FMSD Board Elects Leadership, Hears Reports of State-Leading Student Achievement and Financial Updates

The Fort Mill School Board of Trustees convened on November 18, 2025, for a meeting marked by new leadership appointments and a celebration of district-wide excellence. The Board elected Mrs. Kristy Spears as the Chairwoman and Mrs. Lipi Pratt as Vice-Chairwoman before moving into a packed agenda. Highlights of the evening included special recognition for multiple 4A and 5A State Champions, a review of the district’s top-tier performance on the South Carolina State Report Card, and the approval of new high school course offerings for the coming academic years.

Election of Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson

Kristy Spears was elected as Chairwoman. Mrs. Lipi Pratt was elected as Vice-Chairwoman.

Special Recognitions

Recognition of Catawba Ridge High School Band, 4A State Champions – Mr. Patrick Butler, Director

Recognition of Catawba Ridge High School 100m Backstroke Swim 5A State Champion – Coach Tony Murray

Recognition of Fort Mill High School Individual Swim Events 5A State Champions – Coach VanBuskirk

Recognition of Fort Mill High School State Champion Veterinary Science Team – Mr. Timothy Pasour

Recognition of Fort Mill High School York County Sports Program of the Year – Dr. Latoya Dixon

Recognition of Nation Ford High School Band, 5A State Champions – Mr. Ray Linkous, Director

Recognition of Nation Ford High School Girls Weightlifting Team, 5A SC Strength Coaches Associations State Champion – Coach Michael Angelou and Coach Tyler Klipa

Recognition of Nation Ford High School Individual Swim Events 5A State Champions – Coach Alyssa McAllister

Recognition of PLT Team of the Year – Dr. Mike Waiksnis

Superintendent’s Red Nose Award – The Superintendent’s Red Nose Award recognizes staff who demonstrate school level excellence, empathy, and kindness as it relates to the 4C’s of Mr. Young’s administration – Culture, Community Engagement, Commitment, and Continuous Improvement.

The Red Nose Award this month was given to Richard “Stump” Eppes, Anne Ledford, Mandy Pyrc, and Lynn Marsh.

School Spotlight – Riverview Elementary School

Riverview Elementary’s board presentation spotlighted the school’s mission “ALL learn, ALL grow, and ALL belong” and how this guiding belief shapes every instructional decision. The team shared notable academic growth, including increased SC Ready ELA and Math scores, improved SC-Alt performance, and exceptional achievement among gifted learners. Through intentional collaboration, including clear Tier 1 expectations, specialty PLCs, strengthened co-teaching practices, and aligned inclusive supports, teachers across all settings worked together to elevate outcomes for every student. Leaders emphasized that these results reflect years of focused effort and a culture of going above and beyond for students. The school celebrated this progress as clear evidence of the excellence thriving within the Riverview community.

Monthly Financial/Impact Fee Update

Mrs. Leanne Lordo provided the following information as part of the monthly update:

Monthly Financial Report

September 30^th – Third Month in Fiscal Year
Total Revenue $34,399,978

Total Expenditures $52,476,122

Decrease ($18,076,144) – Cash flow using Fund Balance

September Vehicle tax collections $2,364,560

Impact Fees

Total collected to date $82,042,244
Interest earned $7,479,943
$85,360,780 submitted in claims with York County, of which $67.2 million was for Flint Hill Elementary School and $18.1 million Flint Hill Middle School.
Single Family units 2,960/Multi Family 2,204/ Total 5,164 Units
October had 11 homes and 12 multi-family units added
November to date 2 homes and 16 multi-family units added
Calendar Year 2024 Average collections $839,615

October 2025 Actual collections $575,592

November Month-to-Date collections $392,016

Financial Audit

Greene Finney Cauley has completed the audit report and filing is on hold pending final release of the OMB Compliance Supplement for Federal Program audits. David Phillips, Partner, will be here at the January Board meeting to present.

RFA Report

SC Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office has now issued a report in compliance with Proviso 1.3 which required a review of the State Aid to Classrooms Funding Formula.
- The focus to review the student weightings in the formula and examine methods to improve the alignment of funding with student enrollment across traditional districts and charter schools.
- Report has 9 recommendation areas which include reduction of the number of weight categories, pulling out CTE, modifications for charter school funding, including health insurance allocations in the formula, and updating the “Hold Harmless” year from 2021-22 to FY 25 or FY 26.

Financial Summary

Impact Fee Report

State Report Card Update

Dr. Mike Waiksnis presented information from the State Report Card, released by the South Carolina Department of Education.

The report cards provide overall ratings of Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average, or Unsatisfactory based on a 100-point scale for all public elementary, middle and high schools. Schools also receive ratings on various indicators such as academic achievement, college and career-readiness, and graduation rate.

In the Fort Mill School District, all three high schools received an overall rating of excellent. All 6 middle schools and 6 of our elementary schools were also rated excellent, with five elementary schools receiving a ranking of good. Additionally, the Fort Mill School District had the highest ranking in the state for the progress of our Multilingual Learners and an on-time graduation rate of 95.9%, the highest on-time graduation rate among traditional high schools.

Fort Mill School District was the highest-ranking district in SC Ready ELA and Math grades 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8. In our high schools, we had the highest or second highest average passing rate in each subject for EOC (End of Course) exams, when compared to other traditional high schools in the state.

Additionally, Fort Mill Schools ranked first in the state for College and Career Readiness among traditional public schools.

The report cards are available online at www.screportcards.com.

Dual Credit Pathways

Dr. Mike Waiksnis and Dr. Gales Scroggs presented information about Dual Credit Pathways. Dual Credit courses allow high school students to earn both high school and college credit at the same time. College credit is awarded based on the final course grade. Credits earned can often transfer to other colleges or universities.

First Reading of Policy JH and JH-R Excused Absences for Career and Technical Student Organization Experiences

Dr. Latoya Dixon presented first reading of Policy JH and JH-R Excused Absences for Career and Technical Student Organization Experiences.

Second Reading of Policy BEA Livestreaming of Board Meetings

The board voted to approve Policy BEA regarding the livestreaming of school board meetings. The district has livestreamed board meets for several years pre-dating the new law. This new policy is now required under South Carolina law but does not represent any needed changes to the current procedures used.

Second Reading of Updates to Policy GCLE and Administrative Rule GCLE-R Unencumbered Time for School Nurses

The board voted to approve Policy GCLE and accompanying administrative rule regarding unencumbered time for school nurses. This policy is needed in response to South Carolina General Assembly budget proviso to include school nurses in the daily requirement for 30 minutes of unencumbered time. Unencumbered time is defined as 30 minutes during the regular workday where teachers or school nurses are provided time that is self-directed and free from assigned duties or responsibilities, including direct instruction or supervision of students.

Consideration of Approval of Courses

The board voted to approve new high school courses for the 2026-2027 school year.