Columbia County parents might start paying for their sophomore students to take the PSAT.

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Because of budget cutbacks, the state Department of Education no longer will provide the funding to purchase the exams used to test underclassmen's readiness for the SAT.

School officials were considering Wednesday morning whether to pick up the tab with local tax dollars or pass along the cost to parents.

The tests cost $13 each. Potentially, as many as 1,725 10th-graders might take the exam for an overall cost of nearly $22,500.

Board Chairwoman Regina Buccafusco motioned to pay for the exams this year and to also survey parents on their willingness to buy the test.

However, the motion was tabled after other board members said they need more time to consider the issue.

School trustee Mike Sleeper said he wasn't sure it's fair that taxpayers purchase an exam that's not a necessity.

The PSAT is more than an exam to gauge a student's SAT readiness, Superintendent Charles Nagle said.

"The PSAT, if the schools are using it correctly ... predicts the success of students taking AP courses," he said. Other officials noted that the exam is used by students to qualify for National Merit Scholarships and by educators to compare local academic performance with students from other states.

The exams are administered in October, so they won't have to be ordered until September.

Also at the meeting, school officials approved a new report card for second-graders that judges them based on their mastery of standards.

Introduced in first-grade classes last school year, the report cards provide a better measure of a pupil's academic strength and weaknesses, said school system Director of Elementary Education Michele Sherman.

Also Wednesday, Sleeper asked for a review of the system's cell phone policy. He didn't elaborate on the nature of the review, except to say he wanted a better understanding of the legal implications associated with school system-owned mobile phones and reimbursements granted to those using privately-owned phones for school business.

Earlier this month, Columbia County Commissioner Scott Dean refused to comply with an open-records request to examine inappropriate text messages he admitted sending to a county employee.

Though Dean owns the phone from which the messages were sent, he is reimbursed $120 each month by the county for his cell phone use.

Dean said the messages he sent from his phone were private, thus not subject to an open records request.

State law seems to support that assertion, said Georgia Press Association attorney David Hudson.

Still, Sleeper said he wants clarification as to what the public can and can't see.

Sleeper was Dean's campaign manager during his re-election campaign.