Members of the Clarke County Board of Education got updates from school district staff about the future of the historic West Broad School site, as well as the ongoing accreditation review of the district.
Both the accreditation review and the West Broad School site’s future use are issues that have haunted the board for several years. While district staff didn’t offer a new plan for the West Broad site, board members had a chance to talk about their ideas and vision for the land and its historic buildings. Board members also got the results of a survey that district officials circulated among the board members to gauge their priorities for the site. The most popular priority among members was to maximize access to youth programming, while seeking more community input about the site was the lowest-ranked of the 12 priority areas submitted to board members.
Board members also got an update on the district’s ongoing accreditation investigation, which has been going on for several years. The district has already passed three of the five problem areas identified by accrediting agency Cognia in its initial January 2020 review. In the remaining two areas, reviewed by Cognia last December, the district still has work to do. Those areas relate to the board’s adherence to a code of ethics and its organizational effectiveness. In both areas, Cognia reviewers found some progress, but not enough to consider those items successfully managed.
Cognia investigators are scheduled to return to the district for additional reviews in February 2023.
