Friday, May 30, 2003

Creekside receives state grant

Creekside High School has received a $1,000 grant from the Georgia School Council Institute (GSCI) in recognition of their efforts to improve student achievement.

Called Local School Advisory Councils (LSACs) in Fulton County, school councils are required at each school due to the A+ Education Reform Act of 2000. Though the legal requirement is new, LSACs in Fulton County are not and have been in place for more than 18 years. School councils/LSACs are locally-elected advisory bodies and make recommendations to local boards of education about ways to improve student achievement at their local school. Membership is comprised of the school principal, two teachers, two parents, and two members of the school's business community.

Fifty school councils from across the state applied for the grants, with only 10 schools being selected. Applicants provided a summary of their work during the 2002-03 school year, minutes of their monthly meetings, plans for the use of the grant funds, and an analysis of student achievement indicators at their school.

"We are delighted to see that school councils are working effectively in Georgia," said GSCI Executive Director Angela Palm. "

The Georgia School Council Institute is a non-profit organization created to provide training, support and assistance to local school councils. Free GSCI training materials have been made available to over 12,000 local school council members in the state of Georgia. GSCI's mission is to ensure that all council members have access to information needed to focus on improving student achievement at the local level.