BOARD MEETING BRIEF District Mission - "To ignite a passion for learning and teaching at high levels."

M. Ann Levett, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools

Savannah-Chatham Co.

Public School System

208 Bull Street

Savannah, GA 31401

(912) 395-5600

SCHOOL BOARD Jolene Byrne President Julie M. Wade District 1 Dionne Hoskins-Brown District 2 Cornelia H. Hall District 3 Shawn A. Kachmar District 4 Irene Hines District 5 Larry Lower Vice-President District 6 Michael Johnson Vice President Pro Tempore District 7 Mrs. Ruby D. Jones District 8

Highlights from the May 9, 2018 Board Meeting

Early Learning Plans for East Broad K8!

At the Informal meeting of the Board of Education, Interim Chief Academic Officer

Aretha Rhone-Bush presented a proposal for an Early Learning Center at East Broad

K8. Research clearly shows that learning begins at birth and the preparation for learning

starts well before birth. To solve the employment and education crises facing poor and

minority children in America, we must first ensure that all children have access to high

quality early education. The first step to ensuring that poor and minority students grow

up to become successful and healthy adults is to provide teaching and learning

experiences at an early age. This approach also serves to improve low-performing

schools, decrease dropout rates, and reduce violence and poverty.

To assist the district in meeting the need for early learning opportunities, several efforts

have been made to address the growing demands. Three new Pre-K units have been

added in the last several years. An Early Learning Center has been established at Port

Wentworth School, and new PreK units may be added this fall (August 2018) as an

immediate strategy to meet anticipated needs of the Eastside.

An additional Early Learning Center is critical to serve targeted areas of need. The

proposal for East Broad calls for an Early Learning Center with Wraparound Services

and Measurable Outcomes. Find out more here:

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AY6PAY58D4BB

In support of Early Childhood Education, the Board adopted a resolution for the

continued development of the East Broad Early Learning Center proposal that would

provide for the full implementation of the program by school year 2019-2020. Read the

Resolution:

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AYLTSQ622F5A

Budget Process Update

Also at the Informal Meeting of the Board, Chief Financial Officer Larry Jackson

presented an update on the Budget Process and information about a change in the way

Community Based Programs can seek funding from the District. The annual budget

process will no longer include a direct funding mechanism. Starting July 1, 2018,

services offered by community-based programs will be solicited through the purchasing competitive bidding process as outlined in Board Policy DJE. Learn more here:

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Sharing the Good News!

The Superintendent’s Student of the Month for April was announced! Congratulations Sara Shi-Nicole Rivera, a 7th Grader from Georgetown K8! http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AXHVAD7FA41F

CTAE Graduation Rate! Newly released numbers show Savannah-Chatham County

Public School students involved in CTAE (Career, Technical and Agricultural Education) programs achieved a graduation rate of 96.4-percent in the last school year. That is higher than the state of Georgia’s 96-percent which was announced as an all-time high for the state in December. http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AXHVAJ7FA424

SCCPSS Once Again Boasts Five AP Honor Schools! Five Savannah-Chatham

County Public Schools have been named Advanced Placement (AP) Honor Schools for 2018. The 2018 AP Honor Schools are named in six categories, based on the results of 2017 AP courses and exams. The five schools recognized include: Jenkins High School, Johnson High School, Islands High School, Savannah Arts Academy and Woodville Tompkins Technical & Career High School. Read more here: http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AXWLJZ525299

Student Media Festival to Recognize Students from 16 SCCPSS Schools!

Student Media Festival 190 SCCPSS students from 16 schools at all levels were awarded District recognition and advanced to state level competition in the Georgia Student Media Festival this month. The student work was done on 68 projects in five different production types, including Animation, Audio Podcast, Live Action, Sequential Stills and Web Site. All 190 students will be honored at the SCCPSS Student Film and Media Festival being held at the Yamacraw Performing Arts Center the evening of Wednesday, May 16, 2018. Learn more here: http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AXWLLZ52C05D

Heard Science Olympiad Winners Recognized! Congratulations to the Heard Elementary Science Olympiad team! The “Molecular

Mavericks” made up of mostly 5th grade students placed first overall in a four-county area

at the recent regional Elementary Science Olympiad. The Heard Elementary team will now

move on to the State Science Olympiad competition which will be held this Saturday, May

12th!

