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What's "Right"?
 a message from Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones
In June 2009 when I became Superintendent of the Griffin-Spalding County School System, I remember a well-wisher saying to me, "Well, Curtis, are you ready for the politics?" I also remember smiling and saying, "I'm just going to do what I think is right for children."
Almost three years later, I believe everyone does what they think is right for children; we just don't all agree on what's "right."
A case in point is with the Georgia Legislature at this time. Many of you know the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that the state did not have the authority to create charter schools by using a charter commission. Now there's an effort underway to change the Georgia Constitution to allow the state to create charter schools.
While charter schools themselves are not bad, this change to the Constitution is - at least that's my opinion for two reasons.
First, I believe that our local board of education should decide how our dollars are spent to educate the students in Griffin-Spalding. I believe that this constitutional amendment will (in some way) allow for the redirecting of the local tax dollars. I don't think that's right. Second, I believe the state's efforts will create a parallel school system, and there isn't enough money to pay for the one we have now.
I hope that you will take time to inform yourself about House Bill 1162 and decide if you think it should or should not be on a future ballot. Then, let your voices be heard. (Just let them be heard from your home computer and not your work computer, because we're not allowed to email legislators from work.) Our representative in the senate is Ronnie Chance. He is also the floor leader, and he is in favor of this proposed amendment.
School SPLOST IV
On Tuesday, March 6, our citizens vote on School SPLOST IV. I have spoken with many of you in faculty meetings where we've talked about the pros of this particular School SPLOST. I hope that Griffin and Spalding County will approve School SPLOST IV for us. SPLOST I, II, and III were all very successful, and I believe they were very instrumental in helping us increase student achievement. I would like to see us continue to move forward.
I think Jim Smith said it best, "Students only get one opportunity to go through school, and it's not their fault that we have tough economic times right now. We still have to provide them the best educational opportunities we can, and School SPLOST IV will allow us to do that."
So what's right?
While the legislature would like to create a charter school system that would parallel our public school system (and I'm opposed to that!), I think they're doing what they think is right for children... I just don't agree.
People see this 1-penny sales tax as another penny out of their pocket. They might say "I've had enough! I don't want to do this anymore. No taxes. No furlough days. I'm done!"
But, the reality is that until we come out of this recession, we're going to have to find realistic solutions that work. SPLOST IV would help. So I hope you found the time to vote early or that you plan to vote on Tuesday!
Have a great weekend!
Curtis |
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Two ballot questions Tuesday pertain to school system 
Spalding County voters in the March 6 presidential preference primary will not only be voting on whether to continue the current school Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), they also will be voting on boundary changes in the Board of Education member voting districts.
The ballot question that says, "Approval of Redistricting Maps," pertains to voting district lines - not school attendance zone lines.
It reads, "Shall the Griffin-Spalding County School System be permitted to change the description of the education districts in accordance with the report of the Bureau of the Census for the United States decennial census of 2010 so as to comply with the federal law?"
Tim Shepherd, attorney for the board of education, clarified the reason for the question being on the ballot. He said, "Federal law and the United States Constitution require that voting districts be reapportioned every 10 years in response to population shifts shown by the census. Most entities, like Spalding County or the General Assembly, can adjust its voting districts without a referendum. A provision in a 1980 local amendment to the Georgia Constitution however stipulates that any changes in the Griffin-Spalding County Board of Education member voting districts will go before the voters. Hence, there is a question on the ballot."
The school SPLOST question is titled "Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax for Education." Voters will vote for or against continuing the one cent school SPLOST that over the past 14 years has renovated 10 schools, Griffin Auditorium and Memorial Stadium, built seven schools, and purchased technology for classrooms.
Facility projects that would be completed if this school SPLOST passes include additional classroom space at three schools and reroofing, kitchen improvements, flooring, parking and paving at up to eight schools.
Technology included is computer replacement, network upgrade and maintenance, and the infrastructure to create 21st century classrooms.
According to reports, voting during the early voting period which ends Friday, March 2, was averaging about 100 voters per day.
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Employee surveys to collect information on leader effectiveness and school climate
From March 5 to 16, all Griffin-Spalding County School System employees - certified and classified - will have the opportunity to participate in a climate survey collecting data on different employer operations including communication and system-level decision making.
Employees will receive direction from their supervisor on how to access the online survey and will receive the overall results in the March 23rd gscs Communicator, which is the school system's weekly employee newsletter.
"I want to know what employees think about a number of issues. They need an opportunity to voice their opinion, and we need to turn those opinions in to actionable improvement and communication plans for the school system," said Dr. Curtis Jones, Superintendent of the Griffin-Spalding County School System.
All responses will be anonymous to create the most valid results possible.
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School system launches Race to the Top surveys of selected principals and teachers
As part of the Race to the Top education reform initiative "Leader Keys Evaluation System", teachers at five Griffin-Spalding schools will have the opportunity to give feedback to their school principal on various categories of leadership, including duties and responsibilities, communication, and process improvement. The schools are Anne Street Elementary, Beaverbrook Elementary, Crescent Elementary, Jordan Hill Elementary, and Moreland Road Elementary.
