Another first day of school for Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) is in the books.
Superintendent Denise Watts, Ed.D., journeyed through yet another whirlwind first-day schedule as she visited bus drivers at 5 a.m. before heading out to six different schools.
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Here are some of the key stats that she shared Thursday afternoon at a press conference at SCCPSS’s Central Office, 208 Bull St., to sum up the district's day.
- 35,498 total students as of Thursday
- 3,000 of those were new to SCCPSS schools
- 748 new students registered on the first day
- 206 transferred into the district
- 19,000+ meals served (breakfast and lunch)
- 343 calls fielded by SCCPSS transportation hotline, 256 “handled” according to Watts
Transportation
Despite the transportation department's ongoing driver shortage, Watts said the district observed "very few issues of arrival." She acknowledged that there will likely be "glitches" with transportation. As with last year, she thanked parents for their assistance and asked for continued patience as things "normalize."
She also relayed that boundary changes resulting from last year's adoption of the Long-Range Facilities Plan Phase 1, led to some misunderstandings among families about their students' assigned schools, which factored into the large number of student transfers.
Watts discussed the traffic concerns around the Davis-Edwards-Harris Educational Complex, which houses both Robert W. Groves High School and George A. Mercer Middle School) at 100 Priscilla D Thomas Way in Garden City. She said delays near the school were typical of a first day coupled with the fact that it is a new facility with new traffic patterns. "What I observed was our municipalities kicking in, our school board police kicking in, the principal was standing right out in front of the school directing traffic," she said.
She encouraged families to continue to reach out to the Transportation department if they experience issues or have concerns. The Customer Service line is 912-395-6065, which has extended hours Aug. 3 through 19. The Monday through Friday extended hours will be 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. and on Saturdays 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Watts also suggested that families download the Here Comes the Bus app, which offers real-time tracking of buses on their routes.
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'Steady progress' on literacy
Watts also reiterated literacy as a the districts North Star. Thursday marked the official start to the district's use of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’sInto Reading (K-5)andInto Literature (6-12)as the districtwide Tier I Reading/English Language Arts (ELA) textbook, as well asWaggle (K-8)andWriteable (3-12).
"I saw evidence of those materials being used...our focus this year is to make sure that 100 percent of our students have access to the curriculum," she said. She stated that teachers' literacy training continues through Lexia's LETRS program.
The implementation comes on the heels of the latest Georgia Milestones Assessment Systems (GMAS)scores release from last Friday, which showed slight increases over student performance from last year. Of the latest results, Watts said, "We are proud of the progress that we have." She said there is sense of "traction and momentum" even though the district is not where it wants to be.
She emphasized a desire for steady progress rather than large leaps in GMAS score results. "We're not looking to have 20 and 30 percent jumps because when that happens, most of the time you see that jump and then you see a regression," she said. She also cited internal key performance indicators (KPIs) that the district has identified to track student progress and make adjustments as needed.
Year over year
As Watts closed out her remarks, she highlighted the dance party welcome that Georgetown K-8 School, 1516 King George Blvd., had for its students. "I am exhausted but I have so much adrenaline right now about the first day, so it's been great," she said.
When asked to compare her second first day to last year's first day she said she could not make a comparison as last year was not only a first day of school, but her first as a superintendent on top of many other personal firsts for her in a new city.
"This year, I definitely feel like I have my hands more wrapped around it," she said. She was pleased with her staff debrief and said that many of the district staff members had told her that it was "the smoothest opening they have experienced in many years."
She thanked the media partners, who traveled with her throughout the day, for their role in her efforts to "maintain a sense of transparency."
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@gannett.com
