Board Business Briefs: School Board Reviews Proposed New Strategic Plan, Education-SPLOST Project List

The Cherokee County School Board at its regular meeting on Thursday, June 18, 2026, took the next step toward adopting a five-year community-inspired strategic plan including projects to be funded by the proposed renewal of the Education-SPLOST.

Feedback from parents, employees, students, and community members informed the Elevate 2032 long-range strategic plan and the 1% Ed-SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) project list presented to the Board on Thursday.

The Elevate 2032 plan is built upon four strategic initiatives: Academic Performance and Workforce Readiness, Professional Excellence, Safe and Supported Schools, and Financial and Operational Accountability.  For each initiative, the plan outlines commitments, and for each commitment, the plan identifies specific tactics to achieve success.

The Ed-SPLOST project list includes investments in every school in the district, except for the two new campuses for Cherokee High School and Free Home Elementary School.  Three major construction projects top the list: the replacement, on their current campuses, of Etowah High School, Hickory Flat Elementary School, and Oak Grove ES STEAM Academy.

The Board at its July meeting will consider adoption of the Elevate 2032 plan and will officially call for a referendum to continue the current Ed-SPLOST to be added to the November 3 General Election ballot for voter approval countywide.

A new opportunity for community members who missed the spring ribbon-cutting and open house at the new replacement campus for Cherokee High School also was announced: the new home of CHS will host a “second look” open house event from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 18.

Thursday’s meeting began with a work session at 5:30 p.m. followed by the regular business meeting at 7 p.m.  Both were livestreamed via YouTube, and the videos are archived on the CCSD website in the Board of Education area online here.

ELEVATE 2032 STRATEGIC PLAN

The proposed Elevate 2032 strategic plan presented to the School Board on Thursday, which is posted online here, began in February with the Board setting the course for its development, from who should be engaged in the process to how success should be measured.

The three-month community engagement process included focus groups with students, parents, employees (teachers, support staff, leaders), and business and community partners, as well as opportunities for the community at large to participate through an in-person forum and online survey.  Through the process, 4,178 stakeholders shared their insights at in-person meetings and 288 stakeholders participated through an online survey. 

Stakeholders shared more than 9,000 individual insights through the process.  The district’s strategic plan steering committee, including every school’s principal, Teacher of the Year, Support Staff Employee of the Year, PTA President, and a student leader, as well as district support staff and leaders, reviewed those insights to identify key themes.

Those themes and associated action steps then were organized into a draft strategic plan that was refined by the School Board, steering committee, and district leadership prior to its publication as part of the agenda for Thursday’s meeting. 

Advancing a new level of student engagement, the Board worked with student leaders during its June School Board Training session to review the community feedback alongside the steering committee’s identified key themes and the proposed Education-SPLOST funded projects to ensure alignment and identify gaps.  To further this heightened student engagement, the Board, during its training session, also used the vision statements drafted by the student leaders during earlier focus group meetings to collaboratively develop a new vision statement for the district.

This vision statement is: “We are committed to creating opportunities for every learner to achieve academic success, build strong relationships, contribute to their community and thrive in life.” 

Board member Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison spoke to how extensive the community engagement process was as compared to other school districts’ strategic plan development and the depth those insights add to the plan.

“I can’t imagine anyone did a more thorough job (than our school district) on all of this work,” she said.  “It’s extremely impressive.”

Over the weeks between now and the Board’s July 23 meeting, the draft strategic plan, and the associated School Board Policy BA: Goals and Objectives update reflecting the new vision statement and the strategic plan’s four overarching initiatives, will be further refined with input from Board members.

Following the adoption of the plan, which will be on the July 23 Board meeting agenda for consideration, the district will launch another community engagement process to share the details of Elevate 2032 with the community.  Beginning next school year, quarterly reports on Elevate 2032 will be shared at Board meetings to track the district’s progress toward achieving the plan’s goals.

The four strategic initiatives for Elevate 2032 are: Academic Performance and Workforce Readiness, Professional Excellence, Safe and Supported Schools, and Financial and Operational Accountability.

For Academic Performance and Workforce Readiness, the two commitments are to enhance academics through expanding advanced learning opportunities and early literacy intervention and build a K-12 system of career and workforce readiness.

The tactics to enhance academics through expanding advanced learning opportunities and early literacy intervention are:

• Introducing advanced classes in elementary school and middle school;
• Designing a school setting for intensive reading education;
• Increasing AP opportunities in high school and AP-readiness opportunities in middle school;
• Developing academic planning guides and advisement aligned to college and workforce preparation; and,
• Advancing instructional strategies, academic models and aligned resources to improve student achievement for each student group.

