Board Business Briefs: School Board Reviews Instruction Improvements, Appoints New Leaders

The Cherokee County School Board at its regular meeting and work session on Thursday, June 12, 2025, heard a report on efforts to further improve teaching and learning for next school year and appointed new school and district leaders.

The meeting began with a work session at 5:15 p.m. followed by the regular business meeting at 7 p.m.  Both were livestreamed via YouTube, and the videos are archived on the CCSD website in the Board of Education area online here.  The meetings schedule for the 2025-26 school year/fiscal year has been posted on the same webpage; work sessions will begin at 5:30 p.m. with regular meetings to follow at 7 p.m.

ACADEMICS & ACCOUNTABILITY UPDATE

The School Board’s Supportive Accountability Governance Model calls for a Cohesive System of Teaching and Learning to ensure more students are learning more, growing more, and achieving more in CCSD than they can anywhere else.

Chief Academics and Accountability Officer Dr. Josh Heath during the work session shared a report, which is online here, detailing progress made in implementing the Cohesive System of Teaching and Learning’s three main components: Standards, Instructional Resources, and Monitoring Student Learning.

For Standards, achievements over the past year include the completion of board-adopted, teacher-adjusted, customized CCSD Teaching and Learning Standards, which are posted online here; and work that remains underway, in preparation for the start of the new school year, includes developing an online “teacher toolbox” with access to standards and aligned resources.  Planned work includes further refinement of the standards in preparation for the 2026-27 school year and further improvements to the “teacher toolbox.”

In alignment with its updated Instructional Resources policy (IFAA), the board this spring adopted new core resources in English language arts and math for the 2025-26 school year.  These new core resources are another component of the board’s Cohesive System of Teaching and Learning.  Updates on work related to these resources include ordering and distributing, and the beginning phases of training for teachers and leaders.  These resources are tightly aligned to the standards and include textbooks, workbooks and online resources that will be used for teaching and learning this coming school year.  Planned work includes additional professional development for teachers using the new resources and selecting resources for science and social studies classes in preparation for the 2026-27 school year.

In the third component of the board’s Cohesive System of Teaching and Learning, Monitoring Student Learning, updates on work include implementation of the new CCSD Screeners for reading and math for kindergarten through eighth grade, which provide data used by teachers to improve student learning and generate reports shared with parents to communicate academic progress.  The CCSD Screeners will expand this coming school year to include grades 9-10.  Additionally, CCSD has completed an initial training with elementary schools to use Orton Gillingham, which includes highly effective strategies for early readers who show a need for reading support, at select schools.  Planned work includes researching and developing a balanced assessment system customized for CCSD, which would include a variety of testing tools to assess and monitor student academic progress.

School Board Chair Janet Read Welch noted four themes struck a chord for her: consistency, cohesiveness, alignment, and monitoring student learning.

“Thank you so much because I know those all are key,” she said, thanking staff for the significant work to establish the Cohesive System and implement its components.  “I’m very excited not only for teachers, but I’m most excited for our students and their families.  I know this is going to make a big difference.”

NEW LEADERS

As part of its approval of the monthly human resources employment recommendations, the School Board on Thursday appointed three new assistant principals and district leaders.

To fill vacancies created by promotions, the School Board appointed three new assistant principals:

• Brandon Boehman, a 20-year educator who currently serves as a teacher at Etowah HS, will serve at River Ridge HS;
• Tessie Lauer, a 12-year educator who currently serves as an assistant principal for Gwinnett County Public Schools, will serve at Indian Knoll ES; and,
• Tracy Sparks, a 20-year CCSD educator who currently serves as the instructional lead strategist at Macedonia ES, will serve in her new role there.

In CCSD’s Safety & Security division, Patrick Bull, who has 17 years of experience and currently serves as a safety specialist for Fulton County Schools, will fill the vacancy for emergency operations facilitator; and Investigator Jeremy Akins, who has 28 years of experience and serves as a CCSD Police Officer for Liberty ES and Sixes ES, was promoted to sergeant.

In CCSD’s Financial Management division, Connie Henderson, who has 27 years of experience, 25 of those years with CCSD, and currently serves as director of payroll, was promoted to executive director of payroll; Nicole Holcomb, who has 26 years of experience and currently serves as executive director of human resources for Gwinnett County Public Schools, will serve as CCSD’s first director of legal compliance; Alan Bryan, who has 14 years of experience and currently serves as an associate of accounting for the University of Georgia, will fill the vacancy for supervisor of accounting and budgets; and Trey Saunders, a 23-year CCSD employee who currently serves as requisition clerk, will serve as CCSD’s first coordinator of records management.

