Gordon County Schools superintendent, Bill McCown, announces that the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) has awarded the system a "Carry Forward" grant in the amount of $8,200 for the system's driver education program.

The $8,200 is the amount of the original grant, awarded to the school system last year, which had not yet been spent. By being able to use the remaining funds as a “carry forward” grant, this money will provide funds to cover some of the costs for the program including additional equipment and curriculum materials as well as to help pay instructor salaries.

The grant program is provided by the Georgia Driver Education Commission and is awarded through a competitive application process. The program is administered by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS).

A grant review committee established a point system for the evaluation of applications. Applicants must demonstrate effective ways to meet high school students' needs and motivation to learn and subsequently drive safely through the offering and managing of the Department of Driver Services (DDS) approved driver training methods.

Schools, school districts or multiple schools are allowed to submit a joint or single grant application. Public schools are allowed to propose partnerships with one another, as well as to propose partnerships with for-profit and not-for-profit driver training schools to offer and manage DDS approved driver training methods.

The Director of the program, Walter Pitts, would like to thank the Gordon County School Board, McCown, Gail Farriba (system financial officer), the Gordon County Sheriff's Department, Judge Lane Bearden and the juvenile court staff, the local Georgia State Patrol Office personnel, the Board of Commissioners, Courtney Taylor (Director of Gordon County EMS), and the principals of both high schools (Betty Holland at Gordon Central and Bruce Potts at Sonoraville) for their assistance in getting the application completed.

"This has truly been a team effort and this will benefit a large number of teens that will soon be driving on our county streets and roads" said Pitts.

Pitts also said there were currently approximately 400 tenth graders and 450 ninth graders in both county high schools.

“There is no doubt that this program is needed and parents and students alike have been requesting that we start a program in the county. We look forward to continuing classes throughout the remainder of this school year and next summer,” said Pitts.

Additional information can be found on the Gordon County Schools website at: www.gcbe.org or by calling (706) 879-5020 ext. 8044.