Oconee County Schools System Overview February 24-27, 2013

Stakeholder Support = Success Volunteers Community Parents PTO

100% Highly Qualified 19 National Board Certified 75 Educational Leadership Certified Master’s Degree – 222 Teachers, 6 Administrators Specialist Degree – 133 Teachers, 22 Administrators Doctorate Degree – 12 Teachers, 12 Administrators 130 employees with 15 or more years of service with OCS 2013 Teachers of the Year 2013 System Teacher of Year Bill Nelson

Partnering with the Community ATHENS AREA H umane S O C I E T Y

Oconee County Board of Education Tom Odom, Mark Thomas, Mike Burnette, Jason Branch, Kim Argo, and Wayne Bagley

Vision The Oconee County Schools will be a nationally recognized leader in academic achievement by ensuring all students receive rigorous, balanced education that will enable them to compete in and contribute to a global society. The mission of the Oconee County Schools is to provide a safe and challenging learning environment that inspires all students to capture their dreams. Mission The mission of the Oconee County Schools is to provide a safe and challenging learning environment that inspires all students to capture their dreams. Motto Committed to Student Success

Community Profile Population 32,808 (25% increase since 2000) Demographics White 86.3% Black 5.0% Hispanic 4.4% Other 4.3% Population Age Under 18 years 34.3% 18 to 64 years 54.8% 65 years and over 10.9%

District Demographics  6,678 Enrolled (18.75% increase since 2000) 83% White 6% Hispanic 5% African American 4% Asian 2% Multiracial Less than 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native

System Enrollment

Diversity by Languages Spanish (203) Chinese (22) Korean (19) Gujarati (14) Arabic (10) Hindi (9) Other Indian (8) Russian (6) Urdu (6) Other African (5) French (4) German (4) Vietnamese (4) Other Asian (3) Czech/Slovak (2) Farsi (2) Portuguese (2) Thai (2) Hebrew (1) Japanese (1) Lao (1) Other English (1) Other European (1) Swedish (1) Turkish (1)

Diversity by Socioeconomics Free and Reduced Lunch Percentages

System Growth by Enrollment

School Construction  OCS has opened 7 schools in 23 years; averaging a new school every 3-4 years  Currently Building/Completed North Oconee Stadium Renovation Colham Ferry Elementary Renovation Oconee High School Renovation  Future Schools Own property for one additional school

Current Facility Capacities SchoolsYear BuiltStudent Capacity Student Enrollment OCPS OCES CFES HSES MBES RBES OCMS MBMS OCHS NOHS

ELOST Collections

ELOST IV Projects List Projects Pay with Bond Proceeds Projects Pay-as-we-go Other Projects (If funds are available) 2011 Bond Issuance$1 million on 2004 Bond Series (final payment January 2014 Land Capitalized Interest on 2011 Series Additional field house space at OCHS Buses $1.8 million on 2006 Bond Series (final payment March 2013 Capital improvement across schools – HVAC, roofs, etc. Administrative facilities Technology (equipment)Road resurfacing – on school property New schools Technology Infrastructure (network) Additional classrooms at various schools Renovations to CFESRenovate classrooms at various schools – science lab at OCMS NOHS athletic field house/ concessions/restrooms Renovate OCHS

Communication Methods Oconee Community Updates Superintendent Blogs School Council, Student, Teacher

Top Georgia School Districts SystemState Achievement Index Oconee95 Fayette95 Forsyth95 Cherokee92 Columbia91 Cobb90 Fulton88 Rated one of the top districts for educational productivity in the State of Georgia by The Center for American Progress

2012 Millage Rates for School M&O Northeast Georgia RESA School District2012 Millage Rate Barrow County18.5 Clarke County20.0 Commerce City19.0 Elbert County Greene County14.0 Jackson County18.9 Jefferson City Madison County16.99 Morgan County Oconee County17.5 Oglethorpe17.9 Social Circle City16.64 Walton County19.3

Graduation Rate Comparison

Funding Sources - State  Prior to 2003, the budget was funded 63% state and 37% local funds  Austerity cuts of over $27 million since 2003 DescriptionPercent of Total Budget Amount QBE Funds 49.8% $37,349,900 Local Fair Share($7,450,462) Austerity Reduction(16.2%)($4,814,229) State Instruction Grants $150,000 State Categorical Grants $234,009 TOTAL $26,231,265

Funding Sources – Local  Local property digest has declined by over 14% since 2009  The FY13 millage rate is 17.5 mills for M&O One mill of taxes nets ~ $1.4 million dollars DescriptionPercent of Total Budget Amount Levied Taxes: Property & Advalorem 50.2% $24,607,013 Collection Cost (2.5% to BOC) (615,175) Other Receipts, e.g. tuition 402,521 Interest Earned 58,000 Investments Due FY13 1,750,000 TOTAL $26,202,359

Budget 90% personnel, with 65% directed to classrooms Since 2008, district has reduced certified staff by 44 positions and non-certified staff by 29.5 positions All employees forfeited eight days of pay since 2010 Non-certified employees have not had a pay raise since 2009 Increased employer and employee benefit costs, including health insurance, retirement and Social Security Decrease in local digest

Key Initiatives  Common Core GPS implementation  SACS reaccreditation and School Improvement  BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology)  CTAE programs with industry certification  Opportunities for HS credit in middle school; college credit in high school  Increase the number of teachers with gifted and ESOL endorsements

Academic Accomplishments

Academic Awards

OCS 2012 Graduate Plans Greater than 93% Graduation Rate 95% Plan on Post-Secondary Education OCHS– Graduate Plans% of Class Attending four-year colleges73% Attending two-year colleges23% Enlisting in the military 1% Entering the work force 3% NOHS– Graduate Plans % of Class Attending four-year colleges87% Attending two-year colleges8.0% Enlisting in the military0.5% Entering the work force4.5%

Two Campuses One Tradition of Excellence OCS Students Jointly Enrolled Spring Semester 2013 (43)

Continuous Improvement  Maintain fiscal responsibility  Engage our community of learners and stakeholders  Compare the system to local, state, and national levels  Recruit, retain, and develop outstanding educators  Develop a strategic planning process