Douglas County Schools Kick Off $1.6 M Literacy Initiative

DOUGLAS COUNTY, GA — Douglas County School System Superintendent Trent North launched the district’s Literacy for Learning, Living, and Leading in Georgia, or L4GA, initiative in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Education. Superintendent North celebrated the L4GA initiative kickoff Thursday afternoon with the Grant management team of Pam Nail, Chief Academic Officer, Rhonda Baldwin, Executive Director for Professional Learning, Lisa Dunnigan, Executive Director for Title 1 and Cathy Swanger, Executive Director for Student Achievement.

This $1.6 million Georgia Department of Education grant will support student literacy learning initiatives aimed at addressing the literacy needs of children in our community from birth through grade twelve. The $61,579,800 Georgia received was the highest award received by any state. Georgia was one of three states to secure the funding a second time after the initial grant cycle (2011-2016).

“We are thrilled and grateful to have these additional resources to use for our students,” said Douglas County Superintendent Trent North. “Literacy is the foundation for success in all areas. We will be using these dollars wisely as we work to increase literacy for all of our children, and especially those who struggle.”

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Georgia was awarded a total of $61,579,800 through the federal Striving Readers grant competition. Ninety-five percent of funds are sub-granted to 38 districts. All districts receiving awards have community-school partnerships with local organizations, the Regional Education Service Agencies, and teacher preparation programs to collectively improve literacy outcomes. Sub-granted districts and their community partners were selected through an independent, competitive sub-grant process; they were chosen based on the strength of their applications. The Georgia Department of Education awarded funds to effectively improve outcomes for the largest possible population of Georgia’s students, and the broader L4GA initiative will provide support (including professional learning) for all Georgia school districts.

While the whole district will benefit from professional development, six schools will benefit from the program: Bright Star Elementary School, Burnett Elementary School, North Douglas Elementary School, Mason Creek Middle School, Yeager Middle School, and Douglas County High School. These schools were selected based on the most significant needs. A literacy task force headed by Swanger will assist Douglas County with the most effective ways to implement the grant. Each school will also have a school literacy team to support the implementation of the grant at the school level.

“I am confident the $61 million Georgia is now able to invest in local schools and communities to support literacy will impact the lives of thousands of students, State School Superintendent Richard Woods says. “Making sure Georgia students are reading on grade level remains mission-critical, top-priority work for us and I have no doubt these districts – who submitted clear, focused, student-centered plans to improve literacy outcomes – are going to use these funds to make a tremendous difference for kids.”

Photos courtesy Douglas County School System