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Apologize, I had the wrong time.

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Mr. Ramsey is still en route, so Ms.

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Davenport is going to chair the committee.

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00:00:14,540 --> 00:00:14,770
You can leave this one now.

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00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:18,620
So we'll be moving on to the Finance and Human Resources Committee meeting.

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Ms. Davenport, you're recognized.

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00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,240
Thank you, Madam Chair. I am calling the Committee on Finance and Human Resources

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to order. I declare there is a quorum of committee members present, and note that

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the media has been given proper notice pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act.

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Is there a motion to approve the agenda?

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00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:36,100
So moved.

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00:00:36,480 --> 00:00:39,220
Second. There's a motion and a second. Any discussion?

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00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:42,260
All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

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00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:43,120
Aye.

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00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:43,800
Aye.

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00:00:44,060 --> 00:00:46,480
Opposed, nay. The ayes have it, three to zero.

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00:00:47,180 --> 00:00:50,640
The only agenda item this evening is the fiscal year '26,

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'27 general fund budget, second reading. Ms.

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00:00:54,060 --> 00:00:55,760
Abrahamson, you are recognized.

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00:01:07,700 --> 00:01:11,060
Thank you, Ms. Davenport, Board Chair Wofford,

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00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:15,180
Superintendent Dixon, board members, cabinet members, and members of the

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public.

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00:01:16,660 --> 00:01:20,240
Tonight, we're presenting the second and final reading of the general fund

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operating budget.

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00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:24,710
Again, it's kind of a-

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A repeat

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00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:30,050
... rinse repeat of the first presentation.

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Again, a step increase for all eligible employees.

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00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,820
All eligible employees will also receive a 2% COLA

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00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:41,600
increase. This will put our first-year teacher salary at

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00:01:41,610 --> 00:01:45,560
$57,905. We will maintain a

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00:01:45,600 --> 00:01:47,260
31-year salary schedule

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00:01:48,260 --> 00:01:52,200
for years of experience. Due to budget constraints this year, we weren't able to

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00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,640
add any years, but we'll look to getting that to 35 as soon as

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00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,130
possible. We are decreasing debt service from

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00:01:59,340 --> 00:02:03,100
55 to 50 mills, and we're going to move that 5 mill

37
00:02:03,820 --> 00:02:07,660
decrease to our school operating millage and increase from

38
00:02:07,820 --> 00:02:11,260
141.9 to 146.9. This

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00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:15,020
maintains our current millage rate of 196.9.

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00:02:15,580 --> 00:02:19,380
We are adding 11 SPED positions for a cost of $1.5

41
00:02:19,420 --> 00:02:23,280
million, and we are going to transfer $1.9 million from our legal

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00:02:23,380 --> 00:02:27,320
settlement fund over to our school operating budget to shore up any

43
00:02:27,420 --> 00:02:31,080
budget variances. And we have no designated use of fund

44
00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:31,660
balance.

45
00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:35,360
This is an overview of our

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00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:39,980
revenue and expense projections from FY25, '26 to

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00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:41,640
FY26, '27.

48
00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:44,850
All in, our projected revenues for this year are

49
00:02:44,850 --> 00:02:48,970
$486,007,922,

50
00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,240
and we are on target to bring in that revenue.

51
00:02:52,740 --> 00:02:55,980
Our revenue projections for

52
00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:58,380
FY26, '27 are

53
00:02:58,390 --> 00:03:01,870
$517,931,159,

54
00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:06,520
divided out into our expenses. Our salaries and benefits

55
00:03:06,660 --> 00:03:06,960
total

56
00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:12,600
$444,810,038,

57
00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,640
which is about nearly 86% of our budget.

58
00:03:16,180 --> 00:03:19,630
Our purchase services, supplies, and equipment budget for schools and

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00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:23,329
departments is $73,121,121,

60
00:03:24,640 --> 00:03:28,480
which is 14% of

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00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:30,860
that $517 million.

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00:03:31,660 --> 00:03:32,329
Marcy, can I-

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Oh, sorry

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00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:34,680
... can I hold you right there?

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00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:35,460
Sure.

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We did these slides. I know there are at least a couple of questions.

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00:03:39,580 --> 00:03:43,360
So instead of going back through slides we just went

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through, do we want to go questions?

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00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:50,080
Sure. So I have one question. We're increasing salaries

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00:03:50,140 --> 00:03:52,960
$24,500,000 plus.

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00:03:53,260 --> 00:03:53,470
Mm-hmm.

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00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,680
How much of special revenue pays for salaries on top of that?

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00:03:57,640 --> 00:03:59,670
I will have to get that exact information-

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00:03:59,680 --> 00:03:59,800
Can you get that?

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00:03:59,829 --> 00:04:00,769
... and bring it back to you, but yes, ma'am, I'll-

76
00:04:00,769 --> 00:04:01,630
It'd be interesting. Yeah.

77
00:04:01,630 --> 00:04:01,630
Yeah.

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00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:03,990
I wanna know how much total we're spending on salaries this year.

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00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,520
But I will tell you, a good bit of our federal

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00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,930
monies, our special revenue monies, goes to salaries as benefits as well.

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00:04:10,940 --> 00:04:13,000
If you could give us some context on that, that would help.

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00:04:13,140 --> 00:04:13,580
Yes, ma'am.

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00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:15,540
Thank you, Sally.

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00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:22,140
I wanna say $20 million, but I'm up here guessing, which we shouldn't probably

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00:04:22,220 --> 00:04:22,680
be doing.

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00:04:24,500 --> 00:04:24,780
I was

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00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:29,080
looking at Dr. Ling. Would you be able to pull that together for us, Dr. Ling?

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00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:29,720
Yes.

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00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:30,420
Okay, thank you.

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00:04:33,300 --> 00:04:37,070
Again, this is our five-year revenue growth, just to show how

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00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,530
much we've grown in Berkeley County over the last five years.

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00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:42,930
In '22, '23, our budget was

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00:04:42,930 --> 00:04:47,560
$385,472,856

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00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:49,540
million. And we are now at

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00:04:49,550 --> 00:04:53,460
$517,931,159, very close

96
00:04:53,500 --> 00:04:54,540
to getting to 520.

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00:04:56,300 --> 00:05:00,140
So that means not only are we increasing salaries, but when we

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00:05:00,180 --> 00:05:03,740
increase salaries, we are also increasing

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00:05:03,840 --> 00:05:05,840
additional workforce.

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00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,420
So therefore, when we started at-- Can you go back?

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00:05:09,940 --> 00:05:10,300
Yes, ma'am.

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00:05:10,900 --> 00:05:13,720
When you started at 385 mills,

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00:05:14,660 --> 00:05:18,540
then you're now at the 517. You've added to the workforce, so therefore, you've

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00:05:18,620 --> 00:05:19,810
added salary addition,

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plus what else?

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00:05:24,020 --> 00:05:24,270
Well-

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What else has grown since we started other than the

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workforce?

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00:05:28,540 --> 00:05:30,850
With inflation and, pretty much everything.

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00:05:30,900 --> 00:05:34,480
Inflation, the cost of everything is going up, our SROs,

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00:05:34,780 --> 00:05:36,540
our software costs.

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00:05:37,740 --> 00:05:39,480
It's really packaged-

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00:05:39,580 --> 00:05:41,480
The operation of the entire district.

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00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:45,220
Yes, ma'am. And we opened two new schools this year, and we're reopening-

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00:05:45,260 --> 00:05:46,050
That's not included in this

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00:05:46,050 --> 00:05:46,420
... Hannaway Middle.

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00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:48,410
Is that included in your '26, '27?

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The head count's included.

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Yes.

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So the new hires.

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Yes. Not the building, but the head count.

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Yes.

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The workforce.

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Mm-hmm. Yes, ma'am.

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Okay. Just another

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refresh of how we got where we are right now without

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increasing millage is we decreased debt service by

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five mills and added that to our school operating millage.

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That'll decrease our debt service by 11.6 million

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and it'll increase school operating by a much needed 7.3

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million. And this realignment allows us to move funds into the

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correct bucket so that we can

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pay our expenditures out of the proper bucket of money and

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not put a burden on our local

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taxpayers.

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00:06:39,612 --> 00:06:41,342
Again, just because we're

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firm on that 50 mills, I provided

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a piece of our capital budget presentation that

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David Sheetwood did for us back in June to show that

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decreasing to 50 mills, and with our penny

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00:06:58,752 --> 00:07:02,372
sales tax, we're confident that we'll have the money to keep our capital project

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momentum going.

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00:07:04,832 --> 00:07:05,782
That's right.

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00:07:06,072 --> 00:07:08,772
This is a snapshot of our operating millage.

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You can see back in 2017, 2018, we were at 163.8

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mills.

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2019, '20 was a reassessment year, and

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we dropped to 151.8, and we maintained that millage for

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five years. Then our reassessment year in '24, '25, we

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00:07:26,312 --> 00:07:30,112
dropped to 141.9. We maintained that millage rate

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00:07:30,172 --> 00:07:33,712
last year. And this year, we're increasing our operating

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millage by the five mills we decreased from our debt service

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millage, which will be a slight savings for our

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4% homeowners, but really a null

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impact on all other taxpayers.

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00:07:48,672 --> 00:07:52,532
So I did want to comment, I didn't comment the last time you brought this up,

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but the drop from 151 to 149, that was a

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reassessment year?

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Yes, ma'am.

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So what happens in a reassessment year is the tax

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assessor's office goes out, and they estimate the value of

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everyone's home. If your home value went up, then

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they base your taxes on the new home value,

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and it's required by law that we reassess the

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millage at that point. So that

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was a required millage drop for a reassessment year.

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Yes, ma'am.

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And just because we're doing that

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millage reallocation, I wanted to share our debt service millage history.

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Again, we were at 73 mills in '17, '18.

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In '23, '24, after the penny sales tax

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00:08:42,872 --> 00:08:44,252
passed, this board

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kept their promise and decreased debt service millage

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to 55 mills, since we had the additional revenues coming in

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from the penny, and we have maintained that millage for three years.

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And this year we will drop it to 50. And we are confident that

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we'll still be able to make our capital project budgets

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at that 50 mills.

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This is a snapshot of our teacher salary schedule, again, with a

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2% increase added, and it just shows you the comparison between last year's,

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00:09:16,912 --> 00:09:19,932
if you were at the same step in

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salary, what the difference is. But most

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teachers will be able, as long as they've provided their number of work days, which

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I think the majority of them have, they can see what their new

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salary is if they look at their new years of experience, add their year of

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experience, and they'll see their new salary.

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And that yellow part includes the 2% increase.

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But they'll have to look at the next year of experience to factor in the step

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increase.

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Our next steps are to get this approved this evening and

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00:09:52,752 --> 00:09:56,372
close FY25-26

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00:09:56,452 --> 00:10:00,312
on Wednesday morning and bring in the new budgets

193
00:10:00,372 --> 00:10:01,152
that afternoon.

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00:10:04,112 --> 00:10:04,672
Questions?

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00:10:05,672 --> 00:10:06,212
Thank you.

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00:10:08,092 --> 00:10:09,352
What is the pleasure of the committee?

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00:10:11,032 --> 00:10:15,012
Madam Chair, I move to approve the '26-27 general fund budget

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00:10:15,692 --> 00:10:17,332
as presented by administration.

199
00:10:18,472 --> 00:10:18,812
Second?

200
00:10:19,052 --> 00:10:19,351
Second.

201
00:10:19,671 --> 00:10:22,192
Oh, give it to Mr. Ramsey. We have a motion by Ms.

202
00:10:22,291 --> 00:10:25,652
Wofford, second by Mr. Ramsey. Is there any further discussion?

203
00:10:27,352 --> 00:10:29,912
Hearing none, all in favor, please respond by saying aye.

204
00:10:30,652 --> 00:10:31,132
Aye.

205
00:10:31,232 --> 00:10:31,532
Aye.

206
00:10:31,972 --> 00:10:34,192
Opposed, nay. The ayes have it, three to zero.

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00:10:34,752 --> 00:10:37,452
At this time, I will entertain a motion to adjourn this committee meeting.

208
00:10:38,512 --> 00:10:39,552
So moved, Madam Chair.

209
00:10:41,152 --> 00:10:43,872
I'll second. We have a motion and a second. Any discussion?

210
00:10:44,572 --> 00:10:46,432
All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

211
00:10:46,852 --> 00:10:47,292
Aye.

212
00:10:47,472 --> 00:10:47,992
Aye.

213
00:10:48,052 --> 00:10:50,772
Opposed, nay. The ayes have it, three to zero. We are adjourned.

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00:10:53,532 --> 00:10:58,172
Good

215
00:10:58,232 --> 00:11:02,042
evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to this Berkeley County Board of Education

216
00:11:02,132 --> 00:11:05,412
meeting this Monday, June 29, 2026.

217
00:11:05,872 --> 00:11:09,792
I call this meeting to order. I declare a quorum is present, and the media has

218
00:11:09,832 --> 00:11:10,612
been notified.

219
00:11:11,972 --> 00:11:13,431
I'll note.

220
00:11:13,732 --> 00:11:16,902
For the record, Mr. Ramsey and Ms. Littleton are on the phone.

221
00:11:17,772 --> 00:11:19,972
I'll now entertain a motion to approve the agenda.

222
00:11:21,272 --> 00:11:21,582
So moved.

223
00:11:21,872 --> 00:11:22,272
Second.

224
00:11:23,332 --> 00:11:25,592
There's a motion by Ms. Coates, a second by Ms.

225
00:11:25,732 --> 00:11:29,312
Davenport to approve the agenda. Is there any discussion?

226
00:11:30,332 --> 00:11:33,811
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

227
00:11:34,212 --> 00:11:34,712
Aye.

228
00:11:35,142 --> 00:11:35,382
Aye.

229
00:11:35,382 --> 00:11:35,382
Aye.

230
00:11:35,382 --> 00:11:35,382
Aye.

231
00:11:35,382 --> 00:11:35,592
Aye.

232
00:11:36,792 --> 00:11:37,762
Opposed, nay.

233
00:11:39,212 --> 00:11:39,852
The ayes have it.

234
00:11:40,692 --> 00:11:44,272
We'll now entertain a motion to approve the minutes from the June 15th,

235
00:11:44,532 --> 00:11:45,632
2026 meeting.

236
00:11:46,652 --> 00:11:47,192
So moved.

237
00:11:48,072 --> 00:11:48,082
Second.

238
00:11:48,092 --> 00:11:50,872
There's a motion by Ms. Coates, a second by Mr. Borden.

239
00:11:51,132 --> 00:11:52,212
Is there any discussion

240
00:11:53,112 --> 00:11:56,152
or suggested edits to the minutes from June 15,

241
00:11:56,352 --> 00:11:59,352
2026? Hearing none, we'll call the question.

242
00:11:59,452 --> 00:12:01,532
All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

243
00:12:01,952 --> 00:12:02,272
Aye.

244
00:12:02,372 --> 00:12:02,612
Aye.

245
00:12:03,352 --> 00:12:03,632
Aye.

246
00:12:04,102 --> 00:12:04,102
Aye.

247
00:12:04,132 --> 00:12:05,152
Opposed, nay.

248
00:12:06,756 --> 00:12:07,576
The ayes have it.

249
00:12:08,406 --> 00:12:11,716
I'll now entertain a motion to enter into executive session.

250
00:12:11,816 --> 00:12:12,376
So moved.

251
00:12:12,416 --> 00:12:13,656
Second.

252
00:12:13,716 --> 00:12:16,755
There's a motion by Ms. Davenport, a second by Mr. Borden.

253
00:12:17,426 --> 00:12:19,696
The stated purpose of executive session,

254
00:12:21,316 --> 00:12:24,736
17 student attendance appeals, two

255
00:12:24,976 --> 00:12:28,566
out-of-district appeals, discussion of employment contracts

256
00:12:28,636 --> 00:12:31,516
and/or appointments of administrators as needed.

257
00:12:31,916 --> 00:12:33,216
Is there any further discussion?

258
00:12:34,356 --> 00:12:37,756
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

259
00:12:38,716 --> 00:12:38,976
Aye.

260
00:12:39,556 --> 00:12:39,896
Aye.

261
00:12:39,906 --> 00:12:39,916
Aye.

262
00:12:40,376 --> 00:12:44,096
Opposed, nay. The ayes have it. We are now in executive

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session.

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Being a part of something great and being able to express yourself creatively.

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Graduating from Berkeley County School District is a great pleasure.

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I've been here my entire life, ever since kindergarten.

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And all these people I've known forever, and now I get to graduate with them.

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00:13:05,356 --> 00:13:09,086
12 years of my life, working hard to a goal that I've

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00:13:09,116 --> 00:13:13,016
been pursuing for a long time is coming to an end, and I'm starting

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a new journey in my life.

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Graduating from Berkeley County feels like I'm graduating from some place

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00:13:18,496 --> 00:13:20,476
that actually feels like my home.

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All the teachers, all the schools that I've been to, all my friends, they've been

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00:13:24,236 --> 00:13:26,356
so supportive, and they've helped me grow so much.

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I'm just so glad all my hard work and dedication can come together in this place,

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00:13:30,156 --> 00:13:33,636
and everything I know and love, all in one place.

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00:13:34,036 --> 00:13:36,056
I'm only ever going to get to graduate once.

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At Berkeley County, there's my family and there's my friends,

279
00:13:40,576 --> 00:13:43,076
and today is more than just saying goodbye.

280
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I'm getting to celebrate the four years I've had with these people, the friends

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I've made.

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From kindergarten to 12th grade, I've grown up with the same people, the same

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00:13:50,696 --> 00:13:54,276
community, and it's awesome to see how close we've come and how close our

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00:13:54,356 --> 00:13:57,096
family is, and now we finally get to walk the stage together.

285
00:13:57,236 --> 00:14:00,676
So I'm so grateful for the opportunities Berkeley County School District has given

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00:14:00,736 --> 00:14:00,876
me.

287
00:14:01,396 --> 00:14:04,736
I have verified with your faculty and administration that you have met the

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00:14:04,796 --> 00:14:06,976
requirements for a high school diploma.

289
00:14:07,056 --> 00:14:10,866
Therefore, by the authority vested in me by the State of South

290
00:14:10,896 --> 00:14:14,736
Carolina and the Berkeley County School Board, I do hereby

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00:14:14,836 --> 00:14:18,116
certify these diplomas and pronounce you graduates.

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00:14:18,416 --> 00:14:19,436
Thank you, BCSD.

293
00:14:19,856 --> 00:14:21,076
Thank you, BCSD.

294
00:14:21,696 --> 00:14:22,616
Thank you, BCSD.

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00:14:31,966 --> 00:14:35,836
Today, we're celebrating the ribbon cutting of Midtown Middle School, right

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00:14:35,916 --> 00:14:37,396
in the heart of the Nexton community.

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00:14:37,696 --> 00:14:40,656
Everything here is beautiful and perfectly cared for.

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00:14:40,696 --> 00:14:43,756
Three, two, one.

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00:14:49,506 --> 00:14:52,516
And we couldn't ask for a nicer school right here in the heart of Nexton.

300
00:14:52,996 --> 00:14:56,916
It's a wonderful community, and the kids are just ready to get

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00:14:56,976 --> 00:14:59,436
in and ready to learn and be involved.

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00:14:59,556 --> 00:15:02,916
Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

303
00:15:03,516 --> 00:15:07,456
I'm pumped. I really want to find out the layout of the place,

304
00:15:07,536 --> 00:15:11,356
because it looks very unique, and the colors, they pop out

305
00:15:11,376 --> 00:15:12,656
really nicely throughout the school.

306
00:15:12,956 --> 00:15:16,576
Being here today and walking through the halls, it shows us that we are

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00:15:16,636 --> 00:15:19,776
committed to making a positive difference, that we're going to use those pennies

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00:15:19,816 --> 00:15:20,596
responsibly.

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00:15:21,416 --> 00:15:24,596
And we're excited because we have one more school to cut a ribbon on this week.

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00:15:24,696 --> 00:15:27,676
So it's just thank you, Berkeley County, for trusting us.

311
00:15:27,976 --> 00:15:29,556
We are, in fact, putting that penny to work.

312
00:15:29,856 --> 00:15:33,516
It is just another exciting opportunity for us

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00:15:33,916 --> 00:15:37,136
to open a new facility. This is number two of three

314
00:15:37,776 --> 00:15:41,336
for us, and one, I feel like, is unprecedented.

315
00:15:41,426 --> 00:15:44,796
And I haven't seen a library with this many colors, and it's

316
00:15:44,816 --> 00:15:45,536
humongous.

317
00:15:46,116 --> 00:15:50,016
From what my perspective is, the library looks really cool, and I want to read some

318
00:15:50,036 --> 00:15:53,536
more books. It really does have a really good layout, and I

319
00:15:53,636 --> 00:15:56,476
love how it sparks out a little to

320
00:15:56,536 --> 00:15:58,416
everything in the school.

321
00:15:59,056 --> 00:16:02,576
I'm excited because this is a promise kept to our taxpayers.

322
00:16:03,016 --> 00:16:06,336
When we put the penny tax on the ballot and our

323
00:16:06,396 --> 00:16:10,156
taxpayers voted for it, we promised that we were going to

324
00:16:10,296 --> 00:16:10,616
open

325
00:16:11,476 --> 00:16:14,216
Midtown Middle and upcoming Bee Tree Elementary.

326
00:16:14,225 --> 00:16:18,056
I want people to walk in and like, "This is Midtown. We are so proud to be here.

327
00:16:18,136 --> 00:16:20,556
These are our colors. This is our mascot, and we're going to know that this is

328
00:16:20,616 --> 00:16:20,836
here."

329
00:16:21,236 --> 00:16:25,096
I loved seeing the new staff here. I'm so excited to welcome Principal May.

330
00:16:25,816 --> 00:16:29,316
The band room, the dance room, to see all of the excitement in the kids'

331
00:16:29,416 --> 00:16:30,056
eyes.

332
00:16:30,136 --> 00:16:33,856
Everything we do should be about our students and making it the best place ever.

333
00:16:33,896 --> 00:16:37,176
So if I had something to say, that's our mission here at Midtown.

334
00:16:37,256 --> 00:16:39,816
Everything is for our students and making them the best that they can be.

335
00:16:39,996 --> 00:16:41,236
So go Astros.

336
00:16:49,456 --> 00:16:52,236
I want to thank everybody for coming today to the luncheon.

337
00:16:52,576 --> 00:16:56,196
Our SROs, they go above and beyond just being a police officer.

338
00:16:56,256 --> 00:17:00,056
This is something that the district likes to do and put on for all of you all for

339
00:17:00,196 --> 00:17:01,896
all the hard work you all have done throughout the year.

340
00:17:02,096 --> 00:17:05,176
To be an SRO is honestly making a

341
00:17:05,636 --> 00:17:06,176
difference.

342
00:17:06,616 --> 00:17:08,997
I thank the sheriff every day I put that uniform on.

343
00:17:09,356 --> 00:17:13,277
You get to show the younger generation that we're here to

344
00:17:13,336 --> 00:17:13,777
help them.

345
00:17:14,136 --> 00:17:16,497
I had pride in that school because I considered that my school.

346
00:17:17,536 --> 00:17:18,257
These are my kids.

347
00:17:18,636 --> 00:17:22,156
Several years ago, the district started recognizing

348
00:17:22,696 --> 00:17:26,076
a Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, as the SRO of the Year.

349
00:17:26,536 --> 00:17:29,976
This year, it's my honor to recognize Officer Brian Middleton

350
00:17:30,856 --> 00:17:33,896
from the Hanahan Police Department. Do you want to come up, Brian?

351
00:17:34,696 --> 00:17:37,036
Officer Middleton is always a smiling face.

352
00:17:37,276 --> 00:17:40,596
We just have loved having him at school this year. The kids love him.

353
00:17:40,656 --> 00:17:43,116
We see him in the halls. He does traffic.

354
00:17:43,156 --> 00:17:46,386
He does anything and everything that anyone could ever ask him to do, and he does

355
00:17:46,416 --> 00:17:47,696
it all with a smile on his face.

356
00:17:48,056 --> 00:17:51,356
For those who know me, thank you for laughing at my corny jokes.

357
00:17:51,656 --> 00:17:55,016
To honor an SRO of the Year, that's a lot of pride.

358
00:17:55,156 --> 00:17:57,996
We have five different agencies within the Berkeley County School District.

