Columbia County School District Board of Education met for its regular session meeting March 9, 2021 and approved certified and non-certified personnel allocations for the 2021-2022 school year.
Many positions were restored after COVID-19 required cuts and some were added based on the school district’s projected growth. Instructors who switched positions because of the pandemic will be moved back to their previous positions.
The school district approved $1,000 stipends for its approximately 1,300 employees who are not eligible to receive COVID-19 hazard pay proposed by Governor Brian Kemp and State Superintendent Richard Woods. The money will come out of the approximately $9 million Cares Act 2 funding the school district received during the pandemic. Secretaries and paraprofessionals are included on the district’s list. The stipends will be payed as long as the state’s proposal for hazard pay is approved.
Substitute teachers will also receive stipends, but based on the number of days they taught during the last semester. Substitutes who taught 80% to 100% of the time will receive $500. Those who taught 50% to 79% of the time will receive $250. The subs who taught 25% to 49% of the time will receive $125. The Board will consider whether it will pay substitutes stipends for the current semester if the state hazard pay does not include substitute teachers.
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The school district is installing voice amplification systems in every classroom at a cost of more than $3 million, also coming out of the Cares Act 2 funding.
The BOE made a few other COVID-related decisions. The School district is waiving the promotion, placement and retention standards attached to the Georgia Milestones for students in grades 3, 5, and 8 for this semester only. The requirement typically states that students must score at or above those grade levels on standardized tests in order to move to the next grade.
The board members also agreed to reduce the weight of final exams for high school seniors from 20% of their final grade to 10% for this semester only.
In other news, the school district decided to scrap plans to transform the old North Harlem Elementary School into the home of a new pre-K learning center because it would cost too much to renovate the building. Pre-K students will learn at their home schools during the next school year while the BOE rethinks its goal.
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The Board approved a change order for more than $126,000 on a project that will bring HVAC, ceiling and light replacement work at Riverside Middle School to more than $4 million.
The board members voted unanimously to name Cory Evans as head coach of the Grovetown High School football team. They also voted for Barrett Davis as head coach of Evans High School’s football team.
Rodney Tyson was voted in as the principal of Lakeside High School.
“We do look forward to seeing great things from you,” Board member Kristie Baker said to Tyson.
During the meeting, board members recognized Eagle Scouts Nikhil Young and Andrew Zhou.
Shellie Smitley is a staff writer for The Augusta Press. Reach her at shellie@theaugustapress.com
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