Berkeley County School District Board Meeting - December 13, 2022

001good evening ladies and gentlemen welcome to the Berkeley County Board of Education meeting this Tuesday December 13 2022. I call this meeting to order and I declare a quorum is present and that the media has been notified do we have a motion to approve tonight's agenda motion second we have a motion and a second is there any discussion regarding the agenda Mr chairman uh do you have any reason why the fixed price bid 670 contractor Services was deleted from the financing Capital planning committee report I I do not sir you can ask the finance and capital planning committee that question okay Mr Dr Henson do you have any any rationale as to why the this price bid fixed price bid you can ask that during the committee meeting this is a motion to approve the

002agenda oh you didn't specify when I could ask it sir okay I'll be happy to ask you then okay is there any further discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye emotion is the agenda is approved the next agenda item is approval of the minutes from the board meeting on November 15 2022 do we have a motion second all right we have a motion and a second is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye the motion is approved oh any Nays I didn't hear you okay all right the next agenda item is executive session do we have a motion to enter into executive session for the stated purposes of discussion of release of teachers from employment contracts

003an appointment of assistant principals discussion of negotiations incident to propose contractual arrangements and the receipt of legal advice regarding such contractual Arrangements including superintendent attorneys and lobbyists legal update regarding a pending threatened or potential claim or other matters covered by the attorney-client privilege one student attendance appeal and six expulsion appeals I made the motion second we have a motion and a second is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any Nays we are an executive session return to regular session made the motion second we have a motion and a second to return to regular session I'll note for the record that no action was taken in executive session is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by

004saying aye aye any opposed the eyes have it we are now in regular session please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence okay I pledge allegiance of the United States of America which stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all just amen foreign we would now like to welcome Goose Creek High School's Creek appella Group under the direction of Miss Emily bull as they perform a very merry mashup [Applause] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign [Music] foreign change [Applause] [Music] his mouth [Music] time times [Music] [Applause] you [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] excellent job thank you all thank you to miss ball principal Shamika Washington and that group of talented students for sharing next I'd like to recognize marington Elementary and Cane Bay Elementary School for

005submitting the beautiful student artwork that it's been that has been displayed in the entryway for everyone's enjoyment thank you to marrington Elementary's visual art teacher Savannah wood and principal principal Jennifer thielman along with Cane Bay Elementary's art teacher Montana Marsh and principal Marissa Watson next on the agenda is the recognition of our presidential Scholars Miss Heather Taylor foreign so a little bit about this recognition the presidential scholar each year Berkeley County school district has the opportunity to nominate three students to represent our district for the U.S presidential scholar award the U.S presidential Scholars Program was established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. since that time the program has honored more than 8 000 High School seniors on the basis of outstanding scholarship initially nominees were recognized based on s.a.t and ACT scores but as the

006program evolved candidates have been recognized in other ways in fact since Chief State School officers have been invited to nominate candidates from their states for the academic General component category and in 2016 outstanding students who demonstrated excellence in Career and Technical education were also included in the recognition so this year we are proud to announce our three nominees that will be recognized on the state level and will potentially move to the National level which is very exciting first from Stratford High School Emily Renee tenae M A plans to continue her education in medical in the medical field after graduation Emily has served on the HOSA leadership team for the past two years and is currently the HOSA president at Stratford High School she has participated in hosa's state leadership conference as well as the international

007HOSA conference Emily will also be certified as a CNA upon graduation Emily I want you to come on up here please and I believe you were were you a freshman when I was a Stratford you were yes so this is for you Emily of recognition and I would love at this point if Mom Dad says whomever you have with you come on up and get some photos and where is uh Miss Diaz come on up [Applause] foreign our next nominee is from Phillip Simmons High School Isabella Marie Corbett Isabella hopes to become an engineer After High School not only has she been involved in her community but is an All-Star varsity volleyball player the editor of the school literary magazine the senior class president the National Honor Society Treasurer and the national Arts Honor Society

008vice president Isabelle I don't know where you have time to do any my goodness can you pack something else into your day come on up here [Applause] sweetheart congratulations well done well done Mom Dad anyone else with with her miss Mr Blue Colts possibly okay [Applause] foreign last but not least from Timberland High School Tyler Jack Williams Tyler wants to pursue a degree in mathematics After High School he is a captain of the Timberland High School wrestling team and a member of the concert and Jazz Band Tyler is competing in a wrestling tournament tonight and could not be with us I heard he's really good but we are excited to recognize him for his outstanding academic and Leadership skills we are sincerely thrilled to recognize these students for their accomplishments congratulations to each and every

009one of you for all of your hard work and your dedication it takes a lot congratulations the next agenda item is citizen comments we have a lot of them tonight in order to conduct the meeting in an orderly and efficient manner we ask that you honor the following guidelines stakeholder comments are welcomed and encouraged however the board will not take immediate action on public comments at this meeting any person wishing to address the board must register prior to the meeting comments must be regarding programs policies or procedures comments regarding complaints against employees other than District level Executives or references to students other than the child of the speaker will not be heard in public session groups addressing the same topic should select one speaker because of the number of comments comments will be limited to

010one minute per speaker this evening the board chair reserves the right to a lot additional time or halt public comments that do not adhere to the guidelines our first Speaker this evening is Miss cat Lo [Applause] go thanks uh good evening I'm Kat Lowe I'm the physics teacher at Hanahan High School and I'm the current president of the BCA and I'm here to voice the concerns of our membership we ask that this board prioritize itself on what impacts our students daily you need to ensure that there is a highly qualified teacher in every classroom and that every school is staffed with all the support staff that they need so our kids can be the best that they can be at the district level we've seen a flurry of hiring at schools and classroom levels little

011has changed on average we're short 10 staff members at the high schools and at the middle schools that number is six some of these jobs have gone unfilled for a year this means that we are stretched to do more to just maintain status quo we are working beyond our 190 day teaching contract and Beyond the descriptions of our jobs classroom sizes have ballooned caseloads have doubled and support staff have become jack of all trades to fill the gaps I'm honored and humbled to work with so many dedicated Educators this is too much to ask of these good people if you agree with us then please stand with us and text Berkeley to 48744 and tell this board to make this a priority [Applause] [Music] the next speaker this evening is Leslie Bracken my name is

012Leslie Bracken and I am a citizen of Berkeley County County a taxpayer and a voter I have never been one of those people who resent paying taxes because I don't have a kid in the district I'm happy for the opportunity of every child to receive a quality education that is how they become productive members of society a student graduating high school should either be College ready or career ready too many of the children in this state are neither our schools need money and teachers and they need it now a teacher in Berkeley County School District too afraid to speak on her own told me this I spent hours at home doing school work because of the time taken away at school covering for other teachers that have to be out my wife and my children

013feel this stress with me and hate that I have no downtime most days I am up by 5 a.m and do not go to bed until before midnight yet I do not even consider leaving the profession I am so passionate about between time spent on school and time spent caring for our home and family I have no time to engage life which causes me even more stress something needs to change text Berkeley to 48744 [Applause] the next speaker is Linda Vaughn good evening I speak not tonight to castigate you but to beg all nine of you to begin working together in transparency and with non-partisanship for the good of our school system your November 15th decisions made under a cloak of secrecy and dispatched with lightning speed have made our district the object of pity

014locally Statewide and nationally this is not a good look for our district which already has 124 teacher openings since November 15th an unusual number of teachers in our district are applying for positions in districts where school board members conduct themselves more openly I am concerned as you should be about how our season of teacher recruitment will fare under our current negative reputation you must now all begin to work together with transparency to repair the damage that has been done [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the next speaker is Miss Melinda Bell Melinda Bell hello I'm Melinda Bell I'm a member in Hanahan I live there I have a child in Hanahan middle school and I fully support what she just said everything there yes but I also want to talk to you about your Banning of CRT because

