Serving Barnwell County and it's neighbors since 1852
The Barnwell County School District board held its first meeting since the consolidation of the county’s districts took effect July 1. School employees, parents, candidates for school board, and other community members attended the August 27 meeting at the Barnwell Primary School auditorium. Two Augusta, Ga. television stations were also in attendance, in addition to The People-Sentinel which is always in attendance.
Superintendent Dr. Crissie Stapleton presented the latest with the Consolidation Plan. According to a letter to the editor received by The People-Sentinel and reports by WJBF and Fox 54, some people thought this would provide an update on the new county-wide high school, particularly where it will be built.
"Decisions about school consolidation cannot be made behind clsoed doors. The community—parents, teachers, students, and local leaders— must have a seat at the table. It is disheartening to learn of the Barnwell County School District Board’s plan to vote on the location of the new school in a private session versus the open community meeting taking place on August 27, 2024. Open dialogue and transparency are essential for building trust and ensuring that the needs of all students are met,” said Columbia resident Shaneen Dials-Corujo in a letter to the editor submitted August 28.
After receiving this letter and seeing false statements on social media and in TV news reports, Stapleton responded to clarify the misinformation.
“There seems to be some miscommunication and misinformation circulating that the consolidation plan is the plan for a new highschool. This is not accurate. The consolidation plan, which was presented and approved at the August 2023 regular board meeting, has been discussed at every monthly board meeting for the past year.
This plan outlines the actual consolidation of district operations-- how departments will be merged, how operational protocols will be consolidated, how needs assessments will be conducted to ensure equity districtwide, and more. In short, the Barnwell County Consolidation Plan addresses how the district is consolidating into our new countywide school district,” said Stapleton in a letter to the editor she wrote to the new- spaper after becoming aware of inaccurate information.
The district’s Facility Plan is what details how the Savannah River Settlement funding will be used for a new comprehensive high school and career center. The Facility Plan was not on the agenda for the August meeting.
“Unfortunately, there is a misconception that this consolidation is only about building a new high school. We have many more immediate needs when consolidating a school district, including equalizing salaries, building a comprehensive budget that offers equitable resources countywide, addressing current facility needs across the district, and more,” said Stapleton in her letter, which can be read in full on the Opinion page.
“During the drill, the participants went through the steps of our safety plan, worked with dispatch (911) to report the incident, observed law enforcement respond in real time, had first responders respond onsite to aid the victims, and practiced evacuating classrooms as law enforcement would do in an emergency situation such as this. The county also activated the emergency command center for the county,” said Stapleton. “Some parts of the drill were simulated but not practiced in real time, such as transportation responding onsite, staff being evacuated off campus, etc.”
Though they hope they never have to face a real active shooter situation, Stapleton said the drill allows the district and their partners to refine their plans. She thanks all agencies that participated.
Continuing the topic of safety, Stapleton discussed how students have participated in bus evacuation drills.
Energy conservation was also part of the Consolidation Plan as Mike Beasley, the district’s director of operations, is working to expand the program to all parts of the district. The former Barnwell School District 45 had operated a program for years, which saved $279,709.33 during the 2023-24 year.
“Weekly walkthroughs and communication are done to ensure energy setbacks are in place and identify cost- saving opportunities,” said Stapleton.
Regarding human resources, Stapleton said all applicable employees have been informed of
their signing bonuses and retention bonuses. The HR department is working closely with finance to have those funds distributed in early September.
Also, the District Teacher of the Year process has begun, and Teachers of the Year will be recognized at the September board meeting.
Stapleton also updated the board on the special education department.
“Although not at full capacity, EDPlan SC is up and running for the IEP and Section 504 components. The Medicaid component will hopefully be operational soon. Currently about 95 percent of users have been set up in EDPlan SC. The department is conducting Virtual EDPlan SC drop-in office hours for any special services teachers/ therapists/504 coordinators to drop-in virtually on Google Meet for technical assistance, to work through setting up upcoming meetings, and/or to address any other issues within the new program,” said Stapleton.
As of August 19, the district had 154 children being served in preschool programs, including 133 four-year-olds and 21 three-year-olds. This includes 102 at Barnwell Primary, 20 at Kelly Edwards Elementary, and 32 at Macedonia Elementary.
Stapleton said there is a waiting list in Barnwell and Williston. They are working with the state to determine the next steps for adding three-year-olds to the Blackville class.
The district is excited to partner with Child’s Trust of South Carolina to plan
implementation of the Healthy Families America home visiting program. This program is already offered through Low Country Health Care System, but Stapleton said they are excited to expand the program’s presence in the county.
“We want to be a resource to our families,” said Stapleton.
The program will promote “Positive Parenting Practices” aimed at improving child safety and preventing maltreatment, improving child health, supporting child development and school readiness, improving maternal health and wellness, increasing economic self- sufficiency, providing linkages and referrals, and reducing family violence.
