Here is a recap of the Dec. 9 meeting of the Greenville County Schools board of trustees.
Approved: Letter to congressional delegation
The board unanimously approved a letter to Greenville County’s congressional delegation requesting guidance concerning changes to the U.S. Department of Education.
The letter outlines the school board’s concerns regarding the Department of Education’s efforts to shift the administration of certain education programs to other federal agencies. More information is also requested about plans to transition the administration of certain federal education funding to the states.
Trustee Chuck Saylors, one of the letter’s authors, said the questions regarding the implementation and management of these changes need to be answered in order for GCS to move forward with developing its budget for fiscal year 2027.
According to the letter, GCS receives $14 million in federal funding each month. This funding is used for literacy, after school care, career and technical education, food and nutrition services, special education, Title 1, and other areas.
“Without written guidance regarding funding from the federal level to the states and local districts, we could struggle to properly identify the best direction for our district,” the letter said.
The board gave initial approval to the letter at its committee of the whole meeting held on Tuesday morning. The letter from Board Chair Carolyn Styles on behalf of the school board will be sent to Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Tim Scott, Rep. William Timmons and Rep. Sheri Biggs.
Additional items
- Superintendent Burke Royster announced that the school district received approval from the South Carolina Department of Transportation and the South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of School Facilities to rearrange the bus loop at Greenville Senior High School. This will enable the district to create 50 new parking spaces for the school.
- The board approved an access and parking easement request for a property adjacent to Oakview Elementary School that is owned by Five Forks Methodist Church. The school would used the property for overflow event parking.
- The board approved a sanitary sewer easement requested by Five Forks Methodist Church at Oakview Elementary School.
- The board discussed debt service millage and bond financing at the committee of the whole meeting on Dec. 9. The discussion revolved around the tax revenue collected for the district’s debt service fund, which is used to pay off the general obligation bonds issued by GCS for its capital improvement program.
