As you know, public education funding from the federal government has come to us in the form of ARRA and jobs stimulus dollars. These dollars have helped us over the last three years deal with the economy's downturn. Now we, along with the state of Georgia, are at a funding cliff for federal dollars. So we asked Representative Westmoreland for bipartisan support of education from the US Congress.  We also expressed our concerns on some of the compliance issues and strings attached to federal dollars. We believe we could better increase student achievement if we had more flexibility.

 

We shared with him our concerns about reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. He was receptive, and asked that we give him something in writing that articulates what we think. He also asked for three or four good ideas that should be included in the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, and to give examples of what those ideas would look like.

 

You've lived and worked with No Child Left Behind, and you have ideas. Please share them with me. You can put them on our Facebook page or you can email me directly. I would like to have a dialogue with you so I can share this information with him and with others.

And I close this week with two observations. First, thank you to those of you who have gone to our Facebook page. I do believe that it opens up a new communication channel for us. It's been very exciting to see some of the comments that have been posted there. So, thank you!

 

I also want to commend Denise Burrell for her presentation at the Kiwanis Club this week. She did an outstanding job sharing with them the same presentation you saw at the Education Celebration in the Griffin Auditorium. It was well received, and it was positively featured in Thursday's Griffin Daily News.

 

So, congratulations, Denise, on another outstanding presentation and for all of us, it's a lesson that the community is there to support us. We just have to let them know what the good stories are. So let's share. I dare you. Have a great weekend!

Employees in the Griffin-Spalding County School System are eligible for one free ticket to the popular SHS vs. GHS football game on August 26.

To secure the free ticket, each employee must show their valid employee name badge to the staff selling tickets at the high school on whose side they want to sit at the game.

Tickets will be available at both high schools Wednesday and Thursday, August 24 and 25, 8:00 am - 3:00 pm. The hours on Friday, August 26, are 8:00 am - 1:00 pm at each high school.

Employees must present a game ticket and name badge at the gate for admittance to the football game.  Game time is 7:30 pm.

The Spalding County Sheriff's Department and Griffin Police Department will barricade streets around Memorial Stadium beginning at 6:00. Gates will open at 6:15.