Hall County Board of Education candidates
Republicans
(Winner is unopposed on November ballot)
Richard Higgins
Age: 58
Party: Republican
Residence: Gainesville
Political experience: 12 years on the school board, 11 years as chairman
Background: Higgins is owner of Carrier Services of Georgia, a trucking logistics company. He is married to Hall County teacher Connie and has three children.
How he'd address student achievement if elected:
All facets of student achievement are important to us; however, I feel that expertise in the area of technology will serve our students best in the next century. We have made great strides in the past few years with technology in Hall County. For example, we have upgraded both our computers and our server. SmartBoards have been installed. Selected courses are taught simultaneously at two schools. For example, Mandarin Chinese is taught at North Hall Middle School and transmitted electronically to a corresponding classroom at East Hall Middle School. Additionally, we anticipate having all schools equipped with Wi-Fi in the next year. Increased use of technology enhances other fields of study. Children today have grown up in the digital age and technology is almost second nature to them. I believe that it would be beneficial to our children to expose them to as many different technological experiences as possible.
Bill Thompson
Age: 60
Party: Republican
Residence: Oakwood
Political experience: First run for the school board.
Background: Thompson recently retired after 32 years with Hall County Schools. He was principal of Jones Elementary for six years and Chestatee High School for more than five years. He is married to wife Linda and has five children.
How he'd address student achievement if elected:
A problem I see at this point is that the budget crises might have a negative effect on the progress we have made in the past several years improving our test scores and increasing rigor in the classrooms. We have to continue to provide the resources necessary for our teachers to have what they need to enhance the students' learning process. Technology has to be a priority because it is such an important part of our instruction and its resources.
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A school is measured by its test scores, it seems.
With schools facing ongoing budget issues, educators are working harder to maintain students’ academic progress despite fewer support staff and programs.
With higher state standards implemented each year and the emphasis on data-driven results, school districts increasingly rely on standardized tests for validation. Teachers often feel they are “teaching to the test” and losing creativity in the classroom.
A few school districts have begun the revolt and hope to focus on the progress made by each student in the coming years — not just depend on the numbers.
“We begin with the end in mind,” Hall County Schools Superintendent Will Schofield said. “Some of the national metrics saddled with the No Child Left Behind are terribly narrow. When children leave us, they need to be life- and work-ready, and it doesn’t give us much comfort that we’re spending a lot of time on looking at the tests.”
In January 2002, former President George Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law, which started the wave of standards-based focus. The belief is that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals will help improve schools. The act required states to develop testing for certain grades to receive federal funding.
By the 2004-2005 school year, Georgia started measuring its new Georgia Performance Standards with English/language arts curriculum through the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests. Math, science and social studies curriculum followed. Standards in the different subjects are raised each year, which determines if schools make Adequate Yearly Progress, meeting the expectations under the No Child Left Behind Act.
Last year, 86 percent of Georgia’s public schools made AYP, and all Hall County schools made the list.
“Students who graduate in 2010 and beyond are on the world stage,” Schofield said. “They’re not competing with graduates in Gwinnett County or even Illinois. Based on the economy, they need to enjoy learning and see themselves as lifelong learners.”
Under No Child Left Behind legislation and the Georgia Performance Standards, the Georgia Department of Education helped the districts create a “balanced scorecard” to create measurable goals.
Schofield pointed out three main goals for Hall County Schools — 90 percent of students reading at or above grade level by third grade, 75 percent of middle school students completing at least one high school course and 90 percent of high school students graduating.
Under 2009-2010 standards, Hall County has achieved 68 percent of third-graders at reading level, 62 percent of middle school students with high school credit and an 80 percent graduation rate.
School board officials will have to address how these standards are continually defined and how they should fit in with new testing standards.
Today, the state department of education is slated to vote on the Common Core standards, which are new requirements for what students should know in each grade on a nationwide level. The effort particularly aims to help children in military families, ensuring that students won’t lose out by moving from state to state.
Also on the horizon is the Race to the Top grant, which is a $4 billion federal fund being split up among states to support new approaches to improving schools. Georgia applied for the first round of grants and came in third place, but applied for the second round in June.
Hall County is one of 26 districts to support the state’s effort, and if the grant funds come through, school board officials will be handling increasing standards, building data systems to better measure student growth, retaining certified teachers and trying to turn around low-achieving schools.
For many school officials, technology is also a must-have to engage students and keep test scores high. But with budget cuts come tricky priorities.
“We push rigor in our classrooms harder than basic competency for all students,” Schofield said. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting our fragile learners to meet the basics, but we want all of our 26,000 to stand up to the competition.”