State legislators got a list of work Oct. 30 from the Chatham County School Board: Third grade literacy levels, lowering the mandatory school age and raising wages for prekindergarten teachers.
“When a child is beginning to learn, don’t you want the best teachers?” said board president Roger Moss. “You have to pay them accordingly.”
Literacy levels, mental health concerns, loan forgiveness programs, and employee safety brought together Chatham County’s Board of Education and local legislators at A.B. Williams Elementary School for the annual Board Breakfast. The meeting was held earlier than usual in hopes of cultivating active conversations and giving legislators time to think through items Congress will be voting on in the next couple of months. The General Assembly resumes in January.
Moss pushed for more state funding for literacy and science education, noting that Georgia’s school districts have shouldered heavy curriculum costs without adequate state support. Other proposals included loan forgiveness programs for teachers in high-need areas and adjustments to HB 385 to allow retired educators to return to the classroom without losing their pensions.
State Rep. Ron Stephens stressed one of their priorities will be allocating more money for school safety, which will include mental health. When it comes to transferred students, unless there is a disciplinary record or an individualized education plan that has a notes section, schools know very little about the mental and behavioral history of students. Legislators and board members alike agreed that communication between schools must improve to support students with existing mental health concerns.
Rep. Stephens explained the Chatham County Education Tax Relief Bill that will be voted on during the Nov. 4 election, and one board member highlighted the gang activity quietly growing in high schools.
Kurt Hetager, chief of public affairs and administrative services, requested lawmakers revise safety related laws impacting employees in the public school system. He reported employees being sued regularly over a myriad of safety requirements teachers, bus drivers, and others have to abide by.
“We want to keep the schools safe,” Hetager said, “But we don’t want to make it so people are afraid to work for the school system.”
The Little Acorn Academy, a full-day program for three-year-olds, was the last item discussed. It was such a successful program when it began in 2022 that another location was opened in 2023. The Academy was funded through grants last year, but superintendent Denise Watts said after this year there is no more money in the budget for it after this school year.