015you know like your definition is incorrect and it's gonna ban a lot of historical facts our children deserve a truthful education judging from your definition a lot of you it seems like you've never actually been taught a course in CRT um one definition of CRT that is correct it's an academic and legal framework that explains that systemic racism is a part of American society from education and housing to employment and Health Care again our children deserve a truthful education that even includes the shameful Parts because how can they know better and do better unless they know the other thing I want to say is if you need to take one locally I'm going to send that to you all so you can do it but again support our teachers because they need it I have

016so many teachers who are paying for students for food for other needs they need the support and the money and I fully support them [Applause] speaker is Miss Denise skullit Denise skullit I think is what it says probably [Music] Denise skullit going once going twice Ansley Hammond hello I'm Ansley I'm a resident of Hanahan a graduate of Hanahan High School until recently could have said I was a proud graduate from Berkeley County School District I'm raising my family here and I'm a daughter of Berkeley County Educators my mother who taught for over three decades English and Berkeley County would be ashamed and embarrassed by the actions of the majority of the board we as taxpayers parents teachers and Friends of teachers and staff do not want hungry power decisions being made in secret this was

017not done an above reproach way it was done in the best it was not done in the best interest of students and staff if so it would have been conducted in a different manner to the Banning of books my mother a woman deeply rooted in faith being the key phrase believed in authentic learning even if it makes people uncomfortable because that is where learning occurs you the majority have used Faith allowed Faith to be used to divide and discriminate in our district and it is not okay [Applause] Rebecca Earhart um hi I'm Rebecca Earhart I um have taught in a lot of places and I'm Europe California South Carolina I've had many principles and Dion Jackson was the best of the best and what you did is just shameful it's shameful you should be so

018ashamed of Who You Are for doing that I can't believe it it is some it's disgusting and illegal but that's where the course to decide but this current board is six I am ashamed of you and you should feel that shame that's all I have to say foreign [Applause] get even bored Mr Dixon uh have a different approach tonight um I had a conversation in the street some reason people see me and they want to talk about issues with the school district go figure but a 20-year employee 20 plus year employee who lost his job because it was considered to be lazy didn't really want to work but his wife was dying the day before his wife died he received the call telling him he better get back to work if he won his job

019his wife died the next day of course he did not want to receive any of the calls who came who called for condolences my issue is or my question I should say is if we in our last independent audit I think earlier this year the two sections that were deemed were HR academics and innovation which were led by our current superintendent and Deputy superintendent so will that same Grace for Redemption and return be extended to all employees Downstream or is it just reserved for those at the top who can afford the power and connections thank you [Applause] next speaker is Kathy Clark Kathy Clark good evening I am a 44 year veteran teacher from Berkeley County Schools I retired in 2021 and I taught music and I served as a District's Arts coordinator for each

020of those 44 years I traveled more than 50 miles a day to get to school and I didn't mind the drive knowing that I was going to a district that was more like a family than an entity focused on politics or personal gain from day one I knew Berkeley was where I wanted to make my work home I had unique opportunities in my year in Berkeley County watching it grow in numbers and also in Opportunities provided to students and also to teachers I was able to witness a district where everyone worked together for the good of students teachers and student opinions were sought and they were heard I watched District staff work hand in hand with teachers and children Berkeley County was a district where everyone worked together and did what needed to be done

021it was a family where everyone was valued do teachers feel that today expired thank you the next speaker is Judy Hammett good evening members of the board my name is Judy Hammett and I am also a proud retiree of the Berkeley County School District I worked in Berkeley County my entire career which was 34 years 25 of those years were in human resources like many staff members I came to Berkeley County because of its reputation it was a reputation like Kathy said of a family it was a reputation of support for teachers and staff we always put students first as a staff member I was so proud to call Berkeley County my district as a member of the HR team it was always a fun time to go out recruiting because everybody wanted to come

022to Berkeley County because of its excellent reputation in the last month the reputation of my district has become tarnished by the actions of the majority of the board members politics and political ideology appear to have taken over a school system that has always been known to put students and staff first I'm here tonight to ask you to consider the effects of your actions the reputation of the school district is at stake here School leadership is built on trust and respect and without these elements staff morale suffers teacher recruitment suffers and teacher retention suffers greatly and it sounds like you can't afford to lose any more teachers thank you may have your time staff members are your most valuable resource I urge you to show respect for their professionalism their professional judgments in regard to curriculum

023and instructional materials and their decision making and that you follow the policies and procedures of the district when making hiring and termination decisions thank you [Applause] the next speaker is Karina kulani good evening good evening I believe that we can all agree that education is one of the fundamental pillars of one's life when the decision on November 15th to exempt significant parts of History was made it was also the decision to deprive the children of this County of an adequate education the ban of crit on critical race Theory which is frequently misidentified and incorrectly defined fails the teachers who are now put at risk for teaching the history of this nation the students who will now be unfamiliar with the exploitation and oppression that has occurred throughout history will later in life be unable to

024identify the institutional Injustice that continue to thrive it is your responsibility and your actions right now that will determine the success of future Generations I'm here to remind you tonight that it's up to you whether you leave the legacy of nurturing progress or the legacy of reinforcing Injustice thank you [Applause] the next speaker is Adrian Lett uce hello I'm also going to address the critical race Theory ban starting with an example most of the houses that were demolished for the 1969 construction of I-26 and 526 were in the Liberty Park and Highland Terrace neighborhoods predominantly black communities were targeted because certain people wanted to continue segregation the highway interchange will soon be expanded more homes in these neighborhoods will be demolished and most are still owned by black residents this project is not inherently racist

025homes are not being acquired solely because the residents are black or because of any laws explicitly targeting black people but it is a consequence of a racially motivated decision made 50 years ago this is not CRT this is strictly history and its impacts this does not imply that children are guilty for these actions it simply makes them aware of past failures to consider unintended or intended unfair impacts on any particular race and encourages them to consider these nuances when they become the next Generation to make similar decisions Banning CRT is dangerous and discourages the discussion of scenarios like this but discussions like this are essential for the betterment of society as a whole [Applause] [Music] the next speaker is Cindy Fisk Cindy Fisk hi good evening good evening Sharon McQuillen and the board members as

026a Berkeley County resident and retired teacher of 30 years I'm reading a statement posted by an outsider who's analyzing your actions why you may ask because your actions are being analyzed by many especially since the November 15th meeting a school board is not a place for rash actions or Revenge politics is is deliberative body that is non-partisan it is all about our children and not meant to be dominated and abused by members with an agenda school board members have a responsibility to act as educational role models for our children the educational lesson given to our children by these new board members was an abject failure in how to deal with controversial issues in how to treat schools School professionals instead of showing our children how to carefully investigate review and discuss school topics before making

027decisions these members gave our children a lesson and how to take shortcuts through bullying [Music] the next speaker is Lynn Kroll Glenn Kroll Lynn curl no no Lynn Kroll Dana ball foreign good evening I'm speaking today as a parent and graduate of Berkeley County Schools I am a teacher of vocational courses but not in Berkeley County critical thinking skills are something my children learn in their classes and I teach this in my classes there are even teachers in this room that taught me to think critically let's try some critical thinking now the last board meeting began with firing the Acting Superintendent whom only had positive reviews and immediately electing a new superintendent without conducting a search and allowing the public notice now using those critical thinking skills Berkeley County Schools taught me how does one

028immediately replace a superintendent without first meeting outside of his body I emailed all of you regarding the underhanded and unethical matters that occurred during the last meeting and I received One Singular response which was Mr Hinson he replied and I quote sorry that we don't agree with what the appropriate actions that should have been taken there's so much you don't know about this entire situation and you will probably never know why [Applause] the next speaker I think it's Don fromel [Music] good morning or good afternoon evening my name is Dr Dan frommel I have two children in Berkeley County Schools I'm here today express my disappointment in this newly appointed School Board you guys ran on a platform of transparency and putting decision making back in the hands of parents instead you continue to meet

