Ellenberg acknowledges that finding and retaining qualified teachers remains one of the district’s greatest challenges. The competition with private industry is particularly tough for fields like mathematics, where candidates often have lucrative alternatives outside of education. “You have to find people who have a passion for teaching,” he says. To make the profession attractive, Greene County leverages Georgia’s Teacher Retirement System (TRS). “The pension is a powerful recruitment tool,” Ellenberg notes. “If they ever change it, it would be a major blow to teacher recruitment in our state.” The district also strives to create an environment where teachers can focus on instruction without distractions.This includes enforcing policies to limit the use of cell phones and other electronic devices during school hours.“Students are bombarded with media, so we’ve had to set boundaries,” Ellenberg explains.Teachers use apps like Kahoot to integrate technology into lessons, but students aren’t allowed to use phones outside of instructional purposes. “If they violate the policy, we call the parents. After a few trips to the school to pick up their kids’ phones, parents tend to cooperate,” he adds with a smile. At the same time, Greene County is transforming its infrastructure to align with the demands of modern education and ensure safety, efficiency, and adaptability. Ellenberg describes how every decision about facilities focuses on creating an environment where students can thrive academically 7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 01 GREENE COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM VOLUME 4, ISSUE 01
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