Vision Statement
The Telfair County School System is “Pursuing Excellence” by establishing a global learning environment for student success.
Mission Statement
The Telfair County School System mission is to prepare students to be productive members of society by fostering a caring environment with meaningful experiences and high expectations for all.
The Telfair County School System in partnership with parents and community established belief statements as part of the vision and mission. They form the foundational values needed to fulfill the system vision and mission.
Belief Statements
- Every child has the opportunity to receive a quality education in a safe and caring environment.
- High school completion is the highest priority for all stakeholders.
- Students have an innate desire for learning and schools share the responsibility for encouraging them to become lifelong learners and contributing members of society.
- Expectations should be clearly communicated to students, parents, and the community.
- The educational process provides for assessing, evaluating, developing, and implementing a quality school program.
- Regular attendance by students and staff is critical for student success.
- Parents are important to the education process.
- Community support and collaboration are essential to our mission.
- The use of technology is recognized as an essential skill in a global society.
- A comfortable, attractive, and well-maintained environment is conducive to learning.
Demographics of Community
Telfair County, named for Governor Edward Telfair, is a small rural community located approximately 85 miles south of Macon. The county seat is McRae which is known as the “Crossroads City” because five major highways intersect in the center of town at Liberty Square. Liberty Square has its own replica of the Statue of Liberty that is 35 feet tall or one twelfth the size of the original. Liberty Square also houses the old McRae fire bell that was refurbished to look like the original Liberty Bell. In addition to McRae, the county includes the communities of Lumber City, Milan, Helena, Jacksonville and Scotland. The population of Telfair County is approximately 13,000.
Little Ocmulgee State Park and Lodge is located 2 miles north of McRae via U.S. Highways 319 and 441. Telfair residents and other visitors to the park enjoy the 18-hole Wallace Adams Golf Course with a clubhouse and golf pro. There is also a 2.6 mile Oak Ridge Trail for hiking and a lodge that offers guest rooms, meeting facilities and a restaurant.
Telfair County School System serves approximately 1,755 students in grades Pre-K– 12. The system includes four schools: Telfair County Pre-K, Telfair CountyElementary School (K-5), Telfair County Middle School (6-8), and Telfair County HighSchool (9-12). In the past five years, enrollment has increased by 6% or 97 students. In 2003 TCSS had 1648 students as compared to the 1755 we have today. All Telfair County schools are School-wide Title I schools. Due to the high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, all students in the Telfair County School System receive free lunch.
System Programs and Services
Telfair County School System’s commitment to academic excellence is evident in its strong implementation of the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (CCGPS), assessment for and of learning, frequent progress monitoring of struggling students, focus on differentiated instruction, and implementation of the Pyramid of Interventions to provide maximum opportunities for student success both behaviorally and academically.
Throughout the Telfair County Schools, a continuum of programs and resources are in place to meet the needs of students with disabilities (SWD). Approximately 11% of our students are identified as SWD. The inclusion model is widely used and exposes students to regular curriculum with the necessary support services to be successful.
This model has proven very successful in that almost all students with disabilities participate in regular education classes and experience high levels of success. Special education and regular education teachers are trained for successful implementation of the inclusion model and effectively coordinate instructional strategies that benefit all students. Other service models for more severely disabled students include resource and self-contained classrooms. Being a small system with limited industry and agricultural resources, Telfair County has a diminutive population (approximately 4%) of English Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) students. Support, tutorial services and other resources are provided by a highly qualified and certified ESOL teacher for our ELL population and a highly qualified and certified tutor for our Migrant population. We currently have a student population that is 50% white, 44% black, 4% Hispanic, and 2% multi-racial.
