Board Business Briefs: Board Adopts New Governance Policy

The Cherokee County School Board on Thursday reviewed the funding outlook for next school year and approved a new governance policy.

The meeting followed the new structure, adopted this summer, of a work session at 5:15 p.m. and a regular business meeting at 7 p.m.  The new structure promotes more meaningful discussion, greater transparency, and public awareness around the business of the board.  In addition to the regular business meetings, all work sessions now are livestreamed via YouTube, and the videos are archived on the CCSD website in the Board of Education area online here.

FUNDING OUTLOOK
The School Board, during its work session on Thursday, heard a report on the funding outlook for the school district as work begins to prepare a proposed budget for next school year.

The school district is moving up its budget adoption timeline to better align this process with preparations for the next school year, such as hiring new teachers and publishing salary scales for recruitment and retention.

Next steps for the School Board include: preparing their budget priorities and reviewing a revenue and expense forecast at the Dec. 12 meeting; reviewing budget development status reports at the Jan. 16 and Feb. 13 board meetings; reviewing the Superintendent’s recommended tentative budget and millage rate at the March 20 meeting; holding public millage rate hearings in April; and then voting at the April 17 meeting on the budget and millage rate.

On Thursday, Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Owen reviewed CCSD’s funding sources and the outlook as the district prepares for next school year’s budget.

In May, Cherokee County voters approved an expansion of the senior tax exemption, which goes into effect in January 2025.  This results in a $14 million loss in revenue for CCSD for next school year. 

At the same time, the state legislature earlier this year approved House Bill 581, a proposal impacting local revenue, which makes up more than half of CCSD’s budget for daily operations.  As a result of this legislation, voters in the November general election were asked whether to pass a Constitutional Amendment that creates a floating statewide property tax exemption capping the amount property taxes can increase annually at the rate of inflation and substantially constricting the local revenue of a school district.

The referendum did pass, so the School Board  now is studying its options moving forward.  As part of its discussion, the School Board reviewed the importance of local funds on daily operations, as exemplified in the image below.

 
In recent years, the School Board has made substantial strides to ensure tax dollars stay in the hands of homeowners – reducing the millage rate by 1.5 mills in 2022 … returning $46 million to taxpayers over the last two years alone.

If the School Board does not opt out of the floating exemption property tax cap, it would mean a decrease of another $7.8 million for next school year and almost $50 million over the next three years, in addition to the decreases due to the senior tax exemption expansion.

The School Board reviewed three options they will have to mitigate the impact of this Constitutional Amendment.  Option 1 actually provides for the School Board to opt-out of this exemption through three hearings and a resolution in February, which would relieve the district from this impact.  The second and third options are not easy options because they require a permanent reduction or elimination of services and/or supports by $50 million over the next three years and/or replacing the revenue lost by the homestead exemption by increasing the maintenance and operations millage rate.

School Board members discussed the options that they have moving into next year. 

School Board Vice Chair Patsy Jordan’s tenure as a teacher in CCSD included the post-Recession period when state “austerity” budget cuts and local property tax declines were covered through numerous furlough days.

“That was temporary -- we could come back from that … we’re looking at a situation here that we can’t come back from,” she said.  
Ms. Jordan said, based on her conversations in the community, most people didn’t realize the damage the property tax cap, if implemented, would cause to schools.  But, she added, once they understand, they’ve told her they support the board doing “what it needs to do” to maintain current service levels.  

“I really don’t think there’s anyone that would want to give up our transportation, our police, our safety and security, our school nurses,” she said.  “Most of our community out here they have family members who are teachers … bus drivers … involved in safety and security – but most of all, they have children in our school district.”

School Board member Erin Ragsdale noted that, while the board knew the senior tax exemption expansion and its $14 million loss in revenue next year was coming, the state’s property tax cap legislation was a “surprise.”  She emphasized the importance of the community now understanding the serious implications that the $50 million loss the property tax cap would create over three years.  

“I want to make it clear to our district and our community: we’ve got some tough decisions to make,” she said.

School Board Chair Kyla Cromer and board members Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison and Rick Steiner also raised questions regarding funding issues and previous revenue constraints.

The December meeting will include a Superintendent’s report regarding budget development and anticipated expenditures as the revenue outlook grows clearer.

GOVERNANCE POLICY
The School Board, for the past six months through whole board trainings, has invested significant time into elevating the tenets of board governance.  This work has led to developing core beliefs, three-year student performance goals for English Language Arts and reading, and an aligned evaluation instrument for the Superintendent.

On Thursday, the School Board achieved a new milestone with the first reading of a policy that members drafted together to encompass those core beliefs as well as an outline of the board’s governance model and its definitions for student performance and accountability. 

