Aiken County Board of Education Meeting - September 27, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.

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Submitted by Migration on Tue, 09/27/2011 - 4:58pm

Dates:

Tuesday, September 27, 2011 - 10:00pm

THE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF AIKEN COUNTY

BOARD OF EDUCATION

AIKEN, SOUTH CAROLINA

OFFICIAL AGENDA _____ REGULAR SESSION _7:00 P.M.____SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

Location: District Office Aiken, SC

1000 Brookhaven Drive

REGULAR SESSION: 7:00 P.M.

DEVOTIONAL & PLEDGE: Mr. Wesley Hightower

APPROVAL OF AGENDA:

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Regular Meeting – September 13, 2011

SPECIAL ORDERS OF BUSINESS:

· Golden Harvest/United Way Back Pack Video

· Mr. Robert Giancroce, President/CEO – Mr. Central Home Services, LLC

· Public Participation

No Requests This Meeting

· Office of Board Chairman

Board Committee on Capital Funding – Members and Purpose

A. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: The following items are for information only and do not require Board action.

1. Advanced Placement and SAT scores (Dr. Yarborough)

2. Kindergarten Report Card Update (Mrs. Kitchings and Mrs. Trivelas)

3. Legislative Update (Mr. Liner)

B. CONSENT ITEMS: The following items will be voted on as a group. Individual items may be discussed prior to a vote being taken.

1. Dollar General Literacy Foundation S.T.I.R. I.T. UP! (Scientifically Teaching Independent Research with Informational Text) grant to J.D. Lever Elementary School – FY12 (Dr. O’Gorman)

Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded a $3,000 S.T.I.R. I.T. UP! grant to J.D. Lever Elementary School. Funds from this grant will be used to purchase six-pack sets of non-fiction leveled texts for third grade reading intervention students. These science texts will be used for an interdisciplinary approach to reading and science instruction within an intervention framework.

2. Request for Donation of One Surplus Mobile Unit by the First Baptist Church of Windsor (Mr. Caver)

The church is requesting that an excess mobile classroom be donated to them for use to expand their youth ministry. The addition of the unit will help utilize the existing facilities at their church.

The District does have several mobiles classrooms that have been taken out of service and are scheduled to be surplused and sold at Public Auction. The church has viewed these units and indicated that one unit (#55) located at the Career Center would meet their needs.

3. Budget Adjustment #7 (FY11); Fund #1 (General Fund), Fund #2 (Special Revenue), Fund #4 (Debt Service Fund) and Fund #5 (School Building Fund) (Mr. Traxler)

Periodically during the fiscal year, the Division of Fiscal Services submits adjustments to the approved budget as may be required in the conduct of operations.

4. Budget Adjustment #1 (FY12); Fund #1 (General) and Fund #4 (Debt Service) (Mr. Traxler)

Periodically during the fiscal year, the Division of Fiscal Services submits adjustments to the approved budget as may be required in the conduct of operations.

5. Amendment to Policy CFC – Assignment and Transfer of Building Administrators – Second Reading (Mr. Burkhalter)

Policy CFC relates to one of the District Superintendent’s most important responsibilities, namely the appropriate utilization and placement of school administrators, including reassignment of administrators when needed. In order best to discharge this responsibility, the Superintendent must have wide discretion and latitude, as encompassed within this longstanding policy. The Educational Accountability Act of 1988 made substantial changes in the rights of administrative personnel by removing them from the protection of the Teachers Employment and Dismissal Act. As a buffer to the uncertainty of the extent to which the Act removed protections for administrators’ rights, transfers or reassignments, including changes in position and/or salary, were heretofore subject to the district’s grievance procedure since the due process hearing rights had been removed. A recent South Carolina Supreme Court decision – Henry-Davenport v. The School District of Fairfield County – specifically interpreted the meaning of the EAA amendment relating to the removal of due process protections from administrative rights and made it clear that the plain meaning of the language was, in fact, the effect of the Act.

6. Amendment to Administrative Rule GBK-R - Staff Concerns/Complaints/Grievances – Second Reading (Mr. Burkhalter)

The District has a comprehensive grievance procedure in Policy GBK and Rule GBK-R to deal with a variety of issues that can be grieved by employees. These procedures also constitute the internal district procedure for handling civil rights complaints of various types. As the State Department of Education has refined certified employee evaluation instruments and procedures, and as it continues to refine the procedural requirements for principal evaluations, the models have become more specific in their guidelines and have some internal review or rebuttal measures available. Performance parameters are clearly defined and outlined in the models, as well as the utilization of team approach methodologies for formal evaluations. Consequently, the ability to file grievances in connection with evaluations, evaluation models utilized, the assignment of improvement plans, and other aspects of evaluation processes should be exempt from the grievance procedures in the view of the administration.

7. Amendment to Policy JICFAA – Harassment, Intimidation or Bullying – Second Reading (Mr. Burkhalter)

In 2006 the South Carolina Legislature required all school districts in the State to adopt a policy on harassment and bullying. The policy was required to meet certain specifications and include certain provisions, and had to be put into effect by January 1, 2007. The Aiken County Public Schools created the present Policy JICFAA, and modeled the policy strictly in accord with the statutory requirements. This policy is also set forth in full as an appendix to the Code of Conduct and is referenced in the suspension level offenses outlined in the Code.

8. Naming North Augusta Elementary Outdoor Classroom (Mr.Caver)

In the fall of 2010 the North Augusta Elementary PTA and Leadership North Augusta partnered to build an outdoor classroom. The PTA donated $5,000 toward the project and Leadership North Augusta completed the project by receiving donations from local businesses and contractors.

9. Renaming the Pinecrest Center to the Aiken County Public

Schools Center for Innovative Learning at Pinecrest

On June 21, 2011, the Aiken County Public Schools Board of Education approved an Alternative Learning Initiative and budget intended to meet the needs of all of the students in the District. The currently named Pinecrest Center was the facility that served students set-aside for alternative school in lieu of expulsion. The Alternative Learning Steering Committee with the Superintendent’s Cabinet recommends a name change for the facility to promote the comprehensive effort to meet the needs of students with academic and/or behavioral needs.

10. Reassessment and Rollback Millage (Mr. Traxler)

C. INDIVIDUAL ITEMS:

1. Personnel Appointments (Dr. Hewett)

The certified and classified personnel presented have been screened by the Personnel Services Department and interviewed and approved by the Principal and the Area Assistant Superintendent.

D. INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBERS

1. AGENDA ITEMS SUBMITTED BY INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBERS:

· Mr. Ray Fleming and Mr. Keith Liner – Advisory Council Appointment

· Mr. Dwight Smith – Advisory Council Appointment

· Mr. Ray Fleming – Email Questions

2. CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESSED TO BOARD MEMBERS:

3. REPORTS FROM BOARD LIAISON TO VARIOUS COMMITTEES:

E. OFFICE OF DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT:

· Update

F. EXECUTIVE SESSION:

1. CONTRACTUAL ISSUES:

· Budget Procedures/Recommendations