Board Business Briefs: Board Reviews Budget, Votes to Reopen Canton ES

The Cherokee County School Board at its regular meeting on Thursday, March 19, 2026, adopted the tentative budget for next school year, which invests more than ever in resources positively impacting students, teachers and support staff, and school safety and security, without increasing the historic low millage rate.

The Board also considered the future use of the current Cherokee High School campus and voted to renovate the current Cherokee North to reopen it in August 2028 as Canton Elementary School, with the main campus to be appraised and advertised for sale, with proceeds supporting career readiness and other vocational educational programs at each of the district’s high schools and programs.  Construction of the new replacement campus for Cherokee HS, funded by the voter-approved Education-SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax), is within budget and on schedule to open this August. 

During the meeting, the Board approved the first readings of new policies and policy updates to increase student academic ownership through adjustments in grading, promotion and retention practices, the role of student learning devices in classrooms, and how social media may be used in schools; and appointed new assistant principals and district leaders for next school year.

The meeting began with a work session at 5:30 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.

 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

The Superintendent’s recommended budget for next school year, which is online here, is based on School Board members’ priorities: advancing competitive compensation for employees, while keeping the millage rate steady and preserving low class sizes.

Public millage rate hearings are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on April 2 and 16 and at 6:30 p.m. on April 16. The Board is scheduled to vote on the final budget and millage rate at its 7 p.m. April 23 meeting.  Financial Facts, a report on the budget written for the community to better understand its details, is online here.

Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Owen reviewed how the School Board’s commitment to the best possible education for students at the best possible value to the community has resulted in an impressive return on investment.  He noted the district’s rise to 8th-highest student performance, up from 21st, out of 180 school districts in Georgia, while at the same time, the central office shrank to the 6th smallest general administration (decreasing further from 9th smallest) as the School Board invests more in classrooms as close to students as possible.

The proposed pay increases for next school year, designed to attract and retain talented and dedicated teachers, support staff and school leaders, include both salary longevity “step” salary increases and 3% raises for eligible full-time and part-time employees.  Additionally, PreK teachers’ salary scale will be aligned with K-12 teachers; and hourly rates are increasing for all bus drivers, paraprofessionals who serve in self-contained classrooms, and paraprofessional substitutes.

The budget also continues the shift of central office funds to school-based budgets, as approved last school year, to support fine arts, STEM and other classroom consumable instructional materials, classroom supplies, and instructional expenses … reducing teacher out-of-pocket expenses and class fees to parents.

Increased investments in safety and security include the hiring of five campus crossing guards to complement those provided by the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, adding four more school custodians to the team, and improving cybersecurity.

As part of continuing efforts to raise student achievement, the budget invests in acquiring a customized learning tool for reading and math intervention and enrichment and a K-12 Balanced Assessment System.  The assessment system will provide resources to teachers in all grades and across all subjects for developing quizzes and tests; and the customized learning tool will provide instructional support to teachers for support more individualized student learning in grades K-10 English language arts and math classes.

Another budget highlight is the investment to acquire more laptop computers for launching a new model of assigning devices to students, beginning next school year with all middle schools.  The Board during the meeting also heard the first reading of a new policy, detailed further below, to set the expectation that these laptops are a tool to support, but not replace, teacher instruction.

While the district will see decreases in federal and state funding, expenses are rising by $3.8 million for the district’s portion of Teacher Retirement System (TRS) and State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) costs for next school year.  Ninety-two percent of the general fund operating budget is invested in salaries and benefits for teachers, support staff and administrators, with the district shrinking its central office general administration costs to sixth lowest in Georgia (down further from ninth lowest). 

School Board member Patsy Jordan asked about TRS and SHBP increases.  Mr. Owen noted that the district’s costs for SHBP have doubled in recent years, exceeding the increased cost from the state to individual employees, and that while TRS costs paid by districts are rising, the percentage employees pay is staying steady at 6%.

To maintain current operations and provide competitive pay, while holding the millage rate steady and paying increased state expenses for benefits, the district balanced the budget by making further central office spending cuts, paying more expenses by leveraging the Education-SPLOST (Special Purpose Option Sales Tax), and instituting bus stop-arm cameras to improve student and bus driver safety with assessed fines to be used for improving safety and security.  Due to strong stewardship practices, the district avoided the previously anticipated need to reduce the amount of funding maintained in cash reserves.

School Board members Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison and Kelly Poole shared their appreciation for the work of Mr. Owen and staff.

“I just want to thank the whole team for a heavy focus on taking that next swipe at closing the gap on teacher pay with other districts,” Ms. Poole said, noting the step increases and 3% salary increases.  “I am so grateful that we were able to not have to draw from reserves …  it was a great relief to this School Board member personally.”

