Board approves consent agenda, meeting-date change, personnel actions and policy second readings; executive session yields no action

The Spartanburg School District One Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a slate of routine items, personnel recommendations and policy second readings during its public meeting. Trustees also voted to enter executive session on two items and later reported no action was taken in executive session.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda approved (includes approval of agenda, February 2025 board meeting minutes, Feb. 4 work session minutes and the check registry). Motion to approve the consent agenda was made during the chairman's report and the motion passed unanimously.

- April meeting date moved from April 14 to April 21. The board approved the date change by voice vote; outcome unanimous.

- Waiver of three additional make-up instructional days related to Hurricane Helene. Administration recommended the district make up three days already scheduled and to waive up to three additional days given the storm’s severity; the board approved waiving the three additional days by voice vote.

- Approval of retirements and resignations effective at the end of the 2024–25 school year. Trustees approved the retirements and the resignations that appear in the board packet; motions passed unanimously.

- Approval of recommended new hires for the 2025–26 school year and multiple administrative appointments. The board approved the recommended principal for Emman Intermediate School (Taylor Lehi), other new hires listed in the packet, and administrative appointments including the recommendation for Erica Center as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction and Joshua Loso as chief accountability officer. The board approved all contracts and letters of agreement for returning employees for 2025–26. All personnel and contract items passed by voice vote.

- Policy second readings approved. The board approved a second reading of a set of finance policies (listed in the packet) and separately approved the second reading of the policy implementing Gavin’s Law (GBEBE) as required by state law. Trustee discussion included a request to verify that administrative guidelines for accounting and fraud complaint reporting align with South Carolina’s whistleblower requirements (South Carolina Code sections 8-27-10 and 8-27-60); staff said they would confirm compliance and bring changes back if needed. Both policy votes were unanimous.

- Executive session. The board voted to go into executive session for two topics: safety and security, and receipt of legal advice on a pending claim. After the closed session the board reconvened and reported a motion stating that no action was taken in executive session.

What happened and who asked

Most motions were taken by voice vote after a maker and seconder were recognized; minutes show repeated unanimous voice votes with no roll-call tallies recorded in the public remarks. Where a motion-maker or seconder was named on the record, that is recorded in the board minutes. The board did not report any split votes during the public meeting.

Why it matters: The approved personnel and administrative contracts set leadership staffing for 2025–26 and textbook and curriculum adoptions advanced into the board's review schedule. The waiver of make-up days and the district’s budget timetable will affect the academic calendar and budget planning for the coming months.

Provenance: Each of the votes above was made on the public record during the meeting; the motions, seconds and voice votes are recorded in the meeting transcript.

No new policy changes were adopted beyond the second-reading approvals and the board directed staff to follow up on statutory compliance where requested.