Read Transcript:

00:00:07.618 –> 00:00:09.868
Katie Jubenville: Welcome back to the Better Learning Podcast.

00:00:09.898 –> 00:00:21.958
I’m Katie Jubenville, and I’m sitting down today with Matt Wark, chief facilities officer for Forsyth County Schools, one of the fastest-growing counties in the state of Georgia.

00:00:22.588 –> 00:00:28.418
Matt oversees over nine million square feet across 53 buildings.

00:00:29.048 –> 00:00:34.938
And if that number doesn’t stop you in your tracks, wait until you hear what’s coming next for the district.

00:00:35.378 –> 00:00:38.058
Matt, thank you so much for joining us today.

00:00:38.098 –> 00:00:38.978
Matt Wark: Thank you for having me.

00:00:39.408 –> 00:00:57.868
Katie Jubenville: So, before we get into the deep dive of what is going on in Forsyth County and, um, deep into your role as our, um, the Georgia
4LE chapter president, let’s talk a little bit about you first and just get to know a little bit more about who you are and where you come from.

00:00:57.878 –> 00:01:07.142
So, you actually started your career in the classroom teaching second and fifth grade, including special education in Fulton County.

00:01:07.758 –> 00:01:15.048
From there, take us kind of through your journey and tell us about how your educational journey started.

00:01:15.218 –> 00:01:15.638
Matt Wark: Sure.

00:01:15.658 –> 00:01:16.668
Happy to share that.

00:01:16.792 –> 00:01:21.142
It all kind of started a lot, honestly, a lot different than many people would do.

00:01:21.522 –> 00:01:30.412
Um, because everyone says that they had a counselor or a teacher or someone that really cared about them, kind of brought them under their wing and took care of them.

00:01:30.852 –> 00:01:33.462
Um, I can honestly say that was not my path.

00:01:33.599 –> 00:01:34.979
I was pushed out.

00:01:35.879 –> 00:01:50.470
I was told actually by my high school guidance counselor that my dad was a farmer and that’s all I was gonna amount to, and that I should either go farm or join the military and pretty much told me to stay out of the office and just quit being in trouble.

00:01:51.000 –> 00:01:54.240
So I really despised school, didn’t want anything to do with it.

00:01:54.790 –> 00:02:00.840
Uh, so it’s, it’s always interesting and comical when I go back home and talk to those people, they can’t believe I’m in education.

00:02:01.240 –> 00:02:03.640
And I do make it very clear that they didn’t help.

00:02:03.859 –> 00:02:07.659
It really upset me during those times ’cause my parents did the best they could.

00:02:07.659 –> 00:02:11.589
I had a very athletic brother, um, that was well-known around.

00:02:11.589 –> 00:02:13.339
We come from a very, very small town.

00:02:13.339 –> 00:02:14.509
My parents were farmers.

00:02:14.939 –> 00:02:16.479
That’s– We did the best we could.

00:02:17.059 –> 00:02:28.479
So I was kind of that kid that just got pushed around, uh, and told where to go and really wasn’t gonna amount to anything, and what really bothered me the most about education was no one asked why.

00:02:28.809 –> 00:02:31.249
And I truly believe as a kid I had a learning disability.

00:02:31.249 –> 00:02:32.079
I couldn’t read.

00:02:32.319 –> 00:02:40.079
So everything I did, I did to act out and get out, kicked out of classes, which is your normal, you know, case for kids that get in a lot of trouble these days.

00:02:40.089 –> 00:02:40.109
Yeah.

00:02:40.263 –> 00:02:43.193
One of my years in high school, I never was allowed in a classroom.

00:02:43.713 –> 00:02:50.883
I walked down the hallway, and there was a desk sitting out in the hall with a piece of paper and a pencil, and the teacher wouldn’t even let me in the room.

00:02:51.651 –> 00:02:55.541
So, you know, it just got really difficult over those times to just survive.

00:02:55.551 –> 00:02:58.781
That’s the mode you get into when you’re kind of pushed that way.

00:02:59.351 –> 00:03:05.521
Um, so I don’t have the path of a great teacher that took care of me or a counselor or a coach, you know.

00:03:05.521 –> 00:03:08.231
So I kind of survived, and then I did.

