The Chester County Board of Education met Thursday evening, April 20, in regular session. All members were present.
In session, the board voted to approve, unanimously, the first draft of the 2023-24 budget, out-of-county tuition costs and to admit a local student to begin kindergarten in the fall.
The first item on the agenda was hearing from Jay Johnson concerning an attempt to enroll his son, Joe Wesley, in kindergarten for the 2023-24 school year. According to Johnson, four-year-old Joe Wesley will miss the age requirement by about 58 hours. The state of Tennessee requires enrolling kindergarten students to be five years old by Aug. 15. Johnson asked the board to use their state-granted discretion to make an allowance in his child’s favor. He said the school does provide entrance exams in the case of close birthdates. The school administered these tests; however, Joe Wesley did not meet all criteria set to gain admission. Johnson said that, while Joe Wesley passed the cognitive test, he was denied admission due to answers provided on parental questionnaires, which measure social, behavioral and adaptive criteria.
Ashley Johnson cited questions asking if the child could buckle and unbuckle his own seatbelt and if he could safely cross traffic. “I don’t know if he can,” she said, adding that she had never allowed him to. “It flies in the face of accepted safety standards.”
Dr. Melissa Judd said that she had full confidence in the administrators and believed criteria is set in place for a reason.
Johnson provided an affidavit from Once Upon A Time Learning Center, where Joe Wesley attends preschool two days a week, stating that he is ready for kindergarten, cognitively and socially. Joe Wesley also attends preschool at Noah’s Ark. Board Chair Shane Connor made a motion to approve the child’s admission, seconded by Becky Hutcherson. The motion carried with none opposed.
Out-of-county tuition was approved at $600 for the first child and $1,000 for two or more from the same family, a $100 increase for the multiple child cost, from the current $600/$900 cost.
Thursday’s spotlight celebration focused on recent teacher/educator surveys. Chester County was second in the state in participation and first in the state in the administration surveys with 100% participation. Superintendent randomly generated names to award each $50 Chamber Bucks. These included Christy Pennington, Cayla Moulton, Jennifer Smith, Sandy Lewis, Derald Swain, Misty Thomas, Hailey Thomas, Rachel Morris, Lisa Scott, Sandy Thompson, Michelle Hopkins, Jennifer Showers, Collin McPherson, Dewond Johnson, Amy Turner, Jason Judd, Richard Karnes, Keisha Cherry and Heather Bates.
The next meeting is scheduled for May 16, at the Board of Education.
