[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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],{"_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",6560897,"mediaKeyId","3305851-94e93b42b8aaab7a43df8617af2aff18","parentId",3305851,"title","Parents press board for professional mold testing at Oconee County Elementary; operations staff report moisture checks","audioSeconds",564,"startMs",2606000,"endMs",3170000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3305851-94e93b42b8aaab7a43df8617af2aff18&start=2606&end=3170","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3305851-94e93b42b8aaab7a43df8617af2aff18/thumbnail_2606000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6560897/Georgia/Parents-press-board-for-professional-mold-testing-at-Oconee-County-Elementary-operations-staff-report-moisture-checks","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6560897-8f65a2ce322f545450592682c0213ed1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770492592&Signature=RmFdkOhr1G7nZgoLeQJfxawN2fF6xkt7DEdm5TEY~AWMGArcnUe5x9oamoOPjMeSa4dLHk-EbjmP07z1ujWCZN4hE4yCxlZHnBHwDoRuAtYxSLT-M73dk7HeLnmRZPcmowncaogBpFvGhZWe~t8TtsL-RpeHc9biGszQ51WDfzENZIeA2g~pqztDtpgBZPaW0l69JqN9cxv1KjObU6yn2mx9gmAgxBa3SuTA3j1VihTji20GsnAU9CpQr-Tj7Nv3ygS7ojcrFjR~oC4y~oELhawwZtnDm~SmWPuYhQ6FtNmSEKcfmsXnHIBYGK3zlPhjyZfRGz09djiPft25DXkUWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","School Board of Georgia ","date","2025-05-14T16:00:25Z","article","Multiple parents addressed the Oconee County Board of Education on May 12 to demand professional mold testing and remediation at Oconee County Elementary School, saying teachers and students have become ill and that staff resignations have followed. District operations staff described site inspections, moisture-meter readings and HVAC humidity monitoring but did not announce a third-party testing contract during the public meeting.

At the start of the operations report, Doctor White told the board that facilities staff had removed “all the old continuous floor” seam repairs over spring break and that the gym floor has an impermeable layer designed to limit moisture intrusion. White said staff used a moisture meter across multiple surfaces and reviewed humidity sensors on HVAC units; he added that classrooms tested at “the correct levels as well.” When asked about acceptable humidity thresholds, White referenced ASHRAE, saying “60% is what ASHRAE uses, and that is the American Society for Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers. And by default, we set all our units at 45.”

During the public-comment period six Oconee County residents spoke about what they described as persistent moisture or mold issues at Oconee County Elementary. Caitlin Farmer said she has continued concerns about the district's compliance with open-records laws and asked the board to \"do better\" in providing documents. Mandy Moriera, who identified herself as the parent of a child in an outside pod at the elementary school, said “from the last meeting, our plea as concerned parents was to have professional mold testing done. It was not.” She said teachers and other staff had become ill and that some had resigned, including the school nurse; she said parents have circulated a petition with 213 signatures asking for professional testing. Brandy Herndon told the board she first raised concerns in 2018 and urged “independent, reputable, and appropriate testing and remediation” and said parents would be willing to pay for testing.

Other speakers, including Meryl Herr and Greg DeBacker, urged the board to secure third-party testing and to address communication breakdowns between staff and administration. Greg DeBacker said he supported a third-party professional test \"whether that's surface testing, air testing,\" and that results should be shared with the community.

Board members asked operations staff for clarification about the testing methods and communications. White said teachers and principals can submit work orders and that principals will call facilities for high-level concerns; his team conducts semiannual walkthroughs of schools, checks work-order systems and reviews HVAC unit sensor data in the district's control software. White said the district continues to monitor the affected areas and that the facilities directors (unnamed in the public record) have over 50 years of combined experience.

No formal board action commissioning independent third-party mold testing was recorded in the public meeting. After the public-comments period, the board moved on to other agenda items and later adjourned to executive session for personnel matters.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Oconee County Board Of Education Regular Session • May 12, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Parents urged the board to commission professional mold testing at Oconee County Elementary after reports of ongoing health concerns. Operations staff said they used moisture meters and HVAC humidity sensors and cited ASHRAE thresholds; no third-party testing was ordered in public session.","taxTitle","Oconee County, School Districts, Georgia","taxId",72822,"location","Georgia","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},6560902,"Business services presents FY26 tentative budget: $119.1M revenue, $120.5M expenditures",1253,1307000,2560000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3305851-94e93b42b8aaab7a43df8617af2aff18&start=1307&end=2560","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3305851-94e93b42b8aaab7a43df8617af2aff18/thumbnail_1307000.jpg","/articles/6560902/Georgia/Business-services-presents-FY26-tentative-budget-1191M-revenue-1205M-expenditures","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6560902-1a7f65390d17736b3aafcbb13e4f71d6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770492592&Signature=Zqs3KYK8RTL0Rijikgw6TS1TpszzKLM9j3Io-M7PzYFmrxx-1XueanY1bNPE2-fVWBxnVkPPr-yREVGo28PZtVkbAAyBwHiNkdEc7kqhUQgfRR9xTu4hXmuJlabpGc58NPysCr3A03Ikrz26mJlCAjOMKoLaKvqF0bLs90LpiWaj4aJmUPXeKFNvbnlBjhikU27wtaMlrWZXydd25gv3lmzWy18JRTQnxS~x7OI5Qon~P7mOl0KWlzIvBNR0-GdD9-osJEBt4ydzUSLJ0BvKNZANfvyDiu9ncZKJD7jPFLEeqvoU5ROjH~4tWCYl~ELnaCgPbYQ13VXalThSahAHtw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Business services staff presented the Oconee County Schools fiscal year 2026 tentative budget at the May 12 board meeting, reporting estimated revenues of $119,100,000 and estimated expenditures of $120,500,000. The tentative budget was built on an estimated rollback millage rate of 13.919 mills and was approved for consideration by the board in a 5-0 vote.

