BLAIRSVILLE, Ga – Union County Schools earned the top spot for graduation rates from Pioneer RESA with a 98. 5 percent overall rate.

“Mrs. Knight and Mr. Hussion, you’re both to be applauded as high school principals. Woody Gap has its graduates and Union County has its graduates,” Union County Schools (UCS) Superintendent John Hill stated. “This a culmination from Mrs. Owenby’s primary school teachers, elementary school teachers, middle school teachers, through your high school staff.”

UCS is waiting to approve the calendar for the 2021-2022 school year until March because of COVID-19 and future uncertainty. However, board meeting dates will be presented in the December 2020 meeting which will take place at the high school multipurpose room. The damaged roof at the board of education building is the reason for the move.

Hill also spoke about the “ridiculous” situation of statewide testing for the 2020-2021 school year.

“Many of our students in Union County and other districts have missed multiple 14-day stints in school. It’s ridiculous. It’s the last thing we should be worried about,” Hill said. “Also, there is no opportunity, my understanding to even test from home, that’s not an option…They discussed reducing the percentage of the end of course test, but that’s still spending $20 million of state taxpayer money on a test that’s not valid.”

Georgia’s Department of Education must hold statewide testing because the Federal Department of Education did not approve the state’s testing waiver.

Pioneer RESA is also expressing concerns about the full-time equivalency (FTE) hold harmless, which is being discussed by the state. The hold would freeze school districts’ FTE. Union County received $15 million in state FTE funding which makes up 50 percent of the budget.

“We would not receive funding if that’s the case if they pass a hold harmless straight up FTE from last year. We would lose funding from what we should earn this year and that’s an effort to save the folks that are struggling from students moving to this area or homeschooling or whatever the parents are choosing,” Hill explained.

He said to expect an update next month.

Additionally, he said the school won’t be taking any chances with the weather as they enter the winter months.

COVID-19 update for November 20,2020

Students and parents are encouraged to remember to wash their hands and wear masks over the holiday breaks. Every holiday has seen a significant increase in COVID-19 numbers. Since fewer students have been wearing their masks to class, quarantine numbers continue to increase. 125 students were quarantined because of potential exposure as of Friday, November 20 with zero positive student cases. Seven teachers were quarantined with one positive case.

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