Bus transportation, budgets, 'core values' on school board agenda; trustees' monthly work session is Monday at district office

Reports on academics, bus transportation, student code of conduct updates and a budget timeline for the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1 all will be before the relatively new Sumter school board on Monday.

A district staff member placed the agenda for Sumter School District's Board of Trustees' regularly scheduled monthly work session online for the public late this week, and board Chairman the Rev. Ralph Canty also spoke briefly to The Sumter Item on the meeting.

This will be the trustees' fifth meeting overall since January when seven new trustees officially took office on the nine-member board after the November election.

The full board will also discuss the development of core values for the district, Canty said.

The local district has always had mission and vision statements, but the board thinks it is time to officially develop some core values that guide the district.

"What are the values that we embrace as a district is what we are going to look at developing," he said.

At its last meeting on Feb. 13, the Office of Operations gave a detailed bus transportation briefing to the board, and more discussion on the issues and challenges will continue Monday and going forward, Canty added.

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

Like all board-related meetings, the work session is open to the public, and the public is invited to attend. However, because it's the board's monthly work session, public participation is not on the agenda.

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.