[A. CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:02]
GOOD AFTERNOON AND WELCOME TO THE STUDY SESSION OF THE HENRY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION TO ENSURE A PRODUCTIVE MEETING ATTENDEES AGREE 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 MS. RIDDLE, AND GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.
I WOULD LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED STUDY SESSION OF THE HENRY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 12TH AT 4:00 PM
[B. SUPERINTENDENT'S WELCOME]
AND WE WILL BEGIN BY TURNING IT OVER TO DR. PACE FOR HIS WELCOME.THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND OUR COMMUNITY.
WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER MEETING OF THE HENRY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR THE PASSING OF A STUDENT AT TIMBER RIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
DURING SEPTEMBER, THE BOARD AND I HAD THE PLEASURE OF ATTENDING OUR ANNUAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR EVENT AT THE MCDONOUGH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER.
I WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO CONGRATULATE ALL 55 OF OUR SCHOOL-BASED TEACHERS OF THE YEAR, INCLUDING MS. VALERIE FORD AND ESAU TEACHER AT RED OAK ELEMENTARY, WHO NOW WORKS IN THE DISTRICT OFFICE, WHO WAS NAMED THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FINALIST.
LIEUTENANT OMAR FLEMING, A NAVY J-R-O-T-C, INSTRUCTOR AT LUA HIGH, WHO WAS NAMED THE HIGH SCHOOL FINALIST.
AND OF COURSE, MS. TIERRA ROGERS, MATH TEACHER AT AUSTIN ROAD MIDDLE, WHO WAS NAMED THE DISTRICT'S TEACHER OF THE YEAR AND WILL GO ON TO COMPETE FOR GEORGIA TEACHER OF THE YEAR.
LET'S GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
OCTOBER IS NATIONAL PRINCIPAL'S APPRECIATION MONTH.
WHEN WE RECOGNIZE THE VITAL LEADERSHIP OF OUR PRINCIPLES, THE HIGHEST LEVERAGED LEADERS OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM IN OUR ORGANIZATION.
IF ANY OF OUR PRINCIPALS ARE IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY, WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED? AND I SEE A FEW ALREADY.
CAN WE GIVE THEM A HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE? EXCUSE ME, DR. PACE, BUT NOTICE THAT DISTRICT ONE HAS A LOT OF PRINCIPALS HERE TONIGHT.
JUST WANNA MAKE THAT OBSERVATION AND PRINCIPALS THANK YOU DR.
THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP FOR OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF EVERY SINGLE DAY.
WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE ESSENTIAL ROLE YOU PLAY IN GUIDING OUR SCHOOLS AND UPLIFTING OUR COMMUNITIES.
OCTOBER IS ALSO BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.
TO SHINE A LIGHT ON BREAST CANCER AWARENESS, HONOR THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES HAVE BEEN TOUCHED BY IT AND AND STAND BEHIND THE GLOBAL MISSION TO ENSURE EVERYONE RECEIVES THE LIFESAVING CARE THEY NEED.
OVER THIS WEEKEND, ON OCTOBER 10TH, IT WAS WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY.
THIS OBSERVANCE IS A POWERFUL REMINDER ABOUT ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF OUR CARE TEAMS AND THEIR IMPORTANT ROLES THEY PLAY TO ENSURE STUDENTS FEEL THEY BELONG AND ARE SUPPORTED BY TRUSTED AND CARING ADULTS AMONG THE MANY OTHER IMPORTANT SERVICES.
THIS MONTH, OUR NATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH, NATIONAL CUSTODIAN DAY ON OCTOBER 2ND, NATIONAL COACH APPRECIATION DAY ON OCTOBER 6TH SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK FROM OCTOBER 12TH THROUGH THE 16TH, AS WELL AS SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK AND RED RIBBON WEEK, BOTH BEGINNING OCTOBER 23RD.
IN CLOSING, I WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE OUR AWARD-WINNING HENRY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION, WHO EARLIER THIS MONTH WAS NAMED AN EXEMPLARY BOARD FOR THE 2026 BY THE GEORGIA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION.
THIS IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT IN GBAS RECOGNITION PROGRAM, SIGNIFYING A COMMITMENT TO EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE, CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, TRANSPARENCY, AND COLLABORATION, WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO FOSTERING STRONG SCHOOLS AND MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERY STUDENTS.
LET'S GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES MY WELCOME AND I TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.
[C. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS]
WE'LL NOW MOVE TO C, OUR INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AND WE'LL BEGIN THIS AFTERNOON WITH ITEM C ONE A AND I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, FOR OUR FIRST INFORMATIONAL ITEM, C ONE A 2026 GRADUATION RATE UPDATE.
I'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT, MS. TAMARI MCCREARY, TO THE PODIUM.
[00:05:01]
GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND DR. PACE.TODAY I AM PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON THE 20 26 4 YEAR GRADUATION RATE.
BEFORE WE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, I WANT TO GROUND THIS REPORT IN THE DIRECTION YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED FOR HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS.
GRADUATION IS AN IMPORTANT MEASURE OF OUR PROGRESS TOWARDS YOUR MISSION AND VISION.
IT REFLECTS A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE IN A STUDENT'S EDUCATION AND GIVES US A REASON TO ASK WHAT OPPORTUNITIES COME NEXT FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS.
FROM THE BOARDROOM TO THE CLASSROOM, WE SHARE RESPONSIBILITY FOR HELPING STUDENTS REACH THIS IMPORTANT MILESTONE AND PREPARE THEM FOR THE FUTURE BEYOND IT.
A DIPLOMA REPRESENTS YEARS OF EFFORT AND THE POSSIBILITY OF WHAT COMES NEXT.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO HELP STUDENTS COMPLETE HIGH SCHOOL WHILE KEEPING MEANINGFUL OPTIONS OPEN FOR THEIR FUTURE.
THIS ALIGNS DIRECTLY WITH YOUR MISSION TO EMPOWER ALL STUDENTS WITH EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCESS THAT LEAD TO SUCCESS IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY.
GRADUATION PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION FOR EACH STUDENT.
NOW LET ME BRIEFLY EXPLAIN THE CALCULATION.
THE FOUR YEAR ADJUSTED COHORT GRADUATION RATE FOLLOW STUDENTS FROM THEIR ENTRY INTO NINTH GRADE.
STUDENTS WHO ENTER NINTH GRADE IN THE SAME YEAR FORM A COHORT.
THE NUMERATOR IS THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THE COHORT WHO EARN A REGULAR HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA WITHIN FOUR YEARS.
THE DENOMINATOR IS THE ADJUSTED NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THE COHORT.
WE DIVIDE THE NUMERATOR BY THE DENOMINATOR AND MULTIPLY BY 100 TO CALCULATE GRADUATION RATE.
THE COHORT IS ADJUSTED AS STUDENTS MOVE.
STUDENTS WHO TRANSFER IN OR ADDED AND THE STUDENTS WHO ARE HAVE DOCUMENTED QUALIFYING TRANSFERRED ARE REMOVED.
THESE ADJUSTMENTS HELP IDENTIFY THE STUDENTS FOR WHICH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ARE RESPONSIBLE.
GEORGIA BEGAN USING THE FEDERALLY REQUIRED ADJUSTED COHORT METHOD IN 2011, MAKING IT THE BASELINE FOR THE HISTORICAL COMPARISON ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
TODAY'S REPORT FOCUSES ON THE FOUR YEAR RATE.
HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS HAS REACHED AN HIS A HISTORIC MILESTONE.
THE CLASS OF 2026 ACHIEVED A 92.3% FOUR YEAR GRADUATION RATE.
OUR HIGHEST SINCE GEORGIA BEGAN USING THE ADJUSTED COHORT CALCULATION IN 2011.
I THINK THAT DESERVES A ROUND APPLAUSE.
THAT IS APPROXIMATELY 19 PERCENTAGE POINTS ABOVE OUR 2011 BASELINE.
THIS PROGRESS REFLECTS YEARS OF EFFORT BY STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND SCHOOL TEAMS. WE ALSO RECOGNIZE OUR GRADUATION COACHES AND COUNSELORS FOR MONITORING STUDENTS' PROGRESS, HELPING THEM NAVIGATE CHALLENGES AND CONNECTING STUDENTS WITH SUPPORTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR NEXT STEPS.
THIS IS DEFINITELY PROGRESS WE'RE CELEBRATING NOW.
LET'S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT OUR MOST RECENT THREE YEARS.
OVER THE MOST RECENT THREE YEARS, YOU WILL SEE HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS INCREASED FROM 86.78% IN 20 24, 89 0.7% IN 2025, AND 92.27% ROUNDED TO 92.3 IN 2026.
THAT REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 2.5 PERCENTAGE POINTS IN THE MOST RECENT YEAR AND 5.49 PERCENTAGE POINTS ACROSS THE TWO YEAR PERIOD.
HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS EXCEEDED THE STATE RATE IN EACH OF THESE THREE YEARS.
THESE RESULTS GIVES US ENCOURAGING EVIDENCE OF OUR RECENT PROGRESS.
THEY ALSO REMIND US TO KEEP EXAMINING WHERE STUDENTS NEED SUPPORT AND HOW WE CAN HELP EVEN MORE OF OUR STUDENTS COMPLETE HIGH SCHOOL ON TIME.
THE DISTRICT RESULT IS AN IMPORTANT STARTING POINT.
THE NEXT SLIDES SHOW HOW THAT PROGRESS IS REFLECTED ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE MUCH TO CELEBRATE ACROSS OUR SCHOOLS.
75% INCREASE THEIR FOUR YEAR GRADUATION RATE FROM 25 TO 26 AND 83.3% ACHIEVED A GRADUATION RATE ABOVE 90%.
THESE RESULTS GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE OUR STUDENTS' ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND THE FAMILIES, TEACHERS, COUNSELORS, AND GRADUATION COACHES WHO SUPPORTED THEM ALONG THE WAY.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN RECOGNIZING THE NINE SCHOOLS THAT INCREASED THEIR FOUR YEAR GRADUATION RATES THIS YEAR.
THEY ARE DUTCHTOWN EAGLES LANDING, XCEL ACADEMY, HAMPTON LUELLA, MCDONOUGH, OLA STOCKBRIDGE, AND WOODLAND XCEL ACADEMY.
THE DISTRICT'S ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL RECORDED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE THIS YEAR AT 6.59 PERCENTAGE POINTS FOLLOWED BY MCDONOUGH AT SIX POINT 11 POINTS IN STOCKBRIDGE AT 5.03.
PERCENTAGE POINTS WITH THE HIGHEST BEHIND THIS ACHIEVEMENT ARE STUDENTS WHO PERSEVERED, FAMILIES WHO ENCOURAGED THEM, AND TEACHERS, COUNSELORS, SCHOOL
[00:10:01]
LEADERS, AND STAFF WHO SUPPORTED THEIR JOURNEY.WE CELEBRATE THIS MILESTONE AND EVERYONE WHO HELPED OUR GRADUATES REACH THE STAGE.
WE ALSO RECOGNIZED THAT 10 SCHOOLS WHOSE FOUR YEAR GRADUATION RATES EXCEEDED 90% IN 2026.
LUELLA LED THIS GROUP AT 97 POINT 17%, FOLLOWED BY OLA AT 96.73%, AND DUTCHTOWN AT 95.74%.
JOINING THEM ARE EAGLES LANDING, HAMPTON IMPACT ACADEMY, LOCUST GROVE, MCDONOUGH, UNION GROVE, AND WOODLAND EAGLES LANDING MCDONOUGH AND WOODLAND CROSSED THE 90% MARK THIS YEAR, A MEANINGFUL MILESTONE FOR OUR SCHOOL COMMUNITIES.
WE CELEBRATE THEIR PROGRESS ALONGSIDE THE SCHOOLS THAT CONTINUE TO ACHIEVE AT THIS LEVEL TO OUR GRADUATES AND EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED THEM.
I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE DR. SHANNON ELLIS, MS. HILLARY ROGERS, AND MR. TONY HARRIS FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR SCHOOL TEAMS TO TRACK AND MONITOR OUR GRADUATION COHORTS.
AS WE CELEBRATE, WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING STUDENTS STILL WORKING TOWARDS A DIPLOMA AND HELPING EVERY GRADUATE TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN THEIR COLLEGE AND CAREER JOURNEY.
AS WE CLOSE, WE ARE DEFINITELY PROUD OF OUR PROGRESS, BUT WE'RE STILL CLEAR ABOUT THE WORK AHEAD.
NELSON MANDELA SAID, EDUCATION IS THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON WHICH YOU CAN USE TO CHANGE THE WORLD.
FOR OUR STUDENTS, A DIPLOMA PROVIDES A FOUNDATION FOR PURSUING THEIR POST-SECONDARY PATH OF CHOICE.
OUR IMPROVED GRADUATION RATE MEANS MORE STUDENTS ARE COMPLETING HIGH SCHOOL WITHIN FOUR YEARS, OPENING DOORS TO THE NEXT STEP IN THEIR COLLEGE AND CAREER JOURNEY.
THE CLASS OF 2026 GIVES US MUCH TO CELEBRATE A HISTORIC GRADUATION RATE MORE THAN $131 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS AND OTHER NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS.
WE THANK OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ALONG WITH THE TEACHERS, COUNSELORS, GRADUATION COACHES, SCHOOL LEADERS AND STAFF WHO SUPPORTED THEM.
BOARD, THANK YOU FOR KEEPING OPPORTUNITIES, ACCESS AND OUTCOMES.
AT THE CENTER OF OUR WORK, WE WILL CONTINUE STRENGTHENING SUPPORT AND INCREASING PROFICIENCY SO MORE STUDENTS GRADUATE WITH MEANINGFUL OPTIONS AND THE SKILLS TO PURSUE THEM.
NOW LET'S WATCH A BRIEF VIDEO CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2026 GRADUATION RATE AND OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS, DR. PACE.
AND, UH, TO OUR BOARD, I WANTED TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR BOARD, TO OUR COMMUNITY, TO OUR SCHOOLS, OUR PRINCIPALS, OUR TEACHERS, OUR STAFF, OUR STUDENTS.
THIS IS TRULY A COLLECTIVE CELEBRATION.
UM, EVERY YEAR THAT WE SEE GRADUATION RATES IMPROVE, THAT IS A CELEBRATION POINT.
UH, HOWEVER, THIS YEAR WE'VE CROSSED THAT THRESHOLD OF 90%, AND I THINK THAT IS A MILESTONE FOR US TO CELEBRATE AND FOR OUR BOARD AND YOUR LEADERSHIP AND FOR OUR SCHOOL LEADERS TO CELEBRATE.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, I WANT TO THANK OUR HIGH SCHOOLS AND OUR HIGH SCHOOL LEADERS, OUR OUR TEACHERS, OUR STUDENTS.
AND I WANT TO THANK OUR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS AS WELL BECAUSE THIS IS A CONTINUOUS JOURNEY.
AND THE THIS 92.3% THAT WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED AND WE CONTINUE TO LOOK FORWARD TO SEE WHAT WE DO IN THE FUTURE, IS A REFLECTION OF THE ENTIRE K 12 JOURNEY HERE IN HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS.
AND I THINK THIS DESERVES A CELEBRATION ROUND OF APPLAUSE ON WHAT OUR STUDENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY HAS ACCOMPLISHED FROM K THROUGH 12, UH, WITH THIS GRADUATION RATE.
[00:15:01]
CHAIR, I'M SORRY, I TURNED IT OVER TO YOU.THANK YOU SO MUCH DR. PACE, AND THANK YOU MRS. MCCREARY FOR THIS WONDERFUL PRESENTATION.
DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? DR.
I KNOW EVERYONE HAS BEEN WORKING HARD, UH, TO THE POINT THAT I DON'T WANT THEM TO GET BURNED OUT.
SO WHATEVER WE CAN DO AS THE BOARD TO HELP ALLEVIATE SOME STRESS, PLEASE LET, LET ME KNOW.
UM, BUT I HAVE, I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.
UM, ONE, AND FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS FOR THE INCREASE.
THE, THE, WE'VE ALWAYS KNOWN HENRY COUNTY CAN DO IT, JUST GIVE 'EM A CHANCE AND THEY CAN DO THIS.
BUT AS MY STUDENT BODY INCREASES, WOULD MY GRADUATION RATE NOT ALSO INCREASE? NO, NOT NECESSARILY.
IT'S BASED ON THAT CALCULATION THAT, UM, I SPOKE ABOUT AS IT RELATES TO THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE ACTUALLY IN THE COHORT.
NOW, WHAT I WILL SAY IN SMALLER SCHOOL POPULATIONS, IT CAN BE, THERE ARE SOME CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH MAKING SURE YOU'RE ABLE TO TRACK DOWN STUDENTS AND KEEP THEM ON TRACK.
JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A LARGER STUDENT BODY DOES NOT MEAN, UM, THAT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE MORE GRADUATES ON TIME.
AND THE LAST IS, DOES THIS INCLUDE IF I MOVED FROM MCDONOUGH HIGH AND WHY WOULD I EVER WANT TO DO THAT
NUTT, BECAUSE THAT IS THE COMPLEXITY OF GRADUATION RATE.
AND SO IF YOU ARE IN THAT COHORT OF STUDENTS THAT ENTERED IN NINTH GRADE AND YOU TRANSFER TO ANOTHER SCHOOL WITHIN THE DISTRICT, YOU WILL COUNT TOWARDS THAT SCHOOL'S GRADUATION RATE.
UM, ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT, EVEN IF YOU ARE A GRADUATE AND YOU TRANSFER OUTSIDE OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, YOU WILL COUNT TOWARD THAT SCHOOL'S GRADUATION RATE.
UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR AND THANK YOU MS. MCCREARY.
UH, FIRST I JUST WANNA ECHO THE SENTIMENTS OF, OF THE SUPERINTENDENT, UH, THAT THIS REALLY SPEAKS TO THE WORK OF OUR PRINCIPALS, OUR APS, GRADUATION COACHES, COUNSELORS, TEACHERS, EVERYONE THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH OUR SCHOLARS.
THIS IS, UH, THIS SHOWS THE COMMITMENT LEVEL THAT YOU ALL HAVE, EVEN DOWN TO OUR BUS DRIVERS, MAKING SURE THEY GET THE SCHOOL ON TIME AND SAFELY.
UH, THIS IS THE WORK OF A, OF A COLLECTIVE BODY OF INDIVIDUALS, UH, THAT, UM, ARE ANOINTED AND APPOINTED.
LEMME JUST SAY IT THAT WAY, UH, TO TOUCH, UH, OUR, OUR SCHOLARS.
SO I WANNA SAY APPRECIATE EVERYONE FOR THAT.
UM, I DO WANT TO JUST HIGHLIGHT THIS POINT RIGHT HERE.
UH, WHEN I LOOK AT YOUR REPORT, UM, THE FACT THAT WE HAVE 10 SCHOOLS OVER 90%, THE FACT THAT WE HAVE THREE SCHOOLS THAT ARE OVER 90 FOR THE FIRST TIME.
UH, THE FACT THAT WE EVEN HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL THAT'S ALMOST NEAR A HUNDRED PERCENT WITH GRADUATION RATE, I MUST ECHO, UH, WHAT DR.
NUT SAID THAT SHOWS TO ALL OF THE NAYSAYERS ABOUT HENRY COUNTY, THAT THE WORK IS BEING DONE HERE AND THAT WE HAVE SOME BRIGHT CHILDREN RIGHT HERE IN HENRY COUNTY THAT HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE INVESTED IN THEIR FUTURE.
SO I WANTED TO SAY THAT BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES YOU HEAR FROM THE WINDS THAT BLOW OUTSIDE THE COUNTY ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN HENRY COUNTY.
WELL, TO THOSE THAT THINK THAT THERE'S A NEGATIVE WINDS GOING ON, THIS RIGHT HERE SPEAKS POSITIVELY ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR DISTRICT.
UM, SO I JUST WANNA LIFT UP EVERY PRINCIPLE.
THANK YOU ALL FOR WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
THANK THE STUDENTS FOR THEIR TENACITY IN MAKING SURE THAT THEY MEET THE REQUIREMENT TO ACTUALLY GRADUATE ON TIME.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO BETTER DAYS AHEAD.
UM, BUT AGAIN, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR EVERY, FOR WHAT THEY'RE DOING, AND THANK YOU PARENTS.
MRS. CARTER, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THANK YOU MS. MCCREARY, SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
AND HAVING A SENIOR THIS YEAR, I JUST KNOW HOW MUCH HARD WORK GOES INTO ALL OF THIS PREPARING FOR THIS DAY.
AND I'M JUST SO APPRECIATIVE OF THE PRINCIPALS AND THE GRADUATION COACHES AND ALL THE COUNSELORS AT THE SCHOOLS THAT REALLY WORK HARD, UM, BEHIND THE SCENES, JUST HELPING THE STUDENTS PREPARE FOR THIS DAY.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TEAM AND EVERYONE THAT HELPED WORK ON THIS.
THIS IS A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION.
AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THAT REPORT.
PHENOMENAL REPORT, UH, SPENT A LONG TIME COMING, BUT WE'VE MADE IT TO 92 POINT, UH, THREE.
SO THAT 100 INDICATED THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IN THE COHORT.
UH, WHAT DID THAT 100, THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS? THE 100 IS WHAT WE MULTIPLIED BY SO THAT WE CAN CALCULATE IT TO A PERCENTAGE.
SO THE NUMERATOR WOULD BE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT ARE
[00:20:01]
GRADUATING WITHIN THE COHORT, UM, THAT EARNED, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, CREDITS ASSOCIATED MM-HMMAND MET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS TO GRADUATE.
AND THE DENOMINATOR WOULD BE ALL OF THE STUDENTS THAT ENTERED IN THE COHORT.
UM, I'LL GO BACK TO THE, THE WHEELS ON THE BUS.
IT TAKES EVERY, IT EVERY TAKES FOUR WHEELS TO MOVE THAT BUS.
AND WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME BUS, AND WE'RE ALL STRIVING FOR THE SAME THING.
SO IT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT WE'RE AT 92.3% GRADUATION RATE.
'CAUSE WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS NUMBER OR HIGHER FOR, I KNOW I'VE BEEN ON THE 12 YEARS, SO I KNOW WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR, UH, TOWARD IT FOR, UH, TOWARD IT FOR A LONG TIME.
AND I SAY TO YOU ALL, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
AND I SAY, EVERY MONTH I'M HERE.
I KNOW IT'S A LOT OF WORK AND EVERYBODY WORKS HARD.
WHETHER, WHETHER YOU BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE DO TOO
WE'RE ALWAYS IN A MEETING SOMEWHERE, BUT
BUT IT'S OKAY BECAUSE WE CAN SEE THE RESULTS OF OUR WORK WHEN YOU ALL MAKE THESE REPORTS EVERY MONTH.
SO THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, BECAUSE WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME BUS, AND THE WHEELS ARE STEADY, STEADY TURNING, AND THE SKY'S THE LIMIT.
AND I JUST WANNA THANK YOU, MS. MS. MRS. MCCREARY, EXCUSE ME.
UM, THIS IS SUCH A WONDERFUL TIME TO STOP AND CELEBRATE.
THIS FEEDS RIGHT INTO OUR MISSION AS A SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND AGAIN, I KNOW I SAY THIS EVERY TIME Y'ALL PRESENT ANY KIND OF DATA, BUT THIS ISN'T JUST NUMBERS.
THIS IS STUDENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES ARE JUST FULL OF SO MANY WONDERFUL POSSIBILITIES THANKS TO THE EDUCATION THAT THEY RECEIVED HERE.
SO I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR EACH AND EVERY PERSON WHO PLAYED A PART IN THESE STUDENTS, UM, JOURNEY.
AND I KNOW THAT WONDERFUL THINGS ARE AHEAD.
ALSO, SUPER GRATEFUL FOR OUR GRADUATION POLICY.
AND THEN A DIPLOMA FROM HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS MEANS MORE THAN IT MEANS IN ANY OTHER PLACE.
SO I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO THAT AND FOR THE, ALL OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE PLAYED A PART IN MAKING IT HAPPEN.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO CONTINUE CELEBRATING.
WE'LL NOW MOVE TO OUR NEXT INFORMATIONAL ITEM, WHICH IS ITEM C ONE B DR. PACE.
FOR ITEM C ONE B LINE SUPPORT UPDATE.
I'D LIKE TO ASK, UH, DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT MRS. MCCREARY TO REMAIN AT THE PODIUM AND INVITE, UH, DR.
CITA HAWK, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TO PRESENT THIS INFORMATIONAL ITEM.
GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE LAST YEAR.
ABOUT THIS TIME, THIS BOARD RECEIVED AN UPDATE ON THE FOUNDATIONAL STRUCTURES BEING ESTABLISHED TO ADVANCE ALIGNED SUPPORT ACROSS OUR DISTRICT.
TODAY, CITA AND I WILL SHARE HOW THAT WORK HAS MATURED.
STRENGTHENING THE PRECISION, COHERENCE AND RESPONSIVENESS OF OUR DISTRICT SUPPORT MODEL IN DIRECT ALIGNMENT WITH SCHOOL'S IMPROVEMENT PRIORITIES.
OUR ALIGNED SUPPORT WORK IS AN ANCHORED IN YOUR STRATEGIC COMPASS AND IN YOUR POLICY.
IB ORGANIZATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY.
IT IS ALSO GROUNDED IN OUR CORE BELIEFS THAT EVERY STUDENT CAN LEARN AT HIGH LEVELS, AND THAT EXCELLENT TEACHERS, LEADERS, AND STAFF MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR THAT LEARNING TO OCCUR.
THESE BELIEFS GUIDE OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BUILD THE SYSTEMS, STRUCTURES, AND CAPACITY SCHOOLS NEED TO STRENGTHEN TEACHING AND IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES.
YOUR POLICY REINFORCES THE RESPONSIBILITY AND PROVIDES FOUNDATION FOR THE COORDINATED RESPONSIVE APPROACH.
WE WILL EXAMINE TODAY, OR THROUGH POLICY IB, YOU ESTABLISH CLEAR EXPECTATIONS FOR ORGANIZATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY ACROSS OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
TODAY'S REPORT FOCUSES SPECIF SPECIFICALLY ON SECTION FOUR, WHICH ADDRESSES ALIGN'S SUPPORT STRUCTURES DESIGNED TO BUILD STAFF CAPACITY TO IMPLEMENT THE DISTRICT'S STRATEGIC ACTIONS AND ENSURE PERFORMANCE OF EACH SCHOOL.
THIS UPDATE HIGHLIGHTS THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE STRUCTURES AND HOW THE SUPPORT SCHOOLS.
IT REPRESENTS A COORDINATED EFFORT ACROSS MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS AND DIVISIONS TO BRING TOGETHER THE EXPERTISE, RESOURCES, AND SUPPORT SCHOOL NEED TO IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES.
I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO DR. HALL.
GREETINGS, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT.
PACE ALIGNED SUPPORT IS OUR DISTRICT'S COORDINATED APPROACH TO RESPONDING TO IDENTIFIED SCHOOL NEEDS BOARD.
YOUR POLICY RECOGNIZES THAT SCHOOLS HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS AND CALLS FOR THE DISTRICT TO INTERVENE EARLY AND DILIGENTLY DIFFERENTIATING ITS RESPONSE ACCORDINGLY.
IN RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK, WE HAVE REFINED THE MODEL TO MORE CLOSELY ALIGNED DISTRICT SUPPORT AND EXPECTATIONS WITH THE CONTINUOUS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PROCESS.
THE SCHOOL'S COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, ITS 45 DAY FOCUS AND EVIDENCE OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE THIS WORK FROM
[00:25:01]
THERE.DISTRICT AND SCHOOL LEADERS WORK IN PARTNERSHIP TO CLARIFY PRIORITIES AND COORDINATE THE PEOPLE RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE NEEDED TO SUPPORT THE SCHOOL'S IMPROVEMENT PRIORITIES.
THE GOAL IS TO STRENGTHEN THE WORK.
SCHOOLS ARE ALREADY LEADING AND ENSURE DISTRICT SUPPORT IS FOCUSED, RESPONSIVE, AND CONNECTED TO STUDENT OUTCOMES.
BECAUSE ALIGNED SUPPORT IS DESIGNED TO RESPOND TO SCHOOL IDENTIFIED NEEDS, WE USE MULTIPLE MEASURES AND SOURCES TO UNDERSTAND BOTH THE NEED AND THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF DISTRICT SUPPORT.
WE EXAMINE STUDENT EVIDENCE, ADULT PRACTICE, SCHOOL CONTEXT, AND THE SCHOOL'S COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN PRIORITIES, CURRENT DATA MEASURES AND LEADER FEEDBACK TAKEN TOGETHER.
THOSE MEASURES HELP US DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF DISTRICT SUPPORT FROM UNIVERSAL SUPPORTS AVAILABLE TO ALL SCHOOLS TO MORE TARGETED, INTENSIVE AND TRANSFORMATIONAL SUPPORT.
WHEN THE DATA INTEGRATES A GREATER LEVEL OF NEED, THE GOAL IS TO MATCH THE DISTRICT RESPONSE TO THE EVIDENCE AND THE SCHOOL'S IDENTIFY PRIORITIES.
ONCE WE DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF DISTRICT SUPPORT, WE ALIGN THE TYPE OF SUPPORT TO WHAT THE DATA IS SIGNALING.
AND THE SCHOOL'S IDENTIFIED PRIORITY.
THAT SUPPORT MAY INCLUDE LEADERSHIP OR INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING, COLLABORATIVE PLANNING AND MODELING, TARGETED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, OR ACCESS TO DATA RESOURCES AND SPECIALIZED DISTRICT EXPERTISE.
THE KEY IS THAT THESE SUPPORTS ARE NOT DELIVERED AS ISOLATED ACTIVITIES.
THEY ARE INTENTIONALLY CONNECTED TO THE SCHOOL'S COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, 45 DAY FOCUS, AND THE DATA WE ARE MONITORING TOGETHER.
THIS ALLOWS US TO CONCENTRATE DISTRICT RESOURCES WHERE THEY CAN HAVE THE GREATEST VALUE WHILE KEEPING THE SCHOOL'S IMPROVEMENT PRIORITIES AND DATA.
AT THE CENTER OF THE WORK, THE OBJECTIVE IS FOCUSED SUPPORT THAT RESPONDS TO STUDENT DATA AND ADVANCES THE PRIORITIES THE SCHOOL HAS ALREADY IDENTIFIED FOR IMPROVEMENT.
ANOTHER REFINEMENT THIS YEAR HAS BEEN STRENGTHENING HOW WE USE THAT EVIDENCE TO COORDINATE THE DISTRICT RESPONSE.
OUR DATA DASHBOARDS BRING MULTIPLE MEASURES TOGETHER SO THAT THE SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEADERS CAN MORE EASILY IDENTIFY PATTERNS, MONITOR PROGRESS, AND UNDERSTAND WHERE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT MAY BE NEEDED THROUGH INSTRUCTIONAL CABINET.
