Education cuts tough but managable, Cox says

State School Superintendant Kathy Cox says Education cuts in the state budget will have little impact in the classroom.

Speaking to a joint house and senate education committee Kathy Cox outlined her department’s priorities for a year with education cuts expected to top 400 million dollars. Cox says school boards will get some leeway in how they spend state money.

For example graduation coach funding could go to other school needs and classes can be slightly larger. This flexibility Cox says should see schools through the economic downturn with little interruption.

“I think it would mean slightly more students in a class,” Cox says. “ But for most students I don’t’ think they’ll see much difference.”

Cox says she support the Governor’s efforts dispite a tight budget to push for a merit pay system for teachers and bonuses for high performing principals. She’s also pushing higher salaries for math and science teachers, because she says Georgia Desperately needs them. Cox will outline more details about education budget next week during budget hearing.

Class Size Waivers approved

Today the State Board of Education allowed at least 15 school district to raise the legal limit on the size of some classes. Most district wanted a waiver to allow 2 more students into a class.

Larger classes could become more common in Georgia as the economy continues to struggle and local school districts can’t hire as many teachers.

“We’re trying to help them with some flexibility,” says State School Superintendant Kathy Cox. “They really do need some help right now with flexibility of class sizes.”

In January Lawmakers will consider a bill that would give local school systems a 2 year grace period on how they spend the state’s money. Officials say it’s needed to get them through the economic downturn.

Schools superintendent and husband file for bankruptcy

State schools superintendent Kathy Cox and her husband have filed for bankruptcy. Cox said she and her husband John decided last week to file because of losses they’ve taken in his home building business. Cox said those builders like her husband have been hit hard in the current economic climate, and that it was a gut-wrenching decision. Paperwork filed listed the couple with $3.5 million in liabilities, and nearly $650,000 in assets. This summer, Cox won $1 million on the game show ‘Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?’. She donated the winnings to three schools for the deaf and blind in Georgia.

Charter schools could get boost

It could get easier to form a charter school in Georgia. The state Board of Education could vote tomorrow to lift a cap on how many public school systems can convert to charter districts each year. Under state law, only five districts a year can convert to charters. After that, the state school board decides. Georgia schools Superintendent Kathy Cox is pushing to throw out the cap because she says it is arbitrary and hamstrings the state.

(Associated Press)

Kathy Cox wins big on game show

Georgia's state school superintendent Kathy Cox became the first contestant to win one million dollars on Fox TV's popular game show, "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" The show is hosted by Georgian Jeff Foxworthy. Cox's million dollar question was "who was the longest reigning British monarch?" Her correct answer of Queen Victoria, earned her the money. Cox says she will donate the money to 3 schools for the deaf and blind in Georgia. Cox appeared nervous at times but was able to get all the correct answers. She said she knew the answer to the million dollar question, because her parents had taken her to England. One lawmaker, Rob Teilhet (D-Smyrna) was critical of her appearance on the show saying Cox should focus on Georgia's schools rather than play TV game shows. Teilhet purchased an ad on an Atlanta TV station that ran before Cox's appearance on the show.

State schools chief draws ire for TV appearance

Georgia schools Superintendent Kathy Cox is drawing fire for her upcoming appearance on Friday's season premiere of Fox's "Are you Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" One state lawmaker upset over the state’s low test scores and planned budget cuts for schools, will run ads during the show which criticizes Cox’s appearance. Democratic state representative Rob Teilhet (Smyrna) says his ads – which will run in the Atlanta market -- will call for smaller class sizes and beefed up pre-K programs.

New state social studies curriculum open for public comment

The Georgia Department of Education is collecting public comments on changes to the state’s social studies curriculum. This after thousands of students failed a state-mandated exam this year, the CRCT.

State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox threw out the results after discovering 70-80 percent of sixth and seventh graders failed the test.

Cox pointed to a disconnect between test questions and what was being taught, and called for a revamping of the state’s curriculum. That revised curriculum is open for on-line public comment until August 11.

A new curriculum will take effect in 2008-2009 school year; however, the CRCT in spring 2009 won’t count. They will serve as a pilot test.

