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Curriculum committee backs application for CERDEP funding, seeks mix of state funding and local 'flex' support
Summary
The committee voted to proceed with an application for CERDEP funding for 4K classrooms; presenters said CERDEP funding could cover up to $4.7 million and recommended the district apply while using general-fund support for some aide positions and four flex classrooms to serve ineligible students.
Committee members considered a recommendation from district staff to apply for state CERDEP funding and to plan a funding mix that would protect local 4K offerings while capturing available state dollars.
Lee James reviewed budget scenarios for the district’s 4-year-old program, reporting current local funding of roughly $9.2 million (about $2 million general fund, $2 million EIA and $5 million Title I) and saying Horry County could qualify for up to $4.7 million in CERDEP funds. James presented multiple scenarios showing potential general-fund savings and Title I impacts depending on how much local general fund the district chose to retain for aid positions. He recommended adding four "flex" classrooms (four positions) so the district could place teachers where student demand and space exist and serve students who would otherwise be ineligible under CERDEP criteria.
James warned that startup districts typically receive less than the full calculated CERDEP allotment (often 85–90 percent) and walked the committee through more conservative scenarios in case the district received only 75 percent of eligible CERDEP funds. He also noted some previous DSS licensing and facility requirements had been removed by recent state provisos (packet cited memo/proviso numbers). Presenters emphasized that non-CERDEP schools would still need DSS licensing and that the district would not eliminate any existing 4K classrooms.
Wendy Hodges moved to proceed with Lee James’s recommendation to apply for CERDEP funding and to draft an application indicating the district’s intent to fund eligible classrooms and to use general funds for half of aid positions and flex teachers. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will draft the application and return the recommendation to the board as a business item at the next board meeting in January for formal sign-off.