00:03:08.231 –> 00:03:15.351
I went and worked for my dad, farming and b- doing construction work, things of that nature, and then I just decided to do something different.

00:03:15.891 –> 00:03:28.491
So I got kind of started into some coaching of, of athletics and I said, “You know what? I kind of want to be around kids.” Well, when I did that, I went to a community college ’cause obviously I didn’t have the grades to get in anywhere.

00:03:28.581 –> 00:03:30.921
You know, you fail everything, it kind of catches up to you.

00:03:31.461 –> 00:03:50.569
So I went to a community college and then transferred into a four-year university, and ultimately, when I finally decided I was done with college, you know, it took me
a while like everybody else, um, I decided to move south and come down to Georgia, because I made a decision that I wanted to help kids, so they weren’t treated like me.

00:03:50.999 –> 00:04:01.129
So many times people always focus on the ones that are excelling in things and really, you know, motivated and have those passions for education and higher education.

00:04:01.699 –> 00:04:04.599
I had no plan to go to college, and that’s okay.

00:04:05.209 –> 00:04:06.089
It really is.

00:04:06.109 –> 00:04:14.809
And the way the, you know, communities are now and our country is working right now, there’s gotta be paths for other kids, and we don’t need to keep pushing for a test score.

00:04:15.159 –> 00:04:16.639
So I’m on my soapbox right now.

00:04:16.639 –> 00:04:17.032
That’s okay.

00:04:17.032 –> 00:04:17.989
Katie, just letting you know.

00:04:17.989 –> 00:04:21.294
Um- that kind of brought me to Georgia ’cause I also wanted out.

00:04:21.654 –> 00:04:24.534
I didn’t want to be around anyone that knew who I was.

00:04:25.054 –> 00:04:33.024
Um, I didn’t want anyone to think of me as this, you know, my– a brother of an athlete or my very, very small town of about six hundred people.

00:04:33.354 –> 00:04:35.084
My parents were well-known farmers.

00:04:35.454 –> 00:04:41.854
So I couldn’t escape that, so everyone’s kind of knew the history of the things that I’ve done.

00:04:42.404 –> 00:04:50.304
Here in Georgia, I moved down here in December of ’03, and everything I have here, I had… I didn’t know one person here.

00:04:50.894 –> 00:04:52.084
I didn’t have a place to live.

00:04:52.194 –> 00:04:53.234
I didn’t have a job.

00:04:53.864 –> 00:04:57.244
I decided just to move to Georgia, and this is where I was gonna start.

00:04:57.674 –> 00:05:01.864
Um, believe it or not, I got hired as a security guard at Phillips Arena to start with.

00:05:02.384 –> 00:05:04.514
Got my uniform, but never took a first job.

00:05:04.684 –> 00:05:14.794
I got hired, uh, I actually walked into Fulton County’s education department and asked to talk to somebody, and that individual, believe it or not, graduated from the University of Michigan.

00:05:14.794 –> 00:05:26.284
He said, “You have five minutes.” So I sat down with him and he said, “I’m gonna send you up to a school in Sandy Springs,” which was, you know, North Fulton at that time, and he said, “This lady’s hiring a second-grade teacher.

00:05:26.374 –> 00:05:27.484
I’m telling her you’re coming.

00:05:27.494 –> 00:05:34.616
Be there in thirty minutes.” He said, “That’s your shot.” So I went up there and, this individual, this principal at the time, it was Dr.

00:05:34.616 –> 00:05:37.036
Nurice Price, she was the principal there.

00:05:37.736 –> 00:05:39.386
She hired me as a second-grade teacher.

00:05:40.516 –> 00:05:48.296
And she absolutely said, “You know, uh, I’m gonna– you’re gonna be a leader. I’m not gonna let you just be a second grade teacher.” Thank God, ’cause I was terrible.

00:05:48.976 –> 00:05:53.806
Um, so after the first two years of second grade, she said, “No more.

00:05:54.206 –> 00:06:02.546
You need to go be a fifth grade teacher and teach special education, and you’re also gonna be the grade level chair.” And at that time, we had 12 other teachers on the grade level.

00:06:02.566 –> 00:06:03.616
It’s a very large school.

00:06:04.016 –> 00:06:09.246
And they were all women, and they all had a history of always complaining and doing things.

