Dr. Denise Watts, superintendent of Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, told reporters the district is preparing for both short- and long-term work after the state's release of schools eligible for the Georgia Promise Scholarship. "This does, however, funnel funding away from the local budget that we have and can present some challenges for school districts," Watts said, noting the scholarship offers eligible students up to $6,500 toward nonpublic education expenses.

Watts said 18 schools in the district met the state's criteria of ranking in the lowest 25 percent for student achievement. She framed the scholarship as a choice option for families but one that adds complexity to enrollment projections and next year's budget cycle: "Particularly enrollment since it's a key driver for our funding, the Georgia Promise scholarship certainly adds complexity."

Dr. Raymond Barnes, chief of schools, outlined the district's response: using differentiated supports tailored to each school's needs, including leadership development, instructional coaches, high-dosage tutoring and a continuous improvement process that monitors data and refines tactics. "We are confident that the data points will continue to increase over this year," Barnes said, citing preliminary universal screener and benchmark data that show early progress.

Watts also said the district is pursuing a new budgeting cadence that emphasizes clarity and alignment with strategic priorities. She described a move toward a zero-based budgeting philosophy to ensure dollars are justified and tied to measurable returns on student learning.

The superintendent said boundary and facilities planning are part of the response to shifting enrollment and performance patterns; she noted recent West Chatham-area proposals were deferred from a December board meeting to the upcoming January meeting and that materials will be posted for public review. "We continue to give families input...and as a result of that input, we have made modifications," Watts said.

Next steps: the district will publish materials ahead of the January board meeting and continue to monitor school-level data and budget planning as family applications to the Georgia Promise Scholarship are processed.