Hall County YMCA to Provide After School Care
News June 19, 2017
Supt. Dr. Damon Gibbs
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – In an early-morning meeting today, the Dawson County Board of Education voted unanimously to allow Superintendent Dr. Damon Gibbs to sign an agreement with the Hall County YMCA to provide after school care for Dawson County students for the 2017-18 school year.
Commissioners approved per diem for school board members Doris Cook, Karen Armstrong, Elaine Wilson, Roger Slaton and William Wade who attended various events and provided services on behalf of Dawson County Schools.
They also approved an overnight trip for Dawson County High School basketball and football cheerleaders to the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga. where they will stay in a UWG dormitory. The cost per student is $300.
School Board Hires Florida Communications Firm
News March 15, 2017DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Dawson County Board of Education approved spending $27,000 with a Florida-based communications firm during Monday’s meeting in an effort to improve its communications and business partnerships and increase stakeholder involvement.
The company, Voss & Associates, provides services and products exclusively for education and has formed a partnership with the Georgia School Boards Association and Georgia School Superintendents Association to provide economical solutions for school districts.
The agreement was one of seven items to be approved under the Consent Agenda which can be approved by a single vote without further discussion.
Under Action Items, the Board approved a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) of $1.75 million to construct the new JROTC facility and parking lot. The contractor is Carroll Daniel Construction. Superintendent Dr. Damon Gibbs said the parking lot should be completed this school year and the facility by October.
The Board also approved an amendment to the Apple Lease Agreement that will allow the school system to utilize approved ESPLOST funding to lease Ipads for Phase II rollout, which includes grades K-5.
Monday was also a night to recognize achievement within the school system.
Dawson County High School’s girls’ basketball team finished as the region runner-up and earned a fifth trip to the state playoffs where they reached the Elite 8 in the state tournament.
The Tigers’ wrestling team enjoyed an outstanding seaon, posting a 25-8 record, including a win over the North Carolina state champions and had five wrestlers to qualify for the state meet.
The Tigers boys’ basketball team posted a 14-14 record and finished fourth in the district tournament to earn a trip to the state tournament.
The Dawson County High Chorus had five members qualify for the state chorus.
Riverview Elementary School received the Georgia Office of Student
Achievement (GOSA) Greatest Gains Gold Award. Riverside had a three-year average CCRPI progress score in the 97th percentile.
The Dawson County High Chorus had five state qualifiers.
Board of Education to Vote on Hiring a Florida-based Communications Co.
News March 13, 2017
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — The Dawson County Board of Education is expected to vote on spending $4,500 a month to contract with a Florida-based communications company at Monday’s Board meeting. The meeting will be held in the Board of Education Building, 28 Main Street starting at 6 p.m.
If approved, the Board will enter into a six-month agreement with Voss & Associates at a total cost of $27,000 in an effort to improve communications and business partnerships and increase stakeholder engagement.
According to the county website website, Voss & Associates provides services and products exclusively for education and has formed a partnership with the Georgia School Boards Association and Georgia School Superintendents Association to provide economical solutions for districts.
The Board will also vote on the appointment of Roger Slaton as delegate and Karen Armstrong as alternate to represent Dawson County Board of Education at the Delegate Assembly in Savannah on June 9, 2017.
Also on the agenda is a request to approve a milling machine that is no longer being used to be declared surplus and transferred to another Georgia school district. Muscogee County has expressed interest in the machine and the state has approved the transfer
School Board Reviews CCRPI Performance at First 2017 Meeting
News January 4, 2017
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Dawson County Director of Teaching and Learning Nicole LeCave shared FY16 College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) results when the Board of Education met in a work session Tuesday.
In discussing the county’s elementary schools, LeCave said, all elementary schools scored above the state score. Riverview Elementary increased its score from 69.1 in 2013 to 91.7 in 2016 and earned all 40 progress points for the second year in a row. “That is phenomenal,” she said. Blacks Mill increased its score by 6.2 points from last year.
At the middle school level, LeCave pointed out that both middle schools scored above the state score and that the district middle school score is well above state average. She also said that both middle schools earned more achievement points in FY16 than in FY15 and ranked in the Top 5 in RESA district for achievement points.
Dawson County High School scored above state score, earned more achievement points in FY16 than in FY15 and ranked in the Top 5 in RESA district for achievement points.
She also pointed out that the Progress and Achievement Gap is a concern at all levels.
Superintendent Dr. Damon Gibbs was pleased with the results, but expressed frustration in the timing of the release of the information from the state.
“This really speaks about why districts beg the state to give us this data in a more timely manner. We need to be doing this in August and September instead of the middle of a school year. We need to be looking more at trends than a snapshot.”
