Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Georgia
| Savannah-Chatham County Public School System |
|---|
 |
| Chatham County, Georgia |
| District details |
| Superintendent: S. Denise Watts |
| # of school board members: 9 |
| Website: Link |
Savannah-Chatham County Public School System is a school district in Georgia.
Click on the links below to learn more about the school district's...
- Superintendent
- School board
- Elections
- Budget
- Teacher salaries
- Academic performance
- Students
- Staff
- Schools
- Contact information
Superintendent
 |
This information is updated as we become aware of changes. Please contact us with any updates. |
Dr. S. Denise Watts is the superintendent of the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System. Watts was appointed superintendent on June 1, 2017. Watts' previous career experience includes working as chief of schools for the Houston Independent School District.[1]
Past superintendents
- M. Ann Levett was the superintendent of the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System from June 1, 2017 until June 30, 2023. Levett's previous career experience includes working as the district's chief academic officer, a speech and language pathologist, and a school board member for New Haven Public Schools in Connecticut.[2]
School board
The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System school board consists of nine members elected to four-year terms. Eight members are elected by district and a ninth member is elected at large as the board president.
Elections
Members of the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System school board are elected to four-year terms. Four or five seats are up for election on a staggered basis in even-numbered years.
Four seats on the board were up for general election on May 21, 2024. A runoff election, if needed, was scheduled for June 18, 2024.
Ballotpedia covered school board elections in 367 school districts in 29 states in 2024. Those school districts had a total student enrollment of 12,203,404 students. Click here to read an analysis of those elections.
Join the conversation about school board politics
Public participation in board meetings
The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System school board maintains the following policy on public testimony during board meetings:[3][4]
School board meetings
The following articles were produced by Citizen Portal using artificial intelligence to analyze public meetings. Citizen Portal publishes articles based on the availability of meeting broadcasts, so the number of articles provided may vary by district. Although these articles are not produced or edited by Ballotpedia, they are included here as a supplemental resource for readers.
District map
Budget
The following statistics were published by the National Center for Education Statistics, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Education.[5]
| SOURCE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | $133,385,000 | $3,713 | 18% |
| Local: | $418,741,000 | $11,656 | 57% |
| State: | $179,452,000 | $4,995 | 24% |
| Total: | $731,578,000 | $20,364 |
| TYPE | AMOUNT | AMOUNT PER STUDENT | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Expenditures: | $618,817,000 | $17,225 | |
| Total Current Expenditures: | $538,370,000 | $14,985 | |
| Instructional Expenditures: | $317,857,000 | $8,847 | 51% |
| Student and Staff Support: | $57,531,000 | $1,601 | 9% |
| Administration: | $56,396,000 | $1,569 | 9% |
| Operations, Food Service, Other: | $106,586,000 | $2,966 | 17% |
| Total Capital Outlay: | $79,537,000 | $2,213 | |
| Construction: | $75,116,000 | $2,090 | |
| Total Non El-Sec Education & Other: | $0 | $0 | |
| Interest on Debt: | $0 | $0 |
Teacher salaries
The following salary information was pulled from the district's teacher salary schedule. A salary schedule is a list of expected compensations based on variables such as position, years employed, and education level. It may not reflect actual teacher salaries in the district.
