Notes From Rock Hill School Board Business Meeting

These are my notes from the Monday, August 27, 2012 Rock Hill School Board Business Meeting:
The board took action on these items:

• Approved the agenda and consent agenda with a 7-0 vote. The consent agenda included meeting minutes, personnel recommendations from the administration, and 6 facility rental requests.
• Approved Policy BE for second and final reading with a 7-0 vote.
• Approved Policy JICJ for second and final reading with a 7-0 vote.
• Approved hiring consultant Dr. Dempsey Worner for a November 29, 2012 work session at a cost not to exceed $3,000 and to hire the SC School Board Association for a 1st or 2nd quarter work session at a cost not to exceed $500. Vote was 6-0 with Norwood abstaining because he will not be on the board.

The board received a communication from Mr. Melvin Poole and Mr. Randy Hope about concerns some district employees were being treated unfairly. Click here to read the write-up in Tuesday's Rock Hill Herald.

The board recognized the following:

• The individual school teachers of the year and the district-wide teacher of the year.
• Board member Dr. Jane Sharp for reaching another level of board member professional development.
• The 12 new energy star schools in the district bringing the total to 13, the most that any district in South Carolina has. Rock Hill had the first elementary school, middle school and high school to reach this designation. The Energy Star program was started by the EPA in 1992 to encourage energy efficiency and represents a 35% reduction in energy usage for a comparable school. The school district has 6 more schools which are in the process of getting certification.

The board received reports as follows:

• A video showing back to school activities
• A presentation on a new web site the district will be switching to in a couple of months
• A report on initiatives the new food service group has already started for this year.
• An IROCK update.
• A report on community involvement for school volunteering and the efforts to fund school supplies, shoes and clothes, and  IPAD's.
• A report on the summer reading program conducted at many of our schools.
• A report from the Superintendent on goals for this year.