The tactics to build a K-12 system of career and workforce readiness are:

• Branding a Cherokee-specific K-12 career and workforce readiness program aligned to local and regional workforce demands;
• Developing K-12 career and workforce readiness standards (academic standards) that address Career Awareness, Military and Public Service, Financial Literacy, Personal Finance, Post-Secondary Awareness, Civic Literacy, Technology and AI Skills, Life Skills, Community, Service, and Workforce Skills (typing/keyboarding, oral communication, technical literacy, interview, and resume skills);
• Establishing a career and workforce academy at each high school, Connections class at each middle school, and Specials class at each elementary school; and,
• Creating a career and workforce readiness report card for students.

For Professional Excellence, the two commitments are to recruit, support, and retain an effective and high-quality workforce; and enhance leadership development across job families.

The tactics to recruit, support, and retain an effective and high-quality workforce are:

• Addressing employee compensation gaps;
• Reviewing allotment structures for teachers and support staff;
• Developing job-specific on-boarding for employees, and sustained on-going training, support, and collaborative opportunities for each job category; and,
• Advancing employee recognition programs.

The tactics to enhance leadership development across job families are:

• Designing leadership development and training opportunities for teachers and support staff; and,
• Expand customized leadership competencies for school and district leaders.

For Safe and Supported Schools, the three commitments are to advance school safety while ensuring a welcoming environment for students, families, and staff; support for student behaviors; and enhance customer service, communication, and parent engagement.

The tactics to advance school safety while ensuring a welcoming environment for students, families, and staff are: 

• Improving school police presence across schools;
• Evaluating and routinely updating safety measures across school campuses; and,
• Establishing clarity and consistency for parents to attend school-day events and enhance parent involvement opportunities at all levels.

The tactics to provide support for student behaviors are: 

• Developing elementary school behavior intervention support, in-school suspension (ISS) programming, and — when necessary — alternative settings reflective of developmentally appropriate behavior expectations; and,
• Maintaining high standards and clear consequences for student behavior, personal cell phone use, and dress code in middle and high school.

The tactics to enhance customer service, communication, and parent engagement are: 

• Developing and deploying districtwide customer service training for frontline employees;
• Designing and deploying updated parent communication methods for teachers, coaches, and schools; and,
• Developing additional academic engagement opportunities and academic communication tools.

For Financial and Operational Accountability, the two commitments are to advance operational efficiency, strategic resource alignment, and resource life-cycle management; and maintain and improve facilities and assets in schools, classrooms, performing arts, and athletics.

The tactics to advance operational efficiency, strategic resource alignment, and resource life-cycle management are: 

• Continuing to align budgets directly with student outcomes and district goals; and,
• Enhancing long-term financial planning that addresses revenue uncertainty and updating budget communication tools to display enhanced alignment of resources to strategic plan goals.

The tactics to maintain and improve facilities and assets in schools, classrooms, performing arts, and athletics are: 

• Identifying schools most in need of replacement: Etowah HS, Hickory Flat ES, and Oak Grove ES on each current campus;
• Grouping schools by condition for renovation, modification, and asset (furniture) replacement; and,
• Enhancing life cycle planning for technology, fine arts, athletics, and academic assets.

Following the adoption of the Strategic Plan, the School Board-set three-year goals for student performance in math, English language arts and reading will be supplemented with a local accountability model made up of metrics of success determined through community feedback and Board adoption.

EDUCATION-SPLOST PROJECT LIST

For the first time, the district gathered community insights to develop its Education-SPLOST project list.  Through the Elevate 2032 strategic plan development process, stakeholders were asked to also think about facilities that would be needed to accomplish long-range goals.

These community insights -- coupled with research into student enrollment growth projections, current and projected use of school facilities as compared to capacity, and age and condition of schools, buses, and technology – led to a project list more closely connected to student achievement and preparing students for workforce readiness than ever before.

The complete project list, which is posted online here, includes investments in the following areas: construction of replacement schools; campus additions; campus improvements (renovations, modifications, furniture replacement, major maintenance projects); campus improvements for the arts, athletics, and workforce readiness; school safety and security investments; technology upgrades; and transportation system improvements.

Many of the proposed construction projects are eligible for partial funding by state facility funds due to age, which will save the school district from bearing the full cost.