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AYDLM55728A0

Student and Professional Senate Reports!

Reports from our Student Senate as well as from our Teacher of the Year and Instructional

Support Person of the Year were presented. This month the student report was given by

12th grader Christopher Washington and 9th grader Rio Washington of New Hampstead

High School.

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ESPLOST III PROJECTS GET UNDERWAY!

General Contracting Services for the Culinary Arts Lab at Savannah High

School The Board voted to approve a $994,274 bid from RL Construction Group,

Inc. of Savannah to construct the new Culinary Arts Lab as part of the Career

Academy at Savannah High.

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Design Professional Services for the Replacement of White Bluff Elementary

School The Board approved the selection of James W. Buckley & Associates, Inc.

as the firm to design the replacement school for White Bluff Elementary pending

final contract negotiations to be approved by the Superintendent.

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AS8TQ977EDAB

Design Professional Services for Jenkins High School Replacement Project

The Board approved the selection of Hussey, Gay, Bell and International, Inc., as

the firm to design the replacement school for Jenkins High pending final contract

negotiations.

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=ASFTM9780176

Thunderbolt Facility to be Used for Film Offices! The Board Ratified a

Contract/Facility Use Agreement that will allow Gemini Pictures, LLC to use the

former Thunderbolt Elementary School as a film production office for personnel and

equipment, camera test space, screening room, lab and other similar uses in

connection with the filming and/or recording of scenes in connection with the

Picture. The company will pay the district $26,000 a month to do so.

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=ASGT6G75D674

Policy Adopted!

Board Policy JBCCA(2): Unsafe School Choice Option has been modified to

reflect changes in the amended State Board Rule. The policy was also updated to

include the transfer guidelines included in the State Board Rule for victims of violent

criminal offenses.

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AS8TPQ77ED9A

New Technology Approved! The Board approved the Division of Academic

Affairs establishing a contract with “Performance Matters” to provide a Unify Data

Suite complete solution that will allow staff to use connected data to make informed

meaningful learning decisions. This Early Warning Detection System will allow

Student Report:

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Professional Report:

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Board Approves Contract for Human Resources Tool to Improve Efficiency –

The Board voted to approve a contract with Performance Matters/TalentEd, in the amount

of $149,672.50 to provide software licenses, services and training for the sole purpose of

planning, simplifying and managing processes to be used by staff. The agreement will be

for a one-year contract term with options to renew. The solutions and software tools will

assist the Division in automating the employee evaluation process, monitoring and

tracking professional development activities, attracting and hiring top educators;

simplifying onboarding, recordkeeping, contract renewals and absence management.

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AYDLVL585D6B

Policy Adopted!

Board Policy JAA – Equal Educational Opportunities and Board Policy JBC – School

Admissions have been modified to ensure married students and pregnant students are

eligible for enrollment in the regular school program, provided they meet all criteria

required of other eligible students, and are not discriminated against. It is recommended

that Board Policy JQF – Married Students and Board Policy JQE – Pregnant Students be

removed from the policy manual as the criteria will be incorporated in Board Policy JAA –

Equal Educational Opportunities and Board Policy JBC – School Admissions.

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Board Policy JBC(1) and Administrative Regulation JBC(1)-R – Homeless

Students have been modified to align language in accordance with the requirements of

the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

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First Reads!

Policy EBB – Safety - has been revised to include Board priorities for school safety

and security measures to include operational, staffing, and functional goals. A second

read will be offered during the June 6, 2018, Board meeting. Read the suggested policy

revisions here:

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AXHVB67FA438

Policy IFCD – Volunteers –The Board reviewed policy and regulation updates that

provided greater clarity for the process of screening volunteers and defining disqualifying

offenses. Feedback and input was provided for further revisions. A second read will be

offered during the June 6, 2018, Board meeting.

Read the suggested policy revisions here:

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AXHVB37FA435

Legislative Update!

