The Chester County Board of Education met in regular session Tuesday, Aug. 19, with all members in attendance.
Members welcomed Student-Member Jasce Alexander to the board. Alexander was sworn in following a recent vote by general legislators to approve a student board member for districts having at least one high school in the district, according to Chester County Schools Director Troy Kilzer II. Kilzer introduced Alexander and shared that he will serve on the board to provide feedback and views as a Chester County student but will not vote. Alexander has also been recommended locally to serve as a state school board member.
Kilzer asked the board to recognize and celebrate the local district’s rankings in the most recently released state assessment results. In specifically evaluating the high school level scores, Chester County U.S. History ranked in the top four in the state, 10 grades/subjects ranked in the top 15 of state and four in the top 10. “Those are measures of student success that are worth celebrating,” he said. Kilzer also noted that there continues to be room for improvement collectively and said to look for other data to be released in coming weeks on growth and achievement.
In addition to updates on school enrollment and air conditioning repairs, the board received updates on the following:
• Capital Projects: Certificates of occupancy have been provided for the new Ag/Auto and Multi-Purpose facilities, giving permission to go in and begin setting up equipment, etc. Teams/groups have already had opportunity to use the multi-purpose building. Official move-in is anticipated after Labor Day. In discussion of walk-throughs, an audience member questioned whether anyone from the auto/plant industry had participated in walk-throughs, particularly in the automotive areas to ensure safety standards are being met. Kilzer said that, aside from regular visits by the fire marshal, no one had been contracted for this purpose outside of the system.
• Norris Franks requested an update on the district nutrition system. The system is “investing in a better quality of food,” according to Kilzer, which will hopefully provide more desirable options to students as well as increased calorie count for athletes, Kilzer noted.
This meeting can be viewed in its entirety on the Chester County Schools, Henderson, TN YouTube page.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, at West Chester Elementary.