LEADERS ACROSS DIVISIONS COME TOGETHER TO EXAMINE THAT EVIDENCE, BUILD A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT SCHOOLS ARE EXPERIENCING, AND COORDINATE THE RESPONSE TOGETHER.
THESE STRUCTURES HELP US MOVE FROM SIMPLY HAVING DATA TO USING THAT DATA TO MAKE MORE INFORMED, ALIGNED DECISIONS ABOUT SUPPORT.
JUST AS IMPORTANT, WE PAIR THAT DATA WITH PRINCIPAL VOICE THROUGH OUR POWER STRUCTURES.
THE POWER STRUCTURES ARE HOW WE INTENTIONALLY GATHER PRINCIPAL FEEDBACK AND USE THAT VOICE TO INFORM DISTRICT SUPPORT.
POWER FORMS ENGAGES ALL PRINCIPALS IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THEIR DATA, COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN PRIORITIES, AND THE TYPES OF SUPPORTS THEY BELIEVE WILL BE MOST HELPFUL.
WHILE POWER FORWARD PROVIDES A MORE FOCUSED OPPORTUNITY FOR LEADERS RECEIVING TARGETED, OR TRANSFORMATIONAL SUPPORT TO IDENTIFY THOSE PRIORITIES AND PLAN FOR THE DISTRICT SUPPORT THEY NEED PRIOR TO THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
AND POWER RESOLVE BRINGS DISTRICT LEADERS TOGETHER AFTER THE POWER FORMS TO ADDRESS BARRIERS THAT MAY REQUIRE A BROADER DISTRICT STRATEGY.
TOGETHER THESE STRUCTURES HELP KEEP THE DISTRICT RESPONSE GROUNDED IN BOTH THE EVIDENCE AND THE PERSPECTIVE OF SCHOOL LEADERS.
AS WE MONITOR PROGRESS, WE ARE LOOKING ACROSS FOUR AREAS, STUDENT LEARNING, INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE, SCHOOL CONDITIONS, AND THE DISTRICT'S SUPPORT AND RESPONSE.
THAT INCLUDES STUDENT PERFORMANCE, DATA WALKTHROUGH, EVIDENCE, ATTENDANCE AND RETENTION TRENDS, AND PRINCIPAL FEEDBACK ON DISTRICT SUPPORT.
WITHIN THOSE MEASURES, WE ARE SEEING POSITIVE MOVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS.
OUR FEDERALLY IDENTIFIED SCHOOLS REDUCE THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS PERFORMING AT THE BEGINNING LEARNER LEVEL ON THE GEORGIA MILESTONES ASSESSMENT AND OUR EARLY INDICATORS, SUCH AS THE DIAGNOSTIC DATA SHOW STUDENTS STARTING FROM A STRONGER POSITION THAN THEY DID LAST YEAR.
ANOTHER ENCOURAGING EARLY SIGNAL IS IN OUR WALKTHROUGH EVIDENCE.
WE'RE SEEING BRIGHT SPOTS IN SEVERAL OF THE AREAS WHERE SCHOOLS RECEIVE FOCUSED SUPPORT AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING LAST YEAR.
THOSE IMPLEMENTATION SIGNALS SUGGEST THAT WE ARE BEGINNING THE SCHOOL YEAR FROM A STRONGER STARTING POINT THAN WE DID LAST YEAR.
[00:30:03]
AS WE LOOK AHEAD, OUR WORK REMAINS CENTERED ON A SIMPLE IDEA.DATA AND SCHOOL PRIORITIES SHOULD DRIVE SUPPORT AND DISTRICT, DISTRICT SYSTEMS SHOULD MAKE THAT SUPPORT MORE COORDINATED, RESPONSIVE, AND USEFUL THROUGH THE STRUCTURES WE HAVE STRENGTHENED THIS YEAR, WE ARE CONTINUING TO CONNECT SCHOOL PRIORITIES, DISTRICT SUPPORT, AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT IN WAYS THAT KEEP US FOCUSED ON STUDENT OUTCOMES.
THAT IS OUR JOURNEY AHEAD, CONTINUING TO STRENGTHEN THE SYSTEM AROUND OUR SCHOOLS SO THAT OUR COLLECTIVE EFFORTS REMAIN FOCUSED, ALIGNED, AND CENTERED ON STRONG OUTCOMES FOR OUR STUDENTS.
DR. PACE, THAT IS ALL WE HAVE PREPARED, AND I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.
THANK YOU, MRS. MCCRARY AND DR.
I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.
I JUST WANT TO COMMEND OUR ENTIRE TEAM.
I KNOW WE SPOKE ABOUT ALLIANCE SUPPORT, BUT THIS IS TRULY A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT ACROSS THE DISTRICT, ACROSS THE SCHOOLS.
THIS IS EVERYBODY BEING ON BOARD TOGETHER, AND SOMETIMES WE GET ON EACH OTHER'S NERVES,
SO THIS IS HET COUNTY SCHOOL'S HCSS VERSION OF BRINGING THE GEORGIA SYSTEMS A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT TO LIFE, TO REALITY.
UH, AND SIMPLY PUT, THIS IS A CAPACITY BUILDING SYSTEM, UH, WHERE OUR SUPPORT, IT SHIFTS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR SCHOOLS AND OUR STUDENTS AS NEEDED.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO COMMEND THE TEAM BECAUSE THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION RECOGNIZED AND FEATURED, UH, OUR WORK, UH, LAST SUMMER AND SAID THAT THEY SAW THIS AS A, A, A, A POSSIBLE MODEL FOR OTHER SCHOOLS, UH, OTHER DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE.
SO I DEFINITELY WANT TO COMMEND THAT TEAM, AND THAT GOES ACROSS ALL DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
SO I CANNOT NAME ONE DEPARTMENT, IT'S ALL DEPARTMENTS.
AND I TURN IT OVER TO YOU, TO MADAM CHAIR.
THANK YOU, DR. PACE, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, DR.
HAWK AND MS. MCCREARY FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION, DR.
NUT? WELL, I KNOW Y'ALL GETTING ABOUT TIRED OF ALL MY QUESTIONS, BUT I DO HAVE SEVERAL.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU DO THIS MEETING WITH YOUR PRINCIPAL, UM, DOING THE WALKTHROUGHS? UM, HOW, HOW, HOW OFTEN DO YOU DO THAT? THROUGH OUR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT CYCLES, WE DO, UH, DO CONDUCT WALKTHROUGHS WITH LEADERS EVERY THREE WEEKS WHERE WE DO THE WALKTHROUGHS IN PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER.
WE COME BACK TOGETHER AT THE END OF THAT, UH, WALKTHROUGH CYCLE, AND WE DEBRIEF TOGETHER AND TALK ABOUT NEXT STEPS, WHAT WE BOTH SAW AS A DISTRICT TEAM AND AS A SCHOOL TEAM TO IDENTIFY WHAT ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS MAY BE NEEDED FOR THE SCHOOL AS THEY CARRY ON WITH THEIR PRIORITIES AND HOW MANY WE MAY SUPPORT THEM IN THAT.
I, I'M CONCERNED, THREE WEEKS.
IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT, BUT IT'S NOT.
UM, I'M CONCERNED WHEN DO THE PRINCIPALS AND HIS, HIS OR HER ADMIN TEAM HAVE TIME TO LEAD? IF THEY'RE ALWAYS HAVING TO STOP AND WALK YOU THROUGH WHAT THEY'VE DONE TWO WEEKS AGO OR THREE WEEKS AGO.
THIS, THIS IS A LOT OF TIME FOR THEM TO PREPARE FOR YOU GUYS.
AND I, AND I KNOW WE'RE TRYING REALLY, REALLY HARD TO, UM, INCREASE OUR SCORES, AND THAT'S GREAT THAT I'M ALL FOR THAT.
BUT IS IT AT, IS IT AT THE WHO SUFFERING? THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE I'M COMING FROM.
UM, ARE, ARE WE GONNA HAVE TEACHER BURNOUT FROM JUST THE CONSTANT, THIS, MY BIGGEST QUESTION IS IF WE'RE TESTING EVERY TIME WE TURN AROUND, WHETHER IT BE END OF COURSE TEST OR END OF TEST TEST OR WHATEVER TEST, THESE KIDS HAVE BURNOUT AND THEY'RE GOING DOWN IN CHRISTMAS TRAINING THEIR ANSWERS BECAUSE THEY JUST GOT THROUGH TAKING A TEST LAST WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AGO.
THIS IS SOMETHING I WITNESSED ME, UH, IN THE CLASSROOM A YEAR OR SO AGO.
AND OF COURSE, MY PRINCIPALS WERE NOT GOING TO HAVE ANYBODY LOOK UPON TO MY SCHOOL IN A NEGATIVE NOTE.
BUT I'M JUST, I'M TELLING YOU, THE STRESS ON THESE PEOPLE ARE UNBELIEVABLE.
AND I'M JUST, I'M HEARING MORE, I'M SEEING MORE, AND I'M, I'M EXCITED ABOUT OUR IMPROVEMENT.
[00:35:01]
EXPENSE ARE WE IMPROVING ON? DR.NUT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING, UM, BRINGING THAT TO LIGHT.
WHAT I WILL SAY IS, LAST SCHOOL YEAR, UM, I THINK WHAT YOU'VE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT A FEW TIMES IS THIS IS AN ITERATIVE, ITERATIVE PROCESS, AND IT'S TWO-WAY ACCOUNTABILITY.
LAST SCHOOL YEAR, OUR PRINCIPAL SAID, YOU'RE IN HERE TOO MUCH BECAUSE IT WAS EVERY TWO WEEKS.
AND SO AS A RESULT OF THAT, THE CYCLE, AND THIS IS FOR THOSE SCHOOLS THAT ARE RECEIVING THIS ALIGNED SUPPORT, SPECIFICALLY IN THOSE, UM, INTENSIVE AND TRANSFORMATIONAL SCHOOLS.
AND SO IT SHIFTED TO THREE WEEKS.
NOW, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR WHEN WE GO IN, IT'S REALLY ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING, BECAUSE YOU'VE HEARD, AND WE HEARD IN POWER FORM AS WELL, THAT WE DO HAVE TEACHERS THAT NEED ADDITIONAL TRAINING, PROFESSIONAL LEARNING IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT BEST PRACTICES IN THE CLASSROOM.
SO THAT WALKTHROUGH IS REALLY ABOUT TAKING A LOOK TO SEE ARE THOSE PRACTICES TAKING OR ARE KIDS BENEFITING? TO YOUR EARLIER QUESTION, ARE, ARE KIDS BENEFITING FROM THAT TRAINING BY SEEING THOSE PRACTICES BEING IMPLEMENTED IN THE CLASSROOM? AND SO FROM THE DISTRICT'S PERSPECTIVE, AT THE END OF THAT WALKTHROUGH, WHAT HAPPENS IS A DEBRIEF.
AND WHEN DR. PACE SAYS THAT SOMETIMES WE GET ON EACH OTHER'S NERVES, THAT'S AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, THAT'S AT THE SCHOOL LEVEL, BUT IT'S REALLY ABOUT SCHOOLS PUSHING US TO PROVIDE WHAT THEY NEED AND US ALSO PUSHING THE SCHOOL AS IT RELATES TO IMPLEMENTATION.
MAY I JUST SAY ONE MORE POINT, AND I, I, I'VE GOT TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO PRINCIPAL SUPERVISORS AND LEADERSHIP SERVICES BECAUSE THIS WORK DOES NOT HAPPEN IN A COORDINATED AND ALIGNED WAY WITHOUT PRINCIPAL SUPERVISORS PROVIDING THE SUPPORT DAY IN DAY OUT TO SCHOOLS.
AND SO THEY ARE A BIG VOICE IN TELLING US AS A COLLECTIVE INSTRUCTIONAL CABINET TEAM.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE SPARK SOMETIMES AROUND MAKING SURE WE ARE GIVEN THE RIGHT BALANCE OF PRESSURE AND SUPPORT.
AND, AND THAT WAS ANOTHER POINT THAT IF YOU'RE SPENDING ALL THIS TIME COMING AND DOING THE WALKTHROUGHS, WHEN ARE YOU GONNA HAVE TIME TO COME TO, TO MY SCHOOL AND MAYBE PROVIDE A LESSON TO MY FIRST YEAR TEACHER WHO'S STRUGGLING? AND AT THE, AT THE POINT OF MAYBE MY FOUR YEARS OF COLLEGE, MAYBE THIS IS NOT MEANT FOR ME.
AND, YOU KNOW, FIRST YEAR TEACHERS ARE ALWAYS, THEY'RE GONNA HAVE PROBLEMS. AND SO IT'S UP TO US TO SUPPLY THEM WITH SUPPORT.
BUT I GUESS I'M CONCERNED WITH ALL OF GOING INTO THE ADMIN AND PULLING THEM AND LET'S TALKING.
WHEN ARE, WHEN IS MY COUNTY OFFICE GONNA HAVE TIME TO COME IN AND PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR MY SCHOOLS? BECAUSE WE'VE GIVEN GRADUATION COACHES, WE'VE GIVEN THESE AND THAT, BUT WHEN DID THEY HAVE TIME TO PROVIDE SUPPORT? WE RECEIVE THAT FEEDBACK, DR.
NUT, AND WE'LL CONTINUE, UM, TO LISTEN, TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO ENSURE THAT ULTIMATELY WE'RE PROVIDING SUPPORTS THAT ARE NEEDED FOR OUR STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE AT HIGH LEVELS AND FOR OUR SCHOOLS TO FEEL SUPPORTED.
AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I GOT A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS 'CAUSE I'M A LITTLE IGNORANT OF THIS, UH, TOPIC HERE.
UM, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT DATA POINTS, UM, FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, WE USE DATA POINTS ALL THE TIME.
WHAT DATA POINTS OR WHAT DATA METRICS OR, UH, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT WHEN WE SAY DATA POINTS FOR JUST GENERAL CONSUMPTION? WE MAY KNOW IN THE ROOM, BUT TO SOMEONE LOOKING AT WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY DATA POINTS? WHAT ARE WE MEASURING OR LOOKING AT? SO WE LOOK AT A PLETHORA OF, UH, DIFFERENT TYPES OF, UH, QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA POINTS WHEN WE ARE MEASURING F ALIGN SUPPORT HAS BEEN IMPACTFUL.
IT MAY BE STUDENT OUTCOMES ON UNIT ASSESSMENTS.
THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR LEADING INDICATORS.
OF COURSE, WE LOOK AT OUR GEORGIA MILESTONES AS WELL AS OUR C-C-R-P-I, UM, DATA MEASURES.
WE ALSO LOOK AT WALKTHROUGH INDICATORS.
UH, THE STATE HAS GIVEN US, UM, SEVERAL, UH, RUBRICS FOR WALKTHROUGHS THAT WE WILL USE TO HELP US IDENTIFY BEST PRACTICES FOR TEACHERS TO UTILIZE IN THE CLASSROOM.
AND SO, UM, WE UTILIZE OUR WALKTHROUGH DATA AS WELL AS THE UNIT ASSESSMENT DATA, UM, AS WELL AS QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK THAT WE MAY RECEIVE EITHER FROM THE PRINCIPALS, THE DISTRICT TEAM, OR SCHOOL TEAMS AS WELL.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, LIKE YOU SAID, THERE'S A PLETHORA OF DATA POINTS THAT GOES INTO WHAT THE SUPPORT SYSTEMS WILL LOOK LIKE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL.
