DALTON, Ga. – Changes in Whitfield County Schools over the last few years reduced the impact of state funding cuts and improved efficiency left the system better prepared for another expected round in 2010, said Superintendent Katie Brochu.
Ms. Brochu says part of that efficiency comes from the system’s project-based learning effort, which tallies benefits beyond saving money.
Q: What will the school system do to prepare for a tighter budget year?
A: One of the things we’ve been able to do in Whitfield County is streamline our spending. We began with the reorganization of central office, saved a couple million dollars back about 4 1/2 years ago. We were able to actually reduce our millage rate, at the same time opening four new schools. We basically reviewed each and every practice of revenue and expenditure and made certain that we have aligned our expenditures along with our vision, our mission and our beliefs and therefore really focusing on our customer.
Whitfield County is ranked 166th … out of 180 schools systems in Georgia in terms of spending per child. So we’re pretty tight right now as to what we do. But at the same time, we believe that our spending is very effective; the best bang for the buck comes in Whitfield County. We really focus on our students as our customer.