Board Brief

This publication is designed to share the actions from the January 14, 2013 Board Meeting.

January 15, 2013 JANUARY IS “SCHOOL BOARD RECOGNITION MONTH”

REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

“Behind the Scenes” Hero Awards – Dr. Washington presented two “Behind the Scenes” Hero Awards. The first award was presented to Dr. Richie Reed, a community advocate, who has provided meaningful experiences and opportunities for the students of Jasper County School District. Dr. Reed’s work behind the scenes includes working with the Upward Bound Program, Junior Chamber of Commerce, visits to the Statehouse with the children, and several other meaningful and educational contributions to students and staff. The second award was presented to Robert Candillo, Principal of Ridgeland Elementary School, for appearing with the Superintendent three times on the Hispanic Radio Stations to ensure that the entire population was being communicated to. Mr. Candillo also served as a translator for telephone conversations after hours on several occasions during and after the consolidation and for translating district information for parents and being a good ambassador for the district internally and externally.

Superintendent’s Report - Dr. Washington reported on the total United Way donations made by employees of the Jasper County School District in the amount of $6,858.76. Ridgeland Elementary School raised the highest donation in the amount of $2,564.00. The other donations collected were District Office - $2370; Ridgeland High School - $460.00; Hardeeville Elementary School - $635.00; Hardeeville Ridgeland Middle School - $745.00 and the Transportation Department - $82.00. All of these monies go to the United Way to be used for Jasper County citizens.

Dr. Washington celebrated the great team of leaders who serveon the Jasper County Board of Trustees. She shared that January is “School Board Recognition Month”. Each board member has been assigned to a specific school for Board Recognition Month and they have been asked to visit that school during the month of January or February. Each school will be recognizing their board member(s) in a special way!

Elementary School Presentations – Ridgeland Elementary School and Hardeeville Elementary School principals, Robert Candillo and Rechel Anderson, shared their students’ PASS data comparisons for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years for Grades 3-5 by subject area. Each principal shared what programs or interventions are in place at their school, professional development that is being implemented for teachers, and assessment based S.M.A.R.T. Goals that have been projected to impact and improve student achievement. The principals also shared ways that students and staff are being celebrated and rewarded for their successes.

Special Services and Gifted & Talented Program Presentations – Dr. Meredith Cooler, Executive Director of the Office of Special Services, presented the special education goals that are in place toimpact student achievement for special needs students. She also shared the goals for the Gifted & Talented Program.

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BOARD BRIEF – JANUARY 15, 2013

PAGE TWO

State Comprehensive Audit Report – Gary West, Chief Officer of Finance & Data Management, presented the findings from the State Comprehensive Audit Report conducted by the S. C. Department of Education of state funds received by the District for the 2010-2011 school year. According to Mr. West, this was a very good audit and the exceptions were small and can be managed going forward. The audit revealed that 99.4% of the audited state funds were spent and accounted for appropriately. The District had to pay back to the State Department a total of $25,131, which is 0.6% of the $3.9 million in state funds. This was mainly due to overclaims that were made.

Security System Update – Darryl Owens, Chief of Operations,shared an update with the Board on security that is in place at the two school campuses. In awareness of the tragedy that occurred in December at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, they did a re-evaluation of the current security systems and plans in place. Each school was asked to identify areas that were in need of enhancement. There were a few areas of concern such as additional outside lighting and additional cameras in stairwells, blind spots, etc. Each campus has security cameras and monitoring systems installed as well as burglar alarm systems. There are currently four School Resource Officers on staff (one at the Hardeeville Campus and three at the Ridgeland Campus). A Comprehensive Safety Plan is in existence, which is an emergency preparedness plan developed to address fire (drills conducted monthly), tornados, hurricanes, bomb threats/explosions, school bus accidents, intruders and earthquakes. A Crisis Management Plan/Red Hanging Emergency Guide is located in each classroom. There is also a District and School Level Safety Committee that brings the administration and employees together in an effort to achieve the common goal of safe schools and a safe workplace. All school staff have photo identifications. School emergency plans have been developed in cooperation with law enforcement and other emergency response agencies. Violations of state and federal law that occur on school grounds are reported immediately by school officials to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Training of staff and students is ongoing. All visitors coming to the schools are required to report to the front offices. Mr. Owens stated that they will be acquiring quotes for the installation of fencing around the perimeters of both school campuses. They have already received a quote of $91,815.00 to install Card Key Access on forty doors at the schools (twenty at each campus). This will allow all entrance doors into the schools to remain locked from the outside and only persons with card keys will have access.

Special School Board Election – A special election will be held in March to fill the District 9 Board Seat vacated by Barbara B. Clark. Ms. Clark resigned in December as a result of her election to serve on the Jasper County Council. The candidate filing period opened at noon on January 11, 2013 and will close at noon on January 22, 2013 for the School Board District 9 Seat. The special election will be held on Tuesday, March 19, 2013. The Levy Lime House Community Center Precinct will be the only precinct open on Election Day. This precinct will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Only those voters who are registered in School District 9 will be eligible to vote. The deadline to register to vote in this special election is February 19, 2013.

Hardeeville Ridgeland Middle School Male Ensemble to Sing the National Anthem at the South Carolina Stingrays’ Game – Information was shared with the Board on the HRMS Male Ensemble being selected to sing the National Anthem before the South Carolina Stingrays’ Hockey Game at the North Charleston Coliseum on Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them become what they are capable of becoming.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Submitted by: Dr. Vashti K. Washington, Superintendent