AND I'M GONNA MAKE THE ASSUMPTION THAT 52 DIFFERENT SCHOOLS HAS 52 DIFFERENT NEEDS, THAT NOT ALL THE NEEDS ARE THE SAME, RIGHT? AM I, IS THAT A FAIR ASSUMPTION? YES.
SO THEN MY OTHER QUESTION IS THIS, HOW SUBJECTIVE IS THE DATA THAT IS BEING REVIEWED BY WHATEVER TEAM IS LOOKING INTO IT? BECAUSE, AND AGAIN, I'M IGNORANT OF THIS, BUT IF YOU HAVE STUDENTS THAT
[00:40:01]
SOME MAY NOT JUST TE MAY NOT TEST, WELL, YOU HAVE SOME THAT JUST HAD A BAD DAY.UM, YOU HAVE SOME THAT HAVE EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT MAY LEAD TO WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE THE CLASSROOM.
SO WHAT ALL IS TAKEN IN, IN, IN, IN ACCOUNT OF THAT, UM, WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT, AGAIN, SUPPORT, UH, SYSTEMS FOR NOT, NOT ONLY THE SCHOOL, BECAUSE YOU ALSO PROBABLY HAVE THOSE SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR SOME OF OUR STUDENTS AS WELL.
SO HOW SUBJECTIVE IS THAT DATA WHEN WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT? I'M TRYING TO, I'M TRYING TO GO SOMEWHERE, BUT LEMME SEE IF WE CAN LEAD DOWN THIS PATH, BUT HOW SUBJECTIVE IS THE DATA? SO WE HAVE SEVERAL, UM, MEASURES OF DATA.
I THINK WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT IS THAT WE CALIBRATE ON HOW WE ARE ALL LOOKING AT THE DATA TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT THE SAME DATA POINTS AS A SCHOOL TEAM AND AS A DISTRICT TEAM.
AND WE ARE CALIBRATING TOGETHER ON, UM, WHAT THE DATA MAY INDICATE.
WE ALSO LOOK AT SEVERAL TRENDS.
SO IT MAY NOT BE ONE UNIT ASSESSMENT.
WE MAY LOOK AT TWO OR THREE UNIT ASSESSMENTS TO DETERMINE HOW A SCHOOL TEAM OR HOW A GRADE LEVEL MAY BE PROGRESSING OR WHAT TYPES OF SUPPORTS THEY MAY NEED.
MAY I JUST ADD TO THAT? AND TRANSPARENTLY, WHEN SHE SPEAKS ABOUT CALIBRATION, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR IT TO BE SUBJECTIVE IF YOU DON'T CALIBRATE MM-HMM
AND SO YOU WILL HAVE FOLKS, UM, WHO SEE THE SAME CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE OR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BEST PAR, UM, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BEST PRACTICE OR THE TEACHER PRACTICES IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
AND WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THAT MM-HMM
UM, AND SO THAT COULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING THAT COULD BE SUBJECTIVE, UM, IF WE DON'T CALIBRATE.
OKAY, SO FORGIVE ME, THIS IS ME.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THE, WE ARE LOOKING AT DATA POINTS.
THE DATA POINTS CAN BE SUBJECTIVE IF THEY'RE NOT CALIBRATED OR THE QUA FOR THE QUALITATIVE DATA DATA.
IF IT'S NOT CALIBRATED, THEN IT COULD BE SUBJECTIVE.
WHEN WE SAY CALIBRATING, WHAT ARE WE CALIBRATING AGAINST? ARE WE CALIBRATING AGAINST EACH SCHOOL OR ARE WE CALIBRATING AGAINST ANOTHER COUNTY OR PAST OR STATE? WHEN YOU SAY CALIBRATING, WHAT ARE WE CALIBRATING? WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT? PRISA SPOKE ABOUT RUBRICS AND WE EVEN, WE HAVE, UM, WITHIN OUR DISTRICT A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM RUBRIC THAT INCLUDES THE BEST PRACTICES THAT WE SHOULD SEE IN CLASSROOMS, UM, OR THE RESEARCH BASED PRACTICES THAT WE KNOW INCREASE ACHIEVEMENT.
SO ONE OF THOSE THINGS BEING OUR STUDENTS, EVEN BEING EXPOSED TO INSTRUCTION AT THE LEVEL OF THE STANDARD THAT THE GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SAYS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TAUGHT.
AND SO WHEN WE GO IN AND TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, UM, PARTICULAR STANDARD, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT A, AS A MONITORING TEAM, WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT STANDARD IS CALLING FOR B.
THAT THE EXPERIENCE OR THE ARTIFACT OR THE WORK OR THE TASK OR THE CONVERSATIONS THAT THE STUDENTS ARE HAVING IN THE CLASSROOM REFLECT THAT THEY ARE WORKING TOWARDS THAT STANDARD.
SO WE HAVE TO HAVE SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT.
AND SO WE, UM, THAT'S A PART OF OUR PROCESS.
SO I'M, I'M, I'M DONE WHEN I SAY THIS.
UH, AND I THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT CONVERSATION.
UM, AND, AND I GUESS MY THING IS, AS WE LOOK AT CONTINUOUSLY FOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT, AS WE LOOK TOWARDS TRYING TO CONTINUALLY IMPROVE WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS ASK THE QUESTION ABOUT, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, AS I SAY, WE HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS IN EVERY SCHOOL.
UM, SO THEREFORE, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE AS A BOARD THROUGH THE SUPERINTENDENT AND STAFF ARE SUPPORTING THOSE NEEDS IN THE SCHOOL TO YET LEAD TO THAT IMPROVEMENT THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
BECAUSE IF WE'RE NOT SUPPORTING THOSE STRUCTURES OR SUPPORTING THOSE SYSTEMS, THEN HOW CAN WE GET THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT THAT WE'RE STRIVING FOR? UM, AND THEN LASTLY, WHEN, WHEN DR.
NET BROUGHT UP ABOUT, UM, THE WALKTHROUGHS, I DON'T KNOW WHO'S WALKING THROUGH, WHO, NOT WALKING THROUGH, BUT, UM, WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT SOMETIMES IT CAN SEEM OVERWHELMING IF YOU HAVE MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE COMING IN AT DIFFERENT TIMES, AND WE'RE NOT ALLOWING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE ASSESSMENTS AND THOSE TESTS AND THOSE THINGS TO ACTUALLY BE IMPLEMENTED.
I'VE NEVER BEEN A PRINCIPAL, NEVER BEEN A TEACHER.
UM, BUT IF, IF IT TAKES ME A MONTH TO KINDA GET THINGS TO TOGETHER, THEN ALLOW ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACTUALLY GET IT TOGETHER.
I'M NOT HERE TO TELL NOBODY HOW TO DO THEIR JOB.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST ALLOW THAT OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT CAN SEEM A LITTLE OVERWHELMING.
UM, I'VE HEARD THE EXACT SAME THING FROM SOME TEACHERS AND SOME PRINCIPALS, BUT LET'S JUST CONTINUE TO DO WHAT WE CAN DO.
BUT I DO THANK YOU ALL FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING, UH, FOR OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. MCDANIEL.
MS. CARTER, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
THAT WAS REALLY GREAT, AND JUST A LOT OF INFORMATION TO KIND OF JUST SEEP IN, I GUESS.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE SUPPORT YOU GIVE THE SCHOOLS AND THE TEACHERS AND JUST HOW Y'ALL ARE WORKING TOGETHER.
AND I JUST THANK YOU FOR JUST LISTENING TO EACH OTHER, AND I JUST HOPE THAT THAT'S HOW IT CONTINUES TO GO.
UM, COUPLE OF QUESTIONS IS ALIGNED SUPPORT, IS IT, IT IS, IS IT A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR HENRY COUNTY? NO, MA'AM.
[00:45:01]
PROVIDED DISTRICT SUPPORT TO OUR SCHOOLS.UM, WE'VE CALLED IT ALIGNED SUPPORT BASED ON OUR POLICY IB AND WHAT POLICY CALLS FOR THAT.
WE HAVE ALIGNED SUPPORT STRUCTURES FOR OUR SCHOOLS.
WE ARE JUST NOW TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE COORDINATED AS A DISTRICT TEAM WITH HOW WE PROVIDE THE SUPPORT.
SO I, I'VE HEARD THE, UH, UM, BOARD MEMBER COLLEAGUES TALK ABOUT, UM, GOING INTO THE SCHOOLS.
AND I, I'M ASSUMING, AND TELL ME IF I'M WRONG, THAT SOME SCHOOLS MAY NEED MORE SUPPORT THAN OTHERS.
SO DOES THAT MEAN YOU'RE IN THOSE SCHOOLS MORE THAN THE AVERAGE SCHOOL OR THE OTHER SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEY NEED THAT EXTRA SUPPORT? YES, MA'AM.
DEPENDING ON WHAT THE SCHOOL'S, UH, CCIP OR THEIR CONTINUOUS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN PRIORITIES ARE CALLING FOR MM-HMM
AND THE TYPES OF SUPPORTS THEY NEED.
WE MAY, MAY BE IN THE SCHOOLS THAT REQUIRE TARGETED OR INTENSIVE SUPPORTS A LITTLE MORE THAN WE ARE WITH THE, UM, UNIVERSAL SUPPORT SCHOOLS.
I LOVE THE, THE TITLE, THE JOURNEY AHEAD.
IS THAT A TITLE YOU ALL CAME UP WITH?
I, I LOVE THE TITLE, THE JOURNEY AHEAD.
THAT MEANS WE'RE STILL MOVING AHEAD.
THANK YOU, MS. EDWARDS, DR. PACE, UH, AND I, I LOVE THE CONVERSATION, THE DIALOGUE.
I THINK WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, AND I WILL SAY THIS TO ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE JOURNEY AHEAD, UH, OUR SCHOOLS, OUR TEACHERS, OUR PRINCIPALS, OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, OUR STAFF, DISTRICT STAFF, SCHOOL STAFF, ANY INSTRUMENT, ANY TOOL THAT IS DESIGNED FOR IMPROVEMENT HAS TO GO THROUGH CONTINUOUS, CONTINUOUS CALIBRATION, CONTINUOUS REITERATION IN ORDER TO FIND WHAT WE CALL THAT PERFECT BALANCE.
AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN I USE THE PER THE WORD PERFECT, I TELL MY TEAM, PERFECT REALLY DOESN'T EXIST.
AND AS WE CONTINUE THIS JOURNEY, THIS ALIGNED SUPPORT WILL CONTINUE TO FIND THAT BALANCE THAT DOES NOT FEEL OVERWHELMING AND STILL ACCOMPLISHES THE GOAL THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR.
SO WE'RE STILL IN THAT JOURNEY, AND I THANK OUR BOARD FOR CONTINUING TO BRING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION BECAUSE THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO, AND I WANT TO THANK OUR PRINCIPALS, OUR PRINCIPALS, OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, OUR ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS, OUR, UH, IEF COACHES, SUPPORT STAFF, SSFS COUNSELORS AND TEACHERS.
AND TEACHERS AND TEACHERS BECAUSE YES, UH, UH, PARAPROFESSIONALS.
AND IF I HAD A LIST, I WOULD JUST REPEAT EVERY, EVERY JOB DESCRIPTION THREE TIMES, BECAUSE WE KNOW YOU FEEL THE IMPACT.
AND WHEN IT FEELS OVERWHELMING, WE ASK THAT YOU CONTINUES TO GIVE US FEEDBACK.
WE TAKE THE FEEDBACK FROM PRINCIPALS, THEY LET US KNOW, HEY, IT'S TOO MUCH.
AND WE ADJUST AND CALIBRATE TO PULL BACK AND FIND THAT BALANCE.
SO I THANK OUR BOARD FOR BRINGING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION.
I THINK, UH, THE TERM I REMEMBER LAST YEAR, BOARD MEMBER MCDANIEL SUFFERED LESS.
UH, WE, WE, OF COURSE, WE DON'T WANT ANY SUFFERING AT ALL.
WE JUST WANT TO FIND THAT BALANCE BETWEEN WHAT OUR TEACHERS ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH AND WHAT WE WANT TO GIVE OUR STUDENTS, UH, ULTIMATELY.
SO THANK YOU FOR THIS DIALOGUE.
UM, AND I, I DID HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION POINT THAT IF, IF WE'RE DOING SO MUCH LOOKING AT NUMBERS, AND I'M A FIRM BELIEVER THAT I CAN MANIPULATE THE NUMBERS TO MAKE IT LOOK AND SEEM ANYTHING I WANT IT TO BE, THE ONLY THING I CAN'T MANIPULATE IS THE TEACHING OF MY TEACHERS.
AND THEY'RE, WHETHER THEY'RE A FIRST YEAR TEACHER OR A A 30 YEAR TEACHER, A VETERAN TEACHER, NOT A SEASONED TEACHER.
AND, UH, ANYWAY, THEY DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
AND MY CONCERN IS, IF WE'RE LOSING TEACHERS REGARDLESS OF THEIR, UM, TEACHING AND WHERE THEY ARE IN OUR, UM, IN OUR ONE TO 30 YEARS, IT'S NOT GONNA HELP US AS A COUNTY IF WE'RE HAVING TO RETRAIN, REHIRE, RETEACH, UM, THE ONES THAT ARE DOING THE TEACHING.
SO I'M, I'M CONCERNED THAT IF WE'RE STRESSING PEOPLE OUT AND THEY ARE BURNT OUT, HOW AM I GOING TO FIX THAT? HOW AM I GONNA MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITHOUT CONSTANTLY, I DON'T, I DON'T WANT IT TO BE A REVOLVING DOOR.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I, I BELIEVE I'M SEEING
[00:50:01]
THE LAST, LAST YEAR OR TWO.I'M SEEING THIS REVOLVING DOOR AND SOMEHOW WE'VE GOTTA STOP IT.
BUT THEN THE VETERANS, WE WANT TO GIVE THEM THE ABILITY TO TEACH.
THAT'S WHAT WE WENT TO SCHOOL FOR.
AND LET ME PULL ALL THAT STUFF OUT OF MY HAT.
BUT IF I HAVE A SCHEDULED, IF I HAVE A DOCUMENT THAT SAYS I SAY THIS AND I DO THIS AND I PRESENT THIS AT THIS TIME, I MAY NOT HAVE GOTTEN TO THAT THIS WEEK, MAYBE NEXT WEEK.
UM, SO I WANT THE TEACHERS TO HAVE FLEXIBILITY TO DO WHAT THEY DO BEST.
BUT I DO WANNA GIVE SUPPORT TO THOSE THAT ARE JUST DROVE UP.
IT MAY BE THEIR FIRST OR EVEN SECOND YEAR.
AND I KNOW WE HAVE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE A LARGE TURNOVER RATE, AND THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON.
UM, I JUST WANNA THANK YOU BOTH.
YOU KNOW WHAT I KNOW TO BE TRUE IS THAT THERE IS A SHARED CONVICTION ACROSS ALL LEVELS OF THIS DISTRICT TO DO WHAT'S BEST FOR KIDS.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS REPRESENTS IS YOU ALL LISTENING TO THE LEADERS WHO ARE CLOSEST TO THE TEACHING, THE INCREDIBLE TEACHING THAT HAPPENS EACH AND EVERY DAY IN OUR SCHOOLS, LISTENING TO THEIR VOICE AND THEN TURNING AROUND AND PROVIDING THE SUPPORT THAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR.
I AM SUPER HOPEFUL, AND WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS, THAT PRINCIPAL VOICE CONTINUES TO BE A REALLY STRONG COMPONENT OF THIS IN REAL TIME, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THEY KNOW WHAT THEIR SCHOOLS NEED.
