Calhoun City Schools are counting down to the start of school with about a week remaining.

School safety remains a priority going into the 2022-23 school year. The Anonymous Alert system has now seen 101 reports since February, all of which were addressed by staff within 24 hours.

Safety training has been scheduled for all administrators, and the System Safety Task Force will keep meeting bimonthly. The system also has scheduled various drills and trainings for the school year.

City schools are also working hard to both retain and recruit teachers — incentives continue to pile up for CCS teachers, including additional steps for certified and administrative salary schedules, additional bonus pay for varying staff, a benefits package, and more.

There were a few items of new business to be addressed.

The Board approved its Committed Fund Balances for this past fiscal year (FY22), which includes a projected budget shortfall of $115,539 for the year.

CCS is also looking to enter an agreement with county schools that would allow CCS to transport GCS students to the Georgia School for the Deaf. County schools would be on the hook for $18,000 for up to three students, with prices subject to increase due to fuel or number of students. That was approved.

The Board also okayed the annual salary schedule for their school nutrition staff for the 2022-23 school year. That included a $3,000 supplement as well as information on pay by years of service and position. That was okayed by Board members.

Also on the docket were school credit cards for Calhoun Early Learning, Primary, and Elementary Schools through Synovus, which required board approval before those cards are issued. Each school gets a $5,000 limit card which can be used at the discretion of the school’s principal. Those were approved.

Just as Gordon County Schools did last week, this week Calhoun City Schools looked at a couple of new policies to bring the system in line with a couple of new state laws.

Policy JRB relates to the Parents’ Bill of Rights, which in part allows parents to review educational materials within the first two weeks of classes, as well as veto sex ed and other topics that they may object to their minor children learning.

The bill requires school districts to have “procedures for a parent to object to instructional materials intended for use in his or her minor child’s classroom or recommended by his or her minor child’s teacher.”

The bill requires school districts to have “procedures for a parent to object to instructional materials intended for use in his or her minor child’s classroom or recommended by his or her minor child’s teacher.”

Policy IKBB allows for a resolution process for “divisive concepts” complaints, as well as outlining policies regarding divisive concepts. Those include teaching that America is “fundamentally or systemically racist” or participating in “racial scapegoating” or stereotyping.

That was a first reading for those new policies, so no vote was required.

The Board also voted on surplusing a few vehicles. Those are a 2006 Thomas 72-passenger bus, a 1996 GMC 18-passenger bus, and a 1999 Chevrolet Astro van. None of the vehicles are of use to the system or are actively costing more than they are worth, so the system would like to surplus them with the intent of selling them. That was approved.

They also reviewed their Board Norms, which outline protocols and board rules. CCS Board members review those norms regularly. Finally, the Board approved its annual local board training plan, which outlines how much training each board member must receive as well as when whole board training will take place.

Plenty of events are upcoming through August.

New staff orientation will take place July 28 and 29 at 8 a.m. Back to school assembly is August 1 at 8 a.m. and the first open house for students will take place Aug. 2. The first day of school is Aug. 4, and the August board meeting will take place on Aug. 22, at 6 p.m.

For more information, visit calhounschools.org.

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