| Year | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-2025[6] | $46,013 | $139,470 |
| 2022-2023[7] | $41,537 | $92,008 |
| 2021-2022[8] | $39,537 | $87,627 |
| 2020-2021[9] | $38,761 | $85,908 |
| 2019-2020[10] | $38,761 | $85,908 |
| 2018-2019[11] | $35,761 | $82,908 |
Academic performance
Each year, state and local education agencies use tests and other standards to assess student proficiency. Although the data below was published by the U.S. Department of Education, proficiency measurements are established by the states. As a result, proficiency levels are not comparable between different states and year-over-year proficiency levels within a district may not be comparable because states may change their proficiency measurements.[12]
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 20 | 50-54 | 9 | 14 | <50 | 26 | 35 |
| 2018-2019 | 31 | 68 | 20 | 33 | 30-39 | 41 | 52 |
| 2017-2018 | 29 | 65 | 17 | 31 | 40-49 | 38 | 50 |
| 2016-2017 | 26 | 59 | 14 | 27 | 20-29 | 33 | 45 |
| 2015-2016 | 27 | 67 | 15 | 30 | 30-39 | 31 | 47 |
| 2014-2015 | 25 | 62 | 13 | 27 | 11-19 | 29 | 44 |
| 2013-2014 | 73 | 87 | 65 | 81 | 80-89 | 78 | 85 |
| 2012-2013 | 77 | 91 | 70 | 83 | 70-79 | 83 | 87 |
| 2011-2012 | 74 | 88 | 68 | 81 | 80-89 | 78 | 86 |
| 2010-2011 | 77 | 94 | 72 | 81 | >=80 | 80 | 87 |
The following table shows the percentage of district students who scored at or above the proficiency level each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | 26 | 40-44 | 14 | 21 | 21-39 | 37 | 45 |
| 2018-2019 | 31 | 56 | 19 | 31 | 30-39 | 45 | 54 |
| 2017-2018 | 29 | 52 | 19 | 28 | 30-39 | 40 | 53 |
| 2016-2017 | 30 | 56 | 18 | 30 | 30-39 | 38 | 52 |
| 2015-2016 | 30 | 59 | 18 | 29 | 30-39 | 36 | 51 |
| 2014-2015 | 30 | 61 | 18 | 31 | 30-39 | 37 | 50 |
| 2013-2014 | 94 | 97 | 92 | 97 | >=90 | 96 | 97 |
| 2012-2013 | 94 | 97 | 92 | 95 | >=90 | 96 | 97 |
| 2011-2012 | 92 | 97 | 90 | 96 | >=90 | 93 | 97 |
| 2010-2011 | 88 | 95 | 86 | 89 | >=80 | 90 | 94 |
The following table shows the graduation rate of district students each school year:
| School year | All (%) | Asian/Pacific Islander (%) | Black (%) | Hispanic (%) | Native American (%) | Two or More Races (%) | White (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | 90 | 90-94 | 89 | 85-89 | PS | 90-94 | 92 |
| 2018-2019 | 88 | >=90 | 87 | 85-89 | PS | 85-89 | 91 |
| 2017-2018 | 87 | >=90 | 86 | 90-94 | PS | 85-89 | 86 |
| 2016-2017 | 84 | 85-89 | 84 | 85-89 | 85-89 | 85 | |
| 2015-2016 | 83 | >=90 | 83 | 75-79 | >=50 | 90-94 | 83 |
| 2014-2015 | 81 | >=90 | 81 | 60-69 | PS | 85-89 | 81 |
| 2013-2014 | 69 | >=90 | 66 | 40-49 | 65-69 | 73 | |
| 2012-2013 | 70 | 80-89 | 67 | 50-59 | >=50 | 70-74 | 76 |
| 2011-2012 | 63 | >=90 | 62 | 50-54 | PS | 65-69 | 67 |
| 2010-2011 | 54 | 70-79 | 52 | 50-54 | >=50 | 50-54 | 60 |
Students
| Year | Enrollment | Year-to-year change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 35,781 | -1.5 |
| 2022-2023 | 36,326 | 1.1 |
| 2021-2022 | 35,925 | -1.6 |
| 2020-2021 | 36,502 | -2.6 |
| 2019-2020 | 37,456 | -0.3 |
| 2018-2019 | 37,576 | 0.0 |
| 2017-2018 | 37,564 | -1.3 |
| 2016-2017 | 38,047 | -0.7 |
| 2015-2016 | 38,323 | 0.5 |
| 2014-2015 | 38,123 | 1.8 |
| 2013-2014 | 37,445 | 2.2 |
| 2012-2013 | 36,610 | 2.1 |
| 2011-2012 | 35,842 | 1.7 |
| 2010-2011 | 35,246 | 1.6 |
| 2009-2010 | 34,668 | 1.9 |
| 2008-2009 | 33,994 | -0.2 |
| 2007-2008 | 34,058 | -0.8 |
| 2006-2007 | 34,330 | 0.9 |
| 2005-2006 | 34,021 | -1.7 |
| 2004-2005 | 34,595 | 0.2 |
| 2003-2004 | 34,514 | -0.1 |
| 2002-2003 | 34,554 | -0.4 |
| 2001-2002 | 34,681 | -1.9 |
| 2000-2001 | 35,344 | -2.2 |
| 1999-2000 | 36,111 | 0.0 |
| RACE | Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (%) | Georgia K-12 STUDENTS (%) |
|---|---|---|
| American Indian/Alaska Native | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.5 | 4.9 |
| Black | 56.4 | 36.2 |
| Hispanic | 15.5 | 18.8 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| Two or More Races | 5.7 | 4.8 |
| White | 19.5 | 35.0 |
Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Staff
As of the 2023-2024 school year, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System had 2,710.00 full-time classroom teachers. The student-teacher ratio was 13.2.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF TEACHERS |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten: | 86.60 |
| Kindergarten: | 173.90 |
| Elementary: | 979.00 |
| Secondary: | 1,159.80 |
| Total: | 2,710.00 |
Savannah-Chatham County Public School System employed 55.10 district administrators and 144.00 school administrators as of the 2023-2024 school year.