UM, BUT DATA REPRESENTS MORE THAN JUST A NUMBER.
IT REPRESENTS WHAT STUDENTS ARE ACHIEVING.
AND SO I'M GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT.
PE SAID, THERE IS NO PERFECT MODEL, BUT I CAN SEE THE INCREDIBLE EFFORT THAT IS HERE, AND I'M REALLY, REALLY GRATEFUL FOR IT.
SO I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW THIS CONTINUES TO INCREASE THINGS LIKE OUR GRADUATION RATE AND OUR, OUR TEST SCORES, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE OWE TO STUDENTS.
WE'LL NOW MOVE TO OUR, UM, NEXT INFORMATIONAL ITEM, WHICH IS C ONE C DR. PACE.
FOR OUR NEXT INFORMATIONAL ITEM, SCIENCE AND STEM UPDATE, I'D LIKE TO INVITE DR. CLEVELAND JOHNSON, CHIEF LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE OFFICER, AND DR.
KINJI HASTINGS, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF EARLY LEARNING AND INNOVATIVE PRACTICES.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE.
HASTINGS AND I ARE EXCITED TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON SCIENCE, STEM, AND OUR STATE OF THE ART STEM HIGH SCHOOL.
AS A BOARD, YOU HAVE CONSISTENTLY EMPHASIZED OUR DISTRICT'S VISION AND MISSION TO ENSURE A HIGH QUALITY WORLD CLASS EDUCATION, TO EMPOWER ALL STUDENTS WITH EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND ACCESS THAT LEAD TO SUCCESS IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY.
PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY SCIENCE AND STEM EXPERIENCES IS KEY TO OUR VISION AND MISSION.
TODAY, WE WILL HIGHLIGHT HOW YOUR INVESTMENTS ARE DELIVERING WORLD CLASS SCIENCE AND STEM EXPERIENCES IN OUR CLASSROOMS. SCIENCE AND STEM INSTRUCTION OPERATE HAND IN HAND TO DIRECTLY SUPPORT OUR DISTRICT'S STRATEGIC GOAL OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND READINESS.
SCIENCE PROVIDES THE CORE CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATION AND STANDARDS-BASED RIGOR THROUGH HANDS-ON LEARNING EXPERIENCES.
WHILE STEM SERVES AS THE DYNAMIC ENGINE FOR DESIGN, APPLICATION, AND REAL WORLD PROBLEM SOLVING.
TOGETHER, THEY ENSURE OUR STUDENTS ARE ACTIVELY APPLYING KNOWLEDGE, DEVELOPING TRANSFERABLE SKILLS, AND ENGAGING IN RIGOROUS STANDARDS, ALIGNED LEARNING EXPERIENCES ACROSS EVERY GRADE LEVEL.
THANKS TO THIS BOARD'S ONGOING COMMITMENT TO STEM MORE THAN 16,400 ELEMENTARY STUDENTS REGULARLY ENGAGED IN HANDS-ON STEM LABS, APPLYING CORE CONCEPTS THROUGH ENGINEERING, DESIGN, COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING, AND PRACTICAL APPLICATION.
AS STUDENTS TRANSITION INTO SECONDARY GRADES, THAT ELEMENTARY FOUNDATION TRANSLATES DIRECTLY INTO ADVANCED ACADEMIC RIGOR.
WITH OVER 2,300 MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS ENROLLED IN ADVANCED SCIENCE COURSES AND MORE THAN 2,500 HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS EXCELLING IN HONORS AND AP SCIENCE PATHWAYS.
TOGETHER, THESE FIGURES ILLUSTRATE A COHESIVE PIPELINE OF ACCESS FROM FOUNDATIONAL SCIENCE AND APPLIED STEM IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO RIGOROUS ADVANCED COURSEWORK IN HIGH SCHOOL.
THIS DIRECTLY ADVANCES THE HENRY COUNTY SCHOOL'S VISIONS OF EQUIPPING EVERY GRADUATE FOR LASTING SUCCESS IN COLLEGE CAREERS AND LIFE.
ACROSS HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS, HANDS-ON LEARNING BRIDGES, FOUNDATIONAL SCIENCE STANDARDS WITH REAL WORLD STEM APPLICATION TO DELIVER DISTRICT-WIDE IMPACT.
THIS COHESIVE WORK COMES ALIVE THROUGH THREE CORE PRACTICES.
STUDENTS EXPLORE NATURAL PHENOMENON AND REAL WORLD CHALLENGES, SPARKING CURIOSITY.
THEN IN OUR SCIENCE LABS, GARDENS AND INNOVATIVE SPACES,
[00:55:01]
STUDENTS INVESTIGATE, BUILD PROTOTYPES, ANALYZE DATA, AND DEVELOP MODELS.LASTLY, STUDENTS DISCOVER EXPLANATIONS AND SOLUTIONS, TURNING ABSTRACT CONCEPTS INTO LONG LASTING UNDERSTANDING.
BY GROUNDING WHAT STUDENTS KNOW IN WHAT THEY CAN DO, LEARNING IS REINFORCED TOGETHER SCIENCE AND STEM ENSURE OUR STUDENTS DON'T JUST MEMORIZE CONTENT THEY ACTIVELY THINK AND SOLVE LIKE SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS.
THIS SLIDE PROVIDES A THREE YEAR VIEW OF STUDENT PROFICIENCY ACROSS GEORGIA MILESTONE SCIENCE ASSESSMENTS.
FROM 2024 TO 2026, HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS DEMONSTRATED POSITIVE MO MOVEMENT ACROSS ALL FOUR MEASURE AREAS WITH, WITH PERFORMANCE MEETING OR EXCEEDING THE STATE ORA GROWTH BENCHMARKS.
IN THREE OF THE FOUR AREAS, THESE RESULTS REFLECT SUSTAINED DISTRICTWIDE PROGRESS.
IN SCIENCE, WE'RE SEEING GROWTH IN COMPETITIVE VEX IQ ROBOTICS TEAMS AND INCREASES IN TEAMS QUALIFYING FOR THE STATE COMPETITIONS.
WE ARE ALSO SEEING STEM OPPORTUNITIES EXPAND BOTH THROUGH ELEMENTARY STEM AND ROBOTICS CLUBS.
OVERALL, THE GOAL IS NOT JUST MORE PARTICIPATION, BUT MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO ENGAGE IN AUTHENTIC PROBLEM SOLVING, COLLABORATION, ENGINEERING, AND STEM LEARNING EXPERIENCES.
GROWING TEACHER EXPERTISE DIRECTLY STRENGTHENS STUDENT OUTCOMES ACROSS ALL CLASSROOMS. THROUGH SUMMER SCIENCE CADRES AND TARGETED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL YEAR, WE EQUIP TEACHERS TO DELIVER RIGOROUS INSTRUCTION.
ADDITIONALLY, OUR STEM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOP DEVELOPMENT IMMERSIVE EDUCATORS IN MODEL LESSONS FOR UPCOMING INSTRUCTIONAL UNITS USING THE ROBOTICS TECHNOLOGY AND HANDS-ON MATERIALS MADE POSSIBLE.
THROUGH THIS BOARD'S INVESTMENTS, TEACHERS INTERNALIZE AND EXPERIENCE THE LEARNING FIRSTHAND AS STUDENTS BEFORE FACILITATING IT IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. LEARNING EXTENDS FAR BEYOND OUR CLASSROOMS THROUGH AUTHENTIC HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES THAT BRING SCIENCE AND STEM TO LIFE ACROSS ALL GRADE LEVELS.
THESE OPPORTUNITIES INSPIRE CURIOSITY, BUILD TECHNICAL SKILL, AND CONNECT STUDENT LEARNING TO REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS.
THROUGH COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE HENRY COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY STUDENTS ENGAGE IN CUBA, HACHA KIDS, THE FIX ALE ART CONTEST, AND THE MIDDLE SCHOOL MODEL WATER TOWER COMPETITION.
THROUGH SCIENCE OLYMPIAD AND THE HENRY REGIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR STUDENTS TACKLE RIGOROUS RESEARCH.
WE ALSO EXPAND ACCESS YEAR ROUND THROUGH DISTRICT-WIDE CELEBRATIONS LIKE STEM ACROSS HENRY AND SMART FEST.
THESE PROGRAMS EMPOWER STUDENTS TO DESIGN CODE AND ENGINEER SOLUTIONS COLLABORATIVELY.
TOGETHER THESE SCIENCE AND STEM EXPERIENCES PROVE THAT WHEN STUDENTS ARE CHALLENGED TO SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS, THEY DON'T JUST LEARN CONTENT, THEY LEAD, COMPETE, AND EXCEL AT REGIONAL, STATE, AND GLOBAL LEVELS.
OUR COMMUNITY AND CORPORATE PARTNERS PLAY A VITAL, A ROLE IN EXPANDING ACCESS TO REAL WORLD SCIENCE AND STEM EXPERIENCES WHILE BRINGING SUBSTANTIAL OUTSIDE INVESTMENT INTO HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS.
PARTNERS LIKE THE HENRY COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY, GEORGIA POWER'S LEARNING POWER, AND HENRY COUNTY FOUR H DELIVER HANDS-ON LEARNING FOR OUR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS.
COLLABORATION WITH GEORGIA COLLEGE SCIENCE EDUCATION CENTER, THE GEORGIA SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR, AND SOCIETY FOR SCIENCE, PROVIDE OUR STUDENTS DIRECT PATHWAYS FROM THE REGION TO THE INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH STAGE.
AND WE ARE ESPECIALLY GRATEFUL TO OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS, SUCH AS ALPHA VEX ROBOTICS AND SNAPPING SHOWS, EMC, WHO INVEST DIRECTLY IN OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS.
TOGETHER, THESE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS ENSURE THAT OUR SCIENCE AND STEM PROGRAMS ARE SUPPORTED BY OUR COMMUNITY, FUELED BY LOCAL INDUSTRY, AND PREPARE OUR STUDENTS FOR HIGH DEMAND CAREERS.
HASTINGS WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR HIGH HENRY COUNTY STEM HIGH SCHOOL.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR, BOARD MEMBERS, SUPERINTENDENT PACE, EVERYTHING SHARED TODAY FROM ELEMENTARY SCIENCE AND STEM LABS TO MIDDLE SCHOOL COMPETITIONS AND TEACHER CADRES HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY BUILDING TOWARD THIS MOMENT.
THE NEW HARRY COUNTY STEM HIGH SCHOOL IS THE DIRECT CULMINATION OF THIS DISTRICT'S SCIENCE AND STEM PIPELINE.
MADE POSSIBLE BY AN $87 MILLION COMMUNITY AND BOARD INVESTMENT THROUGH EAST PLUS SIX.
THIS CAMPUS IS DESIGNED TO TAKE THE CURIOSITY SPARKED ACROSS OUR STUDENTS AND ELEVATE IT TO AN ELITE PRE-PROFESSIONAL LEVEL.
WHEN THE STEM SCHOOL DOORS OPEN AUGUST, 2027, THE ACADEMIC ARCHITECTURE OF THE STEM HIGH SCHOOL BRINGS OUR SCIENCE AND STEM DEPARTMENTS TOGETHER IN COMPLETE SYNERGY.
RATHER THAN SEPARATING TECHNOLOGY FROM CORE ACADEMICS, EVERY STUDENT WILL TAKE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CLASSES AND ENGINEERING COURSEWORK, ENSURING THAT ALL GRADUATES POSSESS A COMMON HIGH DEMAND FOUNDATION IN A ALGORITHMIC,
[01:00:01]
ALGORITHMIC, UH, LOGIC, CODING AND RAPID PROTOTYPING.STUDENTS THEN APPLY THIS UNIVERSAL KNOWLEDGE ACROSS THE SCHOOL'S, THREE DEDICATED PATHWAY WINGS IN THE BIOMEDICAL WINGS.
STUDENTS EXTEND BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY INTO ADVANCED GENOMIC RESEARCH AND BIOTECHNOLOGY.
AND IN THE AEROSPACE RING, STUDENTS APPLY RIGOROUS PHYSICAL SCIENCE AND CALCULUS TO AVIONICS AND FLIGHT MECHANICS.
IN THE SUSTAINABILITY WING, STUDENTS TACKLE REAL WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES THROUGH ELECTRIC MOBILITY, VITAL MINING, AND GREEN ARCHITECTURE.
STUDENTS WON'T JUST LEARN THEORY.
THEY WILL CONDUCT ORIGINAL RESEARCH, EARN INDUSTRY CREDENTIALS, AND ENGINEER WORKING PROTOTYPES.
THIS AFTERNOON, THE STEM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT APPLICATION IS OPEN.
NUMEROUS INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS HAVE BEEN HELD TO INFORM FAMILIES AND STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT THE ADMISSIONS CRITERIA IN THE APPLICATION SUBMISSION PROCESS.
THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION INCLUDE STUDENT ENROLLMENT IN ADVANCED MATHEMATICS COURSES, PROFICIENCY ON STATE EXAMINATIONS, GRADES EARNED IN MATH AND SCIENCE, AND ACHIEVEMENT ON A NORM REFERENCE ASSESSMENT.
STUDENT INTEREST IN STEM SCIENTIFIC CURIOSITY.
FUTURE CAREER ASPIRATIONS WILL ALSO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WHEN DETERMINING STEM SCHOOL ADMISSION.
THE STEM SCHOOL APPLICATION SUBMISSION WINDOW FOR PRIORITY REVIEW CLOSES ON OCTOBER 30TH.
STUDENTS WHO APPLY BEFORE OCTOBER 30TH HAVE THE HIGHEST LIKELIHOOD OF SECURING ADMISSION INTO THEIR PREFERRED FOCUS AREA, WHETHER THAT IS AEROSPACE, BIOTECHNOLOGY, OR SUSTAINABILITY GREEN ENERGY.
THE FINAL DEADLINE TO APPLY IS NOVEMBER 11TH.
ACCEPTANCE NOTIFICATIONS WILL GO OUT TO STUDENTS AND FAMILIES DECEMBER 9TH.
IF FAMILIES, FAMILIES WILL HAVE UNTIL JANUARY 15TH TO ACCEPT OR DECLARE THEIR INTENT TO ATTEND THE STEM HIGH SCHOOL.
THE STATE OF THE ART STEM HIGH SCHOOL IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST A NEW BUILDING.
IT IS THE PHYSICAL EMBODIMENT OF THE VISION, HOPES AND DREAMS OF THE ENTIRE HENRY COUNTY COMMUNITY.
FOR OUR STUDENTS, IT REPRESENTS AN UNPRECEDENTED LAUNCHPAD TRANSFORMING THEIR CAREER ASPIRATIONS IN THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED FIELDS OF STUDY INTO TANGIBLE REALITIES.
AS WE LOOK AHEAD TO THE OPENING OF THE DOORS OF THE T COUNTY STEEL HIGH SCHOOL, WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY IS THE RESULT OF THE UNWAVERING INVESTMENTS AND SHARED COMMITMENT OF THE COMMUNITY AND THIS BOARD OF EDUCATION.
TOGETHER, WE HAVEN'T JUST BUILT A SCHOOL, WE HAVE ENGINEERED A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
GUARANTEEING THAT BRIGHT FUTURES DO BEGIN IN HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS.
DR. PACE, THIS CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION AND I YIELD THE FLOOR TO YOU.
HASTINGS AND DR. JOHNSON, MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR SCIENCE AND STEM UPDATE, AND REMAIN AVAILABLE TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
AND THANK YOU DR. JOHNSON AND DR.