Business services presenter Mr. Adams told the board that the April closing cash balance “represents a 2.39 percent decrease over last month” but called the balance “strong” and said the district is well positioned to meet fiscal obligations for the year. The presentation showed state revenue projected at $62,500,000 (53% of total), with Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding making up $59,300,000 of that amount. Local revenue is projected at $56,500,000, with ad valorem property taxes estimated at $51,000,000.

Staff listed several state-driven cost increases that factored into the tentative budget: a proposed step increase for certified and classified salary scales (total estimated local cost $1,080,000); a proposed state increase in employer health-insurance contribution (presented as a total local cost of $3,080,000); and a proposed increase in the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) employer percentage (presented as a local cost of $1,200,000). The presentation also included a $2,500,000 school safety and security program line—staff described that amount as funding a full complement of 16 school resource officers (SROs) and related school-safety expenditures.

Staff reported tentative total expenditures of $120,500,000, with salaries and benefits accounting for $106,600,000 (about 88.5% of total expenditures under the additional considerations) and operations at $13,800,000 (about 11.5%). Staff estimated the district's ending fiscal year 2025 fund balance at $40,000,000, with $13,400,000 committed for future debt payments on the 2021 general obligation bond and $2,020,000 assigned for specific projects (new school generators and intercoms at Malcolm Bridge Middle and Oconee Middle). Staff estimated an unassigned fund balance of $24,500,000 on June 30, 2025.

Board members asked clarifying questions during the presentation. One member asked whether the SRO costs were included in personnel or operations; staff replied most of the SRO contract falls in operations because it is a contracted service, with a small portion (door-checker/zone patrol salary elements) classified as personnel. A board member also asked where the completed FY24 audit could be found; staff said the audit, which had no findings, was posted to the district website.

Staff noted that budget hearings are scheduled for May 22 and May 29 in the boardroom; the tentative budgets were presented to the board for consideration and public review ahead of final adoption later in the budget calendar.","Business services presented the fiscal year 2026 tentative budget on May 12, projecting $119.1 million in revenues and $120.5 million in expenditures, built on a rollback millage of 13.919 mills and reflecting state-driven cost increases for health insurance and TRS.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6560907,"Board approves bids, field trips and tentative budgets; adjourns to executive session",219,3959000,4178000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3305851-94e93b42b8aaab7a43df8617af2aff18&start=3959&end=4178","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3305851-94e93b42b8aaab7a43df8617af2aff18/thumbnail_3959000.jpg","/articles/6560907/Georgia/Board-approves-bids-field-trips-and-tentative-budgets-adjourns-to-executive-session","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6560907-04494dc33051d21884bcc8d9e95d9b8f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770492592&Signature=XwDkVErFikdeuQ4~LpvVCkEtTpUF~RXMd9qXvTAlkSk5z-Nf5Kn-gLY1s5ts5WYUe6Fj2aoDwEfo2r3D1xgBMgGtvDrGt~il5BK443ao9Vl2QpOYov~AV4H80dsnrvx-k-hxDfyxaLBjvY0XjFNx-KZet7pStdiQlZFDZs7h~jI7grh7ud342U63r4yxxnsdd6gArX6oGSfiGY8S9bkKWffimmFK16eEWhXRgQ6t8E~uyMWkgLcRW36vtnJZHArZ~GOOLapVpVm4XdrJ3EXyQ7VbIuOBaurM-YiLrQmXAgIbL594aPvCUL8RFX533ie3WR4u~5Wce7uhzGJ9lL0chg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Oconee County Board of Education on May 12 approved a slate of procurement and program items, including vendor bids for buses, door hardware and paving; field trips for Oconee County High School teams; and tentative general and federal fund budgets. All recorded motions passed unanimously by a 5-0 vote.

The board voted to approve (all motions recorded as passing 5-0): the CTA local plan and related grants; Oconee County High School girls varsity and junior varsity basketball summer camp field trips; a proposed purchase from Rush Truck Center for two 14-passenger activity buses at a proposed bid of $252,000; Classic City Doors and Hardware for door hardware upgrades at a proposed bid of $83,544.20; Smith & Co. for an Oconee County High School parking-lot addition (proposed bid described by staff as “a little over $800,000”); and Magnum Paving for maintenance-facility paving at a proposed bid of $192,414. The board also approved taking up the fiscal year 2026 tentative general fund and federal fund budgets for consideration and formally approved both tentative budgets as presented.

Board members confirmed the votes on the record with the meeting chair stating, “All in favor? Passes 5 0.” No roll-call vote listing individual member votes was read aloud in the transcript.

The board concluded the public portion of the meeting by making a motion to adjourn into executive session \"to discuss or deliberate upon personnel matters as described on the affidavit to be attached to the minutes.\" That motion also passed 5-0.

Because the meeting record shows these items were approvals of bids, field trips and tentative budgets, they represent formal board actions rather than discussion-only items. The meeting did not include public debate tying any of these approvals to changes in policy or long-term program shifts; staff presented each procurement or program recommendation and the board approved them by voice vote.","At its May 12 meeting the Oconee County Board of Education approved multiple vendor bids, two tentative budgets and several routine items by unanimous vote, then moved into executive session to discuss personnel.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Parents press board for professional mold testing at Oconee County Elementary; operations staff report moisture checks

Business services presents FY26 tentative budget: $119.1M revenue, $120.5M expenditures

Board approves bids, field trips and tentative budgets; adjourns to executive session