00:06:09.246 –> 00:06:10.226
They were just angry.

00:06:10.706 –> 00:06:12.566
Um, so I l- I loved that group.

00:06:12.566 –> 00:06:15.236
We had a, we had a lot of fun together, brought them together.

00:06:15.616 –> 00:06:16.736
So I taught fifth grade.

00:06:17.226 –> 00:06:19.616
Well, Dr. Price left and went to Clarke County Schools.

00:06:20.066 –> 00:06:27.696
Well, two years later, I got a phone call from that same principal, Dr. Price, she was now the deputy superintendent, says, “It’s time to start your leadership journey.”

00:06:28.316 –> 00:06:35.706
She brought me in and helped me as an assistant principal in Clarke County Schools, which was a very high poverty district.

00:06:35.930 –> 00:06:42.540
You know, a lot of people think of UGA, uh, but the surrounding neighborhoods of, of Athens is, is a struggling community.

00:06:42.960 –> 00:06:54.710
Um, but it taught me so much about w- what values we have, and it brought me back to reaching out and making sure that we’re getting to every kid, no matter what neighborhood they come from, their socioeconomic status.

00:06:54.970 –> 00:06:57.010
It’s worth getting involved.

00:06:57.050 –> 00:06:59.480
Um, and I really love that community.

00:07:00.030 –> 00:07:03.520
I left there and went to Dawson County Schools here in North Georgia.

00:07:04.160 –> 00:07:09.334
Um, and that was, an eye-opener too, because it’s a very different demographic.

00:07:09.694 –> 00:07:15.414
Um, even though it was North Georgia, it was a little bit not as high poverty district.

00:07:15.774 –> 00:07:18.084
So I was an assistant principal there, and then, uh…

00:07:18.134 –> 00:07:20.384
And this whole time, I was been in elementary school.

00:07:20.774 –> 00:07:21.414
Just loved it.

00:07:21.444 –> 00:07:22.744
It was a great passion of mine.

00:07:22.754 –> 00:07:23.844
I love the little ones.

00:07:24.224 –> 00:07:31.294
Um, but then I had a great superintendent named Keith Porter, decided to walk in the office one day and say, “I need you to be a principal.” I said, “Okay.

00:07:31.294 –> 00:07:31.924
Well, that’s great.

00:07:31.924 –> 00:07:32.684
Great opportunity.”

00:07:32.684 –> 00:07:36.282
He said, “Of an alternative high school.” I said, “Okay.

00:07:36.332 –> 00:07:38.732
Well, that’s, uh, you know where I’m coming from, right?” Yeah.

00:07:38.732 –> 00:07:42.115
And he said, “No, your personality will work just fine.” And I did that.

00:07:42.115 –> 00:07:44.015
So I was in Dawson County for five years.

00:07:44.345 –> 00:07:48.435
Then I got a great phone call from this lady in Baldwin County, Milledgeville.

00:07:49.165 –> 00:07:52.075
She was a new superintendent, and she said, “I need someone I can trust.

00:07:52.075 –> 00:07:56.245
I need you to come down and work with me.” And that lady was Dr. Nurice Price again.

00:07:56.608 –> 00:07:58.378
So she kind of brought me back together.

00:07:58.687 –> 00:08:05.557
When, uh, her and I got there, she was there about six months before I joined, the graduation rate was 66% in Baldwin County.

00:08:05.827 –> 00:08:07.987
It’s another very high poverty district.

00:08:08.367 –> 00:08:13.737
Uh, when I left there eight years ago, uh, the graduation rate was 92%.

00:08:14.487 –> 00:08:14.967
Katie Jubenville: That’s amazing.

00:08:15.047 –> 00:08:17.557
Matt Wark: So we really pushed, we really strived.

00:08:17.567 –> 00:08:18.937
It was a very hard district.

00:08:19.084 –> 00:08:22.194
But again, it was one of those groups that we just really bought into.

00:08:22.727 –> 00:08:32.567
Dr. Price always said, “It doesn’t matter your zip code. It doesn’t, you know, decide your fate of where you come from. Um, but it’s just about effort and giving every kid an opportunity.”

00:08:33.197 –> 00:08:42.237
So with that, um, I decided to move back closer to the city, uh, of Atlanta, and I decided, you know, I was trying to become a superintendent for a while.

