In advance of Saturday’s start of the first application period for the new Georgia Promise Scholarship, the Governor’s Office for Student Achievement revealed its final list of schools eligible. Two schools in Walker County made the list. Both Rossville Elementary and Middle School were included in both the original and twice revamped GOSA list. LaFayette High School in Walker County was initially identified but later dropped from the list of schools determined to be performing in the bottom 25% of state schools.
You can find the list at the enclosed link below.
mygeorgiapromise.org
In a look at the Georgia Department of Education’s 2024 College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI) on Rossville Middle School, the demographics revealed 87% of the 507 students were categorized as “economically disadvantaged” and more than 22% students with disability. Rossville Middle School’s overall score from the GOSA report was 69.3.
More dismal were the numbers from Rossville Elementary with an overall GOSA score of 52.5. More than 85% of students are termed economically disadvantaged and more than 24% are students with disability. Additionally troubling are the negative trending figures in component testing. With drops in both “progress” and “readiness” cited, while “content mastery” scores remained unchanged. According to the GOSA finding; just under half of Rossville Elementary students are reading at or above grade level.
Last week’s designation by the Governor’s Office for Student Achievement allows parents of students zoned for the schools identified to apply for the Georgia Promise Scholarship Vouchers program. Statewide, some 400,000 students could be eligible, as families can get up to $6,500 to pay for private school tuition, home-school expenses or other education-related costs.
The first application window will run from March 1 to April 15. In addition to attending a low-performing school, the student must also have attended the public school for at least two consecutive semesters or be entering kindergarten. The student’s parent or parents must have been a Georgia resident for at least a year unless they are on active duty in the military. The law also states that priority goes to families who earn less than four times the federal poverty level.
There will be a public forum with a panel discussion of charter schools and school vouchers in Georgia and the impact on local schools and children on Saturday, March 8, 2:00 pm, La Fayette Library, 305 South Duke Street, La Fayette, GA 30728.
The forum is sponsored by Citizens for Public Education, local organization. All members of the public are invited, especially elected officials and parents of school children.
The Walker County Detention Center reported 3 felony arrests on Friday. Among those booked, 47-year-old Michael Thomas Daughtery on possession of meth charges.
The latest restaurant inspection scores. In LaFayette, the Arby’s got a 91. China Buffet scored a 94. In Chickamauga, Jacks Family Restaurant received a 93 while Taco Bell got a 97.
