Clarke Central High School English department co-chair and Georgia Governor’s Honors Program Communicative Arts instructor David Ragsdale stands in Billy Henderson Stadium with CCHS students who attended GHP during the summer of 2015. GHP is an opportunity that has enriched the lives of many high school students, and it should be continued to be funded so that future students can also experience it. “I was fortunate enough to teach subject matter outside the purview of the typical Georgia High School classroom in order to challenge, enrich and engage the brightest minds of our state, a handful of whom were from my district — the Clarke County School District,” Ragsdale said. Photo from ODYSSEY archives
Longtime Clarke Central High School and Governor’s Honors Program teacher decries defunding the program.
My name is David Ragsdale and I live in Athens, Georgia.
I’m writing about the Georgia Senate Appropriation Committee‘s Substitute to House Bill 793. Item 177.100 in that bill moves millions of dollars from the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. A result of this move would be the elimination of the Governor’s Honors Program, which is the longest continuously running governor’s school in the United States and one that has changed my and thousands of others’ lives.
As an instructor in both the Communicative Arts Department (2008-2009, 2011-2013, 2016-present), and Social Studies Department (2015), I oppose any legislation that will suspend funding for the Georgia Governor’s Honors Program. I can personally attest to the transformational nature of the program and of its enrichment.
“I can personally attest to the transformational nature of the program and of its enrichment.”
While teaching in Valdosta and later in Rome, I encountered some of the most diverse, talented, and amazing students, including Representative Houston Gaines as a Journalism student back in 2012, it has ever been my privilege to teach in a nineteen-year career. I was fortunate enough to teach subject matter outside the purview of the typical Georgia High School classroom in order to challenge, enrich and engage the brightest minds of our state, a handful of whom were from my district — the Clarke County School District.
Through the years, I’ve been able to host a multitude of guest speakers to work with the students to enhance their academic and social experience, including Senator Tyler Harper, who took part in a press conference with student journalists last summer. Many of these students have gone on to post-secondary placements such as the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Stanford, UGA, Mercer, Georgia Tech, McGill University, Brown, Columbia, UCLA, NYU, Emory, Yale, Vanderbilt, among other highly regarded universities and colleges.
Not only were the students changed by the experience, but the rich environment also enhanced my own teaching and brought me back to Clarke Central High School a better teacher. Likewise, it affirmed my desire to engage students of all levels and backgrounds in such a positive educational experience.
“Not only were the students changed by the experience, but the rich environment also enhanced my own teaching and brought me back to Clarke Central High School a better teacher.”
This program is a shining example of what Georgia’s education system can and should do, and defunding it is unacceptable. I would like to insist that you reject this proposed budget line item and insist on the continued funding of both the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement and the Governor’s Honors Program.
