Bryan County school board members were brought up to date at their monthly meeting last week on a program that will give the school system more flexibility while striving to enhance academic performance among its students.
Called the strategic waivers school system partnership, the program involves signing a seven-year contract with the State Board of Education that will free the Bryan County school system from many of the requirements the state currently imposes on school districts.
Dr. Brad Anderson, the district’s assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, told board members March 24 that some of the terms of the contract would allow flexibility on teacher pay, class size and allow the hiring of teachers who had not met all the requirements to become certified.
The assistant superintendent said that in the case of hiring teachers who are not certified, it was getting difficult to find certified teachers in certain areas — mainly physics and other science disciplines — and people with significant content knowledge of the subject area could be hired with an eye toward them later receiving their teaching certification.
The school system will hold public hearings April 25-26 to fully explain the program and allow the public an opportunity to comment.
The contract, which is set to begin July 1, would also allow the district to set its own limits on how many or how few students are in each class.
In return for this flexibility, the State Board of Education would require each Bryan school to meet certain academic requirements or else void the contract.
Anderson told the board members that the purpose of entering into the contract is to boost student academic performance throughout the school system.
The Bryan County district winners of the Young Georgia Authors contest were also announced at the meeting.
They are:
• Taylor Funk, Bryan County Middle School;
• Ryan Diebold, Richmond Hill Middle School;
• Maggie Denton, George Washington Carver Elementary School;
• Caroline Bezner, Carver;
• Lauren Smith, Richmond Hill Elementary School;
• Niamh Theisen, Richmond Hill Elementary;
• Margaret Reynolds, McAllister Elementary School;
• Tyler Boyce, McAllister;
• Sarah Marvin, Richmond Hill Middle School;
• Denesia Jones, Bryan County High School;
• Kailey Griffith, Richmond Hill High School;
• Cole Morrison, Bryan County High; and
• Toree Brown, Richmond Hill High.
The school board approved:
• A field trip for Richmond Hill Middle School eighth-graders to Charlotte, North Carolina, for Physics Day on April 29.
• The rental of the RHMS gym May 28 by Dancing Unlimited Dance Studio.
• The donation of $250 from the Lanier Primary School Parent Teacher Student Organization to the school toward the purchase of items for “Muffins for Moms” parent involvement event.
• The donation of $36,096 from the McAllister PTSO to the school for playground equipment.
• The donation of $1,401 from the BCHS Band Boosters to the band for the repair of instruments.