The Habersham County Board of Education is entering into a five year contract with the State Board of Education to become a Strategic Waivers School System (SWSS). The board approved the contract Monday. It gives the local school system more flexibility and local control in exchange for greater accountability for student performance.
Under Georgia law, every public school district is required to follow one of three organizational models — SWSS, Charter or Status Quo. The SWSS model (previously referred to as Investing in Education Excellence or IE2) will allow Habersham to seek waivers from state requirements on class size, expenditure control, teacher certification and salary. In exchange, all fourteen of Habersham County’s public schools must meet certain student performance standards.
READ: Habersham County School System Seeks More Local Control
Habersham County School Superintendent Matthew Cooper commended the school board for choosing a flexibility model that he says is a “good fit” for Habersham County. According to Cooper, the SWSS model “…will be the least disruptive to our school system, students, and staff and it will allow us to sustain the progress that is currently being made in multiple areas.”
Cooper says it’s not a “one-size fits all” approach to education. “This accountability model will allow our schools to work toward goals that are specific to their students and situations.”
One major component of the SWSS contract is the school system’s strategic plan. Habersham County’s plan was developed over two years with input from educators, students, parents and the public.
Habersham County Schools Strategic Plan
2015-2020
Click image to enlarge
What are neighboring school districts doing?
Georgia’s 180 public school districts were required to notify the State by July 1, 2015 as to which model they would follow. According to the GA DOE, 131 chose the Strategic Waivers model, 47 Charter and 2 Status Quo.
RELATED: New school IDs: Georgia schools choose organization model for future funding
School districts in Northeast Georgia that chose the SWSS/IE2 model include: Elbert, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Jackson, Oconee, Pickens, Rabun and Towns Counties.
School districts in Northeast Georgia that opted for the Charter model include: Gainesville and Jefferson City Schools, Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Dawson, Fannin, Gilmer, Hart, Lumpkin, Madison, Stephens, Union and White Counties.
Buford City Schools is the only district in the region — and one of only two in the state — that selected Status Quo.
To learn more about SWSS/IE2 partnership contracts in Georgia visit https://www.gadoe.org/External-Affairs-and-Policy/Policy/Pages/IE2.aspx.
