Colleton County First Steps Board Meeting

Tuesday, January 28, 2025


Colleton County First Steps

    500 Forest Circle

  Walterboro, SC  29488

843-782-3634

AGENDA

Colleton County First Steps Full Board Meeting

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

2:00 PM

CCSD Administrative Office Building

  1. Welcome
  • Approve Minutes from October 31, 2024
  • Update from Executive Director, Cindy S. Riley
  • Parents As Teachers Advisory Board

  • Budget Report

  • Bylaws

  • Executive Director’s Evaluation

  • Next Board Meetings:

Executive Board Meeting       Tuesday, February 18, 2025 2:00 PM
Full Board Meeting                Tuesday, April 8, 2025 2:00 PM (Annual Meeting)

  • Adjournment

Summary of Amendments to Local Partnership Bylaws

Technical Amendment – Organization (Section III(a))

A technical amendment to change the description of the Corporation from “non profit organization” to “nonprofit corporation.”

Local Partnership Board Composition (Section VI(b))

The following amendments to board composition are required to be in compliance with the statutory changes found within Act 81 (2023) and directly reflect the updated statute.

Voting Majority: Appointed members shall comprise a voting majority of the board.

Minimum/Maximum Membership: These provisions are removed entirely. There is no longer a statutory requirement of a total minimum membership of twelve and maximum membership of thirty.

Delegation Appointments:

The county legislative delegation shall appoint up to six (6) directors to the Board. Previously, the delegation could appoint up to four (4) directors to the board.

A provision was added to account for multicounty partnerships, clarifying that the legislative delegation shall modify their appointments based on the multicounty partnership plan approved by the South Carolina First Steps Board of Trustees.

Delegation Appointments – By Recommendation:

The Department of Social Services, the Department of Public Health, and Head Start or early Head Start shall each recommend one individual to the legislative delegation for appointment by the delegation. Previously these entities designated individuals to serve as a director and they were not appointed positions.

County Library Recommendation – Appointment:

The county public library system in the partnership’s coverage area shall recommend one employee of the system to the County Council for appointment by the Council. Previously the county public library system located within the partnership’ coverage area designated an individual to serve as a director and this was not an appointed position.

Public School Board Appointments:

Each public school district board located within the partnership’s coverage area shall appoint on individual to serve as a director. Previously the public school district designated an individual to serve as a director and this was not an appointed position.

Delegation to County Council: The legislative delegation may, by resolution, delegate some or all of its appointments to the County Council of the partnership’s coverage area.

Election of Directors:

No more than four directors may be elected by the local partnership board. Of the individuals nominated for an elected position, the individual who receives a plurality of the votes shall be deemed to have been elected.

Previously, there were a list of categories for elected members and no more than four from any of the categories could be elected to sit on the Board.

Terms, Resignation, Removal and Vacancies (Section VI(c))

Terms: Appointed directors are no longer subject to the maximum cap of serving eight consecutive years. Previously, all directors (appointed and elected) could not serve more than eight consecutive years.

Additionally, a new sentence is added to clarify that elected directors may not serve in a holdover capacity after their term ends.

Removal:

Clarification that directors who miss more than three consecutive meetings without excuse are considered terminated from membership and a vacancy on the board is created.

If the Board removes a director, notice must be given to both the removed director and if the director is appointed, also to the delegation, council, or agency appointing such director.

Vacancies:

Clarifying amendment to state that when any vacancy occurs, the vacancy must timely be filled with a person from the same category and in the same manner of election or appointment as the vacated director.

Committees (Section VI(m)

Committee creation and appointments to Committees shall be made by the approval of a majority of all directors in office at the time action is taken. Previously, the Chairman had authority to select and remove Committee members.

Clarifying amendment to list a variety of situations where a committee may never be authorized to take action. 

Service without Compensation (Section VI(n))

Clarifying amendment to state that Directors, including those serving as Officers, shall serve without compensation.

Compensation (Section VII(a)(4))

Clarifying amendment, related to the amendment in Section VI(n), to state that only employees may be paid reasonable compensation. Directors, including those serving as Officers, shall serve without compensation.

A new provision is included to ensure compliance with the new provision within Act 81 (2023) regarding the local partnership board’s duty to submit for approval by the South Carolina First Steps Board of Trustees any request to hire an executive director, requests to set the initial salary, and requests for any salary increases for the executive director, and the requirement to document an annual performance evaluation for the executive director.