Only nine of the allotted thirteen State Board of Education members gathered this July 9 in Atlanta for the regularly-scheduled monthly meetings; missing in action on the first of the two days were board members Bostic, Murray, and Zechmann, while one board position remains vacant (as it has for the past 19 months).  Committee meetings and various reports dominated the first day, and highlights are as follows:

Wednesday, July 9

Budget Committee

Chair Larry Winter convened his committee on this morning to address a rather limited agenda.  After presentations and discussion, the committee decided to recommend that all ten of their items be placed on the Board's consent agenda.  Included in this list of items were two which, when approved, would result in almost $500 million in federal Title I and II funds flowing to local school systems.  Also included was the approval of funds to pay the base salaries and benefits for 861 graduation coaches for the 2008-09 school year (T & E to follow as a result of later actions of the board).

Charter Committee

As noted earlier, Chair Linda Zechmann was absent from this meeting, but in her absence, the committee's discussion remained "spirited."  Discussed by the committee and others present were the rapid increase in virtual academy students, training for charter petitioners (to be done by the Charter Schools Association?), and the ubiquitous complaints from charter petitioners about the reluctance of certain local boards to fully consider charter petitions.  In the end, only one charter item was considered for action by the full Board, and it was placed on the consent agenda.

Rules Committee

The two major issues debated in this committee meetings were (1) an unexpected introduction of a proposal to initiate changes to the Board's rule on capital outlay, said changes purported to "clean up language" and to emphasize the required bid process for capital outlay projects that utilize state bond funds; and, (2) a spirited discussion of the just-issued "Differentiated Accountability Plan" and the consequences, both intended and unintended, of USDE's insistence that the changes to the plan be implemented for this school year.  DOE staff noted that their request for the changes had been accompanied by a desire to implement any approved changes in the 2009-10 school year, but USDE had approved the proposed changes on the condition that the state make its best effort to implement the changes right away.  Discussions will continue as to the meaning of such terms as "state-directed schools" and "outside expert," and actual consequences will be better and further defined in the near future.

Committee of the Whole

In the afternoon portion of the Wednesday meeting, after decisions had been made by the Board about what items to include on the consent agenda for Thursday, Superintendent Cox presented a report on the recently-received results from the Spring administration of End-of-Course Tests (EOCT's).  According to the Superintendent, the results were a "mixed bag," with some scores rising while others fell.  The achievement gap between white students and others continues to shrink, but the overall performance of some sub-groups continues to disappoint.

In a follow-up to this discussion, Testing Director Chris Domaleski updated the Board on the work of a committee that has been discussing the possibility of replacing the Georgia High School Graduation Test with an expanded series of EOCT's, the results of said EOCT's to be used for both graduation and school accountability purposes.  While the details of such a proposal are far from final, it is of interest to the education community to know that this possibility is being seriously discussed and debated.

The Committee of the Whole concluded their day by participating in a Scott Austensen-led discussion of the DOE's recently-completed audit and of proposed changes to departmental structure to comply with audit recommendations (e.g., addition of internal auditor position).

Thursday, July 10

After a two-hour plus executive session, Chair Wanda Barrs gaveled the State Board of Education's regular monthly meeting to order shortly after 10:30 a.m.  Absent from this meeting were Board members Murray and Zechmann.  The inspirational message was provided and the Pledge of Allegiance led by the new Georgia Teacher of the Year, Leanne Maule.

Virtually all items upon which the Board was scheduled to vote were included on the consent agenda.  Receiving unanimous approval as part of that agenda were the following:

• A contract to provide physical and occupational therapy services to students at Atlanta Area School for the Deaf;
• Grants to local school systems totalling $37,177,850.85 to pay the base salary and benefits for 861 graduation coaches (A separate grant fund T & E for those employees will be approved separately at a later date.);
• A $600,000 contract with Riverside Publishing Company for the scoring and reporting of the ITBS for systems choosing to administer them under the provisions of recently-passed legislation;
• A contract with certain local school systems in the total amount of $200,000 to pay for teachers on special assignment for curriculum work in culinary arts;
• A contract with the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs in a total amount of $771,002 to provide access to interscholastic sports to students with disabilities [Note:  These grant funds will be doled out in twelve equal payments.];
• Payments to selected school systems to fund low-incidence special education teachers in the amount of $744,050;
• An extension until December 31, 2008, of the contract for the construction of a Regional Agriculture Center in Toombs County (to allow time for completion of the project);
• $13,200,000 in state funds for the classroom gift cards;
• The distribution of Title I, part A and part D, funds totalling $422,865,317;
• The distribution of Title II, part A, funds in the amount of $74,677,349;
• 8 charter school implementation grants in the total amount of $3.2 million;
• The addition of 29 private schools to the list of those already approved to receive special education students bearing vouchers as a result of the 2007 passage of SB10;
• The Georgia Performance Standards for American Sign Language I and II;
• The Georgia Performance Standards for a variety of CTAE courses;
• Local facilities plans for Dekalb, Sumter, and Wheeler counties; and,
• Actions on a lengthy list of student requests for waivers and variances.

Discussed by the Board, but ultimately approved unanimously were:

• The Differentiated Accountability Plan already approved by USDE; and,
• The initiation of amendments to Rule 160-5-4-.15 Processing of Plans and Specifications for Public School Construction, said amendments purported to clarify some confusing language as well as to insure that bid requirements for projects using state bond funds are made clear.  [Note:  Final adoption of this rule is not expected until the September, 2008, meeting.]
• The minutes of the June 12, 2008 meeting of the Board, as corrected; and,
• The reversal of a decision of a local board of education.

After comments by individual board members, the meeting was adjourned at 10:58 a.m.