Annually, Colquitt County Board of Education members representing the county’s six districts receive training to further improve their leadership skills and become more effective school leaders.

A requirement of Georgia school board members is that each must receive a minimum number of credit hours of training yearly; for new board members that number is 15, and for veteran board members the number is nine. Board member participation in leadership training is in addition to the countless hours board members spend at meetings and events, as well as reviewing data and board packets.

In 2012, The Georgia School Board Association revised its recognition program to reflect the state standards and also to offer school boards additional ways to increase their effectiveness.

In this program, training is one of the areas of increased focus. This program has three levels: Quality, Distinguished, and Exemplary. The Colquitt County Board of Education received Quality Board status in 2013 in its first year eligible.

The board has also completed the requirements to be named a Distinguished Board. This recognition will take place in December of 2014.

As a Quality Board, all board members had to meet the state minimum annual training requirements. However, as a Distinguished Board, a majority of board members was required to exceed the training requirements by at least three credit hours. Colquitt County Board of Education members surpassed the requirement with five out of six members having attained 15 credit hours for the 2013-2014 school year. Members received training in the following areas: Best Practices, School Law, Student Achievement, Policy, and Whole Board Governance.

“Colquitt County Board of Education members take their roles and responsibilities very seriously and want to make the most-informed decisions for the students of the Colquitt County Schools. Concise, relevant training makes this possible in an ever-changing world,” shared Superintendent Samuel DePaul.