School Board Connection
A Summary of the Action Taken at the April 10th, 2025 – Florence 1 Schools Board of Trustees Meeting
Members present:
S. Porter Stewart, Chairman; Trisha C. Caulder, Vice-Chairman; Kimrey-Ann Haughn, Secretary; Dr. Gloria Bracey, Bryan Chapman, Carla Eaddy, Davy Gregg, EJ McIver, and Barry Townsend
Superintendent’ Report
Dr. Richard O’Malley, Superintendent of Florence 1 Schools, presented Bertha Wilson, a bus driver in the Florence 1 Schools Transportation Department, with the Hidden Hero Award. Watch the video of Bertha Wilson: April 2025 Hidden Hero Bertha Wilson to learn more about why she is deserving of this award.
Chief Financial Officer Laura Showe provided the following updates:
Risk Assessment Scores - The District's SCDE Risk Assessment Score is a 10. This is down one point from last year. The lowest rating to receive is a nine.
Procurement Audit - The fiscal year ’23 - ‘24 procurement audit did not report any findings for the school district or areas of non-compliance.
Procurement Reporting Compliance with Policy DJ – The annual report provided to the Board of Trustees showed that $18 million of school district funds are spent with vendors within the Florence zip codes; revealed the numbers of procurements issued under Cooperative Purchasing Agreements, Sole Source, Emergency or exemption code purchases; stated that our MBE expenditures were $4.8 million or 5% of the budget.
Action Items
The Board of Trustees approved of the following items:
●Financial statements, minutes of the March 13th regular meeting, and requested field trips: Wilson High Academic Team, Atlanta, Georgia, May 23rd-26th; South Florence High Football Team, Knoxville, Tennessee, June 4th-5th and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, June 11th-12th; Wilson High FBLA teachers to Anaheim, California, June 28th-July 3rd, all received approval.
●Revised Contract for Professional Services –Improvements in Professional Services Contracts for the 2025-2026 school year will include specific assignment location language; salary placement clarification; and updated responsibilities language which has been added to clarify teacher expectations regarding student supervision, assigned duties, and participation in meetings/training activities.
●Contract Renewals for the 2025-2026 School Year including appointments to administrative positions: April Leroy, West Florence High School; Myah Woods, Wallace Gregg Elementary School; and Nichole Scipio, Executive Director of the School of Innovation in Healthcare.
●International Agencies for Foreign Exchange Students 2025-2026 - Through this program, exchange students live with a volunteer host family and attend a local Florence 1 high school. Each student is assigned a personal International Student Exchange representative to provide supervision and assistance during their stay.
●USDA Community Eligibility Program (CEP) 2025-2026
Florence 1 Schools will participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) which is a non-pricing meal service option in 2025-2026. CEP will allow a school district to serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students without collecting household applications. Instead, the district is reimbursed using a formula based on the percentage of students categorically eligible for free meals based on their participation in other specific means-tested programs.
●2026 District Strategic/School Renewal Plans Strategic Plans and School Renewal which are updated every year after the initial five-year plan. It is an accountability plan where the focus is on Student Achievement, Teacher Quality and School Climate. Schools are expected to review all data sources and develop an Executive Summary and goals with action plans in each area. The annual due date is April 30th.
●Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) - Dual Enrollment - Florence 1 Schools has renewed its dual enrollment options for high school students which include colleges and universities across the state: Coker University, College of Charleston, Columbia International University, Francis Marion University, Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Lander University, South Carolina State University, and Winthrop University.
●Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) – This MOA is with Florence School District Two for Grounds Maintenance of the property on the Timmonsville school campus for the 2025-2026 school year.
●Financial Audit Contract for 2025-2028 has been awarded to the firm of Mauldin & Jenkins.
●Second Reading of Policy JLCDA, Use of Lifesaving Medication - The policy reflects an update to include any medication that is administered to a person experiencing a medical emergency.
First Readings:
The 2025-2026 Budget– An Outcome Based Budget - The General Fund
Proposed Revenue Budget for 2025-2026 is $208.9 million, and the general operating millage will be set at 213.7. This is a $8.0 million or a 4.0% increase from the FY24-25 Budget. The budget includes a mandated pay raise for teachers of $1,500 plus a step, 2% pay increase on the state bus drivers scale and a $1,500 plus step increase for all other employees plus continuing to fund an SRO in all schools across the District. There will be a public hearing on the proposed 2025-2026 budget which will take place on June 12th at 6:00pm the location will be announced closer to the date. The board will hear second reading of the budget at its regular meeting in June.
First Reading of Policy GCCA, Employee Wellness and Dental Exam Leave
This policy supports employee well-being by offering one (1) paid leave day per school year for full-time employees to attend personal wellness and/or dental appointments.
Eligibility: Full-time employees only; leave is for the employee’s own appointments, not family members. Read the entire policy: Employee Wellness and Dental Exam Leave
First Reading of Policy GCCAA, Community Volunteer Leave - The adoption of a Community Volunteer Leave policy supports employee involvement in community service activities that reflect the district’s commitment to civic responsibility. Full-time employees with at least two full years of service are eligible. Read the entire policy: Community Volunteer Leave.
Awards and Recognitions:
The Board of Trustees honored the following students and staff members:
High School All-State Band Students: South Florence’s: Mitchell Godwin and Cadence Story; West Florence’s Carter Anderson and Jovon Cauthen; Wilson’s ZiMo Wei.
Middle School All-State Band Students: Moore Middle’s William Mills, Jameson Dunham; Sneed Middle’s Colton Westbrook and Daniel Branch; Williams Middle’s Ella Quann.
Middle School All-State Orchestra Students: Moore Middle’s Kate Freeman, Kathryn Huang, and Vivian Jao; Williams Middle’s Abigail Huang, Liyang Ye, and Chengxi Li.
Both All State Band and All-State Orchestra Students: Moore Middle School's Jackson March and Madelyn Tilton.
High School Band Directors: Mike Lloyd, South Florence; Johnny Powers, West Florence; and Jarrod Deas, Wilson; Middle School band directors, Johnus Greenlee (Williams) and Matthew Carl (Sneed). Richard Hyman (Moore).
Middle School directors are: Mark Jackson (Moore, orchestra) and Richard Hyman (Moore, band).
Wilson High School IB Diploma Graduates: View the entire listing: 2025 Wilson High School IB Graduates. Brian Howell, IB Coordinator.
South Florence High School Softball Coach Bobby Jones for 600 career wins.
South Florence High School Webmaster Team: First place winners of the SC State Technology Association Conference: Aiden Snow, Noah Evans, Jericho Watford, Jamila Charles and Carson Mitchell.
Florence 1 Schools also received recognition from custodial services partner HES. This award recognizes school division leaders for their exemplary partnership culture with staff, leadership, the governing board, the community, and their supporting partners who together provide an excellent student and staff experience every day.