Mini-grant Winners 2005
*Floyd County, Bibb County, and Dougherty County* will be receiving more than *$7,000* to help them implement their QLTE action plans. Here's a description of the winning proposals:
*Floyd County/Greater Rome Chamber/United Community Bank* - One of the findings of the QLTE survey and subsequent teacher focus groups was that teachers are frustrated that copy machines are not operational or not convenient for use during the teachers' limited planning time. As a result, a total of *$5,200* in mini-grant funds will help Floyd County purchase new copiers for Armuchee High School, Model Middle School, Coosa High School and Midway Primary School.
Also, Floyd County will be assessing their QLTE action plan to determine successes or changes in attitudes or behaviors. A Teacher Advisory Committee, comprised of the Teacher of the Year from each school, will be formed and will meet periodically to provide ongoing input from the teachers' perspectives for the school administration. A survey will also be developed to allow the system's teachers to assess the administration each year. *$500* in grant funds will help support these initiatives.
*Bibb County/Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce/Education First* - Since the release of the QLTE data, Bibb and their partner agencies have reorganized their data and have identified three areas to respond to: time, resources and community support. Bibb is working on the time issue through principals meetings and individual school plans. The Chamber and Education First will address the issues of resources and community support through town hall meetings with teachers and community members as well as the formation of a task force. The task force, which the *$750 * grant will help support, will be made up of Bibb County Teachers of the Year, National Certified Board Teachers, and Teacher Leaders, with community and school board representation from the Bibb QLTE Committee. The task force will produce a report that includes a school by school response, system response and an action plan for community partners.
*Dougherty County/Albany Area Chamber of Commerce* - As a result of their QLTE action plan, Dougherty County and the Albany Chamber have formed a Community Advisory Group,which is a sub-committee of the Chamber's Education Committee. The purpose of this group is to assist in publicizing the positive achievements of students and faculty while helping the public understand the challenges and issues of public education. Community leaders from local media outlets have attended these Education sub-committee meetings, and advisory group members have pledged to attend board meetings and school events to learn more about the issues while positively impacting the community climate.
During a recent school board meeting, visiting community members were impressed by the presentation of Distinguished Service Awards given to employees who achieve above expectations. This program, implemented by Dr. Whatley and currently in its fifth year, is very popular among Dougherty County staff because honorees are nominated by their peers. The *$1,000* mini-grant will help provide funds for the 2006 Distinguished Service Award Dinner and will encourage additional community participation and support.
Congratulations to our winning districts, and a big thank you to our sponsor, *BellSouth*, for making all of this possible!