Welcome and Call to Order

The meeting will be called to the order, beginning with the pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence.

Approval of Agenda

So that there is agreement between board members on the agenda, and the amount of time spent on the meeting, the board shall vote to approve an agenda for the meeting. To the best of its ability, it will follow that agenda, and allow for the chair to move the board through the agenda as specified.

Approval of Minutes from Nov 18, 2019

So that there is agreement between board members on the agenda, and the amount of time spent on the meeting, the board shall vote to approve an agenda for the meeting. To the best of its ability, it will follow that agenda, and allow for the chair to move the board through the agenda as specified.

Public Comment

Our Public Comment period is for members of the public to address the board. Each member of the public may sign up to comment at the meeting and will be allotted two minutes. The board will listen, but may not directly respond to any comments. Our meetings are open to the public and public record. As such, if your comment is about a private matter, please contact the board via email, or speak to the board chair privately.

Prestige

Presenting JISCH monthly Financial Statement.

Doctoral Dissertation Approval

Tanner Tucker

Holiday Dismissal

12/20/19 Staff Early Dismissal 12:30 pm- Board vote

Annual Report

December 31st we have to submit our annual report to our sponsor (CCSD).

Leadership Report

Presented by Leadership Chair Sheli Ballard/ Lindsay Howard.

LEADERSHIP TEAM: 

• The Leadership team is currently reviewing updated SLT numbers as of Q2 Progress Reports as well as PSAT scores as a determining factor for potential success in various AP courses.

ROTC: 

• Last month, the ROTC unit held a formal "Dining-In" which is a formal military ceremony for members of a unit, which includes dinner, and other events to foster camaraderie and esprit de corps. Our Dining-In was planned by the cadets and included a guest speaker. Most cadets in the unit were able to attend and an enjoyable time was had by all.
• On Friday, December 6th, the unit had its first overnight field trip in over 9-years--eighteen cadets and three adults spent the night aboard the USS Yorktown. The main purpose of the field trip was so that the cadets could attend and support a formal ceremony on-board the carrier on Saturday, December 7th, to commemorate the attack on Pearl Harbor. Those in attendance performed well during the ceremony and received accolades from the event staff. Additionally, cadets were able to explore the ship, participate in a flight simulation program, and were fortunate to meet and be photographed with Master Chief Petty Officer (MCPO) Special Warfare Operator Britt Slabinsky, US Navy (Ret). MCPO Slabinsky is a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded him for action in Afghanistan in 2002.
• On the evening of Friday, December 13th, the ROTC unit will hold a unit holiday party at the school. 
• On Saturday, December 14th, the unit will hold its last activity for 2019 by Christmas caroling at the Savannah Place Assisted Living Center on Secessionville Road.

LIBRARY:

• Students at JICHS along with teachers and members of the community participated in another Project Lit event with Scott  Reintgen, author of Nyxia. Nyxia is an amazing science fiction adventure of intelligence and strength that presents diverse characters in a tale about greed and internal compromise.  Contact a JICHS Librarian, Amy Ball or Melanie Crumpton, if you'd like to join our next discussion!  

• Ms. Broome hosted a Poetry Out Loud event in the library on Dec 6.  Our students wrote and read poetry for their peers.

PE:

• The PE department was excited to welcome guest speakers from MUSC'S "Just Say Know" program to speak to all health classes on Thursday about the effects of drug use on the teenage brain. As opposed to the traditional scare tactics, medical doctors spoke on the lasting effects of drugs and alcohol on the brain and why beginning drug and alcohol use, especially at a young age, has lasting negative effects. They even brought in a preserved human brain for students to view!

Maintenance Report

Presented by Mr. Thorn

December 16th, 2019                                        

1.             CCSD installed 6 new dumpster enclosure doors to replace the hurricane-damaged ones at the cafeteria loading dock.

2.             The gym floor was screened and refinished over the Thanksgiving break.

3.              The athletic fields were overseeded with perennial ryegrass Nov. 26th.

 4.             The athletic fields were treated with fertilizer last Fri. Nov. 13th.

 5.             JICHS Facilities Maint. has received and processed 83 work orders from Nov. 18th to the present.

                  Marty Monette

                  Facilities Director, JICHS

School Leader Report

Presented by Mr. Thorn

Charter Goals

Goal #1 Show an annual increase in the percentage of graduates that are college and career ready as defined by the state.

Goal #2 Show an annual increase in student participation in additional rigorous coursework through positive relationships, community building activities, family engagement, and student support.

Goal #3 Show an annual decrease in the achievement gap for historically underachieving populations (SPED, ELL, socio-economically disadvantaged, and minority students).

Academics/School Update of Events

11/19 Parent and Student IB Information- Ms. Smillie, the IB Coordinator and Guidance Counselor, hosted the event. The event was well attended.  

11/21 and 11/22 Accuplacer Test was given. This is the test students take if they want to get accepted by TTC so they can take dual enrollment classes.   

