Economic Development status renewed for county schools

Brady Hix, The Daily Citizen, Dalton, Ga.
·4 min read

Apr. 12—The Whitfield County school system has been re-designated an Economic Development Partnership district.

The designation by the state Department of Education means an even greater emphasis on graduating students who are college or career ready and recognizes previous successes.

The Economic Development Partnership program has been designed "to promote improved relationships between local school districts and business/industry," a press release from the Georgia Department of Education stated. "In participating school districts, district leaders complete economic development training courses, and 100% of CTAE directors, CTAE teachers and school counselors complete a business externship every five years. Participating districts also review local Career Pathway offerings for alignment to high-demand careers and must display evidence of business and community partnerships."

Whitfield County Schools had previously been selected as one of the first five school systems across the state to be designated as an EDP district in 2018.

In late November of last year, school officials met virtually with representatives of the Georgia Department of Education's CTAE division for a review and possible renewal of designation.

As part of the review process, CTAE assessed six criteria. Those areas focused on having CTAE advisory committees, industry certification of pathway programs, alignment and operation of the work-based learning program, evidence of employability skill development and application, pathway alignment with the local and regional economy, and the culture of economic development within the school district and community.

The school system was marked as "excelling" in the latter four areas, while "executing" in the first two.

"The role Whitfield County Schools serves in local economic and workforce development efforts in your community is evident, defined and performed at a high level," said Barbara Wall, the department's deputy superintendent for CTAE. "We appreciate the system's enthusiasm and experiences shared with us during the virtual visit."

Moeller, who also serves as the CEO for the Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy, said he is "very happy" to see the results.

"We were meeting all the standards and excelling in actually quite a few," he said. "Basically, we've been re-awarded this designation for the next five years. We won't have to go through this again until (fiscal year 2029)."

Moeller said the school system's renewed designation as an EDP district is, in part, the result of "the many great business partners" that participate on Whitfield County Schools' CTAE advisory board, which includes Shaw Industries, Mohawk Industries, the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority, Dalton Utilities, Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Dalton State College, Addis Family Farms, Hamilton Health Care System, Global Textile Services, Georgia United Credit Union, Engineered Floors, Alrol of America and the Whitfield County Fire Department.

"But I really want to highlight our CTAE team that helps me govern and manage CTAE for Whitfield County Schools," Moeller said.

Moeller said the efforts of the school system's high school work-based learning coordinators, including Lindsay Douglas (Coahulla Creek), Robyn Rhodes (Northwest Whitfield) and Steven Smith (Southeast Whitfield), have been "monumental" in Whitfield County Schools' success in reattaining the EDP district designation.

"And then there's Angie Dashler," Moeller said. "She's the CTAE specialist for Whitfield County Schools. She and I kind of divide and conquer CTAE on how we look at it and how we manage it. She's a great partner."

Moeller said the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce has been instrumental in keeping the focus on economic development throughout the school system.

"When people hear about the things that our chamber is doing for our school system, like coming to our home schools, talking to our students and explaining to them the opportunities that are available to them within Whitfield County and Northwest Georgia, everybody looks at me just aghast," he said. "Like they can't believe that our chamber does so much for us and for our students."

"This would not have happened without their partnership and their willingness to work with us. On behalf of CTAE in Whitfield County, we're excited about moving forward and continuing to improve our focus for economic development," he said.

Whitfield County Schools Superintendent Mike Ewton said one of the system's primary missions is to "make sure that when students leave us, they're college- or career-ready."

"Workforce development is an economic driver, and education is an economic driver, and they're important to us," Ewton said. "The work-based learning piece and the CTAE part are essential for having our students ready, so I want to thank David and the entire CTAE team for all that (they) do."