Education

HILLSVILLE — Fiber optic connections to 10 locations, reliability and a lower price point were factors that led the Carroll School Board to sign up with a major telecom provider.
Century Link won the bid after the school board sought better service to its schools to support Internet and network communications districtwide, according to information from the schools. Technology such as SmartBoards, Internet applications and online testing caused significant growth in the bandwidth needed to run those programs.

HILLSVILLE — Competition has heated up for school construction bonds from the governor's office, but Carroll officials heard Nov. 22 that funding from Rural Development may still be an option.
Several local officials met with Rural Development's Travis Jackson and bond attorney Caroline Perry to share ideas about funding $26.7 million in construction at the Carroll high and intermediate schools, after the schools failed to get stimulus funding from the federal government.

 Galax schools were recently accredited by the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools, one of six regional accreditation organizations recognized by the state Department of Education, Galax Schools' Superintendent Bill Sturgill told school board members on Nov. 9.

 HILLSVILLE — Citing a need for efficiency and economy, Carroll County supervisors decided to categorically change how they fund the school system at their November meeting last Thursday.

Supervisor David Hutchins initiated the discussion about what process to use to fund the school system, and the other four board members present agreed to his motion. (Supervisors' Chairman Wes Hurst was away on business.)