Ringing in a new year

First day of school sees no issues with attendance shift

Julia P. Bryant Elementary School third-grade teacher Elisabeth Gibbon, 23, gets to know student Jhirmerea Gadson, 8, while students fill out "All About Me" pages during the first day of school Monday. Gibbon is one of nearly 100 new teachers being hired this fall by the Bulloch County school system, as additional local and state funding has allowed principals to reduce class sizes and help improve student achievement.

W 080315 FIRST DAY SCHOOL 01 — Julia P. Bryant Elementary School third-grade teacher Elisabeth Gibbon, 23, gets to know student Jhirmerea Gadson, 8, while students fill out "All About Me" pages during the first day of school Monday. Gibbon is one of nearly 100 new teachers being hired this fall by the Bulloch County school system, as additional local and state funding has allowed principals to reduce class sizes and help improve student achievement.

Exactly 9,683 students started the 2015-16 term Monday in the Bulloch County Schools, but if trends hold true, enrollment will top 10,200 students within a few weeks. Two campuses, the Langston Chapel and Sallie Zetterower elementary schools, were expected to see a shift of about 150 students from one to the other after a zoning change. Elsewhere in the system, new labs for hands-on learning in science, math and related subjects are now in use, and more teachers have been hired with new local funding.

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