359
00:17:58,036 --> 00:18:01,576
To be the SRO of the Year for the Berkeley County School District, it is a big

360
00:18:01,716 --> 00:18:02,016
deal.

361
00:18:02,416 --> 00:18:03,756
I feel like everybody here

362
00:18:04,796 --> 00:18:07,576
is amazing and well-deserving. So

363
00:18:08,556 --> 00:18:09,916
to get recognized

364
00:18:10,660 --> 00:18:12,350
It's... I'm still speechless.

365
00:18:13,700 --> 00:18:14,990
Look around, look to your left, to your right.

366
00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,730
Everybody's an integral part of the Berkeley County School District and each

367
00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:19,570
agency.

368
00:18:19,620 --> 00:18:23,460
It's one of those things that you think about and you plan for,

369
00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:25,040
but it comes so quick.

370
00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:28,140
Soon-to-be retired Corporal Randy Goodman, come up.

371
00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:32,380
When I first started, I was real hesitant about being an SRO because I really

372
00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:33,840
didn't know what the job was about.

373
00:18:34,300 --> 00:18:37,000
But once I got in there, that was my thing.

374
00:18:37,420 --> 00:18:41,000
14 years in the school system as an SRO. What a statement.

375
00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:44,940
To be a Fox, that's the most proudest thing, is being part of that family out

376
00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:45,140
there.

377
00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:47,060
That just shows you where his heart is.

378
00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:50,110
With the kids, I know the kids will miss him, the parents, the community.

379
00:18:50,380 --> 00:18:54,260
To certify that Corporal Randy Goodman have served faithfully, honorably, and was

380
00:18:54,300 --> 00:18:57,880
retired from the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office on the 3rd day of August in 2026.

381
00:18:58,100 --> 00:18:59,260
You just can't believe

382
00:19:00,340 --> 00:19:03,440
how fast time flies. I'll never have another job like this.

383
00:19:04,420 --> 00:19:06,720
Wherever I go, I don't think I'll ever have

384
00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:12,040
a community that backed me like they did. Kids, parents.

385
00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:16,280
I'm just so lucky to have had that.

386
00:19:16,740 --> 00:19:20,080
We thank you for your unwavering commitment, leadership, and positive impact on the

387
00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:23,620
students, staff, and families. Your dedication to safety, mentorship, and service

388
00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:26,320
has left a lasting legacy that will never be forgotten.

389
00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,260
Well, I'm one of the custodians at the school. I love Stratford.

390
00:19:44,780 --> 00:19:48,660
I bleed red and black because I graduated from Stratford, and

391
00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:51,780
Stratford's been very good to me. I enjoy what I do.

392
00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:55,940
He's a special guy, and he loves this place, and so we wanted to show just a little

393
00:19:55,980 --> 00:19:59,620
token of appreciation for all that he does for the school, for students, for

394
00:19:59,700 --> 00:20:01,870
staff, for athletics. It's

395
00:20:02,900 --> 00:20:03,920
real special.

396
00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:07,200
You'll usually see him driving around the Gator, picking stuff up outside the

397
00:20:07,260 --> 00:20:11,120
cafeteria. He's a funny guy. Cracks jokes all the time.

398
00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:12,520
He's a good guy.

399
00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:14,660
He's here

400
00:20:15,780 --> 00:20:19,180
24/7. He's constantly around school,

401
00:20:19,539 --> 00:20:22,450
football games, after school, before school, during school.

402
00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:25,740
James does a lot for the school, does a lot for everybody in the school.

403
00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:29,800
So I know he always takes care of his Gator, does a lot of stuff for those Gators.

404
00:20:29,980 --> 00:20:32,359
He probably puts 100,000 miles a year on the Gator.

405
00:20:32,540 --> 00:20:35,220
I see him every day on that Gator. Everywhere.

406
00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:38,590
Everywhere he goes, any time, he's always pulling up on that Gator.

407
00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:40,460
Even after school, he's in that Gator.

408
00:20:40,740 --> 00:20:44,100
The Gator was allegedly purchased around the

409
00:20:44,120 --> 00:20:44,820
'90s.

410
00:20:45,420 --> 00:20:49,210
All the tires were bald. It was leaning to the right side. It'd barely brake.

411
00:20:49,660 --> 00:20:52,580
I realized that we had neglected that Gator for some time,

412
00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:57,280
and I gave Mr. Dupree a call. It might've been 8 or 9

413
00:20:57,290 --> 00:21:00,760
o'clock at night, and I said, "Now James is out on leave next week.

414
00:21:00,900 --> 00:21:04,400
You think we can pull a miracle off?" And he said, "I don't know, but we're going

415
00:21:04,420 --> 00:21:04,780
to try."

416
00:21:05,260 --> 00:21:08,160
So whenever Mr. Packett came to me and said, "Hey, let's do something for James

417
00:21:08,180 --> 00:21:12,000
with this Gator," I was all about it. Makes sense for it to be Stratford colors.

418
00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:13,500
Makes sense to do it for James.

419
00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:17,049
And we just wanted to do something nice for James because of how much he does for

420
00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:17,400
the school.

421
00:21:18,180 --> 00:21:20,600
Making it a James Mobile just for him.

422
00:21:20,980 --> 00:21:23,040
Making it his own personalized vehicle.

423
00:21:23,500 --> 00:21:26,500
We've done the bed liner. We painted the rims.

424
00:21:27,340 --> 00:21:29,820
They replaced some of the plastics.

425
00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:33,620
Just making it look better, painting it red and black, Stratford's colors.

426
00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:37,440
And they're going to change the name to James Deere instead of John Deere.

427
00:21:37,820 --> 00:21:40,860
James has done a lot for Stratford, done a lot for us,

428
00:21:41,700 --> 00:21:43,500
so it's just a little surprise for him.

429
00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:54,240
Hey, James.

430
00:21:56,180 --> 00:21:59,600
We know you love Stratford High School, and we know you love Stratford

431
00:21:59,660 --> 00:22:03,640
Athletics. And you have been a steadfast for Stratford High

432
00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:07,580
School for a very long time. And so me and some special members

433
00:22:07,620 --> 00:22:10,800
wanted to do something special for you for all the things that you do for Stratford

434
00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:14,609
High School. And so, as a token of appreciation, we did a few

435
00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:17,100
upgrades for you within the Auto Tech class.

436
00:22:17,380 --> 00:22:20,400
So if you gentlemen would, let's please spread it open.

437
00:22:26,579 --> 00:22:27,040
I don't know

438
00:22:28,860 --> 00:22:29,260
if you-

439
00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:31,899
Oh my God.

440
00:22:32,019 --> 00:22:34,280
I don't know if you recognize your Gator.

441
00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:34,979
We got

442
00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:35,840
a new Gator.

443
00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:39,880
But we've got new tires. We got a new paint job.

444
00:22:40,140 --> 00:22:44,040
We've got a brand-new logo. And look, we got some custom badging

445
00:22:44,100 --> 00:22:44,480
for you.

446
00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:45,180
Oh my God.

447
00:22:45,260 --> 00:22:47,460
So now you can be riding in style.

448
00:22:48,340 --> 00:22:50,500
Yeah, James. Yeah!

449
00:22:55,020 --> 00:22:57,880
Thanks.

450
00:22:59,260 --> 00:23:01,200
If you know James, James is never speechless.

451
00:23:01,540 --> 00:23:05,400
I'm almost out of words. It is the most amazing that they

452
00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:07,400
went out of their way to do this for me.

453
00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:10,080
For him to be speechless, it means it's truly special.

454
00:23:10,620 --> 00:23:14,460
What Stratford means to me is it's a home for me. It's like family.

455
00:23:15,020 --> 00:23:18,930
All the coaching staff, principals, assistant principals, they're all like family

456
00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:22,800
to me. This is something that I really, really appreciated that they did for me.

457
00:23:23,580 --> 00:23:27,530
Just having all hands on deck, and it goes back to the culture that we're

458
00:23:27,540 --> 00:23:30,720
continuing to build here. When they say, "Once a Knight, always a Knight," couldn't

459
00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:32,280
be truer than with James.

460
00:23:48,380 --> 00:23:51,840
We are going to create and design your dream bedroom. Ellie Mae, what do you think?

461
00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:53,640
A pool.

462
00:23:54,090 --> 00:23:55,000
A pool in our bedroom?

463
00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:55,580
Yeah.

464
00:23:55,620 --> 00:23:58,960
Ellie Mae is a sweet little girl. She's very caring.

465
00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:00,130
Draw your picture,

466
00:24:01,340 --> 00:24:03,720
then you're going to write about it.

467
00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:07,440
She likes to interact with other kids

468
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:10,340
and is just a really caring little girl.

469
00:24:14,008 --> 00:24:17,908
Each year we do the Kids Heart Challenge, and so I guess that's

470
00:24:17,968 --> 00:24:19,568
kind of where this began.

471
00:24:19,908 --> 00:24:23,088
She told me what it was all about, and I'm like,

472
00:24:23,558 --> 00:24:23,968
"Okay,

473
00:24:24,868 --> 00:24:25,668
let's do it."

474
00:24:25,988 --> 00:24:27,848
I am a huge advocate for

475
00:24:29,068 --> 00:24:32,948
health and making sure that kids understand we get one body.

476
00:24:33,048 --> 00:24:35,028
Heart health is super important.

477
00:24:35,538 --> 00:24:39,078
We always say, "Hey, if you know somebody who is impacted,

478
00:24:39,808 --> 00:24:43,738
then raise your hand." And they raise their hand, and

479
00:24:44,448 --> 00:24:46,567
Ellie Mae was one that had raised her hand.

480
00:24:46,828 --> 00:24:50,588
She came up and was saying that her mom has a heart

481
00:24:50,668 --> 00:24:51,108
issue.

482
00:24:51,528 --> 00:24:55,428
My mom is a heart hero.

483
00:24:56,148 --> 00:24:57,488
She has a

484
00:24:58,308 --> 00:25:01,128
thing in her heart. Well, it's a big heart, technically.

485
00:25:01,608 --> 00:25:05,468
She really wanted to do something for kids that also have

486
00:25:05,528 --> 00:25:06,468
heart issues.

487
00:25:06,768 --> 00:25:10,088
I got enough people to give us the money,

488
00:25:10,748 --> 00:25:11,368
just

489
00:25:13,368 --> 00:25:17,328
for all those people that have heart disease, because I want them to feel better.

490
00:25:17,728 --> 00:25:21,348
I don't want them to have heart disease. Good morning, Boykins.

491
00:25:21,808 --> 00:25:25,188
We had gotten her on the news show here at Fox Bank.

492
00:25:25,448 --> 00:25:27,708
How can others do the Kids Heart Challenge?

493
00:25:28,228 --> 00:25:31,288
By signing up and learning hands-only

494
00:25:31,408 --> 00:25:32,288
CPR.

495
00:25:32,648 --> 00:25:36,488
And she was able to share with the entire school, and then encourage others

496
00:25:36,548 --> 00:25:37,268
to sign up.

497
00:25:37,548 --> 00:25:39,828
It's really important because your heart's right here.

498
00:25:39,888 --> 00:25:43,128
This is what keeps you running all the time.

499
00:25:43,228 --> 00:25:47,208
So we got to look after it and give it what

500
00:25:47,248 --> 00:25:49,348
it wants so we can stay healthy.

501
00:25:49,628 --> 00:25:53,588
We have 1,300 kids, and so it's really exciting when one of them

502
00:25:53,628 --> 00:25:57,288
finds a passion she can show

503
00:25:57,908 --> 00:26:01,808
the other students in the class and be able to be an advocate

504
00:26:01,908 --> 00:26:02,648
for heart health.

505
00:26:03,248 --> 00:26:06,368
I won Kids Heart Challenge for next year.

506
00:26:07,188 --> 00:26:09,988
Getting to be the heart ambassador for two years.

507
00:26:10,168 --> 00:26:12,748
It's very exciting that she has this opportunity again.

508
00:26:12,968 --> 00:26:13,768
Do you like helping people?

509
00:26:14,068 --> 00:26:14,368
Yes.

510
00:26:14,708 --> 00:26:16,248
What is it about helping people that you enjoy?

511
00:26:16,748 --> 00:26:18,448
Just the-

512
00:26:18,468 --> 00:26:19,258
Why do you do it, Ellie?

513
00:26:19,258 --> 00:26:21,068
Just the smile on their face.

514
00:26:21,588 --> 00:26:24,608
I'm very proud. I'm so happy that

515
00:26:24,688 --> 00:26:28,488
she has a heart to care for others.

516
00:26:28,648 --> 00:26:32,568
It makes my heart happy that she wants

517
00:26:32,608 --> 00:26:33,128
to do that.

518
00:26:33,628 --> 00:26:37,488
And my mom knows that I'm doing this for other people, and

519
00:26:37,948 --> 00:26:38,388
really

520
00:26:39,688 --> 00:26:40,468
love my mom.

521
00:26:52,857 --> 00:26:54,168
Hi, my name is Madison Rice.

522
00:26:54,348 --> 00:26:55,508
Hi, my name is Lyra Cureton.

523
00:26:55,688 --> 00:26:56,368
Keller Walford.

524
00:26:56,548 --> 00:26:57,128
Jordan Sigmon.

525
00:26:57,348 --> 00:26:58,208
Eli Bullington.

526
00:26:58,288 --> 00:26:59,648
Isabella Montoya Castaneda.

527
00:26:59,948 --> 00:27:00,588
Anna Alomar.

528
00:27:00,808 --> 00:27:02,878
My name is Albert Lin, and I'm a senior at Cane Bay High School.

529
00:27:03,068 --> 00:27:04,348
I'm a senior at Timberland High School.

530
00:27:04,508 --> 00:27:05,968
I'm a senior at Berkeley High School.

531
00:27:06,128 --> 00:27:07,558
And I am a senior at Cross High School.

532
00:27:07,868 --> 00:27:11,088
This week, during Teacher Appreciation Week, I wanted to thank Mr. and Mrs.

533
00:27:11,188 --> 00:27:11,708
Bordiano.

534
00:27:11,768 --> 00:27:14,788
Today I'm here to surprise Dr. Godfrey with a teacher appreciation letter.

535
00:27:15,568 --> 00:27:16,428
Oh, geez,

536
00:27:17,668 --> 00:27:18,508
Hey, Ms. Paulhamus.

537
00:27:18,818 --> 00:27:21,208
Hey. I wrote you a letter for Teacher Appreciation Week.

538
00:27:21,268 --> 00:27:22,328
Is it okay if I read it to you?

539
00:27:22,408 --> 00:27:23,008
I would love it.

540
00:27:23,088 --> 00:27:24,288
And I decided to choose you

541
00:27:25,308 --> 00:27:26,548
and recognize you.

542
00:27:26,628 --> 00:27:29,778
I've had many teachers who helped me shape me into the strong, intelligent, young

543
00:27:29,788 --> 00:27:30,878
woman I am today.

544
00:27:30,928 --> 00:27:34,188
Whether it was in the classroom or on the soccer field, your wisdom and guidance

545
00:27:34,228 --> 00:27:36,348
has had an everlasting impact on my life.

546
00:27:36,608 --> 00:27:39,868
You are truly an inspiration and a shining example of what it means to be a

547
00:27:39,888 --> 00:27:41,108
spectacular educator.

548
00:27:41,348 --> 00:27:44,228
I want you to know that you've made an impact on me and a bunch of other seniors in

549
00:27:44,248 --> 00:27:45,628
Cane Bay's class of 2026.

550
00:27:45,988 --> 00:27:48,908
The semester I spent in your classroom stands out to me the most.

551
00:27:49,108 --> 00:27:50,808
Your impact on my life was still great.

552
00:27:51,428 --> 00:27:54,348
Every day you met me at the door with a positive attitude and a smile.

553
00:27:54,948 --> 00:27:58,908
I'm very glad I have been able to be in your class for the past two years.

554
00:27:59,368 --> 00:28:02,148
While other teachers may give me academic skills, you have given me much more.

555
00:28:02,368 --> 00:28:05,188
You have provided me with the discipline, critical thinking, and personal skills to

556
00:28:05,228 --> 00:28:08,968
succeed. You have been not only a mentor, but a role model, inspiring me to become

557
00:28:08,988 --> 00:28:10,008
the best version of myself.

558
00:28:10,168 --> 00:28:13,288
As I see you as a genuine role model for how I want to approach my own future.

559
00:28:14,028 --> 00:28:16,048
I loved your class, and I know I'll miss it when I graduate.

560
00:28:16,368 --> 00:28:18,368
Thank you for being an amazing teacher.

561
00:28:18,848 --> 00:28:22,128
You made me feel seen, valued in ways that no other teacher has.

562
00:28:22,648 --> 00:28:25,248
Thank you again for everything you've done for me and this school.

563
00:28:25,348 --> 00:28:29,308
Constantly exemplified what it means to be a servant leader, always putting me, my

564
00:28:29,348 --> 00:28:31,808
peers, and even other teachers' needs before your own.

565
00:28:32,267 --> 00:28:34,548
I don't normally get emotional, but I appreciate all you've done.

566
00:28:34,928 --> 00:28:37,808
You may not remember it, but one day earlier this year when I was having a rough

567
00:28:38,788 --> 00:28:42,448
day, you gave me a Kit Kat. It's such a small act of kindness, but it made my day

568
00:28:42,508 --> 00:28:43,888
in a way you will never understand.

569
00:28:44,288 --> 00:28:47,188
I can confidently say that the path to success would've been much harder without

570
00:28:47,228 --> 00:28:50,548
your guidance and direction. You opened my eyes to what I can achieve, and for

571
00:28:50,568 --> 00:28:51,688
that, I cannot thank you enough.

572
00:28:52,028 --> 00:28:55,118
Now my high school career is coming to an end, graduating in a month.

573
00:28:55,288 --> 00:28:58,848
I look back at those classes and smile. They have been so kind and generous to me.

574
00:28:59,068 --> 00:29:02,668
Mr. and Mrs. Bordiano will always have a place in my heart.

575
00:29:02,708 --> 00:29:06,488
I know there will be kids who come and go, some kind and some rude, but forever

576
00:29:06,568 --> 00:29:09,628
remember that you are an incredible teacher, person, and friend. Thank you, Mr.

577
00:29:09,828 --> 00:29:10,248
Vargas.

578
00:29:10,868 --> 00:29:13,928
As I follow my own path of becoming a teacher, I want you to know that you will

579
00:29:13,968 --> 00:29:16,708
always be an influence on the kind of teacher I hope to become.

580
00:29:17,248 --> 00:29:18,948
I want to give you the biggest thank you.

581
00:29:23,168 --> 00:29:24,568
Thank you so much. That's awesome.

582
00:29:25,648 --> 00:29:26,128
Thank you.

583
00:29:26,188 --> 00:29:26,907
Thank you so much.

584
00:29:26,928 --> 00:29:28,528
Thank you so much. That means a lot.

585
00:29:28,678 --> 00:29:28,698
Of course.

586
00:29:28,698 --> 00:29:29,588
It really does.

587
00:29:29,628 --> 00:29:30,688
Thanks, Albert. Appreciate it, man.

588
00:29:30,988 --> 00:29:30,998
Of course.

589
00:29:30,998 --> 00:29:31,888
Great. Thanks. We'll give a hug here.

590
00:29:32,448 --> 00:29:32,898
Thank you so much.

591
00:29:32,908 --> 00:29:36,548
Yes, ma'am, of course. Thank you to every teacher across the district.

592
00:29:36,608 --> 00:29:37,668
We really appreciate you.

593
00:29:37,848 --> 00:29:39,088
Big thank you to all the teachers.

594
00:29:39,208 --> 00:29:42,028
Thank you for everything you do for us, not just for me, but for Berkeley County.

595
00:29:42,288 --> 00:29:44,108
We really appreciate what you do for us.

596
00:29:44,248 --> 00:29:44,768
Thank you so much.

597
00:29:44,848 --> 00:29:47,808
To all the teachers in Berkeley County who have done a wonderful job.

598
00:29:47,908 --> 00:29:49,688
We appreciate you guys more than you realize.

599
00:29:49,868 --> 00:29:51,628
Thank you to all of our teachers for all that you do.

600
00:30:06,048 --> 00:30:09,768
We are so excited to be at West View Elementary and West View

601
00:30:09,848 --> 00:30:13,568
Middle School today. West View Elementary and West View Middle

602
00:30:13,698 --> 00:30:13,918
are

603
00:30:14,216 --> 00:30:17,676
model schools for our Collective Leadership Initiative program.

604
00:30:18,116 --> 00:30:22,076
We selected these schools because they have shared leadership in

605
00:30:22,096 --> 00:30:25,616
their building, and we are here today for them to

606
00:30:25,736 --> 00:30:29,646
show all of our other Collective Leadership schools the great things

607
00:30:29,716 --> 00:30:31,376
that they are doing within their building.

608
00:30:31,856 --> 00:30:35,476
A bunch of different schools all over the state are coming over

609
00:30:35,556 --> 00:30:39,536
to watch our school, and we've got all kinds of things planned.

610
00:30:39,716 --> 00:30:43,356
We have classroom tours for them to go and check out what our

611
00:30:43,396 --> 00:30:47,196
amazing teachers are doing. We have data info for

612
00:30:47,236 --> 00:30:50,816
them to show how much growth that we've made from doing the Collective

613
00:30:50,876 --> 00:30:54,705
Leadership Initiative, and we are just here to celebrate our

614
00:30:54,816 --> 00:30:58,546
school and to help others learn and grow and

615
00:30:58,796 --> 00:31:02,616
make changes in their schools as well to make all the kids have a positive

616
00:31:02,736 --> 00:31:03,676
outlook at school.

617
00:31:04,136 --> 00:31:06,796
There's a lot of great things happening across our state in schools.

618
00:31:07,476 --> 00:31:09,576
I think West View is very fortunate to be recognized.

619
00:31:09,616 --> 00:31:12,756
We have a lot of systems in place to encourage teacher leaders.

620
00:31:12,856 --> 00:31:15,916
We do a lot with collaboration. We have a really high teacher retention rate.

621
00:31:16,416 --> 00:31:19,536
Our school report card has moved significantly in the last three years.

622
00:31:19,856 --> 00:31:23,016
Two of those years were with CLI work, and so I think all of those things kind of

623
00:31:23,056 --> 00:31:25,695
come together and make us a great place to visit.

624
00:31:26,476 --> 00:31:29,806
And then, again, the benefit of this is not only people visiting us and taking

625
00:31:29,896 --> 00:31:31,546
ideas from us, but there's a collaboration there.

626
00:31:31,546 --> 00:31:34,276
There's a time for conversation and reflection where we're going to get some

627
00:31:34,316 --> 00:31:38,176
feedback from the people that come see us and tell us what their

628
00:31:38,216 --> 00:31:40,536
perspective is, because you can always gather more information.

629
00:31:40,736 --> 00:31:42,076
It's not a show they're seeing today.

630
00:31:42,116 --> 00:31:45,756
It's something that our teachers and our staff and our students really live by

631
00:31:45,796 --> 00:31:46,436
every single day.

632
00:32:03,256 --> 00:32:07,006
My sophomore year of high school was when I truly found myself at Cane Bay High

633
00:32:07,136 --> 00:32:10,036
School, and this is something that truly is my passion.

634
00:32:10,096 --> 00:32:13,526
My name is Leah Scarmeas, and I am a senior at Cane Bay High School.

635
00:32:14,096 --> 00:32:17,656
My dad serves in the Air Force, so I like to call him my superhero.

636
00:32:17,936 --> 00:32:21,876
I am a military child, so I've been to about eight different schools all throughout

637
00:32:21,956 --> 00:32:23,615
elementary, middle school, and high school.

638
00:32:23,856 --> 00:32:27,696
It is a big challenge, and it's a big sacrifice that not only he has to take,

639
00:32:27,776 --> 00:32:30,056
but us military children have to face as well.

640
00:32:30,236 --> 00:32:33,756
My dad has missed so many Christmases, birthdays, daddy-daughter

641
00:32:33,836 --> 00:32:37,736
dances, just simple things that normal kids don't experience throughout their

642
00:32:37,776 --> 00:32:41,476
lives. This book is dedicated to every military child

643
00:32:41,536 --> 00:32:45,336
who's ever had to say goodbye, start over, or be the new

644
00:32:45,376 --> 00:32:49,316
kid. I actually have a Goldendoodle at home, and his name is Chewy, which is

645
00:32:49,336 --> 00:32:52,326
why my book is called "Brave Like Chewy." He is a big,

646
00:32:52,596 --> 00:32:54,956
100-pound Goldendoodle. Looks like a teddy bear.

647
00:32:55,256 --> 00:32:58,216
So I thought about my own personal sacrifices and my journey.

648
00:32:58,416 --> 00:33:02,276
What would five-year-old Leah and my little sisters want to be able to have?

649
00:33:02,396 --> 00:33:05,896
There's a map on there where all the military children can cross off the places

650
00:33:05,916 --> 00:33:08,935
that they've lived or visited their dad when they are overseas.

651
00:33:08,996 --> 00:33:12,916
A diary that kids can write about when their dad or mom is deployed, and all

652
00:33:12,956 --> 00:33:16,036
the things that they want them to know and hear about when they do come back.

653
00:33:16,316 --> 00:33:20,196
Pageantry is not something that I have done my whole entire life, and it was kind

654
00:33:20,236 --> 00:33:22,256
of a last-minute decision, if I'm being honest.

655
00:33:22,416 --> 00:33:26,236
I decided to sign up on deadline day for the South Carolina Teen USA,

656
00:33:26,636 --> 00:33:28,576
and then I won that Saturday night.

657
00:33:28,676 --> 00:33:31,916
I completely started bawling, and I was like, "Oh, my gosh.

658
00:33:32,556 --> 00:33:35,756
This does not feel real." I felt like I was on cloud nine.

659
00:33:36,076 --> 00:33:38,376
I didn't just do this. I did this for you, Mom.

660
00:33:38,476 --> 00:33:41,946
I did this for you and Dad and my two sisters also sitting in the

661
00:33:41,976 --> 00:33:45,676
audience. The biggest thing with pageantry that I have found that I love

662
00:33:45,836 --> 00:33:49,556
is the service that goes with it. Every single year for a month of a

663
00:33:49,636 --> 00:33:53,456
military child, I go to my local elementary school, Cane Bay Elementary, where my

664
00:33:53,496 --> 00:33:57,076
little sister attends, and they have a celebration for every single

665
00:33:57,116 --> 00:33:59,656
military child. On that day, they all wear purple.

666
00:33:59,716 --> 00:34:01,916
They get cupcakes and certificates.

667
00:34:01,936 --> 00:34:05,716
And just going there every single year and sharing my story for the past four

668
00:34:05,856 --> 00:34:09,776
years and seeing the impact that I make on these kids, just walking in there

669
00:34:09,816 --> 00:34:13,147
with my crown and sash, and then I start talking, and I'm like, "I am just like you

670
00:34:13,176 --> 00:34:17,056
all. I have sat in this same exact position, being a military child,

671
00:34:17,457 --> 00:34:21,296
feeling lost, feeling vulnerable," but I'm standing here today, being able to share

672
00:34:21,316 --> 00:34:25,196
my story. Every child needs to find their voice, especially girls and especially

673
00:34:25,256 --> 00:34:27,377
military children during this amazing month.

674
00:34:48,076 --> 00:34:51,616
This is a momentous occasion for some of our most treasured

675
00:34:51,937 --> 00:34:54,596
students in Berkeley County School District.

676
00:34:55,216 --> 00:34:57,636
Welcome to the One Berkeley Unified Games.

677
00:34:57,776 --> 00:35:01,696
I'm Superintendent Anthony Dixon, and we're just so excited to be here for our

678
00:35:01,836 --> 00:35:05,816
annual event for our students. This is an opportunity that we all

679
00:35:05,876 --> 00:35:09,796
can come out and just enjoy the unique differences of

680
00:35:09,876 --> 00:35:11,656
all of our students here in Berkeley County.

681
00:35:11,876 --> 00:35:14,576
So Berkeley United Games, as a parent, means everything.

682
00:35:14,976 --> 00:35:18,356
It means joy, excitement, inclusion for my child.

683
00:35:18,416 --> 00:35:22,326
We are so thankful as parents in the Special Ed department of Berkeley

684
00:35:22,396 --> 00:35:24,956
County School District for our child to be a part of this day.

685
00:35:24,996 --> 00:35:26,216
It is truly, truly special.

686
00:35:26,596 --> 00:35:29,976
Today wouldn't be possible without the collective efforts of

687
00:35:30,076 --> 00:35:33,266
everyone, and for that, we are truly

688
00:35:33,456 --> 00:35:34,336
grateful.

689
00:35:34,796 --> 00:35:38,756
I just want to thank all of our partners. I want to thank our administrators.

690
00:35:38,796 --> 00:35:42,656
I want to thank our cabinet. I want to thank special services, human resources,

691
00:35:42,776 --> 00:35:46,676
child nutrition, facilities. This is our time when everybody in

692
00:35:46,736 --> 00:35:49,696
Berkeley comes together just to show our

693
00:35:49,716 --> 00:35:52,596
appreciation and love for all of our students.

694
00:35:53,016 --> 00:35:56,936
We have representatives from 20 Berkeley County schools joining

695
00:35:57,016 --> 00:35:57,756
us today.

696
00:35:58,296 --> 00:36:01,936
As you can see behind me and around me, students are having the times of their

697
00:36:01,976 --> 00:36:05,676
lives. They're enjoying their field day. They're enjoying their games.

698
00:36:05,706 --> 00:36:09,636
They're enjoying their pizza. And our teachers and our volunteers

699
00:36:09,676 --> 00:36:13,416
from Stratford High School are just enjoying being together

700
00:36:13,676 --> 00:36:16,996
and celebrating each other. In Berkeley County, we believe in making a positive

701
00:36:17,076 --> 00:36:20,716
difference, and this is what we're doing here, making a positive difference

702
00:36:21,016 --> 00:36:24,796
in our students' lives, one student at a time, one school at a time,

703
00:36:25,216 --> 00:36:28,316
and to enjoy and unite us all in Berkeley County.

704
00:36:38,986 --> 00:36:41,786
I appreciate the drivers and the monitors and everything that they do.

705
00:36:41,966 --> 00:36:43,926
And this month is called Love Your Bus.

706
00:36:44,146 --> 00:36:47,586
Pork and beans, chili, potato chips.

707
00:36:48,206 --> 00:36:49,566
Just a lot of stuff for the drivers.

708
00:36:49,626 --> 00:36:53,426
They really showed us that they really appreciate the work that we

709
00:36:53,486 --> 00:36:53,686
do.

710
00:36:53,726 --> 00:36:57,006
It warms my heart. It brings a smile and a tear in my eye.

711
00:36:57,386 --> 00:37:00,746
I love it, because I know they appreciate it. It's a good job.

712
00:37:01,346 --> 00:37:03,106
I've been doing it since 1990.

713
00:37:04,666 --> 00:37:05,526
So I love it.

714
00:37:07,106 --> 00:37:10,966
Their job is very difficult. Hats off to all

715
00:37:11,006 --> 00:37:14,046
the drivers and the monitors especially,

716
00:37:14,566 --> 00:37:17,346
because to man 60 students on a bus,

717
00:37:18,566 --> 00:37:22,226
kudos. I could not do that. I love the drivers for that,

718
00:37:22,346 --> 00:37:24,246
and I appreciate them day by day.

719
00:37:24,306 --> 00:37:26,266
That's why it makes me come to work every day.

720
00:37:26,776 --> 00:37:30,726
I retired and I came back. So yeah, it makes me come back

721
00:37:30,766 --> 00:37:32,266
to work because I enjoy my job.

722
00:37:32,766 --> 00:37:34,306
They're appreciative of what we do.

723
00:37:34,666 --> 00:37:38,516
The little things that we do for them, I know they appreciate it and

724
00:37:39,726 --> 00:37:42,686
they come to work and they do their job very well.

725
00:37:42,786 --> 00:37:43,556
Everybody here,

726
00:37:44,746 --> 00:37:48,246
everybody loves you. The people that I work with, my

727
00:37:48,286 --> 00:37:50,026
coworkers, the children,

728
00:37:50,846 --> 00:37:54,626
we just like a big loving family. Have fun, enjoy each

729
00:37:54,686 --> 00:37:56,866
other. That's the best way to work.

730
00:37:57,246 --> 00:38:01,066
Lord, I just want to thank you. I want to

731
00:38:01,146 --> 00:38:04,986
thank you for being so good to

732
00:38:05,106 --> 00:38:07,666
me. So good to me.

733
00:38:15,356 --> 00:38:18,706
Welcome to the 2026 Berkeley County School District hiring fair.

734
00:38:19,066 --> 00:38:22,866
I'm Superintendent Dr. Anthony Dixon, and we're so excited to

735
00:38:22,926 --> 00:38:26,696
have everyone here today, and we can't wait to see how you make a positive

736
00:38:26,786 --> 00:38:28,306
difference here in Berkeley County Schools.

737
00:38:29,566 --> 00:38:32,186
I just got hired at Fox Bank with Ms. Gabriel.

738
00:38:34,686 --> 00:38:37,546
And my mom just got hired at Nexton with Ms. Hoots.

739
00:38:38,146 --> 00:38:41,586
We are so excited, and Berkeley County has been so welcoming from the second we

740
00:38:41,666 --> 00:38:44,846
walked into the door. It just feels like family and we're so excited.

741
00:38:45,266 --> 00:38:46,446
Good morning. How are you?

742
00:38:46,486 --> 00:38:47,156
Good. How are you doing today?

743
00:38:47,186 --> 00:38:48,006
Good. Welcome.

744
00:38:48,166 --> 00:38:50,306
Good morning. Yay.

745
00:38:51,446 --> 00:38:55,046
So I got hired by Daniel Island School for a cross cat

746
00:38:55,066 --> 00:38:58,906
position, and I just fell in love with the district because

747
00:38:58,986 --> 00:39:02,406
of the staffing and the communication.

748
00:39:02,946 --> 00:39:06,586
Everyone responds to me very quickly, and you can tell that they really want you.

749
00:39:07,146 --> 00:39:10,806
Berkeley County School District is one of the very best places that you can

750
00:39:10,846 --> 00:39:14,606
work. Not only do you get to be in Berkeley County, which I tell everyone is the

751
00:39:14,646 --> 00:39:18,126
best place to live, work, pray, and play, but Berkeley County School

752
00:39:18,186 --> 00:39:22,026
District gives you that small town school district feel with all of the

753
00:39:22,086 --> 00:39:23,666
benefits of large school districts.

754
00:39:23,826 --> 00:39:25,806
We are just doing some incredible things.

755
00:39:26,166 --> 00:39:30,146
The programs we offer, the compensation for our staff, the way we treat

756
00:39:30,186 --> 00:39:32,826
our students, there's really nowhere like it in the low country.

757
00:39:33,106 --> 00:39:36,986
Berkeley County is large in terms of size, but we are very much

758
00:39:37,086 --> 00:39:40,326
a family-oriented district. We support one another.

759
00:39:40,366 --> 00:39:41,546
We love one another.

760
00:39:41,586 --> 00:39:44,866
So one of the things that I think really makes Berkeley County the best place to

761
00:39:44,886 --> 00:39:48,706
work is the sense of community. When you go into our schools and you go into these

762
00:39:48,716 --> 00:39:52,246
classrooms and you see the teachers and you see the staff, there is a sense of

763
00:39:52,286 --> 00:39:53,826
community at every school.

764
00:39:54,166 --> 00:39:57,746
Our investment is to make a positive difference in the lives of our students.

765
00:39:58,026 --> 00:40:01,346
And if you are somebody who wants to truly make a difference, not just come to work

766
00:40:01,406 --> 00:40:05,106
for a job, but to make a difference and see the increased student

767
00:40:05,186 --> 00:40:07,586
outcomes, Berkeley County School District is the place to be.

768
00:40:14,686 --> 00:40:18,366
What's up, Mr. Middleton? Just being in the classroom itself is a joy.

769
00:40:18,526 --> 00:40:20,866
And you're going to do great today. Cross is definitely unique.

770
00:40:21,166 --> 00:40:23,986
Last year we were seventh through 12th, and this year we're sixth through 12th.

771
00:40:24,166 --> 00:40:26,406
You don't need a computer. No. We won't need any computers today.

772
00:40:26,686 --> 00:40:29,806
We've been adapting to that change really well and working with the teachers

773
00:40:29,866 --> 00:40:32,686
one-on-one and just being able to assist them as much as possible.

774
00:40:32,726 --> 00:40:35,146
These are your what? Constants. Do they change?

775
00:40:36,206 --> 00:40:39,926
No, a constant doesn't change. Right now, we are focusing on solving linear

776
00:40:39,966 --> 00:40:43,186
equations. My constant would be three, so I need to put a three here.

777
00:40:43,566 --> 00:40:47,186
Letting the students do hands-on learning so they can get a better view of really

778
00:40:47,226 --> 00:40:49,226
what's happening whenever we're solving equations.

779
00:40:49,346 --> 00:40:53,026
So we're going to work on balancing equations using our blue

780
00:40:53,106 --> 00:40:56,586
cones and our red constants. Getting them to see that they can model it using those

781
00:40:56,626 --> 00:40:58,666
manipulatives. Six plus six is?

782
00:40:59,586 --> 00:41:02,876
12. 10 plus two is? 12. Are they balanced? Yes. Yes.

783
00:41:02,906 --> 00:41:06,466
That class is very unique. It is two people in the classroom all the

784
00:41:06,506 --> 00:41:10,486
time. I go in periodically, but the goal is for all the learning to be

785
00:41:10,526 --> 00:41:13,386
student-centered. What type of a positive or negative? Negative.

786
00:41:14,306 --> 00:41:18,046
Okay. If I'm just up there lecturing, are the students really grasping the concept?

787
00:41:18,106 --> 00:41:21,866
So letting them actually model us the lessons and actually have productive

788
00:41:21,906 --> 00:41:25,166
struggle. So that productive struggle is giving them the opportunity to, "Hey, I

789
00:41:25,186 --> 00:41:28,326
made an error. This is how I made this error," so that they can actually see what's

790
00:41:28,366 --> 00:41:30,866
going on for themselves instead of us just going and telling them.

791
00:41:31,366 --> 00:41:34,706
What strategy did you all use? I think you're using a different

792
00:41:34,766 --> 00:41:36,906
strategy than what the middle group used.

793
00:41:37,146 --> 00:41:40,446
Letting them work together so they're able to feed off each other and help each

794
00:41:40,526 --> 00:41:44,186
other. For our students here at Cross High School, it definitely works really well.

795
00:41:44,446 --> 00:41:48,326
Being able to actually model it out makes a difference, doesn't it?

796
00:41:48,646 --> 00:41:52,166
It makes that problem seem so much easier, doesn't it? That's great.

797
00:41:52,426 --> 00:41:52,946
Good job.

798
00:41:53,106 --> 00:41:56,846
Having that more one-on-one time with the students definitely helps the

799
00:41:56,886 --> 00:42:00,706
students understand better. How can I divide 12 evenly three ways?

800
00:42:01,386 --> 00:42:03,446
That's excellent. Thank you. Good job.

801
00:42:03,696 --> 00:42:05,066
Pushing them to be the best that they can be.

802
00:42:06,006 --> 00:42:06,566
Good job.

803
00:42:07,146 --> 00:42:09,906
I used to always say before they leave, "Just remember what?" And they'll always

804
00:42:09,926 --> 00:42:13,266
say, "I can do great things." That was always our little affirmation before we

805
00:42:13,286 --> 00:42:16,776
leave because they can. Small community, but they can always do great things and I

806
00:42:16,786 --> 00:42:19,426
know they will. Just pushing them to be the best of the best.

807
00:42:19,526 --> 00:42:22,106
Smaller numbers, big in heart, Cross High School.

808
00:42:22,786 --> 00:42:25,046
You did great today. Very proud of you.

809
00:42:36,074 --> 00:42:39,374
This year, I had the great opportunity of hiring Ms.

810
00:42:39,454 --> 00:42:43,404
Caroline Ballentine. Growing up, she went to Bonner Elementary,

811
00:42:43,574 --> 00:42:46,094
and at that time, I was her assistant principal.

812
00:42:46,254 --> 00:42:49,974
Now, I get to hire her to teach second grade, which has been a

813
00:42:50,014 --> 00:42:51,494
great experience.

814
00:42:51,714 --> 00:42:55,394
Starting my first year teaching in January was definitely nerve-wracking, very

815
00:42:55,674 --> 00:42:59,334
scary. I think the first day, I was 10 minutes late to recess, and they were

816
00:42:59,374 --> 00:43:00,984
texting me in the group chat, "Where you at?

817
00:43:01,074 --> 00:43:05,014
Where you at?" But my team made it very easy to transition

818
00:43:05,614 --> 00:43:09,114
into being in a classroom. Also with administration, they were

819
00:43:09,134 --> 00:43:12,854
amazing. They let us in over Christmas break, and I had so much help from my

820
00:43:13,354 --> 00:43:17,114
teammates who I hadn't even met yet, but met me at school and helped set up

821
00:43:17,154 --> 00:43:21,074
classroom and helped with everything that they could, and administration being

822
00:43:21,094 --> 00:43:24,974
here to support me. And it's just been a great process and a great transition.

823
00:43:25,024 --> 00:43:25,934
It couldn't have gone better.

824
00:43:26,334 --> 00:43:28,694
Being a first-year teacher in general is just so intimidating.

825
00:43:28,854 --> 00:43:32,494
So if we can alleviate some of that stress for her with

826
00:43:33,074 --> 00:43:36,854
materials or how to do something, or what to hang on the wall,

827
00:43:37,094 --> 00:43:39,354
or just any questions that she might have.

828
00:43:39,394 --> 00:43:41,834
We've all been first-year teachers, so we've been in her shoes.

829
00:43:41,894 --> 00:43:45,524
So anything that we can help her with, we've done or tried to do, and I think we've

830
00:43:45,554 --> 00:43:47,454
done a good job supporting her in that way.

831
00:43:47,494 --> 00:43:51,014
And as a team, we plan together, so we're all unified.

832
00:43:51,034 --> 00:43:54,014
We're doing the same lessons, whether it's HMH or i-Ready.

833
00:43:54,354 --> 00:43:58,134
We're all planning the same thing, so if she or someone has a question, we

834
00:43:58,194 --> 00:44:01,994
can say, "Oh, well, this is how I taught this." Making sure that

835
00:44:02,034 --> 00:44:05,394
they're prepared, and they know what resources we are using, too.

836
00:44:05,494 --> 00:44:09,134
Like, "Oh, my class really likes this video, so I'm going to play this

837
00:44:09,634 --> 00:44:13,494
to get them engaged before starting," and then that will get them

838
00:44:13,534 --> 00:44:15,634
excited about the lesson or something like that, too.

839
00:44:16,174 --> 00:44:20,074
So we're hopping on Beanstack. Like they announced in the

840
00:44:20,114 --> 00:44:24,014
morning show, we're keeping track of how many minutes each student is

841
00:44:24,034 --> 00:44:27,954
reading. This is to get us reading more, reading more books, reading more

842
00:44:28,054 --> 00:44:30,114
words to make us better readers.

843
00:44:30,634 --> 00:44:34,284
Here in Berkeley County School District, we really do our very best to support all

844
00:44:34,334 --> 00:44:37,194
of our teachers. But we really look at our first-year teachers.

845
00:44:37,234 --> 00:44:40,274
We want to make sure that they get the

846
00:44:40,334 --> 00:44:43,904
mentoring, the coaching that they need so that they're successful,

847
00:44:44,014 --> 00:44:46,974
which then, in turn, their kids are successful.

848
00:44:47,374 --> 00:44:49,534
My whole family's from Berkeley County. We all live here.

849
00:44:50,274 --> 00:44:52,354
We all went to school here, all graduated from Berkeley.

850
00:44:52,494 --> 00:44:53,894
My parents graduated from Mastonia.

851
00:44:54,434 --> 00:44:57,554
So we're just a Berkeley County family, and it feels like home.

852
00:44:57,774 --> 00:45:01,654
And I love how successful Berkeley County is and how accountable

853
00:45:01,694 --> 00:45:05,524
they are, and they hold themselves to a higher standard, and that's what I

854
00:45:05,614 --> 00:45:08,614
like. If I want to do something, I want to do it the best, and I think Berkeley

855
00:45:08,654 --> 00:45:09,894
County does it the best.

856
00:45:18,014 --> 00:45:20,354
Today is a great day in Berkeley County.

857
00:45:20,414 --> 00:45:23,534
We honored someone who makes a positive difference every day.

858
00:45:23,654 --> 00:45:25,854
Ellen Weaver, it's nice to meet you.

859
00:45:25,884 --> 00:45:25,884
Nice to meet you.

860
00:45:25,914 --> 00:45:27,084
Are you so excited for your mom?

861
00:45:27,174 --> 00:45:27,694
I am.

862
00:45:27,774 --> 00:45:31,264
The State of South Carolina Department of Education Superintendent Ellen Weaver and

863
00:45:31,294 --> 00:45:34,594
her team came down here to announce the fifth

864
00:45:34,634 --> 00:45:38,094
finalist for the South Carolina State Teacher of the Year, and that's Ms.

865
00:45:38,174 --> 00:45:38,994
Alex Wharton.

866
00:45:39,054 --> 00:45:42,634
She has been named our final finalist as Teacher of the Year. Are you guys ready?

867
00:45:42,974 --> 00:45:43,414
We're ready.

868
00:45:43,474 --> 00:45:43,824
Let's do it.

869
00:45:43,834 --> 00:45:44,154
Yes.

870
00:45:48,134 --> 00:45:51,764
$10,000- ... as one of our five finalists.

871
00:45:52,034 --> 00:45:52,854
How about that?

872
00:45:53,294 --> 00:45:54,174
I felt honored.

873
00:45:54,234 --> 00:45:55,114
You deserve this.

874
00:45:55,234 --> 00:45:55,444
Oh.

875
00:45:55,444 --> 00:45:56,734
Oh my God. Thank you.

876
00:45:56,934 --> 00:46:00,134
I was moved to tears for the first few minutes.

877
00:46:00,274 --> 00:46:02,214
I couldn't believe it was happening.

878
00:46:02,723 --> 00:46:03,934
And for a minute there, I just had to

879
00:46:05,054 --> 00:46:07,954
gather myself because it's unbelievable.

880
00:46:08,054 --> 00:46:10,914
We're so excited for you. Congratulations. Can we give her a round of applause?

881
00:46:15,294 --> 00:46:19,074
This is my 34th year of teaching, my eighth year in South

882
00:46:19,154 --> 00:46:22,854
Carolina, and so I just felt like this was honoring my

883
00:46:22,894 --> 00:46:26,034
34 years of service to children. And I felt blessed.

884
00:46:26,394 --> 00:46:29,514
It just warms your heart to see that this is a

885
00:46:29,574 --> 00:46:33,094
teacher who is called for this work, who pours

886
00:46:33,174 --> 00:46:36,094
in to everyone that is around them.

887
00:46:36,694 --> 00:46:37,254
Oh my God.

888
00:46:37,614 --> 00:46:41,394
Ms. Wharton has a great family. They're all so humble.

889
00:46:41,434 --> 00:46:42,414
They're so supportive.

890
00:46:44,394 --> 00:46:48,354
Motto in our house as a family is, "You give the best because

891
00:46:48,414 --> 00:46:51,973
God expects the best." And so even in the hard

892
00:46:52,074 --> 00:46:54,794
times, he's always been there to push me.

893
00:46:54,804 --> 00:46:56,973
And so having him here to celebrate that with me,

894
00:46:57,814 --> 00:47:01,674
it meant the world to me because this isn't just my accomplishment, it's his as

895
00:47:01,734 --> 00:47:04,534
well. This was as much their victory as it was mine.

896
00:47:07,574 --> 00:47:10,534
Berkeley High School is my family away from my family.

897
00:47:11,094 --> 00:47:14,934
When I moved to South Carolina, they became my second family, and I wouldn't trade

898
00:47:14,954 --> 00:47:16,654
being a Stag for being anything else.

899
00:47:16,934 --> 00:47:20,854
It's an opportunity to represent what Berkeley County is and who we are

900
00:47:20,934 --> 00:47:21,734
as a district.

901
00:47:21,894 --> 00:47:25,874
Being able to see the district in a wider perspective has opened

902
00:47:25,914 --> 00:47:29,334
my eyes and given me a greater appreciation for the district, and even for the

903
00:47:29,394 --> 00:47:32,934
vision that Dr. Dixon and the rest of the cabinet and the board members

904
00:47:33,034 --> 00:47:35,454
have for us to become one Berkeley.

905
00:47:35,954 --> 00:47:39,614
She's a representative of the great teachers that we

906
00:47:39,674 --> 00:47:43,394
have in this district. No better representative than

907
00:47:43,654 --> 00:47:44,594
Ms. Alex Wharton.

908
00:47:44,794 --> 00:47:48,274
And I'm proud of being a part of Berkeley County School District.

909
00:47:48,354 --> 00:47:52,054
I'm proud to be on the leadership that has a vision to

910
00:47:52,114 --> 00:47:55,974
make us one. And I hope everyone can just come together

911
00:47:56,054 --> 00:47:59,914
under that vision and make Berkeley County School District the best

912
00:48:00,294 --> 00:48:02,594
in the state and the best in the nation.

913
00:48:17,102 --> 00:48:19,762
One fruit, vegetable, or 100% juice.

914
00:48:20,082 --> 00:48:23,782
I like learning about why smaller children do what they do.

915
00:48:23,982 --> 00:48:26,822
What might be their challenges, and any way that I can help.

916
00:48:26,832 --> 00:48:30,742
I've always wanted to do something with kids, whether it's being a teacher or being

917
00:48:30,782 --> 00:48:31,762
a kid counselor.

918
00:48:32,062 --> 00:48:34,702
So breakfast. We're going to talk about the purpose of breakfast.

919
00:48:35,042 --> 00:48:38,242
This class that I am teaching is early childhood education.

920
00:48:38,342 --> 00:48:41,882
During part one, the students did a lot of book

921
00:48:42,182 --> 00:48:45,822
work knowledge, and part two of the class, they get a lot of

922
00:48:45,882 --> 00:48:49,502
hands-on experience with actually working with the students.

923
00:48:49,902 --> 00:48:52,261
So you have details in the passage right here.

924
00:48:52,462 --> 00:48:55,912
Students were participating in their internship experience at St.

925
00:48:56,122 --> 00:48:59,982
Stephen's Elementary School, where they go out and they

926
00:49:00,042 --> 00:49:04,022
work with students so they can become career ready.

927
00:49:04,282 --> 00:49:08,002
It's actually cool. It's actually cool to see where I was once,

928
00:49:08,222 --> 00:49:09,762
and that was once me.

929
00:49:10,142 --> 00:49:13,262
I'm back in the environment I was in 10 years ago.

930
00:49:13,442 --> 00:49:16,122
It brings tears to my eyes because this was me a couple years ago.

931
00:49:16,182 --> 00:49:18,802
Now I'm learning how to teach the young children.

932
00:49:18,922 --> 00:49:22,332
The kids I was watching were taking a test, so I was just going around,

933
00:49:22,662 --> 00:49:25,342
helping them, making sure they understand the right question.

934
00:49:25,782 --> 00:49:29,642
So why did the author put that in there? What does it show us?

935
00:49:29,962 --> 00:49:33,662
It's a wonderful experience for the students and for me

936
00:49:34,182 --> 00:49:37,122
and for the teachers that they get to work with.

937
00:49:37,382 --> 00:49:40,982
Forget those and put right here how you got this answer. Ms.

938
00:49:41,022 --> 00:49:43,902
Williams, she was my fourth and fifth grade teacher, actually.

939
00:49:43,962 --> 00:49:47,382
She helped me learn the importance of school.

940
00:49:47,622 --> 00:49:48,042
I like that.

941
00:49:49,322 --> 00:49:50,202
I like the way you put that.

942
00:49:50,702 --> 00:49:54,262
Makes you feel good because they are getting the same

943
00:49:54,302 --> 00:49:57,882
learning experience I got, and I know mine was good, so I know

944
00:49:58,042 --> 00:49:58,662
theirs is good.

945
00:49:58,902 --> 00:50:02,122
Label the parts of speech of each underlined word.

946
00:50:02,482 --> 00:50:03,672
A noun, conjunction-

947
00:50:03,742 --> 00:50:07,532
All of the skills that they have learned in early childhood education will

948
00:50:07,562 --> 00:50:11,252
carry over into their personal lives, because my students are

949
00:50:11,282 --> 00:50:14,762
going to get 15 hours of health and safety

950
00:50:14,822 --> 00:50:17,502
training, and so that's going to help them

951
00:50:18,742 --> 00:50:22,502
know how to work with kids from ages birth

952
00:50:22,662 --> 00:50:24,342
all the way up to ages 12.

953
00:50:24,982 --> 00:50:27,022
I would say Ms. White is an amazing teacher.

954
00:50:27,342 --> 00:50:30,882
It's a good program, especially I got into it when I think I was in 10th grade,

955
00:50:31,282 --> 00:50:34,162
and it made me want to come back. Do it. Do it for the experience.

956
00:50:34,222 --> 00:50:35,002
Do it to

957
00:50:37,142 --> 00:50:40,562
learn more and grow more and actually learn.

958
00:50:41,092 --> 00:50:44,802
Take this course because like I said, it will be very important in the future.

959
00:50:45,242 --> 00:50:49,222
Everything is growing within education, and so we are going to need some

960
00:50:49,242 --> 00:50:51,182
really great teachers out there on the field.

961
00:50:51,242 --> 00:50:54,142
And so I'm looking forward to even my students

962
00:50:54,242 --> 00:50:57,862
continuing their education and pursuing education as a

963
00:50:57,902 --> 00:50:58,282
career.

964
00:51:16,712 --> 00:51:18,392
Hey, good morning. My name is Steve Zupcoff.

965
00:51:18,412 --> 00:51:20,662
I'm a lieutenant at the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office.

966
00:51:21,222 --> 00:51:24,642
We're out here this morning at the Bike to School Day.

967
00:51:24,742 --> 00:51:27,912
If we come to a stop sign, we're going to stop, and we're going to look both ways

968
00:51:27,942 --> 00:51:31,362
and make sure that the traffic's clear and we can cross the street safely. Okay?

969
00:51:31,542 --> 00:51:34,402
There's other schools throughout the county that are doing this same event.

970
00:51:34,432 --> 00:51:38,342
It's a great event that promotes activity,

971
00:51:38,842 --> 00:51:42,342
teamwork, community outreach, bonding, that type of thing.

972
00:51:42,762 --> 00:51:45,262
We're really excited to get on the bikes and ride.

973
00:51:55,062 --> 00:51:58,492
So this is my third year doing National Walk and Roll to School Day with Carolyn

974
00:51:58,542 --> 00:51:59,222
Lewis School.

975
00:52:00,502 --> 00:52:03,962
We've been doing it since the school opened, and we started out with, I believe,

976
00:52:04,242 --> 00:52:07,002
10 bikers, and this year we've grown exponentially.

977
00:52:07,402 --> 00:52:10,622
We are now deemed an Agrihood, so we invited our local farmer,

978
00:52:11,482 --> 00:52:15,262
Chris, and Farmer Emery and their teams to help lead us on the John Deere as we

979
00:52:15,322 --> 00:52:16,922
made our way through Carnes Crossroads.

980
00:52:17,222 --> 00:52:20,662
I contacted local law enforcement to make sure that they could escort us here

981
00:52:20,722 --> 00:52:24,562
safely, because our biggest thing in Carnes Crossroads and at Carolyn Lewis is

982
00:52:24,682 --> 00:52:28,402
child safety. So we wanted to make sure all of our students participated in a

983
00:52:28,442 --> 00:52:31,882
community event. They were out, they were active, but they were safe in the process

984
00:52:31,942 --> 00:52:32,642
of doing that.

985
00:52:33,481 --> 00:52:36,702
Good morning. Happy Wednesday. Hope you have a great day today.

986
00:52:37,222 --> 00:52:40,182
I love seeing the kids ride their bikes in and just having a smile on their face.

987
00:52:40,342 --> 00:52:43,342
Good morning. Happy Wednesday.

988
00:53:04,322 --> 00:53:07,082
This is my favorite week at Bonner Elementary.

989
00:53:07,242 --> 00:53:11,032
So we have our Artist in Residency week, where we invite seven professional

990
00:53:11,102 --> 00:53:15,042
artists to collaborate with our students, all the way from pre-K through

991
00:53:15,102 --> 00:53:18,102
fifth grade. For our kindergarten students, we have Becky Becker.

992
00:53:18,302 --> 00:53:21,962
She is a puppet master, and she is teaching our

993
00:53:22,002 --> 00:53:25,542
students how to play, to engage with puppets, tell

994
00:53:25,622 --> 00:53:26,402
stories.

995
00:53:26,642 --> 00:53:27,822
I love puppet class.

996
00:53:28,482 --> 00:53:31,892
In kindergarten, we have the Charleston Stage, and they are putting on a musical

997
00:53:31,922 --> 00:53:35,722
with our kindergarten students. So they are singing, dancing, acting, and tomorrow

998
00:53:35,762 --> 00:53:38,852
we get to see it all put together in a magical performance.

999
00:53:38,862 --> 00:53:40,422
First grade is working with Bailey Mann.

1000
00:53:40,502 --> 00:53:44,282
She's part of Wolftrap through Spoleto, and they are doing theater

1001
00:53:44,342 --> 00:53:45,062
integration.

1002
00:53:45,862 --> 00:53:47,782
Second grade is working with Baktie Larry Howe.

1003
00:53:47,942 --> 00:53:48,382
He is a

1004
00:53:49,262 --> 00:53:51,042
phenomenal West African drummer.

1005
00:53:51,362 --> 00:53:55,162
He's actually one of the elders in his community, and they are doing a West

1006
00:53:55,262 --> 00:53:58,222
African drumming unit. With third grade, we have Ms.

1007
00:53:58,242 --> 00:54:00,072
Kat Brantley, who's doing indigo dyeing.

1008
00:54:00,491 --> 00:54:03,802
The students have done scientific drawings of an indigo plant.

1009
00:54:03,812 --> 00:54:07,242
Then they have also created their own map of the

1010
00:54:07,262 --> 00:54:11,222
world by indigoing individual areas, and they're going to put it together to

1011
00:54:11,262 --> 00:54:14,642
have this big collaborative piece of artwork that we get to hang in our school.

1012
00:54:14,982 --> 00:54:17,642
I want to learn more about indigo because I want-

1013
00:54:18,574 --> 00:54:22,314
Clothes and stuff because it's cool

1014
00:54:22,394 --> 00:54:25,394
looking and my favorite color is blue.

1015
00:54:25,774 --> 00:54:29,154
Fourth grade is working with Libation West African Dance, where they are learning

1016
00:54:29,164 --> 00:54:33,074
to dance, sing, drum, and learn all of the history of

1017
00:54:33,114 --> 00:54:36,714
West African culture with dancing and singing.

1018
00:54:37,214 --> 00:54:40,874
In fifth grade, we have Mr. Dave McDonald, and he is a published cartoonist,

1019
00:54:41,214 --> 00:54:43,734
and he is making comics with our students.

1020
00:54:44,114 --> 00:54:47,814
Learning new arts is fun because then you can start continuing it, and you get

1021
00:54:47,854 --> 00:54:50,814
better at it. I like Arts in Residency. It's pretty fun.

1022
00:54:51,114 --> 00:54:54,444
We're just hoping to continue every year to offer them this

1023
00:54:54,474 --> 00:54:58,394
immersive week of arts and creativity, and hopefully

1024
00:54:58,434 --> 00:55:02,294
inspire them to take it home, tell their parents, so that their parents can

1025
00:55:02,314 --> 00:55:05,534
engage in the art form alongside their students.

1026
00:55:06,014 --> 00:55:09,834
That is our goal. How do we, as a community, engage in the arts,

1027
00:55:10,314 --> 00:55:13,194
celebrate the arts, and celebrate our students' success?

1028
00:55:19,614 --> 00:55:23,414
Good morning. We are hosting our annual Staff

1029
00:55:23,514 --> 00:55:26,174
Professional Development Day. Do you know where you're headed today?

1030
00:55:26,694 --> 00:55:29,624
I think it's absolutely probably one of the best things that this district does.

1031
00:55:29,784 --> 00:55:32,214
It's one of our most exciting days throughout the year because we have the

1032
00:55:32,274 --> 00:55:35,574
opportunity to come together and really engage with

1033
00:55:35,654 --> 00:55:38,574
high-quality opportunities to learn and grow in our practice.

1034
00:55:38,734 --> 00:55:41,904
To have a day when we can come together as teachers and just share

1035
00:55:42,654 --> 00:55:44,394
ideas, things together.

1036
00:55:45,514 --> 00:55:47,854
You have to work together. Go.

1037
00:55:48,194 --> 00:55:51,444
This is an opportunity where we can say, "Hey, I've really been interested in

1038
00:55:51,494 --> 00:55:52,874
learning more about gamification.

1039
00:55:53,314 --> 00:55:56,894
I'm going to go to that session." And because we have so many sessions all

1040
00:55:56,974 --> 00:56:00,964
throughout the day, you can get a lot of learning packed in and get

1041
00:56:01,014 --> 00:56:01,854
a lot of growth.

1042
00:56:01,914 --> 00:56:04,764
It's all standards-based, but it's fun. It's engaging.

1043
00:56:04,814 --> 00:56:07,974
Teachers were so excited. They were moving. They were engaged.

1044
00:56:08,014 --> 00:56:11,884
They were having fun. They were asking questions like, "How can we use it with our

1045
00:56:11,994 --> 00:56:14,194
class?" Or, "How could I change the content?"

1046
00:56:14,494 --> 00:56:17,694
I really wanted to focus on the writing portions for this day.

1047
00:56:18,014 --> 00:56:21,934
So it's been really cool just to see what other teachers are doing, and how I

1048
00:56:21,974 --> 00:56:24,804
can implement those in my classroom to make sure that my students are successful.

1049
00:56:25,194 --> 00:56:28,974
I love attending the professional development days because as an educator, we're

1050
00:56:29,013 --> 00:56:32,634
constantly learning. There are still things that I can continue to work on, still

1051
00:56:32,694 --> 00:56:36,014
continue to grow in. And being able to network and collaborate with other

1052
00:56:36,034 --> 00:56:39,994
educators in the same discipline, in the same area, I'm able to walk away

1053
00:56:40,034 --> 00:56:43,284
with additional nuggets of information, things that I can bring back to my

1054
00:56:43,294 --> 00:56:43,854
classroom.

1055
00:56:43,894 --> 00:56:47,834
It's just been really cool just to talk with other English teachers from around the

1056
00:56:47,894 --> 00:56:50,574
district and just say, "Hey, what's going well in your classroom?

1057
00:56:50,634 --> 00:56:53,634
What have you been successful with this year?" And especially as a first-year

1058
00:56:53,654 --> 00:56:56,184
teacher, I'm always like, "Hey, give me all the points.

1059
00:56:56,234 --> 00:56:59,034
Give me all the things that I need to do. What's working for you?

1060
00:56:59,094 --> 00:57:02,094
What's not working for you?" And then I take those things and see how I can

1061
00:57:02,134 --> 00:57:04,194
implement them in my own classroom. So it's been really cool.

1062
00:57:04,574 --> 00:57:08,444
It's an opportunity to be seen by one another and to connect with one another,

1063
00:57:08,494 --> 00:57:12,474
and to really show the value we place in the work that we do.

1064
00:57:12,514 --> 00:57:16,274
Because we would not take an entire day out of our academic calendar

1065
00:57:16,434 --> 00:57:18,734
if we did not think that this was important for teachers.

1066
00:57:19,134 --> 00:57:23,083
So it's important for us to know that this is one of the ways

1067
00:57:23,083 --> 00:57:26,404
that our district sees us and values our professional expertise because they want

1068
00:57:26,414 --> 00:57:27,974
to help us keep growing in our practice.

1069
00:57:28,094 --> 00:57:31,914
Just to know that we're all here as a community and be like, "Oh, there are other

1070
00:57:31,954 --> 00:57:34,114
teachers out there going through the same things that I am.

1071
00:57:34,294 --> 00:57:37,554
I am doing everything that I can. I'm doing great. My kids love me.

1072
00:57:37,694 --> 00:57:40,414
I love my job." So it's just really encouraging and really reassuring.

1073
00:57:54,734 --> 00:57:58,634
So being career specialist here in Berkeley County School District, I believe

1074
00:57:58,794 --> 00:58:02,154
is one of the most impactful roles

1075
00:58:02,254 --> 00:58:06,234
because I get to work with every student and help them

1076
00:58:06,254 --> 00:58:10,234
shape their future. And a lot of students might not know what they want to do,

1077
00:58:10,374 --> 00:58:12,284
so I get to help them figure that out.

1078
00:58:12,294 --> 00:58:16,274
And I think it's not only the most impactful position, but

1079
00:58:16,334 --> 00:58:20,074
it's also the coolest because I get to do all the fun

1080
00:58:20,154 --> 00:58:24,134
things with the students and help them figure out what they want to do, what they

1081
00:58:24,204 --> 00:58:28,074
want to be, where they want to go. And I think that's pretty neat.

1082
00:58:28,174 --> 00:58:32,034
Different things that I set up here at Cane Bay High School are our Lunch and

1083
00:58:32,074 --> 00:58:35,294
Learn program, where I have different employers come in every month.

1084
00:58:36,114 --> 00:58:39,084
And it's not even just employers, but it's different programs,

1085
00:58:39,214 --> 00:58:42,774
colleges, military recruiters, where they talk to

1086
00:58:42,874 --> 00:58:43,964
students and

1087
00:58:44,994 --> 00:58:48,254
educate them on different positions and opportunities.

1088
00:58:48,694 --> 00:58:50,914
I have classroom guest speakers that come in.

1089
00:58:51,314 --> 00:58:55,134
I'm helping shape the future workforce, and that's

1090
00:58:55,174 --> 00:58:58,714
really important because as we know, a lot of that is

1091
00:58:58,774 --> 00:59:02,494
changing and shifting. So we need those jobs filled.

1092
00:59:02,594 --> 00:59:05,274
So I think that that's the most important part.

1093
00:59:05,404 --> 00:59:09,174
And just helping them be good citizens and good community

1094
00:59:09,254 --> 00:59:11,974
partners and just overall good people,

1095
00:59:12,934 --> 00:59:14,234
I think that's the best part.

1096
00:59:24,654 --> 00:59:27,194
Art means expression, opportunity.

1097
00:59:27,234 --> 00:59:30,174
I love to paint. I love to draw. I love to express my creativity.

1098
00:59:30,194 --> 00:59:31,474
I love to express myself.

1099
00:59:31,634 --> 00:59:33,114
It's pride as being creative.

1100
00:59:33,374 --> 00:59:35,534
It's a reflection of what's happening in the classrooms.

1101
00:59:35,574 --> 00:59:37,024
It's a reflection of the community.

1102
00:59:37,254 --> 00:59:40,214
Leaving your mark, right? Everybody wants to be remembered for something.

1103
00:59:40,474 --> 00:59:42,834
It's a reflection of what it means to be a Stratford Knight.

1104
00:59:44,074 --> 00:59:47,954
We have some art students here from Art Club and our National Art Honor Society,

1105
00:59:48,094 --> 00:59:50,414
and they are working on a new mural for Stratford High School.

1106
00:59:51,914 --> 00:59:55,174
We call this area the senior pit. It's kind of a special area,

1107
00:59:55,714 --> 00:59:59,294
and we wanted something for seniors to commemorate their time at Stratford.

1108
00:59:59,854 --> 01:00:03,844
And so the design that we chose from our students was "Once a Knight, always

1109
01:00:03,874 --> 01:00:04,354
a Knight."

1110
01:00:04,514 --> 01:00:06,734
Not the white box, but the design itself.

1111
01:00:07,134 --> 01:00:10,174
I had met with our two graffiti artists in Goose Creek, Nate and Tina.

1112
01:00:10,354 --> 01:00:13,904
And she was like, "Hey, can you come help the art students do a mural?" We were

1113
01:00:13,934 --> 01:00:14,214
like...

1114
01:00:15,054 --> 01:00:15,534
Absolutely.

1115
01:00:15,694 --> 01:00:16,674
Yes, absolutely.

1116
01:00:16,684 --> 01:00:16,814
Love that.

1117
01:00:17,174 --> 01:00:19,934
When I spoke to them, they said, "How are we going to do this? Are we gridding it?

1118
01:00:19,974 --> 01:00:23,914
Are we projecting it?" And with all those questions, they told us that they are

1119
01:00:24,014 --> 01:00:27,434
using a Meta Quest 3 headset for their murals. It's really cool.

1120
01:00:27,534 --> 01:00:31,284
The image is just projected on the wall perfectly with all the

1121
01:00:31,394 --> 01:00:32,094
colors.

1122
01:00:32,354 --> 01:00:36,214
It was like having a new perspective on drawing

1123
01:00:36,314 --> 01:00:40,244
and creating. It really put a point of where our

1124
01:00:40,314 --> 01:00:44,274
technology has come this far and this advanced that we can now see the art

1125
01:00:44,334 --> 01:00:48,244
straight in front of us, and we can now see, "Oh, wait, this is where this line

1126
01:00:48,294 --> 01:00:51,154
goes. Now we just need to draw this over and make sure it looks nice."

1127
01:00:52,474 --> 01:00:55,954
They're always going to be able to come back to their senior pit, because it's

1128
01:00:56,054 --> 01:00:59,394
everybody's senior pit that walks through these halls, be able to say that, "I was

1129
01:00:59,434 --> 01:01:02,694
here when that was done." And I think that's powerful, and I think that's another

1130
01:01:02,714 --> 01:01:03,974
reason why we have alumni here.

1131
01:01:04,394 --> 01:01:04,974
She was a Knight

1132
01:01:05,794 --> 01:01:06,454
before I was.

1133
01:01:07,314 --> 01:01:09,194
I was a Knight, and they're Knights.

1134
01:01:09,314 --> 01:01:12,274
And that means a lot to me, because it shows that they still have their pride and

1135
01:01:12,294 --> 01:01:15,154
spirit. It shows that they still see the school as the same, and the school still

1136
01:01:15,234 --> 01:01:16,393
means a lot to them.

1137
01:01:16,514 --> 01:01:19,474
It's got that nostalgic feel. You're always part of Stratford High School, even

1138
01:01:19,494 --> 01:01:20,534
after you've graduated.

1139
01:01:20,834 --> 01:01:24,714
Stratford's a really good school, so it's kind of like saving the things that you

1140
01:01:24,754 --> 01:01:27,354
learn here and then use them in your life in the future.

1141
01:01:27,394 --> 01:01:29,894
Providing access and opportunities for our kids.

1142
01:01:30,374 --> 01:01:34,114
And I mean, what better way to do it than through art and cutting-edge

1143
01:01:34,174 --> 01:01:37,794
technology and passionate educators and alumni?

1144
01:01:38,194 --> 01:01:39,374
I think it's pretty clear.

1145
01:01:40,484 --> 01:01:44,294
I think I'll put it in there. We're going away.

1146
01:01:44,374 --> 01:01:46,994
I'll now entertain a motion to return to regular session.

1147
01:01:47,074 --> 01:01:47,834
Make the motion.

1148
01:01:47,864 --> 01:01:48,214
Second.

1149
01:01:49,414 --> 01:01:53,234
There's a motion by Mr. Ramsey, a second by Mr.

1150
01:01:53,534 --> 01:01:56,794
Borden to return to regular session. Is there any discussion?

1151
01:01:57,854 --> 01:02:01,474
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1152
01:02:01,694 --> 01:02:01,874
Aye.

1153
01:02:01,974 --> 01:02:03,634
Aye. Opposed, nay.

1154
01:02:04,514 --> 01:02:08,334
The ayes have it, nine zero. We are now in regular session.

1155
01:02:09,314 --> 01:02:12,474
For the minutes, Ms. Littleton is participating via phone.

1156
01:02:13,094 --> 01:02:15,214
Please now stand for the pledge of allegiance.

1157
01:02:21,434 --> 01:02:25,414
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of

1158
01:02:25,494 --> 01:02:29,054
America and to the republic for which it stands,

1159
01:02:29,554 --> 01:02:33,094
one nation under God, indivisible, with

1160
01:02:33,254 --> 01:02:35,014
liberty and justice for all.

1161
01:02:39,774 --> 01:02:43,114
Next on the agenda, item four, difference makers and special

1162
01:02:43,134 --> 01:02:46,974
recognition. Ms. Tanner, you're recognized, and if the board will

1163
01:02:47,034 --> 01:02:48,914
step down to the front of the dais.

1164
01:02:52,454 --> 01:02:53,574
I think we got a good high five.

1165
01:02:55,214 --> 01:02:58,794
Good evening, Madam Chair, Superintendent Dixon, members of the board, and everyone

1166
01:02:58,834 --> 01:03:02,734
who has joined us this evening. Tonight, we are recognizing student

1167
01:03:02,934 --> 01:03:06,803
athlete excellence in Berkeley County as we celebrate our individual and

1168
01:03:06,894 --> 01:03:08,924
team track and field state champions.

1169
01:03:09,534 --> 01:03:13,444
Overall, we had five schools win individual gold medals at the state

1170
01:03:13,534 --> 01:03:17,463
track and field championships: Philip Simmons High, Goose Creek High,

1171
01:03:17,654 --> 01:03:20,764
Timberland High, Hanahan High, and Stratford High.

1172
01:03:21,214 --> 01:03:25,154
Philip Simmons High girls and boys track teams also won state

1173
01:03:25,214 --> 01:03:28,824
titles in Class 2A. First up, Philip Simmons High

1174
01:03:29,194 --> 01:03:32,874
won multiple individual medals in both the boys and girls

1175
01:03:32,954 --> 01:03:34,354
track and fields programs.

1176
01:03:40,274 --> 01:03:44,194
And once again, both the girls and boys won team state championships

1177
01:03:44,254 --> 01:03:47,904
in Class 2A. Both the girls and boys four by

1178
01:03:48,054 --> 01:03:51,714
800-meter relay teams smoked the competition and took home first

1179
01:03:51,754 --> 01:03:55,354
place. Individually, Ashley Rouche vaulted over the

1180
01:03:55,374 --> 01:03:59,354
competition yet again and took home first place in the pole vault for the second

1181
01:03:59,434 --> 01:04:03,074
year in a row. Likewise, Laura Perry ran away with two gold

1182
01:04:03,154 --> 01:04:07,014
medals for her performance in the girls 1,600-meter and girls

1183
01:04:07,174 --> 01:04:10,463
3,200-meter races for the second consecutive year.

1184
01:04:10,954 --> 01:04:14,874
And Flynn Taylor also defended her spot as the reigning champion in the

1185
01:04:15,054 --> 01:04:18,784
800-meter race. For the first time, Julia Riley hopped to the

1186
01:04:18,854 --> 01:04:22,694
top spot in the girls triple jump, and Jeremiah Richardson sprinted to

1187
01:04:22,734 --> 01:04:25,194
first place in the 200-meter dash.

1188
01:04:25,614 --> 01:04:29,094
Way to outrun the competition. Congratulations, Iron Horses.

1189
01:04:35,534 --> 01:04:36,793
All right, one, two, three.

1190
01:04:46,014 --> 01:04:49,514
I want to thank Dr. Dixon again and the board for inviting us here.

1191
01:04:49,534 --> 01:04:53,334
This never gets old. I know it seems like we're here a lot, but we absolutely love

1192
01:04:53,374 --> 01:04:57,314
it and we appreciate it. Something that is coming out in the next week

1193
01:04:57,354 --> 01:05:01,054
or so, just so let everybody know, we once again won the

1194
01:05:01,114 --> 01:05:03,413
Carlisle Cup for the second straight year.

1195
01:05:08,234 --> 01:05:11,674
For those who are unfamiliar, they take your rankings from all the

1196
01:05:11,694 --> 01:05:15,294
classifications, all the playoffs, and we were the best team athletically in 2A for

1197
01:05:15,314 --> 01:05:18,114
the second straight year, so very, very happy about that.

1198
01:05:23,674 --> 01:05:27,294
Next up, for the second consecutive year, Goose Creek High's Courtney

1199
01:05:27,354 --> 01:05:31,234
Horn ran away with a gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles in

1200
01:05:31,274 --> 01:05:33,034
Class 5A, Division 2.

1201
01:05:36,194 --> 01:05:36,994
Way to go, Courtney.

1202
01:06:00,194 --> 01:06:01,274
All right, one, two, three.

1203
01:06:09,954 --> 01:06:10,814
Come

1204
01:06:12,774 --> 01:06:13,084
on,

1205
01:06:14,114 --> 01:06:14,824
baby.

1206
01:06:16,170 --> 01:06:16,570
I

1207
01:06:17,550 --> 01:06:20,970
am very proud of Courtney. She has

1208
01:06:21,810 --> 01:06:24,850
maintained her title, and she's worked very hard to do so.

1209
01:06:25,170 --> 01:06:28,830
She's a hardworking athlete. She's very dedicated, very

1210
01:06:28,910 --> 01:06:32,850
motivated, very inspiring to the group, and we love having

1211
01:06:32,910 --> 01:06:35,370
her as a part of the team. So, thank you.

1212
01:06:41,850 --> 01:06:45,540
Next up, for the Wolves, Timberland High's Malik Goodman took home the state

1213
01:06:45,590 --> 01:06:49,519
title in the boys 400-meter hurdles for the first at

1214
01:06:49,570 --> 01:06:53,159
this year's state track meet. Additionally, Carter Hawkins is now a

1215
01:06:53,290 --> 01:06:54,590
two-time state champion-

1216
01:06:58,350 --> 01:07:02,250
... after being named the triple jump state champion in Class 2A track and field

1217
01:07:02,510 --> 01:07:05,830
yet again. Congratulations to Malik and to Carter.

1218
01:07:13,450 --> 01:07:17,180
Come this way. Somebody- Y'all

1219
01:07:17,650 --> 01:07:21,470
slide down the front this way a little bit. A little bit. Okay.

1220
01:07:21,490 --> 01:07:22,170
There you go.

1221
01:07:26,330 --> 01:07:29,210
And y'all, second row, slide forward a little bit.

1222
01:07:29,220 --> 01:07:29,789
Am I second row?

1223
01:07:29,850 --> 01:07:30,530
There we go.

1224
01:07:32,110 --> 01:07:34,030
All right. One, two, three.

1225
01:07:46,730 --> 01:07:47,510
Good evening, everyone.

1226
01:07:48,750 --> 01:07:52,650
I am the assistant coach with the Timberland High track and field team.

1227
01:07:53,570 --> 01:07:55,710
It's just an honor and pleasure to be here.

1228
01:07:57,210 --> 01:08:01,170
It's just a blessing to have an opportunity to coach Malik

1229
01:08:01,270 --> 01:08:04,930
and Carter, because they are outstanding kids, and

1230
01:08:05,010 --> 01:08:08,670
outstanding students as well. So, to have this honor to be in front of you,

1231
01:08:09,050 --> 01:08:10,810
for y'all to recognize them,

1232
01:08:11,810 --> 01:08:15,650
there's no better feeling, there's no better opportunity than this right

1233
01:08:15,690 --> 01:08:19,530
here. So, thank you. Thank you to them, and thank you for your

1234
01:08:19,570 --> 01:08:19,790
time.

1235
01:08:26,271 --> 01:08:29,971
Next up is Hanahan High's Avery Maness, who soared to the

1236
01:08:30,070 --> 01:08:33,610
top spot to win an individual medal in girls' pole vault in Class

1237
01:08:33,851 --> 01:08:37,450
3A. What an incredible accomplishment for Avery and the Hawks.

1238
01:08:59,811 --> 01:09:00,879
One, two,

1239
01:09:02,030 --> 01:09:02,630
three.

1240
01:09:13,931 --> 01:09:16,010
I'm Coach Lewd with Hanahan High School.

1241
01:09:16,670 --> 01:09:20,330
I just wanted to say thank you to everybody today, and

1242
01:09:20,391 --> 01:09:23,290
congratulations to all the athletes that are here also today.

1243
01:09:24,250 --> 01:09:28,050
But I just want to let you know, Avery has been a blessing for us over the

1244
01:09:28,110 --> 01:09:32,030
past three years. She set our high school

1245
01:09:32,070 --> 01:09:35,570
pole vault record at 12 feet 10 inches this past year.

1246
01:09:36,550 --> 01:09:39,490
But that's only the beginning. She's got a lot more to go when she goes off to

1247
01:09:39,530 --> 01:09:42,690
college. But thank you very much. It's been an honor and a pleasure.

1248
01:09:48,851 --> 01:09:52,070
All right. And last but not least, Stratford High's Lucas

1249
01:09:52,170 --> 01:09:55,930
Koluck took home first place in the pole vault in Class 5A

1250
01:09:55,990 --> 01:09:58,560
Division 1 for the second year in a row.

1251
01:10:05,050 --> 01:10:08,969
Congratulations to Lucas, the Knights' way to vault over the competition.

1252
01:10:10,920 --> 01:10:13,439
See how she did. Picture

1253
01:10:13,470 --> 01:10:16,210
time.

1254
01:10:16,250 --> 01:10:21,010
Scoot

1255
01:10:21,490 --> 01:10:21,510
your butt.

1256
01:10:23,730 --> 01:10:25,350
All right. One, two, three.

1257
01:10:36,750 --> 01:10:40,570
I'm Chef Calvert from Stratford, one of the assistant coaches, and I basically

1258
01:10:40,610 --> 01:10:44,090
work with Lucas in pole vault. I have to say, it's been a great five years with

1259
01:10:44,170 --> 01:10:46,170
Lucas. He's a back-to-back state champion.

1260
01:10:46,230 --> 01:10:50,010
He just came in second place at Adidas National last week, so he's making

1261
01:10:50,090 --> 01:10:51,550
Stratford and Berkeley County look great.

1262
01:10:52,470 --> 01:10:53,340
Lucas also has

1263
01:10:54,510 --> 01:10:58,230
the top 15 heights at Stratford High School, basically at

1264
01:10:58,250 --> 01:11:01,530
state, getting 16 feet. So it's been super to have him, and we're looking forward

1265
01:11:01,540 --> 01:11:05,490
to just continuing the classiness that he's set

1266
01:11:05,790 --> 01:11:07,530
for the standards of Stratford. Thank you very much.

1267
01:11:13,250 --> 01:11:15,210
Thank you, and that concludes tonight's recognitions.

1268
01:12:07,210 --> 01:12:11,150
In order to conduct the meeting in an orderly and efficient manner, we ask that you

1269
01:12:11,170 --> 01:12:14,809
honor the following guidelines. Stakeholder comments are welcomed and

1270
01:12:14,850 --> 01:12:18,630
encouraged. However, the board will not take immediate action on public comments at

1271
01:12:18,670 --> 01:12:22,270
this meeting. Any person wishing to address the board must

1272
01:12:22,310 --> 01:12:25,730
register prior to the meeting. Comments must be regarding

1273
01:12:25,770 --> 01:12:28,290
programs, policies, or procedures.

1274
01:12:28,770 --> 01:12:32,470
Comments regarding complaints against employees other than district level

1275
01:12:32,590 --> 01:12:36,230
executives, or references to students other than the child of the

1276
01:12:36,240 --> 01:12:38,390
speaker, will not be heard in public session.

1277
01:12:38,950 --> 01:12:41,740
Groups addressing the same topic should select one speaker.

1278
01:12:42,230 --> 01:12:45,119
Comments will be limited to three minutes per speaker.

1279
01:12:45,150 --> 01:12:48,670
The board chair reserves the right to allot additional time or halt public comments

1280
01:12:48,730 --> 01:12:50,350
that do not adhere to the guidelines.

1281
01:12:52,150 --> 01:12:54,050
First speaker is Adrian Serpe,

1282
01:12:55,010 --> 01:12:58,610
Transparency of District Diabetes Policy. Welcome.

1283
01:13:01,270 --> 01:13:04,950
Good evening. It's Adrian Serpe, and I am an advocate and a

1284
01:13:04,970 --> 01:13:07,790
parent of a Type 1 child in Berkeley County School District.

1285
01:13:08,370 --> 01:13:12,280
Before I begin, I want to make one thing very clear, that I'm not

1286
01:13:12,430 --> 01:13:16,130
here to criticize school nurses because they have been our lifeline in our

1287
01:13:16,190 --> 01:13:19,770
schools. We are so grateful for the ones that have cared for my son,

1288
01:13:20,230 --> 01:13:23,150
and without them, we likely would not still be in this district.

1289
01:13:23,210 --> 01:13:25,970
But they are held to district policies.

1290
01:13:26,440 --> 01:13:30,190
The problem is not every family has the same experience with school

1291
01:13:30,250 --> 01:13:34,140
nurses across the district because there are no clear policies and

1292
01:13:34,190 --> 01:13:37,550
procedures in place, and when they are inconsistently

1293
01:13:37,650 --> 01:13:41,390
communicated, it creates confusion and inconsistent care.

1294
01:13:42,190 --> 01:13:46,070
Every time I have emailed and raised concerns, I get very

1295
01:13:46,150 --> 01:13:48,970
similar emails back. "Thank you for your concern.

1296
01:13:49,350 --> 01:13:52,970
We're reviewing it. We're going to follow up." But it never

1297
01:13:53,390 --> 01:13:57,170
happens. So since 2021, the same thing.

1298
01:13:57,590 --> 01:13:59,610
What's going on? Why don't we have these policies?

1299
01:13:59,670 --> 01:14:03,130
Why aren't we utilizing the Dexcom follow-up in the nurse's office to be

1300
01:14:03,250 --> 01:14:07,050
proactive in preventing hypoglycemic incidences in the

1301
01:14:07,110 --> 01:14:10,670
school? And I have been basically ignored or brushed off.

1302
01:14:11,090 --> 01:14:14,830
I do want to recognize and appreciate deputy superintendent's

1303
01:14:14,990 --> 01:14:18,630
email and Ms. Davenport reaching out to me to ask questions

1304
01:14:18,670 --> 01:14:21,710
and just some kind of communication.

1305
01:14:21,770 --> 01:14:25,710
It's something, but the problem is none of my questions from the last board

1306
01:14:25,730 --> 01:14:29,630
meeting were actually answered. I was told that things were going to be

1307
01:14:29,690 --> 01:14:33,240
under review, but we're asking for transparency.

1308
01:14:33,750 --> 01:14:37,450
What's being reviewed? Who is responsible? What are we addressing?

1309
01:14:37,520 --> 01:14:41,370
And when can we expect answers? Because as of right now,

1310
01:14:41,950 --> 01:14:45,590
we're going into another school year, again, without any

1311
01:14:45,690 --> 01:14:49,170
updated medical guidance with diabetes policies.

1312
01:14:49,470 --> 01:14:53,240
Yet again, we are not aligning with current ADA guidelines,

1313
01:14:53,350 --> 01:14:57,259
and I'm literally scared to start the school year, again, knowing that

1314
01:14:57,350 --> 01:14:59,590
we're likely going to face some medical emergencies.

1315
01:15:00,110 --> 01:15:04,060
We are asking for transparency. I just sat here and looked at

1316
01:15:04,110 --> 01:15:08,070
your budget, and I'm actually caught off guard that with a $518 million

1317
01:15:08,430 --> 01:15:11,490
budget, you're not prioritizing student safety.

1318
01:15:11,850 --> 01:15:15,410
There was nothing in there about updating staff and nurse training, or

1319
01:15:15,590 --> 01:15:19,290
nurse raises, or even how you're going to update medical

1320
01:15:19,370 --> 01:15:22,910
training, or interventionists and therapists, and where is the

1321
01:15:22,930 --> 01:15:26,319
investment in ensuring every child with a life-threatening medical

1322
01:15:26,410 --> 01:15:27,970
condition is protected?

1323
01:15:28,790 --> 01:15:31,450
Nobody thought about that one, but we have.

1324
01:15:32,210 --> 01:15:36,170
I need some answers, please, on how these procedures are going to be reviewed

1325
01:15:36,190 --> 01:15:38,850
and updated. When was the policy last written?

1326
01:15:39,290 --> 01:15:41,810
Who's reviewing it? Can we get a meeting with them?

1327
01:15:41,910 --> 01:15:45,390
Are families being asked for any input whatsoever?

1328
01:15:45,550 --> 01:15:48,170
We need transparency in the district.

1329
01:15:48,570 --> 01:15:52,130
We don't fear paperwork. We fear medical emergencies,

1330
01:15:52,570 --> 01:15:56,390
and my child deserves answers. Our children deserve no less

1331
01:15:56,470 --> 01:15:59,870
than to be safe at school. So as we go into this next school year,

1332
01:16:00,470 --> 01:16:04,070
we are asking the district to give our children the safety and

1333
01:16:04,130 --> 01:16:07,480
respect that they need. We're really demanding this of the district.

1334
01:16:07,830 --> 01:16:09,770
Transparency, please.

1335
01:16:10,610 --> 01:16:12,240
Thank you very much for coming to speak.

1336
01:16:12,330 --> 01:16:15,870
The next speaker is Amanda Hebel, helping with teacher supplies.

1337
01:16:15,930 --> 01:16:16,670
Welcome, Ms. Hebel.

1338
01:16:21,570 --> 01:16:24,550
Hey, friends. I'm back. I know you missed me.

1339
01:16:25,530 --> 01:16:28,150
I'm here tonight for a simple request.

1340
01:16:28,610 --> 01:16:32,550
First, I need my teachers that are watching, especially those of you who are

1341
01:16:32,590 --> 01:16:36,190
redeployed or moving to a new classroom, to begin sharing your

1342
01:16:36,250 --> 01:16:40,070
Amazon wish lists. Second, we need you, district

1343
01:16:40,130 --> 01:16:43,910
office and school board, to help those teachers that are being redeployed

1344
01:16:44,310 --> 01:16:48,100
pay for their new classrooms, because you know what the district supplies?

1345
01:16:48,990 --> 01:16:52,930
Four walls, and if you're lucky, enough desks and chairs for all your

1346
01:16:52,990 --> 01:16:56,970
students. Since most of you haven't been in a teaching position in well

1347
01:16:57,050 --> 01:17:00,980
over a decade, or ever, you may not realize the cost of turning

1348
01:17:01,030 --> 01:17:04,830
a classroom into a home. Teachers who have been in a classroom for at

1349
01:17:04,870 --> 01:17:08,730
least a year usually have a stockpile of materials that they may or may not

1350
01:17:08,790 --> 01:17:12,590
reuse each year. However, new teachers and

1351
01:17:12,650 --> 01:17:16,430
those that you're putting back into classrooms won't have those materials on hand.

1352
01:17:16,990 --> 01:17:20,880
It's highly unlikely that the Title I facilitators, middle school coaches,

1353
01:17:21,010 --> 01:17:24,570
innovative learning coordinators, and anyone else the district has moved back into

1354
01:17:24,590 --> 01:17:28,210
the classroom will still have materials from when they were classroom teachers,

1355
01:17:28,610 --> 01:17:30,450
some more than 15 years ago.

1356
01:17:31,490 --> 01:17:35,070
What the district doesn't provide are things like books, classroom

1357
01:17:35,110 --> 01:17:39,090
decor, lamps, expo markers, chart paper, more books, index cards,

1358
01:17:39,170 --> 01:17:42,930
folders, crayons, markers, colored pencils, scissors, even

1359
01:17:42,990 --> 01:17:46,490
more books, writing paper, pencils, pencils, and more

1360
01:17:46,570 --> 01:17:50,250
pencils, cardstock, books, composition notebooks,

1361
01:17:50,490 --> 01:17:54,210
magnets, copy paper, books, flexible seating options, hand

1362
01:17:54,290 --> 01:17:57,670
sanitizer, tissues, indoor recess items, playground equipment,

1363
01:17:58,010 --> 01:18:01,340
headphones, pencil pouches, supply boxes, special education

1364
01:18:01,390 --> 01:18:05,110
curriculum, and so much more. Did I mention pencils and

1365
01:18:05,130 --> 01:18:05,510
books?

1366
01:18:06,586 --> 01:18:10,186
These are some items that make a classroom functional and feel like a second home.

1367
01:18:10,866 --> 01:18:14,706
The average cost is approximately $2,828,

1368
01:18:14,866 --> 01:18:18,306
give or take, depending on the grade level. And I know what you're going to say.

1369
01:18:18,786 --> 01:18:21,526
There are supply lists for parents to purchase these items.

1370
01:18:21,546 --> 01:18:23,246
But what about our Title I families?

1371
01:18:23,266 --> 01:18:26,326
Are they expected to foot the bill for your redeployed employees?

1372
01:18:27,166 --> 01:18:30,806
My ask is simple. Help the people you are displacing.

1373
01:18:31,666 --> 01:18:35,446
First, start supply drives so that those with the means

1374
01:18:35,506 --> 01:18:37,426
can help toward this daunting list.

1375
01:18:38,266 --> 01:18:41,906
Second, raise the millage. You knew you were opening two new

1376
01:18:42,006 --> 01:18:44,526
schools, yet you're refusing to fund them appropriately.

1377
01:18:45,006 --> 01:18:47,966
This has been years in the making. You've had the time.

1378
01:18:48,766 --> 01:18:52,526
Third, don't take a raise. Instead, use that money to help

1379
01:18:52,606 --> 01:18:56,426
supply these classrooms. Dr. Dixon alone has received a salary

1380
01:18:56,486 --> 01:19:00,166
increase of $125,000 since being named superintendent in

1381
01:19:00,306 --> 01:19:04,146
2022. Can you imagine what the salary increases for the rest of the

1382
01:19:04,206 --> 01:19:06,966
cabinet have been? How many teachers could we have hired?

1383
01:19:07,286 --> 01:19:08,986
How many classrooms could we have supplied?

1384
01:19:09,446 --> 01:19:13,366
How many students could have benefited if just once you had said,

1385
01:19:13,726 --> 01:19:14,956
"I'll defer my raise"?

1386
01:19:17,396 --> 01:19:21,296
Thank you, Ms. Hibel. Up next, Ms. Lindsey Dragel, Budget and

1387
01:19:21,346 --> 01:19:22,866
Accountability.

1388
01:19:25,706 --> 01:19:26,126
Welcome.

1389
01:19:31,996 --> 01:19:32,476
Good evening.

1390
01:19:33,426 --> 01:19:37,246
My name is Lindsey Dragel. Not only am I a mom, I was an early childhood

1391
01:19:37,346 --> 01:19:41,026
educator for over 20 years. Most teachers will tell you that once you're an

1392
01:19:41,086 --> 01:19:42,766
educator, you're always an educator.

1393
01:19:43,246 --> 01:19:47,086
It's hard for me to look past my own child's growing reluctance to go to

1394
01:19:47,146 --> 01:19:50,766
school every day and not see the same thing happening to so many others.

1395
01:19:51,506 --> 01:19:55,336
My background also includes being a director, which means I'm trained to step back

1396
01:19:55,346 --> 01:19:58,466
and see the big picture. And right now, the picture is not good.

1397
01:19:58,966 --> 01:20:02,386
The teachers are struggling, the administrators are struggling, the district is

1398
01:20:02,446 --> 01:20:05,346
struggling. The system is failing our students.

1399
01:20:05,406 --> 01:20:08,966
As a parent and educator at heart, I cannot sit back and watch the continuing

1400
01:20:08,986 --> 01:20:10,526
downward spiral of our schools.

1401
01:20:11,466 --> 01:20:15,436
When parents and employees begin bring forward data and

1402
01:20:15,486 --> 01:20:19,306
concerns, the response has been redirection or deflection rather than

1403
01:20:19,366 --> 01:20:19,786
answers,

1404
01:20:20,586 --> 01:20:24,546
if we even get a response at all. I understand this board receives

1405
01:20:24,606 --> 01:20:28,426
a lot of pressure from many directions, but you were elected by the

1406
01:20:28,466 --> 01:20:32,366
community and the first stop beyond school administrators

1407
01:20:32,446 --> 01:20:36,386
to bring our concerns to. We are worried about starting the school

1408
01:20:36,426 --> 01:20:40,356
year without enough staff. We're worried about starting the year in survival mode.

1409
01:20:41,246 --> 01:20:45,156
As of today, Applitrack, a job posting system the

1410
01:20:45,166 --> 01:20:49,156
district uses, is currently showing over 100 open teaching positions with

1411
01:20:49,206 --> 01:20:53,136
six weeks until school starts, and that number is likely just the surface.

1412
01:20:53,566 --> 01:20:57,486
When positions are cut and allocations are reduced, the vacancies don't disappear,

1413
01:20:57,636 --> 01:21:00,926
they just become invisible. The district even moved

1414
01:21:00,936 --> 01:21:04,826
$4.1 million in salaries off the general fund

1415
01:21:04,906 --> 01:21:08,726
into a separate fund this year. Redeploying employees into vacant

1416
01:21:08,786 --> 01:21:12,566
teaching positions from positions that have been cut to prevent layoffs is only

1417
01:21:12,606 --> 01:21:16,426
half the story. If the general fund grew by $31.9

1418
01:21:16,466 --> 01:21:20,146
million and required a one-time $1.9

1419
01:21:20,206 --> 01:21:20,586
million

1420
01:21:22,006 --> 01:21:25,736
legal settlement transfer just to balance, what does that say about the

1421
01:21:25,766 --> 01:21:29,346
underlying structural gap? How does a $31.9

1422
01:21:29,386 --> 01:21:32,606
million general fund increase still produce staffing cuts?

1423
01:21:33,646 --> 01:21:35,895
You cut one tax and raised another to match,

1424
01:21:36,026 --> 01:21:39,966
then still cut

1425
01:21:40,026 --> 01:21:43,966
staff. That was a choice. Opening two new schools doesn't fully explain the

1426
01:21:44,006 --> 01:21:47,406
gap this size. The decisions you are making are not working.

1427
01:21:47,866 --> 01:21:51,526
Some spend time in your schools, forget about the influences in your

1428
01:21:51,606 --> 01:21:54,646
ears that are encouraging these decisions, and consider the human

1429
01:21:54,706 --> 01:21:58,566
cost. Maybe we need to not spend money on the wrong things, like

1430
01:21:58,626 --> 01:22:02,226
heartwarming videos. The district is promoting beautiful propaganda while the

1431
01:22:02,286 --> 01:22:05,106
schools burn. We don't need more highlight reels.

1432
01:22:05,186 --> 01:22:08,306
We need this board to spend time in actual schools and listen to what is being

1433
01:22:08,446 --> 01:22:10,426
said, not manage the narrative around it.

1434
01:22:11,286 --> 01:22:15,136
When I talk to teachers and fellow parents, the frustration is real and

1435
01:22:15,166 --> 01:22:18,766
widespread. But frustration whispered in parking lots and social

1436
01:22:18,806 --> 01:22:22,766
media doesn't move anything. So I'm asking you, the people in this room and the

1437
01:22:22,805 --> 01:22:23,865
people watching tonight,

1438
01:22:25,226 --> 01:22:28,506
make it loud, send an email, sign up to speak, show up,

1439
01:22:29,166 --> 01:22:32,706
because the only thing this board cannot ignore is a room that won't stop filling

1440
01:22:32,786 --> 01:22:33,386
up. Thank you.

1441
01:22:33,926 --> 01:22:37,866
Thank you for speaking. The next speaker is Sarah Khalil.

1442
01:22:38,326 --> 01:22:42,306
"Are you serving your stakeholders?" is the nature of her

1443
01:22:43,226 --> 01:22:45,126
speaking. Welcome, Ms. Khalil.

1444
01:22:47,146 --> 01:22:50,646
Good evening. My name is Sarah Khalil, and I am a representative of the Berkeley

1445
01:22:50,706 --> 01:22:54,406
County Education Association. Tonight I ask the school

1446
01:22:54,466 --> 01:22:58,366
board to reflect on one question. Are you serving your

1447
01:22:58,426 --> 01:23:01,786
stakeholders? You are the elected representatives of the

1448
01:23:01,846 --> 01:23:05,306
entire community served by Berkeley County School District.

1449
01:23:05,906 --> 01:23:08,766
We depend on you to hold the district

1450
01:23:08,826 --> 01:23:12,236
accountable for meeting the needs of students, teachers, and

1451
01:23:12,366 --> 01:23:15,926
families. The district's decisions are hurting real

1452
01:23:16,046 --> 01:23:16,526
people.

1453
01:23:17,506 --> 01:23:21,426
Students deserve schools that are fully staffed, and by fully staffed I

1454
01:23:21,466 --> 01:23:24,866
don't mean redeploying necessary staff to hide the number of

1455
01:23:24,946 --> 01:23:28,806
vacancies. Parents deserve public schools that fully serve

1456
01:23:28,826 --> 01:23:32,546
their children with robust arts programs, realistic class

1457
01:23:32,586 --> 01:23:36,186
sizes, and academic programs tailored to each student's needs.

1458
01:23:36,756 --> 01:23:40,706
Teachers deserve supportive work environments where they are not overburdened with

1459
01:23:40,806 --> 01:23:43,496
tasks beyond the scope of an instructional day,

1460
01:23:44,366 --> 01:23:47,926
and they deserve not to be harassed and intimidated by their

1461
01:23:47,966 --> 01:23:51,226
administration and/or the district office for voicing

1462
01:23:51,306 --> 01:23:55,266
concerns. The community deserves transparency from the

1463
01:23:55,286 --> 01:23:58,686
district office, not rigged statistics, hidden

1464
01:23:58,746 --> 01:24:01,286
salaries, and last-minute decisions.

1465
01:24:01,326 --> 01:24:05,306
They don't deserve a district driven by corruption and nepotism where

1466
01:24:05,315 --> 01:24:08,686
executives serve only their families, friends, and professional

1467
01:24:08,786 --> 01:24:12,726
connections. Instead, stakeholders in BCSD are

1468
01:24:12,746 --> 01:24:14,346
being completely overlooked.

1469
01:24:15,230 --> 01:24:18,890
The district is refusing to respond to concerns and questions from the

1470
01:24:18,930 --> 01:24:19,400
community.

1471
01:24:20,259 --> 01:24:23,680
This lack of response is a sure sign that they do not value their

1472
01:24:23,690 --> 01:24:26,550
stakeholders. They do not value their input.

1473
01:24:26,560 --> 01:24:30,350
They do not value their concerns. They do not value their employees or the

1474
01:24:30,390 --> 01:24:33,430
damage they have caused to their lives and careers.

1475
01:24:33,440 --> 01:24:37,410
They do not value effective teachers. They do not value retaining them.

1476
01:24:37,430 --> 01:24:40,430
They do not value our students as whole children.

1477
01:24:40,470 --> 01:24:44,070
They do not value the support that these students need beyond the standardized

1478
01:24:44,090 --> 01:24:47,850
curriculum. They do not value the families who have come forward with

1479
01:24:47,930 --> 01:24:50,130
serious concerns and pleas for help.

1480
01:24:50,630 --> 01:24:54,130
They do not value the damage and distress their self-centered decisions have

1481
01:24:54,210 --> 01:24:57,550
caused. Because right now, the only thing the district office cares

1482
01:24:57,610 --> 01:24:59,619
about is the district office.

1483
01:25:00,630 --> 01:25:04,370
We do not value your propaganda, your endless loop of PR

1484
01:25:04,410 --> 01:25:08,170
videos trying to put a glossy finish over deep systemic issues in this

1485
01:25:08,270 --> 01:25:11,950
district. Fancy videos don't solve real problems.

1486
01:25:12,950 --> 01:25:16,030
It is your job to make sure we solve them.

1487
01:25:16,090 --> 01:25:19,710
Respond to your stakeholders' emails, calls, and requests for help and

1488
01:25:19,790 --> 01:25:22,450
information. Fully staff our schools.

1489
01:25:22,790 --> 01:25:24,630
Give us back our support positions.

1490
01:25:24,980 --> 01:25:28,070
Tell teachers where they're going to land next year immediately.

1491
01:25:28,910 --> 01:25:32,670
Reimburse them for the extra days, supplies, and miles required to

1492
01:25:32,710 --> 01:25:36,220
create new classrooms. Raise the millage and

1493
01:25:36,430 --> 01:25:40,250
fund our schools. Make district-level salaries public,

1494
01:25:40,370 --> 01:25:44,100
just as CCSD does. If the district needs to make cuts,

1495
01:25:44,390 --> 01:25:48,220
start with its hidden salaries. If they aren't publicly available, they must have

1496
01:25:48,250 --> 01:25:52,240
something to hide. How do you justify inflated salaries when they aren't

1497
01:25:52,250 --> 01:25:53,950
fulfilling their responsibilities?

1498
01:25:54,450 --> 01:25:58,310
Perhaps the district office should ask teachers how to do more with less,

1499
01:25:58,770 --> 01:26:02,230
something teachers have been doing for years. Thank you.

1500
01:26:02,430 --> 01:26:03,410
Thank you, Ms. Khalil.

1501
01:26:05,910 --> 01:26:09,790
Up next, agenda item six,

1502
01:26:10,450 --> 01:26:13,800
superintendent's report. Dr. Dixon, you're recognized.

1503
01:26:14,370 --> 01:26:14,680
All right.

1504
01:26:15,570 --> 01:26:19,510
Good evening, BCSD board of trustees, senior-level

1505
01:26:19,630 --> 01:26:23,350
cabinet, district staff, citizens, and guests.

1506
01:26:23,390 --> 01:26:27,090
Before beginning tonight's business, I want to first express my sincere gratitude

1507
01:26:27,130 --> 01:26:30,880
for the outpouring of support my family and I received during the sad,

1508
01:26:31,270 --> 01:26:33,530
sudden illness and passing of my aunt.

1509
01:26:33,570 --> 01:26:37,290
Your prayers, cards, calls, and words of encouragement were deeply

1510
01:26:37,350 --> 01:26:41,010
appreciated. During difficult times, you're reminded that

1511
01:26:41,050 --> 01:26:44,990
beyond titles and positions, we are a community of people

1512
01:26:45,150 --> 01:26:48,770
who care for one another. For that, my family and I are truly

1513
01:26:48,790 --> 01:26:49,250
grateful.

1514
01:26:50,390 --> 01:26:54,230
Thank you. And tonight, I bring before you, we bring before you,

1515
01:26:54,519 --> 01:26:57,830
the second reading of the fiscal year 26/27 budget.

1516
01:26:58,680 --> 01:27:01,710
This budget represents months of hard work, collaboration,

1517
01:27:02,090 --> 01:27:04,870
innovation, and thoughtful decision-making.

1518
01:27:05,650 --> 01:27:09,609
The board of trustees has been an integral partner throughout this process.

1519
01:27:10,490 --> 01:27:14,310
While difficult decisions were necessary, I believe this budget is well-developed,

1520
01:27:14,870 --> 01:27:18,850
fiscally responsible, and responsive to the economic realities facing our

1521
01:27:18,910 --> 01:27:21,610
country, our county, our state, and our

1522
01:27:21,650 --> 01:27:25,230
nation. Over the past four years, the district has

1523
01:27:25,310 --> 01:27:29,270
experienced significant growth and achievement, and we cannot ignore that.

1524
01:27:31,110 --> 01:27:34,290
I have shared these accomplishments with you on many

1525
01:27:34,350 --> 01:27:38,230
occasions. While we are proud of our progress, we are not

1526
01:27:38,330 --> 01:27:41,970
satisfied. We remain committed to continuous

1527
01:27:42,030 --> 01:27:45,840
improvement and to ensuring that our time, talent,

1528
01:27:46,070 --> 01:27:49,830
and resources remain focused where they matter the most,

1529
01:27:50,390 --> 01:27:54,050
in the classroom. As part of this budget, we have consolidated

1530
01:27:54,210 --> 01:27:57,370
senior cabinet positions, and upon

1531
01:27:57,410 --> 01:28:01,299
approval, we will begin strategically realigning responsibilities

1532
01:28:01,330 --> 01:28:04,060
among these highly qualified leaders.

1533
01:28:04,090 --> 01:28:07,970
We have also repurposed school-level positions to strengthen impact

1534
01:28:08,030 --> 01:28:09,410
in curriculum and instruction,

1535
01:28:10,270 --> 01:28:13,890
while ensuring we have highly qualified teachers in the classroom

1536
01:28:14,230 --> 01:28:17,650
and allowing more funds to schools to be used to

1537
01:28:17,750 --> 01:28:20,410
directly impact student achievement.

1538
01:28:21,070 --> 01:28:25,020
This is not new to Berkeley County, Charleston County, Dorchester

1539
01:28:25,110 --> 01:28:28,830
2, or Dorchester 4. This happens in every

1540
01:28:29,210 --> 01:28:32,210
district. These changes are not simply

1541
01:28:32,489 --> 01:28:36,470
organizational. They're intentional efforts to strengthen

1542
01:28:36,530 --> 01:28:40,090
support for our schools, our principals, our

1543
01:28:40,150 --> 01:28:43,870
teachers, our staff, our students, and

1544
01:28:43,930 --> 01:28:47,830
families. Positions may have been redeployed,

1545
01:28:48,550 --> 01:28:52,310
but unlike certain other places and other districts across our state,

1546
01:28:53,590 --> 01:28:57,230
they have not lost any jobs. We have

1547
01:28:57,350 --> 01:29:01,310
maintained and ensured that everyone has a position.

1548
01:29:02,370 --> 01:29:06,350
Education is not a linear system. Every individual plays

1549
01:29:06,370 --> 01:29:08,630
an essential role in student success.

1550
01:29:09,470 --> 01:29:12,490
We need students in school and on time.

1551
01:29:13,210 --> 01:29:16,650
We need nutritious meals that fuel learning.

1552
01:29:16,690 --> 01:29:20,490
We need clean, safe, and well-maintained facilities where students can

1553
01:29:20,510 --> 01:29:24,490
thrive. We need reliable technological infrastructure

1554
01:29:24,610 --> 01:29:28,290
that allows instruction to occur without interruption.

1555
01:29:28,990 --> 01:29:32,970
We need social and emotional and academic support that

1556
01:29:33,030 --> 01:29:34,410
develop the whole child.

1557
01:29:35,270 --> 01:29:37,990
We need leaders who are committed to the vision

1558
01:29:39,290 --> 01:29:42,890
and teachers who place students first and embrace the

1559
01:29:42,970 --> 01:29:46,910
power of an aligned research base curriculum.

1560
01:29:48,070 --> 01:29:51,510
Research. Research consistently demonstrates that a

1561
01:29:51,670 --> 01:29:55,430
guaranteed and viable curriculum is among the most

1562
01:29:55,490 --> 01:29:59,110
significant school-based factors influencing student

1563
01:29:59,120 --> 01:30:02,700
achievement. The budget before you supports each of these critical

1564
01:30:02,790 --> 01:30:06,300
areas. Over the past several weeks, some have

1565
01:30:06,330 --> 01:30:10,210
suggested that increasing taxes is necessary to address our

1566
01:30:10,270 --> 01:30:13,770
financial challenges. As both a taxpayer

1567
01:30:14,330 --> 01:30:17,890
and the superintendent of Berkeley County School District, I respectfully

1568
01:30:17,970 --> 01:30:21,890
disagree that now is the appropriate time to increase the overall

1569
01:30:21,950 --> 01:30:25,930
tax burden on our citizens. Instead, I

1570
01:30:25,990 --> 01:30:28,290
stand firmly behind the proposed millage swap

1571
01:30:29,102 --> 01:30:32,662
A strategy made possible because of the strong financial

1572
01:30:32,762 --> 01:30:36,602
stewardship this board has demonstrated over the past four years.

1573
01:30:37,302 --> 01:30:41,172
By shifting existing millage rather than increasing the

1574
01:30:41,262 --> 01:30:45,032
overall rate, we are able to maintain critical

1575
01:30:45,062 --> 01:30:48,962
services, preserve investments in our students and staff,

1576
01:30:49,482 --> 01:30:53,422
and avoid placing additional financial strain on the

1577
01:30:53,462 --> 01:30:54,582
families we serve.

1578
01:30:55,802 --> 01:30:59,322
This approach provides meaningful relief to working families at a

1579
01:30:59,402 --> 01:31:03,092
time when many continue to experience the effects of

1580
01:31:03,142 --> 01:31:05,682
inflation and rising costs of living.

1581
01:31:06,422 --> 01:31:07,102
Importantly,

1582
01:31:08,022 --> 01:31:11,942
because many of our employees also reside in Berkeley

1583
01:31:12,002 --> 01:31:15,562
County, this strategy allows them to retain more of their

1584
01:31:15,622 --> 01:31:16,822
hard-earned income,

1585
01:31:17,842 --> 01:31:21,202
and in many ways, it serves as an additional investment in our

1586
01:31:21,242 --> 01:31:24,582
workforce without requiring additional district

1587
01:31:24,642 --> 01:31:28,282
expenditures. This decision reflects several important

1588
01:31:28,302 --> 01:31:32,182
principles. Relief for working families by avoiding

1589
01:31:32,222 --> 01:31:33,942
additional local tax burdens.

1590
01:31:34,742 --> 01:31:38,322
Protecting the take-home pay of our resident employees

1591
01:31:38,702 --> 01:31:41,342
by avoiding additional tax increases.

1592
01:31:42,042 --> 01:31:45,542
Fiscal accountability through responsible stewardship of taxpayer

1593
01:31:45,582 --> 01:31:46,122
dollars.

1594
01:31:46,322 --> 01:31:47,122
We got that funding

1595
01:31:47,282 --> 01:31:50,752
Resource optimization by prioritizing needs,

1596
01:31:51,242 --> 01:31:54,142
redeploying positions that are recurring costs,

1597
01:31:54,782 --> 01:31:58,542
reallocating existing resources efficiently, and

1598
01:31:58,642 --> 01:32:02,182
funding critical initiatives such as employee step increases

1599
01:32:02,602 --> 01:32:06,102
and additional special education support without

1600
01:32:06,162 --> 01:32:08,262
expanding the overall tax base.

1601
01:32:09,142 --> 01:32:12,882
And this opportunity will allow us to put more of our

1602
01:32:12,942 --> 01:32:16,912
federal dollars, our Title I funding, that

1603
01:32:16,982 --> 01:32:20,282
we are using to creatively and innovatively

1604
01:32:20,342 --> 01:32:23,242
redeploy into the hands of schools.

1605
01:32:23,382 --> 01:32:27,082
As a principal, as an assistant principal, as a teacher,

1606
01:32:27,322 --> 01:32:31,002
I never worked for a principal that did not provide me with the supplies

1607
01:32:31,482 --> 01:32:35,302
I needed. And our state also provides us with

1608
01:32:35,362 --> 01:32:39,232
teachers with teacher supply checks to help cover those resources.

1609
01:32:39,762 --> 01:32:42,822
And we've always supported... I'm talking, no one else.

1610
01:32:44,922 --> 01:32:48,662
And we've always supported our teachers when they needed the

1611
01:32:48,742 --> 01:32:50,342
support with their funding.

1612
01:32:51,302 --> 01:32:53,682
This is what responsible governance looks like.

1613
01:32:54,342 --> 01:32:57,782
I also want to acknowledge something that often goes unnoticed.

1614
01:32:58,482 --> 01:33:02,082
Public education is built on public trust, and public

1615
01:33:02,122 --> 01:33:04,922
service naturally invites differing opinions,

1616
01:33:05,462 --> 01:33:09,422
disagreements, and criticism. Healthy dialogue

1617
01:33:09,502 --> 01:33:13,262
is essential in a democracy, and every citizen has the

1618
01:33:13,342 --> 01:33:17,062
right to express their views. However, I

1619
01:33:17,082 --> 01:33:20,702
believe there is a difference between disagreement and a personal

1620
01:33:20,762 --> 01:33:21,302
attack.

1621
01:33:22,162 --> 01:33:25,482
Many members of the senior leadership team, including myself,

1622
01:33:26,052 --> 01:33:30,022
have endured personal attacks on multiple occasions.

1623
01:33:30,822 --> 01:33:34,202
Yet through it all, this team has continued to lead with

1624
01:33:34,262 --> 01:33:38,062
integrity, professionalism, and unwavering focus

1625
01:33:38,142 --> 01:33:40,902
on what matters most, our students.

1626
01:33:41,542 --> 01:33:45,262
To my senior leadership team, I want to publicly thank you.

1627
01:33:45,942 --> 01:33:49,922
Your resilience, courage, and steadfast commitment to our

1628
01:33:49,982 --> 01:33:53,462
mission have been exemplary, and I'm honored to serve

1629
01:33:53,522 --> 01:33:56,422
alongside of you each and every day.

1630
01:33:57,462 --> 01:33:59,062
Leadership is not always easy.

1631
01:33:59,942 --> 01:34:03,742
To whom much is given, much is required, and it requires

1632
01:34:03,782 --> 01:34:07,602
resilience, courage, and an unwavering focus on purpose.

1633
01:34:08,622 --> 01:34:12,582
Those who serve in leadership positions understand that criticism

1634
01:34:12,682 --> 01:34:16,442
often accompanies responsibility, yet we must never

1635
01:34:16,782 --> 01:34:20,562
allow disagreements among adults to distract

1636
01:34:20,642 --> 01:34:22,282
us from our shared mission.

1637
01:34:23,342 --> 01:34:27,222
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "We must learn to live together

1638
01:34:27,262 --> 01:34:31,162
as brothers or perish together as fools." I believe

1639
01:34:31,172 --> 01:34:34,422
those words are as relevant today as they have ever been.

1640
01:34:35,142 --> 01:34:38,722
Progress does not require uniformity of thought.

1641
01:34:39,422 --> 01:34:42,562
It does, however, require respect,

1642
01:34:43,302 --> 01:34:47,022
understanding, and a willingness to work together for the common good.

1643
01:34:47,882 --> 01:34:51,642
We will not always agree, and different perspectives can

1644
01:34:51,822 --> 01:34:54,322
strengthen our work when approached constructively.

1645
01:34:55,222 --> 01:34:57,522
Personal attacks do not help.

1646
01:34:58,502 --> 01:35:00,682
We can choose collaboration over division,

1647
01:35:01,542 --> 01:35:05,002
solutions over conflict, and service over

1648
01:35:05,012 --> 01:35:08,552
self-interest. That commitment becomes even more

1649
01:35:08,582 --> 01:35:10,742
important during difficult moments.

1650
01:35:11,382 --> 01:35:15,362
During times when we read Facebook messages that personally attack

1651
01:35:15,382 --> 01:35:19,222
our families, our personal lives, and those that are

1652
01:35:19,242 --> 01:35:19,802
around us.

1653
01:35:20,682 --> 01:35:24,002
Everyone up here, including myself, has a son that has that

1654
01:35:24,102 --> 01:35:27,782
available. And if we care anything

1655
01:35:27,862 --> 01:35:31,722
about any human, to have a 16-year-old read

1656
01:35:31,742 --> 01:35:34,642
these attacks should mean something to you.

1657
01:35:36,222 --> 01:35:39,942
So that commitment becomes even more important during our difficult moments,

1658
01:35:40,262 --> 01:35:44,122
particularly when criticism becomes personal or when

1659
01:35:44,162 --> 01:35:47,802
efforts are made to undermine individuals rather than

1660
01:35:47,882 --> 01:35:51,442
improve the system. Our responsibility remains

1661
01:35:51,502 --> 01:35:55,462
unchanged. To stay focused on our mission during the good

1662
01:35:55,522 --> 01:35:59,322
and the bad, and to continue doing what is best for

1663
01:35:59,362 --> 01:36:03,262
the students, the staff, and the families we serve.

1664
01:36:04,122 --> 01:36:07,262
My prayer is to never stop moving forward.

1665
01:36:07,882 --> 01:36:11,842
We will remain focused on the real work before us, creating

1666
01:36:11,882 --> 01:36:15,502
the conditions that ensure every student in Berkeley County receives

1667
01:36:15,862 --> 01:36:19,642
an exceptional education and every employee feels

1668
01:36:19,742 --> 01:36:21,422
valued and supported.

1669
01:36:22,262 --> 01:36:24,942
The work is too important to allow division

1670
01:36:25,002 --> 01:36:29,142
among

1671
01:36:29,182 --> 01:36:32,722
students, adults to derail creating

1672
01:36:32,802 --> 01:36:36,482
conditions for principals to lead, for teachers and

1673
01:36:36,602 --> 01:36:40,562
staff to thrive, for students to achieve, and for our

1674
01:36:40,622 --> 01:36:44,442
families and communities to benefit. Will we get it right all the time?

1675
01:36:45,214 --> 01:36:49,094
No. Will we do our best to try? If we

1676
01:36:49,134 --> 01:36:52,654
have time to try to do so, if we are allowed that

1677
01:36:52,754 --> 01:36:55,154
grace, we will ensure that we will.