029in private and make decisions in private without involving the community you fired a superintendent and hired a new one without any Community input how is that transparent you also said you would put power back in the hands of parents instead you gave it to moms of Liberty [Applause] amen that's who you need to be listening to put your political Ambitions aside and focus on our children okay stop messing with our kids stop messing with our future [Applause] next speaker is David Lafayette [Music] first of all we need to understand what we're dealing with a system run by white supremacy now this is a well organized well-funded Network and I know this because for eight and a half years in the military this network is what we studied and what they do in our school system

030is a mixture of what they're doing our school system is a mixture of cultural repression cultural fragmentation and assimilation so they're basically using the native boarding school strategy against the school system today now this is a bit higher than CRT I'm not saying give up on CRT but we also need to get together right after this get our little Network that's already challenging the system and start evaluating what's already in place keep pushing CRT teachers we need job information because y'all in there y'all see what's going on we know they're racing our history our culture so now we gotta counter what they do we just got to get together get our minds together we can challenge y'all to stay doing but we got to do it together so after this we all get together figure

031this out that's all I got Marsha Hazel Marcia Hazel okay it's Marcia Hessel and I do want to address the audience I'm very encouraged my son is 33 years old I have never been to a school board meeting my husband has he is a dentist in the area I have been in the schools I've done some substitute teaching but after November 15th I was so angry I was very disappointed in the manner in which this body is conducting itself I've been out again in the schools I've been in the business world we don't do decisions like this these parents deserve more I started school in 1959 okay so you do the math all right I went through the public school system I graduated from a top university the University of California Berkeley at Howard University

032my husband went to dental school at Howard University these parents deserve more and I deserve more so I'm expecting this body to behave in a way that represents these parents in this community [Applause] thank you [Applause] next speaker is Brittany Gary I'm speaking to express concerns for many who do not feel comfortable stating concerns publicly I do not represent all teachers but I am echoing the voices and thoughts of many within our district not just teachers as employees there are many that lack trust and confidence in our board right now to lead this District no school board can effectively lead without the complete support of its stakeholders who have entrusted you with their support as one of you responded in an email to me decisions should be made based on relationships and trusts as the

033email States first there must be a relationship and then trust needs to be gained or lost trust has been lost and regardless of how people align it must be recognized that this has created chaos in our school community in our local communities a chaos that can't be ignored your decisions are always very calculated and I know that you weighed the risk and benefits and I'd be extremely grateful for the answers to the following questions in writing what is your plan to restore the relationship between the school board and the employees in this District what is the plan of action when it comes to instilling trust between board members District employees teachers and staff and what is your plan to begin reversing the culture that has been created for so many employees due to the chaos

034every decision comes with consequences and healing will never come without a cost what is the plan [Applause] the next speaker is Nancy Corbin hello in our recent election those that were running went door to door went to meetings in communities Civic meetings all types of opportunities to talk with the community and get their views and obviously those community members elected the people that are sitting in front of us the people those people that you work for that the school district works for that the teachers work for and they chose you and I would like to thank you for the courage of your convictions because you were given Direction by the people thank you our final speaker of the evening is Mr Josh Romine gosh row mine he's a pastor good evening my name is Josh

035Roman and I'm on staff with a local church and I serve as a volunteer at Phillip Simmons schools I just would like to make a statement regarding my love and support for Dr Dion Jackson and Dr Anthony Dixon Dion Jackson is a good man he's a great educator and leader and deeply committed to the teachers family students and even local ministers as I saw Berkeley County and like many of us here I am discouraged by the process that led to his attorney to his termination Anthony Dixon likewise is a good man he's a great educator and leader and he is also deeply committed to the teachers families and students of Berkeley County I've known and worked with and been Dr Dixon's friend since his days Philip Simmons I would encourage us all toward these next

036steps in the coming days to pray for Dr Jackson to send him words of encouragement as I know many of you have already done and ask him how we can come alongside him for support and likewise to pray for Dr Dixon and send him words of encouragement and figure out how we can support him in this new position and then to pray for us as a county and District that we would do what is best for our families teachers and the Next Generation thank you [Applause] all right the next agenda item is any actions required from executive session and we will start with student attendance appeal number one do we have a motion thank you [Music] I make a motion to deny the appeal of student attendance appeals student number one second we have a

037motion and a second is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed eyes have it by vote of nine to zero we'll now start with student expulsion appeals do we have a motion in the matter of student number one Mr chair I move that we um accept the appeal for student number one and that we have them go to the alternative school we have a motion and a second to Grant the appeal of student number one and assign the child to the alternative school is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed the eyes have it by vote of nine to zero the matter of student number two do we have

038a motion Mr chair I move that we also accept the appeal for student number two and send him to the alternative school I'm sorry I defer to Miss Bradley we have a motion by Miss Littleton a second by Miss Bradley is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed eyes have it by vote of nine to zero in the matters of students number three and four which we'll hear together Mr chair I move that students three and four we Grant the appeal and assign the students to the alternative school second we have a motion by Miss Wofford a second by Miss Littleton is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed

039no eyes have it by a vote of eight to one we have a motion in the matter of student number five Mr chair I move that we accept the appeal for student number five and also send them to the alternative school second we have a motion by Miss Littleton a second by Miss Bradley is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed no no motion carries seven to two we have a motion in the matter of student number six Mr move two except um the appeal for student number six and send him to the alternative school second we have a motion by Miss Littleton a second by Miss Wofford is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please

040respond by saying aye aye any opposed no okay motion carries seven to two will now entertain other motions out of executive session with little Miss Littleton you are recognized Mr chairman I move to accept the Personnel recommendations of the administration as discussed in executive session for the current school year the motion by Miss Littleton a second by Miss Wofford is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed eyes have it by a vote of nine to zero Miss Wofford Mr chairman I move to accept the recommendation of the administration to name Lindy valachuk as the assistant principal of Berkeley Middle School with a starting date of December 14 2022. second we have a motion by Miss Wofford a second by Miss Littleton is

041there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed eyes have it by vote of 9-0 congratulations Miss Valentine if you have any family with you you can bring them up and we'll get a picture foreign [Applause] foreign [Music] Mr chairman I move to accept the recommendation of the administration to name Mackenzie Fortner as the assistant principal at Devon Forest Elementary School with a starting date of January 2nd 2023. second we have a motion by Miss Littleton a second by Miss Walford is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed eyes have it by a vote of Nine Zero congratulations Miss Fortner [Applause] if you have any family or principals yep bring them

042on up let's get some photos mm-hmm Miss Wofford Mr chairman I move to ratify the district's prior engagement of white and story LLC Clement Rivers LLP Duff Freeman Lyon LLC Sal Galloway LLC Parker Poe Adams Bernstein LLP and Kyle Michael law in accordance with policy ba which requires that all specialized Council hired by The District's general counsel be approved by the board second we have a motion by Miss Wofford a second by Miss Littleton is there any discussion hearing nunnel call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed nay eyes have it by a vote of eight to one I move to terminate the engagement of Kyle Michael law firm as the district's registered lobbyist effective January 31st 2023. second we have a motion in a second is there any

043discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed the eyes have it by a vote of nine to zero Mr Ramsey Mr chairman I move to approve the employment agreement for Dr Anthony Dixon as presented in executive session and authorized chairman Matt Quillen to execute the agreement on behalf of the district we have a motion and a second is there any discussion Mr chairman I'd like to make a couple of comments okay I'm very concerned about the hiring practice or lack of transparency in the hiring practice or lack thereof in the hiring of Dr Dixon without a superintendent search that has traditionally and almost exclusively been required by policy and in in terms of of let allowing the public to have a voice in that decision

044I'm very disturbed over this I'm also concerned that Dr Dixon was was hired by the board on November the 15th and it is until today that we are voting on a contract that to me seems unprecedented for someone to work for a full month without a contract and I'd also like to my question also is at what point in time did actually the deliberations of this contract actually begin I'm very concerned about that time frame as well the final concern that I have was basically adjudicated today because Dr Dixon has now today received an endorsement for his superintendency so he is certified by the state of South Carolina to be superintendent and that action occurred today that concludes my remarks any further discussion I also have this discussion in regards to salary what bcsd salary