CHEROKEE HIGH SCHOOL TRANSITION

With construction on time and within budget for the new replacement campus for Cherokee High School, the School Board heard updates on final preparations and made milestone decisions on the future use of the current campus.

NEW CAMPUS: The new campus has received conditional certificates of occupancy with work now underway to design the campus traffic flow for bus and car traffic and student and employee parking.  In addition to using city- and CCSD-commissioned traffic study data, Chief Support Services Officer Trey Moores shared in his report to the Board that bus drivers and staff in cars conducted a practice exercise on the March 10 remote learning day to see possible patterns in action.  A final plan, which is online here, also was shared Thursday by Chief of Staff Tyler Gwynn that is designed to ensure legacy items are either transferred to the new campus (including the original totem pole, Squat sculpture, and the Tommy Baker Field sign currently located at the main entrance); honored through digitization; donated appropriately; and/or made available for purchase in alignment with the district’s surplus policy. 

“This is a beautiful facility,” School Board member Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison said.  “I can’t wait for everybody to get inside and see it.”

CURRENT CAMPUS: The school district collected significant community feedback as to possible future uses of the current campus, with more than 2,800 parents, business and community partners, and alumni participating in focus groups, and surveys conducted at all school faculty meetings.  Nine common themes for possible uses emerged, and these ideas were evaluated with three questions in mind: will the use positively impact student learning and achievement; will the use address an identified need or mitigate an organizational risk; and is the use financially acceptable and sustainable.

Two themes emerged as meeting the criteria and the Board on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution to move forward with them: renovating the current Cherokee North to reopen it in August 2028 as Canton Elementary School; and appraising the main campus and advertising for sale, with proceeds to support career readiness and other educational programs.

The timeline to reopen Canton ES requires time for renovations as well as for conducting the process to determine which homes will be included in the school’s attendance area.

Board Chair Janet Read Welch, Board member Kelly Poole and Dr. Padgett-Harrison all spoke of their excitement about the reopening of Canton ES and their optimism for new community use of the main Cherokee HS campus.

“This fulfills a promise to the community that Rick Steiner, Patsy Jordan and myself (as the Board members in office at the time) made” to reopen the school, said Ms. Poole, noting it was a “very difficult” decision for the Board to repurpose Canton ES as part of Cherokee HS in 2017.

You can learn more about the transition from the current campus to the new on our newly created dedicated webpage at www.cherokeek12.net/divisions/support-services/once-always.

INCREASING STUDENT ACADEMIC OWNERSHIP

In alignment with the district’s Core Belief that “All students are highly engaged in their education and are capable of reaching their full learning potential,” the School Board has been laser focused on strengthening student academic ownership and student responsibility.

The Board, over the past two years, set its first-ever Student Performance Goals, established expectations for appropriate student use of cell phones at school, appropriate student attire, and timely submission of student work. 

The Board took an important next step on Thursday with the first readings of two new policies and updates to two policies designed to further support student academic ownership and raise student academic achievement.  These policies are the culmination of several months of thoughtful engagement, feedback, and collaborative planning.  Following further review and adjustment, the final versions of the policies will be considered for adoption at the April meeting for implementation for next school year.

School Board Policy IHA - Grading Systems and IHE - Promotion and Retention

Although conversations about academic ownership and student accountability started in the spring 2024, focused feedback about grading systems and student placement, promotion, and retention started with the School Board in October.  Discussion focused on the need for clarity about grades and how schools communicate with families and support students when academic concerns are noted.

The Board identified the following themes for grading systems: accurate reflection of what students can do, promote student accountability and academic ownership, and consistent reporting structures that provide insights and information to families; and for student placement, promotion, and retention: based on mastery of standards, reflective of multiple types of student performance data, and results in intervention and support for students.  Using these themes as a guide, district staff engaged multiple stakeholder groups to ensure policies would reflect classroom realities and best practices. 

IHA - Grading Systems: This policy, which is online here, reflects a renewed focus on communicating student progress toward mastery of standards, emphasizes clarity and consistency, and ensures that grades better reflect what students know and are able to do.  The policy removes course extension after a grade is posted and provides tighter guardrails around credit recovery opportunities for high school courses; changes the Grade 3 standards-based report card, starting next school year, to the numerical and letter grading system in use for Grades 4-12; and re-establishes summer school for middle school and high school, as well as other extended learning opportunities.  Additionally, the policy commits to the development and deployment of the best possible grading and reporting tools for students in grades K–2, recognizing the unique developmental needs of early learners.  This work will continue over the coming year, with implementation of updated K–2 tools planned to begin in the 2027–28 school year.

IHE - Promotion and Retention: The proposed modifications to this policy, which is online here, reflect a renewed focus on early identification based on a variety of data points, and clear supports for students who display academic concerns.  The policy introduces an academic notification process for students not making grade-level progress towards standards mastery, and establishes extended learning opportunities for students demonstrating gaps in learning.

