The Oglethorpe County Board of Education discussed Oglethorpe County Extension coordinator Shanna Reynolds’ request to provide funding for a full-time extension program assistant at its monthly meeting Tuesday night.
“(The BOE is) already funding $4,000 for that position, and so I’m asking them to pull an additional $18,000,” Reynolds said. “The total funding from (the BOE and Board of Commissioners) would be equal. (They) would each be funding $22,765 annually.”
Reynolds said she was notified in April that federal funding to the program would “stop immediately” and full-time employees would not be able to log hours.
The board didn’t vote on the request and will consider it for the agenda next week, BOE chair Becky Soto said. A work session is scheduled for July 29.
The Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 to fund its part of the salary after Reynolds spoke at its meeting earlier this month.
The extension office had benefited from the position for nine years, with Kayla Latimer filling the role before the cuts.
“With us serving four to 500 students per year through our programs, you could imagine the place of desperation that could kind of put us in,” she said. “We really were not expecting it.”
In other business, Sharon Synan, who oversees instructional technology, strategic planning and is the assessment coordinator, presented the 2026-2030 strategic plan, emphasizing a need for improvement in student performance, enhancing school-wide mentoring programs and a need to continue the Five Year Facility Plan.
The BOE approved the April and May financial reports and July 22 personnel report.
Superintendent Beverley Levine recommended placing the Board Policy GARH (Employee Leave and Absences) under review until the next board meeting on Aug. 12.
She said the board clarified that principals and other supervisors are not authorized to change the work calendar. State legislation also approved additional leave for those who choose to donate organs.
Levine also approved the placement of the E-SPLOST referendum on the ballot for the November election.
“This is not a new tax for them, but it’s the continuation of 1 cent on the dollar,” she said. “As a school system, we can always only levy one penny. This one is really critical for us.”
The Foothills Memorandum of Understanding was next on the agenda, where Levine said there was a decrease from roughly 100 students to 60 due to a change in age requirements.
“If a kid dropped out from (Oglethorpe County High School), they can’t just automatically enroll (at Foothills),” Levine said. “They have to be 18 before they can do that. Otherwise, they have to sit out a semester.”
Oglethorpe County Elementary School (OCES) was recognized as a 2024-25 John Hancock Banner and Proficiency Award winner.
The meeting concluded with a calendar of upcoming events:
- The new teacher orientation is set for July 23-24.
- A ribbon cutting for the Oglethorpe County Elementary School is July 27.
- The back to school breakfast July 29 at OCMS at 8 a.m.
- The open house for all schools is July 29-30.
- Community Day is Aug. 2.