Brooks County School District Signs Collaboration Agreement with Western Governors University

QUITMAN, GA. (June 17, 2024) – To help provide additional pathways to education for its staff, Brooks County School District has signed a collaboration agreement with accredited, online Western Governors University. WGU will provide BCSD employees with flexible, personalized learning pathways to bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

As part of the agreement, school system employees will be able to apply for WGU’s K-12 Partner Scholarships in the amount of $2,500, which is disbursed in increments of $625 per term for up to four academic terms based on satisfactory academic performance. Tuition at WGU is around $4,000 to $5,000 per six-month term, and students can take as many courses as they desire within a term with the consent of their assigned program mentor.

Established in 1997, WGU offers more than 80 bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the fields of K-12 education, information technology, business and healthcare. The nonprofit university’s asynchronous competency-based model allows working adults to log on at a time and place convenient to them, and to accelerate at their preferred pace. WGU currently has more than 7,500 enrolled students and more than 11,400 alumni in Georgia.

Dr. Vickie Reed, superintendent of BCSD, stated, “We are thrilled to partner with Western Governors University to bring student teachers into our district. This collaboration not only supports the development of future educators but also provides our current teachers with valuable opportunities to further their education through scholarships. We believe this partnership will benefit our schools and enhance the quality of education for our students.”

“Brooks County Schools is an exceptional school district with a graduation rate that surpasses the state average,” said Kimberly K. Estep, Ph.D., WGU’s Southeast regional vice president. “As part of this agreement, their staff will have opportunities to upskill or pursue additional academic degrees that will in turn benefit every student in the district.”

To learn more about the Brooks County School District, visit www.brooks.k12.ga.us. For more information about WGU, visit wgu.edu.

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About Brooks County School District

Brooks County School District serves 2,200 students with six schools, including one Early Learning Center for PreK students, two K-5 elementary schools, one middle school serving grades 6-8, one high school for grades 9-12, and one school serving students in grades 7-12. Our Child Care Learning Center serves our infants to three-year-old children. Our K-12 teacher student ratio is 1:15. For more information, visit www.brooks.k12.ga.us.

About WGU

Established in 1997 by 19 U.S. governors with a mission to expand access to high-quality, affordable higher education, online nonprofit WGU now serves more than 175,000 students nationwide and has more than 331,000 graduates in all 50 states. Driving innovation as the nation’s leading competency-based university, WGU has been recognized by the White House, state leaders, employers and students as a model that works in postsecondary education. In just 27 years, the university has become a leading influence in the development of innovative workforce-focused approaches to education. WGU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and has been featured on NPR, NBC Nightly News, CNN and The New York Times. Learn more at www.wgu.edu.