Cox voids some CRCT scores

State superintendent Kathy Cox has decided to throw out the social studies scores of 6th and 7th graders on the CRCT.

Parents and educators were alarmed this week to find that pass rates on that portion of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests plunged to unexpected lows.

Only 20-30% of sixth and seventh graders passed the social studies test this year, compared to more than 80% last year. Dana Tofig, spokesperson for the Department of Education, says the state expected lower numbers because it was a new curriculum and a new test, but the dip was more dramatic than expected.

"After we looked at the standard and we looked at the assessment, we came to the conclusion that the scores were not a trustworthy measure of the student achievement in social studies," Tofig said.

Several parents say their children reported that the exam tested topics that they had never covered in class. Tofig says it's more likely that the test delved more deeply into topics they did cover, but without that level of detail.

The Education Department is impaneling a committee to look at the curriculum, the test, and teacher training.

Top state school official has concern over recent test scores

In the wake of poor test results that have come-in for some Georgia students, the state's top school official released a statement Monday to respond. The results are unofficial, but preliminary results for 6th and 7th graders tested on the social studies Criterion Referenced Competency Test show a pass-rate of 20 to 30 percent. For 8th graders tested in math, the unofficial results show that around 40-percent of students failed. State schools Superintendent Kathy Cox says the dip in math results is not unexpected, as standards have been raised. The state will release official results of the CRCT's next month.

School superintendent touts test scores

A majority of Georgia students are passing the state's graduation test. State Schools Superintendent Kathy Cox says about 90% of those taking the new Georgia High School Graduation Tests – or GHSGT – scored at basic proficiency or above. Cox says that's great news considering the GHSGT is the in process of becoming more difficult so that students are held to a higher academic standard. Students must pass it to graduation high school.

School pulls lunchmeat after slaughterhouse violations

School Superintendent Kathy Cox today cautioned parents not to overreact about the possibility that tainted meat may have been in their kids school lunch.

A video shot by the Humane Society of the Westland slaughterhouse in California shows downed cows that may have made it into the school lunch supply. Twenty-eight of Georgia’s public school systems (listed below) received meat from there and the USDA has shut down the plant. Federal officials are investigating whether the cows were part of that supply. Because of a fear of mad cow disease, downed cows are banned from the food supply.

Earlier this month, State School Superintendent Kathy Cox ordered cafeterias to pull the meat. "I just want to tell parents," said Cox. "It’s o.k. We’ve not gotten any report of there being any sick children in Georgia. And I want to tell parents this is all done in an abundance of caution."

More than 170 thousand pounds of beef is on hold in Georgia. Cox says she expects to hear on Monday, whether it’s save or not.

The school systems of the following counties received meat from the plant under investigation:

Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Carrollton, Cartersville, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coffee, Dalton, Decatur, Dekalb, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Gordon, Grady, Griffin-Spalding, Gwinnett, Jackson, Lamar, Marion, Murray, Muscogee, Newton, Pickens, and Tift.

Bomb threats at schools

Even top school administrators can't escape bomb threats.

Dr. Dana Bedden experienced one on his first day of school in Richmond County.

It happened on August 13.

Bedden, who had taken the reins of the school system in Augusta less than two weeks earlier, had just arrived at Glenn Hills Middle School for a visit when it happened.

"I'm pulling up to one of our middle schools and they were just going through a bomb threat, evacuations, as soon as I pulled into the parking lot." He said he hoped "that this is not an indication of what the year's going to look like, that we're not going to have a repeat of last year."

The Richmond County school system reported numerous bomb threats last year. Officials say 70 of those threats occurred at only two schools.

A bomb threat also happened at a high school in Jefferson, Georgia, in October, just as Kathy Cox, the state schools superintendent, was paying a visit there.

School bomb threat disrupts state official visit

The visit of state schools Superintendent Kathy Cox to a northeast Georgia high school Wednesday was interrupted by a bomb threat. Cox had just arrived at the Jackson County Comprehensive High School in Jefferson, when the district ordered evacuation of all 13 of its schools. After the building was cleared, Cox returned to the school for her visit. Authorities say the threat was called in by a Jefferson City High School student, and they have a specific suspect in mind.