Oglethorpe County students are at risk of not being able to receive their homeroom assignments and schedule if their residency forms aren’t completed by Aug. 5.
The county requires students going into the third, sixth and ninth grades, otherwise known as the “gateway years,” to complete a residency form. The form requires the parents to submit proof of residency, which can include a picture of the resident's mortgage, lease or a utility bill.
Teachers are scheduled to report on Thursday, Aug. 1. School starts for all students and grades on Thursday, Aug. 8.
As of Tuesday, there were 153 students who had not completed their residency forms for third, sixth and ninth grades, according to the school system. The percentage of completed forms are: 63% of third grade, 67% of sixth grade and 65% of ninth grade.
“It is very concerning that we still have this many that have not completed this task,” Superintendent Beverley Levine said.
Residents who can’t provide documentation can schedule a meeting with the owner of the residence and a school representative to confirm residency. Of the families who haven’t completed forms, 48 have set up meetings, according to the school system.
The school system decided to implement the residency check in order to be a “good steward” of the taxpayer money. It was noticed that when only checking residency in kindergarten, enrollment increased, while the tax digest did not.
The BOE voted last month to increase the tuition for out-of-district students to $3,374 effective this year, up from $2,710, a 24.5% increase. Only 13 students paid out-of-district tuition during the 2023-24 school year.
“I think what we’ve seen a lot of is parents went to school here and liked the school system and had a lot of success, and so want their children to come to the same school system they went to,” Levine said.
Free meals
Free breakfast and lunch will be provided to students, no matter their financial situation after county schools qualified for the Community Eligibility Provision, which will allow for students to receive free meals without an application.
The school system announced the program on July 25. An official release from the CEP stated that “Children need healthy meals to learn.”
“Regardless of income, every kid eats breakfast and lunch free,” Levine said. “So that’s really huge for our county.”
School supplies
School supplies will be provided to students, all they have to bring is a backpack and headphones, which will be given out at Community Day on Saturday, Aug. 3.
The supplies will come individually packaged for each student. The supplies are catered to each grade level and include pencils, scissors, homework folders, crayons and other items.
Open houses
Students will be able to meet their homeroom teachers at next week’s open houses and freshmen will be able to run their schedule at the “Freshman Academy.”
The open houses are scheduled for Monday, Aug. 5 and Tuesday, Aug. 6.
“I am really excited to see the school come to life with teachers and students again,” Oglethorpe County High School Principal Bill Sampson said. “I’ve been here most of the summer, and it’s been too quiet. More importantly, I’m excited to take the experience I gained in my first year and try to make this school year even better.”
Back to school
Here are key dates leading up to the first day of school.
Teachers report
- Thursday, Aug. 1
Open houses
- OCPS/OCES last names A-L: 4-6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5
- OCPS/OCES last names M-Z: 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6
- OCMS all students: 4-6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5
- OCHS ninth grade: 9:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6
- OCHS 10-12 grades: 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6
First day of school (all grades)
- Thursday, Aug. 8