Forsyth County Schools, Georgia

Forsyth County Schools

Forsyth County, Georgia
District details
Superintendent: Jeff Bearden
# of school board members: 5
Website: Link

Forsyth County Schools is a school district in Georgia.

Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...

* Superintendent
* School board
* Elections
* Budget
* Teacher salaries
* Academic performance
* Student enrollment
* Demographics
* Contact information

## Contents

* 1 Superintendent
* 2 School board elections
* 2.1 Election dates
* 2.2 Public participation in board meetings
* 3 Budget
* 3.1 Revenue
* 3.2 Expenditures
* 3.3 Debt
* 4 Teacher salaries
* 5 Academic performance
* 5.1 Proficiency assessments
* 5.1.1 Mathematics
* 5.1.2 Reading/language arts
* 5.2 Graduation rates
* 6 Student enrollment
* 7 About the district
* 8 Contact information
* 9 See also
* 10 External links
* 11 Footnotes

## Superintendent[edit]

|  This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates.

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Jeff Bearden is the superintendent of Forsyth County Schools. Bearden was appointed superintendent on September 2, 2014. Bearden's previous career experience includes working as an assistant principal, district athletic director, social studies teacher, and language arts teacher.[1]

## School board elections[edit]

The Forsyth County Schools school board consists of five members elected by districtOnly the registered voters of a particular area may vote for a particular seat in a by-district election. This is opposed to an "at-large" election, in which all registered voters can vote for seats on the ballot regardless of geographic location. to four-year terms.

Office

| Name | Date assumed office

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Forsyth County Board of Education District 1 | Wes McCall | 2019 | Forsyth County Board of Education District 2 | Kristin Morrissey | 2010 | Forsyth County Board of Education District 3 | Tom Cleveland |  | Forsyth County Board of Education District 4 | Darla Sexton Light |  | Forsyth County Board of Education District 5 | Lindsey Adams | January 6, 2021

|  This officeholder information was last updated on July 19, 2021. Please contact us with any updates. |

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### Election dates[edit]

See also: Forsyth County Schools elections in 2014, 2016, 2018, & 2020

Members of the Forsyth County Schools school board are elected to four-year terms. Two or three seats are up for election on a staggered basis in even-numbered years.

A primary election was scheduled for June 9, 2020. A general election was scheduled for November 3, 2020.

### Public participation in board meetings[edit]

The Forsyth County Schools school board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[2]

Public Participation in Board Meetings

Meetings of the Board of Education are held to conduct the affairs and business of the school system. Although these meetings are not meetings of the public, the public is invited to attend all meetings and citizens are invited to address the Board at all regular meetings at the time shown on the agenda and in accordance with procedures below.

For scheduling purposes, prospective speakers with non-agenda related items must sign up at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting with the Clerk of the Board. Prospective speakers with agenda related items may sign up with the Clerk of the Board up until 15 minutes prior to the start time of the regular Board meeting. The Board may also call special meetings solely for the purpose of public participation and comment.

1\. The Board may limit the time allocated for public participation as well as the length of individual comments at their discretion.

2\. Where appropriate, the public is urged to follow the School System’s Issues Resolution Process before presenting issues or concerns to the Board through public participation.

3\. Only Forsyth County residents, representatives of businesses or organizations, or school system employees may address the Board during public participation. No individual or group will be retaliated against, in any manner whatsoever, for speaking during public participation.

4\. The Board requests that multiple speakers from a group or organization appoint a single representative to address the Board.

5\. All speakers shall address the Board by first stating their names. All remarks shall be made to the Board as a body and addressed through the Chair. Remarks shall not be addressed to individual Board members.

6\. Speakers may bring printed material and other supporting materials. These materials should be given to the Clerk of the Board.

7\. Personnel issues involving individual employees, issues involving individual students and pending litigation are not subjects for public participation.

8\. Speakers are asked to keep their remarks civil. Profane, rude, defamatory remarks and personal attacks will not be allowed.

9\. The Board will not respond to comments made by the speaker during public participation unless they chose to ask questions. Speakers should remain at the microphone while answering questions.

The Chairman of the Board is responsible for enforcing this policy and speakers who are found in violation will have their allotted speaking time immediately concluded.

By reading and acknowledging acceptance prior to speaking during public participation, speakers attest that they understand and will abide by this policy. Failure to abide by this policy may result in forfeiture of the right to participate in future Board meetings.

