-
Photo by Billy Freeman
The Hart County Board of Education (BOE) recommended approving Charles Black Construction as the district’s construction manager for upcoming capital improvement projects.
The BOE met Tuesday evening for their regular June meeting, where they took another step toward breaking ground on four new facilities within the Hart County Charter System (HCCS): transportation facility, maintenance facility, JROTC rifle range and a new multi-purpose athletic building. The selection of a construction manager will allow them to be involved with the projects prior to the completion of renderings and blueprints for each structure.
“They will be working with architects at Robertson Loia Roof starting today and moving forward to finalize blue prints,” said Associate School Superintendent Brooks Mewborn. “[We are] getting excited to see us get started.”
The HCCS has amended the Fiscal Year 24 (FY24) budget to reflect a $250,000 state grant received for enhancing and updating school security features. The funds will be used to replace North Hart’s fire panel and to update Centegix security equipment in all Hart County schools. The budget was advertised in The Hartwell Sun for two weeks prior to this adjustment, but it is a gain under the plant maintenance section of the FY24 budget.
The BOE was recommended to approve the FY24 payscales for all classified and certified employees. This includes a 5.12 percent payscale increase for all classified employees and a $2,000 payscale increase for all certified employees within the district.
School supplies will once again be provided to students in the HCCS, free of charge to them for the upcoming school year. ESSER III funds (or CARES III funds) were used to purchase school supplies for all students. Each classroom teacher submitted supply needs based on grade level. Supplies will include backpacks, but not headphones or earbuds. More information about school supplies will be available at each school’s open house prior to the start of the 2023-2024 school year.
In other business:
• Amelia Johnson was recognized by the BOE for winning back-to-back state titles in pole vaulting. Johnson will be featured on the BOE’s billboard on Lavonia Highway.
• Jordan Hicks was recognized for his hard work in the technology department within the school system.
• Karen Vahaly was recognized as the school system’s Substitute of the Year.
• Bridge to Beginnings is scheduled for July 10 through July 21. The program offers ten half days of instruction to 60 incoming kindergarten children and 60 incoming first graders. The purposes of the program are to strengthen math and literacy skills, orient incoming kindergarteners to the school environment and to develop positive relationships with families. Phone calls to qualifying students are now underway.
• All Pre-K slots have been filled for the upcoming school year throughout the district. Fourteen remain on waiting lists: five at North Hart Elementary, seven at South Hart Elementary, and two at Hartwell Elementary.
• For those that received instructional flashcards during kindergarten registration, the district encourages parents to work with your child throughout the summer. If you invest time in your child, his/her readiness test score will improve. Students will be retested in July.
• Middle and high school students can expect to meet their new teachers on July 27. Sixth graders will participate in transition camp from 9:00 a.m. until Noon, and grades 7 and 8 will be invited into the school between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. Incoming freshmen will gather in the Fine Arts Center at 6:00 p.m., while sophomores, juniors and seniors will be welcomed into Hart County High School between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.
• Elementary students can anticipate meeting their teachers on July 28. Pre-K and kindergarten students will participate in orientations at 5:00 p.m. All other grade levels will be invited to drop-in between the hours of 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.
• Fire sprinkler inspections were completed at South Hart Elementary.
•The security screen made by Fabritex was installed at South Hart Elementary.
• The HCCS collected $478,421 in ESPLOST revenue in the month of May bringing the total year-to-date to $3,571,709.
• Lydia Bennett, Associate Superintendent, Amy Adams, Elementary Math Instructional Coach, and Kim Hoy, Secondary Math Instructional Coach, secured a competitive mathematics opportunity grant in the amount of $19,924 for the school district.