For the projects to replace the Etowah High School, Hickory Flat Elementary School, and Oak Grove ES STEAM Academy campuses, this construction would be completed using a process of phased demolition and rebuilding on the current site.  This model has been successfully used in other metro counties, including Walton High School in Cobb County and the replacement projects currently underway at North Springs High School in Fulton and Sprayberry High School in Cobb. 

Two other major projects on the list are the construction of a bus access drive and more parking spaces at Creekview High School and a classroom addition at Sequoyah High School.

Schools to receive significant renovations and furniture replacement are: Arnold Mill ES, Bascomb ES, Canton ES (most recently used as the Cherokee North building for Cherokee High School), Carmel ES, Holly Springs ES STEM Academy, R.M. Moore ES STEM Academy, Tippens Education Center, and Woodstock ES.

All schools will benefit from campus improvements for the arts, athletics, and workforce readiness.  All schools’ music rooms will receive soundproofing.  Elementary and middle schools will receive new art kilns, gym scoreboards, and classroom conversions to support workforce readiness-aligned Special/Connections classes. 

High schools will receive auditorium renovations, marching band tower replacements, artificial turf replacement (football fields) and installation (baseball, softball, and practice fields), outdoor and gym scoreboards, auxiliary gym divider curtain systems, dedicated space for additional high-demand, skill-based training classrooms and labs, and expanded career preparation program offerings for agriculture science, healthcare science, construction, welding, and automotive services.

Ed-SPLOST funds will also be invested in acquiring more print instructional resources for academic classes districtwide.

Safety and security investments include replacing police officer vehicles and radios, installing access control-fencing and vestibules where needed, and adding more security cameras and other security technology systems at schools.

Technology upgrades include purchasing more student- and staff-assigned laptop computers as well as computers for school computer labs and upgrading technology infrastructure and systems.

Transportation investments include purchasing 30 new school buses every year (including five Special Education buses every year), replacing maintenance vehicles, and replacing equipment in the bus shops.

The project list does not include the construction of new schools, as 10-year student enrollment projections show stability is on the horizon for student attendance and no schools are projected to be overcrowded as defined by the School Board’s policy. 

While residential construction is underway in the county, much of this new building is focused on “active adult” housing and luxury homes, and neither lead to student enrollment growth.  The generous senior tax exemption for school taxes, strong home values, and high interest rates all have reduced home downsizing among families whose children have graduated.  

An additional factor is the historic low birth rate nationally, which is impacting student enrollment growth nationwide, prompting school closures in many communities.  CCSD is not facing school closures as enrollment is projected to hold steady, with no increases projected in families choosing private school or home school – those totals remain flat at about 10% of total enrollment.

During Thursday’s work session, Board members discussed whether installing turf on baseball, softball, and practice fields should be included in the project list. 

NEW CHEROKEE HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS

The School Board on Thursday heard a report on the final preparations to open the new Cherokee High School replacement campus for the new school year, as well as a report on progress for future use of the current CHS campus.

The new replacement campus is ready for its Aug. 3 first day of school, with work completed on time and within budget.  Administrative staff and athletic programs are in the process of relocating, with remaining staff members and programs transferring in July.

As part of the report, the Board viewed a new video tour of the campus including views inside the school.  The video is online here and posted on the district’s new webpage focused on the transition online here.  The webpage also includes frequently asked questions factsheets, photos and videos from the ribbon-cutting ceremony and community open house, and more.

A new opportunity for community members who missed the spring ribbon-cutting and open house also was announced: the new school will host a “second look” open house event from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 18.

The School Board in March voted to renovate the current CHS North building to reopen it in August 2028 as Canton Elementary School, and to appraise the main CHS campus and advertise for sale, with proceeds to support career readiness and other educational programs at high schools districtwide.

Design work for the renovations to CHS North is underway, with the cost of the renovations included in the project list for the Ed-SPLOST renewal vote in November.  A new appraisal of the current Cherokee High School campus, not including CHS North, is also underway in preparation for advertising its sale.

After all assets moving from the current campus to the new campus are relocated, the district in August will begin an inventory of the remaining assets at the current CHS campus for a surplus auction this fall.

School Board Chair Janet Read Welch thanked everyone involved in the project for their continued work.

“It’s very exciting,” she said.  “This was a concerted effort over several years with so many people involved.”

NEW LEADERS

As part of its approval of the monthly human resources employment recommendations, the School Board also appointed new school and district leaders for the upcoming school year.