045scale in which we use to determine his salary say that again what bcsd salary scale did we determine his salary based on what the past superintendent was paid while our superintendents in the area paid that's that's not something that that is in writing here and for bcsd I don't think we have a salary scale or have had one ever for superintendents ma'am so basically it was the superintendent stating what it is that he wanted in regards to salary no no it was based on what the past superintendent was making and what other neighboring districts pay their superintendents any other discussion let me just stipulate also that um it was common knowledge that these uh Dr Dixon's salary would be as it is in the contract and that was stated the date that he was hired

046on November 15th so there had to be some deliberations and some some uh agreement between the district and the incoming superintendent prior to his hiring so the the amount that time is the same as what is actually being endorsed tonight any further discussion I just have one I'm curious in that the day after he was selected contracted that he was able to select a deputy superintendent if I remember correctly a couple months ago Mr Jackson asked for a deputy superintendent and at that time I was not on the board but the board told him that there was no funds so he was willing to give up that position how is it now that we have funds for Deputy superintendent I understand due to vacancies it's a budget neutral position I couldn't hear I said that

047because of vacancies within the district office it's now a budget neutral position but he was willing to give up a position so there was funds available at that time because he was willing to give up positions that he was also asking for that same night he asked for a deputy superintendent in two other positions he was willing to forego the deputy uh the one other superintendent for that position so all of a sudden money comes available I I just don't see it Miss Ashley probably could explain it better than you could but just the mere fact that he was able to select one and again my question would be similar to Dr wigfall the salary that this particular Deputy superintendent is earning is it equivalent to his what is it equivalent to and I know

048we're not going to talk about Personnel issues but give me some idea of what it is yes uh I'd like to uh expound upon the remark you just made uh and Mr Jackson uh and I remember vividly uh indicating and stipulating to this board uh to the prior board that all five of the re of the positions that he requested were Revenue neutral which meant there were any more funds that is going to be required to hire all of those positions however only three were or two were authorized by the board three were not so how is it that three months ago we don't have enough money and it's Revenue neutral but now we can do anything we want to with this new board I'm just saying it doesn't it doesn't add up to me

049[Applause] all right any other comments regarding Mr Jackson or Mr Dixon's contract which is what's the motion on the table but a part of that is the Deputy superintendent he was allowed to select a deputy superintendent as a part of his contract I don't remember Mr Gaskin if that was mentioned in in there as well so clarify that for me how is he allowed to just he's going to discuss that in the superintendent report contract busted yeah that's that's not in his contract any other question comments regarding his contract then we can address that during the superintendent's report the contract does not allow for him to select the deputy superintendent does it no the board's motioned it we what motion we had the motion that we voted on at the last meeting I'll remember I

050need to look back at those minutes all right okay Mr chairman may I make one final comment sure yes thank you uh [Music] due to the way this transpired and the the fact that it was so quick and it seems improper to say the least I cannot support Dr Dixon's contract so I will be voting no [Applause] all right I'll Now call the question all in favor of approving the employment agreement for Dr Anthony Dixon as presented in executive session please respond by saying aye aye any opposed is that three Nays okay six three vote all right the next item on the agenda is temporary committee assignments we do not need to assign temporary committee assignments because everyone is here we will now recess for the committee meetings the first committee and I'll remind everyone

051as academics and Innovation Kathy Littleton you chair that committee Mr Barrow and myself are on the committee with you I'm calling the committee on academics Innovation to order I declare there's a quorum of committee members present and know that the media has been given proper notice pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act do you have a motion to approve the agenda so moved second we have a motion in a second do we have any discussion [Music] all in favor say aye aye opposing a motion passes three to zero the first item on the agenda is the Head Start budget expenditure report on October 2022 and Head Start credit report on October 2022. was the pleasure of the committee moved to approve second we have a motion and a second any discussion all in favor say

052aye aye aye opposed name emotions approved three to zero second item the agenda is the fall 2022 textbook adoptions first reading Miss Heather Taylor you are recognized good evening committee chair Miss Littleton superintendent Dixon board chair Mr McQuillan and school board members the South Carolina Department of Education has approved funding for multiple instructional material adoptions the academics and Innovation Department then organized bcsd Committees of teachers selected by their principals to review the new options available from the state department after a thorough examination to ensure alignment with standards and instructional models each School submitted a vote with its selection currently the textbooks and use are from previous adoptions according to board policy ifaa the adoption of textbooks in the Berkeley County School District will be made by committees composed of classroom teachers subject area coordinators and

053directors based upon the recommendation of principles within the district the adoption process was supervised by the director of curriculum instruction as well as the chief academics and Innovation officer all textbooks must be approved by the board we bring to you for consideration the following textbooks for first committee reading they are for Science High School physical education and Career and Technical education and I believe that all of you have a list of all of those textbooks I don't think there's a need for me to read through all of those for you thank you what's the pleasure of the committee move to approve second we have a motion in a second I got a little bit of discussion my understanding is they're going to link eventually there'll be a link through our website too to where the

054public can go on and see all these approved textbooks I know generally we have them here at the board meeting for folks to look at but the department of education's gonna do something where everybody can see them too and provide input as well that is that is my understanding sir was there a list of supplemental materials that went along with each of those books online or is that something that will not be online the supplemental material that goes along with each textbook yes ma'am it won't I'm going to ask for Jen Crowley to come up here she's actually the director of academics and innovation foreign good evening so the state department does give us a list of textbooks that we can choose from from adoption each of those textbooks of companies have textbooks as well

055as some supplemental items that come with the adoption every Textbook Company is different on based upon what they offer can you give me some idea what any supplemental material will look like other than the workbooks teacher edition student Edition Sometimes they come with like little readers like an elementary school for science they have little readers that teachers can use um but every Textbook Company is different every adoption is different a number of those books are in this room still right yes ma'am yeah so they will be up for the public review and we do have feedback sheets that the public can fill out and they can review each textbook provide feedback while you all are we're going through the adoption process and they do have access online many textbooks have online capabilities as well okay

056but it's hard for it's not a blanket thing every Textbook Company does it a little differently so is some of those in the back do have the supplemental materials accompanying them now yes and we can provide you with the recommendations that we are presenting tonight that the schools have chosen we'll provide you a list of what is coming with those in the adoption so we can do that and send it to you this week if you have any questions just reach out thank you thank you very much any further discussion call a question all in favor say aye aye against nay passes three to zero this time we'll entertain a motion to adjourn the committee meeting so that financing Capital planning committee meeting can begin so moved we have a motion in a second all

057in favor say aye aye opposed name it passes I'm calling committee on finance and capital planning to order I declare there's a quorum of committee members present and note that the media has been given no proper notification pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act do we have a motion to approve this agenda so move Mr chair our second thank you do we have a second he seconded Mr Banks we have a motion I have a second any discussion all in favor of this motion respond by saying aye aye bye all pose say nay the motion is approved by a vote of 3-0 the first agenda is 2021-22 Financial audit presentation Ms Smith you are recognized [Music] good evening chairman Henson superintendent Dixon and board members before I invite our speakers up this evening I would

058like to publicly thank the finance staff for their hard work and dedication to ensure that our 2122 audit was completed on time tonight we have with us from Elliott Davis they will be presenting the results of our financial audit to us we have Tim grow he's the shareholder and the two senior managers are Ford Blanchard and Kim Davis if you'd like to join me please foreign [Music] good evening thanks thank you for having us here tonight um I'm Fort Blanchard and senior audit manager with Elliott Davis Tim grow who's the audit shareholder and then Kim Davis there's another senior manager with the firm so we're here to the night we're here tonight um just a brief disclaimer there you can go to the next boss man objective objective art our discussion tonight um audit objectives

