Local schools sign joint enrollment agreement with Lanier Tech

Lanier Tech and Banks County High School signed an identical agreement.

“We will do what we can to work with you all, to be a positive thing for all of us,” commented Howard Ledford, coordinator of instruction. “Thank you all for letting us come in and serve the students.”

“This gives a high school student an opportunity to take college courses in high school and get credit for a college course and a high school course,” explained Jeff Fitzpatrick, Lanier Tech’s high school coordinator.

In addition, the tuition, some fees and part of the book expense for courses taken at Lanier Tech can be paid for through the HOPE Grant. There are no grade point average qualifiers for the HOPE Grant, Fitzpatrick pointed out.

“The college is very interested in working with you,” said Vandiver. “We think our future opportunity for growth is going to come from the high schools.”

Vandiver said the dual enrollment agreements give students more options and said educators “owe it to the students to give them as many options as we can.”

McCoy expressed appreciation to Ledford.

“We’re so small we wouldn’t be able to function with our vocational program without Howard’s help,” he said. “He always finds a way to work it.”

To make it easier for students to take high school and college courses at the same time, Lanier Tech is going to a semester system in the fall that more closely aligns with how the high schools operate. In addition, Lanier Tech is a candidate for SACS’ Council on Colleges accreditation.