Rural school districts' funding woes and GA school offers multi-sensory education to special needs students

A longtime educator in Taliaferro County and educators at The Cottage School say funding is a major concern. (Photos courtesy of Taliaferro County School District and The Cottage School)

Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look” continued with its weeklong series “FAILING GRADE: Analysis of America’s Public Education Crisis

From pre-K to higher-ed, the series explores the current state of public education in Georgia and nationwide.

Day three of the series continues with part of the conversation with Pass Pod school, which is part of the Black MicroSchools ATL collective.

Supervising producer Tiffany Griffith speaks with a parent about the decision to withdraw her children from public school.

Then, show host Rose Scott talks with a student about attending Pass Pod.

Longtime educator Allen Fort then explains how Taliaferro County is one of the poorest counties in Georgia, which ties into a major challenge for the small rural district.

As the superintendent of the Taliaferro County School District, Fort says funding, access to county-wide broadband and attracting teachers are major issues. He also shared his thoughts about the need to increase the teacher pipeline, the need for more economic development to build stronger communities and schools and the need for lawmakers to increase school budgets.

Lastly, Dr. Steven Palmer, head of school at The Cottage School, and Renee’ Kincaid, who works as an elementary school teacher at the school, spoke with show host Rose Scott about how their time in public schools was the catalyst to seeking a new approach to teaching students with special needs.

They explained how a multi-sensory method allows teachers to teach students how they learn.