By Tayleigh Davis - bio | email | twitter
ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Dougherty County School Board members spent a lot of time together Thursday to come up with ways to improve education.
They didn't want to spend money for an out-of-town retreat, so they met for five hours in Albany Thursday evening.
They talked about ways to increase the graduation rate, bring dropouts back into the school system, decrease teacher absences, and improve parental involvement.
"We have a system of teachers that are great and want the community to be a part of this education system and a part of these goals," said Dougherty County Schools Superintendent, Dr. Joshua Murfree.
Dr. Murfree also discussed the possibility of creating a career academy to help keep students in school and prepare them for life after school.
Another big topic school board members tackled is how to spend the system's share of Race to the Top money.
They found out this week Dougherty County schools will get $6.8 million from the federal program designed to spur innovative reforms to improve education and boost graduation rates.
The Dougherty County system is one of 26 in the state and the only one in southwest Georgia to receive the funding.
"It gives us an opportunity to serve as a voice for educators in southwest Georgia," said Curriculum Director Dianne Daniels. "When we are working with the other 25 districts across the state, we can say this will benefit educators."
Race to the Top also focuses on recruiting and keeping quality staff and preparing students for success after graduation.
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