[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6623546,"mediaKeyId","2769671-8f00890fdc9caeb51fa7e99bc9618902","parentId",2769671,"title","Board forms committee to draft RFP for an external audit of selected 2018 bond projects","audioSeconds",418,"startMs",7582000,"endMs",8000000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769671-8f00890fdc9caeb51fa7e99bc9618902&start=7582&end=8000","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769671-8f00890fdc9caeb51fa7e99bc9618902/thumbnail_7582000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6623546/South-Carolina/Board-forms-committee-to-draft-RFP-for-an-external-audit-of-selected-2018-bond-projects","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623546-59b3f7d0e003946cec4d819c147ae1c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770973962&Signature=JuWSOaKu74uedaFDKV3JXSGht2yybIPBBzG5PyyRDndff-mUIblLUUEextmZrh8pAbv6yL-3AS3K3EQ4wzri-V6YyWjCFYph~nAlq1w2ReI9pX2d7yQj~ZHau5hx7jWAQI0c51HgwlqoSzy0htL34iA4E25GK4gq1WIu87ZpJ4KbUP3Msqp~mb3sIOvo4Vv5GyqTdfkHfMUlaw5w-rIj6Zvo8QjEUFSKOFrf3vk3LyBKw6yMxG19SnE7qIFGgqwv5FLge~VDcRh1U5MWCQJsh2TP4mGxnbojh4rH9jwPXCloFPEfz0mI9vvc-7fIMNp9KVIz~YiF5kDNl2b99Oxuaw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Lexington 01","date","2025-03-26T01:21:02.203Z","article","The Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees on March 25 directed formation of a committee to develop a request for proposals (RFP) for an external audit of selected projects from the district’s 2018 bond referendum.

Trustee Pizzuti moved that the committee prepare an RFP for an audit specifically including the projects listed in the bond program: the new White Oak Elementary School (now South Lake Elementary), the new Lexington Middle School (now Lakeside Middle School), the transportation facility, and the Gilbert Primary/new GES project. The motion also specified that any projects that were incomplete at the time the RFP is awarded should be included.

After clarifying language about procurement review and committee membership, the board voted to form a committee composed of three board members — Trustees Pizzuti, Rice and Flashnick — and appropriate district personnel to formulate the RFP. The board will use the committee’s draft RFP as the basis for procurement; the procurement review panel and district procurement rules will apply once bids are received.

Board members said the RFP will aim to examine financial and procurement practices for the included projects, compare original estimates to final expenditures, and identify lessons learned. Trustees said they want the RFP to define a clear scope (financial review, procurement compliance, timeline and risk analysis) and to return to the full board for a decision after cost estimates are collected through the competitive process.

The motion to form the RFP committee carried; members of the committee were announced in the meeting. The district will post the RFP after the committee completes scope and procurement language and returns to the board with cost estimates and a recommended contract for external auditors.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","March 25, 2025— Board of Trustees Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Trustees voted to form a committee of three board members and district staff to develop a request for proposals for an external audit of several projects funded by the district's 2018 bond referendum, including South Lake Elementary, Lakeside Middle School, the transportation facility and the Gilbert Primary/NEW GES work.","taxTitle","Lexington 01, School Districts, South Carolina","taxId",14917,"location","South Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6623551,"Board approves K–12 math instructional materials after district adoption committee review",1814,5385000,7199000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769671-8f00890fdc9caeb51fa7e99bc9618902&start=5385&end=7199","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769671-8f00890fdc9caeb51fa7e99bc9618902/thumbnail_5385000.jpg","/articles/6623551/South-Carolina/Board-approves-K12-math-instructional-materials-after-district-adoption-committee-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623551-ed028141d39985850fc366b7678997e0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770973962&Signature=AEdkVHmsDbzrB~MpBRBWjiXK7QgWMfqWegvVHZLIL8dyC9Fom~bB0JVtqU-JnhLaeE3v5uSYuzJjY4KZnwPjsVbf8D4nsmVCaUQpxknTOZlRR3TmAeNbz2My5L6pgSG34u3smdAUZQXV2rwd91Q9y1c2U5ZsdMqciqlVPAFL1G1Fs1SZXr1eh7O1VmmxHRW7gncqU4Ejxt94Lr8-TX18kMsN2ymZgIox48-BbXtjuQfrPvHRsSPCWEopLgu1lmPvPLnVa1JajY2QONq0m4V3e0eAeJLBg4N2Q3SayN9q6ugMUr95sppi~1dwx-x5a1ARntoA9n0BtSykztRGBjc-VA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees approved recommendations March 25 from district instructional materials adoption committees to adopt new K–12 mathematics materials following a review and school-level pilot process.