1678
01:36:55,854 --> 01:36:59,814
Thank you for your continued leadership, partnership, and commitment

1679
01:36:59,824 --> 01:37:01,954
to the children of Berkeley County School District.

1680
01:37:02,874 --> 01:37:03,174
Thank you.

1681
01:37:03,554 --> 01:37:04,774
Thank you, Dr. Dixon.

1682
01:37:06,134 --> 01:37:09,234
We'll now move on from action from executive session.

1683
01:37:10,634 --> 01:37:13,274
We'll start with student attendance appeals.

1684
01:37:13,914 --> 01:37:17,214
We'll start with student number one for attendance appeals.

1685
01:37:17,294 --> 01:37:18,834
Madam Chair, I move that we grant the appeal.

1686
01:37:19,554 --> 01:37:19,934
Second.

1687
01:37:21,154 --> 01:37:22,034
Which one is this?

1688
01:37:22,434 --> 01:37:24,534
Student number one, attendance appeal.

1689
01:37:24,814 --> 01:37:25,094
Okay.

1690
01:37:25,494 --> 01:37:27,944
There's a motion by Mr. McQuillan, a second by Mr.

1691
01:37:28,234 --> 01:37:32,044
Borden to grant the appeal. Any further discussion?

1692
01:37:33,694 --> 01:37:37,154
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1693
01:37:37,634 --> 01:37:38,034
Aye.

1694
01:37:38,134 --> 01:37:38,514
Aye.

1695
01:37:39,534 --> 01:37:40,594
Opposed, nay.

1696
01:37:40,914 --> 01:37:41,134
Nay.

1697
01:37:41,194 --> 01:37:41,414
Nay.

1698
01:37:42,274 --> 01:37:43,754
Let's go. Ayes.

1699
01:37:46,014 --> 01:37:48,074
One, two, three, four, five. The ayes have it.

1700
01:37:49,274 --> 01:37:49,713
What was the-

1701
01:37:50,314 --> 01:37:50,834
Five-four.

1702
01:37:51,474 --> 01:37:51,674
Okay.

1703
01:37:52,654 --> 01:37:53,634
Student number two.

1704
01:37:54,094 --> 01:37:58,074
Madam Chair, I move that we grant the appeal and approve the student's

1705
01:37:58,134 --> 01:37:58,694
request.

1706
01:37:58,754 --> 01:37:59,624
Second.

1707
01:37:59,624 --> 01:37:59,874
Second.

1708
01:37:59,934 --> 01:38:01,854
There's a motion by Ms. Coates, a second by Mr.

1709
01:38:02,034 --> 01:38:04,654
Borden to grant the appeal of student number two.

1710
01:38:05,354 --> 01:38:06,474
Any further discussion?

1711
01:38:07,614 --> 01:38:10,874
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1712
01:38:11,454 --> 01:38:11,734
Aye.

1713
01:38:11,874 --> 01:38:11,984
Aye.

1714
01:38:11,984 --> 01:38:12,094
Aye.

1715
01:38:12,874 --> 01:38:13,774
Opposed, nay.

1716
01:38:14,214 --> 01:38:14,454
Nay.

1717
01:38:15,474 --> 01:38:19,114
The ayes have it, eight-one. Ms. Littleton, on student one,

1718
01:38:20,294 --> 01:38:24,034
were you affirmative or negative? I may have marked you down wrong.

1719
01:38:24,094 --> 01:38:25,454
Affirmative. Affirmative.

1720
01:38:25,874 --> 01:38:26,364
6-3.

1721
01:38:26,374 --> 01:38:30,274
It was six-three on student number one, eight-one on student

1722
01:38:30,294 --> 01:38:34,093
number two. We'll now hear a motion for student number three.

1723
01:38:34,134 --> 01:38:37,054
I move that we grant the appeal for student number three.

1724
01:38:37,254 --> 01:38:37,424
Second.

1725
01:38:37,424 --> 01:38:37,894
I approve.

1726
01:38:38,794 --> 01:38:42,754
There's a motion by Wofford, a second by Coates

1727
01:38:42,814 --> 01:38:46,234
to grant the appeal of student number three. Any further discussion?

1728
01:38:47,014 --> 01:38:50,574
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1729
01:38:50,954 --> 01:38:51,194
Aye.

1730
01:38:51,274 --> 01:38:51,634
Aye.

1731
01:38:52,394 --> 01:38:52,404
Aye.

1732
01:38:52,454 --> 01:38:53,634
Opposed, nay.

1733
01:38:53,914 --> 01:38:54,354
Nay.

1734
01:38:55,154 --> 01:38:58,224
The ayes have it, eight-one. Student number four.

1735
01:38:58,774 --> 01:39:00,434
Madam Chair, I move that we deny the appeal.

1736
01:39:00,954 --> 01:39:04,374
Second. There's a motion by Mr. McQuillan, a second by Ms.

1737
01:39:04,454 --> 01:39:07,394
Davenport to deny the appeal of student number four.

1738
01:39:07,814 --> 01:39:08,974
Any further discussion?

1739
01:39:09,994 --> 01:39:13,274
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1740
01:39:13,754 --> 01:39:13,814
Aye.

1741
01:39:13,894 --> 01:39:16,314
Aye. Aye. Opposed, nay.

1742
01:39:18,294 --> 01:39:19,294
The ayes have it.

1743
01:39:20,414 --> 01:39:21,554
Student number five.

1744
01:39:22,414 --> 01:39:23,054
Madam Chair-

1745
01:39:23,083 --> 01:39:23,083
Madam-

1746
01:39:23,094 --> 01:39:23,374
Go ahead.

1747
01:39:23,874 --> 01:39:26,694
Madam Chair, I move that we deny the appeal of student number five.

1748
01:39:26,874 --> 01:39:27,174
Second.

1749
01:39:27,674 --> 01:39:29,254
Motion by Ms. Coates, second by Mr.

1750
01:39:29,474 --> 01:39:32,494
McQuillan to deny the appeal of student number five.

1751
01:39:32,514 --> 01:39:33,844
Is there any further discussion?

1752
01:39:34,974 --> 01:39:38,694
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1753
01:39:38,894 --> 01:39:39,214
Aye.

1754
01:39:39,274 --> 01:39:41,314
Aye. Aye. Opposed, nay.

1755
01:39:44,254 --> 01:39:47,254
The ayes have it nine-zero. Student number six.

1756
01:39:48,014 --> 01:39:49,674
Madam Chair, I move that we deny the appeal.

1757
01:39:50,354 --> 01:39:50,704
Second.

1758
01:39:51,334 --> 01:39:53,494
There's a motion by Mr. McQuillan, a second by Ms.

1759
01:39:53,574 --> 01:39:56,634
Coates to deny the appeal of student number six.

1760
01:39:57,014 --> 01:39:58,294
Is there any further discussion?

1761
01:39:59,654 --> 01:40:03,094
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1762
01:40:03,754 --> 01:40:04,074
Aye.

1763
01:40:04,154 --> 01:40:05,224
Aye. Aye.

1764
01:40:06,074 --> 01:40:07,154
Opposed, nay.

1765
01:40:08,654 --> 01:40:09,474
The ayes have it.

1766
01:40:10,454 --> 01:40:11,474
Student number seven.

1767
01:40:13,134 --> 01:40:15,974
Madam Chair, I move that we deny the appeal of student number seven.

1768
01:40:16,154 --> 01:40:16,774
Second.

1769
01:40:17,814 --> 01:40:19,814
Second. There's a motion by Ms. Coates, a second by Mr.

1770
01:40:20,074 --> 01:40:20,474
Borden

1771
01:40:21,494 --> 01:40:24,794
to deny the appeal of student number seven. Is there any further discussion?

1772
01:40:25,974 --> 01:40:29,714
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1773
01:40:29,874 --> 01:40:30,214
Aye.

1774
01:40:30,254 --> 01:40:30,654
Aye.

1775
01:40:31,494 --> 01:40:33,894
Aye. Opposed, nay.

1776
01:40:34,874 --> 01:40:37,454
The ayes have it. Students eight and nine

1777
01:40:38,434 --> 01:40:40,774
are related, and they will be heard together.

1778
01:40:40,784 --> 01:40:43,354
Motion for students eight and nine.

1779
01:40:43,634 --> 01:40:44,774
Move to deny the appeals.

1780
01:40:45,314 --> 01:40:45,634
Second.

1781
01:40:46,134 --> 01:40:48,834
There's a motion by Mr. McQuillan, a second by Ms.

1782
01:40:48,934 --> 01:40:52,774
Bradley to deny the appeals of students eight and nine.

1783
01:40:52,814 --> 01:40:53,884
Any further discussion?

1784
01:40:55,674 --> 01:40:59,074
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1785
01:40:59,494 --> 01:40:59,894
Aye.

1786
01:40:59,934 --> 01:41:00,234
Aye. Aye.

1787
01:41:01,274 --> 01:41:02,414
Opposed, nay.

1788
01:41:03,794 --> 01:41:06,214
The ayes have it. Student number 10.

1789
01:41:06,493 --> 01:41:09,974
Madam Chair, I make a motion that we approve the appeal of student number 10.

1790
01:41:10,134 --> 01:41:10,554
Second.

1791
01:41:10,974 --> 01:41:13,074
There's a motion by Ms. Coates, a second by Mr.

1792
01:41:13,354 --> 01:41:16,254
Borden to grant the appeal of student number 10.

1793
01:41:16,374 --> 01:41:17,734
Is there any further discussion?

1794
01:41:18,894 --> 01:41:22,454
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1795
01:41:22,794 --> 01:41:23,094
Aye.

1796
01:41:23,214 --> 01:41:23,614
Aye.

1797
01:41:25,284 --> 01:41:25,284
Aye.

1798
01:41:25,284 --> 01:41:25,284
Aye.

1799
01:41:25,334 --> 01:41:26,454
Opposed, nay.

1800
01:41:26,934 --> 01:41:27,254
Nay.

1801
01:41:28,474 --> 01:41:30,454
The ayes have it, eight-one.

1802
01:41:31,554 --> 01:41:34,994
Students 11 and 12 are related and will be heard together.

1803
01:41:35,414 --> 01:41:37,474
Is there a motion for students 11 and 12?

1804
01:41:37,674 --> 01:41:38,434
Move to deny.

1805
01:41:39,594 --> 01:41:39,894
Second.

1806
01:41:40,314 --> 01:41:43,074
There's a motion by Mr. McQuillan, a second by Mr.

1807
01:41:43,154 --> 01:41:46,334
Baker to deny the appeal of students 11 and 12.

1808
01:41:46,794 --> 01:41:48,254
Is there any further discussion?

1809
01:41:49,354 --> 01:41:52,714
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1810
01:41:53,174 --> 01:41:53,714
Aye.

1811
01:41:53,794 --> 01:41:54,094
Aye.

1812
01:41:55,694 --> 01:41:56,714
Aye. Opposed, nay.

1813
01:41:57,974 --> 01:42:00,274
The ayes have it. Student number 13.

1814
01:42:00,674 --> 01:42:03,654
Madam Chair, I move that we deny the appeal of student number 13.

1815
01:42:04,454 --> 01:42:07,034
Second. There's a motion by Ms. Coates, a second by Ms.

1816
01:42:07,054 --> 01:42:09,934
Davenport to deny the appeal of student 13.

1817
01:42:10,334 --> 01:42:11,674
Is there any further discussion?

1818
01:42:13,674 --> 01:42:17,114
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1819
01:42:17,694 --> 01:42:18,174
Aye.

1820
01:42:19,374 --> 01:42:20,474
Aye. Aye. Opposed, nay.

1821
01:42:22,574 --> 01:42:24,234
The ayes have it nine-zero.

1822
01:42:25,134 --> 01:42:26,364
Student number 14.

1823
01:42:28,974 --> 01:42:31,534
Move that we deny the appeal of student number 14.

1824
01:42:31,634 --> 01:42:31,934
Second.

1825
01:42:32,374 --> 01:42:34,294
There's a motion by Mr. Baker, a second by Mr.

1826
01:42:34,514 --> 01:42:37,654
McQuillan to deny the appeal of student number 14.

1827
01:42:37,964 --> 01:42:39,334
Is there any further discussion?

1828
01:42:40,694 --> 01:42:44,094
Hearing none, I'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1829
01:42:44,514 --> 01:42:44,914
Aye.

1830
01:42:44,994 --> 01:42:45,294
Aye. Aye.

1831
01:42:46,354 --> 01:42:47,454
Opposed, nay.

1832
01:42:48,818 --> 01:42:51,818
The ayes have it nine zero. In the matter of

1833
01:42:52,878 --> 01:42:56,597
Student 15, I move that we grant the appeal of student

1834
01:42:56,638 --> 01:42:57,578
number 15.

1835
01:42:57,918 --> 01:42:58,278
Second.

1836
01:42:59,188 --> 01:43:01,718
There's a motion by Wofford, a second by Ms.

1837
01:43:01,818 --> 01:43:04,638
Coates to grant the appeal of student 15.

1838
01:43:04,778 --> 01:43:06,128
Is there any further discussion?

1839
01:43:07,898 --> 01:43:11,398
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1840
01:43:11,798 --> 01:43:12,138
Aye.

1841
01:43:12,198 --> 01:43:12,477
Aye.

1842
01:43:13,718 --> 01:43:14,858
Aye. Opposed, nay.

1843
01:43:15,278 --> 01:43:15,598
Nay.

1844
01:43:15,778 --> 01:43:16,078
Nay.

1845
01:43:17,958 --> 01:43:21,118
The ayes have it seven two. In the matter of student number

1846
01:43:21,298 --> 01:43:21,998
16-

1847
01:43:22,478 --> 01:43:23,238
I think it was three

1848
01:43:24,098 --> 01:43:25,598
Oh, I'm sorry. Six three?

1849
01:43:25,938 --> 01:43:26,058
Yeah.

1850
01:43:26,938 --> 01:43:27,478
Six three.

1851
01:43:28,618 --> 01:43:28,888
Me, Matt, and JP.

1852
01:43:28,898 --> 01:43:30,318
Borden, Baker, McQuillan.

1853
01:43:32,278 --> 01:43:36,138
And the poor new software can't catch up, so we'll just have a whole bunch of no's.

1854
01:43:36,178 --> 01:43:37,178
I'm making a note. Yeah.

1855
01:43:37,258 --> 01:43:41,118
It's bad. Student number 16. Is there a motion for

1856
01:43:41,158 --> 01:43:42,198
student number 16?

1857
01:43:42,978 --> 01:43:45,078
Move that we deny the appeal of student 16.

1858
01:43:45,338 --> 01:43:45,778
Second.

1859
01:43:46,188 --> 01:43:46,188
Second.

1860
01:43:46,218 --> 01:43:48,098
There's a motion by Mr. Baker, a second by Mr.

1861
01:43:48,358 --> 01:43:50,278
Borden, to deny the appeal of student 16.

1862
01:43:51,898 --> 01:43:53,217
Is there any further discussion?

1863
01:43:54,278 --> 01:43:54,438
Hear-

1864
01:43:54,558 --> 01:43:58,398
Real quick. Isn't 15 and 16, aren't they siblings?

1865
01:43:59,268 --> 01:44:00,798
They are related.

1866
01:44:01,458 --> 01:44:01,918
Related.

1867
01:44:02,238 --> 01:44:02,898
They're related.

1868
01:44:03,078 --> 01:44:04,858
All right. So everybody that voted yes, remember that.

1869
01:44:05,158 --> 01:44:05,798
They're related.

1870
01:44:07,198 --> 01:44:09,158
All in favor to deny the appeal,

1871
01:44:10,098 --> 01:44:11,618
please respond by saying aye.

1872
01:44:12,108 --> 01:44:12,108
Aye.

1873
01:44:13,018 --> 01:44:14,998
Opposed, nay. Nay.

1874
01:44:16,818 --> 01:44:20,398
The ayes have it. It is denied for student

1875
01:44:20,478 --> 01:44:21,038
16.

1876
01:44:22,038 --> 01:44:23,398
Student number 17.

1877
01:44:24,238 --> 01:44:27,398
Madam Chair, I move that we deny the appeal of student number 17.

1878
01:44:28,298 --> 01:44:28,678
Second.

1879
01:44:29,038 --> 01:44:30,418
There's a motion by Ms. Coates,

1880
01:44:31,298 --> 01:44:31,758
a second

1881
01:44:32,898 --> 01:44:36,258
by Ms. Davenport to deny the appeal of student

1882
01:44:36,278 --> 01:44:38,578
17. Is there any further discussion?

1883
01:44:39,938 --> 01:44:43,278
Hearing none, I'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1884
01:44:43,718 --> 01:44:44,118
Aye.

1885
01:44:44,158 --> 01:44:44,498
Aye.

1886
01:44:46,028 --> 01:44:47,058
Aye. Opposed, nay.

1887
01:44:48,838 --> 01:44:50,598
The ayes have it nine zero.

1888
01:44:51,958 --> 01:44:54,838
For student number one for out-of-district appeals.

1889
01:44:55,478 --> 01:44:56,158
Move to deny.

1890
01:44:57,018 --> 01:44:57,358
Second.

1891
01:44:57,758 --> 01:44:59,718
There's a motion by Mr. McQuillan, a second by Ms.

1892
01:44:59,798 --> 01:45:03,778
Davenport to deny the appeal of the out-of-district appeal

1893
01:45:03,858 --> 01:45:06,438
student number one. Is there any further discussion?

1894
01:45:07,498 --> 01:45:10,998
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1895
01:45:11,438 --> 01:45:11,998
Aye.

1896
01:45:12,278 --> 01:45:13,378
Opposed, nay.

1897
01:45:14,678 --> 01:45:14,858
Nay.

1898
01:45:15,738 --> 01:45:19,138
The ayes have it eight one. Student number two for

1899
01:45:19,278 --> 01:45:20,658
out-of-district appeals.

1900
01:45:20,898 --> 01:45:22,138
Move to deny.

1901
01:45:22,218 --> 01:45:22,778
Second.

1902
01:45:22,838 --> 01:45:25,378
There's a motion by Mr. McQuillan, a second by Mr.

1903
01:45:25,658 --> 01:45:26,338
Borden

1904
01:45:27,438 --> 01:45:30,838
to deny the appeal of student number two for out of district.

1905
01:45:31,418 --> 01:45:32,738
Is there any further discussion?

1906
01:45:34,018 --> 01:45:37,538
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1907
01:45:37,858 --> 01:45:38,157
Aye.

1908
01:45:38,358 --> 01:45:38,557
Aye.

1909
01:45:39,758 --> 01:45:41,298
Aye. Opposed, nay.

1910
01:45:43,698 --> 01:45:45,338
The ayes have it nine zero.

1911
01:45:46,758 --> 01:45:49,318
We'll now move on to HR

1912
01:45:51,078 --> 01:45:52,218
from executive session.

1913
01:45:52,838 --> 01:45:54,678
Madam Chair, I move to accept the

1914
01:45:55,778 --> 01:45:59,258
personnel recommendations of the administration as discussed in executive session

1915
01:45:59,298 --> 01:46:00,218
for the current school year.

1916
01:46:01,438 --> 01:46:04,838
Second. There's a motion by McQuillan, a second by Wofford

1917
01:46:05,538 --> 01:46:09,238
to accept the personnel recommendations of the administration as discussed in

1918
01:46:09,278 --> 01:46:13,098
executive session for the current school year. Is there any further discussion?

1919
01:46:14,138 --> 01:46:17,578
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1920
01:46:18,098 --> 01:46:18,458
Aye.

1921
01:46:19,218 --> 01:46:20,538
Aye. Aye. Opposed, nay.

1922
01:46:21,938 --> 01:46:23,298
The ayes have it nine zero.

1923
01:46:24,698 --> 01:46:28,018
Madam Chair, I move to accept the recommendation of the administration to name

1924
01:46:28,118 --> 01:46:31,618
Samantha Kelleher as Director of Support and Compliance with a

1925
01:46:31,658 --> 01:46:34,618
contract date to begin July 1st, 2026.

1926
01:46:35,378 --> 01:46:35,708
Second.

1927
01:46:36,508 --> 01:46:40,478
There's a motion by Ms. Davenport, a second by Wofford to name Samantha

1928
01:46:40,498 --> 01:46:44,458
Kelleher as the Director of Support and Compliance with a contract to begin on

1929
01:46:44,498 --> 01:46:47,307
July 1, 2026. Is there any further discussion?

1930
01:46:48,118 --> 01:46:52,038
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1931
01:46:52,418 --> 01:46:52,658
Aye.

1932
01:46:52,718 --> 01:46:54,458
Aye. Opposed, nay.

1933
01:46:55,398 --> 01:46:58,758
The ayes have it nine zero. Congratulations, Ms. Kelleher.

1934
01:46:59,158 --> 01:47:00,798
She's not able to attend tonight.

1935
01:47:04,918 --> 01:47:05,238
All right.

1936
01:47:06,058 --> 01:47:09,538
Madam Chair, I move to accept the recommendation of the administration to name Dr.

1937
01:47:10,178 --> 01:47:13,898
Maya Rosenberg as Coordinator of Related Services with a

1938
01:47:13,938 --> 01:47:16,658
contract date to begin July 1st, 2026.

1939
01:47:16,878 --> 01:47:17,798
Second.

1940
01:47:17,808 --> 01:47:20,498
There's a motion by Ms. Davenport, a second by Mr. Borden.

1941
01:47:20,558 --> 01:47:21,918
Is there any further discussion?

1942
01:47:23,158 --> 01:47:26,798
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1943
01:47:27,198 --> 01:47:27,878
Aye.

1944
01:47:28,728 --> 01:47:29,658
Aye. Opposed, nay.

1945
01:47:30,838 --> 01:47:34,678
The ayes have it nine zero. Congratulations, Dr. Rosenberg.

1946
01:47:39,678 --> 01:47:42,018
Dr. Rosenberg was not able to be here tonight.

1947
01:47:43,578 --> 01:47:47,078
Madam Chair, I move to accept the recommendation of the administration to

1948
01:47:47,198 --> 01:47:51,178
name Stephanie Mansfield as Coordinator of Special

1949
01:47:51,218 --> 01:47:54,718
Services for the middle school with a contract to begin July

1950
01:47:54,738 --> 01:47:56,578
13th, 2026.

1951
01:47:56,758 --> 01:47:57,478
Second.

1952
01:47:57,518 --> 01:48:00,278
There's a motion by Ms. Bradley, a second by Mr. Borden.

1953
01:48:00,318 --> 01:48:01,728
Is there any further discussion?

1954
01:48:02,738 --> 01:48:06,678
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1955
01:48:06,878 --> 01:48:07,538
Aye.

1956
01:48:08,368 --> 01:48:11,518
Aye. Opposed, nay. The ayes have it nine zero.

1957
01:48:11,698 --> 01:48:13,338
Congratulations, Ms. Mansfield.

1958
01:48:23,248 --> 01:48:27,038
Madam Chair, I move to accept the recommendation of the administration to name

1959
01:48:27,058 --> 01:48:30,798
Latonya Brown as Coordinator Special Services for compliance with the

1960
01:48:30,838 --> 01:48:33,518
contract to begin July 1st, 2026.

1961
01:48:33,618 --> 01:48:33,958
Second.

1962
01:48:34,598 --> 01:48:34,608
Second.

1963
01:48:34,608 --> 01:48:37,158
There's a motion by Ms. Coates, a second by Ms. Davenport.

1964
01:48:37,238 --> 01:48:38,508
Is there any further discussion?

1965
01:48:39,698 --> 01:48:43,258
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1966
01:48:43,598 --> 01:48:44,198
Aye.

1967
01:48:45,358 --> 01:48:46,598
Aye. Aye. Opposed, nay.

1968
01:48:47,558 --> 01:48:50,518
The ayes have it nine zero. Congratulations, Ms. Brown.

1969
01:48:59,628 --> 01:49:03,447
Madam Chair, I move to accept the recommendation of the administration to

1970
01:49:03,548 --> 01:49:07,428
name Dr. Gilbertha Sandy Delice as

1971
01:49:07,488 --> 01:49:11,428
coordinator special services for the elementary schools, with a contract to

1972
01:49:11,468 --> 01:49:14,228
begin July 13th, 2026.

