County BOE OK’s post map updates
At Monday night’s meeting, the BOE got to work on updating their post maps to fall in line with Census data.
The board okayed the post changes in a unanimous vote. No posts were dissolved and all board members will keep their posts, with Eddie Hall remaining the lone at large member.
Posts 1, 2, 4, and 6 all gain quite a bit of territory, while posts 2, 3, and 5 are losing land area. These changes allow for the population within each post to remain relatively even, giving each board member even voting power.
Before they go forward,
those post changes will run before the 2022 General Assembly, and will hopefully be in place before the board members need to qualify for
election in March.
Post map updates are not the same as redistricting, and will not affect where kids go to school.
Also on the table were a few changes to the Gordon County College and Career Academy board, with several members no longer being listed as members. These changes were also unanimously approved.
Another hot topic was COVID-19. Coming out of winter break, the school system has seen low case counts.
“Luckily so far (...) we’ve had very few cases,” said Dr. Kimberly Fraker, Superintendent.
Restrictions vary by school and principal, with those principals keeping on top of the situation in their own school and restricting gathering and
movement as needed. The BOE is also keeping on top of case counts and preventative measures.
“We’re monitoring and will make changes as we need to,” said Dr. Fraker.
With low case counts comes a high attendance rate. December saw a higher rate than it did prepandemic in 2019, with 92.9% attendance across the board.
There was plenty of good news regarding special education as well. For students with disabilities, the graduation rate is up to 98.1%.
Of all of the 2020 grads with disabilities, 82% are competitively employed while 16% are in college. Board members praised the special education program for its dedication to the students.
“These numbers are great,” Eddie Hall said, “but they don’t
surprise me.”
Also discussed was the Superintendent Student Advisory Council, which met Dec. 13. Students got to know school officials, talked to
Lamar Stark from Shaw Industries, and took surveys to give positive and critical feedback regarding their time at GCS.
Parents and students will also
have a new online experience soon, with GCS planning to debut their new website and logo some time this month.
The next board meeting will take
place on Feb. 14 at the Gordon County College and Career Academy, 305 Beamer Road. Meetings start at 6:15 p.m. For more information, visit gcbe.org.