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Education

  • Policy change creates career education opportunities

    Galax City Schools are happy at the passing of the Every Student Succeeds Act, according to Superintendent Bill Sturgill.

    The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law by President Barack Obama in December 2015, replaces the older and much more strict No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which went into effect in 2002 under former President George W. Bush.

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  • Carroll school board chooses leaders, moves meeting day

    HILLSVILLE – The Carroll County School Board has changed the day of its monthly meeting and elected its 2016 chair and vice-chair.

    Brian Spencer has been elected as chairman and Joey Haynes will serve as vice chairman.

    In the school board organizational meeting, held on Jan. 14, the board decided to change its meetings from Thursday evening to Tuesday evening. The board will meet on the second Tuesday of each month starting at 5:30 p.m. Citizen comments will be heard at 6 p.m.

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  • Renovations part of 2016 Grayson school plan

    INDEPENDENCE — The Grayson County School Board held its first meeting of 2016 last week, where members looked ahead to projects for the new year that include renovations to the high school and other facilities.

    Schools Superintendent Kelly Wilmore shared a presentation with the board at the Jan. 11 meeting, outlining several projects for the upcoming year and previewing school budget meeting dates.

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  • Governor announces $1 billion for schools

    Staff Report

    Gov. Terry McAuliffe has announced an ambitious budget package for Virginia’s public schools, which combined with higher education announcements includes an investment of more than $1 billion.

    The plan includes money for 2,500 new teachers, educational staff raises, funding for early childhood education and support for at-risk students.

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  • Volunteers to undertake GCHS bleacher removal

    INDEPENDENCE — A packed house of supporters for Grayson County schools discussed a plan to remove the 40-year-old concrete bleachers at the football field during a town hall meeting last week in the Grayson County Courthouse board room.

    The group of volunteers developed a preliminary plan on how to safely remove the bleachers, which have been deemed unsafe.

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  • Grayson thanks departing school board members

    INDEPENDENCE — The Grayson County School Board concluded its 2015 business at the Dec. 14 meeting, where present members of the school board and new Schools Superintendent Kelly Wilmore thanked departing members for their service.

    “I am overpowered by the dedication of service from the people on this board,” said School Board Chair Larry Bartlett, who is stepping down Dec. 31. “I am appreciative of the friendships, and their willingness to work with [each other], and their dedication to our kids.”

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  • Cuts create challenges for Grayson schools

    INDEPENDENCE — During school budget sessions over the past several years, school superintendents and school boards throughout the Twin Counties expressed the same concerns: due to state cuts in education, it’s becoming more and more difficult to come up with county school budgets that are fair to their staff and students.

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  • Report: school funding stretched to limit

    By SARA BLANKENSHIP and SHANNON WATKINS, Staff

    A survey conducted this past spring by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS) revealed that drastic reductions in state funding for public education and maximum efforts by localities to replace lost funds have pushed Virginia’s schools to the limits of their human and financial capacity in their attempts to meet today’s expectations and serve the needs of students.

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  • GHS students plan for future at college fair

    Virginia College Application Week at Galax High School saw a college fair with 18 educational institutions from around the state and beyond setting up tables in the school’s library to answer questions and accept applications from seniors.

    Feedback for the event was positive, said Principal Justin Iroler, adding that this year’s college fair applicant number was more than double the last. Many colleges, to help, waive the application fee on-site.

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  • Galax meets tough academic standards

    The statistics are in and they all point in one direction: Galax City Public Schools are meeting both state and federal accreditation standards, partly due to the remediation classes that take place during each semester’s intersession week.

    “We have some really significant accomplishments here,” said Schools Superintendent Bill Sturgill, who particularly attributed Galax’s success to the teachers.

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