Muscogee County School District Packet Summary — 2026-08-17
Meeting: 08/17/2026 - 06:00 PM Regular Board of Education Meeting Board Meeting
Location: Public Education Center, 2960 Macon Road, Columbus, Georgia 31906
The Muscogee County School District Board of Education is scheduled to consider administrative appointments, an employee-leave policy revision, board governance items, construction management selections, technology purchases, student health partnerships, professional-service contracts, a new grant budget, and preliminary June 2026 financial reports. The packet also includes public participation, district recognitions, personnel matters, donations, and a planned executive session.
Key Items on the Agenda
Administrative Appointments
Two leadership appointments appear on the action agenda:
- Rothschild Middle School assistant principal: The superintendent recommends appointing James Short. The packet describes Short as currently serving as Special Education Director and Federal Programs Director for Talbot County, with previous experience as an assistant principal, special education teacher, and behavior specialist.
- Executive Director of Elementary Education: The superintendent recommends appointing Stephanie Dalton-Faulk, currently the district's Director of School and District Effectiveness. Her background includes more than 25 years in public education and prior service as principal of Blanchard Elementary School and Forrest Road Elementary School.
Employee Leave Policy and New Maternal Birth Leave
The Board is scheduled to consider a revision to Board Policy GARH — Employee Leaves and Absences in response to Georgia House Bill 1118. The proposed policy adds a new paid Maternal Birth Leave benefit.
Under the proposed language:
- Eligible employees may receive up to 120 hours of paid maternal birth leave following childbirth.
- Employees generally must have completed six continuous months of employment with the district.
- Hourly employees must have worked at least 700 hours during the preceding six months.
- The leave must be taken during the first three weeks immediately following childbirth.
- Maternal Birth Leave is separate from the district's existing Paid Parental Leave and must precede other paid parental leave available under state law.
- The benefit applies to the employee who gives birth and does not apply to spouses, adoption, or foster-care placements.
The superintendent recommends approval of the revised policy. Under Board Policy BDC, the revision is scheduled to lie on the table for 30 days as part of the policy-adoption process.
Board Travel and Training
The action agenda also includes two governance items.
The superintendent recommends approval of a revised FY27 Board Travel Resolution providing blanket authorization for Board members to travel on Board business to specified organizations, conferences, trainings, and related activities. The proposed resolution includes Georgia School Boards Association activities, COSSBA meetings, and the Chamber Inter-City Leadership Conference. It specifies that Board members may attend either the Chamber Inter-City Leadership Conference or the COSSBA conference during the year; attending both would require prior Board approval.
The Board is also scheduled to consider the FY27 Board Training Plan required under state rules. The packet lists policy training for individual Board members on December 2, 2026, and tentative whole-board training on March 29, 2027. The final budgetary impact is to be determined when the State Board approves the final training plan.
Major Financial and Purchasing Items
$7.75 Million High School Chromebook Refresh
The largest individual purchase identified in the agenda is a proposed $7,751,755.68 Lenovo Chromebook purchase to refresh devices at all district high schools.
The Lenovo quote lists 10,641 Chromebook 500e 2-in-1 devices as part of the package, along with associated services and components. The district proposes using the Omnia Partners cooperative purchasing agreement and funding the purchase from the Capital Projects Fund — ESPLOST.
The packet states that Board-approved FY27 purchases from Lenovo already total $4,749,360. Including the pending Chromebook item would bring FY27 expenditures with the vendor to $12,501,115.68.
HVAC Maintenance Contract
Plant Services seeks approval of an FY27 contract with Trane Commercial Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Services for inspection, repair, and maintenance of Trane OEM HVAC systems.
- Contract period: September 1, 2026–June 30, 2027
- Maximum expenditure: $75,000
- Funding: Maintenance and Operation Function of the General Fund
Online Student Registration
Student Services proposes purchasing Infinite Campus Online Registration Prime for $37,500.
The system is intended to replace paper registration forms, allow families to register multiple children through one process, and update student records directly in the Infinite Campus database. Funding would come from the Pupils Support Function of the General Fund.
School Security Software
The Department of Security seeks approval for $40,150 in JusticeONE dispatch and law-enforcement records-management software licenses.
