James B. Bowen

The meeting commenced with a moment of reflection honoring the community's endurance, kindness, unity, and strength following the 2024 tragedy at Appalache High School. The board addressed housekeeping items, including the approval of minutes from the February 3rd, February 17th, and February 24th meetings/work sessions, and approval of the current agenda and consent agenda. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to recognizing achievements: the Helen Ruffen Reading Bowl results for picture book, elementary, middle school, and high school divisions, detailing district and regional placements for various schools. This was followed by the STAR (Student Teacher Achievement Recognition) program awards, honoring high-achieving seniors and their selected influential teachers from Appalache High School, Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy, and Winerberry High School. The session also included recognition for the Bethlehem Elementary School custodial team.

This School Improvement Plan for Kennedy Elementary School outlines strategies to address three primary areas. The plan focuses on increasing student mastery in grade-level reading and math objectives, aiming for an eight percentage point increase on MAP assessments by Spring 2026. Key initiatives involve establishing highly-functional Professional Learning Communities for data-driven instruction. Additionally, the plan addresses students' social-emotional learning needs by improving their ability to manage stress and conflict, with the goal of reducing referrals to intensive intervention services.

This School Improvement Plan for the Barrow County Arts Innovation Magnet Program aims to significantly increase student achievement in both mathematics and English/Language Arts on the Georgia Milestones Assessment. Key strategies include addressing foundational learning gaps through targeted instructional practices, interventions, and the implementation of interdisciplinary and arts integration lessons to boost student engagement. The plan also focuses on ensuring equitable services for all student subgroups, fostering stakeholder collaboration, and supporting effective student transitions between educational stages.

The work session included the superintendent's report highlighting student achievements, such as a first-place win at the regional Helen Ruffen Reading Bowl and advancements to the state technology competition. Recognition was given to star students, teachers, and regional coach of the year awardees. Presentations covered the January communications report, 120th-day student count showing steady attendance trends, and an update on the School Dog safety logging tool, noting frequent praises logged by staff. An update on technology purchasing addressed issues where a low bid respondent for Dell Chromebooks could not honor their bid, necessitating direct procurement from Dell to secure the $1.3 million purchase. A required policy revision concerning the Internet Acceptable Use Policy (IFBG) to incorporate new social media policy language mandated by Georgia Senate Bill 351 was presented for future action. The session concluded with the presentation of the 2025 financial audit, which resulted in an unmodified (clean) opinion with no adjustments noted, indicating strong financial controls and healthy general fund balance, although technical compliance regarding excess fund balance was cited.

This document presents a 4th Grade Curriculum Meet & Greet, offering parents details on the academic year. It highlights the school system's core belief statements and a key district goal to increase 5th-grade literacy rates by 5% to 65%. The session covers the daily schedule, curriculum in Language Arts and Math, various assessments (e.g., math tests, Dibbles, Georgia Milestones), and the standards-based grading system. Emphasis is placed on robust parent-teacher communication through platforms like Remind, weekly newsletters, and the parent portal to foster an active partnership in student development.