Another year, another growth spurt. Even during the rough economy, the Forsyth County school system has continued to grow, and this year is no exception. As of Friday, the district has registered more than 2,700 new students, with a total enrollment of more than 40,300 students expected when the 2013-14 school year starts Aug. 8. “We’ve always had a consistent growth rate,” said Mike Evans, director of informational and instructional support systems. “It’s a good thing for the district as the district is continuing to grow.” Debbie Holland, information systems registrar, said the growth is “good for our economy because we’re seeing a lot more [housing] contracts come in. They used to be rentals.”“So I think for our economy in Forsyth County, that’s a good thing,” she said. Holland anticipates the first day of school will see “probably a 2,000-student increase” even minus the class of 2013 and with some students having moved away. With all the new faces, Holland said registration is crucial, both for the school system records and so students don’t end up missing valuable class time.“The key will be to register early,” she said. “If they wait until the last minute, they might not get into school by the first day.” Registration is ongoing daily at the Hill Educational Center on Elm Street. The center is keeping its regular hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a break from noon to 1:30 p.m. Walk-ins are accepted, though Evans noted officials “still have availability for a lot of appointments.” Mid-July is the best time to register, Evans said. As open house week draws closer, wait times can stretch into hours for walk-ins.“We have appointments available now. Even if they’re walk-ins, it’s a relatively short wait right now for the next couple of weeks,” Evans said. Open house time is when “walk-ins are based on availability and that’s where there could be a couple of hours of waiting,” Evans said. According to Holland, registration usually goes smoothly, with about 25 students having to register on the first day of school. But registering early and making appointments could save parents a lot of time.“After next week, we’ll start getting behind on walk-ins,” she said. “We’re averaging at right about 100 [students] a day and it’s going up daily ... we had about 120 messages [Thursday] to go on the phone in probably about three hours.” In addition to making an appointment, Holland said parents should read the registration information and make sure they have all the necessary documents before arriving.“Georgia Form 3231, immunizations, and the Georgia 3300, the eye ear and dental, and the proof of residency, those are the three major things they have come back with,” said Holland, adding that about 40 percent of people have to return to bring a forgotten document.
Another year, another growth spurt. Even during the rough economy, the Forsyth County school system has continued to grow, and this year is no exception. As of Friday, the district has registered more than 2,700 new students, with a total enrollment of more than 40,300 students expected when the 2013-14 school year starts Aug. 8. “We’ve always had a consistent growth rate,” said Mike Evans, director of informational and instructional support systems. “It’s a good thing for the district as the district is continuing to grow.” Debbie Holland, information systems registrar, said the growth is “good for our economy because we’re seeing a lot more [housing] contracts come in. They used to be rentals.”“So I think for our economy in Forsyth County, that’s a good thing,” she said. Holland anticipates the first day of school will see “probably a 2,000-student increase” even minus the class of 2013 and with some students having moved away. With all the new faces, Holland said registration is crucial, both for the school system records and so students don’t end up missing valuable class time.“The key will be to register early,” she said. “If they wait until the last minute, they might not get into school by the first day.” Registration is ongoing daily at the Hill Educational Center on Elm Street. The center is keeping its regular hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a break from noon to 1:30 p.m. Walk-ins are accepted, though Evans noted officials “still have availability for a lot of appointments.” Mid-July is the best time to register, Evans said. As open house week draws closer, wait times can stretch into hours for walk-ins.“We have appointments available now. Even if they’re walk-ins, it’s a relatively short wait right now for the next couple of weeks,” Evans said. Open house time is when “walk-ins are based on availability and that’s where there could be a couple of hours of waiting,” Evans said. According to Holland, registration usually goes smoothly, with about 25 students having to register on the first day of school. But registering early and making appointments could save parents a lot of time.“After next week, we’ll start getting behind on walk-ins,” she said. “We’re averaging at right about 100 [students] a day and it’s going up daily ... we had about 120 messages [Thursday] to go on the phone in probably about three hours.” In addition to making an appointment, Holland said parents should read the registration information and make sure they have all the necessary documents before arriving.“Georgia Form 3231, immunizations, and the Georgia 3300, the eye ear and dental, and the proof of residency, those are the three major things they have come back with,” said Holland, adding that about 40 percent of people have to return to bring a forgotten document.