Savannah-Chatham school board approves waiver of six school days due to storms

Yahoo

11-10-2024

As Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida Wednesday, the ripple effects of Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene were still reverberating as the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) Board of Public Education approved the waiver of six school days due to operational disruptions from the storms.
Item 7.33 of the October Regular Board meeting consent agenda requested the waiver of the following days from the district's 2024-2025 Academic School Year Calendar:
Tuesday, Aug. 6 (TS Debby)
Wednesday, Aug. 7 (TS Debby)
Thursday, Aug. 8 (TS Debby)
Monday, Sept. 30 (Hurricane Helene)
Tuesday, Oct. 1 (Hurricane Helene)
Wednesday, Oct. 2 (Hurricane Helene)
The agenda recommendation stated that district staff determined the waiver to be "appropriate and limits further disruptions to the academic calendar." The explanation provided by the recommendation was that "based on the timing of school days missed at the very beginning of the school year and those additional days missed near the close of first quarter, the remaining school year provides ample time to overcome instructional impacts."
The school board voted to pass the consent agenda, which included item 7.33, with seven votes. District 3 Board Representative Cornelia Hall was not present and District 4 Board Representative Shawn Kachmar abstained.
In addition to the waived days, the district had also shifted four school days (Sept. 27, Oct. 1, Oct. 2 and Oct. 10) to e-learning days as a result Hurricanes Helene and Milton. A request for clarification on the exact definition and specifications of an e-learning day has yet to receive a response from the district.
SCCPSS did specify in communication related to e-learning days as a result of inclement weather that students would not be penalized for inability to participate due to power or connectivity outages. Messaging throughout both storms also asserted that "extended and alternative opportunities" would be made available for students to complete assignments and be marked present for the e-learning days.
The Savannah Morning News request to interview the SCCPSS Chief of Schools Raymond Barnes about the determination to waive the six school days and what steps will be taken to overcome the instructional impacts caused by the storms has not yet received a response.
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2024 Graduation and discipline rates top key October updates
On top of two hurricanes, October has been and will continue to be an eventful month for SCCPSS. Here are key updates shared either via press releases or during Wednesday's board meetings.
This past week the district announced its 2024 graduation rate was 86.8%, down from 2023's 89.1%. Out of 2,335 SCCPSS high school students, 308 did not graduate this past May.
Overall, Georgia actually experienced an "all-time-high graduation rate," according to a press release shared by SCCPSS Public Information Manager Sheila Blanco. The state's four-year graduation went from 84.4% in 2023 to 85.4%.
Graduation rates are calculated from the adjusted cohort calculation first required in 2011 by federal law.
The press release noted that while SCCPSS experienced a decrease, its rate still outperformed the state's for the 10th year in a row. Also of note, Savannah Early College High School at Savannah High and Woodville-Tompkins Technical and Career High School held onto their 100% graduation rates year-over-year.
The district noted in its statement that last May's graduates were students who had entered ninth grade "during the COVID-19 pandemic and spent the beginning of their high school career learning virtually."
The district's October Informal Session addressed one of its key performance indicators (KPIs) for literacy: third graders reading on grade level.
Executive Director of Accountability, Assessment, & Reporting Services Laura May led the staff's Third Grade Reading on Grade Level presentation, which stated that 58% of SCCPSS third graders have attained that goal. The percentage is a 1% gain over 2023.
The district's longer-term goal is for 65% of third graders to be reading on grade level by the end of the 2026 academic year. That would be a 7% increase from its current level. Chief Academic Officer Derrick Butler confirmed that the incremental goal for this school year is a 3% increase. When asked by District 5 Representative Paul Smith if a two-year, 7% goal increase is an "overreach and under-reach or safe reach," May responded that it is a "challenging yet attainable goal."
The presentation noted that third grade is a crucial benchmark for student literacy because it "marks transition from Learning to Read to Reading to Learn." Third grade reading proficiency is also a "key indicator of a child's educational development" and also correlates to "positive life outcomes and increased opportunities," according to the presentation.
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The Informal Session also included the latest SCCPSS Student Discipline Report for sixth through 12th grade, which is another important student KPI marker for the district. According to the report, the weighted suspension rate (WSR) went down from 21.60 in 2023 to 21.40 for 2024.
The WSR is how the Georgia Department of Education (GADOE) calculates student discipline based on In-School Suspensions (ISS), Out-of-School Suspensions (OSS), Alternative Placement, or Expulsion referrals. Each discipline action has its own weighted value ranging from 0.5 for any ISS to 7.0 for an expulsion.
The school with the lowest WSR was Savannah E-Learning Academy. The school with the highest WSR is Oglethorpe Charter School, which was also up for renewal of its charter during the board's Regular Meeting.
Middle schools saw a 2.20-point WSR increase, while high schools' WSR decreased by 2.10 points.
The most prevalent discipline referrals were "Student Incivility, Fighting, Disorderly Conduct, and Attendance-related referrals (excessive tardies & skipping school).'
Earlier Wednesday morning, the board held its Finance Advisory Committee where it heard from Board of Education Police Department (BOEPD) Emergency Manager Lt. Justin Pratt.
He provided an overview of budgetary spending through various funding sources, including state and federal grant dollars, on safety and security measures. Pratt presented a comprehensive list of those measures that have come about over the past six or seven years in the "wake of school shootings and other active threats." Given recent school threats and hoax calls following the Apalachee High School shooting, District 6 Representative David Bringman said constituents had been wondering about SCCPSS's investments in safety.
Pratt said the initial language of the document he shared highlights the layered security approach the BOEPD takes to safeguard schools. He said the approach is akin to an "onion" starting with outer perimeter measures such as fencing and gates then moving to access points with screening and surveillance systems and procedures. Other layers he mentioned included staff safety training to be able to respond swiftly to incidents and ensure protection of students, staff and property.
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: SCCPSS board meetings mark eventful month of October with key updates