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Georgia gets students moving on
moore russ
Russ Moore
Russ Moore
Updated: May 13, 2015, 12:14 AM
Published: May 13, 2015, 12:19 AM

While you were distracted by this year’s transportation funding or Opportunity School District debates — or possibly ignoring the Legislature entirely — Gov. Nathan Deal, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, and both parties in both chambers unanimously set a tiny pebble rolling from the top of the mountain known as public education.

That pebble may become an avalanche leading to an earthquake or, as we policy geeks like to say, a “Paradigm Shift.”

Fortunately, the tectonic plates crumbling are irrelevance, dropouts and waste, and the new Himalayas rising will be named relevance, graduation and productive citizenship.

The context: For years, Georgia has ranked near the bottom of states in the quality of public education. Say what you will about the fairness or folly of the reporting; it’s there and it must be dealt with. Economic developers say the quality of the workforce is the No. 1 factor for employers choosing a location, and education is the No. 1 factor defining the workforce. A great education will lead to the best possible workforce.

High school graduation is the ultimate measure of success in K-12 education. Some years ago, our state decided to simplify how students earn a high school diploma by creating what has been described as a 4x4x4x3 rubric for required academic credits (four credits each in language arts, math and science, and three in social studies) — with very little flexibility or choice in these courses — and finally some flexibility in a comparatively small number of “elective credits.”

The unintentional but practical result of that policy was an elevation in the perceived importance of core academic credits — whether or not mastery of those subjects produces productive citizens — and a corresponding lowering of the priority on career and technical electives. A clear implication for students was that the purpose of a Georgia high school diploma was to get them into a four-year college.

Deal listened to employers who said that two-thirds of the jobs in our state and nation require a high school education and college training shy of a four-year degree. He focused state education law and policy on developing a strong economy and improving educational outcomes — not just graduating more students, but graduating them with the ability to be productive citizens in the real world.

Cagle, long a proponent of college and career academies, was an important ally. Senate Bills 2 and 132 followed the recommendations of a panel appointed by the governor. Both education bills passed the House and Senate unanimously and the governor signed the bills together into law on April 30.

These amendments to the Move On When Ready Act will remove funding barriers for school systems and parents to enroll their high school students in college as early as 11th grade.

Deep weeds alert: If you’re like most people, you’re thinking, “Hey, I thought high schools already offer college credit through very rigorous Advanced Placement courses. Why do we need to emphasize ‘dual enrollment’ all of a sudden?”

If you’re still reading, you’re curious enough to learn this nugget of truth: School systems love AP courses because they are taught by high school instructors, so school systems get to keep all the state “per student” allotment money they earn by offering AP classes.

With the old version of “Move On When Ready,” high schools received zero dollars for high school students taking college classes taught by college instructors. Logically, the high schools had zero incentive to promote MOWR, and a mere fraction of most high school students in the state took advantage of a very good option — earning free college credit.

Another unfortunate fact about AP classes is that only about one fifth of Georgia students pass any given AP exam, and even fewer than that actually earn college credit from the college they choose to attend. By comparison, students passing a dual enrollment course in Georgia receive transferrable college credit 100 percent of the time.

More deep weeds: “Dual enrollment” and MOWR used to be different programs. For a time, high schools received full K-12 state funding for students taking courses at a technical college. Gov. Perdue cut K-12 dual enrollment funding to nearly zero. Years later, Gov. Deal restored the funds. The state’s high school dual enrollment trend looked like a wave at Malibu, and there are still school counselors in Georgia who

react like Dracula seeing the cross when dual enrollment is mentioned.
The new laws not only change and solidify the method by which school systems receive full funding for high school students in dual enrollment, they also eliminate all college costs for students and their parents. Further, they define with crystal clarity how students may graduate from high school by taking only dual enrollment college courses after 10th grade.

So now a 16-year-old entering 11th grade who wants to be a welder or a computer game designer or an English professor can finish high school by enrolling in a technical college or a University System of Georgia college or university, take two years of courses for free, and graduate from his or her home high school at age 18 with a two-year college degree or diploma chock full of transferrable college credits … and no debt.

For those who want a job right out of high school, the new law is even better: A student enrolling in a technical college only has to earn two Technical Certificates of Credit (TCCs) and an industrial certification — all in the same field — to finish high school. That can be done in less than two years.

Bill Gates’ foundation discovered that 70 percent of high school dropouts leave school not because they are dumb but because they are bored.
Now Georgia has an answer for students: Get interested in a career, do well enough through 10th grade to get into college early, earn two years of transferrable college credit debt-free, and become employable by the age of 18. For students who have no real interest in sitting in class, taking notes and regurgitating those notes on tests, gone forever is the 4x4x4x3 requirement. Now it’s 2x2x2x2 + College.

The shaking you feel is caused by students running to their counselors’ offices and Georgia rocketing up the education ranking ladder. 

Russ Moore, who founded Seamless Education Associates and has helped start 18 college and career academy charter schools in Georgia, wrote this commentary for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. 
In Effingham County, Progress Starts With a Plan
Guest Editorial by Susan Kraut, President/CEO of Effingham County Chamber of Commerce
Susan Kraut column
A sold-out crowd of more than 150 business and community leaders gathered at Effingham’s New Ebenezer Retreat Center Sept. 24 for the Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of the County Luncheon, hearing updates on economic growth, education, and infrastructure across Effingham County. (Submitted photo)
Susan Kraut
Updated: Oct 1, 2025, 2:41 PM
Published: Oct 1, 2025, 2:36 PM

At last Wednesday’s sold-out State of the County luncheon, more than 150 business and community leaders heard a message that resonated throughout the program: We have a plan, and we’re sticking to it.

Effingham County City Manager Tim Callanan opened his remarks with that thought. It was simple, but powerful. In an era when news feeds churn with controversy and change, it served as a reminder that behind the scenes, steady planning is happening – and those plans are beginning to bear fruit.

Businesses and residents often express frustration about roads, zoning, parks, schools or economic development, feeling that growth is outpacing action. The truth, as Callanan underscored, is that many of those actions are already underway, rooted in master plans that cover everything from transportation and stormwater to parks, communications and public safety.

The challenge is that plans only matter if people know they exist. Too often, businesses and citizens forget these plans are in place, don’t know where to find them or don’t realize how to weigh in at the right moments. When that happens, the community loses the chance to shape its own future and to express the value of those plans – why they matter and why they’re worth supporting.

Planning delivers progress

Last week’s luncheon highlighted how “plans” translate into progress. Mayor Kevin Exley shared Rincon’s ranking as one of Georgia’s safest cities and the city’s launch of the Citizen Central app – a small but meaningful step toward accessible local government. Springfield’s new city manager, Lauren Eargle, outlined a capital improvement plan that includes sidewalks, drainage and playgrounds, along with the less glamorous but vital work of a $35 million wastewater plant upgrade. Guyton’s city manager, Bill Lindsey, discussed contracting with planning consultants, winning grants for sidewalks, and reinvesting in Bazemore Park and downtown revitalization. These aren’t random acts; they’re evidence of intentional planning.

The school district provided another example when Superintendent Yancy Ford noted that Effingham now serves nearly 14,500 students speaking 33 languages. That diversity is an asset – but it also requires careful, proactive investment to maintain the high standards families expect. His most powerful point concerned ESPLOST, the 1-cent Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. Thanks to community support over the years, ESPLOST has built classrooms, purchased buses, enhanced safety measures, provided Chromebooks to all students, added security cameras and access-control systems, created inclusive playgrounds and athletic facilities open to the community, supported hands-on learning spaces like Honey Ridge, and established the College & Career Academy – a facility credited by Ford as helping lift the district’s graduation rate above 90% and expanding career pathways for a rapidly diversifying student body. And it has done so without incurring long-term debt.

Why ESPLOST matters

Among these examples of planning, none is clearer than ESPLOST — a long-term, voter-approved blueprint for funding education, renewed every five years to stay ahead of growth. The November ballot will again include the ESPLOST renewal, giving voters the opportunity to continue this proven approach to funding school facilities, technology, safety, transportation, inclusive playgrounds and community-accessible athletic fields. Renewing ESPLOST does not create a new tax; it simply extends the existing 1-cent sales tax, allowing residents, visitors and businesses to contribute to improvements that benefit every student. Without it, many of the projects parents and community members count on – such as new buses, safer schools, modern classrooms, career pathways and accessible playgrounds – would stall or require long-term debt.

Renewing ESPLOST is about more than bricks and mortar. It is not a reactionary measure but part of an intentional, ongoing plan to manage growth and maintain education – reinforcing the theme that plans become progress. As the district’s population becomes increasingly diverse and enrollment continues to rise, sustained ESPLOST funding is crucial to scaling programs, expanding facilities and maintaining the high graduation rates and opportunities that families expect. It is about protecting Effingham County’s tradition of educational excellence, maintaining property values and ensuring the workforce being prepared in our schools is ready to meet the needs of local employers. It is an investment in students, families and the future of our communities.

A call to the community

Effingham County is growing. Growth brings challenges, but it also brings opportunities. As the luncheon demonstrated, leaders at every level are working to guide that growth thoughtfully. The next step belongs to business owners, parents and neighbors – to lean in, stay informed and participate.

When hearing about a master plan, a referendum or a public meeting, don’t assume it is someone else’s job. Look up the plan, attend the forum, ask questions and cast a vote. That is how plans become progress – and how a yes vote on ESPLOST reaffirms and continues the community’s long-term plan for educational excellence, reinvesting in Effingham County’s future.