Sumter school board to hear proposal to modify meeting calendar

With two regularly scheduled board meetings in many months during the year and also board committee meeting dates dotting the calendar, Sumter School District’s new superintendent wants to streamline processes for efficiency purposes.

The district’s board of trustees will have a discussion on Superintendent Gerald Gary’s proposal to still have two board meetings per month starting in July with the new fiscal year but for the second meeting to be specifically for board committee meetings as needed.

The agenda for Monday’s meeting was posted online on Friday by a district staff member and also includes academics and human resources reports and two special presentations for schools’ accolades.

Gary has been on the job as the district’s new leader since April 1, and he has said with so many board-related meetings on the calendar district administration is often just preparing for those meetings and not doing the necessary work at hand to assist schools properly in their various functional areas.

Monday’s meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the district office, 1345 Wilson Hall Road.

Because the meeting is the board’s monthly work session, public participation is not part of the agenda. Like all board meetings, it is still open to the public, however.

For those not physically attending, the district continues to broadcast meetings live on YouTube.

Anyone wanting to attend the meeting virtually can do so via YouTube Sumter School District Board Meeting and the district’s Facebook page, @SumterSCSchools.