Pamela Williams said "this is horrific."
Patricia Walls was "upset about this."
Kathleen Snooks wants something done "drastic and quick."
On Monday night they and the rest of the Jasper County school board discussed the district's High School Assessment Program (HSAP) and end-of-year results.
The results are not good.
For Hardeeville Middle/High, 50.7 percent of students passed both sections of last year's HSAP on the first attempt. That is a 15.5 percent decrease from 2008.
In Ridgeland High, 56 percent passed, which is a 7.6 percent decrease.
Last year's end-of-year results for all students weren't encouraging.
In U.S. History and the Constitution, 88.9 percent of 217 students tested failed. The mean score was 63.1. Last year's results were not available.
Seventy-six percent of 204 Physical Science students tested failed. The mean score was 63. Last year 79 percent failed.
In English 1, 64.7 percent of 272 tested failed. The mean score was 65.8. In 2008, 57.1 percent failed.
In Algebra 1/Mathematics, 55 percent of the 238 tested failed. The mean score was 68.7. Last year, 46.1 percent failed.
The school board was not pleased.
"These scores are terrible," Williams said.
In an effort to find out what went wrong and how to improve the scores, the board scheduled a work session for Jan. 25 at 6:30 p.m.
The board wants accountability and understands it ultimately is held accountable for the low scores.
Interim superintendent John Taylor said the district the past few years has "gone through quite a bit of change," which includes splitting Jasper County High into two schools and the addition of new principals and superintendents. Those might be some reasons for the poor scores, but Walls wasn't buying that reasoning.
"Excuses," she said. "None of that flies."

New interim super to be named soon

The naming of a new interim superintendent has been delayed for a few weeks, but it is hoped that the new interim will be named at a special board meeting on Thursday.