District staff said the state provided an approved list of publishers and that district adoption committees used a district rubric aligned to the state rubric and the Lexington 1 math instructional framework to evaluate options. Elementary, middle and high-school teachers and coaches participated in the review, including school-level pilots and teacher feedback sessions during collaborative planning time.

Elementary math coach Heather Barahona described a process in which building teams evaluated curricula against the district’s math instructional framework and found Great Minds’ Eureka Math Squared to be the best fit. Barahona said the program’s four-part lesson structure aligned with the district’s math workshop model, its use of concrete–representational–abstract models matched professional learning emphases, and its embedded formative tools and intervention platforms (including a small-group intervention platform) supported teachers’ ability to target student needs.

At the middle-school level, Melissa (last name redacted in transcript) described teachers’ experience with competing materials. Middle-school teachers favored the Savvas Envision digital platform for its worked examples, depth-of-knowledge tagging, and digital practice features that allow teachers to differentiate questions by DOK level.

High-school selections were made course-by-course; staff said selected materials provide curricular coherence through some school levels and digital access balanced with print resources where appropriate.

Trustees moved and approved the adoption recommendations after a brief discussion of pilot processes and materials distribution; the board vote approved the committee-recommended selections. The district will distribute details to schools about consumable student materials, teacher access and digital platforms, and will prioritize family access to take-home resources where parents requested them.

District staff said K–5 will receive consumable workbooks (about six modules per grade) and supporting classroom materials and that middle-school and high-school courses will receive combinations of printed texts and digital access according to the adopted bundles.

The board’s approval concludes the district’s adoption process for math instructional materials for the coming years and initiates ordering and implementation planning.","Following a district adoption committee review and school-level pilots, trustees approved recommendations for K–12 mathematics instructional materials, endorsing Great Minds/Eureka Math Squared in elementary grades and Savvas Envision at the middle school level.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6623555,"Resident calls for greater check-register transparency as district presents budget timeline and fund-balance update",0,5064000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769671-8f00890fdc9caeb51fa7e99bc9618902&start=5064&end=5064","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769671-8f00890fdc9caeb51fa7e99bc9618902/thumbnail_5064000.jpg","/articles/6623555/South-Carolina/Resident-calls-for-greater-check-register-transparency-as-district-presents-budget-timeline-and-fund-balance-update","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623555-1e5e53caf7cf619451ce9656f6db3c8e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770973962&Signature=HMFLqpxuMFRq85t-jTOi0guyAl4l4WQFfO3rQLizKXAiNiLhj1izcQs8gIBnrk8~OcgHLjRvFo8tntOi3MTtyoCUuEz8~ncod5eL208LXlsGAQnCi6AOkOwM9~f1sMYJHXqnLM7pw0UY12hCJ8XVvxdf4UIunGDTKHHrr21mKRstM-0LyklX2~~5-JmGvoMMcdnwTmRYGStOEKOZQj8tOWzS1YymVIBhx875ha8gGcP~Vr3tbMGTdEJAnpJL2HNKmUkH57gCD84EtPdjwTz~vMSCo5Fp5C~G7xQGVXJ6XjZmWp8extnGT8odVfNJX~iw79GW8UMZn0gQlyzPl8~g3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A resident urged the Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees March 25 to make supporting documents for the district’s check register and p-card expenditures openly available on the district website, while district finance staff presented a month-by-month dashboard that showed revenue and expenditure projections and a likely ‘break-even’ outcome for the year.

Public commenter Dale Stewart raised specific examples from the board packet, including a restaurant check with a 20% tip and a $167,000 check to a regional law firm composed of roughly thirty $5,000 line items. Stewart questioned why supporting documentation for those charges was not readily accessible online and called on the district to “show your work” so the public can assess whether purchases support district operations and student outcomes.

“I will say the district’s financial information regarding expenditures is as transparent as milk,” Stewart said. “Just put it on the website.” He asked the board to scrutinize long-term property-tax exemptions and other agreements that reduce tax revenue.

Finance Director Ms. Miller presented a condensed dashboard of year-to-date revenue and expenditures through Feb. 28, 2025. She told trustees the district recorded approximately $257 million in revenue year-to-date and roughly $223 million in expenditures, and that the largest portion of the budget — about 87% — is salaries and benefits. Miller said the district projects it will not need to use the fund balance this year and expects to end the fiscal year near break-even because of salary variances and stronger-than-budgeted revenue.

Miller explained two principal drivers of the variance: (1) retirements and hires that reduce the average salary cost when a long-tenured employee is replaced by a lower-step hire; and (2) positions remaining vacant for portions of the year. She estimated these personnel-related variances account for roughly $16 million of the difference between budget and actual and said updated revenue projections could add another $9 million — together reducing the need to tap the $24 million the district had previously planned to use from fund balance.