00:08:42.787 –> 00:08:44.267
Uh, that was not my path.

00:08:44.317 –> 00:08:49.047
I truly believe that, you know, God puts you in a place to where you’re supposed to be to serve.

00:08:49.487 –> 00:08:56.557
Um, and he brought me to Forsyth and to do facilities, which a lot of people say, “Well, wait a minute, you were in the classroom.”

00:08:57.094 –> 00:09:05.084
But overall, in Baldwin County, as a deputy superintendent, uh, I oversaw facilities, food and nutrition, transportation, all those different kind of ways.

00:09:05.414 –> 00:09:09.884
So it kind of brought me to Forsyth, where I’m the chief facilities officer of an amazing community.

00:09:10.314 –> 00:09:15.264
Uh, and I’ve been doing this now for eight years, but that’s kind of my journey to this chair today.

00:09:16.140 –> 00:09:18.010
Katie Jubenville: And your story is inspirational.

00:09:18.010 –> 00:09:21.200
I’m so, so excited to understand it now.

00:09:21.200 –> 00:09:25.870
You said it was a little bit of a different story, and y- it surely is.

00:09:25.870 –> 00:09:34.120
And I love that the adversity that you faced early on totally shaped your life in a very positive way.

00:09:34.180 –> 00:09:34.210
Mm-hmm.

00:09:34.220 –> 00:09:42.559
Um, and you took, took something that could have gone lots of different directions and, and, took it in the right direction or in a positive direction.

00:09:42.559 –> 00:09:46.334
And you, were able to, and still are, helping children-

00:09:46.500 –> 00:09:49.530
just like you were, you know- Mm-hmm … in that same position.

00:09:49.976 –> 00:09:51.356
So you’ve kind of touched on this.

00:09:51.356 –> 00:09:55.346
I’m gonna, I’m gonna just ask you to focus in a little bit more for us.

00:09:55.626 –> 00:10:05.396
So your path from teacher to assistant principal to principal to deputy superintendent, and then now chief facilities officer is definitely a unique trajectory.

00:10:05.818 –> 00:10:09.388
how did that journey shape the way you approach facilities today?

00:10:09.788 –> 00:10:10.648
Matt Wark: Oh, absolutely.

00:10:10.688 –> 00:10:17.370
And I think all those, uh, paths and all those positions have kind of framed the way I think about, education.

00:10:17.380 –> 00:10:29.950
And I never really put a lot into the actual physical buildings of, hey, how does this really change the way kids learn, um, until I got so much more into it in Baldwin County.

00:10:30.328 –> 00:10:39.198
Because it goes back to, and again, I’ll talk more about it here in Forsyth, but it started in Baldwin County because people look at the way your grass is.

00:10:39.878 –> 00:10:42.108
It always goes down to the smallest little thing.

00:10:42.118 –> 00:10:42.138
Yeah.

00:10:42.138 –> 00:10:43.178
Is your parking lot painted?

00:10:43.178 –> 00:10:44.768
Is your flag flying?

00:10:45.158 –> 00:10:47.418
Uh, is the paint ready at your school?

00:10:47.678 –> 00:10:54.058
Do you believe in taking care of a facility that your community and your kids wake up every day and say, “I wanna go there”?

00:10:54.548 –> 00:11:03.804
You know, so a lot of people, that’s kind of what drove me into loving the passion of facilities because- I always joke a lot and, a- and I love everyone I work with here.

00:11:03.804 –> 00:11:07.454
It’s just, I always laugh, is the lights just don’t turn on by the switch.

00:11:08.084 –> 00:11:12.414
There’s people behind the scenes that put food on the table in all of our cafeterias.

00:11:12.414 –> 00:11:15.644
Our custodians keep those, those classrooms clean.

00:11:15.914 –> 00:11:19.744
Um, we build new schools based on, hey, it’s a, it’s a new environment.

00:11:19.764 –> 00:11:22.674
Um, a- and it just brings that passion, too.

00:11:22.674 –> 00:11:28.734
People don’t understand that when your kids wake up and your community wakes up, like, that’s my school.

00:11:28.744 –> 00:11:28.764
Yeah.