11/25 and 11/26 Make-up Days, and beyond

New this year, I informed staff that doctor’s note would be required for sick days on these days and days before a break. Historically, we have had an issue with a significant number of staff members on sick leave, and the pool of subs is always depleted on those days. The burden to cover those classes falls on their departments and the classified staff. I am proud to report that we had excellent staff attendance. Those school days appeared as normal as any other day of the year. The staff’s professionalism was greatly appreciated.

Student Learning Objectives

Most teachers will be finalizing their SLO’s by the end of the first semester. The majority of teachers in the core content areas used CERT (ACT Test Prep Platform). Students will have taken the test three times (initial, midpoint, and final) throughout the semester. We are looking forward to seeing how they improved and, ultimately, how they will perform on the ACT this year.      

Third-Student Testing Mandate

For the last couple of years, the state has no longer required third-year students to take the ACT or the SAT. New this year, they are encouraged to wait to take these tests until they have taken the necessary coursework. Please see an excerpt from a letter sent to schools by the state. This is in response to poor test results throughout the state.    

Taking either test is optional. These tests will be administered during the school day. In order for students to be best prepared to take the ACT, the student should be currently enrolled in or have completed at least three units of English (English 1 and higher); three units of mathematics (Algebra 2 and higher); two units of science (Biology 1 and Physics); and two units of social studies. There is not a list of courses to be enrolled in or have completed before taking the SAT, but the test company recommends that students be juniors in their spring semester. These college readiness assessments should be discussed during the student’s annual Individual Graduation Plan (IGP) meeting.

If your student does not take the ACT or SAT during the 11th grade, if state funds are available, the student can take one of these tests in 12th grade, at no cost, paid by the state.

ILT/SLT Highlights

ILT has been going well this year. The Food Service Department has been running both kiosks for nearly the entire second quarter. The kiosks are set up as grab-n-go stations. The salad bar has been set up with grab-n-go options. This line now moves much faster. The grab-n-go lines are empty after 15-20 minutes. The school lunch lines are empty about halfway through lunch.

We did a staggered release for lunch by floor twice recently due to excessive trash and student behavior issues (acting like it is recess). We held half the students in class for the first 25 minutes of ILT. Apparently, the students did not like this, which was the point. We enforced our expectations for ILT, and the students have responded well.    

SLT Data (grades at 65% or less)

Q1 Progress Report

696

Q1 Report Card

587

Q2 Progress Report 

672

We definitely made progress during the first quarter with 111 fewer students in SLT. The teachers, assistant principals, and guidance have been holding Academic Progress Meetings for students that do not attend SLT. The protocol is logical and student-focused, however, getting all the staff members, students, and their parents together can be a slow and difficult process. Dorchester 2 suspends students as a second offense for missing SLT. The AP’s and teachers are not in favor of that approach. Students that miss SLT may be assigned extensive lunch detentions or after school detentions. Overall, SLT is working well, but it requires a lot of administrative oversight to ensure fidelity. One of the biggest benefits of ILT/SLT is that it has made us look consistently at student grades and, at least, attempt to intervene with the student and their parents.      

School Safety Update (Mr. Edwards)

• Metal detectors conducted multiple times each week.
• Canine search with the sheriff's office on 11/25/19. No drugs were found.
• 18 random searches
• Fire drill 12/12/19

Construction Update

CTE Wing and Competition Gym- no update at this time. 

James Island Bus Lot

On 12/3/2019 the Phase IV Construction Project (CTE Wing, Competition Gym, and JI Bus lot) went in front of the City of Charleston Zoning Board (BZA-Z). The city initially presented the case to the board and they were supportive of the project (bus lot). There were several people in attendance that opposed the bus lot. Therefore, the board heard from both sides. CCSD presented their case. Dr. Meeuse spoke in favor of the project. On behalf of the school, I spoke in favor of the project. I outlined the students’ welfare concerns, the negative impact on education, and the financial benefit of a centralized bus lot (JI Budget $600 K to $400 K or even less).

The three people that spoke echoed the same sentiments that were shared at the November bus meeting. Their primary concerns are noise, visual impact, traffic, and emissions.  

Ultimately the zoning board voted to defer on the bus lot project. They suggested that CCSD work with surrounding neighborhoods to find a common solution. The next zone meeting is on 1/22/2020 at 5:00 pm at 2 George Street.

The latest transportation projections for JICHS from CCSD are below. The worst-case scenario presented below would significantly impact our budget.   

Number of State buses - 9

Current pricing on State buses - 233.48

Number of vendor buses - 4

Current pricing on vendor buses - 340.68

Price per day for JICHS - 2413.38

Price per year for JICHS Best case with a centralized bus lot - 436,821.78

Number of vendor buses- 13

Current pricing on vendor buses - 340.68

Price per day for JICHS - 4428.84

Worst case with no centralized bus lot - 801,620.04

The bottom line is that while everyone recognizes the need for a centralized bus lot, they just don’t want it near their neighborhood.  If a centralized bus lot is not built for James Island it will continue to have a negative impact educationally and financially on all James Island schools.    

Executive Session

• Contracts- (info) Baseball irrigation on hold until spring
• Personnel- Personnel issue, Staffing for 20-21
• Legal- Update
• Student Privacy-  student DB issue

Motions From Executive Session

~ No motions from executive session.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 6:33 pm