059and opinion reporting required under governmental auditing standards we'll go over some brief financial statement highlights some accounting matters compliance reporting and then um and then we'll have some questions but feel free to stop me throughout the presentation so the objective of our audit is to express an opinion on the financial statements we expressed an unmodified opinion on the financial statements which is the highest level of assurance that we can provide and the following slides are going to outline some discussion provide some color on that process so as part of our audit kickoff feature which typically starts in May that was a long time ago to get to this point tonight we have conversations with management we have conversations with the board chair and we outline our risk assessment process this is our sixth year doing

060the audit for the district so we like to rotate in new people new faces into the process to make sure we're getting a fresh set of eyes which we were able to do this year from our team perspective from there we we assign a materiality and to conduct our audit basically that's a number that's going to affect the end users of the statements and we drive our our audit assessment and determination of accounts and balances we're going to test off of that number so we like to say not every we can't select every transaction for testing but every transaction is certainly subjected to testing our responsibility under the standards is to the board so we work 4 for the board and we work with Ashley and her team as part of management through the process

061significant accounting policies are outlined in Note 1 to the financial statements there was a new accounting policy this year which was adopted Gatsby 87 which was related to leases that adoption did not have a significant impact or material impact to the financial statements for 6 30 2022 throughout the statements which you've which you've been provided littered with judgments and estimates some of the key estimates throughout the financials are um depreciation on Capital assets um your allowance for property tax receivables and then the estimates related to pension and opeb liabilities um financial statements disclosures also outlined in the back of the report after the financial statements we review those to ensure they are clear neutral consistent can a user of the financials pick up your statements go to the disclosure and have a good understanding of

062what's going on in terms of the financials for the district uncorrected misstatements we did have a couple of those this year one of those was related to leases the impact just wasn't material and we were able to pass on those adjustments a lot of the leases at the district are related to copiers postage meters things of that nature and the administrative burden of tracking each one of those agreements to record on the government-wide statements was was greater than the benefit received and the fact that the adjustment was not Material we were able to pass on on that the other past adjustment was related to some construction expenditures which were incurred before 6 30. um which were not which were not recorded again those weren't materials so we weren't required to record those um there were

063also two corrected misstatements this year uh one of which related to investment valuations the the bond market um was a little uh volatile During the period so there were some difference of opinions on certain valuations so we made an adjustment related to that and then also we made an adjustment related to some IRS subsidy receivables on on bond interest payments uh management representation so at the end of the process and it's at the back of your board report we're required to get a Litany of representations for management who is present during the year so Ashley was sawing that letter and there's a copy of that in the back of your board report we would be required to disclose to the board or have a conversation with the board on any disagreements with management or any

064significant issues we discussed with management we did not have any so we did not have any of those conversations so some brief financial statement highlights here for general fund total fund balance increased by 20 million dollars to 124 million on a signed fund balance was 123 million at year end which represented 36 percent of FY 22 budgeted expenditures there was a 15 requirement that the state had a maximum threshold but that had been waived for the past several years the state recommended minimum fund balance is at least 8.33 percent which represents a month of expenditures I know Mr Barrow always asked this so I got it up there for you this year that's approximately 27.3 million dollars um some other fun uh highlights federal and state grants and programs total of approximately 50.7 million dollars

065during the year for 60 programs um that was up from 35.7 the prior year obviously These funds contain requirements that they're supposed to be met for the use of those funds most of these don't carry over fund balance any other any unspent funds must be returned or carried over to the next year just as a reminder due to the adoption of Gatsby 84 last year Student Activity pupil activity funds are accounted for and special projects funds for the prior two years which is a change from how it's been presented in the fast eia funds equal expenditures and revenues of 23 million dollars there's no fund balance for these programs any unspent funds or either returned or carry over based based on the provisions of the program and then this slide here just wanted to kind

066of point out federal expenditures which are subjected to our single audit procedures there's is a total of 75 million dollars in federal expenditures for the current year and you can see the the DraStic increase from the prior years and is was related to increases in school Food Service programming and then a lot of the Esser funds from two and three that are starting to be expended [Music] some other financial statement items uh total outstanding debt at the district was 418 million dollars as of June 30 2022 that was a decrease from the prior year of about 55 million dollars related to principal payments uh total Capital assets 637 million dollars as of June 30 2022 it's an increase from the prior year we had about 38 million dollars in additions related to the new K-12

067school and then some Roofing projects that would be that are being funded with Esser money and that was offset by depreciation expense at year end there was 30 about 30 million dollars in construction in progress mainly related to that K-12 school so accounting matters matters um you know we evaluated leases at the district for gasby 87 which basically would have put a lease asset and a lease liability on the books and like we did discuss we determined that wasn't material this one here Gatsby 96 subscription-based Information Technology Arrangements we're basically going to put on on the balance sheet for your government-wide statements right to use the subscription asset and then an offsetting subscription liability related to any information technology curriculum contracts the district is in over a year period so obviously there's quite a lot

068of contracts that the finance department is going to have to review and evaluate under this standard for next year and we believe that this one will will have an impact to next year's financials on the balance sheet for the government watch statements so compliance reporting there's two other uh opinions required from our audit first is under governmental auditing standards this is a test an evaluation of districts internal controls with compliance and laws and regulations this is not an opinion on the district's internal controls we did not have any compliance findings for fy22 our second opinion is related to the district's internal controls over Federal Awards and expenditures um this is required under the single single audit act um it's an opinion over compliance over major federal programs so this year we had the pleasure of

069testing three Esser idea and Head Start usually we get away with testing a couple each year but due to that increase in funding we had to select three and we had no findings in any any of these audits over these programs in the district is a low-risk audit e and with respect to those two reports our opinions were unmodified so the summary uh clean audit unmodified opinion for the financial statements and the districts in sound financial condition as of June 30 2022. so really appreciate Ashley your team's help through the process like I said it started back in May and we just wrapped up a few weeks ago so appreciate it with the answer stuff there's tons of additional compliance requirements that that the district had to adhere to um you know we've had some

070districts that didn't perform quite as well happy Berkeley did a great job it's the the all the changes in in Gatsby right now are very onerous as Ford said you know we would have been happy to book the new lease standard um but you know we work with Ashley and the amount of time and effort and money it would cost to implement that standard at this point we used to see the benefit and why the district would want to spend the money to do that 96 is going to be a different thing we'll probably have to spend some extra money to make sure we get that booked correctly all this stuff can be is very complicated you have really great staff that really kind of worked with us to get it all accounted for appropriately

071so we're very very happy with the results of the audit so basically what I heard you say clean audit I'm being old country boy I don't know about CPA stuff I can't even spell it um no discrepancies whatsoever did you see absolutely not okay okay thank you as we said we did have a couple of the Minor Adjustments that we did yeah so but I meant serious thank you nothing [Music] I'd like to make a couple of comments like to come in you fellows for doing a great job we extended that contract and uh and it was well worth it you've done a great job for seven years uh also I'd like to come in Ashley Smith our CFO and her staff for a tremendous job [Applause] and also the actually the prior two former

072boards because if I'm not mistaken Miss Smith you let me know if I'm incorrect I believe for at least six years maybe seven consecutive years this board has and prior boards have had fund balances instead of going in the hole we've actually exceeded the expenditures and we've actually increased and I think this year it was about 20 million dollars additionally that the board that was claimed to be liberal Spenders the last board that was claimed to be liberal Spenders actually saved 20 million dollars [Applause] now having said that there there's there's some there's some reasons why because as you know we've got some teacher shortages and we allocated some funds for those vacants or for those positions and they weren't filled so that's part of the reason don't give all the accolades but that's actually

073good bad news that we didn't have enough teachers right but it's good news that the fiscal responsibility and the conservatism of the prior boards have made sure that we are financially sound with a tremendous audit and from Elliott Davis and I commend Miss Smith again and this and the prior boards I'm not going to just say this board because we're we're we're fledgling we're we're just starting but the fight the last two boards have done a tremendous job in fiscal responsive conservative fiscal responsibility [Applause] Ms Smith I'd like to thank you also and I know the rest of these board members feel that way that you've done a wonderful job out here and tradable times with all the things that's happened this year last year it's been very difficult for all of us and I'm

