Education Edition - 1736 Magazine, Fall 2019

Richmond County School Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw points to
new schools such as Belair K-8, shown here, as the “future” of schools in the
district. [MICHAEL HOLAHAN/THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE]
The Reaching Potential Through Manufacturing, or RPM, partnership
campus at Textron Specialized Vehicles was one of several initiatives created
by Richmond County School Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Bradshaw during
his previous years with the school system. [FILE/THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE]
those services, whether they’re counseling services,
mental heath services or just food.”
Bradshaw believes the system can take some of the
“best practices” at high-performing schools and incorporate
them at schools that are lagging, including those
in low-income neighborhoods where poverty, weak
parental involvement and crime can disrupt academic
achievement.
“We educate the child. The expectations don’t change
regardless of the location,” Bradshaw said. “The key is
having those high expectations.”
Augusta’s urban core is increasingly becoming a
hotbed for tech-related jobs, with the Georgia Cyber
Center serving as a melting pot for cybersecurity
companies, educators, entrepreneurs and government
agencies. Global tech-service provider Unisys has
planted a flag in downtown as well as software-development
companies such as TaxSlayer and RSI.
Opportunities abound, Bradshaw said, for Richmond
County students taking classes in specialized programs
such as its Cyber Academy of Excellence, which enables
students to be dual-enrolled in Augusta Technical
College’s cybersecurity institute, a certified National
Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the
National Security Agency and Department of Homeland
Security.
Sixteen Richmond County students are going through
Augusta Tech’s program while completing their high
school diplomas.
“We are looking at continuing our dual enrollment, so
we are strengthening that partnership,” he said. “The
numbers are pretty good, but our goal is to grow.”
Another one of Bradshaw’s goals is to change the
perception of Richmond County’s school system. The
decades-long disparity between the county’s highand
low-performing schools has overshadowed many
of the changes the district has implemented to offer
specialized curriculum that enables students to get a
jump start on college or obtain high-wage employment
upon graduation.
Many residents and newcomers also are unaware the
district implemented a “school choice” program in 2016
that enables parents to send children to any school in the
county where seats are available.
The district’s communications director, Kaden
Jacobs, said school choice brochures are mailed to every
parent as well as distributed to businesses and community
organizations county-wide. School officials
also have met with groups such as the Greater Augusta
Association of Realtors to get the word out to future
Richmond County residents, particularly those interested
in living in the urban core.
“You can have the young family that wants to live in
a loft downtown,” said Jacobs, who himself is a parent
residing in the urban core. “If their kid is interested in
some of those programs, they can go anywhere in the
district. It doesn’t preclude them. They don’t have to
live in a certain place. They can be part of the revitalization
of downtown.”
Bradshaw said the expansion of community partnerships
with business and industry will continue to play
a major role in bolstering its career-specific workreadiness
programs at the Richmond County Technical
Career Magnet School and the new Marion E. Barnes
Career Center at T.W. Josey High School as well as traditional
neighborhood schools.
That goes for inner-city schools as well. The district
is forecasting additional growth based on existing birth
rates and an influx of young professionals moving into
inner-city neighborhoods undergoing revitalization.
“I know just by working with the mayor and the
economic development (officials) that there is an expectation
for a lot of movement in the downtown area,”
Bradshaw said.
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