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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

The Chilton County Board of Education meeting on July 16 focused on recapping the last school year, and showcasing how far the school system has come in a short amount of time.

Chilton County Schools Superintendent Corey Clements gave a State of Schools report to the board and those in attendance that highlighted some of the ways the school system showed improvements during the 2023-2024 school year in areas like safety, academic achievement, attendance and more.

CCS had 7,800 students across all 15 instructional campuses during the 2023-2024 school year, a 3% increase from the year before. This upcoming school year, the school system is already over 7,900 students, which would rank CCS as the 22nd largest school system out of the 139 in Alabama. In addition to the students, the school system continues to be the largest employer in Chilton County with 975 employees on staff for the upcoming school year.

Clements also gave financial updates during his report. In January 2023 when Clements took office, the CCS statements showed 3.98 months reserve, and it was earning $3,000 per month in interest. As of June 2024, those statements show 7.16 months reserve, and it is earning $120,000 per month in interest, a drastic enhancement.

“I am proud of that,” Clements said. “A lot of smart people are working hard to be good stewards of people’s money, and we owe that to those people … This is what good government looks like, and what it is supposed to look like.”

In safety measures around the county, CCS continued to implement its Student Resource Officer Plan that will place an SRO on all 15 campuses by the next school year. Having an SRO on campus at each school is something that many school systems do not have, and a point of emphasis for CCS in recent years. Other safety features that the school system has implemented includes 700 new high definition security cameras at schools, halo vape and noise detectors for all middle and high school restrooms and a new intercom and communication systems at Jemison Elementary School and Clanton Intermediate School.

Recently released Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program data was discussed by Clements during the report, and it showed great signs in Chilton County. The data showed that 94% of third graders in the county are reading at or above grade level, which is above the Alabama average of 91%. The State of Alabama had 4,800 third graders be retained last school year based on The Alabama Literacy Act. Following the summer reading camp, Chilton County has zero of its third graders being retained. Eighty-seven percent of second graders in the county are reading at or above grade level, and that is above the Alabama average of 84%. This is the first time CCS has been above the state averages in these numbers.

Clements also discussed the projections for 2024 on Chilton County Schools’ School Report Card from the Alabama Department of Education. The numbers provided were only projections, not final numbers, but it gives the school system a general idea of where they stand based on the data they have for the year right now.

The report card is based on six categories — academic achievement, academic growth, chronic absenteeism, college and career readiness, graduation rate and English language proficiency. These report cards are important because new businesses and industries looking to expand to certain areas look at these, and they compare counties to determine where they would be better off. With Chilton County being right on Interstate 65, this is even more important. Last year’s report card ranked Chilton County 10th out of the 13 counties that Interstate 65 crosses.

The report cards are also used by universities when handing out competitive scholarships to students.

“We are addressing that, and it will be better next year,” Clements said. “I do not know what everyone else’s data is going to be, but I know ours will be better.”

The projections for the next report card show a four-point increase in the overall score for CCS, going from a 77 to an 81. That score would tie the highest score the school system has ever received. The projections also show a 6% increase in academic achievement, rising from 52% to 58%, and a 5% increase in academic growth from 90% to 95.5%. This would be the highest academic growth percentage the school system has ever had.

Projections for the school system’s chronic absenteeism, or students who miss 18 or more days of school for any reason, is showing a 7% improvement declining from 16.81% to 9.94%, an all-time best mark if met. Clements attributed this gain in large part to the absence recovery plan developed by the board. Another projection that would be an all-time high is the college and career readiness category, which is expected to rise from 69% to 81%.

The only category that CCS is showing the greatest need for support in is the English language proficiency area, and the school system hired 20 new EL aids at the meeting to help combat those issues and raise the numbers.

“Thank you to our administrators, faculty and staff, students and parents on a successful school year,” Clements said. “Anyone who cannot see the accomplishments, achievements and positive change over the last 18 months just simply refuses to see it … I want to thank the board members that have supported me and helped play a part in helping us change the culture, the expectations and the direction of the Chilton County School System. Those of you who have supported and trusted our mission are more appreciated than you will ever know.”

Also, during the meeting, the results from the audit of the 2023 fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2022-Sept. 30, 2023) for CCS was presented. The audit issued an unmodified opinion on the board’s financial statements for the fiscal year, which means that the board’s financial statements “present fairly, in all material respects, its financial position and the results of its operations for the fiscal year,” the audit said.

The only finding the audit identified was a problem with the board’s internal controls over financial reporting. The audit said the board failed to ensure all capital assets were properly recorded on the financial statements and supported by subsidiary ledgers. However, the board corrected those mistakes, and this single finding did not jeopardize the board’s unmodified opinion the audit issued. The audit also found that the board is in compliance with all three federal programs it is involved with —The Child Nutrition Cluster, the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the COVID-19 Education Stabilization Fund.

The audit was released to the public on June 21, and it can be viewed on the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts website.