00:11:28.914 –> 00:11:37.164
That’s what drives what I do every day, and that’s why I’m so proud to be part of Forsyth County Schools, because we are truly a flagship in this state.

00:11:37.184 –> 00:11:40.914
I w- I, I believe that, uh, because I’ve been in five other districts.

00:11:41.374 –> 00:11:44.984
People do say if you can get to Forsyth, that’s just the holy grail.

00:11:44.994 –> 00:11:45.014
Yeah.

00:11:45.194 –> 00:11:48.214
And, uh, I know I’m biased, but it’s true.

00:11:48.414 –> 00:11:50.414
Uh, it’s just an amazing place to be.

00:11:50.414 –> 00:11:54.964
But that’s kinda how I view facilities and looking at facilities every day.

00:11:55.004 –> 00:11:56.954
Uh, I really don’t like being in an office.

00:11:56.954 –> 00:12:09.584
I love being out in my schools talking to principals, getting that feedback and hearing in their community, ’cause that’s the, one of the biggest challenges we have in Forsyth is every school and every part of our county is a little bit different.

00:12:09.934 –> 00:12:13.914
So some needs are important to one school that may not be for another.

00:12:13.924 –> 00:12:23.067
So that balancing act is a challenge, but it’s an awesome opportunity to you know, form our schools what’s best for their kids, their community members.

00:12:23.337 –> 00:12:26.267
Katie Jubenville: Yeah, and definitely being out in the schools makes-

00:12:26.418 –> 00:12:27.438
makes a huge difference

00:12:29.548 –> 00:12:36.828
because, uh, you’re, you getting to know each and every school and their individual personalities, because they do kind of each have their own- Correct

00:12:36.828 –> 00:12:37.958
personality, for sure.

00:12:38.488 –> 00:12:51.670
Um, so y- with 53 buildings and nine million square feet under your care- How do you prioritize what gets attention first, new construction, renovations, or general maintenance?

00:12:51.900 –> 00:12:54.040
How do you juggle that and figure that all out?

00:12:54.090 –> 00:13:05.590
Matt Wark: Well, that’s the big, that’s been a challenge for the last few years, is because Forsyth at one time was the fastest-growing county in the state of Georgia, and we were nationally ranked as well, um, as fast as we were growing.

00:13:05.600 –> 00:13:13.140
So we had to really balance the, the new schools and the new things that we needed to keep up with because of our growth was going so fast.

00:13:13.520 –> 00:13:27.930
Uh, but at the same time, you have to be careful because every shiny new penny you put up, your community looks and says, “I want that.” So that’s a challenge that we fought, uh, a- and, and battle with still today because we have so many beautiful facilities.

00:13:28.270 –> 00:13:31.270
Uh, we’re a lot more modern than a lot of other districts.

00:13:31.270 –> 00:13:38.570
A lot of our buildings are, you know, now I can’t believe we’re saying it’s 2026, we have a lot of schools that are late ’90s, early 2000s.

00:13:39.110 –> 00:13:40.320
Never thought that would be old.

00:13:40.660 –> 00:13:44.100
Um, we only have a few that are in the ’80s or even earlier than that.

00:13:44.100 –> 00:13:47.630
Some of our original high schools were middle schools back in the ’40s and the ’50s.

00:13:48.050 –> 00:13:51.130
So but we’ve modernized that as best as we can.

00:13:51.560 –> 00:13:55.860
Uh, but coming down to priorities, it really just looks at what your school needs.

00:13:55.870 –> 00:13:57.220
Every year is very different.

00:13:57.590 –> 00:14:04.340
Um, this last five years, we talk about our SPLOST, our ESPLOST, with our penny sales tax that does capital improvements.

00:14:05.010 –> 00:14:09.090
We really focused on infrastructure, which was very different for this school system.

00:14:09.090 –> 00:14:14.080
Before, we were spending money so fast building new schools to try to keep up with our growth.

00:14:14.420 –> 00:14:41.990
This five years, our growth has kind of leveled off a little bit to where we can breathe, and now we can go back to all those other schools, those 42 or 35 other schools that we hadn’t touched, that weren’t more than five years old, and
now we’re doing infrastructure, which is HVAC units, more painting, more flooring, more, you know, just that, that base of let’s go back and help shine these other pennies that we have and provide them, uh, the things that they need.