Jamie Ulrich, Executive Director of Financial Services presented the financial report and eSPLOST report for the month of December.
The Board also discussed approval of a position guide for Chief Operations Officer, Warehouse Courier and Routing Assistant before going into executive session to discuss personnel matters.
Dawson County Fights State Takeover of Schools
News September 20, 2016
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – Dawson County Board of Education has joined a growing number of counties across Georgia determined to oppose a ballot referendum in November that allows state government to seize control of chronically failing schools from local school systems.
State legislators approved the ballot question last year. Now it will be in the hands of the voters.
If passed, the amendment would create an Opportunity School District (OSD) that could seize control of chronically failing schools that do not achieve a 60 on the Career and College Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI) for three consecutive years. The OSD would be operated by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) and supervised by a superintendent appointed by the governor.
Last week, Dawson County’s Board unanimously approved a resolution opposing OSDs although none of the county’s schools could be considered chronically failing.
Fetch Your News interviewed School Superintendent Dr. Damon Gibbs Tuesday to explain Dawson County’s opposition
“It’s not that we’re opposed to seeing the state helping chronically failing schools but there are other avenues the state can use,” he said. “We’re opposed to a Constitutional Amendment that takes authority away from local school boards elected by the citizens they serve to create a board that answers to nobody but the governor.”
Gibbs also questioned where the funding would come from. “Right now, the state only provides about 45 percent of the money needed to fund schools. That won’t be enough to fund an OSD.”
The amendment would set the bar at 60 or below on the CCRPI and establish a maximum of 10 years that the state can control a failing school.
But Gibbs said, “The scary part is who is to say the state can’t set the bar at 70 on the CCRPI or extend the maximum number of years. We’ve been working under the CCRPI for three years now and the way it is calculated has changed each year.”
In a recent speech, Deal lashed out against critics of his proposed constitutional amendment. “The General Assembly and I have lost our patience in trusting superintendents and local boards of education,” he said.
Asked about the governor’s comment, Gibbs said, “Our school board cares more about our kids than any Board I’ve been involved with. If I take the governor at face value, it’s a little like a slap in the face but there are some school districts that may need a slap in the face to do what’s right for their kids. I didn’t take it personally.”
Dawson School Board Approves FY ’17 Budget
News June 15, 2016
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — The Dawson County Board of Education approved the FY 2016-’17 budget of $44,199,544 Monday.The millage rate is expected to be set at a rollback rate of 15.776 mils at the July meeting. It was set at 16.496 a year ago.
Executive Director of Financial Services Jamie Ulrich presented the new budget to the Board. The budget is balanced with projected revenue of $35,107,938 plus a fund balance carryover of $9 ,091,606 for a total of $44,199,544.
Local source revenue, primarily from the ad valorem tax, is expected to be $19,324,879. State source revenue, primarily from QBE state earnings, is projected at $21,778,207
The largest expenditure in the new budget is $23,087,670 for instruction, up about 2.5 percent from last year. Maintenance and operation costs went up about 6.5 percent from $3,368,206 to $3,586.320.
In addition to adopting of a new spending plan, the Board recognized Riverview Middle School for receiving the Governors Office of Student Achievement’s 2015 Bronze Greatest Gains Award, given to schools that exhibit growth in student achievement by earning a three-year average CCRPI Progress score in at least the 93rd percentile in the state
Several Dawson County High School athletic teams were recognized for excellence in baseball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls golf and boys and girls track.
Brody Hughes made a presentation to the Board regarding Hightower Academy (HTA) and how future improvements will better meet the needs of our non-traditional students.
The Board also heard from Tracy Stanford from Mountain Education Charter High School. Stanford discussed MEC’s desire to offer options for area students who are not currently being served by DCHS or HTA. MEC is a state-chartered, SACS accredited public high school that offers programs for dropout recovery and dropout prevention. It operates year round, Monday through Thursday from 4:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m. and offers rolling enrollment and flexible attendance.
The Board unanimously approved:
The adoption of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s GO Math for Dawson County Schools K-5 elementary math resource/textbook instructional materials;
Overnight travel for Dawson Co. High School volleyball team Camp/Lock-in to improve their volley ball skills;
FY ’17 Additional Budgets for Debt Service, Capital Projects, Title I, Title IIA, Title VIB, Federal Preschool, Bright Start, GNETS, JROTC, and School Food Service;
The May financial report;
The May eSPLOST report that showed collections of $561,908.16, exceeding projections by $11,908 and surpassing last year’s receipts for the same month of $527,114;
A resolution to declare piece of parcel #086 006 as surplus and unnecessary between 7/1/16 thru 6/30/18 so that the Superintendent can enter into an agreement with Southeastern Site Development for its use during the DOT bridge replacement on Hwy. 9;
Per Diem for Board members.