HASTINGS FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? MRS. CARTER, I JUST WANNA THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
UH, SCIENCE AND STEM IS REALLY BIG IN OUR HOUSE, AND SO I KNOW THERE'S LOTS OF OTHER FAMILIES IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM THAT REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF THIS HARD WORK THAT Y'ALL PUT INTO THIS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT.
AND THE STEM HIGH SCHOOL IS GONNA BE SO EXCITING AND VERY AMAZING, SO EXCITED ABOUT THE PROCESS AND HOW IT'S COMING ALONG.
SO THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR THAT, BOTH OF YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS. CARTER.
THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT REPORT.
I WAS JUST SITTING HERE ABSORBING ALL OF IT AS I WAS LOOKING AT THIS INFORMATION.
UM, I FIRST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERSHIPS.
THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE THE PARTNERSHIPS, I WANNA SAY ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD, TO THANK THEM ALSO.
UM, AND THANK THE COMMUNITY FOR THEIR SUPPORT, UM, AS WELL.
UM, I PASSED IT TODAY FROM ONE HIGHWAY, 1 38 AND LOOK TO MY LEFT.
AND ALL I COULD SEE WAS THAT BEAUTIFUL BUILDING SITTING OVER THERE.
IT'S GONNA BE READY, YOU KNOW, TO HOUSE KIDS AND, UH, NEXT YEAR, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S A WONDERFUL THING THAT, UM, AND I WAS HERE WHEN IT, WHEN WE STARTED IT, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S, WE ARE HERE, WE'RE THERE NOW.
SO NEXT YEAR STUDENTS WILL BE IN THAT BUILDING, LEARNING, UH, STEM TECHNOLOGY AND, AND EVERYTHING IN THERE.
A LOT OF WORK HAS GONE INTO THIS BUILDING, THIS PLANNING, AND IT'S STILL GOING ON.
SO I JUST WANNA THANK EVERYBODY WHO HAS A, HAS HAD A PART IN, IN THE STEM SCHOOL PLANNING, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S, IT'S HERE NOW.
NUT, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.
UM, IT WAS NICE TO SEE THAT OUR KIDS WERE AT THE BEACH DOING THE SLINKIES AND CAH HADE.
I HAD THE GREATEST EXPERIENCE AT
[01:05:01]
CAH HADE WORKING WITH THE KIDS FROM TUSSIE HALL, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS, UM, UH, ROCKY CREEK, THAT THEY WERE ALL THERE AND DOING EXPERIMENTS AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS.AND IT WAS VERY HARD TO NOT ME.
UM, BUT I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION.
UM, AND THANK YOU TOO FOR WORKING WITH THE DIFFERENT ENTITIES.
'CAUSE I KNOW SOMETIMES THAT CAN BE HARD, BUT WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORD AUTHORITY.
UM, AND THEN GETTING TOGETHER.
THE LADIES OF THE FARM BUREAU WERE THERE WORKING HARD.
SO THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED.
UM, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE SCIENCE KITS? I KNOW MAYBE 10, 15 YEARS AGO, WE HAD IN THE OLD, UH, STOP BRIDGE GYM, WE HAD, UM, JUST A ROOM WITH SCIENCE KITS FOR, I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT GRADE, GRADE LEVELS, BUT IT WAS A LOT OF THEM.
UM, AND THEN WE WOULD TAKE 'EM TO EACH, WHEN I SAY WE, THE SCIENCE COORDINATOR WOULD, WOULD WRITE THE QUICK KITS DOWN AND TAKE 'EM TO THE SCHOOLS.
HAVE WE OUTGROWN THOSE KITS OR DID WE JUST NOT REPLENISH 'EM OR DO YOU HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT?
I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THOSE KIDS.
IS THAT LIKE MY FLOPPY DISC? AND WE JUST OUTGREW THIS, UH, TAB.
TAMMY CRUMBLEY WAS OUR SCIENCE, UM, PERSON AT THE TIME, AND SHE WAS IN CHARGE OF PUTTING TOGETHER THE KITS AND THEY WOULD COME IN A TUB AND EVERY MONTH EVERYBODY GOT A DIFFERENT KIT FOR DIFFERENT PROGRESS.
SO EVIDENTLY WE MUST HAVE OUTGROWN THAT.
ALL RIGHTY THEN I'LL PUT THAT WITH MY FLOPPY IDEAS.
I THINK THE SCIENCE KIDS ARE NOW, SCIENCE KITS ARE NOW IN HMH THAT THEY CAN ACCESS FROM HOME.
SO, UM,
THE STEM, CTAE AND AGAIN, I, I WILL ECHO, UH, MY COLLEAGUES.
IT IS BEAUTIFUL TO SEE THE STEM HIGH SCHOOL COMING.
UM, WE ALWAYS HAVE A CONVERSATION OR THERE'S ALWAYS A CONVERSATION ABOUT TEACHERS AND, YOU KNOW, STEM, CTE PLATFORM AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S THOSE, THAT'S A SPECIALIZED, UH, POSITIONS THAT, THAT WILL GO THERE.
UM, DO YOU SEE, AND I KNOW THIS IS A CRYSTAL BALL TYPE QUESTION, BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, DO YOU SEE AN ISSUE OR ANY CONCERN ABOUT STAFFING, UH, THE STEM HIGH SCHOOL WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THOSE SPECIALTY, UM, UH, POSITIONS THERE DO, I MEAN, HOW ARE WE IN, IN, IN CONTEXT TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE POSITIONS ARE FILLED AND READY FOR WHEN THE STEM STEM HIGH SCHOOL COMES? CURRENTLY, WE DON'T FORESEE ANY ISSUES WITH STAFFING.
UM, WE WILL BE AGGRESSIVELY ADVERTISING THE POSITIONS AND, UM, OUR SCIENCE AND STEM, UM, TEAM HAS DONE SOME WONDERFUL JOB WITH PARTNERSHIPS WITH UNIVERSITIES AS WELL, SO THAT WE CAN ATTRACT STUDENTS IN THOSE FIELDS AS WELL AS OTHER, UM, INDUSTRY LEADERS THAT COULD WITH THE COME TO OUR STEM HIGH SCHOOL WITH THAT KNOWLEDGE FOR OUR STUDENTS.
SO WE'RE IN THE RECRUITMENT PHASE, BUT WE DON'T FORESEE IT AT THIS TIME.
AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THE APPLICATION PROCESS IS OPEN.
UH, DO WE HAVE A PULSE ABOUT HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE APPLYING AND THINGS THAT, DO WE EVEN HAVE THAT YET, OR IS THAT WON'T BE DETERMINED UNTIL LATER ON DOWN THE ROAD.
I AM BEYOND EXCITED ABOUT THE STEM HIGH SCHOOL, BUT EQUALLY AS EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR STUDENTS ARE GETTING FROM K THROUGH 12 AND ALL OF OUR SCHOOLS.
AND I KNOW THAT WAS THE HOPE OF OUR COMMUNITY WHEN THIS BECAME A DREAM, UM, IN 2020 AND LEADING UP TO THAT.
SO IT'S SO AMAZING TO SEE IT ALL COME TO LIFE.
I LOVE THE PROGRESS THAT HAS BEEN MADE IN THE, UM, IN SCIENCE AND OUR ASSESSMENTS.
AND I KNOW THAT THAT'S BEEN A HUGE FOCUS.
I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ALL OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE BECAUSE OF THE EFFORT THAT Y'ALL HAVE PUT IN AT EVERY GRADE LEVEL.
AND I'M REALLY GLAD THAT THERE ARE SO MANY SMART STUDENTS TO KEEP US ALL HUMBLE.
'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT ANY OF THOSE WORDS Y'ALL JUST SAID MEAN, SO I'M REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THEM.
UM, WE'LL NOW MOVE TO OUR NEXT INFORMATIONAL ITEM, WHICH IS C TWO A.
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR FOR INFORMATIONAL ITEM C TWO A UNDER
[01:10:01]
ENSURING OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, THE SEPTEMBER, 2026 CONSTRUCTION OF EAST BLOSS REPORT.I'D LIKE TO INVITE MR. BARRY MILES, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER.
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE.
AS STATED, I BRING IN THE SEPTEMBER CONSTRUCTION REPORT, BEGINNING WITH STEM HIGH SCHOOL.
WE'VE GOT GRADING ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE SITE HAS BEGUN FOR THE UNDERGROUND POND.
THE COURTYARD DRAIN INSTALLATION AND GRADING ALSO CONTINUES IN SECTOR A FIRST FLOOR FRP DOORS.
FRP STANDS FOR FIBERGLASS REINFORCED POLYMER, UH, THE FIRST FLOOR FRP DOORS, UH, THIRD FLOOR, WATER LINES AND MAIN ENTRANCE DOOR FRONT AND WINDOWS AND CEILING GRID INSTALLATION CONTINUES THERE IN SECTOR B, LOW VOLTAGE WIRING, DRYWALL FINISHING AND PAINT.
SECTOR C, WE'VE GOT AIR BARRIER, SPRINKLER LINE AND WALL FRAMING, INSTALLATION, CONTINUING THERE.
SECTOR D, WE'VE GOT LOW VOLTAGE WIRING, FLOOR GRINDING AND SPRINKLER HEAD INSTALLATION CONTINUE.
SECTOR E, THE MASONRY WALL FIREPROOFING AND DUCT WORK INSTALLATION CONTINUES IN THOSE WINGS.
SIDEWALK POURS COMPLETE ON NORTH PARKING LOT OR NORTH PARKING BETWEEN THE GYM AND SUSTAINABILITY WINGS AND BETWEEN THE SUSTAINABILITY AND AEROSPACE WINGS, CURB AND GUTTER INSTALLATION IS COMPLETE IN THE NORTHEAST AND WEST.
PARKING AND BASE LAYER OF ASPHALT IS COMPLETE, UH, FOR THE PARKING LOT.
MOVING TO OLA HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM FLOOR TILE TO BEGIN THIS MONTH.
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE NEW WING AND THE EXISTING BUILDING TO BEGIN SITE CLEANUP AND POST-CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES ARE CONTINUING THERE.
UH, LAST WEEK WE PERFORMED THE, UH, CONTRACTOR PERFORMED THE HVAC TEST AND BALANCE AS AGAIN, UH, NEAR STATED EARLIER, UH, NEAR SUBSTANTIAL COMPLETION THERE.
MOVING TO WOLF CREEK ELEMENTARY, UNDERGROUND BORING FOR SITE LIGHTING BEGINS FOR THE UTILITY COMPANY SECTOR.
A COLUMN PORES BEGIN IN THE OFFICE, IN MEDIA CENTER AND SECTOR B, MASONRY ACTIVITIES AND PLUMBING AND ELECTRICAL ROUGH CONTINUE THERE.
SECTOR C, STRUCTURAL STEEL JOIST AND METAL DECKING CONTINUE SECTOR D LOADING DOCK POUR FOR THE KITCHEN IS COMPLETE AND SITE WORK CONTINUES ON BOTH SIDES AND THE REAR OF THAT FACILITY, LOCUS GROVE HIGH SCHOOL EROSION CONTROL IS IN PLACE.
THE CONTRACTOR IS MOBILIZING ON THAT PROJECT.
PRE-CONSTRUCTION MEETING IS COMPLETE SCHEDULING AND MATERIAL ACQUISITION TO BEGIN SOON.
HVAC GROUP SIX DASH ONE PRE-CONSTRUCTION MEETING IS COMPLETE AND SCHEDULING AND MATERIAL ACQUISITION TO BEGIN ON THAT ONE AS WELL.
AND HVAC GROUP SIX DASH TWO AND THE HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS POLICE DEPARTMENT FACILITY.
WE ARE IN THE CONTRACT PHASE FOR BOTH OF THOSE PROJECTS.
PLACE, DR. PACE, THAT CONCLUDES WHAT I PREPARED AND I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.
I'LL BE A PLACE, NOT A PROBLEM.
MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR SEPTEMBER 22, UH, SIX CONSTRUCTION AT EAST BLOCKS REPORT AND MADE AVAILABLE TO OUR BOARD IF ANY QUESTIONS.
DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? MR. MCDANIEL? THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR AND THANK YOU.
UH, MR. MILES, LIKE YOU'VE BEEN PUT ON THE CLOCK WITH THE STEM HIGH SCHOOL, SO MAKE SURE WE DELIVER ON THAT ONE.
UM, ON THE DUTCHTOWN HIGH SCHOOL PARKING LOT, UH, THE LIGHTING, UM, THAT'S THE MIDDLE ROW THAT'S OUT.
HAVE WE HAD ANY, UM, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY MOVEMENT ON THAT? YES SIR.
WE'VE DETERMINED THE UTILITY COMPANY, WE CALL THEM OUT TO INVESTIGATE.
THERE IS A FAULT IN AN UNDERGROUND CABLE.
IT'S NOT A MATTER OF JUST REPAIRING THE INDIVIDUAL LIGHTS OR THE POLES THEMSELVES.
SO THE UTILITY COMPANY IS WORKING TO ADDRESS THE, UH, THE, UH, CABLE THAT'S UNDERGROUND, THAT'S FAULTY.
AND THEN LAST QUESTION WITH THE HVAC, AND YOU MAY HAVE SAID THIS, SO PLEASE REFRESH MY MEMORY.
UM, WITH HVAC, YOU GOT GROUP SIX ONE AND SIX TWO.
UM, AND I, I THINK WHEN WE WENT ON SOME OF THE SCHOOL VISITS, I WANNA SAY IT'S LAST YEAR, SOME OF THE UNITS ARE ACTUALLY LIKE INSIDE.
I THINK THOSE LIKE THE CLASSROOM UNITS THAT ARE ACTUALLY INSIDE THE WALLS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
REMEMBER THAT CONVERSATION? YES, SIR.
SO THIS HVAC, IS IT TO REPLACE THOSE OR IS IT THE ONES ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING? ALL OF THE ABOVE, SIR.
UM, HVAC UNITS ARE ACTUALLY IN THE CORRIDORS OF ALL THE SCHOOLS.
THEY'RE NOT ACTUALLY ABOVE THE CLASSROOM.
SO OUR TECHNICIANS, IT'S A GREAT DESIGN.
OUR TECHNICIANS CAN WORK ON THOSE UNITS IN THE HALLWAY AND NOT DISRUPT INSTRUCTION WHEN THEY HAVE TO.
BUT THE PROJECT INCLUDES THOSE INDIVIDUAL CLASSROOM HVAC UNITS AND THEN ALSO THE ROOFTOP UNITS THAT SERVE THE COMMON AREAS, THE GYMS AND THE CAFETERIAS AND THE OFFICE AREAS AS WELL AS THE EQUIPMENT THAT FEEDS THOSE.
SO WILL THERE BE ANOTHER GROUP OR IS THIS THE LAST ONE? THIS IS THE LAST GROUP IN PLUS SIX, SIR.
I JUST, THAT'S THE REASON WHY I ASKED.
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. MILES.
WE'LL NOW MOVE TO OUR NEXT INFORMATIONAL ITEM, WHICH IS C TWO B DR. PACE.
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR, FOR OUR NEXT INFORMATIONAL ITEM, C TWO B, OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS, TRANSPORTATION AND PLANNING AND ASSET ACCOUNTABILITY.
I'D LIKE TO INVITE MR. MILES TO REMAIN OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, ALSO TO BE JOINED BY MR. MITCHELL STEVENS, EXECUTIVE
[01:15:01]
DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ASSET ACCOUNTABILITY.AND MR. CHRISTOPHER MCLEOD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION.
GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE, WE ARE PLEASED TO PROVIDE OUR COMMUNITY IN THIS BOARD INFORMATION HIGHLIGHTING THE EXCEPTIONAL WORK OF OUR OPERATIONS DIVISION, SPECIFICALLY PLANNING AND ASSET ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES.
GROUNDED IS IN OUR, IN A COMMITMENT TO ORGANIZATIONAL AND OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS AND FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT.
BOTH DEPARTMENTS HAVE ACHIEVED REMARKABLE MILESTONES THAT DIRECTLY ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS AND STAFF IN TRANSPORTATION.
WE ARE CELEBRATING DRIVER STAFFING LEVELS NOT SEEN IN RECENT YEARS, HISTORIC ON-TIME DELIVERY RATES AND SOARING EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION SIMULTANEOUSLY, OUR PLANNING AND ASSET ACCOUNTABILITY TEAM CONTINUES TO MAXIMIZE OUR REPLACEMENT CYCLES AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH INNOVATIVE SCHOOL FURNITURE RE REFURBISHMENT, STREAMLINED TEXTBOOK MANAGEMENT, EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY PARTNER COLLABORATION AND ENROLLMENT TRACKING.
TOGETHER THESE INITIATIVE INITIATIVES ENSURE OUR RESOURCES ARE MANAGED, UH, RESPONSIBLY TO CREATE SUPPORTIVE, SAFE AND SECURE ENVIRONMENTS FOR EVERY STUDENT.
WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MR. MITCH STEVENS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND ASSET ACCOUNTABILITY, FOLLOWED BY MR. CHRIS MCLEOD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION SERVICES.
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD SUPERINTENDENT PACE, THE WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND ASSET ACCOUNTABILITY IS BROKEN INTO TWO MAJOR AREAS.
AREA ONE PLANNING INCLUDES MANAGING THE ATTENDANCE LINES AND BOUNDARIES FOR THE DISTRICT TO ENSURE BALANCED ENROLLMENT, STABLE FEEDER PATTERNS, AND EQUITABLE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS FOR EVERY HENRY COUNTY STUDENT.
AREA TWO ASSET ACCOUNTABILITY INCLUDES THE MANAGEMENT OF MOST HENRY COUNTY SCHOOL'S, NON-FIXED ASSETS ACROSS THE ENTIRE DISTRICT.
WE REMAIN ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING COUNTIES IN GEORGIA.
OUR TEAM MAINTAINS ACTIVE CONTINUOUS COLLABORATION WITH OUR COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL PARTNERS.
DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH INFORMATION THEY PROVIDE IS CRITICAL TO THE DISTRICT'S PLANNING PROCESS PROCESS.
THEIR PARTNERSHIP PROVIDES LEADING DATA THAT ALLOWS US TO BEGIN TRACKING GROWTH SOONER.
WE TRACK EVERY RESIDENTIAL ZONING, SUBDIVISION PLAT AND BUILDING PERMIT, ENSURING OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM CAN ANTICIPATE GROWTH IN THE DISTRICT.
THE DATA GARNERED FROM THESE WORK HELPS LEAD THE DISTRICT'S ANNUAL AND LONG-TERM PLANNING PROCESS.
EACH YEAR WE COLLECT THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA AND COMBINE IT WITH BIANNUAL CONSTRUCTION WALKS THAT PRODUCE OUR ANNUAL SCHOOL BY SCHOOL COHORT PROJECTIONS.
BY TRACKING STUDENT ENROLLMENT TRENDS, WE PROVIDE THE FOUNDATIONAL DATA THAT HUMAN RESOURCES LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE AND BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL SERVICES RELY ON EACH SPRING TO, TO ENSURE EVERY CAMPUS IS STAFFED EFFECTIVELY ON DAY ONE.
LONG-TERM PLANNING TRANSLATES DEMOGRAPHIC FORECAST INTO PHYSICAL REALITY.
FROM FIVE TO 15 YEAR FACILITY HORIZONS.
OUR DEPARTMENT GUIDES STRATEGIC LAND ACQUISITION, CLASSROOM ADDITIONS AND MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS SUCH AS BIRCH CREEK AND WOLF CREEK ELEMENTARY, DELIVERING VITAL CAPACITY RELIEF AND PROTECTING YOUR INVESTMENT OF COMMUNITY APPROVED EAST PLUS DOLLARS.
HAVING RELIABLE VERIFIED LONGITUDINAL DATA PROVIDES THIS BOARD AND DISTRICT LEADERSHIP TO NEGOTIATE STATE CAPITAL OUTLAY EARNINGS PLAN FUTURE BOND CYCLES, AND ENSURE OUR INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORTS LONG-TERM OPERATIONAL AND ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE.
PLANNING ANTICIPATES WHERE STUDENTS WILL LEARN ASSET ACCOUNTABILITY ENSURES THEY HAVE WHAT THEY NEED WHEN THEY ARRIVE.
OUR TEAM OVERSEES THREE ESSENTIAL PILLARS, INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES, ATHLETIC EQUIPMENT AND DISTRICT AND SCHOOL FURNITURE, MANAGING PHYSICAL ASSETS ACROSS THE DISTRICT TO DRIVE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY.
WE AUTHORED AND IMPLEMENTED THE HENRY COUNTY SCHOOL'S ASSET MANAGEMENT MANUAL.
THIS CODIFIES FURNITURE AND RESOURCES STANDARD ACROSS OUR CAMPUSES, ESTABLISHING BUL BULK PURCHASING ADVANTAGES, A PREDICTABLE REPLENISHMENT CYCLE, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, ENSURING CLASSROOM DESIGN EQUITY REGARDLESS OF THE FACILITY'S AGE.
THROUGH OUR SCHOOL DESIGN, THROUGH OUR SCHOOL REFURBISHMENT INITIATIVES, WE HAVE ALREADY MODERNIZED 20 SCHOOLS USING PRECISE ARCHITECTURAL PLANNING.
WE TRANSFORM TRADITIONAL CLASSROOMS INTO COLLABORATIVE STUDENT LEARNING SUITES AND MODERNIZE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE SUITES.
THIS ELEVATES SCHOOL CULTURE, SUPPORTS STAFF RETENTION AND INSPIRES STUDENT ENGAGEMENT.
WITH THIS BOARD'S INVESTMENT IN OUR SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THIS WORK FAR INTO THE FUTURE.
FINALLY, BEHIND EVERY CLASSROOM IS OUR CENTRAL RECEIVING AND DISTRIBUTION OPERATION.
OUR TEAM FULFILLS THOUSANDS OF RECEIVING AND DISTRIBUTION WORK ORDERS ANNUALLY.
WE MAXIMIZE EVERY TAXPAYER TAXPAYER DOLLAR BY SHARING EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ARE DEPLOYED WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED MOST.
I'LL NOW TURN THIS OVER TO MR. MCLEOD.
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
[01:20:01]
AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE.WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FOSTERING A POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE, IT TRULY BEGINS THE MOMENT OUR STUDENTS STEP ON THE BUS IN THE MORNING.
THIS YEAR, THROUGH A STEADFAST COMMITMENT TO FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND STRATEGIC RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, THIS TEAM HAS TURNED A PERSISTENT OPERATIONAL CHALLENGE INTO A HISTORIC TRIUMPH, PROVING THAT WHEN WE INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE AND OUR PROCESSES, OUR STUDENTS WIN.
IT IS AN UNDENIABLE TRUTH THAT ON-TIME DELIVERY PROTECTS VITAL INSTRUCTIONAL TIME AND PROVIDES A SMOOTH, SUPPORTIVE AND PREDICTABLE START TO THE SCHOOL DAY FOR CLARITY.
WHEN WE REFERENCE ON-TIME DELIVERY, WE ARE DESCRIBING THE METRIC OF MORNING DELIVERY OF STUDENTS TO SCHOOL.
THE EFFORTS OF THIS BOARD AND THE DISTRICT HAVE YIELDED REMARKABLE GAINS BETWEEN 2023 AND 2026.
AUGUST ON TIME, PERFORMANCE SURGED FROM 76% TO 94%.
SEPTEMBER PERFORMANCE CLIMBED FROM 80% TO 96% ACROSS ALL TIERS.
OUR PERFORMANCE METRICS REFLECT STEADY UPWARD MOMENTUM.
BY ENSURING DEPENDABLE, CONSISTENT DAILY TRANSPORTATION, WE REDUCE MORNING STRESS, PROTECT INSTRUCTIONAL TIME, SAFEGUARD THE OVERALL STUDENT EXPERIENCE, AND ENSURE EVERY STUDENT ARRIVES READY TO ENGAGE AND LEARN DIRECTLY SUPPORTING ON-TIME DELIVERY.
DRIVER STAFFING GREW FROM 79% TO 94% IN THAT SAME TIME PERIOD, ENSURING OUR DEPARTMENT IS STAFFED WITH HIGHLY QUALIFIED, WELL-TRAINED BUS DRIVERS IS THE FOUNDATION OF SAFE AND RELIABLE STUDENT TRANSPORTATION.
BY CONSTANTLY ENGAGING IN RECRUITMENT EFFORTS LIKE CAREER FAIRS AND LOCAL EVENTS.
WE AREN'T JUST HIRING, WE ARE STRENGTHENING THE OVERALL BRAND OF OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
ELEVATING OUR PRESENCE IN THE COMMUNITY HAS NOT ONLY RESULTED IN RECRUITMENT, BUT ALSO RETENTION.
OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS IS DEPENDENT UPON WORKFORCE STABILITY.
BY ELEVATING DEPARTMENT CULTURE THROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS AND RECOGNITION AND ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS, WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY RETAINED KEY BUS DRIVERS AND MONITORS FOR OUR STUDENTS.
THIS MEANS A SMILING, FAMILIAR, TRUSTED FACE EACH MORNING, REDUCING ANXIETY, BUILDING A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT, AND ESTABLISHING A POSITIVE TONE FOR THE DAY BEFORE STUDENTS EVEN STEP FOOT IN THE CLASSROOM.
OUR 2026 DEPARTMENT CULTURE SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS AN EXCEPTIONAL FOUNDATION OF TRUST AMONG SHOCK MECHANICS AND OFFICE STAFF AND BUS DRIVERS AND MONITORS.
REPORT STRONG DAILY SUPPORT FROM SUPERVISORS.
THE FEEDBACK ALSO GUIDES OUR NEXT STEPS, DEEPENING SUPERVISORY SUPPORT, REFINING ROUTE EFFICIENCY, AND LEVERAGING EAST BLOS FUNDING FOR MODERN AIR CONDITIONED ALTERNATIVE FUELED BUSES.
TO DEEPEN COMMUNITY TRUST, WE LAUNCHED OUR TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COUNCIL IN SEPTEMBER, BRINGING TOGETHER PARENTS, STUDENTS, BUSINESS OWNERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND FRONTLINE STAFF.
THE COUNCIL CONTRIBUTES STRATEGIC INPUT ON SAFETY DISTRICT TRENDS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETING MONTHLY FOLLOWING OUR INAUGURAL SESSION AND FACILITY TOUR.
THIS GROUP IS POISED TO PROVIDE AN ACTIVE VOICE IN OUR PURSUIT OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT.
IN CLOSING, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT EVERY CULTURE, STAFFING, AND OPERATIONAL INVESTMENT PAYS DIVIDENDS IN THE FORM OF STUDENT READINESS TO LEARN BOARD.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT DR. PACE.
THAT IS ALL WE HAVE PREPARED AND TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.
THANK YOU MR. MCLEOD, MR. MITCHELL, MR. UH, AND MR. MILES? UH, I JUST WANNA SAY MADAM CHAIR BEFORE I TURN IT OVER.
WITHOUT THE WORK OF OUR OPERATIONS TEAM AND THE FOCUS ON OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS AS DENOTED IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, UH, IN MANY OTHER AREAS, UH, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING IN THIS DISTRICT.
SO I JUST WANT TO, UH, GIVE THANKS TO OUR OPERATIONS TEAM.
I KNOW WE HIGHLIGHTED TRANSPORTATION AND PLANNING AND ASSET, BUT EVERYBODY INVOLVED, UH, THIS ENTIRE SCHOOL DISTRICT WOULD COME TO A HALT WITHOUT THEIR WORK.
SO I WANT TO THANK THEM BECAUSE WE DON'T ACCOMPLISH WHAT WE DO, UH, WITHOUT THEM.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR UPDATE AND I TURN IT OVER TO THE BOARD FOR ANY FEEDBACK OR QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH DR. PACE AND THANK YOU MR. STEVENS AND MR. MCLEOD AND MR. MILES FOR THAT EXCELLENT AND EXCITING PRESENTATION.
DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? MS. CARTER, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR A GREAT PRESENTATION.
Y'ALL ALL DID WONDERFUL AND JUST APPRECIATE ALL THE UPDATES.
I KNOW WITH THE NEW SCHOOL GOING IN ALL THE INFORMATION AND I LOVE ALL THE NEW THINGS GOING ON IN TRANSPORTATION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND I FEEL LIKE MR. BARRY JUST DOES SUCH A GREAT JOB EVERY MONTH AND HE JUST GIVES US JUST AN UPDATE AND WE JUST NEVER REALLY SAY MUCH.
BUT WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE ALL YOU DO.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.
JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW WE REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOU.
[01:25:04]
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.UM, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT REPORT.
I'M SO EXCITED TO SEE THESE NUMBERS.
I REMEMBER A FEW YEARS AGO, YOU KNOW, OUR PHONES ARE RINGING OFF THE HOOK, PARENTS WERE COMPLAINING.
I HAVEN'T GOT ANY COMPLAINTS THIS YEAR.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH TO SEE THE NUMBERS FROM, UM, ON TIME DELIVERY FROM 76 IN AUGUST TO 96.
AND DRIVER STAFFING HAS INCREASED.
IT'S JUST WONDERFUL, YOU KNOW, TO NOT GET THOSE CALLS FROM THE PARENTS 'CAUSE IT'S A SERIOUS MATTER WHEN THOSE KIDS ARE WAITING OUT THERE ON THE BUSES AND IN THE RAIN IN THE COLD.
SO I'M GONNA GIVE YOU ALL A PAT ON THE BACK.
UH, AND I TOO WANNA SAY THE NUMBERS ARE, ARE, ARE GREAT, UM, BECAUSE MS. EDWARDS IS ALWAYS REMINDING US, UH, ABOUT THE PHONE CALLS THAT WE RECEIVE AND I HEARD A BUNCH OF KNOCKS ON THE DISC, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN, HOPEFULLY, AND WATCH HOW ALL OF A SUDDEN WE GET PHONE CALLS.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR, UH, THE OVERALL THING.
I THINK THE ONLY THING THAT I WOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT IN LOOKING AT THIS IS NOT A RIDICULED ANYTHING LIKE THAT, IS WHEN YOU LOOK AT A OVERALL NUMBER FROM THE MACRO LEVEL, SOMETIMES YOU MISS WHAT HAPPENS ON THE MICRO LEVEL WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE INDIVIDUAL CLUSTERS.
SO WHILE THIS CLUSTER MAY HAVE A HUNDRED PERCENT, ANOTHER CLUSTER MAY HAVE 76% OR 78%.
SO IF AS, AND I'M PRETTY SURE Y'ALL ARE, ARE DOING THAT, BUT IF WE CAN JUST MAKE SURE THAT AS WE ARE SHOWING THE COMMUNITY THAT WE HAVE INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY IN OUR OWN TIME DELIVERY, THAT FOR THOSE PARTICULAR CLUSTERS THAT ARE IMPACTED, WHETHER IT BE LOA, DUTCHTOWN, WHEREVER, THAT THOSE INDIVIDUAL CLUSTERS, THAT THEY GET THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR SCHOLARS ARE ARRIVING ON TIME AS WELL.
