Back to school early in Barrow County

WINDER - Barrow County schools are among 12 systems across Georgia getting an early start on the school year.

Nearly 700 Pre-K to 5th Grade students arrived for the new year at Kennedy Elementary School near Winder - one of the schools in the Barrow County system - and Principal Ryan Butcher said he had more students reporting in this year than last.

"We're going to have 100 more students than we had last year so we're trying to get ready for them and see what happens if they all come today," Butcher said.
Butcher is expecting 674 students at his school. The System anticipates a 12,690 enrollment for the new year at two high schools, four middle schools and eight elementary schools.

As for the early start, Butcher believes it helps get the students and faculty going and gets them ahead of the game in the teaching, learning process. Barrow Schools also have a weeklong fall break unlike other systems.

"Some of the other systems don't have a fall break so we get that fall break off," Butcher said. "So that gets us started one week early."

Jefferson City was the other system in the area that opened on Monday; Buford City and Jackson County schools open their doors Thursday while Gainesville and Hall County Schools begin the new school year next Monday, August 9... the biggest day of the year in the area for school openings.

A group known as Georgians need Summer claims an early August school start-up is expensive and unnecessary. Co-founder Vivian Jackson in Cobb County told Georgia News Network northern states start school after Labor Day and consistently out- distance Georgia in student test scores, so, Jackson says, starting early to achieve better test scores is pointless.

Jackson also believes it's a waste of taxpayer dollars to spend funding on air conditioning schools, and running uncomfortable school buses early that have no air conditioning. Jackson wants school to start when it used to, after Labor Day.

At Kennedy Elementary children with their book bags, escorted by their parents, arrived at the front door and were greeted by teachers with a "Good Morning," and "Welcome Back." Butcher pointed proudly to his school's record on achieving the federally mandated measuring rod, Annual Yearly Progress or AYP.

"For eight years in a row we've made AYP, so we're proud of the students and teachers who come here every day," he said.