANK YOU, MISS EDWARDS. ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? THIS IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA AS I MENTIONED. DOES ANYONE OBJECT? NOPE. THIS
[E. EXECUTIVE SESSION]
WILL BE OUR ONE ITEM ON CONSENT THIS EVENING. WE WILL NOW MOVE TO EXECUTIVE SESSION. CAN I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR DISCIPLINE, LEGAL AND PERSONNEL.MADAM CHAIR, I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR DISCIPLINE, LEGAL AND PERSONNEL. THANK YOU. MR. MCDANIEL. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND? THANK YOU, MISS EDWARDS.
ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.