Board Business Briefs: School Board Approves School Calendars

Superintendent of Schools Mary Elizabeth Davis opened the Cherokee County School Board meeting on Thursday by celebrating the start of new teachers, the return of administrative teams and the countdown to the first day of school.

“This year’s theme of Elevating the Excellence is our commitment to being the highest performing school district in Georgia where more kids learn more on our watch than anywhere else,” she said.

The meeting followed the new structure, adopted last month, of a work session at 5:15 p.m. and a regular business meeting at 7 p.m.  The new structure promotes more meaningful discussion and greater transparency and public awareness around the business of the board.  In addition to the regular business meetings, all work sessions now are livestreamed via YouTube, and the videos are archived on the CCSD website in the Board of Education area online here.

SCHOOL CALENDARS
The school board approved calendars for the 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years, which continue the longtime balanced calendar model and its popular schedule of school breaks. 

The calendars, as in past years, were developed by a committee made up of educators and parents.  Three school years of calendars were developed at the same time to help families and employees with advance planning.

In addition to the balanced calendar model’s school break weeks, the calendars also maintain CCSD’s tradition of beginning the school year no sooner than Aug. 1 and ending the school year before Memorial Day. 

The approved calendars are posted on the CCSD website online here.

NEW LEADERS
The school board on Thursday, as part of its approval of the monthly human resources employment recommendations, accepted the retirement of a longtime district leader and approved two leadership appointments.

School Board member Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison congratulates retiring Chief Information Officer Bobby Blount.

CCSD Chief Information Officer Bobby Blount is retiring at the end of August after a 26-year career in education and was celebrated at the meeting with a standing ovation.  

After working for 10 years in the private sector of the technology field, Mr. Blount joined CCSD in 1998 as technical services coordinator, advancing to supervisor and then director for technology and onto his current role leading the division in 2010.  During his tenure as CIO, CCSD’s technology programs have earned numerous honors including the national District of Distinction for Educational Technology award, repeat honors as a Center for Digital Education’s Top 10 School District and numerous national Microsoft Showcase School awards.

From left, Dr. Julie Dutko, Joy Silk and Coach Mike Saxton.

Dr. Julie Dutko was appointed to serve as CCSD’s new executive director for academics.  A 20-year educator and past CCSD Game Changer Award recipient, she most recently served as the district’s supervisor for professional development.  

Joy Silk was appointed to serve as CCSD’s new director for teaching and learning.  A 24-year educator and past overall CCSD Teacher of the Year winner, she most recently served as the district’s supervisor for digital learning.

Also on Thursday, Mike Saxton was named the new head boys basketball coach for Sequoyah HS.  Coach Saxton joined SHS last school year as a computer science teacher and assistant coach.  He previously taught and coached for nine years at Lambert and East Forsyth High Schools.

FIRST-DAY READINESS
During the work session, the school board heard the monthly Academics & Accountability report, which included a progress report on Superintendent Davis’s Four Key Priorities work and an update on the district’s preparations for the first day of school.

Aligned with Key Priority No. 1: Elevate the Excellence in academics and achievement for all students, the CCSD Teaching and Learning Standards that form the foundation for classroom lessons taught by teachers have been repackaged and made more accessible to teachers and families.  

Teachers this school year will begin using a new CCSD Reading Screener (STAR) assessment for grades K-8, with reading proficiency measures to now be shared three times a year with parents.  Ensuring that students are continuing to improve their reading ability is important to monitor and share with families.  Implementation of this new screener both supports CCSD’s commitment to ensuring strong student reading skills and fulfils new statewide literacy assessment requirements.  

Both resources were reviewed this week with school administrators at the Superintendent’s Leadership Symposium to prepare them for supporting teachers when they return to the classroom next week for pre-planning.

Aligned with Key Priority No. 4: Elevate the Excellence by embracing a pervasive high-quality school environment defined by high standards, effective supports and consistent practices, district staff reviewed two key components of the updated Student Code of Conduct adopted by the school board last month -- consistent standards for appropriate student attire and appropriate student use of cell phones and other personal digital smart devices in schools, classrooms and on the school bus.

The new standards, which are in the Code of Conduct online here, were developed based on community feedback for the need to review student conduct guidelines to elevate the clarity and consistency of our guidelines across the district.  Last year, administrators were to design and monitor guidelines for each school leading to a desire to improve the clarity and consistency in these areas.  This feedback was gathered by Superintendent Davis during her entry-plan small group meetings with staff, students, parents, and community partners, as well as through a community survey.  