1973
01:49:14,268 --> 01:49:14,708
Second.

1974
01:49:15,388 --> 01:49:19,048
There's a motion by Ms. Bradley, a second by Mr. Borden, to name Dr.

1975
01:49:19,368 --> 01:49:23,188
Sandy Delice as the coordinator of special services elementary, with a

1976
01:49:23,248 --> 01:49:26,468
contract to begin July 13th, 2026.

1977
01:49:26,508 --> 01:49:27,878
Is there any further discussion?

1978
01:49:28,728 --> 01:49:32,427
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1979
01:49:32,828 --> 01:49:33,268
Aye.

1980
01:49:33,988 --> 01:49:37,768
Aye. Opposed, nay. The ayes have it, nine zero.

1981
01:49:37,888 --> 01:49:39,838
Congratulations, Dr. Delice.

1982
01:49:47,628 --> 01:49:51,198
Madam Chair, I move to accept the recommendation of the administration to name Mrs.

1983
01:49:51,468 --> 01:49:55,188
Leslie Creel as coordinator of special service secondary,

1984
01:49:55,708 --> 01:49:58,948
with a contract to begin July 13th, 2026.

1985
01:49:59,048 --> 01:50:00,028
Second.

1986
01:50:00,058 --> 01:50:02,628
There's a motion by Ms. Coates, a second by Mr. Borden.

1987
01:50:02,948 --> 01:50:04,328
Is there any further discussion?

1988
01:50:05,428 --> 01:50:06,828
Hearing none, we'll call the question.

1989
01:50:06,968 --> 01:50:09,428
All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

1990
01:50:09,548 --> 01:50:10,028
Aye.

1991
01:50:10,458 --> 01:50:13,048
Aye. Opposed, nay. I'm sorry, Cathy.

1992
01:50:15,168 --> 01:50:16,968
The ayes have it. Congratulations,

1993
01:50:25,548 --> 01:50:25,558
Ms. Creel. Congratulations.

1994
01:50:25,558 --> 01:50:29,348
Madam Chair, I move to accept the recommendation of the administration to name

1995
01:50:29,468 --> 01:50:33,388
Janet Kehoe as assistant principal at Stratford High School, with a contract to

1996
01:50:33,428 --> 01:50:36,048
begin July 13th, 2026.

1997
01:50:36,148 --> 01:50:36,728
Second.

1998
01:50:37,128 --> 01:50:40,188
There's a motion by Mr. Baker, a second by Ms. Davenport.

1999
01:50:40,528 --> 01:50:43,988
Is there any further discussion? Hearing none, we'll call the question.

2000
01:50:44,088 --> 01:50:46,168
All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2001
01:50:46,648 --> 01:50:47,048
Aye.

2002
01:50:47,128 --> 01:50:47,408
Aye.

2003
01:50:48,628 --> 01:50:52,588
Aye. Opposed, nay. The ayes have it, nine zero. Congratulations, Ms.

2004
01:50:52,668 --> 01:50:53,068
Kehoe.

2005
01:51:00,168 --> 01:51:03,508
Madam Chair, I move to accept the recommendation of the administration to name

2006
01:51:03,648 --> 01:51:07,328
Blake Hall as the assistant principal at Stratford High School, with a

2007
01:51:07,388 --> 01:51:10,128
contract to begin July 13th, 2026.

2008
01:51:10,228 --> 01:51:10,548
Second.

2009
01:51:10,888 --> 01:51:13,348
There's a motion by Mr. Baker, a second by Ms. Davenport.

2010
01:51:13,408 --> 01:51:14,708
Is there any further discussion?

2011
01:51:15,848 --> 01:51:19,748
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2012
01:51:19,848 --> 01:51:20,548
Aye.

2013
01:51:21,448 --> 01:51:22,528
Aye. Aye. Opposed, nay.

2014
01:51:23,448 --> 01:51:26,948
The ayes have it, nine zero. Congratulations. Mr.

2015
01:51:27,128 --> 01:51:30,388
Hall is not able to be with us tonight, but congratulations nonetheless.

2016
01:51:35,208 --> 01:51:39,168
Madam Chair, I move to accept the recommendation of the administration

2017
01:51:39,248 --> 01:51:43,048
to name Dr. Vanessa Middleton as coordinator of math,

2018
01:51:43,188 --> 01:51:47,128
grades 6 through 12, with a contract to begin July 13th,

2019
01:51:47,248 --> 01:51:48,548
2026.

2020
01:51:48,808 --> 01:51:49,528
Second.

2021
01:51:49,568 --> 01:51:52,008
There's a motion by Ms. Bradley, a second by Mr. Borden.

2022
01:51:52,068 --> 01:51:53,388
Is there any further discussion?

2023
01:51:54,668 --> 01:51:58,248
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2024
01:51:58,608 --> 01:51:58,947
Aye.

2025
01:51:58,988 --> 01:51:59,218
Aye.

2026
01:52:00,537 --> 01:52:01,537
Aye. Opposed, nay.

2027
01:52:02,468 --> 01:52:05,488
The ayes have it, nine zero. Congratulations, Dr. Middleton.

2028
01:52:14,408 --> 01:52:16,948
We would love for you to stay and enjoy the school board meeting.

2029
01:52:17,028 --> 01:52:20,148
It's got a couple of items left, but if you came

2030
01:52:21,488 --> 01:52:25,328
during your summer to be promoted to a new position and you want to

2031
01:52:25,428 --> 01:52:28,188
go celebrate with your family, please do so.

2032
01:52:28,268 --> 01:52:31,268
If you would like to stay for the remainder of the meeting, please feel free.

2033
01:52:31,348 --> 01:52:32,848
We would love for you to participate.

2034
01:52:33,448 --> 01:52:37,048
We'll now move on to the reports from the standing

2035
01:52:37,128 --> 01:52:37,708
committees.

2036
01:52:39,668 --> 01:52:42,097
A report from the Committee on Academics and Innovation.

2037
01:52:42,408 --> 01:52:44,888
Because Chair Littleton is on the phone, Mr.

2038
01:52:45,108 --> 01:52:48,008
McQuilllen will be reading the report from that committee.

2039
01:52:48,388 --> 01:52:51,668
Madam Chair, the Committee on Academics and Innovation met on June 15th,

2040
01:52:51,808 --> 01:52:55,288
2026. And on recommendation of the committee, I move to approve the Head Start

2041
01:52:55,308 --> 01:52:58,908
budget expenditures report for April 2026, credit card

2042
01:52:59,348 --> 01:53:02,908
report for April 2026, and prospective new hires.

2043
01:53:03,008 --> 01:53:06,728
Thank you. We have a recommendation from the committee. No second is required.

2044
01:53:06,768 --> 01:53:08,138
Is there any further discussion?

2045
01:53:09,348 --> 01:53:11,808
All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2046
01:53:11,908 --> 01:53:12,268
Aye.

2047
01:53:12,368 --> 01:53:12,688
Aye.

2048
01:53:13,758 --> 01:53:14,728
Aye. Opposed, nay.

2049
01:53:15,668 --> 01:53:17,038
The ayes have it, nine zero.

2050
01:53:18,328 --> 01:53:20,188
Madam Chair, that concludes the report.

2051
01:53:20,708 --> 01:53:24,188
Thank you, Mr. McQuilllen. Next is the Committee on Finance and Human

2052
01:53:24,268 --> 01:53:27,448
Resources. Chairman Michael Ramsey, you are recognized.

2053
01:53:28,238 --> 01:53:32,108
Madam Chair, the Committee on Finance and Human Resources met on June the

2054
01:53:32,128 --> 01:53:35,988
15th, 2026. And on recommendation of the

2055
01:53:36,028 --> 01:53:39,648
committee, I move to approve out-of-state travel as presented.

2056
01:53:40,128 --> 01:53:42,928
We have a recommendation from committee. No second is required.

2057
01:53:42,968 --> 01:53:44,348
Is there any further discussion?

2058
01:53:45,428 --> 01:53:49,008
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2059
01:53:49,468 --> 01:53:49,668
Aye.

2060
01:53:49,728 --> 01:53:50,168
Aye.

2061
01:53:51,528 --> 01:53:52,648
Aye. Opposed, nay.

2062
01:53:53,628 --> 01:53:55,128
The ayes have it, nine zero.

2063
01:53:55,628 --> 01:53:58,948
Also on recommendation of the committee, I move to approve the funding

2064
01:53:59,068 --> 01:54:00,768
flexibility as presented.

2065
01:54:01,368 --> 01:54:04,108
We have a recommendation from committee. No second is required.

2066
01:54:04,168 --> 01:54:05,548
Is there any further discussion?

2067
01:54:06,728 --> 01:54:10,308
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2068
01:54:10,688 --> 01:54:11,088
Aye.

2069
01:54:11,098 --> 01:54:12,788
Aye. Aye. Opposed, nay.

2070
01:54:13,668 --> 01:54:15,168
The ayes have it, nine zero.

2071
01:54:15,848 --> 01:54:19,708
Also on recommendation of the committee, I move to approve the issuance

2072
01:54:19,788 --> 01:54:23,508
and sale of general obligation bonds of the school

2073
01:54:23,588 --> 01:54:27,268
district in the principal amount not to exceed $100

2074
01:54:27,308 --> 01:54:30,988
million for the purposes of repayment of existing

2075
01:54:31,088 --> 01:54:34,828
debt, funding of capital projects, and funding

2076
01:54:35,008 --> 01:54:38,968
other initiatives of the school district, and paying the cost of

2077
01:54:39,048 --> 01:54:41,028
the issuance of the bonds.

2078
01:54:41,088 --> 01:54:44,238
We have a recommendation from committee. No second is required.

2079
01:54:44,628 --> 01:54:47,208
Would like to note for the minutes that Mr.

2080
01:54:47,288 --> 01:54:51,108
McQuilllen has submitted a recusal in writing per board

2081
01:54:51,148 --> 01:54:51,668
policy.

2082
01:54:52,668 --> 01:54:54,088
Is there any further discussion?

2083
01:54:55,088 --> 01:54:58,688
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2084
01:54:59,248 --> 01:54:59,848
Aye.

2085
01:54:59,948 --> 01:55:00,148
Aye.

2086
01:55:01,188 --> 01:55:02,358
Opposed, nay.

2087
01:55:03,568 --> 01:55:06,208
The ayes have it, eight zero one.

2088
01:55:07,472 --> 01:55:11,272
Also on recommendation of the committee from earlier this evening, I move to

2089
01:55:11,312 --> 01:55:15,012
approve the second reading of FY26-27

2090
01:55:15,652 --> 01:55:18,012
general fund budget as presented.

2091
01:55:18,512 --> 01:55:21,531
We have a recommendation from the committee, no second is required.

2092
01:55:21,572 --> 01:55:22,992
Is there any further discussion?

2093
01:55:24,012 --> 01:55:27,812
Madam Chair, were we able to get the figure of salaries from special

2094
01:55:27,872 --> 01:55:28,192
rev?

2095
01:55:29,432 --> 01:55:30,052
Dr. Ling.

2096
01:55:47,992 --> 01:55:49,212
Thank you for doing this.

2097
01:55:51,012 --> 01:55:54,452
Thank goodness there was a ready computer to pull things up on.

2098
01:55:56,232 --> 01:55:59,852
Special revenue really encompasses a large

2099
01:55:59,932 --> 01:56:02,512
list of state and federal funding for

2100
01:56:03,432 --> 01:56:06,032
very specific categorical purposes.

2101
01:56:06,992 --> 01:56:10,612
Tonight, I can really only share the numbers for the three

2102
01:56:10,682 --> 01:56:14,472
grants that have been submitted from our office for the state department's initial

2103
01:56:14,482 --> 01:56:17,912
review, which are our Title I, Title II, and Title IV

2104
01:56:17,952 --> 01:56:18,491
grants.

2105
01:56:20,872 --> 01:56:24,782
This year, Title I, our preliminary allocation, and

2106
01:56:24,852 --> 01:56:28,732
we will not receive final allocations for those formula grants until

2107
01:56:28,792 --> 01:56:32,552
around late October, but our preliminary allocation is

2108
01:56:32,562 --> 01:56:35,892
$8,419,009.

2109
01:56:36,552 --> 01:56:39,692
$6,501,600

2110
01:56:40,852 --> 01:56:43,932
is what is allocated at this point in the preliminary

2111
01:56:44,092 --> 01:56:47,632
application for instructional salaries and benefits

2112
01:56:48,112 --> 01:56:51,852
and instructional support salaries and benefits, which is

2113
01:56:51,892 --> 01:56:54,292
77% of the total grant.

2114
01:56:54,772 --> 01:56:55,192
Thank you.

2115
01:56:55,632 --> 01:56:58,852
For the Title II grant, which this year's preliminary

2116
01:56:58,912 --> 01:57:02,072
allocation is $1.2 million,

2117
01:57:03,052 --> 01:57:05,872
1.1 is set aside for

2118
01:57:06,492 --> 01:57:10,132
instructional support salaries and benefits, which is

2119
01:57:10,412 --> 01:57:12,392
92% of that grant.

2120
01:57:13,372 --> 01:57:16,512
And for Title IV, which this year's preliminary

2121
01:57:16,612 --> 01:57:17,692
allocation is

2122
01:57:17,711 --> 01:57:21,332
$629,347,

2123
01:57:21,772 --> 01:57:25,692
$439,454, which is

2124
01:57:26,032 --> 01:57:29,932
70% of that grant, is set aside for instructional salaries and

2125
01:57:29,972 --> 01:57:33,212
benefits and instructional support salaries and

2126
01:57:33,292 --> 01:57:34,072
benefits.

2127
01:57:34,972 --> 01:57:38,772
Since special revenue funds from state and federal

2128
01:57:38,852 --> 01:57:42,272
sources are all supplemental to general operating funds,

2129
01:57:42,692 --> 01:57:46,472
all of these positions represented in these dollars, which is

2130
01:57:48,412 --> 01:57:51,932
79.6% of these three grants,

2131
01:57:52,392 --> 01:57:54,932
are all supplemental positions as well.

2132
01:57:55,352 --> 01:57:58,372
They are not positions that are allocated through our

2133
01:57:58,992 --> 01:58:02,452
salary formulas or our salary book.

2134
01:58:03,292 --> 01:58:03,732
Thank you.

2135
01:58:04,572 --> 01:58:08,512
Thank you, Dr. Ling. Any further questions or discussion related to the

2136
01:58:08,652 --> 01:58:12,092
2026/2027 general fund budget?

2137
01:58:13,192 --> 01:58:15,932
Just for the board's certification, that's roughly

2138
01:58:16,472 --> 01:58:20,292
$451 million on salaries total that'll be

2139
01:58:20,352 --> 01:58:21,112
spent next year.

2140
01:58:22,072 --> 01:58:25,552
Probably about 88% to 90% of the budget, I would think.

2141
01:58:25,912 --> 01:58:27,492
It is. That's just the salaries.

2142
01:58:27,992 --> 01:58:28,112
Yeah.

2143
01:58:28,212 --> 01:58:30,112
That still has the other, so that's a lower-

2144
01:58:30,212 --> 01:58:30,872
Even less that, yeah

2145
01:58:30,892 --> 01:58:32,662
We're now hitting around 451.

2146
01:58:34,422 --> 01:58:35,672
Any further discussion?

2147
01:58:36,872 --> 01:58:40,632
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2148
01:58:40,732 --> 01:58:41,372
Aye.

2149
01:58:42,722 --> 01:58:42,722
Aye.

2150
01:58:42,722 --> 01:58:42,722
Aye.

2151
01:58:42,722 --> 01:58:42,722
Aye.

2152
01:58:43,352 --> 01:58:44,352
Opposed, nay.

2153
01:58:45,472 --> 01:58:47,132
The ayes have it, nine zero.

2154
01:58:47,732 --> 01:58:49,312
Madam Chair, that concludes my report.

2155
01:58:49,692 --> 01:58:52,972
Thank you, Mr. Ramsey. Next is the Committee on Capital Planning.

2156
01:58:53,012 --> 01:58:54,992
Chair Joe Baker, you are recognized.

2157
01:58:55,332 --> 01:58:58,612
Madam Chair, the Committee on Capital Planning met on June 15th,

2158
01:58:58,832 --> 01:59:02,232
2026, and on recommendation of the committee, I move to

2159
01:59:02,272 --> 01:59:05,932
approve the award of

2160
01:59:06,012 --> 01:59:09,892
IFB 76725-26 to Crew

2161
01:59:09,972 --> 01:59:13,032
Kell Company Incorporated for an initial one-year term

2162
01:59:13,532 --> 01:59:17,432
valued at 120,000, with the option to

2163
01:59:17,472 --> 01:59:20,972
renew automatically for four additional one-year terms in single

2164
01:59:21,152 --> 01:59:23,572
increments for an estimated contract value of

2165
01:59:23,582 --> 01:59:27,292
$600,000. At the end of the five-year contract

2166
01:59:27,302 --> 01:59:30,912
term, the superintendent may extend the contract for an additional two

2167
01:59:30,972 --> 01:59:34,532
years. Actual expenditures for each contract shall not

2168
01:59:34,572 --> 01:59:37,372
exceed the approved annual budget amounts.

2169
01:59:38,432 --> 01:59:41,352
We have a recommendation from the committee, no second is required.

2170
01:59:41,372 --> 01:59:42,832
Is there any further discussion?

2171
01:59:44,232 --> 01:59:47,832
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2172
01:59:48,292 --> 01:59:48,712
Aye.

2173
01:59:48,992 --> 01:59:49,272
Aye.

2174
01:59:49,802 --> 01:59:50,672
Aye. Opposed, nay.

2175
01:59:51,652 --> 01:59:52,992
The ayes have it, nine zero.

2176
01:59:53,852 --> 01:59:57,792
Also, on recommendation of the committee, I move to approve the award of

2177
01:59:57,952 --> 02:00:01,372
RFQ 77125-26,

2178
02:00:01,872 --> 02:00:05,632
Architectural and Engineering Services for Cane Bay High School addition,

2179
02:00:06,132 --> 02:00:08,732
to Moseley Incorporated in the amount of

2180
02:00:08,932 --> 02:00:12,252
1,457,000.

2181
02:00:12,262 --> 02:00:15,032
We have a recommendation from the committee, no second is required.

2182
02:00:15,072 --> 02:00:16,412
Is there any further discussion?

2183
02:00:17,752 --> 02:00:20,592
Very excited. I know Ms. Davenport wants to say that.

2184
02:00:20,712 --> 02:00:24,032
Very excited to be moving ahead with the Cane Bay addition.

2185
02:00:24,192 --> 02:00:24,412
Yes.

2186
02:00:25,232 --> 02:00:27,331
All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2187
02:00:27,792 --> 02:00:28,112
Aye.

2188
02:00:28,152 --> 02:00:28,432
Aye.

2189
02:00:30,012 --> 02:00:30,022
Aye.

2190
02:00:30,022 --> 02:00:30,022
Aye.

2191
02:00:30,052 --> 02:00:33,292
Opposed, nay. The ayes have it, nine zero.

2192
02:00:34,772 --> 02:00:38,412
Also, on recommendation of the committee, I move to approve the award of

2193
02:00:38,472 --> 02:00:40,112
Request for Qualification

2194
02:00:40,252 --> 02:00:43,632
77225-26,

2195
02:00:43,872 --> 02:00:47,792
Construction Manager at Risk Services for Cane Bay

2196
02:00:47,852 --> 02:00:51,312
High School addition to Harper General Contractors for

2197
02:00:51,452 --> 02:00:54,352
pre-construction services in the amount of

2198
02:00:54,372 --> 02:00:56,812
$119,200.

2199
02:00:57,832 --> 02:01:01,102
We have a recommendation from committee, no second is required.

2200
02:01:01,112 --> 02:01:02,372
Is there any further discussion?

2201
02:01:04,232 --> 02:01:07,692
Hearing none, we'll call the question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2202
02:01:08,132 --> 02:01:08,432
Aye.

2203
02:01:08,512 --> 02:01:08,771
Aye.

2204
02:01:09,532 --> 02:01:09,542
Aye.

2205
02:01:09,542 --> 02:01:09,542
Aye.

2206
02:01:09,572 --> 02:01:10,352
Opposed, nay.

2207
02:01:11,244 --> 02:01:12,604
The ayes have it nine zero.

2208
02:01:13,124 --> 02:01:14,724
Madam Chair, that concludes my report.

2209
02:01:14,904 --> 02:01:16,624
Thank you, Mr. Baker.

2210
02:01:18,544 --> 02:01:21,944
Oh, absolutely. So next is the board chair update,

2211
02:01:22,124 --> 02:01:25,004
and I'm going to give some time back to Dr.

2212
02:01:25,284 --> 02:01:25,724
Dixon

2213
02:01:27,044 --> 02:01:29,584
because I think Ms. Brooks is here, and we missed the teacher forum

2214
02:01:29,644 --> 02:01:31,214
recognition.

2215
02:01:31,214 --> 02:01:34,404
Yes. We want to recognize the real MVP, Ms.

2216
02:01:34,524 --> 02:01:37,024
Megan Brooks, our teacher forum representative.

2217
02:01:37,544 --> 02:01:38,824
Let's give her a round of applause.

2218
02:01:41,604 --> 02:01:45,544
Thank you for taking time out of your summer and tutoring to

2219
02:01:45,584 --> 02:01:47,904
be here with us today, tonight.

2220
02:01:48,244 --> 02:01:48,644
Thank you.

2221
02:01:49,844 --> 02:01:53,644
So for the board chair update, there was a

2222
02:01:53,704 --> 02:01:56,164
meeting scheduled for July the 6th.

2223
02:01:57,124 --> 02:02:00,434
We are planning to have a July 20th meeting

2224
02:02:00,504 --> 02:02:04,304
only. That will be the committees and then the full

2225
02:02:06,504 --> 02:02:09,684
board after that. So no meeting on July the 6th.

2226
02:02:11,064 --> 02:02:12,754
Both committee and full on the 20th?

2227
02:02:12,853 --> 02:02:14,614
Both committee and full on the 20th.

2228
02:02:14,964 --> 02:02:15,364
Yes, ma'am.

2229
02:02:16,914 --> 02:02:17,434
Can I say something?

2230
02:02:17,684 --> 02:02:18,924
Absolutely, Mr. McClellan.

2231
02:02:18,964 --> 02:02:21,024
I just wanted to recognize Mr. McDowell.

2232
02:02:21,064 --> 02:02:23,784
This is his last-- We're going to have you back, don't you worry.

2233
02:02:24,084 --> 02:02:26,104
We're going to recognize you, but this is his last-

2234
02:02:26,114 --> 02:02:26,174
We can get rid of him for the whole year

2235
02:02:26,174 --> 02:02:27,604
... meeting before he retires.

2236
02:02:47,124 --> 02:02:49,884
Now, those are some big shoes to fill.

2237
02:02:50,044 --> 02:02:51,224
I don't know anyone

2238
02:02:52,244 --> 02:02:56,134
that we have that can resolve issues and

2239
02:02:56,264 --> 02:02:59,684
calm fears, nerves, situations,

2240
02:02:59,924 --> 02:03:03,644
deescalate like Mr. McDowell. You will be sorely

2241
02:03:03,724 --> 02:03:07,644
missed, sir. I hope you enjoy being granddad, and as

2242
02:03:07,744 --> 02:03:08,904
soon as you get bored of it-

2243
02:03:09,564 --> 02:03:09,864
Back

2244
02:03:09,924 --> 02:03:12,184
... come on back because we'll be happy to have you.

2245
02:03:13,564 --> 02:03:16,744
All right. I will now entertain a motion to adjourn.

2246
02:03:16,944 --> 02:03:17,584
Make the motion.

2247
02:03:17,844 --> 02:03:18,124
Second.

2248
02:03:18,504 --> 02:03:21,484
There's a motion by Mr. Ramsey, a second by Mr. McClellan to adjourn.

2249
02:03:21,563 --> 02:03:22,684
Any further discussion?

2250
02:03:23,484 --> 02:03:26,864
Hearing none, we'll call a question. All in favor, please respond by saying aye.

2251
02:03:27,324 --> 02:03:27,484
Aye.

2252
02:03:27,544 --> 02:03:31,304
Aye. Opposed, nay. The ayes have it nine zero.

2253
02:03:31,524 --> 02:03:32,244
We are adjourned.