Khadija Brown was recognized by Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 Superintendent Melvin Smoak for graduating without ever missing a day of school.

"We would like to really congratulate her for this," Smoak said during Tuesday night's school board meeting. Board Chairman Dr. Kalu Kalu presented Brown with a certificate to commemorate her ability to make it to school every day.

Brown's parents, Melvin and Elsie, said the reason she was able to achieve perfect attendance from kindergarten through high school was that she was never sick. Her parents said that their parents would only allow them to miss school if they were sick, and they carried that lesson over in raising Khadija.

She plans to attend Coastal Carolina University in the fall and major in biology, with plans to become a physical therapist. Brown also plans to be a cheerleader for the Chanticleers.

Smoak also recognized Executive Assistant to the Superintendent Greg Carson and Cindy Kinard from the district's Office of Public Relations for winning six national awards. The National School Public Relations Association honored them with an Award of Excellence for their annual report, "Making Dreams a Reality." This was one of only 125 Awards of Excellence honors that were given to schools from across the country.

Pupil Activity, General Fund Budget and Building Activity Supervisor Kathy Culclasure gave the board a budget status report for the month of May. The projected expenditures through May for the 2006-2007 year were $48 million. Culclasure said that number is less than originally budgeted.

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment Nancy Ford provided the board with a teacher evaluation update. She chronicled the steps of the state's ADEPT program, which provides teachers with a teaching mentor during their first year. After their first year, they are evaluated by a team chaired by the principal of their school. She said that 92 percent of teachers met the criteria for the 2006-2007 school year.

After Ford's presentation, board member Julius Page encouraged adding more money to the teaching budget.

"If we don't pay them, we can't keep them," he said.

Associate Superintendent for Administrative and Student Services Verneta Guess gave the board an overview of the summer school program. Guess said there were 254 fewer students in the program than last year, however she reported that 95 percent of the students in the program this year improved their proficiency test scores.

Board Secretary Susan Gleaton thought the improvement was excellent, saying "We got our money's worth this summer."

The board also approved spending $45,200 to paint buildings throughout the district.

T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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