In CCSD’s Academics & Accountability division, Michelle Grant, a 25-year CCSD educator who currently serves as Title I academic coach at Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy, will fill the vacancy for Title I coordinator.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

The School Board on Thursday also heard a report on CCSD’s implementation of various new state laws related to education approved by the Georgia General Assembly during this year’s legislative session.  These include laws to further improve school safety, student literacy, student attendance, and appropriate student use of cell phones and other personal digital devices. 

Chief of Staff Mike McGowan, who gave the report, emphasized the board’s strong advocacy for retaining its local control of public education as established by the state constitution.  He said staff is awaiting clarity as to the scope of work and compliance obligations and projections as to the fiscal impact of approved local legislation.

Ms. Read Welch, whose term began in January, thanked the board members who were in office last fall when the legislative priorities were developed.  “Thank you for not only putting your money where your mouth is,” with leadership on issues such as school safety and appropriate student use of cell phones, “but also making it happen because I know that’s huge, and it’s nice to see we’re still a leader in this area.” 

School Board member Erin Ragsdale noted the board is continuing to seek a meeting with the local legislative delegation to gain clarity on its legislation related to financial audits.

The School Board also:

• Heard a report from School Board member Kelly Poole on her participation in the Georgia School Boards Association summer conference as the board’s delegate;

• School Board Chair Janet Read Welch thanked her fellow board members for participating in graduation ceremonies, noting Ms. Poole’s participation in all seven ceremonies;

• Heard the monthly financial report, which is online here.  By way of an update to School Board inquiries relative to HB 581 impact calculations, Superintendent Mary Elizabeth Davis also reported that, following several unsuccessful attempts by staff to obtain, through an informal process, an independent review and validation of its financial impacts as directed by the board, a formal request for quotes now will be released with a goal of selecting a vendor within 30 days;

• Heard the monthly capital outlay report, which is online here.  All projects, including construction of the new replacement Cherokee HS campus, classroom additions at Creekland MS/Creekview HS, and improvement projects at Teasley MS, River Ridge HS, and Sequoyah HS, are on schedule and within budget;

• Heard a report on CCSD athletic directors’ and high school coaches’ responses to a survey about school athletic uniform apparel purchasing procedures.  At the direction of the School Board at the May meeting, staff polled stakeholders starting with athletic directors and head coaches for all 26 sports at each of the six traditional high schools.  School Board member Chance Beam has proposed the idea of considering a single districtwide vendor for school athletic uniforms and apparel, with the use of the vendor optional for teams;

• Recognized PTA Reflections fine arts contest national and state first-place winners.  Learn more here and here;

• Recognized Career and Technical Student Organization competition national and state first-place winners.  Learn more here and here;

• Recognized Atlanta American Institute of Architects High School Design Competition first-place winner Etowah HS rising junior Kathryn Flannery.  Learn more here;

• Recognized Young Georgia Authors Writing Competition regional first-place winners.  Learn more here;

• Recognized CCSD Elementary School Academic Bowl winner: Hickory Flat ES.  Learn more here;

• Recognized Cherokee County Art Competition winners.  Learn more here;

• Recognized Positive Athlete Georgia statewide award and scholarship winners.  Learn more here and here;

• Recognized Georgia High School Association regional and state champions.  Learn more here;

• Recognized Don Stevens and Bob Burns Memorial Scholarship recipients.  Learn more here;

• Approved the first reading of annual updates to School Board Policies, which are online here;

• Approved amendments to the Fiscal Year 2025 and 2026 budgets to reflect changes in state function categories; under-budget construction projects; construction bond refinancing; and costs associated with upgrading School Nutrition equipment.  Ms. Poole praised financial management staff for its work to develop a budget that, unlike many other metro counties, decreased overall spending while increasing employee pay and did so without needing to raise the millage rate or pull from reserves.  “I think that is something to celebrate,” Ms. Poole said, with Ms. Read Welch noting the new early budget adoption process also required additional work on the part of the financial management team.

• Approved a resolution certifying the completion of the new replacement Free Home ES construction project; and,

• Approved the renewal of a memorandum of understanding with Mountain Education to allow the continuation of the charter school’s evening high school program at the Etowah High East building, which currently serves about 300 CCSD students.  “This makes such a difference for so many students,” Ms. Read Welch said of the partnership.  “I definitely know how important it is and the difference we’re making – not just for today, but for the future for these kids.”