Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy
Mary Kay Murphy, Ph.D. District 3  School Board Member marykaymurphy@aol.com

January 9, 2009

Memorandum from Mary Kay Murphy 

Investing in Educational Excellence

Investing in Educational Excellence, or IE2 as it came to be known during Governor Sonny Perdue’s Task Force on the Funding of Public Education, was born through the efforts of many key partners in Georgia.

Among the partners were Governor Perdue; Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox; the Georgia General Assembly, especially members of the Gwinnett Delegation; the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce; the State Board of Education, including Seventh District State Board Member Jose Perez of Peachtree Corners; Gwinnett Superintendent and CEO J. Alvin Wilcox; and the Gwinnett County Board of Education. 

These partners paved the way for Gwinnett County Public Schools to be the first school system of 180 in Georgia to secure a contract between the State Board of Education and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement that will monitor the school system’s progress over the five years of the contract.

At its January 2009 meeting, the State Board of Education voted unanimously to enter into a five-year contract with Gwinnett County Public Schools to become the first school system in Georgia to be approved to carry out the Investing in Educational Excellence, or IE2, program. 

Gwinnett County is the first school system in Georgia to accept the challenge of linking accountability with increased flexibility. This initiative was made possible by a bill passed in March 2008 by the Georgia General Assembly, HB 1290.

IE2 allows school systems more local control regarding important education decisions and expenditures. The contract grants the school district greater flexibility in exchange for increased accountability.

“I commend Superintendent Wilbanks and the Gwinnett County Board of Education for their willingness and courage to be held up a higher standard,” said Governor Perdue.

“This contract fundamentally shifts the state-local relationship from being based on compliance to a true partnership focused on performance. IE2 is about increasing student achievement, and I am confident that Gwinnett will use its flexibility to deliver superior results and be a model district for the State.”

State Superintendent Kathy Cox recommended approval of the contract with Gwinnett County. She called the IE2 contract “an exciting moment in Georgia education that redefines the partnership between the State and local school districts.

“At the State level, we must set high standards and expectations for our students, and we have done that. But we do not need to tell our school systems exactly how to meet those standards and expectations.

“We have to trust that our educators at the local level know what’s best for their students and allow them the flexibility they need to get the job done. This contract is the place where flexibility and accountability meet for the benefit of students.”

Gwinnett County Public Schools will work with the Georgia Department of Education and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement to create a strategic plan that 1) clearly identifies the flexibility sought from Georgia education laws; 2) the accountability goals in addition to federal No Child Left Behind requirements the district is willing to accept at the school level in exchange for the flexibility; and 3) the consequences that will be imposed upon the district for individual schools that do not reach their accountability goals.

The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement will monitor Gwinnett County’s progress towards meeting annual goals and will report these findings to the State Board of Education each fall. The contract goes into effect for the 2009-2010 school year.

Gwinnett County Public Schools will provide interventions and sanctions throughout the five-year contract period to those schools that do not meet their annual IE2 accountability goals. For those schools not meeting these goals by the end of the contract, their status will be changed to those of conversion charter schools.

Gwinnett County is the largest of 180 school systems in Georgia and the 14th largest school system in the nation. Gwinnett County educates nearly 10 percent of Georgia’s public school students.

As District III School Board member, it is a privilege to have been a participant in this historic education initiative. Thank you to the outstanding partners who have worked tirelessly to make it possible for Gwinnett County students, parents, teachers and staff, and community members to benefit from the General Assembly’s forward-looking legislation, the Governor’s and the State Superintendent’s vision for excellence in Georgia’s public education, and for Superintendent Wilbanks and the Gwinnett Board of Education’s commitment to teaching and learning for all students in Georgia’s largest school system.

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