Stephen Gerrells

The Board addressed various financial and operational items, including the approval of the finance report, the fiscal year 2027 budget, salary schedules, and pay period dates. Other actions included the approval of school property dispositions, club requests, and the renewal of various leases and memorandums of understanding with local organizations. The board also removed eight specific policies from the table for formal adoption and reviewed governance training reports and plans. During the executive session, the board discussed personnel matters, including staff transfers and new appointments.

The meeting included a presentation on the Fiscal Year 2027 budget. Key agenda items featured a special report on media center enhancements, an operations report covering ESPLOST requests and surplus property dispositions, and a facility report regarding renovations and modifications at multiple school locations. The board also reviewed and discussed several policy revisions, including those related to criminal background checks, equal employment, and drug-free workplace standards. Additionally, the agenda covered the renewal of various leases, memoranda of understanding, and service bids, as well as field trip requests, board governance training reports, and personnel, property, and student matters in an executive session.

The Parental Involvement Plan for White County School System establishes expectations and strategies to strengthen school and parent partnerships within Title I schools. Its core purpose is to enhance student academic achievement by engaging families in their children's education and building capacity for effective family engagement. Key strategies include providing parents with academic information, coordinating with the Head Start program, ensuring accessible and uniform communication, conducting staff training on parent engagement, and continuously evaluating the plan's effectiveness to improve academic quality and ensure full participation opportunities for all parents.

The board meeting focused on several key items including the presentation of the April financial and budget report and the request to table several school system policies for thirty days, including those related to criminal background checks, equal employment opportunity, drug-free workplaces, and bullying. Additionally, the board recognized staff and students for various academic and extracurricular achievements, including FFA event winners, Skills USA participants, and Georgia Author winners. Following an executive session, the board also approved personnel actions including resignations, transfers, and new appointments.

The board discussed and tabled several policies for a 30-day period, including guidelines on criminal background checks, equal employment, drug-free workplaces, weapons possession, professional workloads, and student programs. The meeting covered teaching and learning updates, such as the completion of state testing, improvements in student attendance, and various school-level collaborations and activities. The superintendent reported on operational matters, including the stadium pressbox, field trip requests, and upcoming budget hearings. Action items approved included personnel dispositions, field trips, new staff appointments, resignations, and an early graduation request.