At the meeting on February 13th, 2025 The Bulloch County Board of Education (BOE) had a school spotlight and discussed College and Career Academy Program, Athletic Supplements, and Real Estate Sales Conduct. If you missed the livestream, here's a rundown of the key points.
Katielyn Yates, a student from Portal Middle High School, led the meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance after a moment of silence.
Chair of the Board, Elizabeth Williams opened the meeting and moved to amend or adopt the agenda. Superintendent Charles Wilson recommended that the board adopt the agenda as presented. The agenda was adopted unanimously.
Board Member Comments
Following that came comments from the BOE. Donna Clifton congratulated the STAR students and teachers.
"A special shout out to Erin and Richard at Statesboro High School for being Bulloch County's chosen ones for great accomplishments," Clifton said.
"I want to thank our teachers of the year who came and gave up their time last week to just talk to us," Williams said. "That was very beneficial. We appreciate the information they shared with us."
Moving on, there was no public participation. The board started off the Superintendent's Report with the school spotlight, Portal Middle High School.
School Spotlight
Dr. Julie Blackmar is the principal at Portal Middle High School (PMHS) and opened up the Spotlight presentation. Blackmar was followed in the presentation by Middle School Assistant Principal and Athletic Director, Justin Chester, and High School Assistant Principal David Elmore.
The administrators shared data from students' content mastery scores and academic school improvement goals. To meet school improvement goals, they are implementing teacher clarity.
"It gives our teachers a chance to collaborate with others and gives them a chance to really break apart some things, to work on their craft," Elmore explained.
PMHS met all of its graduation rate goals and exceeded all of its College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) subgroup targets for both four-year and five-year graduation rates.
"I feel very proud of coming into Portal, that we are graduating kids and preparing them for their next steps in life," Elmore said.
Attendance was another point Blackmar touched on in the presentation. The attendance support team meets weekly as opposed to every other week. Members of the team work with students, call, and meet with parents. When the team meets with students to discuss why their attendance is so low, they come up with possible solutions.
"He uses his cell phone as his wake up, and he just snoozes, snoozes, snoozes," Blackmar said. "The team actually bought him an alarm clock, old fashioned alarm clock, and it's across the room."
Chester thanked the board for PMHS' new track and the upgrades to their stadium.
Superintendent's Report
- Impact of House Bill 581 on property revaluations and tax collection
- "We heard a lot of senior citizens saying 'We've been taxed out of our homes'," Wilson said. "I think the board heard that and the legislation addressed that."
- Timeline for approving the Fiscal Year '26 budget and the impact of the new Southeast Bulloch High School
- A need for a referendum to continue funding for East Bulloch 6 and the potential impact on the new school's construction timeline
Athletic Supplements and College and Career Academy Program
- The committee recommended a range of athletic supplements for athletic coaches.
- They also recommended postseason compensation for coaches who put in extra time.
- The committee discussed incorporating the plan into the FY '26 budget and communicating with principals to set it in place for the '25-26 school year.
- The board discussed the progress of the College and Career Academy program and the impact the grant funding had had.
Consent Agenda and Real Estate Sales Contract
- The board approved the consent agenda which included the Real Estate Sales Contract for one acre of property adjoining Portal High School. The board unanimously approved the contract.
- The board approves the bid for the gym floor replacement at Langston Chapel Middle School and William James Middle School, with the total cost being $381,278.40.
- The board entered an Executive Session for personnel, safety, and support.
Access the full livestream of the meeting here.