074fully aware of that that information Financial audit presentation was basically information only there's no motion on that at a time but now I'd like to move on to a second agenda item and that's out of state travel Miss Smith we want you to continue sitting right there where you are I will stay right here what's the pleasure of the committee go ahead thank you Administration is requesting approval of out-of-state travel as presented on board okay Mr chair I'll make a motion that we accept the out-of-state travel recommendations submitted by Miss Ashley Smith thank you and I'll second that any questions nope okay move on [Music] to the question you gotta wake me up I'm country boy call for the question you got to call the question yeah okay do I have a motion to accept

075the out-of-state travel got emotions yay yes yeah okay hey am I finished with that one yeah yeah you gotta all in favor all in favor I'm sorry it's gonna take me a while to get used to this all right okay I'll I'll say in favor also thank you okay so three to zero passes okay it is now three to zero it passes even with my incompetence the third agenda item is a head start incentive Ms Smith would you like to explain that one to us yes sir there are two memos in regards to the Head Start program uploaded to board docs each memo discusses the program's issues with staff retention and the number of vacancies that need to be filled the office of Head Start issued an information memorandum recommending Financial incentives to recruit new

076staff and retain existing staff per the information memorandum the office of Head Start strongly encourages Financial incentives to all Head Start staff monies will be used from the American Rescue plan funds and covid-19 funds the board did previously approve a 625 dollar stipend for Head Start that was paid earlier this month the funds do expire in March of 2023 an Administration is recommending a 1778 dollar stipend to each of the 75 Head Start employees to be paid in February of 2023. foreign do we have a second yeah I did I have a motion I'm sorry I'm starting that one motion got it do we have a second I'll second there's no motion yet Mr Baker moves Mr okay I'm sorry motion motion all right so all in favor of this over there's any questions see

077I wouldn't know the answers anyway to be honest with you all in favor of this motion respond by saying aye aye all opposed vote with 3-0 is this at this time I'll entertain a motion to adjourn this committee meeting so that human relation resources committee meeting can begin do we have a second hey Dr Henson I had a question that that I addressed the board chair earlier on the agenda on the approval of the agenda uh earlier I looked at the agenda there was an item under your committee yes sir and it was a fixed price bid 670 contractor Services it was deleted from uh your committee so I was wondering if you could shed some light on why that was deleted yes sir as the chairperson of it one of the questions that I

078have is I'd like to know what's going on with stuff that we're in I'm not a rubber stamp I'm not going to be and I didn't have enough information on that it just came up and appeared on my agenda and I've got to have some information before I'm going to spend these taxpayers money whether it's right or wrong do with due respect uh Dr Henson this item as I understand it was processed through the procurement system with Miss mcmorter vetting the the company that that bid and they were going to award a particular a bid to a particular company so it seems to me that to remove something from the agenda only the chairman of the board who is dutifully responsible solely responsible for the agenda can remove something from the agenda not a committee

079chair so that's why I ask the chair earlier because policy ba strictly gives the board chair that responsibility in addition the superintendent can also have that access or that Authority when granted by the board chair but no other board member can take something off the agenda just because they don't think it's the right thing to do so he didn't raise it he wanted more information and that's why it's removed I wanted him to explain that though and I don't think there's anything wrong with that wanting more information before he votes on something it was it was a process that could have been discussed in committee and the objection coming out of the committee in discussion it should not have been either tabled or removed from the because it was it was a procurement code that

080was followed precisely by Miss Abramson and and the contractor as I understand it was informed that the board was going to vote on it tonight so the contractor is probably wondering what in the world happened it was taken off without their probably without their knowledge and and understanding is why well if the contractor's watching the committee needed more information we will address it at the next meeting the police the the policy was violated Mr chairman you did not you did not take that off the agenda did you yes I did Sir you told me earlier that you had no knowledge of it I said I want him to no no no reason no committee no this video is very explicit you said you said that you had no knowledge of it I'm speaking I am

081speaking I am speaking yes I asked the the chairman if he had any knowledge of it he said no he did not take it off the agenda but to address it to you during your committee and that's exactly what I did so you know the answer now right not enough information so what information were you looking for because what I saw was was at least the start there were some numbers missing because there was something on board docs that gave the information Miss Abram some of somebody put on there so I read through that information so I was looking as well to discuss that motion tonight but see the problem was just like you just got finished saying you didn't have the information I didn't have that I mean it wasn't given to me I

082was told that I couldn't have it but the numbers would have been discussed had Miss Abramson made her report I believe so she usually does give an amount as to what the contract is worth thank you okay called a question on there again policy was violated ladies and gentlemen the policy of removing that agenda item was violated only the board chair could do that you know [Music] I think you've got a motion you've got a motion in a second to adjourn you just need to call the question all in favor of adjournment say aye hi [Music] you got to vote yeah you got y'all got to vote and then it's over so could I have a vote please I'm lost he has the chair Mr McQuillen does not understand how to even carry emotion and

083you selected him as chair of this committee now the ladies were very nice they wrote it out very clearly he can't follow it and you made him chair so Mr Dr Henson will you please repeat the motion that is to adjourn the meeting yeah we have a motion to adjourn there is no motion yet I didn't hear what Mr Baker did you make a motion I did okay repeat your motion for me I want it read into the record what is the motion Mr Baker the human resources committee meeting can begin we're indeed in this meeting at this time it's nicely printed at the bottom and and here it is I read that wow okay go ahead let me be quiet they were just waiting for you to vote Yes let me be quiet Mr

084Baker I'm sorry go ahead okay Dr Henson all in favor of this motion respond by saying hi I let us adjourn all opposed if Daffy Duck didn't show up tonight apologize as a board member I should not come out like that Mr hands Dr Henson I apologize but this is not correct Mr mcquility if he cannot carry a motion he should not be chair of this committee I would rather Mr Baker who's an engineer would carry this committee I'm sorry for me with that if I'm going to follow him then he has to lead better [Music] and I'm not trying to be rude and disrespectful but it's proper etiquette for a meeting Mr Ramsey you know don't look at me so surprised he's ready to start his committee meeting when you're done thank you Mr

085Ramsey you have the floor right ahead I am calling the committee on human resources to order I declare there's a quorum of committee members present and note that the media has been given proper notice pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act do we have a motion to approve the agenda so do we have a second second all those in favor respond by saying aye aye the motion approves by voter three to zero the only item on the agenda is the amendment of policy board policy ba second reading Dr sturkey you're recognized [Music] good evening Mr chair superintendent Dr Dixon and board members Administration is requesting second reading approval of the changes to policy ba board operations as presented the policy was last revised in 2021. the policy is devised to change the style from a

086bulleted list to a number and lettered list other changes include revisions to the former language governing committees that now constitute one J and 1K and the proposed committees will now include academics and Innovation finance and human resources and capital projects what is the pleasure to committee I move to approve the amendment to board policy ba second reading second we now have a motion we have a second all those a favor respond by saying aye aye aye all those opposed respond by saying no the motion is approved by a vote of three to zero at this time I'll entertain a motion to adjourn and return to regular session so moved Mr second all those in favor of returning to regular session respond by saying aye aye aye all those opposed respond by saying nay the motion

087is approved by a vote of three two zero we can now return to regular session thank you Mr Ramsey the next items on the agenda are reports from the standing committee's first report from the committee on academics and Innovation chair Kathy Littleton York uh Mr chairman the committee on academics Innovation met earlier this evening and on recommendation of the committee I moved to approve the Head Start budget expenditure report for October 2022 and Head Start credit report for October 2022. we have a recommendation from committee so no second is required is there any discussion all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed eyes have it by a vote of nine to zero also in recommendation of the committee I moved to approve the first reading of the South Carolina State Department of