## Budget[edit]

From 1993 to 2013, the Forsyth County school district had an average of $204,511,095 in revenue and $215,918,619 in expenditures, according to the United States Census Bureau's survey of school system finances. The district had a yearly average of $169,342,857 in outstanding debt. The district retired $13,094,714 of its debt and issued $27,183,048 in new debt each year on average.[3]

### Revenue[edit]

The table below separates the district's revenue into the three sources identified by the agency: local, state, and federal.

Revenue by Source

Fiscal
Year | Local | State | Federal | Revenue Total
Total | % of Revenue | Total | % of Revenue | Total | % of Revenue
Click [show] on the right to display the revenue data for prior years.

1993| $21,911,000| 49.94%| $20,371,000| 46.43%| $1,589,000| 3.62%| $43,871,000
1994| $23,807,000| 51.70%| $20,678,000| 44.90%| $1,567,000| 3.40%| $46,052,000
1995| $27,480,000| 53.84%| $21,953,000| 43.01%| $1,610,000| 3.15%| $51,043,000
1996| $36,274,000| 56.42%| $26,297,000| 40.90%| $1,725,000| 2.68%| $64,296,000
1997| $44,739,000| 51.88%| $39,615,000| 45.94%| $1,875,000| 2.17%| $86,229,000
1998| $60,223,000| 61.29%| $35,957,000| 36.59%| $2,080,000| 2.12%| $98,260,000
1999| $72,388,000| 62.90%| $40,462,000| 35.16%| $2,231,000| 1.94%| $115,081,000
2000| $82,311,000| 62.46%| $46,371,000| 35.19%| $3,107,000| 2.36%| $131,789,000
2001| $99,506,000| 59.99%| $62,937,000| 37.94%| $3,438,000| 2.07%| $165,881,000
2002| $101,194,000| 58.11%| $68,587,000| 39.39%| $4,349,000| 2.50%| $174,130,000
2003| $124,980,000| 59.09%| $81,411,000| 38.49%| $5,116,000| 2.42%| $211,507,000
2004| $127,378,000| 60.60%| $76,412,000| 36.35%| $6,403,000| 3.05%| $210,193,000
2005| $148,979,000| 63.44%| $78,640,000| 33.49%| $7,206,000| 3.07%| $234,825,000
2006| $163,687,000| 62.00%| $91,798,000| 34.77%| $8,521,000| 3.23%| $264,006,000
2007| $182,784,000| 56.86%| $129,489,000| 40.28%| $9,176,000| 2.85%| $321,449,000
2008| $197,001,000| 59.29%| $125,299,000| 37.71%| $9,990,000| 3.01%| $332,290,000
2009| $203,391,000| 59.16%| $127,841,000| 37.18%| $12,595,000| 3.66%| $343,827,000 | 2010| $196,515,000| 58.58%| $111,393,000| 33.21%| $27,562,000| 8.22%| $335,470,000

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2011| $193,316,000| 55.81%| $131,093,000| 37.85%| $21,943,000| 6.34%| $346,352,000
2012| $205,075,000| 57.45%| $136,826,000| 38.33%| $15,069,000| 4.22%| $356,970,000
2013| $203,772,000| 56.41%| $142,535,000| 39.46%| $14,905,000| 4.13%| $361,212,000
Avg.| $119,843,381| 57.96%| $76,950,714| 38.69%| $7,717,000| 3.34%| $204,511,095

### Expenditures[edit]

The table below separates the district's expenditures into five categories identified by the agency:

* Instruction: operation expenditures, state payments on behalf of the district for instruction and benefits, and retirement system transfers
* Support Services: support services, food services, and retirement system transfers for support service staff
* Capital Spending: capital outlay expenditures (i.e., construction, land or facilities purchases, and equipment purchases)
* Debt & Gov. Payments: payments to state and local governments and interest on school system debt
* Other: all other non-K-12 programs, except food services

Expenditures by Category

Fiscal
Year | Instruction | Support Services | Capital Spending | Debt & Gov. Payments | Other | Budget
Total
Total | % of Budget | Total | % of Budget | Total | % of Budget | Total | % of Budget | Total | % of Budget

Click [show] on the right to display the expenditure data for prior years.

