001Call this September 15th regular session order. I need a motion to approve the agenda. >> So moved. Mr. >> Second, all in favor zot to approve the minutes for the August 11th, 26th, 29th, and the September 2nd and 8th meetings. So move >> Mr. Tool, >> Miss Parish. All in favor? Passes 5-0. Recognitions, Mr. Caul. Thank you, Mr. Ransom. We don't have any in-person recognitions this evening, but I would like to point out that our art display this month is provided by students from OKone County High School. Their sponsor is Miss Best Carter, and we appreciate them. Thank them for sharing this talent, this talented work with us. Um, we'll have them on the monitors in here in this in this space, but also on the hallway monitors throughout the rest of the month. >>
002And that concludes recognitions. >> Prior to Corning County Hospital, welcome, Mr. Stevens. >> Thank you, Mr. Ransom, and good evening, everyone. Um, thank you again for giving us the opportunity to share with you tonight some of the things that make us most proud at Okone County High School. I'm going to start with uh this quote. I love this quote and reflect on it often. It says, "Don't be so busy trying to keep your job that you forget to do your job." In education, it can feel like we live inside a constant race, chasing metrics, chasing test scores, percentages, growth targets. We push college level rigor earlier and earlier, striving to outpace one another. Too often in our pursuit to be first, the message our students hear is one of competition alone. That success is solely
003about the number. At Okone County High School, we've decided to be intentional about shifting that narrative. While we continue to value achievement and encourage our students to work to the highest standard, we know that if our sole focus is on scores, we miss the greater work in education. Our commitment is to grow students who live with their eyes up, students who look beyond themselves, who understand the impact they have on others, and who find joy and meaning in their high school experience. But creating that kind of culture does not stop with students. Just as important has been cultivating a school environment where our teachers feel valued, encouraged, and supported. We believe that when teachers love the where they work, that joy and commitment radiate into every classroom and impact lives beyond it. Over the last
004several years, we've worked to build a community where character, connection, and care stand side by side with academic excellence for both students and staff. We believe that if we succeed in shaping that kind of environment, the numbers will always follow. So tonight, we're excited to have two awesome faculty members, teachers, two of our awesome student leaders to share that direction and that focus and just a few examples of the practices that sustain it. And Miss House, one of our awesome assistant principles, too. Good evening. I'm Josh Bentley. I am the marketing teacher at Okoni County High School where I also serve as our deck adviser, our school-based enterprise manager. And finally, and what I'm here to talk about tonight is the ultimate warrior, which Mr. Stevens gave me that dubious honor two years ago. Uh,
005with that, I get to MC the pep rallies and engage with the students in that. And a few things I'd like to emphasize tonight. Um, our blue side breakfast that we have every year. initiative that we had this year in conjunction with my DECA club and the administration was a bleed blue campaign where we gave away over 750 carb magnets to faculty and staff as well as parents and students during our open house along with lapel pins and refrigerator magnets. It was an awesome awesome initiative where really get the OC pride in our community. So, uh, another thing I like to talk about is our first day pep rallies where students get to engage not only in the school spirit, but you know, the, uh, the impact that it has throughout the year, learning the
006school culture and being prideful where they're at school. So, it's an awesome opportunity to engage in that first day and really get the pride going. Um, the last thing is our spirit shop and the initiatives that goes through our school-based enterprise to our students. Um, a couple of things that we do, one each month, um, trivia. They do tech free Tuesdays where students are engaged in trivia during lunchtimes and can win cookie passes to our school store, which is a big hit for our students. We also do that for our pep rallies to engage our students in our classifications and they get to cheer and show their spirit and to win everybody in that class classification uh, free cookies. So, it's an absolute awesome way to engage our students and really improve our school spirit.
