PSD taking steps ahead into new decade
The Polk School District went through a decade of change in the 2010’s, with leadership coming and going from top spots and focuses being taken in a variety of paths through technology use in the classroom to providing students with practical opportunities for their future.
Over the past 10 years, the district has opened a College and Career Academy, been cited as one of the best Dual Enrollment programs in the state, and seen students graduate with high school diplomas and college degrees. New facilities have been added to give students a leg up in athletics and academics. Educators are finally getting financial help on their paychecks they deserve.
The district is shifting into a whole new gear in 2020 as even greater changes are coming on the horizon for the good in schools across Cedartown and Rockmart and the state at-large that will have an impact on how students learn and what will be required of them in the future.
Alongside that, the district is also taking hold of more student services and providing help to those in need. This year and those to come will only see that trend grow as old traditions in the classroom tend to give way to new ways of thinking.
Here’s a list of a few things that should be of importance over the rest of 2020 in Polk and beyond:
Polk School District in the past years have been moving a lot of dirt and making a lot of improvements, and that trend is set to continue as construction work continues on the new Cedartown High School Fine Arts wing, and much more to come.
The Board of Education at the beginning of the year approved four different projects that seek to bring better facilities for youth and educators alike at Cedartown High School, Rockmart Middle and looks to consolidate buildings for the district’s Alternative School and more.
With the new College and Career Academy additions at Cedartown High, and the Fine Arts building going up, the district decided and got approval from the board to move forward on a $213,698.81 face lift for the exterior of the school building.
An exterior improvements project will see the original school building get a matching look to the rest of the new building additions with hopes of consolidating the design and bringing up to date the look of the school that opened its doors decades ago.
The board also is giving an opportunity for the kitchen staff to enjoy upgrades t the high school as well. One of the once school is out for the summer projects is a kitchen renovation, which will cost $294,804.00 once completed and bring one of the most important areas of the school up to 21st century standards.
On the other side of the county at Rockmart Middle, the athletics program is getting a much-needed facility upgrade as well. Student athletes and coaches have to go all the way back into the building at present if they want to use the restroom or find a place for equipment storage, which during after school activities presents safety and logistics concerns once the building is supposed to be closed and secured.
The solution to the problem will be a new storage and restroom facility built on the middle school campus near their athletic practice fields. Board members approved $198,750 in spending on the new facility.
Of the most important and likely least seen of the upgrades to come is $160,000 in spending proposed for upgrades to a Fish Creek facility that will help alleviate another concern.
The district will use the funds to move the the Special Education department to the old Adult Education building next to the Central Office, and switch places with PSD’s Technology hub. The Alternative School will remain where it is in Fish Creek.
It is likely that with past trends in facilities upgrades — especially those made for security reasons — the district will continue to focus on ways to make building improvements without breaking the bank.
The state is bringing down some changes that it hopes will make students less stressed about their academic performance in the years to come.
Standardized testing and end of course exams are both sought to be changed based on legislation that is being supported by Gov. Brian Kemp.
Four tests would be yanked from the roster of exams Georgia high schoolers have to take. Another test in social studies would be nixed for fifth graders.
Tests to be eliminated would include American literature, geometry, physical science and economics.
Kemp’s legislation would also give the Georgia Board of Education “flexibility” to decide whether end-ofthe-year exams would affect a student’s final grade in a course.
The tests would also have to be given sometime within the last five weeks of the school year instead of at any time, so that teachers can focus more on teaching class subjects rather than preparing for exams.
Additionally, the changes would include extending the amount of time high school students have to complete a required writing test, discontinue a practice of comparing Georgia’s testing standards with other states and let school districts abstain from “formative assessments” meant to see how much students learned in a school year.
Legislation to make the testing changes is being carried by Senate Education and Youth Committee Chairman P.K. Martin IV, R-Lawrenceville.
Kemp also supports cuts in a program that has been a positive force for Polk School District.
Dual enrollment has been wildly successful but costly for the state, who offers free classes for high school students willing to take college level courses.
Costs for the program allowing high-school students to take post-secondary classes swelled from around $23 million when the program was launched in 2015 to around $140 million in 2018. The bill would cap enrollment enough to keep the program within its roughly $100 million budget for this year, officials say.
The proposal would nix free college-level classes for freshman high schoolers and limit 10th graders to courses at technical schools unless they qualify for the state’s Zell Miller scholarship, which requires students to maintain a 3.7 grade point average or better.
Only upper-class students in the 11th and 12th grades could take classes at colleges and universities in Georgia. Currently enrolled students would not be affected if the bill is signed into law.
The legislation would also trim some course offerings to keep the focus more on helping students gain technical certificates for future jobs. Supporting lawmakers have pointed out the program’s tax-funded offerings have evolved beyond their original intent to include exercise classes like Zumba.
Neither piece of legislation has been signed into law yet.
On a local level, there’s still much going on as the new academic semester gives way to the summer break in just a few months time. Extracurricular activities are gearing up for their spring season, programs like SkillsUSA are heading to state and students are bouncing with excitement as the end of the academic year closes in.
“We encourage our community to support our youth in these events such as; baseball, spring drama productions, bands performing in district large group performance evaluations, golf, track, tennis, and soccer,” Superintendent Laurie Atkins said.
One area that students locally also have been celebrated in 2020 is in the annual Spelling Bee. One talented Rockmart Middle School student – Zion Bradley – went on to represent Polk School District in regional spelling competition.
She also thanked students and faculty alike for taking on their roles in the Polk School District Police’s Code Blue Drills.
“Students and employees did a great job in knowing what their roles and actions were during this drill,” she said. “A mock Code Red drill will be conducted with faculty and staff later on in the spring.”
Also happening this spring in the Polk School District is a education program for elementary teachers, who are participating in training for the Fountas & Pinnell Reading Program.
Training is being conducted in the areas of phonics, interactive reading, mini lessons, and guided reading.
“The sessions are being provided early in order for lesson development, collaboration, and materials to all be in place when school starts. This program will be implemented in the fall of 2020,” Atkins said.
She also talked about the College and Career Academy’s bright stars that are heading off to the SkillsUSA state competition in March and congratulated those who are going to Atlanta next month on the 12th through the 14th.
Along with the other districts in Georgia, Polk School District is gearing up for spring standardized testing.
“Our third – fifth grader, sixth – eighth graders, and high school students will be participating in the Georgia Milestones testing in April and May,” Atkins said. “Should Governor Kemp’s proposed elimination of certain Milestones test be approved, the proposal will not go into effect until the 2020-2021 school year. The district feels this proposal is a good start for the state overhauling the burdensome testing programs.”
Those tests are coming up April 20 through 28 for elementary and middle school students, and end of course tests are completed May 4 through May 8 for high school students.
Finally of note, parents will need to be aware of new requirements for immunizations.
This year, the state is implementing a new immunization requirement for all upcoming juniors. The required Meningitis Booster shot (MCV4) should be administered prior to the start of the 2020-2021 school year those students.
“We encourage everyone to check with their local healthcare providers to obtain this state required immunization,” she said.