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District outlines "selective abandonment" review as federal grant cuts loom; board asks for school-level budget projections
Summary
Chief Academic Officer Tim Smith briefed the board on a district review of programs and resources, called "selective abandonment," and board members pressed for school-level projections after staff warned some federal grants (Title II, III) may be cut while Title I appears safer.
Tim Smith, the district’s chief academic officer, told the Muscogee County School District board on May 12 that the district is conducting a "selective abandonment" review to identify which district and school resources to keep, reduce or retire amid changing funding and overlapping provider materials.
Smith said consultants from HMH and staff from instructional divisions mapped district and school resources on May 16 to identify duplication, gaps and places where students moving between schools experience inconsistent supports. "What we found when we mapped all that out on the wall, was that we have a lot of resources out there," Smith said. He said the review will inform which district-provider resources to maintain and which to stop requiring.
Smith described work on course builds and a district "blueprint" that will house teacher-facing resources and student-facing content; the district is using MasteryConnect to host assessments that integrate into Canvas. He said core content course builds are mostly finished and that next steps include pre-K, fine arts, ESOL and gifted course builds and adding tier 2 and 3 MTSS interventions.
Board members pressed staff to show how potential federal and state funding cuts would affect schools. In response to a board request, Superintendent David Lewis and Smith said staff will provide projected allocations for schools during the budget process, acknowledging federal allocations are final only after the state vote and that current numbers are projections. Smith said the district’s total federal budget is "about $30–$35 million" and that Title I makes up "about half of that," while some smaller entitlement programs and Titles II and III were described as potentially at risk.
The board discussed implementing Georgia LEADS as the districtwide teacher-evaluation system next year; Smith said several schools piloted LEADS this year and the entire district will adopt Georgia LEADS next year. Smith also announced summer professional development dates, externships tied to CTAE partnerships, and a Leadership Day for principals June 3. Summer graduation is scheduled for July 22 at Carver at 7 p.m.
Several board members requested a clear comparison of last year’s school-level allocations to projected allocations under anticipated cuts so trustees can evaluate trade-offs and prioritize schools with the greatest needs. Smith agreed to provide that comparative information for the budget process.
Board members emphasized they want a tiered approach to reductions (e.g., maintain programs if funding remains; reduce if larger cuts occur) rather than assuming a single outcome.
The briefing was informational; no formal policy changes were adopted during the session.
