FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. – Faculty, staff and community members were thrilled to hold the July 21st Board meeting at Fannin county’s new Staff Development Center.

The plans for the new Staff Development Center, as well as a new transportation facility, were presented to Fannin County at a board meeting July 23rd of 2020. Earlier in the day FCSS performed a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house to celebrate the completion of the new Staff Development Center. Just as the proposed floor plans showed, the building offers a new board room and training rooms on one side with a new up to date central office on the other side. Terry Bramlett opened up the meeting welcoming all to the new facility stating, “we are excited for administration teams to use this facility”.

Many awards were given during the meeting. The first to be awarded was the FCSS Finance Department. Cherish Fulton with the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts presented the award to the department.

Next to be awarded was Glen Harbison with the Tri-State RoundUp Program. Harbinson was recognized by the board and community for donating funds for the FCSS Summer Bash.

The middle school and high school Technology Student Association (TSA) was recognized for the outstanding hard work and success the students had while competing at the National Conference in Dallas, Texas over the summer. The National TSA Top Finalist in different categories included Karleigh- Jayne Stiles, 10th place in the Nation for photography, Connor Kyle, 5th place in the Nation for Computer Animated Design, Bryce Ware and James Kyle, 9th in the Nation for High School Problem Solving, Sawyer White and Conner Kyle, 3rd in the Nation for Middle School Problem Solving, and Conner Kyle, 9th in the Nation for Mass Production. Among the recognized students, staff member Michelle Davis was also celebrated and awarded for being named the Middle School TSA Sponsor of the year for the state of Georgia.

Bowen and Watson Construction ended the awards ceremony by gifting the Board with a signed shovel that represented the completion of the new facility.

The Board then moved onto item six on the agenda regarding an update on the members of each school government team. Sarah Rigdon provided the list of faculty, parents, students, and community members that would make up each school’s government team.

Dr. Connie Huff was then called upon to present information regarding Open House for the 2022-2023 school year. Open House for the elementary and middle schools will be held July 29th of 2022 from 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM. Fannin County high school open house for 9th grade will be July 28th of 2022 from 5:00 PM until 7:30 PM. Fannin County high school Open House for upperclassmen will be July 29th of 2022 from 1:00 PM until 5:00 PM. Student parking permits will be available for purchase at the PAC from 9:00AM until 10:00AM for seniors on July 20th and all others on July 21st. Students will need their license or school ID along with proof of insurance and $30.00. The first day of school will be held on Monday, August 1st of 2022. New Student Registration information can be found on the FCSS website, www.fannin.k12.ga.us .

Martha Williams, Director of Nutrition and Wellness, was called upon next to discuss meal prices. Williams was excited to announce that they would be getting the first order of groceries this week. Williams also informed the room that students would no longer receive meals at no cost and that once again they would have to be pay for meals aside from breakfast. According to Williams student will receive free breakfast. Those who would still like to receive their food for free or at a reduced amount of 40 cents, will need to complete a free/reduced application online.

“I would encourage all of our families to do this because free reduced lunch forms don’t just go to the lunchroom, they affect the ability for our communications they also help us with our title funding so there are a lot of things tied to this that isn’t just nutrition,” said Williams.

Paper copies will be sent home with every child as well. Parents and students will also see a change in meal prices this school year. The new prices can also be found on the FCSS website.

Williams also informed the Board that COVID 19 guidelines and safety protocol will remain the same as the previous school years.

Robert Ensley then presented an update on Here Comes the Bus. Here Comes the Bus is an active map that allows parents to track on an app where their child’s bus is. The app can track from as little as 400 ft and up to 5 miles away. Parents can register at www.herecomesthebus.com.

The Facilities and Construction department gave an update on Salto usage. Informing the Board that each school was allotted a certain amount of money that they could put towards projects they found necessary.

Lucas Roof, Director of Learning & Achievement, requested approval for automotive technology equipment in order to teach automotive one class in the school system. The board was unanimous in their decision to approve the request. Next Roof requested that the Board table changes be made to two policies regarding parental complaints regarding sensitive subjects and the second regarding parental complaints dealing with materials that could be harmful to minors. The Board again unanimously agreed and the decision to table the decision until the next board meeting in August was accepted.

Superintendent Michael Gwatney recommended an executive session to discuss the topics of real estate, student information, and personnel. The Board agreed unanimously and went into executive session.