The Fort Mill School Board meeting on February 6, 2024, featured a series of recognitions and presentations that highlighted the district’s commitment to excellence and community engagement. Special recognitions were given to students from Nation Ford and Catawba Ridge High Schools for their artistic contributions to school publications, the Nation Ford High School CyberPatriot Team for winning the “Gold Tier” South Carolina State Championship, and the Fort Mill High School FFA Veterinary Science Team for becoming State Champions. Additionally, Vice Chairman Wayne Bouldin and Michele Branning were honored for their years of service.
Sugar Creek Elementary School showcased its English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program, emphasizing the diversity of its student body with over 25% being multilingual learners from a background of 23 languages. The program supports students and families with multilingual communications and celebrates various international traditions, aiming to foster a supportive and inclusive educational environment.
The financial health of the district was also a key topic, with reports indicating a strong financial condition based on the 2023 District Financial Audit, which showed no deficiencies or weaknesses. The monthly financial update revealed a deficit in cash flow, mitigated by fund balance use, and detailed various sources of revenue and expenditures. The impact fees report highlighted significant collections, indicating a healthy development activity within the district.
Looking ahead, the board discussed key dates for the State budget and approved the nomination of distinguished individuals for the 2022 Fort Mill School District Hall of Fame. Furthermore, the board approved new instructional materials for AP Psychology, reinforcing their commitment to academic excellence.
The Superintendent outlined important dates for February, including a Teacher Workday and the Presidents Day Holiday. Additionally, the meeting underscored the importance of teacher attendance with recognition of schools achieving high attendance rates.
The full report from the Fort Mill School District is below.
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February 6, 2024
Fort Mill School Board Meeting Highlights
Special Recognitions
- Recognition of Nation Ford High School Student Giulianna Tuarez for Financial Report Cover Design
- Recognition of Catawba Ridge High School Students Liam Vigier and Katie Browning for Program of Studies Cover Design
- Recognition of the Nation Ford High School CyberPatriot Team “Gold Tier” South Carolina State Championship
- Recognition of Fort Mill High School FFA Veterinary Science Team State Champions
- Recognition of School Board Members Vice Chairman Wayne Bouldin and Michele Branning for SCSBA Years of Service
School Spotlight – Sugar Creek Elementary School
Sugar Creek Elementary School (SCES) Principal Michelle Gritz and her staff shared information about their English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. More than 25 percent of the student population at Sugar Creek are multilingual learners with 23 total languages represented. Students are welcomed into the school with banners in multiple languages and parents receive multilingual communications through:
- Phone calls
- Newsletters
- Parent teacher conferences
- Family resources in multiple languages
During the One School One Book program, students were able to read the selected book in a variety of languages. Students also have the chance to learn about traditions and celebrations in other countries such as Diwali, and the Christmas and New Year’s traditions in Romania. Teachers receive strategies for teaching subjects such as math to multilingual students, along with steps they can use to create a language rich interactive classroom.
Building these relationships helps promote student success. The staff is committed to teaching the whole child by providing high levels of instruction so they become productive citizens in our community.
Annual Audit Report
Mrs. Leanne Lordo and Mr. David Phillips of Greene Finney provided a report on the 2023 District Financial Audit. They shared that the district received another outstanding audit report. No findings, significant deficiencies, or material weaknesses were noted. The district was found to be in good financial condition as of June 30, 2023
Monthly Financial/Impact Fee Update
Mrs. Leanne Lordo presented the monthly financial and impact fee report:
Monthly Financial Report
- December 31 – Six Month in Fiscal Year (half fiscal year)
- Total Revenue $91,030,193
Total Expenditures $97,520,436
Decrease ($6,490,243) – Cash flow using Fund Balance
- Real Estate taxes $18,024,310 (Last Year $21,505,406)
- From York County: In addition, please note that December collections will be lower than what you have received in the past. This is due to the two large mortgage payments (Wells Fargo and CoreLogic) we normally receive in December not being received until January. You will see increased collections in the month of January for these payments.
- Vehicle tax collections $1,155,170
- Fee-in-Lieu taxes $623,539
Impact Fees
- Total collected to date $63,926,990
- Single Family units 2,415/Multi Family 1,671/ Total 4,086 Units
- January had 78 homes and 18 multi-family units added
- January largest month of collections since August 2020
- Comparable data for 12 months rolling for Single Family
- Jan 2023 to Jan 2024 $6,536,880 or 360 SF Units (58.6% more)
- Jan 2022 to Jan 2023 $4,121,866 or 227 Units
- Comparable data for 12 months rolling for Multi Family
- Jan 2023 to Jan 2024 $1,754,920 or 146 MF Units (70% less)
- Jan 2022 to Jan 2023 $5,901,820 or 491 Units
Calendar Year 2023 Average collections $597,188
January 2024 Actual collections $1,632,684
State Budget – House Key Dates
- 20 – 22, House Ways and Means Committee will meet to consider and approve its FY 2024-25 State budget plan.
- 11 – 14, Full House deliberates on the proposed budget plan.
Recommendation of the 2022 Fort Mill School District Hall of Fame Inductees
Mr. Mike Hill from the Fort Mill School District Hall of Fame committee presented the board with nominations for the 2022 Hall of Fame inductees. Those nominated are:
- Bill Banks, teacher and coach at Fort Mill High for 35 years.
- Jim Shannon, served the district for more than 25 years as a coach and a principal at Fort Mill Primary School and Carothers.
- Pete Reynolds, former Fort Mill High School football, basketball, and baseball coach and also Fort Mill Central School principal.
- Gloria Gainey, Kindergarten assistant for 46 years at Fort Mill Primary before moving to Fort Mill Elementary.
- Solomon Spratt, helped build a school for formerly enslaved people, laying the groundwork for the early schools that eventually formed the Fort Mill School District.
They will be inducted during a special reception in March, 2024.
Presentation and approval of instructional materials
The board voted to approve the administration’s request to adopt “Myers’ Psychology for the AP
Course” by BFW Publishers for use in AP Psychology.
Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Chuck Epps provided an overview of upcoming events for February 2024. There is a Teacher Workday scheduled for Feb. 16, the Presidents Day Holiday is Feb. 19, and next school board meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 21.
Dr. Epps announced the January teacher attendance winners with Fort Mill High, Banks Trail Middle and Springfield Elementary Schools winning for their respective grade levels.
Fort Mill School Board meetings can be viewed live or on demand on the district’s YouTube channel or with the link below.
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