Joni Alford

The meeting commenced with recognitions for the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated's Georgetown Alumni Chapter for their community service, including supporting Habitat for Humanity and addressing food insecurity in Georgetown County. The board also recognized Mr. Randy Walker for 10 years of service and his role as Vice Chair. The agenda included the approval of the minutes for the January 6th meeting and the adoption of the current agenda. An informational item was presented regarding the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report audit for the year ended June 30th, 2025, where an unmodified opinion was issued. Discussion on the General Fund indicated a fund balance decrease of $949,000, which was less than the budgeted decrease of $2 million.

The meeting commenced with a recognition segment honoring students for achieving exceptional academic success on the 2025 SC Ready tests and 2024-2025 End of Course examinations. Numerous students from various schools (including Wakama Elementary, Wakama Intermediate School, McDonald Elementary, Walkaw Middle School, Carver Middle Steam Academy, Coastal Monastery Charter School, Georgetown Middle School, Wakama High School, Andrews High School, Carver's Bay Early College and Career High School, and Georgetown High School) were recognized for perfect scores in subjects like SC Ready Math, ELA, Science, Algebra 1 EOC, English 2, Biology 1, and US History/Constitution. The event also recognized the dedicated teachers who guided these students. Following the recognitions, the board announced an intermission and prepared to move into the public comment section, outlining rules for brief, respectful commentary.

The meeting commenced with the official call to order, pledge of allegiance, and a moment of silence. A significant portion of the session was dedicated to recognizing the Georgetown County School District for receiving the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 31st consecutive year. Discussions also covered the continuous improvement process for schools, including requirements for underperforming schools (Below Average or Unsatisfactory ratings) regarding consultation with stakeholders and the submission of turnaround plans by January 30, 2026. Specific attention was given to the multi-phase improvement process, focusing on diagnosis, strategy selection, planning, implementation, monitoring, and revision. The board addressed an amendment to remove an information item (G1, The Village Group update) from the agenda. The process for addressing chronically underperforming schools was also reviewed, noting no schools currently meet the criteria for three consecutive years of unsatisfactory ratings. Leadership confirmed that the current focus is strengthening tier one instruction district-wide and sharing insights from inter-district roundtables concerning instructional needs and literacy efforts.

The board meeting included recognition of America's Healthiest Schools. The board approved the minutes from November 18th, 2025, and adopted the agenda for the meeting. The Georgetown County School District procurement code was discussed, with revisions based on the 2021 model school district procurement code. The board also discussed resident vendor preferences, including price adjustments for South Carolina-made and United States-made products.

The board meeting included a pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence led by a student from Pleasant Hill Elementary. The public comment period featured a discussion on student travel expenditures. The meeting also covered the adoption of the agenda, an enrollment report, a resolution to adopt a community eligibility provision of the school lunch act, and a magnet program update.