The annual retreat allowed Superintendent Bennie Bennett and board members time away to discuss school district goals this year in a retreat center in Spartanburg in mid-November.

The overnight stay was courtesy of Milliken & Company Inc., and the talk was good and honest, says Board Chairman Don Saylor.

“I thought it was a great meeting just to get away and sit down and talk and have open frank discussions,” said Saylor. “A lot of times we agreed, a lot of times we didn’t, but we all came back that we want to do what’s best for Newberry County, the taxpayers and the citizens.”

“The atmosphere was great,” said Bennett to board members. “I thought you were very candid. I thought you were very open with each other.”

Here are Bennett’s highlights of what they talked about:

Long and short term goals

1. The budget

The district plans to monitor the budget while considering furloughs and keeping in mind this year’s stimulus money won’t be there after next year, said Bennett.

Short term goals

2. Property

The District discussed how to liquidate the older and unoccupied buildings it owns, as well as equipment it owns. Bennett mentioned a possible spring auction “to handle some of the surplus property...”

3. Redrawn school zones

The board discussed how to pave a smooth transition for students and employees moving to a new elementary school after “attendance lines” were redrawn for Little Mountain, Prosperity-Rikard and Pomaria-Garmany elementary schools. Bennett highlighted fifth-grade students who may be able to avoid moving their last year by “grandfathering those students in.”

Bennett mentioned using the “intra-district transfer policy” that allows parents to request transfers.

4. Courses

As far as what high school courses are available, Bennett says offering some courses like advanced placement and electives with three campuses “continues to be a challenge.”

The district wants to offer students everything needed to compete with students coming from other districts, said Bennett, but it also wants to be smart about allotting teachers over those classes and to optimally use its available technology.

5. Volunteers

The district discussed safety for students.

“We start to think about all the things we’ve heard in the media and things that we see...” said Bennett. “And how do we continue to monitor who we have working with our students on a daily basis?”

SLED checks are in place for volunteers and substitutes, he said.

Long term goals

6. Marketing district success

The district wants to relay the good school news to the public.

“We talk about all these budget cuts...” said Bennett, but money wise, the district still has a fund balance, and as far as student achievement, has seen growth in high schools.

7. Collaborative work

The district discussed working with local government and agencies to build the kind of culture the district is trying to create, said Bennett.

“We can’t work in isolation,” he said.

8. School choice

The district discussed how to continue offering “school choice” like Montessori classes in a tight budget year.

The board also considered how to expand school choice, the “opportunity for parents to choose a different program for their students,” says Bennett, at the middle and high school level.

9. Alternative education

The board considered how to update and review discipline policies to ensure a safe environment.