088Education textbooks which were approved by the Berkeley County School District committee Caravan selected by the individual schools we have a recommendation from committee so no second is required is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye motion carries by vote of nine to zero Miss Littleton does that conclude your report that does conclude my report thank you next is the committee on finance and capital planning Mr Henson or Dr Henson you're recognized next in the committee on finance and capital planning chairman [Music] Mr chairman the committee on finance and capital planning made earlier this evening for a recommendation of the committee I moved to approve an out-of-state travel as presented we have a recommendation from the committee so no second is required is there any

089discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye all right hi hi Mr Henson also on recommendation of the committee I moved to approve the Head Start incentive in the amount of 1778 dollars per Head Start staff to be paid in February 2023 we have a recommendation from Committee in no second is required is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye opposed the eyes have it by a vote of nine to zero chairman that concludes my report next is the committee on human resources chairman Michael Ramsey Mr chairman the committee on human resources met earlier this evening and on recommendation of the committee I moved to approve the second reading of amended board policy ba as presented we

090have a recommendation from committee so no second is required is there any discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed eyes have it by a vote of nine to zero Mr chairman that concludes my report thank you the next agenda item is the superintendent's report Dr Dixon good evening chair McQuillen board members principals teachers concerned and engaged citizens of this great Community I bring greetings to you all I want to first begin by I want to begin first by addressing the questions that have Arisen regarding my current certifications as confirmed or reflected on the South Carolina Department of Education public website I do hold a superintendent certification as evidenced by the South Carolina Department of Education Service and Leadership Fields verification of Education preparation recommendation

091for certification form completed and submitted by South Carolina State University my date of completion of all requirements of the educator preparation program and superintendency was July 30th 2013. as my requirements for certification had been complete for many years I was unaware that this would become a matter of debate I regret the time that many have invested at questioning investigating and defending my qualifications to serve as superintendent due to outstanding paperwork I appreciate and thank South Carolina State University's staff their attention to this matter and their collaboration to satisfy any outstanding documentation requirements the experiences the relationships and the knowledge that I've gained from my education at the historic South Carolina State University along with other institutions of higher education have prepared me for this moment today additionally it is important that I think the South

092Carolina School Board Association who conducted a thorough and professional superintendent search for bcsd in 2021 of which I was a candidate and I appreciate the support from the Professionals of the state South Carolina School Board Association and had a very positive and supportive experience as a candidate seeking a position as superintendent as we continue our path forward it is my hope that we can all focus on the real challenges and opportunities before us and stand in support and recognition of the achievements of all Educators professionals and professionals within our organization I also want to thank you and express my appreciation to the staff the students and community members who have been so welcoming these past few weeks I have had the opportunity to visit schools school and community events meet with the principals District staff

093and members of our local media and the energy at these schools has been very high as they are all looking forward to our upcoming break I will continue visiting our schools and participating in community events so that I can receive direct feedback from our staff students parents and Community as we work together to ensure the best outcomes for our students a few items of note from the past three weeks are as follows on Monday November 21st I had the honor to speak at the Miracle League ribbon cutting on behalf of the district as I have previously shared I grew up the son of Educators and public servants my mother was a special education teacher and her passion and love for students helped Inspire my own pursuit of a career as a special education teacher I

094am so grateful to be a part of a community and District that made this Recreation Center a reality I look forward to supporting and cheering for our students in the Miracle League this spring that same evening I also had the opportunity to address the 29453 community neighborhood watch at Jamestown Baptist Family Life Center the members of the community had great questions regarding equity for Rural education curriculum updates on board resolutions teacher retention and support of teachers as retirees I was able to provide them with their aunts with answers to their questions and meet with them others individually afterwards I want to personally thank Mrs Brown and the leadership team of the 29453 neighborhood watch for their hospitality and I look forward to future events I also attended and was welcomed at the Charleston District of

095the seventh Episcopal AME conference planning meeting on December 3rd 2022. I serve as the church school superintendent a Christian education director and I'm also a Sunday school teacher for the junior class at my local AME church and I recognize the important role our faith-based organizations play in supporting the Greater Community over the next few weeks I look forward to participating in more events including community and athletic events as far as school events I've had great opportunities to visit Goose Creek High School they're great performance of The Wizard of Oz I attended this performance at Goose Creek High and it was true evidence of the commitment to the Arts that Jesus news Creek High and the BCA and the feeder schools collaboratively have the hours our teachers spent preparing students of all of their of all

096ages for their performance cannot be ignored congratulations to that staff and the students from I think they were third graders up to some of the students that we saw in the creek apella on a job well done I also attended the Westview Middle School bands led by Mr Ronnie Ward The Amazing Mr Ronnie Ward they put on a wonderful winter musical performance the concert was held at Stratford High School and it was standing room only if you have not been able to attend one of the many Fine Arts performances in Berkeley County Schools I recommend and you do so as you will never be disappointed and you can visit our school websites for future dates and times of any upcoming events also we had a little fun together at the aquarium unveiling on the new

097logo the seal and the mascot for the Carolyn Lewis school we received wonderful creative assistance from the divers at the St and the staff at the aquarium and revealing the mascot as the loggerhead turtle I have great respect for the professionals at the South Carolina Aquarium and the educator and advocacy work they do I look forward to the successful development of the partnership between the Carolyn Lewis school and the South Carolina Aquarium so now we can all say go loggerheads uh Fox Bank um today at Fox Bank Elementary I was in attendance at the fox Bank Elementary holiday luncheon I participated in the rainbow reindeer games with the highly energetic Boykin staff and found myself on stage uh giving not the best but a rendition of a classic holiday song and this was a one-time

098musical performance so I apologize to those who missed it I have visited more than 10 schools so far and will continue my visits through this week and into the new year I look forward tomorrow spending a lot of time in the Goose Creek area visiting their schools and the attend of my visits so far have focused on visiting our special education classrooms cafeterias meeting with like Librarians our bus lots and our bus officers special programming and asking the principals could they highlight one of instructional engagement you know one of their instruction highlights within their classrooms I look forward to continuing these high level School engagement events and partnering with our principals our teachers and all staff to support students and their learning we also hosted a productive principles meeting where I was able to recognize

099principals individually for the gift they are to their staff their schools and this District additionally I had my first meeting with the superintendent's advisory committee and look forward to continuing the work they have started to support staff across the district finally I would like to think my cabinet and the administrative teams for setting up and creating you know organizing the principals meeting and for remaining Focus these past past few weeks on our Core Business of teaching and learning I appreciate that and I appreciate you for what you do to serve our district during productive and challenging times in conclusion it is important that we recognize that we are all living in an unprecedented time each day we are faced with challenges and situations that seem unbelievable or impossible within our homes within our families within

100ourselves our communities our nation and our district these obstacles definitely leave us challenged I accepted this position in the same kind of unprecedented circumstances which leaves me with the responsibility to ensure an unprecedented commitment on your behalf and on the behalf of the 38 000 plus students in Berkeley County School District I understand that your emotions are high and everyone is looking for answers and I know that change is often difficult to digest and to process however I am committed to working together and to move forward because our students need us our core business has not changed changed and our Focus will remain on teaching and learning together we can create a school system where students Thrive our principals teachers and staff are proud to work our parents are excited to share with us their

101most precious gifts and our community is proud to call their District it will not be easy but I am hopeful for the future and I'll work together and so again thank you board members for this opportunity to serve you and serve our community in this District that I call home Mr chair that concludes my report this evening thank you sir are you gonna go to the next item uh it is my record it is the recommendation of the administration to amend the 2022-2023 instructional calendar to include January 2nd 2023 as a paid holiday in observance of New Year's Day move to approve second we have a motion and a second is there any discussion I'd just like to say thank you for doing that I think the calendar was amended previously and we have New

102Year's being recognized as a holiday but then for whatever reason it was taken off and so I appreciate you looking into that and offering that as a paid holiday and if T I think originally it was a teacher work day yes and if teach and is there an exception if teachers still plan to work they yes if um certified teachers in the classroom um still work the administrative and our Administration is going to communicate with the principals that they can provide that access to those rooms for their teachers okay thank you is there any further discussion hearing none I'll call the question all in favor please respond by saying aye aye any opposed eyes have it by a vote of nine to zero the next agenda items are c and d right so um for

