The Putnam County Board of Education heard a review of this year’s Summer Inspiration camps, heard updates to potential Georgia state board rules being voted on, and approved two action items regarding the middle and high schools, on July 17.
Summer Inspiration hosts a variety of camps and offers extended learning opportunities throughout the summer break.
Coordinators Beth Bacon and Kathy Smith presented a slideshow of pictures, listed camps, participation numbers, and a Summer Inspiration program breakdown to the board for their end-of-summer review.
With over 100 camps, Bacon and Smith stated that enrollment numbers for every camp were near or at maximum capacity. They also reported that middle school enrollment was higher this year than last year.
“We believe we may have found a niche for our middle schoolers. We had higher participation this year due to the number of sports camps being offered,” said Bacon.
The pair also highlighted having more opportunities for special education students, immigrant students, and English as a Second Language (ESOL) students. This year, there were specific camps dedicated to each of these groups to better match their needs.
“We had a phenomenal summer and you can just see on each of these kid’s faces, the reason behind why we do this each year,” said Smith.
Bacon added, “I have a gallery of at least or over 300 photos of campers. Kathy and I visited each camp every day and were truly impressed.”
While Bacon and Smith emphasized they have not done the complete debrief yet to have goals set for next year, they are hoping to increase the middle school and high school numbers and stated they have already found ways to improve the camps being offered.
After their presentation, Superintendent Eric Arena informed the board of current changes being voted on by the Department of Education’s state board that may affect state-wide passing expectations for fifth and eighth graders and end-of-course testing.
As of the board meeting, these changes had yet to be voted on by the state. The board was also informed that math standards have been changed by the state for this upcoming school year and that it is likely next year’s English standards will be updated as well.
The board decided to host a called meeting if the changes to testing are approved, to further discuss how Putnam County will adapt for the betterment of students and teachers.
The meeting concluded with the approval of $73,000 for Terry’s Tractor Works to clear the site for the future Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps obstacle course and the approval of $95,456.20 from school nutrition funds to be used to purchase a serving line from Mobile Fixture for Putnam County Middle School.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 21, however, there are current plans to host a called work meeting when the board receives the tax digest so the digest, five-year levy, and Fiscal Year 2024 budget may be discussed and voted on.