007So, thank you for your time tonight. >> Try one more time. I'm not familiar with this remote. Also, I am elderly as you can see. Good evening. I am Amy Mai, the OCS veteran. That means I've been the teacher that's been there the longest. I teach ELA and I started teaching at Okone County High School in 1998. Miss Harden was my first superintendent. Dr. Harden was. Um, pretty much I will promise you that every single thing about my job is different now from when I started in 1998. Um, but nothing has really changed the culture at our school more than the students use of their own personal technology, earbuds, cell phones. It's really changed the culture of teaching. So over the last two years, we've taken some very intentional steps to try to limit how
008much the students are paying attention to their personal devices and instead focused on making profound connections and being engaged in their school at OCS. A few of the steps that we taken do include Techfree Tuesday. Every Tuesday students are encouraged to put their phones in a basket on their lunch table. We have tabletop games for them to play. Once a month there's a cafeteriawide trivia game. Um sometimes they will let the kids will let me join their team because they figure like I will know different stuff than they know. So I get to join their team sometimes and it's really fun to play with them. And um it's just a different way to connect to the students. We also encourage them to be tech-free in the hallway so that when they're walking to class, their
009earbuds are out and they're not on their phones. That way, they don't walk into people. And when I greet them as they walk by my room, they can actually hear me now. So, that's great. And it's definitely coming over into the classroom. It's much easier to ask them to put their tech away. They're more used to in our culture putting their tech away. So, that way they can focus on their learning and building relationships in the classroom. And the last thing I'll mention, another way that we make teacherto student connections is through our advisement time. We call that warrior period. It's 25 minutes a day and we're assigned a group of about 15 to 20 students that we guide from freshman year through graduation. So we're with these kids all the way through. Um last
010year my hallway, we all had seniors. So we were very intentional last year about making memorable moments for the senior class. We had a hallwaywide Valentine's Day party. We had an egg hunt. Uh you can see that in the picture. That's the egg hunt from last year. We had a spring fling. Um one of the students said this this is like something out of a movie. They were not on their phones. They were not on their technology. Just And now we are we've got freshmen again. So we're building new traditions with them. So at OCS, we know relationships are the foundation of learning and we are committed to creating a school c culture that prioritizes connection and community. Thank you very much. Uh good evening. Uh I would like to thank Mr. Stevens and everyone
011at OKone for letting us do this because uh we are the best school in the county. So it's love love that we could do this. I'm Hudson Hail. I run track in cross country at OKone and I've done that for four years. I'm also on the student leadership team and I am a co-president of Young Democrats. But what OKoneoney does is we bring people together starting with our warrior welcome where upper classmen are able to connect to the freshman in a positive and encouraging way making them comfortable for events like our first day pep rally which sets the excitement inclusion and positivity for the year to come. The spirit stick, a coveted item during our pep rallies, allows students from all grades to be more willing to get excited and engaged, creating an excitement, exciting
012atmosphere that makes the underassman feel at home and the upperassman proud of what we've built. >> Hi, my name is Baya Johnson and I am a senior at OCS. I am the captain of the varsity dance team and have been a member of the team for all four years of high school. I am on the school student leadership committee and I'm also involved with the superintendent student advisory committee. To me, the first day of school pep rally is one of the most exciting new traditions at Okona County High School. It truly sets the tone for the year ahead. The year and the energy and enthusiasm in the gym creates a sense of unity that extends far beyond the ex event itself. The games and competitions are more than just the entertainment. They provide opportunities for
013the students to feel involved, to show pride in their class, and to build stronger connection to our school's community. Starting this year in such a spirited and positive way helps all of us feel a part of something meaningful before we even step foot into our first official class. Another thing I really love about Okone is our tech-free Tuesdays. At first, it does feel a little weird to put our phones away, but it ends up being so much fun for everyone. Without social media to distract us, we get the chance to actually talk, laugh, and spend time with our friends face to face. It's a positive reminder that the best connections we make don't come from a screen. From funny categories, competing against teams at other tables, and sometimes even winning the spirit shop cookies, I
014look forward to the monthly trivia games. Walking in the halls, being in class, and getting involved in all the different activities and traditions are what make me proud to be a warrior. Our positive school culture makes every day something to look forward to and it is what makes Okon County High School such a special place. Thank you. Um, as one of the assistant principles at Okone County High School, I'm proud to be sharing the impact of our intentionality around our positive school culture. Um, as you've already heard, these efforts, they're not just programs or spirit days or events, but they've become traditions that our students and our teachers genuinely look forward to. These efforts impact our student participation and school pride. You can see and feel the excitement in the hallways. Um, for example, on
