Superintendent Shares Goals For 2020-21 School Year

CANTON, GA — Cherokee County Superintendent of Schools Brian Hightower served as a keynote speaker for the 2020 "State of the County" event on Wednesday.

Presented by the Council for Quality Growth, the annual luncheon featured addresses by Hightower, Cherokee County Board of Commissioners Chairman Harry Johnston and Cherokee Office of Economic Development President Misti Martin.

Hightower was joined at the event by School Board Chair Kyla Cromer, Vice Chair Kelly Poole and Board members John Harmon, Patsy Jordan and Rick Steiner.

Slides from his presentation on the state of the Cherokee County School District, entitled "A Year in Review," are posted on the Cherokee Schools' website at http://bit.ly/stateccsd20.

Highlights included:

• Since 2014, five consecutive years of operating surpluses, driving up reserves from $16.7 million (5 percent) to $54.8 million (12.6 percent)
• FY2020 marked the movement of a full property tax mill from operations to debt repayment 18.45 mills (M/O) 1 mills (debt)
• FY2020 marked move toward a “pay as you go” usage of EdSPLOST pennies, $9 million, further reducing reliance on long-term borrowing.
• Focusing on Social-Emotional Learning Core Builds: Equity & Cultural Competence, Positive
  Behavior Frameworks, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Trauma-Informed Practices, Staff Well-Being & Self-Care

The event, sponsored by Northside Hospital Cherokee, was attended by several hundred business and development leaders and elected officials from Cherokee and other metro Atlanta counties.