Governor Nathan Deal announced this week that Carroll County Schools was one of four school systems selected to receive a 2016 Georgia Innovation Fund Implementation Grant in the amount of $700,000, the highest funding level in the competition. The Innovation Fund offered three categories for the 2016 competition, including Planning, Implementation, and Scaling Grants. A total of 57 applications were scored, with 32 in the Implementation category.

The two-year grant will support interventions for 15-year-old students with a high dropout risk in the Villa Rica district. Students will be identified using the 12 for Life selection rubric, and will be eligible to apply for 12 for Life once they turn 16. 12 for Life is the innovative partnership between Southwire Company and Carroll County Schools that began in 2007 to address improving the graduation rate. The new program will be housed on the campus of Carroll County Schools College and Career Academy, and students will learn how subjects such as math and science are used in various careers. Anticipated outcomes include exposure to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and applied learning education, life skills, and field experiences with leading employers in Carroll County including Carroll County Water Authority, Carroll EMC, Southwire, Sugar Foods, and Tanner Health Systems. Students will also learn about dual enrollment options through Move on When Ready at West Georgia Technical College.

Superintendent Scott Cowart described the new grant as a continuation of the district's efforts to provide premier learning opportunities for all students. Through ongoing partnerships with Southwire and other local businesses, Carroll County Schools are able to give students real world applied learning options that encourage them to stay in school and graduate with skills to be college or career ready. “We are lucky to live in a community committed to educating all of our students.”