WHAT’S HAPPENING IN

October 2023

Hart
SHES Named Title I Reward
School by GaDOE Board Briefs
The Hart County Board of Education held a
regular meeting on October 16, 2023:
• The Board voted unanimously to approve the revised inter-
governmental agreement between the Hart County Charter
System and the Hart County Parks and Recreation Depart-
ment. The document eliminates the need for facility use
requests and recreational joint use agreements for the Hart
County Parks and Recreation Department.
• The Board voted unanimously to approve a millage rate of
10.524 after hosting three public hearings on the matter.

T
he Hart County Charter System is excited to announce
that South Hart Elementary School has been named a
2022-2023 Title I Reward School by the Georgia De-
partment of Education based on improved scores on statewide
assessments.
The Georgia Department of Education is releasing the 2022-
2023 lists of Distinguished and Reward Schools. The Dis-
tinguished Schools designation recognizes the highest-per-
forming Title I schools in Georgia, while the Reward Schools
designation recogniz-
See Reward School Page 4 for more
• The Board voted unanimously to approve the Charter System
Local Board Resolution. The resolution seeks to extend the
district's charter term by one year so as to align charter re-
newal with COGNIA accreditation renewal.
• The Board voted unanimously to approve the presented Hart
County Charter System Contract Amendment #1. The amend-
ment seeks to align charter renewal with COGNIA accredita-
tion renewal. The amendment will be submitted to the State
BOE for consideration.
• The Georgia Accrediting Commission provides an accredita-
tion process designed to establish and uphold standards, to
strengthen the quality of education in each school, and to
assure the general public that the established standards are
related to the best educational practices. The GAC Executive
Director issues certificates for those schools Provisionally

Mark your Calendar

Accredited, Accredited Annually, Accredited, Accredited Fully
and Accredited With Quality. All schools within the district
have met the necessary standards to be accredited with quali-
ty for the 23-24 scholastic year.
• November 10
* Veterans Day Programs
• November 13 ANNOUNCEMENTS:
* Progress Reports
* BOE Regular Meeting ESSER III Survey
◆ The Hart County Charter System is seeking stakeholder
• November 13-17 input regarding the use of ESSER III funds. The American
* National School Psychologist Week Rescue Plan Act provides funding for local educational
agencies to respond to COVID-19. Your feedback will be
• November 20-24 considered as the district budgets available funds. Please
* Thanksgiving Holiday complete the following survey for your input to be consid-
ered. Click here to complete the survey.

Hart County Charter System P.O. Box 696 Hartwell, Georgia 30643 Phone 706-376-5141 Fax 706-376-7046 1
 WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
October 2023

Hart
STATE CHAMPIONS

C ongratulations to the Hart County Middle School Cross Coun-

try team on capturing a State Championship! The team won 1st
place in Varsity and JV at the Georgia Middle School Cross Country
State Championship!
C ongratulations to the Hart County High School State Champi-
on Female Raiders team! The team took 1st place in three out
of five events and 3rd place in the final two events at the State Raid-
er Championship Meet to secure 1st place overall.

2023 REACH Scholars Honored with Signing Ceremony

T
he Hart County Charter System is
excited to announce that six Hart
County Middle School students have
inked their names to become the newest
class of REACH Hart scholars.

REACH, or Realizing Educational Achieve-

ment Can Happen, is a mentoring and
scholarship program which begins in the
8th grade with the identification of academ-
ically promising students, most of whom
will be first generation college graduates.
The annually selected REACH scholars
in each class are paired with a volunteer
community mentor and an academic
coach, both of whom help guide the scholar Pictured are the 2023 REACH Hart scholars alongside the program's community sponsors who
throughout their middle and high school were recognized at the signing ceremony. Pictured, from left to right, are OneHartBeat Foun-
years. dation Director Bobbie Busha, Kennon Keiser, Becky Loggins, Geraldine Vera Saldana, Rotary
Club of Hartwell representative Jeff Loggins, South State Bank representative Kayla Poole,
Hart County Middle School eighth-grade Deborah Ingram, Oglethorpe Power representative Davis Warnell, Jorge Aguilar, Hart Telephone
students Jorge Aguilar, Deborah Ingram, Company representative Wyndee McKinnon, Adriana Perez-Lopez, Kiwanis Club of Hartwell
representative John Rhodes, Camila Hernandez, and Christian Hiland.
Camila Hernandez, Christian Hiland,
Adriana Perez-Lopez, and Geraldine Vera scholarship. tober 11, 2023, to recognize these scholars
Saldana all signed contracts on October 11, and the community sponsors who make the
2023, in front of their peers and commu- A signing ceremony was held at the Lonnie program possible. Click here to view the
nity members to receive the REACH Hart Burns Fine Arts Center on Wednesday, Oc- full story.

