Jones County Board of Education members welcomed a community partner and celebrated Georgia’s Teacher of the Year at their August business meeting. The Aug. 10 meeting was called to order by Board Chairman Ginger Bailey, and the opening prayer was led by board member Mike Gordon. In her chairman’s report, Bailey said she was excited at the beginning of the school year and always enjoys the open houses.
“Tailgating was a lot of fun. We’re gearing up for another fantastic year at the Jones County School System,” she said.
Bailey welcomed the Georgia Teacher of the Year, Charm Mapp, to the meeting and said everyone looks forward to her coming back after completing her Teacher of the Year duties.
Board member Dr. Nancy Nash spoke about the board’s self assessment during her report.
“We are getting ready to plan our professional learning required by the Georgia School Board Association,” she said.
Nash said two items became a focus, financial planning and strategic governance. She said GSBA has great professional learning classes and suggested it would be a good topic for board members required training classes this year.
Superintendent Dr. Jessica Graves began her report by welcoming Mapp, who also spoke at the recent JCSS Convocation. The superintendent talked about new policies that were being rolled out and announced a key initiative for the Sept. 14 work session at 5 p.m. that would include a presentation from Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Efficiency Dennis Woolfolk and Maintenance Director Joe Evans and Graves about the JCSS Five-Year Facilities Plan.
She said the public is invited to attend, and at the conclusion of the presentation, the meeting would divide into small groups, each including a board member, to gather public input about the plan, followed by a survey.
Information session
Communications Director Adam Gillhouse talked about the recognition of community partners that would begin with a $25,000 donation from Zaxby’s of Gray to the JCSS Nutrition Program.
Nutrition Director Matoshia Grant introduced MaryStuart Hulsey, Zaxbys of Gray Franchisee Owner and Director of Marketing with Avants Management Group, who then presented the check.
Hulsey said Zaxby’s has been in Gray 27 years, and the donation will support the new Fueling Futures with Zaxbys Breakfast Boost initiative. The district-wide partnership is designed to increase student participation in school breakfast and improve access to nutritious morning meals.
The program is expected to provide approximately 65,000 breakfasts to Jones County students during the 2026-27 school year, along with monthly themed breakfast events, student activities, nutrition education, incentives and other efforts to encourage healthy breakfast habits.
“We are excited about giving back,” Hulsey added.
Mapp was the next speaker, who began by saying the year has been a whirlwind so far.
“Jones County has been a big part of my life for the past 23 years. I’m honored to be in this position and represent the voice of Georgia teachers. Teaching has never been just a job to me. I truly believe it’s my calling,” she said. “It’s an honor to represent our school district in this significant way.”
Bailey thanked Mapp for her comments.
“Just know that our thoughts and prayers are with you wherever you go,” she said.
“Until you come back,” Graves added.
Assistant Superintendent Katy Richter was the next presenter and talked about strategic planning and district improvement. She presented the board with the JCSS Strategic Improvement Plan for 2026-27.
“Work has been happening. We want to be good stewards of our money while meeting students’ needs,” she said. “This is our commitment to our students.”
Richter pointed out there are no federally identified schools in the district. She said JCSS is implementing positive support for the whole child, including a thriving CTAE program at JCHS.
“We are one team working together, making sure we are doing what’s best for our kids,” she said.
The speaker said the district office came together to focus on a strategic plan. Goals were set and are now being implemented in literacy and math. She said data was pulled to determine those goals.
“We are implementing the professional learning community framework district wide, using a multi-tiered system of support for students where needed,” she said. “We want every student to leave enrolled, enlisted or employed.”
Gillhouse reported on the usage of the ParentSquare platform. He said the first week there were 414 posts and 8,551 direct messages. He said teachers are doing a good job of communicating with parents.
The director said there are also 2,000 more people following the school system on social media.
“Our stories are reaching beyond Jones County. These are great tools.”
Gillhouse said school attendance is a concern, both with students and teachers. He talked about initiatives to encourage attendance, including the honor of a school flying the district flag.
“We want to celebrate students and teachers,” he said.
Finance report
CFO Tonya Merritt presented the district report for the month ending July 31, which is 8.33 percent of the new school year.
The total revenue is $4,267,998 and the total expenditures $5,656,187. The ending cash balance is $23,715,058.
Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax collections for July are $337,917.
Action items
The majority of action items pertained to JCSS policies, with the first three items tabled for 30 days public review and input and three others approved after being tabled for the previous 30 days.
The three tabled policies pertained to promotion and retention of students, the district’s purchasing authority and school board governance.
The policies approved were for paid parental leave, employee leaves and absences, and public participation in board meetings.
All board policies are available to view on the BOE Simbli Page that can be found from the www. jones.k12.ga.us website, under the About Us tab.
Board members approved Graves’ recommendation to adopt a resolution to withdraw the JCSS 2024 Capital Outlay application in order to use those funds in a larger facilities plan. Board Member Mike Gordon made the motion to adopt the resolution, and the motion was approved unanimously.
The superintendent recommended approval of the contract with Howard Technology Solutions to provide Synology Services for JCSS at an estimated cost of $16,868, utilizing funds from the Technology budget. The motion to approve was made by Nash, and it was approved unanimously.
The final recommendation was the purchase of the services of JMC Turf Inc. to repair lawn mowers for JCHS with the estimated cost of $12,288, utilizing funds from the facilities and maintenance budget.
Board member Brady Skinner made the motion to approve, and the vote was unanimous.
The board adjourned to enter closed session at 6:53 p.m. and returned at 8:02 to approve personnel recommendations discussed in the closed session and adjourn.
The next meeting of the Board is scheduled Sept. 14. The work session begins at 5 p.m. with the regular board meeting at 6 p.m.
