She shared the joy that ….

She shared the joy that seeing the students and staff come together during Helene to help each other and the community. “Every group of students found a way to step up and step in. That lets me know that everything we are pouring into them is manifesting exactly in the way that we hope it is,” Reid added.

The challenges which the school system currently faces are issues with finances, as Reid shared that the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding which the schools have had since the COVID-19 pandemic were no longer available to the districts. “With the rising cost and inflationary growth, we don’t always see the same level of funding coming through the state and federal level,” she clarified. “Every superintendent I have spoken with is trying to narrow down the budget and work within the confines they have been given.”

She concluded, “At the end of the day, the question that I ask our staff and myself is ‘Are we better today at the end of the day than we were when we walked in the door?’ That’s what keeps us going.”

Montgomery County

Schools Superintendent

Ronda Hightower told the audience that her district had just under 1,000 students and emphasized the love which she had developed for the schools in the 6 months which she has been the superintendent. “I have been able to quickly make Montgomery County Schools my home. We get to serve some of the best students,” she began.

Hightower continued, “If you really want to find out about an organization, really dig down and ask them questions about what they believe in. I can tell you confidently that in Montgomery County, we believe in every single child and their God-given potential. We believe that they have a design that God has placed in their lives and we get to help that design come to fulfillment.”

“We believe in each other as well, and we believe in our team. You have to have a strong team that does believe in each other,” she added. “We have a wonderful, amazing set of educators that wrap their arms around our students – some as early as 6:15 a.m. when those kids are getting on the bus and some in the late night hours as they leave a field or court.”

She spoke on the school’s commitment to helping students grow by making sure that facilities are safe, students are able to succeed, and that the environment is warm and inviting.

“We are committed to excellence – that is our vision. We are first and foremost committed to making sure that every one of our students and our staff members are safe and secure. I can say I have not seen more layers of safety than I have seen in the Montgomery County School System,” Hightower said. She thanked Assistant Superintendent Scott Barrow for his work in ensuring that safety is a priority within the school system. “They cannot learn in an environment where they do not feel safe,” she emphasized.

Hightower added, “Secondly, we are committed to student success – that is not just their academic success. Yes, we care and we are concerned about how they do on state tests, but our kids are so much more than that. We are focused on developing them as a whole child and making sure that they don’t just walk across a graduation stage and earn a high school diploma, but that they are prepared for their future.”

“We are committed to making sure students are welcomed and feel heard in a culture climate that is theirs. We want our staff members and our students to be proud to be eagles and proud to come to Montgomery County. Working on that culture climate takes a lot of people, but it always goes back to the truth that if you are in an environment where you know the adults believe in you and the adults believe in each other, it will create a good culture and climate,” she shared. “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

Hightower told the audience that the district’s administration is also dedicated to organizational and operational practices and protocols in place that are focused on our students.

When asked what a win for her school system was this year, Hightower remarked, “Our biggest win is our people and our people coming together. Every now and then, in a school system, you experience more personnel changes in a certain year than other years, and that has been this year for Montgomery.”

She explained that the district had staff members who had moved into all new roles, such as 3 new principals, a new assistant superintendent, and a new curriculum director. “It is not brand new people to Montgomery, but people in brand new positions that are new to these roles. I cannot explain to you how quickly this team of people continued from page

came together like a team that has been together for many years,” she added.

Hightower also spoke on the challenges which Hurricane Helene brought to the district and the encouragement which watching the school and community come together had brought her. “To watch how they came together during the hurricane was overwhelming,” she said. “Our people really rallied together during that time. We are still rallied and still fortified together.”

The biggest challenge the school is currently facing is finances, as the loss of ESSER funds has also negatively impacted Montgomery County Schools. ”It is not anything in the control of Montgomery or any of the headmasters or superintendents here. Public schools are funded on a 1985 formula; our expenses are not like 1985 for sure,” she summarized.

SECCA Chief Executive Officer John Sharpe shared information about the regional career academy, which serves Montgomery, Toombs, Treutlen, and Vidalia City Schools.

“By pooling our resources, we offer different vocational opportunities for students in the individual four schools could not have. For example, we offer JROTC, cosmetology, automotive, two different healthcare classes, an energy pathway, a drone pathway, Teaching as a Profession, and workbased learning,” he told the audience.

Sharpe continued, “Our job is to help create students that are ready for the workforce. We want to help point kids to careers. In the 1990’s, I think we missed the mark a little bit – we thought that everyone had to have a college career. So, we’d send students off and they would incur a lot of debt, and then wouldn’t have jobs. We need to encourage students to find something that they enjoy doing and give them skills to be work-ready students.”

He highlighted the Academy’s new FLEX program, which allows students to create their own businesses, making a business plan complete with financial and marketing plans, and compete for funding to create the business. Students then may be able to compete in the state competition to earn even more investment in their business. Currently, 11 students are participating in the program.

The panel also answered questions regarding the role of athletics in the schools, as they agreed that athletics serves as a way to reach a certain group of students which may otherwise be susceptible to dropping out. They also highlighted that athletics is just another aspect of education, as learning occurs on the sports fields, courts, and tracks just like it does in the classroom.

When asked how local businesses may positively influence students’ entry into the workforce, the leaders emphasized the importance of employing students who are seeking jobs, and helping them to learn how to work. SECCA CEO Sharpe explained that work-based learning is the most popular program which the Academy offers.

The group also discussed the role of cell phones in the school system, as they agreed that a complete ban of cell phones was not practical in today’s society. The leaders shared that they hope to help students learn when it is appropriate to use their phones – a skill which they will hopefully take with them throughout life.

The State of Education event is put on by the Greater Vidalia Chamber Public Policy Council, who work annually to create events to inform the community about various aspects of society. For more information on next year’s events, contact the Greater Vidalia Chamber.