Clarke County School District Packet Summary — 2026-08-13
Meeting: 08/13/2026 - 07:00 PM August 13, 2026 Board Meeting Board Meeting
Location: Vernon Payne Meeting Hall, 595 Prince Avenue, Athens, Georgia 30601
The Clarke County Board of Education is scheduled to consider a mix of federal and state grant funding, an Early Head Start/Head Start funding waiver, policy changes, personnel recommendations, financial reports, and student field trips. The agenda also includes informational updates on the district's SPLOST construction program and community oversight activities.
Key Items on the Agenda
FY27 Federal, Special Education and Career-Technical Funding
The Superintendent recommends approval of the district's FY27 federal formula allocations covering ESSA, IDEA, federal and state Career, Technical and Agricultural Education programs, and the local CTAE application.
The packet reports $11,962,375 in total federal and state grant allocations as of July 30, 2026. Major allocations listed in the supporting materials include:
- $5,871,551 — Title I, Part A for improving academic achievement of disadvantaged students.
- $300,000 — Title I, Part A 1003 school-improvement support.
- $767,516 — Title II, Part A for supporting effective instruction.
- $219,100 — Title III, Part A for English learner and immigrant-student language instruction.
- $444,600 — Title IV, Part A for student support and academic enrichment.
- $2,968,006 — IDEA 611 for students with disabilities ages 3–21.
- $77,065 — IDEA 619 Part B for preschool special education.
- $700,000 combined — Two 21st Century Community Learning Centers awards, with $350,000 each for the middle-school S.P.A.R.K. and elementary S.T.A.R. programs.
- $215,110 — Total federal Perkins V CTAE allocation.
- $208,925 — Total state CTAE grants.
The FY27 CTAE local plan identifies priorities that include replacing outdated laboratory equipment, expanding industry certification, increasing access to industry-recognized credentials, supporting teacher professional development and strengthening work-based learning. The plan states that five of the district's 33 pathways have achieved industry certification and sets a goal of adding certifications in graphic communications, business and computer science by June 2028.
The CTAE plan also anticipates support for artificial-intelligence implementation and teacher training, continued development of healthcare programs, and equipment for career pathways. A CTAE presentation is scheduled for the September Board Meeting.
On the consent agenda, the Superintendent recommends authorization to apply for a $10,000 Resilient Northeast Georgia Trauma Informed Communities Grant.
The proposed project, Nurturing Positive Early Childhood Experiences, would support the Office of Early Learning and staff serving Early Head Start, Head Start, Preschool Special Education and Pre-K students. Proposed uses include trauma-informed care and de-escalation training, CLASS interaction training, Pyramid Model classroom tool kits, staff certification, coaching and reflective supervision.
The packet describes the initiative as a preventive approach intended to give early-learning educators a common set of classroom practices for supporting emotional regulation, relationships and school readiness.
Early Head Start/Head Start Non-Federal Share Waiver
The Superintendent recommends that the Board approve the district's intent to seek a non-federal share waiver for the 2025–2026 Early Head Start/Head Start budget period.
The program estimates that it needs a waiver of $724,619 and reports that it can generate approximately $1,086,928 in non-federal share. According to the packet, the shortfall reflects limited local resources, budget reductions affecting potential matching sources, inflation and reduced volunteer engagement.
Program staff report efforts to generate additional match through grants and partnerships with parents, the University of Georgia, community agencies and the school district. The proposed waiver would allow the program to revise the financial objectives of the grant.
Financial Items
May 2026 Financial Report
The May 2026 financial statements are scheduled for an individual Board vote.
For the first 11 months of the fiscal year, the packet reports:
- Actual revenues: $243,992,030.
- Budgeted revenues through May: $244,000,000.
- Actual expenditures: $220,158,622.
- Budgeted expenditures through May: $221,250,000.
- General Fund balance as of May 31: approximately $77.8 million.
- Budgeted May fund balance: approximately $76.7 million.
Actual revenues were $7,970 below the budgeted amount, while expenditures were approximately $1.09 million below the amount budgeted through May. The financial report attributes the expenditure difference primarily to the timing of payments.
SPLOST Construction and Capital Program
The Board is also scheduled to receive the August SPLOST monthly report as an informational item.
The report shows several projects in active construction or closeout. At Gaines Elementary, the soccer field and new playground installation are complete, final building inspections have been completed, a temporary certificate of occupancy has been issued, and the contractor is completing punch-list and closeout work.
At Cedar Shoals High School, remaining work centers on final punch-list verification and project closeout documents. At the West Broad Street Campus, selective interior demolition and structural repair are underway, and a design solution incorporating the Minor Street and Campbell Lane buildings and a new lab building has been selected.
Multiple Summer 2026 roofing projects are also underway at district facilities.
Holston Elementary Renovation
The August SPLOST report indicates that architectural drawings for the Bettye Henderson Holston Elementary renovation are approximately 99% complete and have been submitted to the Georgia Department of Education.
The current schedule calls for construction bid documents to be issued September 1, 2026, with a renovation contract expected to come before the Board in October 2026.
ESPLOST 6
The packet reports $149,815,381 in ESPLOST 6 receipts through July 2026, including adjustments reflected in the program's sales-tax schedule. ESPLOST 6 runs from July 2022 through June 2027 and is capped at $175 million in sales-tax collections.
As of July 31, the report lists $36,814,986 in total ESPLOST 6 cash and investments. The program's projected construction expenditures total approximately $179.85 million, supported by sales-tax revenue and other identified capital resources.
