Dear Parents and Staff,
Consistent with our ongoing commitment to transparency, you should know that Newton County Schools was recently notified by the
Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) of the schools within our school district that are eligible for the
Georgia Promise Scholarship. By both purpose and definition, the Georgia Promise Scholarship provides eligible students with the opportunity to use public funds for non-public education expenses in grades Kindergarten through 12th. Eligible uses include private school tuition, tutoring services, and other qualified education expenses.
This list of
eligible schools was compiled by averaging the single score calculations from the 2023 and 2024 academic years, based on component scores from the Georgia Department of Education. While schools within our district are included – and by extension, are designated as low performing, it is important to note that this is only a snapshot of a broader, evolving story.
To be more clear, this designation does not reflect the full scope of progress taking place within our district. In fact, many of our eligible schools are making meaningful improvements. Furthermore, this list, without appropriate context, fails to accurately convey the gains we’ve made or the progress currently underway. For example, just this week, State Superintendent Richard Woods visited our district to recognize multiple schools including Livingston ES, Clements MS, Indian Creek MS, and Liberty MS for their high-level improvements in math and literacy. Ironically, each of these schools were also included on the Georgia Promise Scholarship list.
This is a reminder that state generated lists that purport to provide determinations about school and student performance are not always accompanied with the information that stakeholders need to achieve clear understanding.
Consider further that Newton County Schools, much like our community, has undergone significant change over time – and these changes are reflected in our current outcomes. While we acknowledge the improvements that must be made, we are actively working to advance our achievement and build on current successes.
As always, we salute our teachers and leaders for the incredible work that they do.
Sincerely,
Duke
For more information on the Georgia Promise Schools Act, please contact the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.
https://gosa.georgia.gov/georgia-promise-scholarship-sb233-school-list