Staff Writer

vivian@griffindailynews.com

Griffin High School (GHS) is on track to get a big boost from federal stimulus dollars when some of the funds reach the Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS) next month.

GHS, Taylor Street Middle School, Cowan Road Middle School and Carver Road Middle School are all on No Child Left Behind’s “needs improvement list,” but GHS is the only one of the schools not designated as a Title I school.

With the expected influx of $2,695,393 in Title I dollars into the school system from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, GHS will be designated a “Targeted Assistance School” under Title I for academic years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, said GSCS Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Curtis Jones.

This will give GHS students the option to transfer to Spalding High School; provide supplemental services; and provide additional school improvement funds for each of the two years.

A big focus at GHS, Jones said during the third of three informative meetings held this week, will be increasing students’ reading levels.

“I think the primary reason Griffin High doesn’t make AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) is that some of the students don’t read as well as they need to,” Jones said. “If you can’t read, you can’t pass math.”

Through Title I stimulus funds, GHS would receive two reading teachers and the school system plans to hire an additional pre-K teacher and an additional pre-K paraprofessional.

The school system will also receive more than $2.5 million in stimulus money for special education and plans to hire two teachers, a response to intervention coordinator, a systemwide interventionist and a transition coach.

Jones said the school system is also looking at addressing eighth-grade technology literacy issues, increasing reading levels at the middle school level, and improving teacher effectiveness.