1993| $21,505,000| 44.34%| $13,766,000| 28.38%| $11,219,000| 23.13%| $1,921,000| 3.96%| $94,000| 0.19%| $48,505,000
1994| $22,970,000| 41.87%| $15,187,000| 27.69%| $15,032,000| 27.40%| $1,570,000| 2.86%| $95,000| 0.17%| $54,854,000
1995| $26,606,000| 51.75%| $17,463,000| 33.97%| $5,754,000| 11.19%| $1,542,000| 3.00%| $44,000| 0.09%| $51,409,000
1996| $29,811,000| 47.54%| $18,962,000| 30.24%| $10,485,000| 16.72%| $3,453,000| 5.51%| $0| 0.00%| $62,711,000
1997| $36,058,000| 33.83%| $23,078,000| 21.65%| $43,069,000| 40.41%| $4,381,000| 4.11%| $0| 0.00%| $106,586,000
1998| $43,451,000| 33.74%| $28,483,000| 22.12%| $50,428,000| 39.16%| $6,295,000| 4.89%| $119,000| 0.09%| $128,776,000
1999| $51,226,000| 43.26%| $34,889,000| 29.47%| $26,298,000| 22.21%| $5,826,000| 4.92%| $163,000| 0.14%| $118,402,000
2000| $58,836,000| 44.08%| $39,540,000| 29.62%| $28,989,000| 21.72%| $5,955,000| 4.46%| $169,000| 0.13%| $133,489,000
2001| $71,643,000| 37.95%| $44,142,000| 23.38%| $57,224,000| 30.32%| $15,549,000| 8.24%| $206,000| 0.11%| $188,764,000
2002| $82,984,000| 39.06%| $48,803,000| 22.97%| $69,438,000| 32.68%| $11,061,000| 5.21%| $165,000| 0.08%| $212,451,000
2003| $97,967,000| 49.16%| $53,764,000| 26.98%| $35,092,000| 17.61%| $12,185,000| 6.11%| $258,000| 0.13%| $199,266,000
2004| $102,590,000| 53.30%| $55,295,000| 28.73%| $23,665,000| 12.30%| $10,701,000| 5.56%| $223,000| 0.12%| $192,474,000
2005| $119,108,000| 53.89%| $59,434,000| 26.89%| $32,603,000| 14.75%| $9,564,000| 4.33%| $294,000| 0.13%| $221,003,000
2006| $133,236,000| 41.05%| $66,875,000| 20.61%| $107,852,000| 33.23%| $16,201,000| 4.99%| $367,000| 0.11%| $324,531,000
2007| $162,907,000| 45.12%| $73,822,000| 20.45%| $106,570,000| 29.52%| $17,073,000| 4.73%| $662,000| 0.18%| $361,034,000
2008| $192,305,000| 44.28%| $88,468,000| 20.37%| $129,254,000| 29.76%| $23,416,000| 5.39%| $838,000| 0.19%| $434,281,000
2009| $193,240,000| 50.14%| $90,886,000| 23.58%| $78,942,000| 20.48%| $21,641,000| 5.61%| $721,000| 0.19%| $385,430,000  | 2010| $196,219,000| 61.20%| $94,278,000| 29.41%| $8,411,000| 2.62%| $20,510,000| 6.40%| $1,186,000| 0.37%| $320,604,000

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2011| $196,047,000| 59.65%| $95,126,000| 28.95%| $16,991,000| 5.17%| $19,037,000| 5.79%| $1,442,000| 0.44%| $328,643,000
2012| $204,816,000| 61.37%| $94,873,000| 28.43%| $15,350,000| 4.60%| $16,966,000| 5.08%| $1,752,000| 0.52%| $333,757,000
2013| $208,550,000| 63.71%| $96,611,000| 29.52%| $4,014,000| 1.23%| $16,487,000| 5.04%| $1,659,000| 0.51%| $327,321,000
Avg.| $107,241,667| 47.63%| $54,940,238| 26.35%| $41,746,667| 20.77%| $11,492,095| 5.06%| $497,952| 0.19%| $215,918,619

### Debt

The table below shows the amount of debt retired, issued, and outstanding in the district for each year.