The essence of the Cohesive System of Teaching & Learning model is: “The School Board values consistency across all schools in what is taught and the resources available to teach while fostering and honoring the distinctive character, spirit, and traditions unique to each local school.  The School Board has high expectations for the potential of every student and staff member and as such, has set ambitious goals for student performance.  These high expectations and ambitious goals are coupled with a collective School Board commitment to align resources and effective School District support to achieve these goals.” 

The final reading for the new policy, titled School Board Governance (BAB) and posted on our website here, will be in December. 

“It’s really exciting work, and it’s really going to set our students up for a bright future,” School Board Chair Kyla Cromer said of the board’s work to set beliefs, student performance goals, and now, new policies.  “I really do appreciate all of the hard work the school board has done moving that forward.”

Next steps for the School Board, as detailed during a work session report on academics and accountability, include writing a literacy policy together and setting three-year student performance goals for math.  Future goals include developing a new long-range strategic plan to take effect in 2026 and developing a local accountability system that incorporates metrics that matter most to our community.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLANS
The work session report on academics and accountability also reviewed with the School Board the School Improvement Plans developed by each school with support from the offices of Academics & Accountability and School Leadership & Operations.

These plans build upon the three-year student performance goals for English Language Arts and reading set by the School Board earlier this year and include specific action steps to improve student reading proficiency and ELA standards mastery as measured by the Georgia Milestones Assessment System.  All of the plans are posted online here; each school's approved plan also will posted on its school website.

School Board member Kelly Poole noted she has heard positive feedback about recent school visits by Academics & Accountability and School Leadership & Operations staff.  The intent of the visits, she said, has become much more collaborative and supportive, demonstrating a “healthier relationship” between district staff and schools.  

NEW LEADERS

The School Board on Thursday, as part of its approval of the monthly human resources employment recommendations, appointed three new district leaders.   

Amy Graham will serve as CCSD’s new chief human resources officer, a position opening next month due to a retirement. 

A 25-year educator, Ms. Graham currently serves as CCSD’s executive director for elementary certified staffing.  She began her education career as a classroom teacher and advanced in 2006 to begin her administrative career, as an assistant principal and then principal, until her 2016 appointment to her current district leadership role.      

Kelli Kimbrell will serve as CCSD’s executive director for instructional Special Education, a position converted in the district reorganization last spring.

A 24-year educator, Ms. Kimbrell currently serves as an assistant director for Special Education for Cobb County Schools.  She began her education career as a Special Education teacher, advancing in 2016 to serve as a Special Education facilitator and in 2018 to her current role.    

Jessica Sevin will serve as CCSD’s supervisor for advanced learning, a new position created by the district reorganization.

An 18-year educator, she currently serves as coordinator of advanced studies for Fulton County Schools.  She began her education career as a classroom teacher, advancing in 2021 as a talented and gifted department resource specialist and in 2023 to her current role.  

The School Board also:

•    Heard Inspiration from School Board member Erin Ragsdale with a Thanksgiving message of gratitude for CCSD’s employees;

•    School Board member Kelly Poole thanked CCSD Police and local law enforcement and public safety agencies for their response to the Code Red false alarm at Woodstock HS/MS this week; 

•    Approved its Legislative Partnership Priorities, a report posted online here outlining its stand on issues likely to come up during the state legislature’s next session.  This report is shared with Cherokee County’s state legislative delegation and is posted on CCSD’s website for the entire community to review.  Top concerns include the need for the State Legislature to strengthen local control and governance and fully fund its share of school operational costs for competitive teacher salaries, student safety and security, school counselors, school bus transportation and school technology;

•    Unanimously approved a $19.1 million contract with SmithBuilt Construction Group to construct a second gym at River Ridge High School, as part of the voter-approved Education SPLOST initiative to ensure each high school campus includes a second gym.  Construction will begin in March with completion scheduled for August 2026;

•    Heard the monthly financial report, which is online here;

•    Heard the monthly capital outlay report, which is online here.  All projects, including construction of the new replacement Cherokee HS campus and Free Home ES campus, are on schedule and within budget;  

•    Recognized CCSD’s All‐State Theatre honorees from Cherokee HS and Sequoyah HS.  Learn more here;

•    Recognized River Ridge HS junior Udi Gitau for his appointment to the State School Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council.  Learn more here;

•    Recognized CCSD’s 43 Microsoft Innovative Educator Experts and one Microsoft Innovative Educator Fellow.  Learn more here;

•    Recognized Creekview High School’s fastpitch softball team as Georgia High School Association State 5A Champions.  Learn more here; and,

•    Recognized the CCSD VILLA parent academy program’s Class of 2024‐25 participants and thanked Credit Union of Georgia for its sponsorship of program costs.  Learn more here.