The Board of Education held a called meeting Tuesday afternoon at its Pembroke meeting room where members took part in a team-building workshop.
The workshop, presented by Bill Sampson of the Georgia School Boards Association, was part of the Board’s Self Assessment Improvement Plan adopted late last year.
Sampson said more and more school districts were falling into accreditation trouble, but the problem was fixable.
He said it was important for board members to work together to build a foundation of trust with each other and the community.
"A lot of issues are about trust, or lack of it. Trust starts within the board then radiates outward to the schools and the community." Sampson said.
Having policies and going by them were part of earning trust, he said.
"Policies are important. They are the law," Sampson said."You’re selected to govern the board, you have policies that govern everything, and the superintendent enforces it. Teamwork is very important," he said.
New District 2 member Dennis Seger agreed it was necessary to "come together to work as one."
Member Judy Crosby said she believed in trust, while Joe Pecenka asked how the board should deal with trust issues.
"You have to talk about it," Sampson said. "You can’t act like it doesn’t matter."
He told the board ground rules, setting a respectful environment, communication guidelines, clear expectations, and clear timelines were also important to a good board -- and that's what Bryan County has, according to Sampson.
He told the board, "You’re doing a lot of things right, a lot of good stuff. You have a lot of good things going for you."
"I can look at Bryan County and say there’s a place I wouldn’t mind moving to," Sampson said.
After the workshop, the board held an approximate hour and a half executive session to discuss personnel. No action was taken.