| TYPE | NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATORS |
|---|---|
| District Administrators: | 55.10 |
| District Administrative Support: | 109.30 |
| School Administrators: | 144.00 |
| School Administrative Support: | 207.20 |
| TYPE | NUMBER OF OTHER STAFF |
|---|---|
| Instructional Aides: | 570.10 |
| Instruc. Coordinators & Supervisors: | 157.40 |
| Total Guidance Counselors: | 127.20 |
| Elementary Guidance Counselors: | 65.40 |
| Secondary Guidance Counselors: | 61.80 |
| Librarians/Media Specialists: | 50.00 |
| Library/Media Support: | 36.50 |
| Student Support Services: | 202.50 |
| Other Support Services: | 1,202.20 |
Schools
Noteworthy events
2014: Bus driver protests
Bus drivers working for Savannah-Chatham County Public School System protested in early May 2014 for annual contracts and benefits. The protesters demonstrated at a school board meeting in the first week of May 2014 and the First Student bus operations office on May 14, 2014. Requests for year-round contracts and benefits stemmed from House Bill 714. The bill was passed in April 2014 by the state legislature and prohibited school district contractors from seeking unemployment benefits during school breaks. Bus drivers were employed directly by the district prior to the 2012-2013 school year and received wages during school breaks. House Bill 714 was sponsored by state Rep. Mark Hamilton (R) in order to save school districts throughout the state up to $10 million per year. The Teamsters Local 728 organized the May 2014 protests to highlight the financial impacts of the state law on 60,000 contract workers.[13]
Contact information
Savannah-Chatham County Public School System
208 Bull St.
Savannah, GA 31401
Phone: 912-395-5600
About school boards
Education legislation in Georgia
Bills are monitored by BillTrack50 and sorted by action history.
See also
| Georgia | School Board Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Savannah-Chatham County Public School System
- Georgia Department of Education
- Georgia School Boards Association
Footnotes
- ↑ Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, "Dr. Denise Watts Appointed New SCCPSS Superintendent of Schools," June 16, 2023
- ↑ Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, "Superintendent M. Ann Levett," accessed October 28, 2019
- ↑ Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, "Board Policy BCBI: Public Participation in Board Meetings," accessed January 4, 2024
- ↑ Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, " Regulation BCBI-R(1): Public Participation in Board Meetings," accessed January 4, 2024
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Elementary/Secondary Information System," accessed October 6, 2025
- ↑ Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, "Teacher Salary Scale (190 Day) Effective 07/01/2024," accessed April 22, 2025
- ↑ Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, "Teacher Salary Scale (190 Day) Effective 07/01/2022," accessed February 6, 2024
- ↑ Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, "Teacher Salary Scale (190 Day): 2021-2022," accessed July 20, 2021
- ↑ Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, "Teacher Salary Scale (190 Day): 2020-2021," accessed July 20, 2021
- ↑ Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, "Teacher Salary Scale (190 Day): 2019-2020," accessed July 20, 2021
- ↑ Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, "Teacher Salary Scale (190 Day): 2018-2019," accessed July 20, 2021
- ↑ U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC: EDFacts, "State Assessments in Reading/Language Arts and Mathematics- School Year 2018-19 EDFacts Data Documentation," accessed February 25, 2021
- ↑ Savannah Morning News, "Savannah-Chatham school bus drivers demand year-round pay," May 14, 2014
| |||||
.svg.png){kind=small}
