March 5, 2024
Fort Mill School Board Meeting Highlights
Special Recognitions
• Recognition of Fort Mill High School Wrestling Team for their 5A State Championship
• Recognition of Nation Ford High School Wrestler Danny Gilstorf, Class 5A 132 lb. Weight Class State Champion
• Recognition of Catawba Ridge High School Wrestler Jarrett Eubanks, Class 4A 175 lb. Weight Class State Champion
• Recognition of Catawba Ridge High School JROTC for Qualifying for Nationals
School Spotlight – Fort Mill Elementary School
Fort Mill Elementary School (FMES) Principal Jad Griffin and staff members, along with FMES students shared information about several new programs and initiatives that where implemented this year. Some of these included:
• Men Read Too
Volunteers from the community came to read to each classroom. Students heard different stories from different readers. Reader shared their favorite books with the students.
• Peace, Love, Pastries
On Valentine’s Day, the school had breakfast for parents, where they talked about ways we can show kindness and love to each other. Students drew pictures on hearts and made letters for other people.
• Culture Week
Their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) committee planned Culture Week. Students learned about foods, music, language, stories, customs, traditions, and celebrated where they come from.
• GRIT Program
Winthrop University partnered with FMES for a GRIT (Growth in Reading and Resilience in Transition) program. The purpose was for Winthrop students help students at FMES with their reading fluency and comprehension. The results showed that the extra support benefited students at FMES.
• Levines Children’s Hospital
The school gathered donations to give to children at Levine Children’s Hospital. They had a school-wide competition to see which hallway could bring in the most items. Altogether, the school donated over 400 items.
Report of the South Carolina School Board Association (SCSBA) 2024 Annual Convention
Board members provided an overview of the SCSBA Annual Convention, which was held February 15–18, 2024. The conference is designed to allow members to learn from state and national experts on topics ranging from board governance to community engagement to innovations in classroom technology, explore areas of particular interest, and connect with hundreds of school board members and other education leaders from across the state.
Report of the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) Annual Conference, February 22-25, 2024
Board members provided an overview of the COSSBA Annual Convention, which was held February 22–25, 2024. Board members had the opportunity to explore the latest trends and best practices in finance, governance, school safety, mental health, stakeholder engagement, and student achievement.
Monthly Financial/Impact Fee Update
Mrs. Leanne Lordo presented the monthly financial and impact fee report:
Monthly Financial Report
• January 31 – Seventh Month in Fiscal Year
• Total Revenue $154,690,967
Total Expenditures $115,308,453
Increase $39,382,514 – Positive Cash flow
• Real Estate taxes $43,314,350
• January tax collections strong – 92% of budgeted amount collected
• Vehicle tax collections $1,788,506
• Fee-in-Lieu taxes $7,951,535
Impact Fees
• Total collected to date $64,676,838
• Single Family units 2,451/Multi Family 1,679/ Total 4,130 Units
• February had 36 homes and 8 multi-family units added
• Comparable data for 12 months rolling for Single Family
o Feb 2023 to Feb 2024 $6,663,986 or 367 SF Units (63.8% more)
o Feb 2022 to Feb 2023 $4,067,392 or 224 Units
• Comparable data for 12 months rolling for Multi Family
o Feb 2023 to Feb 2024 $1,658,760 or 138 MF Units (43.9% less)
o Feb 2022 to Feb 2023 $2,956,920 or 246 Units
Calendar Year 2023 Average collections $597,188
February 2024 Actual collections $749,848
State Budget
• Ways & Means Committee Passed Budget Appropriation Bill last week.
• Teacher Salary Scale per House Ways & Means – Starting State Minimum Teacher Pay $47,000. Increases per cell vary, with more dollars targeted to Bachelor’s Degree and early steps.
• Teacher Supply funds increased from $350 to $400
• Mar. 11 – 14, Full House deliberates on the proposed budget plan.
• April 9 – 11 Senate Finance Budget Discussions
• April 23 – 25 Full Senate Budget
Update on Elementary School #12 Construction
Mr. Joe Romenick and Mr. Jay Gaither provided an update on the progress of Elementary School #12. The site construction is progressing on schedule. The presentation included the following status updates:
• Site infrastructure is nearing completion.
• Preparation for paving activities is underway and initial asphalt installation of the East Parking Lot and Bus Loop is scheduled to commence this week. Initial paving activities will include the first course of asphalt binder with the finish course of asphalt and striping withheld until the end of the project to provide a clean surface with the turnover of the building.
• Installation of building foundations and CMU foundation walls are complete.
• Underground MEP activities are approximately 50% complete.
• Slab on Grade has been poured on approximately 30% of the building.
• Masonry walls and MEP in-wall rough-in activities are on-going within Areas D & E.
• The offsite roadwork design has been submitted to SCDOT and YC for review. Upon approval, the project will be advertised in Spring 2024 with a completion date of July 2025.
Approval of ELA Materials
The board voted to approve the administration’s request to adopt the following textbooks from the South Carolina approved textbook list:
• HMH Into Reading for grades K-5
• HMH Into Literature for grades 6-8
• HMH Into Literature for English 1- English 4
• BFW Ideas in Literature for AP Literature and Composition
• W.W. Norton They Say/ I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing with Readings for AP Language and Composition
Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Chuck Epps provided an overview of upcoming events for March and April, 2024. The Hall of Fame reception is scheduled for March 12, the Bond Referendum vote is on March 19, and the York County Chamber of Commerce State of Education in the Community event is scheduled for March 27. For a complete listing of events please click the calendar link below.
Dr. Epps announced the February teacher attendance winners with Fort Mill High, Banks Trail Middle and Springfield Elementary 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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