By: Jeremy Handel, Staff Writer
jeremy@thewoodrufftimes.com
In their first meeting since the tragic passing of Dr. Randy Grant, the Spartanburg County School District Four Board of Trustees honored his memory by wearing maroon and gold ribbons, including one placed on his nameplate at his seat, and voted not to appoint a replacement for his seat prior to this fall’s election.
The Board had the option to appoint someone to fill the seat left vacant by Dr. Grant’s passing; however, the Trustees decided against that option. Chairman Tony Davis read a statement on behalf of the Board to address the issue.
“At this time, it is the unanimous opinion of this Board to leave the seat once filled by Dr. Randy Grant unfilled. After careful deliberation and discussion, this Board feels confident that we can operate efficiently and carry out all District Four School Board matters, with an eight-member board. In light of the fact that there is an election scheduled for November (just a few months away), the voters will fill the seat. We elect to leave the seat vacant until that time in honor of Dr. Randy Grant. All things considered, we feel like this is the right thing to do,” the statement read.
Dr. Grant had served on the Board of Trustees for eight years, including as vice chairman for the past two years. He is a lifelong supporter of the Woodruff School district and particularly the athletic program. Dr. Grant was planning to run for re-election in this November’s election.
The Board appointed Trustee Morgan Smith to serve as the new vice chairman and nominated Trustee Jay Phillips to replace Dr. Grant on the R.D. Anderson Applied Technology Center board.
Assistant Superintendent of Business and Finance Chris Benfield provided the Board with a preliminary presentation of the proposed budget for the 2023-2024 school year. The $31.2 million budget represents an increase of $2.3 million, or 11.5 percent, over the current year. The majority of the increase is represented by increases in salaries and benefits and higher insurance rates. Benfield also said there were increases in operations and supplies due to inflation.
He also presented the preliminary budgets for McCarthy Teszler and R.D. Anderson schools, which mirrored the district’s budget with increases in pay and benefits for teachers and staff. None of the budgets are projecting an increase in taxes to residents.
The full budget will be presented for a vote at the annual budget hearing on Monday, June 26 at 6 p.m. in the district office. The hearing is open to the public.
In other business, the Board approved an agreement with the City of Woodruff for sewer services to the new high school with one amendment proposed to the agreement. The District requested an amendment to provide a full refund of any sewer construction costs over $500,000 through a credit on all sewer bills throughout the district – not just the new high school. Superintendent Dr. Rallie Liston clarified that spreading the refund out across the district would lessen the amount of time the reimbursement would be completed.
The Board also approved a $130,844 expense to replace the district’s aging computer network infrastructure. The current equipment has reached its end of life and will no longer be serviced by the manufacturer. The new equipment will be designed specifically by the district by Dell and be able to be expanded to include the new high school.
New staff members were also approved by the Board, including Woodruff Primary School teachers Jessica Norris, Ki’ore Hunter, and Chloe Camantigue; Woodruff Elementary School teachers Cassidy Rector and James Taylor; and Woodruff Middle School teacher Katie Harbin. The district also hired two assistant principals, Allison Duckett at Woodruff Primary School and Jami Guker at Woodruff Elementary School.
Trustees also approved two items required by state law. The first amends the current budget to comply with new revenue account numbers adopted by the state. The second puts in place a board policy to recognize and mandate 30 minutes of unencumbered time each day for all teachers.
In-school reports:
Woodruff primary school reported that students and staff raised more than $1,100 for P.S. I Love You Ministries. They also announced staff awards, including Student Support Staff Member of the Year Lynn Teague; Support Staff Member of the Year Jordan Hyatt, and Teacher of the Year Ben Smith.
Woodruff Elementary School announced several awards, including Teacher of the Year, Lindsey Thompson, and Support Staff Person of the Year, Brittney Brown. They also announced student awards that included Lena Epton for the Victory Award, Emery Page for Hanna Lister Horizon Award, Aubrey Shealy for the Jon Bolt Award, and Martin Alvarez-Lopez for the Lena Kirstein Award.
Woodruff Middle School announced awards to Daniel Westmoreland for Teacher of the Year, James Taylor for Support Staff of the Year, and Wanda Brown for “High’ly” Dedicated to WMS.
Woodruff High School reported that awards day was a great success, with several students receiving awards and scholarships.
The District Four Board of Trustees meets on the first Monday of every month, except July, at 6 p.m. in the district office. The meetings are open to the public, and the next meeting will be held on Monday, August 1.