015a luau spirit day where almost every student and staff member that you pass has on a lelay that they purchased at the spirit shop or Hawaiian garb. Um, but almost every person in the building is participating. Or on the very first day of school before the very first pep rally when the entire student body breaks out into the YMCA um, as they wait for things to kick off or at a football game as they're waiting for the third quarter to begin when the entire student section is singing at the top of their lungs, Sweet Caroline and their construction vests. Um, what they're doing is creating memories and community all at the same time. It impacts our culture of presence and relationships. Beyond the spirit days and the pep rallies, we're seeing high levels of engagement
016across the board in our 19 sports teams, four activity teams, 45 returning student clubs and organizations, and nine new clubs and organizations. Additionally, through events like our schoolwide rock, paper scissors contest, our new initiative of Dance for a Donut on Friday mornings, and the TechFree Tuesday and trivia that you've heard a lot about already. Our students have so many opportunities to genuinely discover their why and find their place at a Coney County High School. We believe and are seeing that when students feel connected, celebrated, and engaged that they thrive academically, but also socially. Our positive schools efforts are not just ways to have fun, but their investments in our students feeling like they belong and their future success. Um, so a positive school culture does get kids excited to come to school, but culture alone
017isn't the whole story. So, we all know that nothing replaces students being in class and engaged with their with their teachers. Um, couple that with the reinstatement of the attendance clause in our exam exemption policy and we've paired that positive culture with clear accountability and the results are already showing. So, two years ago in August 2023, 25% of our student body had an absence in August, totaling 964 total absences. Fast forward to this August, only 16% of our students had an absent in uh had an absence in August with only 420.5 absences. So that cut absences in half. So we are really excited about how this renewed commitment to attendance translates into higher student success and also student connection. And not only does it impact students, but it also impacts our faculty and staff. Being
018a high school staff, you're often siloed into your departments, and that's who you work with the most. And additionally, 90% of our teachers and staff either coach a club or coach a sport or sponsor a club. And so that can be difficult to find time for all of us to be together. And so the last couple years, we've really focused on building out time not only for professional growth and collaboration, but also with communication and celebrating being with each other and all the great things that are happening. We want teachers to grow as professionals and learn from each other and strive each year to be better than the last. But we also want them to laugh together and know each other and connect as people. So whether it's a spirit day where we challenge departments
019to dress up and the winning participating department gets a lottery ticket maybe or something cool or a professional learning session where teachers collaborate on instructional strategies. We want our staff culture to reflect the same values that we cultivate with our students which is community growth and pride in being part of OCS. So with this we're also seeing higher levels of staff retention and and experience. So 94% of our teachers have been in education over five years. I already mentioned that 90% of our teachers either coach or sponsor something at our school and 53% of our teachers are uh in year six or higher at OCS with Miss Mai being our most veteran teacher. Um and so with this we deeply value our teachers commitment to the school and to each other. And because of this
020we rolled out a new initiative this year that we are proudly calling the letter sweater. Um and you will see that Miss Mafio and Miss Mai both have earned theirs. Um, and what this is is this similar to a letter jacket that symbolizes commitment and school spirit serving as a tangible reward for their dedication to OCS. So after five years, teachers receive a letter sweater. Um, and for every five years after that, they get a little bar for their letter or for their Yeah. for the letter on there. And then teachers of the year, star teachers, and coaches that have earned state championships will also be getting patches in October. And so this has been really fun to see uh everybody wearing them. in the hallway, you'll see our first giveaway of letter sweaters um
021on the screen, but they foster this sense of pride among our staff that our students get to see and each sweater kind of showcases the unique journey um and the legacy of each teacher. And so this quote is from John John Gordon and the positive the power of positive leadership. Uh culture drives expectations and beliefs. Expectations and beliefs drive behaviors. Behaviors drive habits and habits create the future. And it all starts with culture. So, as we roll out these new initiatives of no, you know, no headphones in the hallway, no tech, high grades, high expectations, we're doing it with love, and we're starting with the connection um and making a positive impact. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Miss House. Um and and really just to emphasize and to wrap wrap everything up uh as
022everyone has said, we spend an enormous amount of time um from spring through summer through leadership retreats and into pre-planning um focusing on what positive relationships and the impact that those can create in our building look like. And so just a little timeline for you. This is a picture from our blue side breakfast kickoff u that we had uh this summer that was a a huge success. A happy blue year theme that um we really enjoyed. Um that starts again with our OCS leadership team. That is a picture from our teenies our our teenies where we went and and painted each other's portraits just hanging out having a good time. It starts with that leadership group. They do uh spend an enormous amount of time uh helping to make decisions in our building. Of course,
