The Fort Mill School Board voted Monday night to approve two Saturday makeup days for Flint Hill Elementary students who missed school in early March due to incidents at the neighboring Silfab Solar facility.
Students at Flint Hill Elementary will attend eLearning sessions on Saturday, April 25 and Saturday, May 2 to recover instructional time lost on March 5 and 6.
The decision comes after weeks of discussions between district administrators, the South Carolina Department of Education, and state legislators. Following the board’s April 1 meeting, Superintendent Grey Young directed staff to explore whether the missed days could be waived. Those discussions confirmed that the board does not have the authority to waive the days and that students are required to make up the lost time.
District administrators worked with Flint Hill Elementary leadership to develop a plan that would provide meaningful instruction while minimizing disruption to families. The April 25 session will use the district’s final remaining eLearning day, while the May 2 session will use an additional eLearning day approved by the state education department.
Budget Discussions Reveal Funding Challenges
The board also received a detailed presentation on the proposed 2026 to 2027 general fund budget from Chief Financial Officer Leanne Lordo.
The district faces continued challenges with South Carolina’s Education Funding Model, which Lordo said has not improved its distribution formula for faster growing, lower poverty districts like Fort Mill. State Aid to Classroom funding will decrease by $605,773 next year, a reduction that will not cover proposed teacher salary increases.
The proposed $271.7 million budget relies heavily on local revenue, which accounts for 61.1 percent of funds compared to 38.8 percent from the state. Local tax collections are projected at $161.1 million, an increase of nearly $15.9 million, while state revenue is expected to decrease by $171,424.
Key budget priorities include raising the starting teacher salary from $52,500 to $54,500, adding a 30th step to the pay scale, and providing a 2.5 percent cost of living increase for all other employee groups. Salaries and benefits continue to represent the largest portion of the budget at 89.3 percent.
The budget also includes a $3.5 million contingency transfer for opening Flint Hill Middle School next year. Student enrollment is projected to reach 18,818, up from the current count of 18,254.
Administration is recommending a 10.5 mill tax increase, well below the maximum allowable 19.7 mills.
Calendar and Strategic Plan Approved
The board approved the 2027 to 2028 academic calendar on first reading. The modified year round calendar features balanced 90 day semesters, with teachers starting July 26 and students beginning August 2. The school year would end May 25, prior to Memorial Day.
- Balanced 90 day semesters
- Teacher start date of July 26
- Student start date of August 2
- Winter Break October 4-8
- February break February 21-25 in conjunction with Presidents Day
- End date of May 25 prior to Memorial Day
Board members also gave final approval to the district’s strategic plan, capping a process that began in 2019 and incorporated feedback from students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members. The plan focuses on four goal areas: leadership capacity, learning capacity, resource capacity, and personalized learning.
The district will update the current plan one final time during the 2026 to 2027 school year before beginning work on a new strategic plan ahead of its Cognia accreditation visit in 2027 to 2028.
Fort Mill School Board meetings are available to view live and on demand on the district’s YouTube channel.
Source: Fort Mill School District
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