GAINESVILLE — Hall County high school students who want to take college-level courses soon may have another option via the public school system.
School district officials told school board members at a Monday evening work session they've been working on an "early college" campus, which would be established at the old Jones Elementary School in the Chicopee community.
Hall County School System Superintendent Will Schofield told board members the concept is in the developmental stages.
"We are envisioning the possibility of a campus where from 8 o'clock in the morning until 8 o'clock at night there will be college-level coursework offered," said Schofield.
Schofield said a key component for the campus is already in place.
"The Jones campus is completely renovated - it sits ready for a program that we've held it back for," said Schofield.
Laurie Ecke, Assistant to the Director of Innovative and Advanced Programs for the Hall County School System, told board members this option would be different than dual enrollment. Students would actually be shuttled by the school system to the campus to take college courses. While the courses would be taught by college-level professors, the students would have some extra TLC provided by the school district.
"To do dual enrollment, the student has to be prepared to drive there [the college campus] with their own car...but there's so many students who don't have access to that, so [it's important for them] to get outside the high school and begin to think of themselves as potential college students...but to also have kind of that sheltered environment."
Ecke has been meeting with potential collegiate partners for the campus, and Schofield said he hopes that partnership will be solidified in the next couple of months.
Schofield said if all goes as planned, the early college campus would be up and running for the 2016-17 school year.
