Input session: The Oglethorpe County BOE will hold a superintendent search input session at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15 at the OCHS cafeteria. Students, staff, parents and residents are invited to attend.
Oglethorpe County High School demonstrated significant growth in 2025, as reflected in a rapid improvement in its College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI), which increased from 58.7 to 71.6.
The school doubled its score in the closing gaps category, which measures progress toward state-set academic achievement target goals. The increase was driven by students with disabilities meeting biology targets and students in algebra meeting their goals.
The overall state score is 78.
“I was very impressed with how your team just gathered around and (said) ‘We're not going to let them win this narrative and we're going to figure out what happened, we’re going to change things, we’re going to update things,’” BOE chair Becky Soto said of OCHS principal Bill Sampson, who was at the BOE meeting on Tuesday.
In 2024, OCHS scored low in the progress category, which measures student growth in English language arts, mathematics and English learners progression. However, that score was based solely on math results, as students did not take the English language arts portion of the Georgia Milestones.
The 2025 progress score increased from 38 to 61.6, which is a significant jump, but it was still affected by averaging the scores from two years.
“Kudos to the high school,” said Assistant Superintendent Kanya Cornish, who gave the teaching and learning report. “I don’t know if I have ever seen that much of an increase.”
Overall, OCHS, OCMS and OCES saw improvement in at least two of the four areas measured for the CCRPI.
In other business:
- The school system was approved to partner with the Georgia Vocational Rehab Agency, which will give the county an extra $93,950 to provide additional vocational rehab transitional services to the special education department and create a full-time parent mentor position.
- The board approved funding for a parent coaching platform in partnership with the Cook Center for Human Connection. Parents who sign up will be assigned a personal counselor for weekly check-ins. The counseling will be mandatory for those at risk reduction, but is encouraged for any parent. The program will cost $15,750 and will be funded by a combination of grant and safety money.
- The county hired Trent Ashworth with Timber Solutions South to remove a tree behind the high school and trim several trees growing over the track before the season begins. The projected cost is $12,500.
- Former Georgia football player and author Malcolm Mitchell will join OCES at Reading Rally on Feb. 4 to read to the kids. The county used its Peach Education money to ensure every student has their own book.
- Soto was re-elected as the BOE chair for 2026, and Jake Willcox was elected as vice chair.
- Penny Miller was approved as the BOE’s representative for the Oglethorpe County Library Board.
- The September and October financial reports were approved, including a $33,171 increase in the Preschool Handicapped State Grant budget due to an increase in the number of students.