Friday, October 25, 2024

Oconee County School Board Has Quiet Meeting Without Citizen Input; Board Affirms Finding That Student Violated Code Of Conduct

***Financial Reports Given To Board***

After two consecutive regular meetings where citizens packed the Board Meeting Room at the new Instructional Support Center and large numbers signed up to speak, the Oconee County Board of Education got a reprieve on Monday (Oct. 21).

Relatively few citizens were in the audience, and no one signed up to speak during the Public Communication section of the meeting.

At the September regular meeting of the Board, more than 100 people were present with many lined up along the side walls and in the rear of the room, and 20 of those present spoke, most calling for the placement of school resource officers in each of Oconee County’s 12 schools.

Several of those citizens told the Board members they would be watching carefully how the Board responded to the call for increased security at area schools, and several said they would return to Board meeting to support their demands.

In August, 29 citizens addressed the Board, most of whom were concerned with the status of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Oconee County Schools.

The Board received only one staff briefing at the meeting on Monday–from Chief Financial Officer Peter Adams.

Following an executive session, the Board voted unanimously to affirm the finding that a student violated the Oconee County Schools Code of Conduct.

Executive Session

The Board voted to go into executive session at 6:24 p.m. on Monday and voted to reconvene in open session at 7:16 p.m., according to the official minutes of the meeting.

The vote to go into executive session stated that the Board was “to discuss or deliberate upon personnel matters; to review an appeal from a Student Disciplinary Tribunal, Hearing Officer, or Panel.”

Branch Asks For Motion After Executive
Session 10/21/2024

The Personnel Recommendations approved by the Board when it returned to open session included five new hires, two promotions, five separations, and the hiring of three community coaches and five substitute teachers.

Following approval of the personnel recommendations, School Superintendent Jason Branch stated that “The Oconee Board of Education reviewed all evidence and testimony presented at a Student Disciplinary Hearing held on Sept. 25, 2024.”

“We now need a decision of the Board,” he said.

School Board Member Tim Burgess said “I make a motion that the Board affirm the finding that the student violated the Code of Conduct as described in the disciplinary hearing record and the punishment imposed by the hearing officer.”

Oconee County Schools Communications Director Steven Colquitt said following the meeting that no additional information will be released about the hearing, which is the first the Board has held this school year.

Oconee County Sheriff James Hale said in late September that his office had charged five Oconee County Schools students aged nine to 15 with terroristic threats and acts committed after the Sept. 4 mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow County.

The charge is a felony, Hale said, and all five were detained by the Department of Juvenile Justice between Sept. 5 and 13.

Oconee County Schools has not released any information about the arrests, and it is not possible to know if the hearing held on Monday was related to them.

Lack Of Public Comment

The Board reported at its work session on Oct. 7 that it was in discussion with the Sheriff’s Office to develop a memorandum of understanding about how school resource officers would be funded, recruited, and managed in the system’s schools.

The audience at the meeting on Oct. 7 also was small, and citizens were not given an opportunity to address the Board.

The Board made the decision to ask Superintendent Branch to work with Sheriff Hale on a Memorandum of Understanding following the plea by most of the 20 speakers at the Sept. 16 meeting.

One of the speakers admonished the Board “to keep us informed, with a time line, with a deadline...Without a deadline, due dates, and time lines, things just don’t happen.”

“We really ask for a commitment not just to explore this,” she said, “but to keep us informed. Monthly would be great. We can have these meetings. We can come.”

That meeting followed the tumultuous meeting on Aug. 12 when a packed room witnessed the Board refuse to allow Amanda and Michael Prochaska, co-publishers of The Oconee Enterprise, to speak and ultimately had then escorted from the room.

When Board Chair Kim Argo on Monday announced that it was time for Public Communications, Colquitt simply responded that no one has signed up to speak.

Financial Reports

Adams told the Board in his financial reports on Monday that the General Fund Balance on Sept. 30 stood at $40.9 million. That is down from $44.4 million on Aug. 31, 2024.

Adams At Podium 10/21/2024

Adams also reported that Oconee County Schools has received only $317,933 out of the budgeted $49.2 million in ad valorem (property) taxes. Tax bills for the county aren’t due until Nov. 15.

The school system has received $16.8 million in state QBE (Quality Basic Education) funding, or a quarter of the projected $67.2 it has budgeted to receive this fiscal year, Adams's reports show.

Oconee County Schools has received so far this year $502,623 in investment income. It projected only $50,000 for the whole year.

Education Local Option Sales Tax (ELOST) collection in August were just more than $1 million, Adams reported, up 6.3 percent from that same month a year ago. Collections, on average across the last 14 months, are up 6.9 percent over the same month a year earlier.

To date, the school system has taken in $20.2 million from the current ELOST, collection for which began in January of 2023, Adams reported.

Spending continues on four of the six projects listed by Adams in his report on ELOST spending: Dove Creek Middle School, Malcom Bridge Elementary School classroom additions, the New Instructional Support Center, and systemwide technology upgrades.

Spending for Dove Creek Middle School so far is under budget by $417,448, while spending for Malcom Bridge Elementary School is $238,580 over budget and spending for the Instructional Support Center has exceeded the budget amount so far by $903,371.

Video

The first video below uses an embed link to the Oconee County Schools YouTube channel.

Adams gave his brief report to the Board at 18:56 in the video.

Oconee County Schools does not include in its videos of meetings the part of the meeting following the executive session.

I recorded that entire meeting and included that missing part of the meeting below. The picture of Adams above also is from video I shot.

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