Debt

Fiscal
Year | Retired | Issued | Outstanding | Click [show] on the right to display the debt data for prior years. | 1993| $325,000| $45,000| $24,265,000

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1994| $500,000| $0| $23,765,000
1995| $525,000| $0| $23,240,000
1996| $555,000| $55,000,000| $78,240,000
1997| $590,000| $47,474,000| $125,095,000
1998| $1,720,000| $28,000| $123,403,000
1999| $8,605,000| $259,000| $120,270,000
2000| $10,100,000| $125,687,000| $241,812,000
2001| $11,935,000| $25,000| $229,902,000
2002| $12,519,000| $0| $217,383,000
2003| $12,050,000| $0| $205,333,000
2004| $8,550,000| $0| $196,783,000
2005| $6,355,000| $179,389,000| $369,817,000
2006| $10,360,000| $65,000| $0
2007| $11,280,000| $136,730,000| $0
2008| $20,665,000| $0| $446,380,000
2009| $24,770,000| $0| $421,610,000 | 2010| $26,875,000| $0| $394,735,000

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2011| $53,260,000| $25,866,000| $0
2012| $24,205,000| $0| $0
2013| $29,245,000| $276,000| $314,167,000
Avg.| $13,094,714| $27,183,048| $169,342,857

## Teacher salaries[edit]

The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.

Year  |  Minimum  |  Maximum

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2021-2022[4] |  $46,746  |  $93,232

## Academic performance[edit]

### Proficiency assessments[edit]

Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[5]

#### Mathematics[edit]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:[6]

School year  |  All (%)  |  Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)  |  Black (%)  |  Hispanic (%)  |  Native
American (%)  |  Two or More
Races (%)  |  White (%)

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2018-2019 |  75 |  94  |  56  |  51  |  65-69  |  74  |  75
2017-2018 |  75 |  94  |  56  |  51  |  65-69  |  77  |  75
2016-2017 |  73 |  94  |  55  |  48  |  60-64  |  75  |  74
2015-2016 |  76 |  94  |  56  |  52  |  65-69  |  75  |  77
2014-2015 |  71 |  93  |  52  |  48  |  70-74  |  73  |  71
2013-2014 |  93 |  98  |  88  |  86  |  90-94  |  93  |  93
2012-2013 |  95 |  ≥99  |  92  |  90  |  85-89  |  96  |  96
2011-2012 |  96 |  ≥99  |  92  |  91  |  90-94  |  95  |  96
2010-2011 |  96 |  98  |  90  |  92  |  85-89  |  97  |  97

#### Reading/language arts[edit]

The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:[6]

School year  |  All (%)  |  Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)  |  Black (%)  |  Hispanic (%)  |  Native
American (%)  |  Two or More
Races (%)  |  White (%)

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2018-2019 |  73 |  90  |  57  |  49  |  70-74  |  73  |  73
2017-2018 |  70 |  88  |  56  |  46  |  60-64  |  71  |  71
2016-2017 |  70 |  89  |  55  |  44  |  60-64  |  70  |  71
2015-2016 |  70 |  89  |  53  |  45  |  60-64  |  72  |  71
2014-2015 |  67 |  87  |  53  |  44  |  60-64  |  70  |  67
2013-2014 |  ≥99 |  ≥99  |  ≥99  |  97  |  ≥95  |  ≥99  |  ≥99
2012-2013 |  ≥99 |  ≥99  |  98  |  96  |  ≥95  |  ≥99  |  ≥99
2011-2012 |  ≥99 |  ≥99  |  98  |  97  |  ≥95  |  ≥99  |  ≥99
2010-2011 |  98 |  98  |  96  |  95  |  ≥95  |  ≥99  |  ≥99

### Graduation rates[edit]

The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:[6][7]

School year  |  All (%)  |  Asian/Pacific
Islander (%)  |  Black (%)  |  Hispanic (%)  |  Native
American (%)  |  Two or More
Races (%)  |  White (%)

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2017-2018 |  94 |  97  |  ≥95  |  90  |  ≥50  |  90-94  |  94
2016-2017 |  94 |  ≥95  |  90-94  |  89  |  ≥50  |  90-94  |  95
2015-2016 |  93 |  ≥95  |  90-94  |  85  |  ≥80  |  90-94  |  94
2014-2015 |  94 |  ≥95  |  90-94  |  85-89  |  ≥50  |  ≥95  |  95
2013-2014 |  90 |  ≥95  |  90-94  |  75-79  |  N/A  |  ≥90  |  92
2012-2013 |  90 |  ≥95  |  80-84  |  75-79  |  ≥50  |  ≥90  |  91
2011-2012 |  88 |  ≥95  |  80-84  |  65-69  |  ≥50  |  ≥90  |  90
2010-2011 |  86 |  90-94  |  80-89  |  70-74  |  ≥50  |  80-89  |  88

## Student enrollment[edit]

Year[8] |  Enrollment  |  Year-to-year change (%)