Board members were provided an update on actions taken by the Georgia State

Legislature this year.

HOUSE BILL 684: SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR Governor Nathan Deal has increased

the revenue estimate for FY '19 and most of that increase is going to K-12 education to

end the austerity cut to the QBE formula! Locally that equates to $2,830,629 dollars in

additional funding compared to FY '18.

Other budget changes of interest: •$26.7 million was added to fund the projected need in

dual enrollment and effective July 1, 2018◦Implement a 15-credit hour per student per

semester cap.

•$16 million in bonds for school facility safety grants

•Transferred $700,000 from school improvement division to the Chief Turnaround Officer

for five district effectiveness specialists

•Increased the per student amount in pupil transportation for new FTE enrollment to

$903,377 (it was at $230,255)

•$15 million in bonds for school buses

HB 673: SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR The distracted driving bill, also applies to

school bus drivers. So as to prohibit actions which distract a driver while operating a motor

vehicle. The driver of a school bus shall not use or operate a cellular telephone wireless

telecommunications device.

For more information on Bills passed by the Legislature check here:

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AYEHT349FAC4

ESPLOST UPDATE!

EIII Project Schedule Updated! On December 7, 2016 the Board approved an ESPLOST

III Project Schedule. As the program progresses the schedule is updated to show

individual project time requirements and sequence of projects. The resulting Program

Schedule is more detailed and provides overall project timelines that are not represented

on the December 7, 2016, Project Schedule.

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AYDLZ358EB73

Johnson High HVAC Replacement Progress! The Board approved a bid from Mock

Plumbing and Mechanical, Inc. in the amount of $2,900,771 for the replacement of the

HVAC system at Johnson High School.

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AY6PER5A0CE1

Low Elementary Cost Savings! On April 6, 2016, the Board approved the Guaranteed

Maximum Price (GMP) of $25,319,883 to JE Dunn Construction Company d/b/a Rives E.

Worrell Company for the construction of the new Low Elementary School. Construction

is complete and all costs have been finalized. In accordance with the Contract, all savings

between the final cost and the GMP are to be returned to the Owner. The final cost for the

project is $25,109,923, so $209,960 of project savings in the GMP is being credited to the

District.

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AY6PRT5B0F3D

Sign to be Installed Near the School of Liberal Studies at Savannah High The

City of Savannah seeks to obtain approval for the installation of a sign on property to which

the Board of Education owns fee simple title specifically located at the corner of

Pennsylvania Avenue and Capital Street in Savannah, GA. The Board agreed to grant the

City license to construct the sign for the sum of $10.

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Summer Learning Opportunities! Academic Affairs staff gave a presentation on

Summer Learning Opportunities to the Board. The presentation outlined both Summer

School plans and Summer Camp Opportunities for SCCPSS students. Learn more here:

http://www.boarddocs.com/ga/sccs/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AY6PSD5B4870

Teacher Appreciation Week!

To recognize the valuable contributions of our teachers, the Board of Education proclaimed

May 7-11, 2018, National Teacher Appreciation Week!

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School Nurses Celebrated! This year, the theme for National School Nurse Day is

“School Nurses: Advocates for 21st Century Student Health.” To recognize the valuable

contributions of our school nurses, the Board of Education proclaimed Wednesday, May 9,

2018, as National School Nurse Day.

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Personnel Moves!

McRae Mangum will be the new Center Leader for the W.I.N.G.S. Program.

Brian Dotson will be the new Interim Principal of Hubert Middle School.

John Sutlive will be the new Interim Principal at Rice Creek School.

Erica Swindell-Foster will be the new Interim Principal at East Broad K8.

Kathleen Taylor will be the new Interim Principal at May Howard Elementary.

Tahisha Wright will be the new Interim Principal at the School of Humanities at Low

Elementary.

Troy Brown will be the new Principal for Godley Station K8.

Susan Ambrose will be the new principal at A.B. Williams Elementary. Sylvia Wallis will be the new principal at Marshpoint Elementary. Alonna Curry will be the new principal at Heard Elementary. Paige Cooley was named Budget Director.

Congratulations to All!

Savannah-Chatham County Public School System