IF WE CAN JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT IT FROM THAT, THAT LENS.
AND THEN, UM, ABOUT THE, UM, I THINK IT WAS MR. STEVENS WHEN IT TALKED ABOUT THE PLANNING AND ASSET ACCOUNTABILITY.
COULD YOU JUST DETAIL FOR THE CITIZENS A HOT TOPIC ITEM HERE? WHAT IS OUR ROLE, IF ANY, WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, AND, AND YOU KNOW, THAT PROCESS.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, UH, IN THAT, IN THAT ROLE? AND THERE'S A REASON WHY I ASK THAT QUESTION.
UH, SIMPLY THE, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION'S ONLY ONLY ROLE IN THAT ACTUAL PROCESS OF ZONING IS WE FILL OUT A FORM THAT'S CALLED AN IMPACT STATEMENT.
THEY TELL US HOW MANY, UH, HOUSES THERE OR APARTMENTS THEY'RE PLANNING ON BUILDING AND WE TELL THEM ABOUT HOW MANY STUDENTS THAT'LL SUPPLY, UH, THE, THE SCHOOL SYSTEM BASED ON OUR NUMBERS AND, UH, LIKE HOW MANY SCHOOL BUSES OR TEACHERS THEY MAY, MAY NEED ADDITIONAL BASED ON, UH, THE NUMBER OF KIDS THAT'LL COME FROM THOSE PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENTS.
WE HAVE NO LIKE APPROVAL OR DENIAL POWER WHATSOEVER, JUST KIND OF INFORMATIONAL.
NOW, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THAT IS GIVEN TO THE SCHOOLS.
THE DISTRICT, UH, THAT'S GIVEN TO THE DISTRICT.
SOMEONE WITHIN MR. MILES' OFFICE FILLS IT OUT, SENDS IT BACK TO PLANNING AND ZONING, WHICH THEN PUTS IT INTO THE PLANNING AND ZONING PACKAGE.
YOU SAID IMPACT STATEMENT OR WE, THE, WE SEND IT, THE DEVELOPER SENDS IT TO US, THE DEVELOPER.
AND WE SEND IT BACK TO THE DEVELOPER 'CAUSE IT'S PART OF THEIR PACKAGE.
THEY HAVE TO SEND THE PLANNING AND ZONING.
THEY SEND THE PLANNING AND ZONING, WHICH IS IN THEIR PACKET.
SO I JUST WANNA REITERATE, THE BOARD OF EDUCATION HAS NO APPROVAL OR DENIAL OVER RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS, CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.
UH, AND THERE'S, SO THE REASON WHY I ASKED THAT QUESTION IS BECAUSE SO MANY TIMES THE CITIZENS THINK THAT WE DO YEAH.
THINK THAT WE HAVE THAT POWER.
WE ARE REACTIVE TO WHAT THE COUNTY DOES OR A CITY DOES IN TERMS OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT.
UM, AND ALSO WOULD YOU ADD TO THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM TRIES VERY HARD TO KEEP SUBDIVISIONS TOGETHER.
WE DON'T SPLIT THEM, UM, IN HALF BECAUSE I KNOW WE'VE, WE'VE HAD YES MA'AM.
I JUST WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION.
UM, 'CAUSE I'M STILL ON THIS OWN TIME ARRIVAL.
HOW HAS THE SECOND BUS BAR BUS BARN IMPACTED THESE NUMBERS IN TERMS OF EFFICIENCY AND, AND HAVING,
[01:30:01]
UM, CERTAIN, UH, CLUSTERS OF SCHOOLS BE ABLE TO KIND OF STAY IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA? IT, IT'S HELPED US SIGNIFICANTLY THAT INVESTMENT FROM OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH EAST BOSTON.AND THIS BOARD'S COMMITMENT HAS HAD TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT IN TERMS OF OUR MAINTENANCE OF OUR BUSES, WHICH GETS THEM BACK ON THE ROAD FASTER, BUT ALSO, UM, JUST IN TERMS OF EFFICIENCY IN OUR ROUTING.
UM, I'M, THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE REPORT.
ALL OF THIS, YOU KNOW, WE WERE, MR. MCDANIEL MENTIONED OUR JOB IS TO REACT TO WHAT HAPPENS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, BUT YOU ALL ARE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE NOT HAVING TO BE REACTIVE.
WE ARE, Y'ALL ARE SO PROACTIVE IN THE WAY THAT YOU LOOK AHEAD AND PLAN SO THAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE A SAFE AND SECURE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.
UM, THE TRANSPORTATION NUMBERS ARE PHENOMENAL.
YOU KNOW, WE HERE, AS MS. EDWARDS REMINDED US, WE HEAR WHEN THINGS AREN'T GOING WELL, BUT NO ONE HEARS WHEN THINGS ARE GOING EXCEPTIONALLY WELL.
SO I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO JUST HAVE A SPOTLIGHT ON TRANSPORTATION SO THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN SEE THE INCREDIBLE WORK THAT OUR BUS DRIVERS DO EACH AND EVERY DAY.
I, MY FAVORITE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL TRADITION IS STARTING IT OFF WITH OUR BUS DRIVERS AT DARK 30 IN THE MORNING.
AND I KNOW THAT'S WHAT THEY DO EACH AND EVERY DAY WITH A SMILE ON THEIR FACE AND JUST ENERGY THAT STARTS THE DAY OFF.
RIGHT? SO THANK YOU SO MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR BOTH OF YOUR LEADERSHIP, MR. MILES.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE SO INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL FOR YOU AND THE WORK THAT YOU LEAD, BUT I'M JUST REALLY GRATEFUL WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TONIGHT TO CELEBRATE Y'ALL.
WE'LL NOW MOVE TO OUR LAST INFORMATIONAL ITEM, WHICH IS ITEM C TWO C, DR. PACE.
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR FOR INFORMATIONAL ITEM C TWO C SEPTEMBER, 2026 FINANCIAL REPORTS.
I'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR INTERIM CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, MS. ROXANNE HARKIN.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE.
TODAY I BRING A REPORT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITY FOR THE PERIOD ENDING SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2026, WHICH CONCLUDES THE FIRST QUARTER OF A PHYSICAL YEAR, 2027.
I'LL START THE REPORT WITH A LOCAL, WITH A LOOK ACROSS ALL FUNDS.
AND LOOKING AT THE LAST COLUMN IN THE YELLOW HIGHLIGHT, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE'VE COLLECTED 15.2% OF PLANNED REVENUES TO DATE ACROSS ALL FUNDS.
THIS IS AN INCREASE OF 1.3% COMPARED TO LAST YEAR AT THE SAME CHECKPOINT IN THE YEAR EXPENDITURES TO DATE ACROSS, ALL FUNDS ARE APPROACHING 29% AS SHOWN IN THE GREEN HIGHLIGHT.
OBLIGATIONS OUTSTANDING FOR THE PERIOD TOTALED $4.7 MILLION WITH 61% OF THESE OBLIGATIONS PERTAINING TO CAPITAL PROJECTS RELATED EXPENDITURES AND NEARLY 38% OF THE OBLIGATIONS PERTAINING TO THE GENERAL FUND.
MOVING ALONG, WE'LL REVIEW THE GENERAL FUND ACTIVITY, THE HOME OF OUR DAILY OPERATIONS WITH A THIRD MONTH COMPLETE.
WE ARE 25% THROUGH THE YEAR ON A LINEAR CALENDAR BASIS.
TO DATE, WE HAVE COLLECTED 14.1% OF PLANNED RECEIPTS AS SHOWN IN THE YELLOW HIGHLIGHT.
WE CAN ANTICIPATE THIS PERCENTAGE TO LAG BEHIND THE PACE OF THE YEAR UNTIL PROPERTY TAX REVENUES ARE COLLECTED IN NOVEMBER.
TURNING OUR EYE TO THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PAGE AND LOOKING AT THE GREEN HIGHLIGHT, YOU CAN SEE WE'VE INCURRED EXPENSES REPRESENTING 25.9% OF THE BUDGET, WHICH IS PACING JUST AHEAD OF THE FISCAL YEAR ON A LINEAR BASIS.
WHEN THE OBLIGATIONS OF $1.8 MILLION ARE ADDED INTO CONSIDERATION, THE PACE OF EXPENDITURES IS 26.2%.
NEXT, WE WILL REVIEW THE GENERAL FUND BALANCE SHEET.
THE TOTAL VALUE OF GENERAL FUNDS ASSETS AT THE CLOSE OF SEPTEMBER TOTALED $66.5 MILLION.
THE NEXT SLIDE PROVIDES A VIEW OF CASH ON HAND ACROSS ALL FUNDS.
LOOKING AT THE LAST COLUMN, THE TOTAL OF CASH AND EQUIVALENT INVESTMENTS TOTALED $176.9 MILLION FOR THE REPORTING PERIOD.
NEXT, WE'LL REVIEW THE EDUCATION PLUS SIX REPORT EXPENDITURES FOR THE PERIOD, WHICH ARE SHOWN IN THE SECOND TO LAST COLUMN.
WERE APPROACHING $9 MILLION WITH 77.6% OF THE PERIODS EXPENSES RELATED TO CONSTRUCTION AND RELATED PROJECTS.
FINALLY, WE WILL REVIEW THE CAPITAL ACCUMULATION FINANCIAL REPORT.
DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, THERE WERE EXPENDITURES OF $4,477
[01:35:03]
AND 42 CENTS ALIGNED TO FURNITURE GROWTH AND REPLACEMENT ACTIVITY.THAT CONCLUDES WHAT I HAVE PREPARED AND I YIELD THE FLOOR TO YOU.
THANK YOU MRS. HARUM, MADAM CHAIR.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR SEPTEMBER 26TH FINANCIAL REPORTS AND REMAIN AVAILABLE TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU DR. BASS AND THANK YOU MRS. HARKIN FOR THAT REPORT.
DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? DR.
YOU'VE STEPPED UP TO SOME PRETTY BIG SHOES AND CONGRATULATIONS, I THINK AN EXCELLENT JOB, YOU AND YOUR TEAM AND, UM, WELCOME.
UM, SEEING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, WE APPRECIATE IT SO MUCH.
WE'LL NOW MOVE IN OUR AGENDA TO D OUR BUSINESS ITEMS. UM, I WILL REMIND EVERYONE THAT THESE TWO ITEMS WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR OUR CONSENT AGENDA AND OUR BUSINESS MEETING, BUT AS ALWAYS, ANYONE IS WELCOME TO REMOVE THEM IF THEY SO WISH.
WE'LL BEGIN WITH ITEM D ONE, DR. PACE.
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR FOR BUSINESS ITEM D ONE BUSINESS INFRASTRUCTURE ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING SYSTEM.
I'D LIKE TO ASK OUR INTERIM CFO MS COMB TO PRESENT THIS BUSINESS ITEM.
GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE BUSINESS ITEM E ONE PERTAINS TO THE PROCUREMENT OF SUPPORT SERVICES FOR ACCESS HCS WHERE PRIORITY SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOLLOWING OUR JANUARY, 2025 FULL SCALE IMPLEMENTATION BOARD.
AUTHORIZATION IS REQUESTED FOR ADDITIONAL SPENDING AUTHORITY AS F SIX FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT INDICATED BEYOND THE CONTRACT BUNDLE APPROVED THIS PAST JUNE.
THIS COVERS AN INCREASED SCOPE OF WORK WITH HIGH STREET IT SOLUTIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD OF JUNE 30TH, 2027.
SPECIFICALLY, THIS REQUEST SUPPORTS CRITICAL UPDATES OF STATE AND FEDERAL TAX COMPLIANCE, BENEFIT AND RETIREMENT PROCESSING, PAYROLL AND ENHANCEMENTS IN YEAREND SUPPORT AND GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STAFF.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS DJE COMPLIANCE IS ACHIEVED THROUGH COMPETITIVE BIDDING EXCEPTION NUMBER SIX, WHICH ALLOWS FOR ADDITIONAL PURCHASES OF THE SAME OR LIKE EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS AND SERVICES PREVIOUSLY BID.
THIS CONCLUDES WHAT I HAVE PREPARED AND I YIELD THE FLOOR TO YOU.
MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR BUSINESS ITEM D ONE BUSINESS INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING SYSTEM AND REMAIN AVAILABLE TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK.
AND THANK YOU AGAIN, MRS. HARAM.
DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NINE, THIS IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA.
THIS WILL BE PLACED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA THIS EVENING.
UM, OUR LAST BUSINESS ITEM IS ITEM D TWO.
THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR FOR BUSINESS ITEM D 2 20 27 BOARD MEETING TIME AND PLACE.
I'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT, MRS. SUMMER COX, TO PRESENT THIS BUSINESS ITEM.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MADAM CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD AND SUPERINTENDENT PACE.
AT THE SEPTEMBER BOARD MEETING, I PRESENTED A PROPOSED SCHEDULE FOR THE 2027 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGS.
THE DOCUMENT HAS BEEN AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENTS SINCE THAT MEETING, AND WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING THE PROPOSED SCHEDULE.
AS YOU MAY RECALL, THERE WAS A REQUEST AT THE SEPTEMBER BOARD MEETING TO CONSIDER AN ALTERNATE DATE FOR THE AUGUST, 2027 BOARD MEETING.
HOWEVER, AFTER RECEIVING FEEDBACK FROM ALL BOARD MEMBERS AT AGENDA REVIEW ACTIVITIES LAST WEEK, THAT CHANGE WAS NOT MADE TO THE DOCUMENT YOU ARE PRESENTED WITH THIS EVENING.
UM, THE VERSION PROVIDED IN YOUR MATERIALS PACKET IS THE SAME VERSION PRESENTED AT THIS SEPTEMBER BOARD MEETING.
THIS ITEM IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR TONIGHT'S CONSENT AGENDA, SUPERINTENDENT PACE.
THIS CONCLUDES ALL THAT I'VE PREPARED AND I TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.
THANK YOU, MRS. COX, MADAM CHAIR, THAT CONCLUDES OUR BUSINESS ITEM D 2 20 27 BOARD MEETING TIME AND PLACE, AND REMAIN AVAILABLE TO OUR BOARD FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK.
AND THANK YOU MRS. COX FOR THIS REPORT.
DOES ANY BOARD MEMBER HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? SEEING NONE.
THIS IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE CONSENT AGENDA.
THIS WILL ALSO BE PLACED ON OUR CONSENT AGENDA.
[E. EXECUTIVE SESSION]
TO E EXECUTIVE SESSION.CAN I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR DISCIPLINE? PERSONNEL AND LEGAL MADAM CHAIR, MAKE A RECOMMENDATION.
WE GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR DISCIPLINE, PERSONNEL AND LEGAL.
ALL IN FAVOR? PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
WE ARE NOW IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
CAN I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE TO COME OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION? MAKE A MOTION COME OUT.
[01:40:01]
YOUR HAND.WE ARE NOW OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION.
CAN I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS READ IN EXECUTIVE SESSION? I MAKE A MOTION.
WE APPROVE THE MINUTES AS STATED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
FOUR ZERO MINUTES ARE APPROVED AND I WILL NOW, OH, I'M SORRY.
UM, I WILL NOW ADJOURN OUR STUDY SESSION AT 6:14 PM AND WE WILL RESUME AT 7:00 PM FOR OUR BUSINESS SESSIONS.