Atlanta Forward / Another View: School systems succeed with ‘IE2’

The start of school is a time of great excitement for everyone involved in education, from teachers and school staff to parents and students.

While families wind down summer activities, Georgia’s schools are diligently preparing for another year of helping students learn and achieve at higher levels than ever before.

However, with severe budget shortfalls resulting from the recession, it hasn’t been an easy task. School systems all over Georgia have had to make very tough decisions as they struggle to balance budgets while maintaining a quality education for their students.

To assist school systems during one of the most challenging economic times in our state’s history, state leaders have sought ways to provide systems with more flexibility from laws and rules.

One highly successful means of providing school systems with long-term flexibility is the Investing in Educational Excellence (IE2) partnership contract. During contract negotiations, the state and school systems agree to flexibility of certain laws and rules in exchange for increased student achievement and stronger accountability measures.

Two school systems — Gwinnett and Forsyth counties — have implemented this program and are seeing both academic and financial results.

Forsyth and Gwinnett have seen a number of benefits because of IE2. The districts have:

● Saved local and state money on personnel costs.

● Increased graduation rates and post-secondary student learning opportunities.

● Enhanced the culture of local schools as leaders work to improve students’ opportunities for academic success.

We are not contending that flexibility replaces funding cuts; however, it has helped systems prevent deeper cuts.

IE2 gives school systems much-needed flexibility and greater freedom for innovation. And it does so much more. IE2 also provides a better lens through which the state and school systems can look for developing new funding options for public education. It also enables them to more effectively manage through tough times while planning for the future.

As a state, we must determine the most appropriate means of funding our public schools — whether in a recession or not. Then we must work together to ensure that education remains a primary obligation in our state, as our constitution requires.

The Georgia Department of Education and local districts are committed to making the most of existing resources, while looking to the future to develop better funding solutions, because public education benefits all Georgians.

Please join us as we work together to address Georgia’s school funding challenges, locally and statewide.

After all, it’s about the future of kids, and we will be educating kids long after the recession has ended.

Brad Bryant is state school superintendent.