MACON COUNTY, Ga. — The state rates every Georgia school district on financial efficiency, and Macon County received one of the worst scores.
Superintendent Marc Maynor expects the district's scores to improve over the next few years, but he says they have to get more of their students reading on grade level first.
"We have a 51 percent of our students reading below grade level," Maynor said.
Maynor says the first step toward progress is improving literacy rates.
When he became superintendent in 2017, he launched a new curriculum, and that costs money.
"We're a high-poverty district, and when you're a high-poverty district, you receive Title I funds. The higher your poverty rate, the more you receive. Those are federal dollars that the government gives us to help level the playing field," Maynor said.
Macon County received one star on the state's financial efficiency report based on their 53 percent College and Career-Ready Performance average (which is below the state average) compared to the over $10,000 they spend per student. That's one of the highest in the state.
Middle School Principal Taricka Russell says the numbers don't show all the efforts they're making to improve the score.
"Sometimes on the outside looking in, you only see one aspect, you only see the score, but sometimes you don't see what's going on behind closed doors,"
She says the money goes to consultants who train teachers on the new curriculum, and programs that improve students' reading and math.
"We understand the predicament we're in, but we do understand that we're heading in the right direction. We have the right things in place, the only thing we really need is time," Russell said.
Tonya Garnes and her four kids went through the schools, and she's confident that there are better days ahead.
"I don't think we have anything to worry about. Sometimes, you have to lose to win, and it costs money in order to get people to the level to where they need to be," Garnes said.
Russell says they're aiming for a 60 percent College and Career-Ready Performance score by next year.