School Board Policy IFB - Instructional Role of Student Learning Devices: In alignment with the Board’s Core Belief, “Employees are trusted and supported as professionals and provided with the resources to elevate student outcomes,” this new policy establishes a commitment to providing teachers with technology resources and a vision for how this technology can be leveraged as a component of the district’s Cohesive System of Teaching and Learning in CCSD.  The policy, which is online here, incorporates feedback from teachers, leaders, parents, and families and is designed to support the teacher as the instructional expert.  The establishment of this policy sets the conditions for introducing the district’s new model of assigning devices to students, beginning next school year with all middle schools. 

School Board Policy IFBG - Internet Acceptable Use Policy: The proposed update to the district’s existing policy, which is online here, ensures compliance with the Protecting Georgia’s Children on Social Media Act.  The Act allows very specific use of social media by students at school for educational purposes, with other uses prohibited and filtering systems required.  The update also addresses employee communications with students, requiring professional and appropriate communications, whether in person or through digital platforms; that official written communications should be through district-approved systems whenever possible, moving away from other systems and social media; and that private or personal communications with students is prohibited.

 THIRD-PARTY PERSONNEL SURVEY

The School Board selected Hanover Research earlier this school year to gather employee insights through a third-party survey in alignment with the district’s Core Belief that “Employees are trusted and supported as professionals and provided with resources to elevate student outcomes.”

Each School Board member shared appreciation for employees who participated in the survey.

“Teacher voice has been a top priority throughout my service on the School Board,” School Board member Erin Ragsdale said.  “To truly serve both our students and staff well, we must have an honest opinion of what is working and where we need to improve.  Your feedback provides that insight and it matters … your feedback will not sit on a shelf – it will lead to action.  We are here to serve you, just as you serve our students every day.”

School Board Vice Chair Patsy Jordan noted her appreciation, as a retired CCSD teacher, for participating employees’ openness.

“We don’t want you to fear telling us what the issues are so that we can help to make them better,” she said.  “I have been on the other side (as an employee).  I understand that the work you do each day is challenging, but you do it with grace.” 

Of the 6,000 surveys distributed, 3,078 employees participated by rating the district’s performance in various areas, and 1,049 of those participants provided further feedback through personal comments.  A summary report of the survey results is online here.

“I read the actual comments … and what stands out: it wasn’t complaints -- it was commitment,” School Board member Chance Beam said.  “You told us where things are working; you told us where things aren’t.  You named specific issues: compensation, student behavior, resources in the classroom, leadership at the building level that either lifted you up or needed some working on. I will commit to making sure this data drives real conversations and real decisions.” 

School Board member Rick Steiner thanked support staff for participating in the survey along with teachers.

“Now it’s up to the Board and the Superintendent to rectify these things and get us going in the right direction,” he said.

Superintendent of Schools Mary Elizabeth Davis spoke to the four main themes that surfaced through the survey: competitive compensation; improving access to technology and technology infrastructure; advancing student academic ownership and responsibility; and improving quality teacher planning and preparation time.

Superintendent Davis outlined action steps, which are posted online here, to specifically address how the district will begin responding to concerns raised by employees.  Some of those steps are being addressed by actions the Board took Thursday with the budget’s investment in competitive compensation and classroom technology and School Board Policies focused on increasing student academic responsibility.  

Additional steps to be implemented for next school year include: reducing student assessments (CogAT and PSAT9); moving Georgia Milestones assessment days to May; and adjusting the student calendar for next school year to begin elementary school parent-teacher conference days with early dismissal for elementary students on those days, as well as academic conference days for elementary, middle, and high school students with early dismissal for all students on those days. 

“I, too, want to applaud our School Board’s vision for not just taking some words and saying, ‘we trust and care about supporting our employees,’ but really taking action” Superintendent Davis said.  “It’s what healthy organizations do: they solicit perspectives, feedback, and insights based on the experiences of individuals in order to evaluate what is working, what isn’t working and how do we continuously improve.”

“The secret ingredient in Cherokee is the talent of our employees,” she said, adding her appreciation for employees sharing their insights through participation in the survey and continued participation in district focus groups.  “Our focus, as we set our eyes on next school year, is really going to be how do we advance a supportive environment for all employees within our high-performing culture.  Professional development, leadership development and overall priorities will reflect that commitment – a commitment to CCSD being the best possible place to teach, to lead, and to serve in public education”

STRATEGIC PLAN DEVELOPMENT

The school district is on a mission to be the highest-performing school district in Georgia and is inviting the community to help develop a plan for its future.

The Elevate 2032 long-range strategic plan will be developed for School Board adoption using stakeholder feedback gathered through focus groups meetings, a community forum, and an online survey.