103C and D combined the board granted me the authority to appoint and hire a deputy superintendent and since I accepted this job in the middle of a school year and without much time to prepare a plan for a transition I needed to hire someone quickly and it needed to be someone I completely trusted and whom I knew was capable of doing the job for this reason I selected Dr Karen Whitley as the deputy superintendent and she has a commitment and a deep sense of service to this district for over four decades and my experience with Dr Dr Whitley has supported me as a teacher as a collaborative thought partner and I've witnessed her humble and servant leadership she will work collaboratively in this role to build consensus among teams while holding our Core Business of

104teaching and learning at the Forefront of all discussions plans and actions also at this time no reorganization has occurred however I plan to do some reorganization to better align and or balance duties responsibilities in an equitable and efficient manner that supports more effective teaching and learning we haven't um finalized any of those plans or decisions but we hope to have some decisions soon thank you sir the next item is the board chair update excuse me I'd like to uh I was going to ask some questions because the board chair indicated that Dr Dixon would be agreeable to answering and have some discussions about the appointment of Dr Whitley as the deputy superintendent so you recognize Mr bear thank you very much Dr Dixon on November 21st you were quoted in a press release as saying

105quote the deputy has been appointed and I communicated this to the board when did you communicate this to the board because I I don't have any recollection or knowledge of being communicated with when you made this appointment board chair yeah I communicated to the board chair to Mr McQuillen uh okay so that that constitutes notifying the board yes I don't think so I was not noticed I'm a member in good standing um there's some other questions okay Dr Dixon the board authorized you to hire a deputy superintendent without prior one second when Mr Dixon texted you to ask if you could meet with him you said I refuse to meet with you because I know your agenda so don't act like you weren't told stuff when you refused to meet with the man okay let's

106be honest here you uh you're mistaken Mr McQuillen I did make that comment but I am not fabricating what is the truth I was not notified that Dr Whitley was appointed Deputy superintendent until a press release or something on Facebook indicating that so let's get down to Brass Texas good then that means that that not very many of us knew what the heck was going on no uh Dr Dixon the board authorized you to have to hire the deputy superintendent without prior board approval what they did not do was authorize you to circumvent the hiring practices or board policy G which you have done because you did not post this you did not advertise this position and it was not noticed none none of this is proper I'd like to know what if any hiring

107practices you took to hire the most qualified candidate as Deputy superintendent right yes I was given the opportunity to a point and higher the deputy superintendent you were not authorized to to violate board policy because you were authorized to hire but it did not say to circumvent the hiring practices of the district which means to to advertise for and make sure that you had the proper candidates for that position Mr Barrow when you were chair and Leon Jackson was superintendent did you Mr chairman are you interrupting my my time I want to ask you some questions you may uh you may speak after I finish I won't interrupt you thank you very much thank you uh so Dr Dixon when did you discuss the deputy superintendent position with Dr Whitley after I was hired pardon

108me after I was hired okay so the next day did you and Dr Whitley attend the cabinet meeting at menriv at 12 noon together yes pardon me yes that was the day yes you did so uh she was not hired at that time but yes she attended a cabinet level meeting with you no we made the recommendation at that time you did yes okay the public needs to know these facts ladies and gentlemen so let me ask another question Dr Dixon when did you actually decide that you were going to hire Dr Whitley was it before you were hired or after there was no decision on when I decided that sir well I did that after I was so as you the last and final question that I have is does Dr Whitley have a

109contract no Dr Whitley does not have a contract okay so what are the terms of her employment yes she has she's going to she's employed for the year she's considerably she agreed to a salary that is concealerably less than a deputy superintendent but comparable to our um cabinet members she'll be working so is there a document certifying that those is there a document that you have executed with her yes we've gone through the HR proceedings you're going to we are going through the HR okay so she doesn't have a contract but you've negotiated with her the details of the contract so when is that contract going to be executed so we can we'll work with HR and our legal counsel to share that information with you I think that that answers my questions and hopefully

110some of the questions are the people in the audience Mr Barrel I have some questions for you shoot when you were the chairperson in Mr Jackson the superintendent was the principal position advertised at the Carolyn Lewis school for your friend Miss from us what for the Carolyn Lewis school was that principal ship advertising yes let me say that absolutely every position that was filled under my leadership was advertised there were there were interviews made and recommendations to this board unlike this unfettered Authority that this board with these six individuals gave to Dr Dixon without the consent of the other board members that's exactly what we've done we followed policy and protocol was the diversity position um was Miss Glenda Levine interviewed or was that position advertised I was not the board chair at that time

111I'm not sure what about when I was the board chair we followed protocol and policy every time there was a position open and you can document that by looking it up so you believe that the principal ship at Carolyn Lewis was advertised and so to my recollection it was advertised yes I'm pretty sure it was not sir all right was either was I the board chair at the time yes sir you were okay well what then you may be maybe I'm mistaken but I don't think so okay I don't think so what about when Katie Tanner was appointed the chief by Dion Katie Tanner was appointed what that's the chief public information officer I had no knowledge of that she was public information officer when I became board chair okay I'd had no knowledge of

112that had nothing to do with that is this a Witch Hunt on on your part to try to oh I'm just saying I've got a list now you can look it up you can ask Katie Tanner herself she was a public information officer when I became the board chair I had nothing to do with that I'm just saying you're complaining about the hiring practice because they weren't out they were actual you are not factual are you gonna let me finish yeah absolutely okay what I was saying is you're complaining that the position wasn't advertised I got a list here about six positions that weren't advertised when you were chairpersons okay so you're saying I was chairperson when Miss Tanner was hired that's a ball face lie now I'm talking about when Miss Davis also Katie

113Tanner did you not did you not just accuse me I was appointed by superintendent Jackson without that position at being advertised no you're talking about I was not the board chair when Katie Tanner was hired she was here she'll tell you in front of all these people there she is right there ask her what about doctor what about Dr Dr Dixon when he was appointed as Chief academic officer was that position Advertiser was there an interview for his position prior position at the district I guess it was was that when you were chair no Dr Ingram was chairperson was was a superintendent and Ms Wofford was the uh was the board chair at the time Dr Dixon became that position so so go ahead go ahead and make a fool of yourself I'm not making

114a fool I'm just saying under various I'm saying under various administrations there have been multiple people that have been appointed straight without it being advertised get your effects straight get yours Mrs Davis was appointed without it being advertised when you were a chair what's that yes Jesse Davis at Carolyn Lewis school okay one okay maybe one of those but I don't recall her not being uh that position not being advertised you put out three more scenarios that are absolutely people they're just adults patently I'm not saying your chair I'm mistaken on that I'm saying well those were people that appointed without both kids being advertised well so let's be fair we'll continue your tirade I'll I'll answer your little questions I'm about on tirade I'm I'm done with mine if you're done with yours well

115I'm done with mine but I'm going to stipulate right now that most of what you just said is malarkey because you know and Katie Tanner's right there she can tell you and you know all of this all of this what I have is factual information I have done my research I have talked to to the news media they have confirmed they have fact checked what I have said and nobody can throw a shade on what I said prior to tonight foreign [Music] [Applause] are you done Mr Barrow absolutely thank you all right next is the board chair report um I'll first remind board members that the South Carolina School Board association annual convention is February 17th through the 19th in Hilton Head I know that um I don't believe this is the new board member

116training but if you would like to attend this one please let Lacey know and before we adjourn we have got to focus on the ultimate Mission as Mr Dixon mentioned I know Miss Bradley were getting frustrated with Mr Henson people are getting frustrated with me I'm new to the chair this is my second meeting as chair I'd ask that y'all be gracious with us let's work together for the benefit of our children and teachers we are better than this we are [Applause] [Music] at this time I'd entertain a motion to adjourn so moved second we have a motion and a second all in favor please respond by saying aye aye we are now adjourned