By Jim Puckett

 

In a change from the usual two-day meeting schedule, this month the State Board of Education combined its work session and formal meeting days into a one-day format.  The meeting was held in Atlanta.
 

Wednesday, November 10

Committee Meetings:
The Budget Committee, Charter Schools Committee, Rules Committee, and Operations Committee each met to review staff proposals for State Board action.  Each committee, in turn, reviewed the staff proposals and made recommendations to the full Board for action.

Committee of the Whole:
The Committee of the Whole discussed items proposed for action by the separate committees and developed a consent agenda.

Public Hearing:
A public hearing was held on rules proposed for initiation:  Instruction in United States and Georgia History and Government, Learning Resources Selection and Recommendation, State Salaries and Supplements, Experience for Salaries, and Experience for Salary Purposes.  No one spoke to either rule.

Board Meeting:
Mr. Jose Perez, State Board Member from District Seven, delivered an inspirational message and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Action Items
The Board:

• Adopted a Parent Engagement Resolution emphasizing the importance of parental involvement in the education of children.
• Denied the request of the Central Georgia Education Coalition 21st Century Community Learning Centers to withdraw from their grant.  Instead the Coalition grant will be terminated.
• Accepted the withdrawal of Lewis Academy of Excellence from a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant program.
• Approved the Common Core Standards for Advanced Mathematical Decision Making, Mathematics of Industry and Government, and Mathematics of Finance.
• Approved the Georgia Local School Board Governance Standards and Model Ethics Policy for Local School Board Governance.
• Adopted the Secondary Assessment Transition Plan for transition from the Georgia High School Graduation Tests to the End of Course Tests beginning in the 2011-12 school year.
• Approved members of the Title I Committee of Practitioners.
• Approved appointments to the Board of Directors for the Georgia Foundation for Public Education.
• Approved minutes of the October meeting.
• Adopted a Code of Ethics that applies when operating as the State Board of Education.
• Adopted a Code of Ethics and Conflict of Interest Policy that applies when operating as the local board for the state-operated schools.
• Approved the meeting schedule for 2011.
• Elected officers for 2011:  Wanda Barrs, Chair; Al Hodge, Vice Chair; Mary Sue Murray, Vice Chair for Appeals.
• Appointed a committee to review/revise Bylaws of the State Board of Education.

Contracts and Grants
The Board:

• Approved facilities grants to 29 eligible charter schools, $1,800,000.  The individual grants ranged for $25,000 to $95,000.
• Awarded grants to Coastal Plains RESA, Metro RESA, and Pioneer RESA, $325,000 total, for 2.5 school improvement staff positions.
• Approved grants to 229 schools, $14,373,920 total, for school improvement services.
• Approved grants of $50,000 each to Dublin, Clarke, Glascock, and Peach school districts for making the greatest gains of Title I schools in closing the achievement gap.
• Awarded grants of $15,000 each to Fourth District Elementary (Appling) and Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary (Clayton) for being designated National Title I Distinguished Schools.
• Awarded grants to 20 school districts, $3,160,486, for the education of children in residential state facilities.
• Approved a contract with CEISMC/Georgia Tech, $100,000, for an external evaluation of the 2009-10 Title IID Digital Resources grant program.
• Approval disbursement of $109,950 (total) to local school districts for administrative costs for students completing courses through the Georgia Virtual School.
• Approved a contract with NCS Pearson, Inc, $80,000, to implement a link from schools using PowerSchool to the statewide student information system.
• Approved a contract with K-12 Solutions group, $65,000, to implement a link from schools using Infinite Campus software to the statewide student information system.
• Amended a grant with school districts, $1,582,166 total amendment, to increase funds for Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education programs and to reduce state bond funds, $2,022,610, for the CTAE programs.
• Approved a contract with the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia, $56,000, for industry accreditation and program support.
• Approved expenditures to Georgia Public Broadcasting for media projects for the Division of School Nutrition.

Charter Schools
The State Board took no action on overriding the decision of the Charter Schools Commission to deny charter status for the Howard Academy for Math and Science and the Scholars Academy. By taking no action, the decision of the Commission stands.

Rules
The Board:

• Approved initiation of rule State-Funded K-8 Subjects and 9-12 Courses for Students Entering Ninth Grade in 2008 and Subsequent Years.
• Approved initiation of rule State-Funded K-8 Subjects and 9-12 Courses for Students Entering Ninth Grade prior to 2008.
• Initiated repeal of rule State Salaries and Supplements and rule Experience for Salaries.
• Approved waiver of rule Minimum Direct Classroom Expenditures for Valdosta City.
• Approved waiver of a provision of rule Processing of Plans and Specifications for Public School Construction for Crawford County.

Items for Information
The Board received verbal and/or written reports on the following:

• Contracts approved by the State Superintendent of $50,000 or under.
• Upcoming contracts and grants.
• Upcoming charter school actions.
• Race to the Top
• Longitudinal Data System
• Report from the Alliance of Education Agency Heads joint boards liaison committee meeting.
• Report on AYP/SAT/AP/ACT scores.

Notes:  

The State Board will not meet in regular session in December. A planning retreat is scheduled in lieu of the regular meeting. This report is for information only and is not intended as an official record of actions of the Georgia Board of Education. For links to items considered by the State Board, go to www.gadoe.org