Hart County Charter System P.O. Box 696 Hartwell, Georgia 30643 Phone 706-376-5141 Fax 706-376-7046 2
 October 2023

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
Hart
Hart County Records 95.3%
BOE Earns GSBA Exemplary Status
Graduation Rate for 2022-
2023 School Year
Pictured is the Hart
County Board of Edu- The Georgia Department of Education released grad-
cation, a Georgia School
uation rates for the 2022-2023 school year this week,
Boards Association 2023
Exemplary School Board. and the Hart County Charter System is proud to
Pictured, from left to announce it ranked among the top 35 highest system
right, are Vice Chair graduation rates out of all reporting districts.
Lonnie Robinson, District
2 Representative Henley
Cleary, Chair Kim Pierce,
Hart County High School recorded a 95.3% gradua-
District 4 Representative tion rate for the 2022-2023 school year, well above the
Richard Sutherland, and 84.4% state average.
District 5 Representative
Dennis Dowell.
"Our district's commitment to excellence is vividly
mirrored in our graduation rate," said Superintendent

T
Jennifer Carter. "When our seniors proudly accept
he Hart County Charter System is proud to announce the achieve-
their diplomas, it's a moment of celebration that
ment and status of the Georgia School Boards Association’s
extends across all grade levels, from Pre-K through
(GSBA) 2023 Exemplary School Board recognition.
twelfth grade. We are deeply appreciative of the par-
ents and community stakeholders who understand the
The recognition program is designed to showcase best practices in
profound significance of this achievement and actively
school governance and leadership. GSBA recognizes good school
support our students in their educational journeys."
board governance to foster educational community cultures in order
to advance student learning and achievement.
While this year’s 95.3% graduation rate is a slight de-
crease from last year’s 96.6% graduation rate, the Hart
The Hart County Board of Education met and/or exceeded the criteria
County Charter System is still one of just 43 districts
set forth by GSBA to earn the honor of a 2023 Exemplary Board. The
across the state to record a rate at or above 95% for
criteria may be reviewed by clicking here for more information.
the 2022-2023 school year.
“We are extremely fortunate to have involved, student-focused Board
“I am proud of the Class of 2023. Your hard work and
members,” Superintendent Jennifer Carter said. “The time invested in
determination have paid off, and we are confident that
the work and the consistent effort placed on collaboration is noticed
you will continue to shine brightly in all your future
and appreciated. Congratulations to our Board members on maintain-
endeavors,” Hart County High School Principal Kevin
ing and upholding exemplary standards.”
Gaines said. “To our parents and community, thank
you for your unwavering support and dedication to
The GSBA Governance Team Recognition Program was developed by
our students' success.”
Georgia superintendents and board members based on the state board
of education’s standards for effective governance to recognize exem-
Click here to view historical graduation rates and
plary leadership.
regional graduation rates, as well as districts that are
similar to the Hart County Charter System demo-
In 1998, the Georgia School Boards Association was one of the first
graphically or socio-economically for comparison.
school board associations in the nation to develop a program of stan-
dards for local boards of education.

Hart County Charter System P.O. Box 696 Hartwell, Georgia 30643 Phone 706-376-5141 Fax 706-376-7046 3
 WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
October 2023

Reward School Continued
nizes Title I schools making
the most significant improve-
ments. South Hart Elementary
School earned the distinction
of Reward School.
“Continuous improvement has
been and will continue to be
an ongoing goal for all within
our district,” Superintendent
Jennifer Carter said. “It is
evident that the hard work
being invested in South Hart
Elementary School is paying
off, with this award highlight-
ing their achievements. I am
so very proud of the students,
teachers, support staff, admin-
istrators, and parents affiliated
with South Hart Elementary.
I am confident we will see
continued success within this
particular school as well as
throughout the district.”
Reward Schools are among
the greatest-improving 5% of
Title I Schoolwide and Title
I Targeted Assistance schools
Hart
when comparing the content
mastery scores from the most
recent two years of statewide
assessments.
“The academic achievement
gains we have made over the
past two years are a combined
effort of our teachers, staff,
students, and parents. Our
school’s primary focus each
year is using data to improve
instruction,” South Hart
Elementary School Principal
Dr. J.T. Stewart said. “The idea
of Collective Teacher Efficacy
which means we ALL believe
and work together to increase
student achievement is a
mindset every staff member
possesses. There is no ‘I’ in
Collective Teacher Efficacy,
only ‘We’. Schools and grade
levels are most effective when
teacher leadership is present.
We are grateful to have teacher
leadership at South Hart in
every grade level. Our entire
staff (teachers, paraprofession-
als, support staff, custodians, Quick Links
nutrition workers, and admin-
istrators) functions as a team Breakfast/Lunch Menus
to love, support, and grow our
students each day. On behalf
of our staff, Dr. Julie Franklin,
former assistant principal,
and I, we thank the Georgia
Department of Education for
this recognition.”
Overall System Feedback
South Hart Elementary School
is one of just 75 schools in the
state to earn the distinction of
Title I Reward School for the
2022-2023 school year. Schools
must be Title I to be eligible
for the Distinguished School Parent Portal
and Reward School designa-
tions and must not currently
be CSI or TSI support-identi-
fied schools. Click here to view
all Title I Reward Schools for
the 2022-2023 school year. For
more information about Title Local Resources
I Distinguished and Award
Schools, click here.

Stellar Performer
Staff Directory

H art County High School senior Dakota Phillips

was recognized as a Stellar Performer at the
October Hart County Board of Education meeting
for being one of 69 students in the state selected to
serve on the State Superintendent’s Student Advi- Employment Opportunities
sory Council. Throughout the year, she, along with
students from across the state, will meet with Super-
intendent Woods to provide feedback on the impact
of state policies in the classroom. Pictured from left
to right are Hart County Board of Education Chair
Kim Pierce, Dakota Phillips, and Superintendent
Jennifer Carter.

Hart County Charter System P.O. Box 696 Hartwell, Georgia 30643 Phone 706-376-5141 Fax 706-376-7046 4