The pilot survey's intent is to increase both the quantity and quantity of information that school leaders receive. The Leader Keys survey will be available online to teachers March 5 to 16, and teachers can complete the survey at work or at home.
Students to participate in "Class Keys" survey of teachers
As part of the Classroom Analysis of State Standards (Class Keys) evaluation system, students in randomly selected teachers' classes will have an opportunity to give feedback to their teachers that serves a twofold purpose: improvement and accountability.
The 10% of Griffin-Spalding County School System teachers participating in this pilot survey were selected by the Georgia Department of Education to create a valid cross-section of teachers.
Students will complete their survey during class, and teachers will not administer surveys to their own students. The survey window is March 5 to 16 for completion.
This is not the first time Griffin-Spalding students have been asked to evaluate their teachers. Our school system was one of seven Race to the Top districts in Georgia to pilot the pilot survey last year.
Students were asked to give feedback on their teachers' ability to support students, present information, challenge students, manage classrooms, engage students in learning and have content knowledge.
Students gave our teachers marks that were equal to or higher than the average of the seven participating school systems.
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March 30 named Title I Distinguished School District Day in Griffin
The Griffin-Spalding County Board of Education proclaimed March 30, as Title I Georgia Distinguished School District Day in Griffin, Georgia, at its meeting on Tuesday, February 28.
The proclamation declares Friday, March 30 as the day to celebrate the school system's achievement of earning the Title I Distinguished Large School System of the Year for 2011. As a reward students and staff at all Griffin-Spalding schools will be served cake for dessert.
Even though the award brought with it $50,000 in federal funds, dessert isn't something that can be purchased with the funds.
Instead a state organization offered to provide funds for a celebration.
"Immediately after our school system won this award, I received a call from a local PAGE member, who said the state organization of PAGE (Professional Association of Georgia Educators) would like to contribute funds for a celebration," said Anna Burns, Director of School & Community Services. "Those are the funds that will be used to supply dessert to staff and students not eating school lunches on March 30. Those who are eating school -made lunches will have the cake dessert included in the cost of their meal.
"Mary Ramsaier, Director of Nutrition, and her staff are the ones who are organizing the celebration. Serving cake to 12,000 at 20 locations is possible when it's well-organized. Mary is making is happen."
The award was given for doing the best job across the state of closing the achievement gap between subgroups of students (white, black, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged) in school systems with 10,000 students or more. It validates the academic progress of the school system as reflected in the results on the reading, English language arts, and math Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests and the Georgia High School Graduation Tests.
Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones said, "The award shows the commitment and diligent work of all stakeholders - students, parents, staff, board of education, and community members - to be a leader in the state in student achievement."
The State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge acknowledged that our Title I Distinguished schools and system were showing that high expectations, coupled with effective educators in the building, produce outstanding student achievement.
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School system maintains accreditation with SACS which commends system and identifies required action; system receives official report
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The school system has received the official AdvancED (SACS) Quality Assurance Review Report resulting from its 5-year accreditation visit in November. The visit and report are part of on-going SACS accreditation and the school system improvement process.
The report commends the school system for:
- Developing a continuous improvement process that is showing significant increases in student performance.
- Aligning leadership and communication protocols internally and externally to support the district's initiatives.
- Demonstrating commitment to the success of each student.
- Supporting instruction through the systemic use of a variety of data analysis tools.
In addition to commendations, the SACS Quality Assurance Review Team identified the following actions for improvement:
- Align and connect curriculum, student support services, and assessment systems from Pre-K through high school.
(The school system has begun addressing this requirement by the redefining of three positions and their work descriptions. The Director of Elementary School Curriculum will become Director of K-12 Curriculum and Instruction. The Director of Middle School Curriculum will become the Director of Data Analysis and Program Evaluation. The position of Director of High School Curriculum will become the Director of School/System Improvement.)
- Research systemic frameworks for developing human capital to ensure the capacity of each staff member to engage each student.
- Fully engage the community in addressing the budgetary challenges.
The AdvancED Quality Assurance Review Report also elaborated on the ratings of each of the 7 SACS standards. The report describes what the SACS Quality Assurance Review Team found as it investigated each standard and the school system's strengths and weaknesses in each standard.
The school system received the highest rating of "Highly Functional" for two standards and the second highest rating of "Operational" for the remaining 5 standards.
SACS Accreditation Standard & Received Rating
Standard 1: Vision and Purpose - Highly Functional
Standard 2: Governance and Leadership - Operational
Standard 3: Teaching and Learning - Operational
Standard 4: Documenting and Using Results - Highly Functional
Standard 5: Resource and Support System - Operational
Standard 6: Stakeholder Communication and Relationships - Operational
Standard 7: Commitment to Continuous Improvement - Operational
Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones, said, "We agree with the areas that the SACS Quality Assurance Team identified as strong. The SACS team also helped us identify and clearly define areas that need improvement. We appreciate the team's work. We will be working on the required actions in the months to come. We thank everyone who participated in the accreditation process." |
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25 middle and high school students win at regional science fair; 3 students win big opportunity to compete internationally
The Griffin-Spalding County School System not only had 25 students win awards at the Griffin RESA Regional Science & Engineering Fair, but three students from Griffin High School won a competition position at the International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering, Environment) Project competition (ISWEEEP) in Houston, Texas, in May.