Board members asked for clarifications about fund-balance timing, the policy minimum required fund-balance level, and how the district interprets monthly troughs and peaks driven by property-tax collection cycles. Miller said February is often a large tax-collection month; January is often the trough for available operating cash. Miller also said procurement irregularities reported in the monthly procurement listing were routine — for example, missing an internal signature or not applying a vendor discount on a receipt — and not evidence of systemic misuse.

District leaders said a budget workshop is scheduled for April 1, during which the leadership team will present a proposed FY 2025–26 budget with categorized requests (must-dos, district standards, and would-like-to-do items) and the district’s first-proposal revenue/expense forecast. Trustees discussed priorities such as salary-study recommendations, maintaining low class-size ratios, and limiting millage increases.

No board action was required on the public comment. Trustees directed staff to continue preparing the April budget workshop materials and to consider ways to make supporting documentation more available to the board and public.","A resident urged Lexington County School District One to publish supporting documentation for check-register and procurement payments online; district finance staff presented a monthly dashboard showing revenue and expenditure projections and said fund balance use is not expected for the current fiscal year.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6623558,"LexOne Med Start and NextGen Educator pathways launched in Lexington 01; program partnerships promise tuition-free training and paid internships",821,4171000,4992000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769671-8f00890fdc9caeb51fa7e99bc9618902&start=4171&end=4992","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769671-8f00890fdc9caeb51fa7e99bc9618902/thumbnail_4171000.jpg","/articles/6623558/South-Carolina/LexOne-Med-Start-and-NextGen-Educator-pathways-launched-in-Lexington-01-program-partnerships-promise-tuition-free-training-and-paid-internships","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623558-96235bffbcfe89714276c30e21fe2a23/orig.mp4?Expires=1770973962&Signature=Dl47t7spbAniVm9n8eodNk7JotEBoss77vYefM5wbdgfFLQht-vA3H09jfbXFXH0fEMN08t3qMctngAz4zuM1NlLRsP5K1vilg7wp0iJBQio~8of~jCwTRUEnv9b075VSghfxfyixITAYIjG4ihC4UwOZK5DZVL5OtkEd2afT2joek-8QYRzrxfmGHobAlCeudxu4wzLlkFitHYWS-jKZpgbdPUzDQe8lSSVUaJehEmg7OHUnuvi3Fp4gDC4T-myYw-wLVWTYmX-jkT~VnCY3QftVcUtt9pU33hOpabnZ25Q6t7J36qHFPL7bJiPtwQmgxm5nwsg1CQSMZ6xlpEv0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District staff briefed the Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees on two new postsecondary pathways March 25: LexOne Med Start, a health-care apprenticeship pathway, and the LexOne Next Gen Educator Pathway.

A district staff member described a collaboration among Lexington County School District One, Lexington Medical Center (LMC) and Midlands Technical College (MTC) to create the LexOne Med Start program. The pathway targets juniors and seniors and may begin for some students as sophomores; it provides dual-enrollment coursework through Midlands Tech, unpaid and then paid internships at LMC, and a tuition-free option for students who commit to work at LMC after completing the required associate-level training.

Officials said LMC helped identify local workforce needs and shaped two initial clinical pathways: surgical technology and radiology technology. Students in the program can start dual-enrollment classes as early as sophomore year for surgical tech and as juniors for radiology tech. In year 12 they may work up to 20 paid hours per week at LMC while completing remaining credits. District staff said the program is designed so students who follow the pathway can finish an associate degree after high school and transition directly to a guaranteed job at LMC; the hospital is negotiating terms for tuition support and employment commitments.

District staff reported 25–30 applicants already for the initial cohort and said LMC anticipates capacity of roughly 12–15 students per pathway each year. Staff emphasized the program is tuition free to students while in high school; dual-enrollment credits and textbooks are covered through existing lottery and partnership funds, and LMC is working on financial support for postsecondary completion.

The Next Gen Educator Pathway is a two-year junior–senior sequence created to increase homegrown teacher pipelines. The district intends to integrate existing teacher-cadet programs at high schools and add dual-enrollment courses and extended clinical experiences. Students in the pathway will spend two years embedded in Lexington 1 classrooms with mentor teachers and earn early college credits; initial cohort size was reported at 12–15 students.

District staff said initial coursework will be housed at Midlands Tech locations to simplify transportation and consolidate classes. Trustees asked about capacity, health-related requirements (immunizations and clinical clearances are determined by the clinical partner, LMC), and whether students can choose other colleges after earning an associate degree; staff said students will retain that choice but expressed that the district and partners aim to make direct employment at LMC and other regional employers highly accessible.