The plan development began with the Board’s visioning session at its Whole Board Training earlier this winter.  The Board’s vision now is driving the plan’s development, from shaping the framework for the community engagement process to outlining the structure for the strategic plan.

During Thursday’s work session, the Board heard a report, which is online here, on the community engagement work underway.  These reports will continue monthly leading to the presentation in June of a draft strategic plan for the Board’s consideration for adoption in July.   

NEW LEADERS

As part of its approval of the monthly human resources employment recommendations, the School Board also approved new district leadership and assistant principal appointments for next school year:

• Victoria Brown, an assistant principal at Etowah HS, will serve as an assistant principal and athletic director for Woodstock HS;
• Kirsten Hargadon, Clark Creek ES STEM Academy instructional lead strategist, will serve as an assistant principal for Hasty ES Fine Arts Academy;
• Jonathan Hightower, Woodstock HS teacher, will serve as an assistant principal for Cherokee HS;
• Zach Lawson, a Woodstock HS teacher, will serve as an assistant principal for Sequoyah HS;
• Kristin Mondich, a teacher on special assignment at Boston ES, will serve as an assistant principal for Little River ES;
• Marina Ross, Sequoyah HS instructional lead strategist, will serve as an assistant principal for Creekland MS;
• Amanda Stewart, Special Education facilitator at Sixes ES, will serve as an assistant principal for Ball Ground ES STEM Academy; and,
• John Wilson, E.T. Booth MS teacher, will serve as an assistant principal for Dean Rusk MS.

Three appointments are for roles beginning this month:

• Scott Davis, a district Technology systems analyst, will serve as the division’s director of enterprise services;
• Adam Parker, Special Education facilitator at Tippens Education Center, will serve as an assistant principal at the school; and,
• Justin Pearce, a teacher and coach at Woodstock HS, will advance to serve as the school’s head football coach.

The School Board on Thursday also accepted retirements and approved school and district leadership reappointments for next school year; you can see the full list of Board-approved HR recommendations online here.  

The retirements include longtime Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Owen, who announced he will retire in September.

Mr. Owen, who joined CCSD in 2001, was appointed to his current role in 2014 after serving as the district’s director of grants accounting, internal audits and budgets and director of grants management.  During his tenure as chief financial officer, the district has established numerous new practices to increase accountability and transparency and has earned Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting awards annually from the Government Financial Officers Association -- the highest national recognition award for excellence in financial reporting.

The School Board also:

• Heard welcome remarks from Superintendent of Schools Mary Elizabeth Davis, who noted the current Governance Team’s one-year anniversary and shared appreciation for the district’s Transportation team of bus drivers and staff for their professional response to this week’s delayed start due to inclement weather;
• Heard Student Delegate remarks from Shannon Power of i-Grad Virtual Academy.  Each Delegate takes a turn at the dais, on a rotating basis, and shares remarks on behalf of the group, adding an opportunity for student insight at every Board meeting.  “Tonight, the delegates and I got to be part of the engagement in Cherokee County,” she said.  “We got to give our input on the school district strategic plan and talk about our schools and teachers.  We are proud of how Cherokee County has grown, and we are excited to see the next steps of this strategic plan;”
• Heard an update from School Board Chair Janet Read Welch on the recent Whole Board Training session.  She noted it was an outstanding opportunity for Board members to collaborate on developing the policies that had their first reading Thursday night as well as long-range strategic planning.  “We want high standards,” she said.  “We want the opportunity to strengthen student responsibility and academic ownership so they can learn more in this community and this school district than they could anywhere else.”
• Heard the monthly financial report for February, which is online here;
• Heard the monthly capital outlay report, which is online here.  All projects, including construction of the new replacement Cherokee HS campus and improvements to River Ridge, Sequoyah, and Woodstock High School campuses, are on schedule and within budget;
• Recognized Regional, Super Regional and State First Lego League Robotics competition winners.  Learn more here;
• Recognized All State Band and Orchestra honorees.  Learn more here;
• Recognized Georgia High School Association State and Region Champions.  Learn more here;
• Recognized Kim George of Mill Creek MS as the CCSD Media Specialist of the Year.  Learn more here;
• Recognized six students for achieving Eagle Scout this winter.  Learn more here;

Congratulations to School Board Vice Chair Patsy Jordan and Rick Steiner on earning Georgia School Boards Association milestone service pins for 12 years and 20 years.

• Recognized School Board Member Appreciation Week.  Learn more here;

• Recognized Parent Teacher Association (PTA) leaders for their service.  Learn more here;
• Selected Board member Kelly Poole as the 2026 Georgia School Boards Association annual conference School Board Delegate and Board member Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison as the alternate; and,
• Approved the renewal of the Partnership Agreement with Optimist Clubs.