"Our students did very well, and we are particularly excited about our students going to the ISWEEEP competition. In past years we've had students go to the INTEL International Science and Engineering Fair, but this year our best students have stepped more into Earth-centered science. They are focused on current scientific research trends in environmental science," said Denise Burrell, Deputy Superintendent.
The Griffin-Spalding County School System students competed against students from Fayette, Pike, Lamar, Butts, Henry, Newton, and Upson counties. Griffin-Spalding won all of the ISWEEP awards. Griffin-Spalding winners are:
Special Awards
Jed Paz, Griffin High School
Project: The Use of Anionic Polymer & Organic Materials for Soil Conservation & Prevention of Water Pollution
- ISWEEEP Recognition Award (International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering, Environment) Project.
- Invited to compete at ISWEEEP in Houston, Texas, May 2-7, 2012.
- Keep Griffin Spalding Beautiful Award
- University of Georgia Griffin Campus Award
Quonnedairious Davis & Brianna Smith, Griffin High School
Project: The Effects of Beauveria Bassiana & Diatomaceous Earth on Megacopta cribriaria
- ISWEEEP Outstanding Sustainability Award
- Invited to compete at ISWEEEP in Houston, Texas, May 2-7, 2012.
Jenna-Mae Paz, Griffin High School
- Ricoh Americas Corporation Award
Trevor Ruhl, Carver Road Middle School
Click here to see all the winners! |
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Spalding High School art students, led by teacher Laurie Eurich, created an art exhibit based upon the
Griffin Choral Art's performance featuring
the Gloria in D by Vivaldi and the Messa di Gloria by Puccini.
The exhibit was held in the Griffin Auditorium prior to the concert
and during the intermission.
Featured students were: Holly Harker, Morgan Terry, Ashley LaPrade
Britton Collier, Cora Pursley, Beth Kight, Li Anne Harris, Tanner Howell, Tommy Mixon, Molly Perdue, Jessica Howell, Leslie Hitson
Emma Chasteen, Chris Hardwick, Cory Botsford, Emilee Poole,
Guil DeMelo and Kierra Garnder.
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GSCS to have transportation department surplus sale
The Transportation Department of the Griffin-Spalding County School System will offer 16 buses and 2 trucks for surplus sale.
Click here for more information.
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Employee of the Month
Maintenance
Danny Goodman
Since Glen Studle retired, he has taken on additional responsibilities and is managing the warehouse, custodial supplies, furniture and radios in an efficient and professional manner. These qualities are also evident in his assistance with various custodial needs and the numerous deliveries he makes. We appreciate his efforts and willingness to be a team player!
Nutrition
Josh Weaver
Central Office
Always willing to do whatever it takes to improve the nutrition program. Thanks for helping the program move forward in the area of technology. You will be missed. Good luck in your new endeavor!
Transportation
Ron Prince
Head Mechanic
Ron heads up a staff that is often working under pressure, in all types of weather, and with limited resources. Ron and our bus maintenance staff, service over 120 buses and numerous school vehicles. Ron is a great asset to our department |
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Important Extras
Transfer Fair Information
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RETIREMENT REMINDER:
All TRS Members are invited to the Teachers Retirement Workshop that is scheduled for next Tuesday, March 6th from 4:00-5:00 in the GSCS Learning Center. Please mark your calendar to attend. All individual TRS sessions for March 7th and 8th are full.
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THE GALILEO PASSWORD
will be changed on March 24, 2012 and will be valid until May 17, 2012. The old password "crib" will become "lemon". Remember, passwords must be entered in all lowercase characters.
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SCHOLARSHIPS FOR EMPLOYEES
G-S Retired Educators Association Scholarship
Human Resources Scholarship for Classified Employees
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ATTENTION TO EMPLOYEES WITH CIGNA or UNITED HEALTHCARE
a message from
Human Resources
Your online health assessment and biometric screening are both due by June 30, 2012.
Keeping My 2012 Wellness Promise
To complete your online health assessment, go to www.mycigna.com
OR
www.myuhc.com
State Health is offering biometric screenings on a limited basis at a few sites across the state.
(See the attached list with Spalding County scheduled for February 20th. You do have to register and the link to do so is provided at the top of the attachment.)
Otherwise, you may schedule a screening with your physician.
Click here for the form that needs to be filled out by your physician and then faxed to Cigna or United Health Care at the number printed on the form.
Please note that the biometric screenings DO NOT replace the annual preventive examination requirement to receive the additional HRA funds.
For more information,
please contact
Kathy Gossett
Benefits Specialist
Human Resources
770-229-3710 x 353
or
kathy.gossett@gscs.org
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PREVIEW
the March 6, 2012
Board of Education
Meeting
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