3 from NE Ga. named to state schools supt. Parent Advisory Council

ATLANTA - State School Superintendent Dr. John Barge has named his 2012 Parent Advisory Council (PAC) and the list includes three people from northeast Georgia including a Gainesville woman.

As members of the council, these 30 parents will meet three times this year with the State Superintendent to discuss education issues in Georgia. Their primary focus will be increasing parent and family engagement to ensure student success.

"Parents play a vital role in the education of their children," Superintendent Barge said. "I look forward to working with these parents and seeking their advice on how to encourage and strengthen parent and family engagement in our state."

The meetings will allow parents to provide feedback and input on new policies, projects, and materials that influence students and their families. The Superintendent's PAC will share the information they learn with community members, other families, and schools. They will also serve as advisors and ambassadors in their respective communities.

This year is particularly exciting for the PAC members as they will have the opportunity to attend, participate, and facilitate sessions at Georgia's first statewide Family Engagement Conference, a collaboration of the Georgia Department of Education and Georgia PTA. Held in February, which also happens to be Parent Leadership Month, PAC members will showcase their leadership skills while networking with educators and other parent leaders from across the state.

"I am very excited about the PAC's focus this year on parent leadership, as parents can reach out to parents in ways that schools cannot," Superintendent Barge said. The conference will allow others to hear first hand from the PAC about what works and does not work regarding family engagement in Georgia's school communities."

Parents are nominated to serve on the PAC by their local school district at the beginning of each school year. Members are chosen by a committee of Georgia Department of Education representatives based on the applicant's response to questions.

The first meeting is on October 21, 2011, and will be held at the Georgia Department of Education.

Included on the council are Shelly Backer of Rabun County; Andre' Cheek of Gainesville; and, Niecy Frazier of Gwinnett.