STATE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT COX TO VISIT TOWNS COUNTY

Community, Local — By Staff Report on March 30, 2010 at 9:08 am

Kathy Cox, Georgia’s State School Superintendent, will be visiting Towns County in early April. She will be in town to report on the current education financial crisis facing Georgia and to answer questions from teachers, administrators and the general public.

Since 1993, when she was elected Superintendent, Georgia has seen a remarkable improvement in education. Cox accomplished this by initiating statewide curriculum reform and supporting the governor’s Graduation Coach Program which was designed to improve the state’s graduation rate.

Under her leadership, Georgia’s high school graduation rate rose to an all-time high of 75.4%, it’s curriculum is ranked fifth best in the nation by the Fordham Institute, 74 schools came off the “Needs Improvement” list in 2009, Georgia is 15^th in the nation for students who have success in AP courses, Education Week ranked Georgia #1 in the nation in the use of technology in the classroom and the last three National Principals of the Year have come from the state.

This is quite a record for both Cox and Georgia schools.

However, ominous dark clouds are hovering over the state as school districts grapple with facing the kind of money problems they’ve rarely if ever seen before. Several years of steep state budget cuts and a drop in local property tax revenue caused by the recession are causing many districts to take drastic action. Big layoffs, program cuts and school closings loom on the horizon for the majority of Georgia’s 180 districts.

State school leaders say the situation will only get worse in 2011.

Therefore, Cox has a full plate as she works with the state legislature and local school districts. She hopes to continue to implement the new Georgia Performance Standards curriculum and train teachers to work with it.

The Towns County Republican Party is hosting Cox at it’s regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 6. She says she is anxious to meet Towns County teachers and administrators and encourages them to attend the meeting which will be held at Daniels Restaurant in Hiawassee at 6:30 pm. Of course, all other Towns County citizens are welcome to attend also.