by Janice Daniel
The Carroll County Board of Education met for their monthly Work Session on Monday, October 20th, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. at 164 Independence Drive, Carrollton, with all board members present. Disrtict 3 Board Member and current chair Kelly Miller (District 3) led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Cheryl Clark, Director of Professional Learning, Assessment & Accountability, advised the board that the Carroll County School District is on track to be the largest school district in the nation to achieve 100% STEM certification by the end of FY2026. Clark said this is a result of “years of intentional planning, collaboration and investment in instructional excellence.”
Communication Specialist Ben Chambers provided more information about STEM certification: The Carroll County Schools are certified by the National Institute for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Education which recognizes individual school campuses for their commitment to, and growth in, teachers’ implementation of 21st Century and STEM strategies. The NISE STEM system evolved from Rice University and integrates the most recent research and best practices in these important fields of study.
In 2018, Whitesburg Elementary became the first school in Carroll County to achieve this certification. Twenty (20) of the schools are now STEM certified and all 23 are expected to be certified by the end of this school year. Further information can be found at https://www.nise.institute.com.
Clark also announced November 3rd, 2025 as the second district-wide Professional Learning Day. Two new teachers of 5th grade math and science at Providence Elementary said they felt very welcomed and well-assisted at every level, and expressed how much they love the “Capturing Kids’ Hearts” program.
Dr. Jessica Ainsworth, Associate Superintendent of School Performance, presented a recommendation for changes to Policy IBB: Charter Schools, and asked that it be put on the Consent Agenda to be voted on at the next regular meeting of the board. The changes come from the State Board of Education (SBOE), Rule 160-4-9-.05, and deal mostly with timelines established by the Office of Charter School Compliance, which are available on their website.
Ainsworth reported that the five (5) Cluster Conversations have been completed and were very successful. Updates were provided and positive feedback received, as well as community and school plans for the future.
Glen Harding, Assistant Superintendent of Support Services, presented the Field Trip Requests and Fundraising Requests, and asked that they be put on Consent Agenda. Harding also presented Board Policy JCDAF: Use of Electronic Devices by Students. House Bill 340 takes effect on July 1, 2026 and outlines the access and use of personal electronic devices for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade while on school premises during school hours. Harding advised that the School District is already following this policy, but said the document will lie on the table for input and be approved at a later meeting.
Harding also presented bid results on two upcoming projects that will be funded by SPLOST VI and State Capital Outlay dollars. RKR Construction had the highest rated proposal and is the recommended contractor for both of the projects, which were approved unanimously by the Board
The Mt. Zion Middle School Project’s estimated budget was $5,433,175, and the bid came in at $5,265,623, or $167,551 under the estimated budget, so the project scope will now not only consist of six (6) new classrooms and renovation of the dining room and kitchen, but also additional parking and application of the Shield System for this school. The project will start in November 2025 with an anticipated completion of August 2026.
The Temple Middle School Project’s estimated budget was $5,433,175, and the bid came in at $5,310,045, or $123,129 under the estimated budget, so the project scope will now consist of six (6) new classrooms and a new front drive and parking, but also other renovations and application of the Shield System. The projected timeline is the same as the Mt. Zion Middle School project.
The School Shield System is used by Carroll County Schools to immediately lock down an entire campus, both inside and out, when a threat is present. Nine (9) campuses currently have it, and when the above projects are finished, eleven (11) campuses will have it. Information can be found at http://www.shieldlockdown.com as well as the Carroll County School District’s website on the Performance Dashboard listed under Stakeholder Engagement. The Shield System is one of a number of safety measures used by the District, including high definition cameras, access control devices, the Centegix Crisis Alert System, the SchoolDog app, and 21 School Resource Officers on school campuses each day.
District 7 Board Member Bryant Turner asked how the schools are prioritized to qualify for the Shield System, and StarNews has reached out to Harding as well. Perhaps more information will be included in the next meeting article.
Delene Wolfe, Assistant Superintendent of Finance, gave highlights of the August 2025 financial reports. Supporting documentation show year-to-date (July 1, 2025 through August 31, 2025) numbers as follows:
Total Revenues $ 6,433,833 or 3% of Budget
Total Expenditures $10,555,329 or 5% of Budget
Unreserved General Fund Balance $23,122,927
SPLOST VI showed receipts of $2.0 million (15.6% increase)
$1.0 million in expenditures, and $5.5 million balance for scheduled projects.
Wolfe also presented the preliminary 2024 Sales Ratio Study with the equalized ratio for Carroll County being 40.01. She said this ratio is used by the state to calculate the district’s local five mils deduction for the next fiscal year (2026-2027) state QBE (Quality Basic Education) funding. She advised that, due to the increase in the tax digest, state funding will decrease. The total Georgia State digest is $1,899,674,610,302 or almost two trillion dollars.
Jared Griffis, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, announced that the Teacher of the Year Program will be at the October 23rd Regular Board Meeting.
After an Executive Session, the Board came back to Regular Session and approved the personnel recommendations made by the Superintendent. They also approved the possible purchase of Temple Parcel No. T04 0030018 (471 Sage Street) for a price of $385,000 plus closing cost.
Under Board Member comments, District 2 Board Member Sandra Morris said she had a lot of calls from parents who expressed appreciation for the cluster meetings which made it very easy for parents to speak.
District 1 Board Member Dr. Bernice Brooks told the Board that she had attended the Villa Rica Mayor and Council meeting of October 14th, 2025, where a citizen speaking in Public Comments expressed concern about the school traffic situation near Glanton-Hindsman Elementary on Thomas Dorsey Street and Eleanor Way. The citizen said that car pick-up parents are lining up as early as noon, and people are parking illegally on both sides of these roads to the extent that residents are not able to back out of their driveways. Turner said they need “Do Not Block Driveways” signs, and Chairman Kelley said he has a meeting scheduled with Villa Rica to work out a plan for this and problems at other Villa Rica schools.
The meeting was then adjourned.