An overhaul of the Gainesville City School’s data management systems could happen in the near future, Gainesville Superintendent Merrianne Dyer said Monday.

It’s part of a statewide goal.

“The challenge is that we have so many (systems),” Dyer said.

The Gainesville school board looked at the district’s current data systems that track such information as enrollment, discipline and finances.

One of the Georgia Department of Education’s goals is to centralize records into fewer databases, Dyer said at the board's Monday work session.

This year, the DOE launched a new longitudinal data system for districts across the state.

The program can run reports on areas such as attendance and enrollment. It also contains four years of Criterion-Referenced Competency Test data.

Jamey Moore, director of instruction for Gainesville schools, said it could be used as an early warning for students facing academic issues.

It’s also information that can be sent to parents.

Board member Maria Calkins said she thought the information could be a good tool for parents, as long as it’s easy to understand.

The board also looked at another system the district is piloting this year, which includes a “value-added assessment.”

The program, called Insight, measures a student’s progress or growth in learning over time using CRCT scores. These measures will also be used for a pay for a performance initiative in the future, meaning teacher evaluations and pay would be based on students’ scores on standardized tests.

The compensation model was one of the criteria to qualify for federal Race to the Top funds, which Georgia was awarded last year. About 20 school systems opted to accept and share the $400 million, including Gainesville and Hall County Schools.

Board member Delores Diaz noted there are still many unknowns about value-added measures, which the state will need to address.

For one, the system is limited to CRCT data that are used until eighth grade. “How do we measure the rest?” she asked.

She added it would be difficult to measure student improvement in non-core subjects such as art and physical education.

Dyer said the state could adopt the system the district is testing or a different kind. But practicing with the system early will give a better idea of what could be expected, she added.

In other business Monday, Dyer released a projection of the district’s enrollment for the 2011-2012 school year.

Dyer said the district is likely to see a slight increase in enrollment, which has been typical the last several years.

The projected enrollment is 6,765 students, or an increase of about 100 students from this school year.

The board also announced Monday it has hit a milestone in its energy management program to save money.

In 2008, the district signed a four-year contract with Energy Education Inc., which helped implement energy-saving strategies in each school, Dyer said.

The district has now saved more than $1 million. Dyer presented school leaders with a symbolic check for $1,007,192 Monday.