The Richmond County Board of Education held a called meeting Tuesday to discuss the district’s preparation for the approaching school year.
During the meeting, Superintendent Kenneth Bradshaw presented the school board with a system readiness update which included a review of the school district’s demographics. More than 28,000 students are expected to enroll this year, 598 of which are homeless and more than 4,400 require disability services, he noted.
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Outlining goals for the schools this term, Bradshaw told board members the district aims to increase student content mastery in subjects on the Georgia Milestones assessment by 5%, graduation rates from 81% to 83%, and the number of “highly effective teachers and leaders” in school faculties by 3%.
Elementary, middle and high schools and special education program teaching faculties are over 98% staffed this year, Bradshaw observed, up from last school year’s 95%. Support staff, such as custodians and clerical workers, are 96% staffed, while 12 bus driver candidates are currently in training.
“We’re not satisfied until we are 100% staffed, so we’re going to continue to enlist and encourage educators to come back and support us with those vacancies,” said Bradshaw. He noted alongside recruiting retired teachers, the school district will also continue to hold job fairs, including its Walk-in Wednesdays, conduct parent-to-teacher program and use third-party staffing agencies.
Associate Superintendent of Academic Services Malinda Cobb informed the board about Richmond County Schools’ plans to facilitate student success. The district’s “anchor goals” include students by the end of third grade demonstrating age-appropriate literacy, communication and critical thinking skills, she said, ensuring students graduate with a plan for “enrollment, enlistment or employment.”
Instructional readiness initiatives toward these aims include a “Richmond 101” course the first week of school to help students understand changes in the student code of conduct, new textbooks and curriculum maps and pacing guides.
Horace Dunson, deputy superintendent of operations and administrative services, presented changes on school operations such updated bus routes, which will be available on Aug. 1. They include more school resource officers and an emergency response teams, funded with state safety grant monies, and a new cell phone policy that restricts the use of phones and other electronic devices in the classroom save for those distributed to students for instructional use.
Regarding student attendance, Marcus Allen, assistant superintendent of support services, noted that all schools will conduct attendance counts the first 10 days of school to yield an accurate account of student enrollment. Notes from parents will be accepted for only five absences, after which a note from a doctor will be required.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