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2018-2019  |  49,346  |  3.4
2017-2018  |  47,732  |  3.2
2016-2017  |  46,238  |  4.4
2015-2016  |  44,286  |  4.4
2014-2015  |  42,435  |  4.3
2013-2014  |  40,691  |  4.7
2012-2013  |  38,850  |  4.3
2011-2012  |  37,262  |  3.7
2010-2011  |  35,920  |  5.0
2009-2010  |  34,208  |  5.7
2008-2009  |  32,374  |  5.6
2007-2008  |  30,655  |  8.8
2006-2007  |  28,171  |  10.1
2005-2006  |  25,593  |  8.4
2004-2005  |  23,612  |  7.0
2003-2004  |  22,067  |  8.1
2002-2003  |  20,407  |  8.2
2001-2002  |  18,860  |  10.1
2000-2001  |  17,131  |  9.1
1999-2000  |  15,703  |  9.8
1998-1999  |  14,299  |  10.7
1997-1998  |  12,920  |  12.2
1996-1997  |  11,519  |  11.4
1995-1996  |  10,342  |  12.0
1994-1995  |  9,237  |  7.1
1993-1994  |  8,625  |  4.5
1992-1993  |  8,256  |  4.6
1991-1992  |  7,892  |  1.9
1990-1991  |  7,742  |  3.4
1989-1990  |  7,489  |  5.0
1988-1989  |  7,130  |  2.7
1987-1988  |  6,940  |  3.1
1986-1987  |  6,730  |  \-

## About the district[edit]

Forsyth County Schools is located in Forsyth County, Georgia.

Forsyth County Schools is located in Forsyth County, Georgia. It is classified as a large suburban school district by the National Center for Education Statistics. The district served 49,346 students during the 2018-2019 school year and comprised 39 schools.[9]

During the 2018-2019 school year, 15.4% of the district's students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 6.4% were English language learners, and 13.0% of students had an Individual Education Plan (IEP)An IEP is a specific education plan that is tailored to the needs of a student with a disability. It describes how the student learns most effectively, formulates goals for the student and considers their ability in relation to general curriculum..[10]

Racial Demographics, 2018-2019

Race  |  Forsyth County Schools (%)  |  Georgia K-12 students (%)
American Indian/Alaska Native  |  0.4  |  0.2
Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander  |  21.4  |  4.2
Black  |  4.1  |  36.6
Hispanic  |  13.8  |  16.1
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander  |  0.1  |  0.1
Two or More Races  |  3.2  |  3.8
White  |  56.9  |  39.0

Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

## Contact information[edit]

Forsyth County Schools
1120 Dahlonega Highway
Cumming, GA 30040
Phone: 770-887-2461

## See also[edit]

Georgia | School Board Elections | News and Analysis

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* List of school districts in Georgia
* Public education in Georgia

* Georgia school board elections, 2021

* Analysis of spending in America's largest school districts
* United States school shootings, 1990-present

## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic
* Forsyth County Schools
* Georgia Department of Education
* Georgia School Boards Association

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Forsyth County Schools, "Dr. Jeff Bearden," accessed October 28, 2019
2. ↑ Forsyth County Schools, "Board Policy BCBI: Public Participation in Board Meetings," accessed August 20, 2009
3. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "Public School System Finances: Historical Data," accessed December 1, 2015
4. ↑ Forsyth County Schools, "Teachers/professionals: Compensation Schedule 2021-2022," accessed July 19, 2021
5. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 To protect student privacy, percentages were reported as ranges for groups of 300 students or fewer. If five (5) or fewer students were included in a data set, the data was replaced by "PS."
7. ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "Four-Year Adjusted-Cohort Graduation Rates - School Year 2017-18 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
8. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ElSi tableGenerator," accessed March 8, 2021
9. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Search for Public School Districts," accessed March 8, 2021
10. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey," accessed March 8, 2021

v • e

List of the largest school districts in Georgia

Atlanta • Barrow • Bartow • Bibb • Bulloch • Camden • Carroll • Catoosa • Cherokee • Clarke • Clayton • Cobb • Colquitt • Columbia • Coweta • DeKalb • Dougherty • Douglas • Effingham • Fayette • Floyd • Forsyth • Fulton • Glynn • Griffin-Spalding • Gwinnett • Hall • Henry • Houston • Liberty • Lowndes • Muscogee • Newton • Odyssey • Paulding • Richmond • Rockdale • Savannah-Chatham • Troup • Walton • Whitfield

v • e

State of Georgia
Atlanta (capital)

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