Franklin County School System Moving Forward With Achieving Goals

The Franklin County school system is moving forward with the goals and mission statement of its Five-Year Strategic Plan.

On Friday, School Superintendent Chris Forrer gave members of the Franklin County Chamber an overview of the School System’s progress at their quarterly luncheon.

Forrer first thanked voters for passing SPLOST VI in November.

He said the Board of Education voted to use SPLOST V monies to begin work renovating the athletic facilities at Franklin County High School.

“It’s full speed ahead. Right now they’re working on our softball complex and the day after graduation they will begin work on the Ed Bryant stadium,” he said. “That should be the lights, the scoreboard, the field, the track. It’s all long overdue.”

Work to build a new Science and Agriculture Ed barn is in the design stages which he said will allow more FAA students to care for their animals at the new barn rather than at home and give more students a chance to have an animal to raise.

The biggest project still under development, however, is the placement and building of the new Elementary school.

Earlier this month, the school board voted to approve a bond resolution and all that is left is to find a suitable site.

As for where the system is financially, Forrer said the Franklin County School system is now fully funded after several years of state austerity cuts.

“We have gone from a critically low fund balance to being fully funded,” he said. “We are ready to weather any fiscal storm. We have survived the largest cuts that were given to the school district during the recession for five years without raising the millage rate. We have worked extremely hard and that was a great thing that the Board and schools came together to do. Having that done has allowed us to really focus on educating kids.”

Forrer also pointed out the School System has had clean audit opinions for the past several years.

Academically, Forrer said the Franklin County School system is listed as the most improved school district in the State for reading and math.

Forrer said those scores continue to get better each year and he expects them to be even higher this year.

As for the future, Forrer said the school system continues to work on raising salary levels, expanding pre-K, and developing a Junior ROTC program.

Forrer tells WLHR News they hope to begin developing the Jr. ROTC program next year.