North Georgia Economically Disadvantaged Students: 2005-2009
The impact of the Great Recession is showing up in Northwest Georgia classrooms.
State records show the number of students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunches – an indicator of poverty – spiked in many districts after the nation’s economy spiraled downward and jobless rates jumped.
The number of what schools call “economically disadvantaged” children in Chickamauga City Schools grew by more than 50 percent between 2005 and 2009, according to Georgia School Report Card data.
The number grew by 25 percent in Catoosa County Schools, 24 percent in Dade, 20 percent in Walker and just more than 15 percent in Whitfield schools, the Report Card shows.
“It’s just the economic downturn, factories moving out of this area to other areas, people laid off. It’s the same factors all of us are going through,” said Michael Tipton, Walker County school improvement coordinator.
“In ’05 we were at 57 percent (of the student population) on free and reduced lunches, and in ’09-’10 we’re at 70 percent. That’s a significant increase in five years,” he said.
Thousands of jobs have been lost at major regional employers such as Shaw, Mohawk and Pilgrim’s Pride during the last two or three years.
In the region, the number of children who qualified for the free or reduced-price lunch surged to more than 28,000 during the 2008-09 school year.
According to individual school system data, every system had more qualifying students during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years.
The exception is Dalton Public Schools, whose numbers declined by 95 in 2007-08 then increased by 564 in 2008-09.
Chickamauga City Schools, a three-school system in Walker County with about 1,400 students, counted 51.3 percent more economically disadvantaged students in the period.
Spokeswoman Jenny Vowell said the recession’s impact seems magnified because it takes only a few more students to create a big percentage change in the small system.
Ms. Vowell said the August closure of the Blue Bird plant in LaFayette, Ga., and the loss of 350 jobs could bring another dramatic hit.
Many residents in Chattanooga border counties work outside their communities, but the impact of job losses is felt at home when more families apply for free and reduced lunches, Catoosa Superintendent Denia Reese said.
Catoosa parents often work in Chattanooga or Dalton, so “closings and layoffs that have occurred in these areas have impacted families in Catoosa County,” said Mrs. Reese.
Melody Day, Chickamauga schools superintendent and Walker County Chamber of Commerce board chairwoman, said Northwest Georgia employment has taken a beating and schools just reflect their communities.
“All companies are having to tighten their belts, and you see a lot of downsizing,” said Ms. Day.
Georgia Department of Labor officials say Northwest Georgia’s 10.6 percent unemployment rate for June might be an indicator of “renewed deterioration.”
“A sharp increase in the number of discouraged workers, rising long-term unemployment, increased new layoffs and anemic job growth suggess that the fledgling economic recovery may be losing steam,” said state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond.