Dougherty School Board discusses grant applications, buys seven new buses
Board hears plan to get five elementary schools off Turnaround Schools list
Dougherty County School System Superintendent Ken Dyer said the administration has a plan to get five elementary schools off the governor’s Turnaround Schools list. (Staff Photo: Terry Lewis)
By Terry Lewis
ALBANY — The Dougherty County School System Board of Education held its regularly scheduled monthly meeting Monday, approving grant applications to the State Department of Education and the purchase of seven new school buses.
During the board prebriefing, system Director of School Improvement Cheryl Smith gave the board an update on the system’s recent CCRPI (College and Career Performance Index) scores, noting the district had a slight uptick in score results from last year.
The CCRPI is a comprehensive school improvement, accountability and communication platform for educational stakeholders and promotes college and career readiness for Georgia public school students.
Smith also said the district’s scores ranged from 50.1 to 101.5, adding five of Dougherty County’s 14 elementary schools — Alice Coachman, Morningside, Northside, Robert Harvey and Turner — were again on the state’s list of Turnaround Eligible Schools. However, four of the five schools actually increased their CCRPI scores over the previous year.
The 2017 list includes all schools with a three-year CCRPI average below 54.0. It has 104 schools from 27 districts, including 66 elementary schools, 28 middle schools and seven high schools.
This list replaces the chronically failing schools list that the Governor’s Office of School Accountability published in prior years. According to GaDOE, and as outlined in House Bill 338 last spring, the state’s chief turnaround officer will identify schools for intervention from the Turnaround Eligible Schools list in the coming months.
“We will be providing intensive support to identify the issues at these schools,” Superintendent Ken Dyer said. “Our school improvement and curriculum and instruction directors will meet with each of the schools’ principals, go over the data and provide support where it is needed.”
In action items, the BOE approved a $1.7 million school improvement grant application, an $8.4 million public school allocations grant application and a $705,403 Title II-A improving teacher quality grant application, among others.
The board also approved the purchase of seven new school buses at $77,319 each. A state bond issue will cover two of the buses, and the other five are to be funded by SPLOST.
The board voted to cancel its Nov. 29 meeting and will convene at its next scheduled meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 11.
Related Articles
Albany teen, 16, makes bodybuilding debut at Atlanta OCB Pro/Am
Crockett, an Albany resident and student at Albany Technical College Academy, placed second in the teen bikini division this weekend at the OCB Immortal Muscle Pro/Am Bodybuilding Competition in Atlanta, becoming the youngest competitor across all categories at the event.
Retired Albany educator makes an impact as jail school instructor
Shortly after taking office in January 2025, Dougherty County Sheriff Terron Hayes initiated the “Jail to Jobs” program that helps students prepare for the GED exams, and Benjamin Johnson was tapped as the inaugural instructor.
Skills Challenge attracts more than 250 high school construction students
For hundreds of area students, the 2025 AGC South + Southwest Georgia Skills Challenge was a chance to display their talents in construction skills and get a look at what a career in one of those fields could mean.
