Dear Editor,
As our Putnam County School System continues to disappoint, the Putnam County Board of Education (BOE) is now reported to threaten to limit public input.
Why you ask?
Recent BOE meetings have seen concerned citizens and parents berating the Board for high cost per student, failing performance, and low transparency to parents on student safety issues. Speakers have pleaded with them to learn from and be more like our county neighbors, such as Forsyth and Oconee.
These neighboring counties have about 25% less cost per student per year and have achieved high-performance accolades from Georgia’s mandated standard Georgia test metrics, the College Career Readiness Performance Index (CCRPI). Putnam’s one claim to fame; namely, the high graduation rate, is noteworthy, but it also can be seen as pushing students out the door unprepared, and competitively disadvantaged with their peers.
With Governor Kemp’s Bill on School Choice, specifically Senate Bill 233, having passed by the Senate and on the House docket, it is in our public school’s interest to up their game and become competitive now, rather than being forced into it later.
Parents, standing up for their children, can take their vouchers to a higher-performing school option. So, it is no surprise the BOE is now considering limiting speaker input at their public meetings. However, this could backfire as it may be perceived as insulting, arrogant, and out of touch to their constituents: taxpayers and the parents that elect them.
Another controversial issue is that Putnam County Public Schools adopted yet another standardized test program called “NAVVY.” It is relatively new, basically a pilot study program established in 2017 and geared more for “in-classroom” testing, which essentially means spreading out testing during the school year rather than a week of CCRPI testing.
NAVVY targets state where schools may not have a testing standard, like Georgia does. However, a fraction of Georgia schools have added this pilot testing program to their curriculum while remaining compliant with CCRPI requirements. CCRPI provides a report card for all Georgia Public schools and gives a grade and enables comparisons across all Georgia Schools. NAVVY cannot do that at this time.
It may surprise you that PC charter schools are the founding school district partner for the NAVVY testing program in Georgia. Our own superintendent, Eric Arena, of Putnam County Charter Schools, led the way for NAVVY in Georgia’s Education system. The benefits and results of NAVVY are yet to be seen, but carrying out both NAVVY and CCRPI in parallel can potentially “over-test” our students.
Transitioning to NAVVY may be beneficial in time, but the perception of Putnam schools changing horses mid-stream and with such a failing grade in CCRPI, may be perceived as a means to mask or distract from poor performance. Why not work to get a passing grade with CCRPI and then transition to NAVVY?
The bottom line is our schools are in trouble, they have lost the public trust, and the only way out for Putnam County voters may be going to the ballot box, having schools compete for voucher dollars, and insisting schools go back to basics that are proven to be beneficial to our grads and their futures.
Dale C. Bills Putnam County Republican Party (561)