No formal board action was required; the briefing was informational and part of the superintendent’s postsecondary pathways update.","District officials described two new postsecondary career pathways — a medical-technology apprenticeship in partnership with Lexington Medical Center and Midlands Technical College, and a two-year educator pathway — including guaranteed job commitments, tuition support and early dual-enrollment coursework.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6623563,"Lexington 01 board approves numeric grading starting in third grade after contentious debate",2357,9639000,11996000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2769671-8f00890fdc9caeb51fa7e99bc9618902&start=9639&end=11996","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2769671-8f00890fdc9caeb51fa7e99bc9618902/thumbnail_9639000.jpg","/articles/6623563/South-Carolina/Lexington-01-board-approves-numeric-grading-starting-in-third-grade-after-contentious-debate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6623563-ec545302b7368e22a5584df5c3f6fe05/orig.mp4?Expires=1770973962&Signature=l-xm3nTp3a0rljqzRTn~7rkUYFwZVkIbdeyk~oEjRy-vxjSScaZ7rc9--91x8Zjril39~hgm545WLzdwoaSfDXrj-eJI8EpBCXiaPXppcMZ1ZckDrHDn-aiNKUp5N2WpG~DqeOzoof5QBA~IBrDSq0Hiz59dyjgBUxVisHsNuXznn9uekDMCwtWoxykQ-f3qKWamtRIdiRL~F5AQxJvnqqYFsatEUbBndFowFt4HTeieZfVehkttCjFNy16PeMZfuM1uEAqUfAL7Yb3c0~3fuLdaKAizNJUXuv0qJLSK4Hvp9yLpqWwZ1qcFj6CXa~yfU3oavItboyShVjFnMFSTKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees voted March 25 to adopt revised grading and assessment policies that begin numeric grades in third grade, after an extended and often heated discussion among trustees, school staff and parents.

The decision followed multiple motions and extensive public comment. A motion to adopt a version beginning numeric grades in third grade failed on first consideration, then a motion to start numeric grades in second grade failed. The board later voted to approve the version specifying numeric grades beginning in grade three.

Board members and district staff framed the debate as a balance between two objectives: providing families and receiving schools with a familiar numeric indicator of student performance, and retaining the detailed standards-based feedback system the district has used for younger grades. Supporters of retaining standards-based reporting in the earliest grades said it better captures student progress on discrete standards and reduces anxiety for young learners. Opponents argued that numeric grades provide clearer signals to families and to middle schools about readiness, especially ahead of third grade and state assessments.

Several teachers and elementary leaders who helped develop the district’s standards-based reporting spoke to the board. Allison Granishley, lead interventionist at Gilbert Elementary School, said the working-group process changed her view: “With our K–2 students, we are not only teaching the foundation they need to be successful; we are also teaching them how to be a learner. If my first grader comes home and says ‘I’m just not good at that’ because they got a number on a paper, that’s a lost opportunity to show growth.”

Melissa Mixon, lead interventionist at Midway Elementary, said standards-based feedback reduces anxiety for young children and gives teachers specific information to guide instruction: “Elementary school is supposed to be a place where they feel success, where they learn to fail and learn from mistakes. Putting grades on papers for them is heartbreaking.”

Trustees debated the recommendations and the breadth of district staff and committee input. Trustee Pizzuti urged the board to weigh the working-group recommendations and broader teacher feedback; Trustee Shealy moved the recommendation that the board adopt the policy beginning numeric grades in third grade. After procedural votes and an extended public back-and-forth, the board approved the second-reading motion to adopt policy IKA/IKAR with numeric grades beginning in grade 3.

The board also approved the companion policy on report cards and progress reports (IKAB) to align report formats with the revised grading policy.

District officials said the approved policy is accompanied by plans for additional training and clarified reporting language. Ms. Gaskins, who led several policy briefings for the board, said administrators will work with teachers to standardize the way partially-met ratings are described and to improve consistency of teacher comments on feedback-driven progress reports.

The board’s action completes the policy review cycle that district staff presented earlier in the meeting; trustees and staff agreed to continued follow-up on communication and parent education so families better understand the new report formats and the underlying standards-based evidence that supports numeric grades.

The district’s policy documents presented at the meeting list the full language for IKA, IKAR and IKAB. The board’s final vote was taken after several procedural motions and show-of-hand counts; the approved versions will be posted with the board’s minutes and distributed to schools for implementation planning.","After hours of public comment and internal debate, the Lexington County School District One Board of Trustees approved revised grading and assessment policy that begins numeric grades in third grade; the meeting included strong testimony from elementary teachers and principals and several failed motions before a final vote.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board forms committee to draft RFP for an external audit of selected 2018 bond projects

Board approves K–12 math instructional materials after district adoption committee review

Resident calls for greater check-register transparency as district presents budget timeline and fund-balance update

LexOne Med Start and NextGen Educator pathways launched in Lexington 01; program partnerships promise tuition-free training and paid internships

Lexington 01 board approves numeric grading starting in third grade after contentious debate