Classes begin in Oconee County schools
Classes begin for top-ranked Oconee County schools
By Lee Shearer
Classes
began Wednesday for about 7,200 lucky students who attend Oconee County
public schools — by some measures, the best in the state.
New principal Michael Eddy and Superintendent Jason Branch greeted about 500 students and their parents early Wednesday at High Shoals Elementary — most of them smiling and excited to be back at school, though a few of the youngest shed tears as moms and dads left them in the care of their teachers.
• View additional photos from the first day of school at High Shoals Elementary in our slideshow.
Similar scenes played out at the county’s other schools in a county where expectations have become high.
Oconee schools achieved the best scores in the state on the Georgia Department of Education’s College and Career Ready Preparation Index, a sort of report card used by the state Department of Education to grade schools, combining graduation rates, test scores, attendance and other factors.
The average CCRPI score for an Oconee County stood at 90.4 when the state released those scores last winter. Oconee edged out Forsyth County (89.8) and another Athens-area district, Jefferson City (89.1) for the state’s top scores.
Oconee was also tabbed the state’s top district recently by Niche, a website that ranks colleges and school nationwide.
Oconee’s high rankings didn’t come overnight, said Oconee County School Board chairman Tom Odom, a teacher and school
administrator in the county for years before he ran for the school board post in 2012.
“This is a process that’s been going on for 25 years, changing from a very rural school system to one where we’re a more progressive, more neighborhood-oriented, suburban-type system,” he said.
Rankings being what they are, people can argue about who’s really number one — another Athens-area school system, Jefferson City Schools, came out on top recently in another company’s ranking system, for example.
And it’s true that Oconee’s relative wealth, low poverty rates and other demographic factors play a role in the high achievement levels shown by the district’s students, Odom acknowledged.
Oconee County’s per capita income of $34,271 was fourth-highest in the state in 2010, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
But the numbers also say Oconee educators do an outstanding job, and it’s good to see that recognized, he said.
Several individual schools were also recognized as among the best in the state and the nation.
“It’s nice to have someone notice the body of work that’s going on,” he said.
And as with top basketball schools such as Duke or Kentucky, that reputation helps Oconee stay at the top — success breeds success.
“Most of all, it’s good teachers,” Odom said.
Oconee has no trouble attracting some of the state’s best teachers to work in the county, Branch agreed.
“Let me put it this way,” said Branch, asked about teacher recruitment and retention. “Our average teacher has a master’s degree and 18 years of experience. We’re able to be selective in the hiring process.”
There’s relatively little turnover among Oconee teachers and school administrators, but the system hires new teachers every year not only to replace retirees, but because Oconee continues to be one of the state’s fastest-growing areas. At around 7,300, enrollment will be about 3.5 percent more than last year, Branch said.
The stellar school system plays a big role in fast-growing Oconee’s economic development, too.
“We feel like the school system is the economic engine of the county,” Branch said.
When the Caterpillar company was weighing whether to build a factory in the Clarke-Oconee area, one of their requests was to hear presentations from the superintendents of the two counties’ school systems, said Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis.
“People with school-age children obviously have a real concern with educational opportunities,” Davis said “Educational expectations are pretty huge in this county.”
Follow education reporter Lee Shearer at www.facebook.com/LeeShearerABH or https://twitter.com/LeeShearer.
New principal Michael Eddy and Superintendent Jason Branch greeted about 500 students and their parents early Wednesday at High Shoals Elementary — most of them smiling and excited to be back at school, though a few of the youngest shed tears as moms and dads left them in the care of their teachers.
• View additional photos from the first day of school at High Shoals Elementary in our slideshow.
Similar scenes played out at the county’s other schools in a county where expectations have become high.
Oconee schools achieved the best scores in the state on the Georgia Department of Education’s College and Career Ready Preparation Index, a sort of report card used by the state Department of Education to grade schools, combining graduation rates, test scores, attendance and other factors.
The average CCRPI score for an Oconee County stood at 90.4 when the state released those scores last winter. Oconee edged out Forsyth County (89.8) and another Athens-area district, Jefferson City (89.1) for the state’s top scores.
Oconee was also tabbed the state’s top district recently by Niche, a website that ranks colleges and school nationwide.
Oconee’s high rankings didn’t come overnight, said Oconee County School Board chairman Tom Odom, a teacher and school
administrator in the county for years before he ran for the school board post in 2012.
“This is a process that’s been going on for 25 years, changing from a very rural school system to one where we’re a more progressive, more neighborhood-oriented, suburban-type system,” he said.
Rankings being what they are, people can argue about who’s really number one — another Athens-area school system, Jefferson City Schools, came out on top recently in another company’s ranking system, for example.
And it’s true that Oconee’s relative wealth, low poverty rates and other demographic factors play a role in the high achievement levels shown by the district’s students, Odom acknowledged.
Oconee County’s per capita income of $34,271 was fourth-highest in the state in 2010, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics.
But the numbers also say Oconee educators do an outstanding job, and it’s good to see that recognized, he said.
Several individual schools were also recognized as among the best in the state and the nation.
“It’s nice to have someone notice the body of work that’s going on,” he said.
And as with top basketball schools such as Duke or Kentucky, that reputation helps Oconee stay at the top — success breeds success.
“Most of all, it’s good teachers,” Odom said.
Oconee has no trouble attracting some of the state’s best teachers to work in the county, Branch agreed.
“Let me put it this way,” said Branch, asked about teacher recruitment and retention. “Our average teacher has a master’s degree and 18 years of experience. We’re able to be selective in the hiring process.”
There’s relatively little turnover among Oconee teachers and school administrators, but the system hires new teachers every year not only to replace retirees, but because Oconee continues to be one of the state’s fastest-growing areas. At around 7,300, enrollment will be about 3.5 percent more than last year, Branch said.
The stellar school system plays a big role in fast-growing Oconee’s economic development, too.
“We feel like the school system is the economic engine of the county,” Branch said.
When the Caterpillar company was weighing whether to build a factory in the Clarke-Oconee area, one of their requests was to hear presentations from the superintendents of the two counties’ school systems, said Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis.
“People with school-age children obviously have a real concern with educational opportunities,” Davis said “Educational expectations are pretty huge in this county.”
Follow education reporter Lee Shearer at www.facebook.com/LeeShearerABH or https://twitter.com/LeeShearer.
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