Savannah-Chatham County school board reviews transportation report, approves graduation venue, pool repairs, stadium expansion and school redesign

The Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools Board of Education on an informal January 2025 meeting reviewed a transportation report showing most bus riders arrive on time and approved several contracts and budget moves affecting school facilities.

Sheila Blanco, public information manager for Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, summarized a transportation department report that found 75.7% of students who ride buses arrive at school on time or early and 24.3% arrive six minutes or more after the scheduled arrival time. Blanco said the largest cause of late arrivals in the last school year was driver coverage. The department also reported it would need an additional 138 drivers to resume transporting students in the district's choice program; Blanco said a variety of alternate solutions were detailed but did not specify those options.

The board approved a contract with OVG Facilities to rent an in-market arena for the district's 2025 graduation ceremonies. The contract covers rental and services for May 18'May 22, 2025, and the board recorded a total estimated cost of $167,500. According to the summary, that amount is intended to cover facility rental, house staff, security and public safety, stagehands, video and ribbon-board production, traffic police, catering buyouts, ticketing and parking.

The board approved $109,500 in swimming-pool repairs at Jenkins High School. The repairs are to be performed under the district's existing swimming-pool maintenance services contract with Aquatic Management, approved last July; the board summary said the work is necessary to bring the pool to a usable and maintainable state.

The board also approved a budget transfer of $2,400,000 for the Islands High School Athletic Complex Expansion Project. The project summary included adding seating capacity sufficient to host GHSA 4A playoff games, two field houses, additional restrooms, team rooms and a larger press box.

Finally, the board approved a change order to Hussey Gaybelle and DeYoung International for more than $930,000 in added design services for the Windsor Forest High School replacement project. The original proposal and contract approved in November 2021 called for a school designed for 900 students; the approved final design is for 1,175 students and required reconfiguration to fit the allowable area on the site while retaining the existing building and maintaining adjacencies to the existing gymnasium.

Less-critical items mentioned in the meeting summary included recognition of the superintendent's student of the month for December, Chloe Givens, a fifth grader at Brock Elementary School.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the OVG Facilities contract (estimated $167,500), the Jenkins High School pool repairs ($109,500), the $2,400,000 budget transfer for Islands High School athletic expansion, and the change order to Hussey Gaybelle and DeYoung International (more than $930,000). The transportation report was presented for information; no formal action was recorded in the summary provided.