Jamie Vogan, who currently serves as the instructional strategist at Cherokee High School, will serve as an assistant principal at the school.

Madison Powell, who currently serves as a human resources professional in Virginia, is the district’s new director for employee resources.

Carol Saladzius, who currently serves as an assistant principal at Cherokee High School, is the district’s new supervisor for English for Speakers of Other Languages programs for students.

Wendy Barker, who currently serves as the district’s lead school psychologist, is the district’s new coordinator for Special Education compliance.

Kimberly Reynolds, who currently serves as administrative assistant to the district’s chief financial officer, is the district’s new coordinator of records management.

John Crutchfield, who currently serves as a district transportation specialist, is the district’s new transportation operations coordinator for the southern half of the county.

The School Board also:

• Heard a report from Board Chair Janet Read Welch and Vice Chair Patsy Jordan on the School Board’s recent training session with Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) representatives.  They both spoke to the excellence of the session, from the engagement of student leaders in the board’s work to develop the Elevate 2032 strategic plan, new vision statement, and Education-SPLOST project list, to the GSBA training based on the Board’s self-assessment of how it could continue to improve in its governance strength.  “We always want to do better,” Vice Chair Jordan said.  “There is always room for improvement.”
• Heard a report from Board member Kelly Poole on the GSBA Summer Conference and Delegate Assembly that she recently attended as the Board-elected Delegate.  “We, as school board members, should continue to advocate for public schools and we should continue to advocate for local control,” she said as to the most important messages of the conference;
• Heard remarks from Board member Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison on the process used by the Board to fill unexpired terms for vacant Board seats upon a member’s resignation.  The Board agreed that Superintendent Davis should review the proposed changes and then ask the county’s elections board to review the changes before bringing a recommendation to the Board;
• Heard remarks from Ms. Poole in appreciation of the recent summer graduation ceremony for high school students who need additional time to finish graduation requirements.  Ms. Poole, who attended the ceremony, congratulated the graduates, thanked the teachers, and praised School Leadership & Operations Assistant Superintendent Dr. Rodney Larrotta for his coordination of the event.  “It is very special,” she said.  “It holds an extra piece of my heart.”  Chair Read Welch then shared her additional thanks for the ceremony.  You can see photos from the event and a list of graduates’ names online here.
• Heard the monthly financial report, which is online here;
• Heard the monthly capital outlay report, which is online here.  All projects, including construction of the new replacement Cherokee HS campus and improvements to River Ridge, Sequoyah, and Woodstock High School campuses, are on schedule and within budget;
• Recognized DECA student marketing, management, and entrepreneurship association international and state competition winners from Creekview, River Ridge and Sequoyah High Schools.  Learn more here;
• Recognized Positive Athlete Georgia - Britt Kearce Memorial Scholarship winner, Cherokee HS Class of 2026 graduate Logan Harmon.  Learn more here;
• Recognized Judy Johnson Memorial Scholarship winner, Cherokee HS Class of 2026 graduate John Grauso.  Learn more here;
• Recognized Georgia High Schools Association State and Region Champions.  Learn more here;
• Approved a budget amendment for the current fiscal year and a budget amendment for the 2027 fiscal year to adjust actual revenue and expenditures.  Board members Chance Beam and Rick Steiner both asked questions to clarify the need for the amendments;
• Approved an amendment to the State Capital Outlay Funding Application;
• Approved the annual recommitment to the School Board Member Code of Ethics Policy BH;
• Approved the first reading of updates to School Board Policies BA, DO, GAAA, GAEB, GAG, GAK(1), GAM, GBC, GBRI, JCAC, JCAC(2), JCEB, and KN.  Chair Read Welch spoke to her appreciation for the collaborative process to update Policy BA: Board Goals and Objectives – Vision and Strategic Plan.  “Every idea is considered,” she said of the process.  “Every voice is heard.”
• Approved a memorandum of understanding with Mountain Education for continued use of the Etowah East campus to provide an evening school alternative high school program.  “Mountain Ed is a vital part of our community.  It makes a difference for so many kids,” Chair Read Welch said.  “I’m glad we can be a part of it;” and,
• Approved the 2027 Local Plan for Improving Career and Technical Education to be submitted to the Georgia Department of Education.  “This is more important than ever,” Ms. Poole said of career education programs.  “I appreciate the thoughtfulness we put into this application;” and,
• Approved a new contract with the School Board attorney, Roach, Caudill and Frost, LLP for the coming school year.