The supporting contract identifies an annual fee of $40,150 and includes JusticeONE records-management, mobile, and related services. The proposed purchase would be paid from the School Safety and Security Function of the General Fund.
Athletics Equipment
The Department of Athletics proposes purchasing six additional portable acrylic basketball systems from School Specialty, LLC.
The quoted purchase totals $23,394 and would be funded through the Pupil Support Function of the Capital Projects Fund — ESPLOST.
Construction and Facilities
District JROTC Rifle Range
The Department of Construction recommends selecting Graddy Construction as Construction Manager-at-Risk for the district's JROTC Rifle Range project.
The supporting evaluation documents show that proposals were received July 2, 2026, and evaluated July 8. Graddy Construction was evaluated alongside Carlisle Construction, Pound-Clark Construction, and River City Construction.
Baker and Fort Middle School HVAC Replacement
The district also proposes selecting River City Contracting as Construction Manager-at-Risk for HVAC replacement work at Baker Middle School and Fort Middle School.
The supporting evaluation considered River City Contracting, Carlisle Construction, and Freeman & Associates. The superintendent recommends approval of River City Contracting to oversee the projects.
Student Services and Health Partnerships
School-Based Health Centers
The district proposes entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with Valley Healthcare Systems, Inc. for school-based health services.
The packet identifies medical, mental-health, and dental services at Rothschild Leadership Academy and Dorothy Height Elementary, with an onsite clinic identified at Dorothy Height. Dental services are described as available for all schools.
The proposed MOU runs from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027 and is listed as having no cost to the district. The agreement requires written parental consent before services are provided to students and includes provisions addressing confidentiality, background checks, health-record privacy, and coordination with existing school health services.
Georgia HOPE Behavioral Health Services
A separate proposed MOU with Georgia HOPE would provide school-based behavioral-health services at:
- Davis Elementary
- Forrest Road Elementary
- Key Elementary
- Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
- South Columbus Elementary
- Marshall Success Center
The proposed agreement runs from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. Georgia HOPE would provide services with parental or guardian consent and would be responsible for determining eligibility, conducting intake, and billing applicable insurance or individuals. The agenda lists no cost to the district.
Special Education and Speech-Language Services
The consent agenda includes two proposed professional-service agreements intended to expand speech-language pathology capacity.
TrueScope Diagnostics & Consulting
The district proposes a contract with TrueScope Diagnostics & Consulting, LLC for speech-language pathology services.
- Maximum expenditure: $90,000
- Primary therapy rate: $125 per hour
- Evaluation and diagnostic rate in the proposal: $175 per hour
- Proposed end date: June 30, 2027
- Funding: Pupil Support Function of Federal, State and Other Grants
The proposal identifies proportionate-share speech-language therapy as the primary assignment while allowing supplemental evaluations and diagnostic services when requested by the district and mutually agreed upon.
Intrepid Speech Services
The district also proposes an agreement with Intrepid Speech Services, LLC to help address speech-language pathologist staffing needs and maintain required special-education and related services.
- Maximum expenditure: $40,000
- Rate: $90 per hour
- Final termination date: June 30, 2027
- Funding: Pupil Support Function of Federal, State and Other Grants
The accompanying proposal identifies proportionate-share services at Calvary Christian School.
Together, the two agenda items represent up to $130,000 in proposed speech-language professional services.
Teaching and Learning
Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary Professional Development
Federal Programs seeks approval of a $15,000 professional-services purchase from Terri A. Myers, LLC for Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary.
The proposed engagement covers 10 professional-development and classroom-support days during the 2026–27 school year at $1,500 per day. The work is designed around instructional clarity, formative assessment, student self-regulation, classroom walkthroughs, and teacher professional learning.
The packet states that previously Board-approved FY27 purchases from this vendor total $103,500. Including the pending item would bring the FY27 total to $118,500.
Elementary Astronomy and Physical Science Programs
The Division of Academics seeks approval for a not-to-exceed $64,098 purchase from Columbus State University's Coca-Cola Space and Science Center for astronomy and physical-science programs for students in grades K–5.
