Questions by Kristi Austin

kdaustin — 2024-03-06 02:19:26 UTC

Will you schedule the meeting with each of us or will Houston?

Those times will be set by me and you will receive what is needed for the meeting. The application period for telecommuting doesn’t open until April, so it won’t occur until after that period.

kdaustin — 2024-03-08 15:49:09 UTC

Do you know where are office is so I can determine if I am near my teammates?

The seating charts have not been finalized, but team leads have had input as tentative assignments have been worked on.

kdaustin — 2024-03-08 15:49:26 UTC

Core work hours are 9:30-4. What does that mean?

It says core hours….. which means you have to be available during those hours because those are core hours that people are in the field. It means you can work 8-4, 8:30-4:30,

kdaustin — 2024-03-08 15:50:02 UTC

Do you know what day the OAS will all report to the building?

I mentioned that it would depend on how CCR will function to collaborate more effectively. It could be everyone is in on Monday and your team comes in on Wednesday. It is not decided and probably won’t be for a while.

2024-03-08 16:27:28 UTC

This presentation came off like we are doing the wrong thing currently and that we are not effective. I can't speak for everyone but my team rocks. We all do our jobs and we do them well. The perks of my job are my coworkers, the teachers I have the privilege to serve and the overall impact I can have on the students of South Carolina. My pay is a means to an end not a perk. It is not like I am independently wealthy because of this job. I love what I do but I certainly do not love my job because of the salary I make. I would find work elsewhere if I was looking for my pay to be a perk. Being treated like an educated professional who is all in for the children of South Carolina is the perk I need. Otherwise I am going to need a significant raise to feel like my pay is a perk.

It is unfortunate that the context around this was perceived in this manner. I am not seeing an actual question to respond to. In the future feel free to address your concerns directly to me so they can be addressed professionally.

2024-03-08 16:40:19 UTC

So those of us that have our working hours as 7:30-3:30, are we going to have to change our hours? During the hiring orientation, HR communicated that your day had to start between 7:30-9 am and would go 3:30-5pm.

The core hours stated align with state HR policy. They are working to match state HR policy as we move to the new building. The goal is to be available to the field. We can discuss this more in our 1:1 when/if you apply to telecommute.

2024-03-08 20:16:49 UTC

Do employees have access to the traffic study that was done before the new building was started? An additional 500-600+ cars will be added to work week traffic on a two-lane highway, and only one ingress and egress. The turn for most of us will be a left turn from the I-77 exit, a left turn into Farmer's Market, and SCDE employees will have to deal with food service trucks entering and leaving the Market every morning. This has not been addressed, and it will be a huge problem.

There are plans for an additional entry point designated for SDE. I will get back with you about the actual traffic study request.

2024-03-11 15:58:33 UTC

Since our governor signed the open carry bill, will SCDE employees be bringing guns to the office? If so, how can SCDE 100% guarantee our safety at work at all times? If employees are allowed to come to work armed and we do not feel safe in that environment, will that be justification enough to apply for telecommuting?

Read this helpful info on the new law: Constitutional Carry Guidance.pdf (sc.gov )

2024-03-12 18:48:12 UTC

Will there be assigned parking?

At this time, no. The concern about this has been shared.

2024-03-12 23:53:04 UTC

There are many of us who provide professional learning opportunities for districts. We support teachers’ growth in their content knowledge so they can in turn grow their students. Districts have specific days that have been identified as professional learning days for their teachers and often do not have flexibility. If a district requests professional learning on a day in which we are expected to be in the office, do we communicate that we are not available or will this be handled on a case by case basis?

Hopefully soon we will have a schedule of office days. Many things will have to be handled on a case-by-case basis as we respond to the needs in the field.

2024-03-13 12:12:39 UTC

Will employees need to pay for parking at the new building?

2024-03-13 12:45:50 UTC

When we move to the new building, will there be a room we can reserve when we need to give virtual PD's to districts?

Yes- there are several rooms that will be available to serve for this purpose.

2024-03-13 12:45:54 UTC

When will the recording for this meeting be available?

I am working on it. Have some technical issues with retrieving it.