WCHS Accredited for Cognia — Global Network of Educators

The Wheeler County Board of Education got some great news at its August 12 session; the local high school has been accredited for participation in Cognia, a ground-breaking global program designed to guide educators in diagnosing challenges and implementing change to facilitate learning. The announcement was made by Interim Superintendent Dr. Quent Floyd, who credited WCHS Principal William Bell and his staff for putting in the efforts to realize this accomplishment.

Districts and schools across the U.S. and around the world use Cognia solutions to help all learners realize their potential. Cognia is a nonprofit organization with a singular focus on improving educational opportunities for all learners. Cognia serves education providers of all types, including public, private, early learning, digital, and charter schools as well as State Education Agencies (SEAs).

The impact of Cognia’s accreditation, assessment, and improvement services reaches around the world. The organization‘s global network includes 40,000 institutions in 90 plus countries, and serves over 17 million students.

House Bill 581 Also, during the session, Dr. Floyd briefed the Board on a piece of new legislation that can impact how education is financially supported in the community.

According to information issued by the Georgia House of Representatives, House Bill 581 makes several changes to Georgia's property tax laws. It revises the definition of 'fair market value of property' to clarify how certain property valuations should be determined, and requires ad valorem property tax bills to include additional information, such as the estimated 'roll-back rate' that would result in no tax increase. It mandates that all parcels in a county be appraised at least every three years, and allows county boards of tax assessors to appeal sales ratio studies under certain conditions. The bill also creates a new statewide adjusted base year homestead exemption for ad valorem taxes, which would allow a homeowner's assessed value to increase by no more than the inflation rate each year. This exemption would be automatically granted starting in 2025, unless a local government opts out by March 1, 2025 after holding public hearings.

Finally, the bill imposes a 2% cap on local sales and use taxes, with exceptions for certain transportation and educational taxes, and allows for a new local option sales tax for property tax relief in certain jurisdictions that have a base year homestead exemption.

Known as the “Save Our Homes Act,” the measure is part of Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’s property tax reform priority and is intended to address longstanding issues with local property taxes. The act was passed in the last session of the Georgia Legislature. It amends Title 48 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.

Board members William Ford and Tommy Clark volunteered to attend upcoming training about the bill, which is scheduled in Dublin on August 19 and being hosted by Heart of Georgia Altamaha Region- al Commission/Regional Education Service Agen- cies (HOGARC/RESA).

Teacher Pay Schedule

A proposal to change the teacher pay schedule was also approved by the Board. Dr. Floyd presented the proposal, explaining that under the present schedule, teachers, and actually all 10-month employees, get paid each month from September to August. Teachers now work from August to May.

“I propose we change the teacher pay schedule to August to July. This has no impact on anyone who works extra days. This will not cost the Wheeler County Schools any money. It is merely changing when we disburse money that we have already received from the state,” Floyd said, adding, “When the HOGARC/RESA su perintendents were asked, all those who responded stated they had already made this change.”

The Board approved applying for state funding to purchase a new school bus. The price tag for the bus is $145,000, with $88,110 in state funding available through a grant. The local portion of $57,390 would be paid through the school system’s general fund.

Personnel Matters

The Board approved the following personnel changes: • Resignation of Wheeler County Elementary School paraprofessional Celena Phillips; • Hiring Drucilla Dallis as a substitute teacher; • Hiring, pending a background check, of Lisa Fowler, Sheila Ferguson and Valencia Walker as substitute nutrition workers. Walker will also serve as a substitute custodian; • Employing Alaney Towns and Amber Melton as paraprofessionals at WCES; • Hiring Jaci Hill as an English as a Second Language instructor at WCHS.