The packet divides the proposed cost as:
- Grades K–3: $31,002
- Grades 4–5: $33,096
- Total: $64,098
Students in grades K–3 would receive instruction at school sites, while grades 4–5 would receive instruction at the Coca-Cola Space and Science Center. Funding would come from the Instruction Function of the General Fund.
Budget and Financial Oversight
$12,000 CTAE New Venture Fund Grant
The district has been allocated $12,000 through the FY2027 CTAE New Venture Fund Grant under the Catalyze Challenge Program.
The funding is intended to support professional development associated with expanding career-connected learning for middle-school students. The proposed budget allocates:
- $4,000 for professional-development stipends
- $3,000 for employee travel
- $3,000 for dues and fees
- $2,000 for supplies
The superintendent recommends establishing the new $12,000 budget in the Federal, State, and Other Programs Fund.
Preliminary June 2026 Financial Reports
The Board is scheduled to review and consider approval of the district's preliminary June 2026 financial statements, along with the investment summary, E-SPLOST revenue report, and capital-project expenditure reports.
One notable figure in the supporting material concerns 2025 SPLOST revenue. For FY2026 through June, cumulative receipts were reported at approximately $71.61 million, compared with a cumulative projection of approximately $82.17 million — about $10.56 million below forecast, or 13%.
The packet notes that the 2025 SPLOST referendum authorized the district to raise up to $290 million for capital-outlay projects.
Donations
The Board is scheduled to consider acceptance of donations received during June 2026. The supporting report identifies $14,822.50 in total cash donations.
The largest individual donation listed is $10,000 from the Gene Haas Foundation for Jordan High School's Metals and Machine Program. Other donations support activities including debate, athletics, JROTC, senior classes, student activities, teacher appreciation, alumni programming, and the district's hygiene repository.
Other Consent Agenda Items
Additional consent items include:
- The district's personnel report covering professional, classified, and substitute personnel.
- Approval of official actions from the July 20, 2026 regular Board meeting.
- The construction-management selections for the JROTC Rifle Range and Baker/Fort Middle School HVAC projects.
- Exception A and B purchases for online registration and security software.
- Exception F cooperative-contract purchases for Trane HVAC services, Lenovo Chromebooks, and basketball equipment.
- Exception G professional-service purchases for instructional training, science programming, and speech-language services.
- The Valley Healthcare Systems and Georgia HOPE MOUs.
- The new CTAE grant budget.
- Preliminary June 2026 financial statements.
- June 2026 donations.
Public Participation and Executive Session
The agenda includes a public-participation period. The packet lists six people who requested an audience with the Board. Under Board Policy BCBI, speakers' remarks are generally limited to five minutes.
The agenda also anticipates an executive session for personnel, property, and legal matters, as permitted under the Georgia Open Meetings Act.
What to Watch at the Meeting
Several agenda items carry broader operational or financial significance:
- The proposed $7.75 million Chromebook refresh is the largest individual purchase identified in the agenda and would bring FY27 Lenovo expenditures, including the pending item, to approximately $12.5 million.
- The proposed GARH policy revision would establish a new 120-hour maternal birth leave benefit while beginning the district's 30-day policy-adoption process.
- The district is considering two speech-language service contracts totaling up to $130,000, with the packet describing the agreements as ways to expand service capacity and address staffing needs.
- The proposed Valley Healthcare and Georgia HOPE partnerships would continue or establish school-based medical, dental, mental-health, and behavioral-health services without a listed district cost.
- Preliminary financial materials report 2025 SPLOST collections running about $10.56 million below the cumulative FY2026 forecast through June, an important figure alongside the district's continued ESPLOST-funded capital and technology spending.
- Construction-management selections would advance planning for the JROTC Rifle Range and HVAC replacements at Baker and Fort Middle Schools.
Civic Translator summarized publicly available meeting materials provided by the Muscogee County School District through Simbli.
Official meeting source:
https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/ViewMeeting.aspx?S=4121&MID=138308
Muscogee County School District meeting/document listing page:
https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/SB_Meetings/SB_MeetingListing.aspx?S=4121
Provider: simbli
Provider Meeting ID: simbli-138308