023the Blueside staff uh kickoff breakfast that we had. You'll see some pictures there of our contestants and our coaches. Um Hudson mentioned our incoming freshman. Uh that's that group together. We did have a a rock paper scissors. I said that correctly challenge with them so they'll be familiar with our schoolwide paper, rock scissors uh challenge that will roll out probably after Christmas. And then again, how that impacts all of our OCS students on a daily basis at Okone County High School. Um, do want to give you guys a quick shout out as well. Uh, many hands make a heavy load light and there was some great participation from our district office employees. They were actually coaches uh for us this year. You'll see their pictures on the screen. Um, and a quick shout out to
024Okone County Primary School, Miss Hilly and Miss Dalton. And you see Coach Kofheer there holding the coveted blue side of breakfast trophy. So, uh, primary school gets to hold that for the entirety of the school year and they will bring that back to us and we will crown a new champion uh next, uh, next year when we have our our next blue side breakfast. So, thank you so much for um having us tonight, the opportunity again to come and speak with you and again, thank you for the support that you provide us each and every day. That does not go unnoticed and the activities of the school building cannot happen without. So, uh, thank you again. Can we get a picture? >> Sure. [Applause] That's great. All right. Next, we have presentations and discussions. Business
025services, Mr. Adams. >> Uh, good evening board members and Dr. Harden. The business service report for September 15, 2025 contains seven items of information and no action items for tonight's board meeting. Our first item of information is the August cash balance report. As of August 31st, the closing p balance reflects a 6.5% decrease compared to the previous month. Despite this month overmonth decline, our cash balances for August are remain strong and we're well positioned to meet our financial obligations for the fiscal year. Our second item of information is our August vendor report. We paid 494 vendors $3.6 million for the month. Our third item of information is the budget report for August. Revenue and collections for the month stand at 9.4%. Expenditures, which typically would be at 16.6% for the month, are currently at 20.7.
026I'd like to highlight that this higher percentage includes incumbrance encumbrances totaling 3.9 million or about 3.3% for the fiscal year. Without these incumbrances, expenditures would be more in line with our monthly expectations. But we will continue to monitor these figures closely as we move towards the end of the fiscal year. And since we like budget reports so much in finance, the fourth item of information is the budget report from June 2025. This is the closeout unudited fiscal year 25 budget report that shows our position at the year end and compares our actual spending to our budgeted figures. It provides us with a view of departmental performance, indicates any major variance and helps us with carryover decisions as we close out the audited financial statements. The fifth item of information is the east collections report. We
027had an increase of two 2.94% over last month and a 9.7 73% increase over August of last year. The sixth item information is our east 6 report. Revenues and expenditures have been updated through the end of August. And our last item of information is the federal funds report. allocations funding expenditures for the month of August. Again, these are reimbursement based and we will see these funds continue to reimburse to us throughout the fiscal year. Again, this just the lag that we have not really gotten any of the money back yet, but it's the beginning of the year. So, we'll start to see those uh revenues come in within next month or so for where we started. And that concludes my report unless the board has any questions. Thank you. >> Communications to the board. Mr.
028Caul, >> Mr. Ransom, no one signed in to address the board this evening. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If it uh pleases the board, u you can vote on both items A and B. board policy IBVB charter schools and board policy IBFG internet acceptable use. These policies have been on the table without receiving any comments and we recommend removing them from the table and proceeding with approval. >> A motion to approve policy IBB and IBFG. >> Mr. Tulle. >> Second. >> Mr. Hammond. All in favor? Passes 5. And u board members uh you may vote on agenda items C, D, and E. We ask that you approve them as presented. >> Need a motion to approve the field trips. >> So moved. >> Mr. Hammock. >> Second. >> Miss Parish. All in favor? Passes. 5.
029the um Northeast Georgia Reea Special Education Services contract um is uh presented to the board and it the contract is for 458 and this is for our shared services serving our special education students. >> Motion to approve. >> Mr. Tool. >> Second. >> Mr. Hammock. All in favor? >> Passes 50. >> The next vote is ask uh for the purchase of a towable electric boom lift from Yansy Rents for a proposed cost of $37,8500. This project will be paid for using ELOST and general fund dollars. >> Motion to approve. >> So moved, >> Mr. Hammond. >> Second, >> Miss Parish. All in favor passes 5. We do have a need to discuss personnel. We need to enter executive session to do so. And I need a motion to do so. I'll make a motion that
030the board will adjourn to executive session to discuss or deliberate upon personnel matters as described on the affidavit to be attached to the minutes. >> Thank you, Miss Parish. >> Second, >> Mr. Hammock. All in favor? Passes 5. We're return to executive session.