School Board Chair Kyla Cromer noted she has heard “positive feedback” from the community about the updated Code of Conduct’s new cell phone rules for the upcoming school year.  Students will continue to be permitted to have a cell phone or personal device with them at school, but as a standard practice, will now be expected to keep their device in silent mode and stored out of sight.

School Board member Erin Ragsdale said her greatest concern is that teachers feel supported by school administrators that they’re empowered to enforce consequences for students who violate rules, and that administrators feel supported by district leaders, who in turn feel supported by the School Board.  

Dr. Debra Murdock, who serves as CCSD’s director of school leadership and operations which includes supervision of principals, agreed with the importance of consistent support.

“This fails if we don’t stay together,” she said.  “Our teachers must know that our administrators have their back in order for this to work effectively.”

District staff reviewed the work underway to raise standards for student accountability in their learning, including expectations for timely completion of classwork and homework by the end of the learning unit.  These new guidelines are aligned to an updated School Board Policy approved by the school board during Thursday’s meeting.

School Board member Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison spoke to the importance for students to be better prepared for real-world expectations for appropriate attire, attendance, and timely completion of work, and that she has heard from local employers that the district’s increased commitment to these standards is greatly appreciated.

Other highlights included reports on staffing, with 99.5% of 2,902 teacher positions filled, 100% of 382 bus driver positions filled; 98.5% of 214 custodian positions filled, and more than 700 substitute teachers hired.  

Reports were shared on successful first-day preparations to ensure all schools are safe, well-lit, and clean; that student and teacher technology is ready for use, including 9,000 new replacement laptop computers rolling out across grades K-12; and that CCSD school police officers participated again this summer in multi-agency training exercises. 

The school board also heard an update on the district’s rollout of CCSD Synergy, its new student information system replacing Aspen.  Synergy’s ParentVUE website and app offer parents access to their children’s emergency contacts and attendance information.  Nearly half of CCSD students now have at least one ParentVUE account activated by a family member.  All parents who had not yet activated their ParentVUE account were sent a new activation link email on Thursday.  

As is common with all technical migrations and updates, some families have experienced a difficulty or error in activating their ParentVUE account or completing the “first-day forms” process now accessible through ParentVUE.  In response, the Technology helpdesk team has temporarily expanded to reduce wait times for parents who need ParentVUE account assistance.  For assistance, please submit a helpdesk request at enrollment.support@cherokee.incidentiq.com.

The school board also:

•    During the work session, heard a Finance report on June monthly financials and year-end close-out and the budgeting preparations beginning to take place to mitigate the anticipated $14 million less in revenue as the senior tax exemption is expanded next fiscal year.  Learn more here;
•    During the work session, heard a Capital Outlay report, updating construction projects, which all remain on schedule and within budget, including the new replacement Cherokee High School set to open in August 2026.  At this time, the Cherokee HS construction package is authorized at $179 million and, of that, $62 million has been spent to date.  The construction is 52% complete.  The construction package follows the site acquisition and land preparation package, which was completed by NJ Wilbanks Contractor in December and totaled $22.8 million, which is $700,000 under the authorized budget of $23.5 million.  The report also included updates on the new replacement Free Home ES set to open in August 2025; classroom expansion projects underway at Creekland MS, Creekview HS and Woodstock HS; and second gym and other campus improvements planned at River Ridge HS and Sequoyah HS.  Learn more here;
•    In her Inspiration remarks, Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison spoke about the upcoming first day of school and her hopes for everyone – students and families, teachers and staff, school and district leaders and the School Board – to have the best the best school year ever;
•    Recognized FFA National Teacher Ambassador Ashley Rivers of Etowah HS.  Learn more here;
•    Recognized Georgia PTA State Award winners.  Learn more here;
•    Recognized CCSD’s Character.org Promising Practices national award winners: Indian Knoll ES, Liberty ES and Sixes ES.  Learn more here;
•    Recognized CCSD’s Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce “Top 10 in 10” Young Professionals Award winners: Cherokee HS Assistant Principal Casey Belli and i-Grad Virtual Academy school counselor Hillary Nichols.  Learn more here;
•    Recognized CCSD’s Office of Communications for earning National School Public Relations Association Awards.   Learn more here;
•    Approved the annual update of School Board Policies; and,
•    Approved the annual School Board training plan.