The report also notes that the E-SPLOST 7 referendum is scheduled for November 3, 2026. The packet states that the referendum previously received Board approval at the June 2026 meeting.
Policy and Governance Items
Policy GCRA(1): Drug Screening of Bus Drivers
The Superintendent recommends adoption of revised Policy GCRA(1): Drug Screening of Bus Drivers. This item appears under Business Items for Individual Vote rather than the consent agenda.
The packet identifies a draft policy with proposed changes but does not provide a narrative summary of those changes in the agenda text.
Policy FDAB: Architects Involvement in Long-Range Planning
On the consent agenda, the Superintendent recommends that Policy FDAB: Architects Involvement in Long-Range Planning be marked as reviewed.
The packet includes the draft policy as part of the Board Policy Manual materials.
Personnel
A personnel report is included among the items scheduled for individual consideration. The report contains recommended leadership, certified and classified personnel actions as well as vacancies, transfers and temporary or coaching appointments.
Among the recommended leadership and administrative personnel are promotions or appointments for:
- Transportation Assistant Director.
- Elementary Assistant Principal at Holston Elementary School.
- Assistant Superintendent of Academics.
- Director of Federal Programs.
- Assistant Superintendent of Student and Family Support.
The report also contains numerous recommended teaching, special-education, paraprofessional, transportation, nutrition, security and early-learning personnel actions across the district.
Student Field Trips
The consent agenda includes seven proposed field trips extending from September 2026 through May 2027.
Career and Technical Student Organizations
Coile Middle School FFA is seeking approval for approximately 11–25 students to attend the FFA Region Rally in Covington on September 8–9, 2026. The trip is intended to develop leadership, teamwork, communication and agricultural-education skills. The proposal states that individual participation would be student-funded, with approved fundraising or assistance potentially available.
Cedar Shoals High School FFA and SkillsUSA officer teams are proposed to attend officer training in Covington on September 17–18, 2026. Eighteen students and three staff members are expected to participate. The packet lists a cost of $65 per student, to be paid through FFA and SkillsUSA funds.
Journalism Conventions
Clarke Central High School's ODYSSEY Journalism program is seeking approval for approximately 15–20 students to attend the National High School Journalism Convention in Orlando, Florida, November 18–22, 2026.
Students would participate in workshops, presentations, competitions and other scholastic-journalism activities. The packet estimates a cost of $1,005 per student plus incidentals, with an additional suggested $300 meal allowance. Fundraising and scholarships are proposed to help eligible students who cannot afford the trip.
A second Clarke Central journalism trip is proposed for the Southern Interscholastic Press Association Spring Convention in Columbia, South Carolina, March 4–7, 2027. Approximately 45–50 students are expected, with a packet estimate of $565 per student plus incidentals and a suggested $80 meal allowance.
Elementary Overnight Trips
Barrow Elementary School proposes a fifth-grade trip to Jekyll Island from December 7–9, 2026 for approximately 60 students. The trip focuses on the Georgia coastal region, animal habitats, life cycles and community-building. The packet lists a $100 cost per student and states that the PTA would sponsor fees for students unable to pay.
Barnett Shoals Elementary School proposes a fifth-grade trip to the Universal Studios Storytelling Program in Orlando from May 5–7, 2027 for approximately 70 students. The instructional component focuses on character development, narrative structure and translating writing into film. Student costs include lodging and park admission, while $6,500 in bus transportation costs is proposed to be requested through LSGT funding.
Howard B. Stroud Elementary School proposes a fifth-grade trip to Jekyll Island from May 12–14, 2027 for 48 students. The packet connects the trip to science instruction involving coastal environments, organisms and Earth's surface processes. The listed cost is $225 per student, with funding expected from an LSGT transportation grant, parent payments and fundraising; sponsorships would be sought for students unable to pay.
The Board's information section includes the SPLOST monthly report, a Community Oversight Committee report, Early Head Start/Head Start Policy Council materials, and reports or agenda entries involving the Athens Area Community Foundation and Envision Athens.
The Early Head Start/Head Start materials provide the Board with program financial, enrollment, attendance and operational information. The accompanying Policy Council report identifies combined Early Head Start and Head Start funding of approximately $7.25 million for the reporting period and includes program data through May 2026.
The Community Oversight Committee's materials include updates on district construction, roofing, technology and transportation planning. Earlier committee materials also note that the district expects to need approximately 60 buses over five years.
What to Watch at the Meeting
- Federal and state funding: The Board is being asked to approve a substantial FY27 funding package, with the packet identifying approximately $11.96 million in federal and state grant allocations.
- Career and technical education: The accompanying CTAE plan outlines longer-term priorities involving industry certification, equipment modernization, credentials, work-based learning and teacher development.
- Head Start funding: The proposed $724,619 non-federal share waiver addresses a significant gap in the local matching resources available to Early Head Start and Head Start.
- District finances: May financials show revenues close to budget, expenditures below the budgeted year-to-date level, and a General Fund balance of approximately $77.8 million.
- Capital projects: Gaines Elementary is approaching project closeout, while the Holston Elementary renovation is moving toward bidding and an anticipated October Board contract decision.
- Bus-driver policy: Policy GCRA(1), concerning drug screening of bus drivers, is scheduled for an individual vote with proposed revisions.
- Future capital funding: The SPLOST materials continue preparations connected to the November 3, 2026 E-SPLOST 7 referendum.
The official public-body source for this packet is the Clarke County School District's Simbli meeting record.
Civic Translator summarized publicly available meeting materials.