00:14:42.470 –> 00:14:46.180
The problem with that is, is that it’s not very sexy.

00:14:46.290 –> 00:14:46.630
Katie Jubenville: Yeah.

00:14:46.860 –> 00:14:47.930
Matt Wark: It’s not very sexy.

00:14:47.930 –> 00:14:47.990
Yeah.

00:14:47.990 –> 00:14:50.150
A lot of people don’t see HVAC units.

00:14:50.560 –> 00:14:50.590
Right.

00:14:50.600 –> 00:14:52.940
They don’t see, uh, new boilers.

00:14:52.970 –> 00:14:57.950
They don’t see things of that nature, but it costs, believe it or not, probably more than a new building does.

00:14:57.987 –> 00:15:00.507
So that’s kind of the ba- the balance that we have.

00:15:00.527 –> 00:15:04.067
Um, and as for priorities, it’s always about the maintenance.

00:15:04.497 –> 00:15:18.677
You can ask anyone in this state, and I’m so proud to be the president of the Georgia 4LE chapter, you can ask anyone in this state, they come here to visit our facilities, and almost every single time, they say there’s no way this building’s 20 years old.

00:15:19.405 –> 00:15:21.845
Or there’s no way this building is even five years.

00:15:21.905 –> 00:15:22.985
No way, it looks brand new.

00:15:22.985 –> 00:15:23.855
You just opened it.

00:15:24.475 –> 00:15:31.465
And that goes back to putting a priority on even the custodial to the grass, to going back to the way the painting looks.

00:15:31.465 –> 00:15:32.365
Do we have our issues?

00:15:32.365 –> 00:15:33.005
Absolutely.

00:15:33.005 –> 00:15:36.876
But I think it’s very important that that’s… I love that.

00:15:36.896 –> 00:15:41.186
To me, that’s more praise than I could ever get- Yeah … uh, about anything else.

00:15:41.186 –> 00:15:51.146
When someone walks in and says, “Look how new this is. Look how clean this is.” So to me, that’s our biggest priority, and then everything else just kind of flows right through that.

00:15:51.426 –> 00:15:51.686
Katie Jubenville: Okay.

00:15:51.906 –> 00:16:08.941
Yeah, that d- definitely, uh, makes sense and, taking pride in what you already have and, and taking care of it and, and I know that having been in a,
a school building most of my career, it’s very evident when a school is cared for and taken care of because the teachers feel it, the students feel it.

00:16:09.411 –> 00:16:10.111
Absolutely.

00:16:10.311 –> 00:16:16.201
And it makes their experience- Yeah … very different when, when they feel like they’re in a place that-

00:16:16.361 –> 00:16:17.231
Matt Wark: And that’s another-

00:16:17.241 –> 00:16:17.731
… Katie Jubenville: someone cares about

00:16:17.761 –> 00:16:19.571
… Matt Wark: and you bring up a very good point, too.

00:16:19.611 –> 00:16:29.691
You know, I talk about our community members and our students, but there’s another reason why Forsyth is so great, is that we have so many staff members, teachers, um, that wanna be here.

00:16:30.061 –> 00:16:46.221
And it’s not always the only thing, I’ll be biased, but they do walk in and say, “I’m just proud to be here.” It’s just like when a parent says, “I want my kid
to go to that school.” When a teacher loves to get up and go to that building because the staff members are so polite, they talk to each other, it’s a big family.

00:16:46.571 –> 00:16:52.405
But also, how we talk about our facilities, I don’t ever say they’re our buildings, I say they’re our houses.

00:16:52.415 –> 00:16:52.435
Yeah.

00:16:52.865 –> 00:16:57.585
So I have 53 houses, and I take care of them the way I would take care of my own home.

00:16:57.985 –> 00:17:03.651
And when you have that passion for that and you care about it that way, I think it goes a long way.

00:17:03.661 –> 00:17:03.681
Yeah.

00:17:03.691 –> 00:17:06.561
And when people see that as a teacher, they think the same way.

00:17:06.631 –> 00:17:06.931
Katie Jubenville: Yeah.

00:17:07.178 –> 00:17:08.201
I, I agree.

00:17:08.741 –> 00:17:11.481
Um, can you tell us about what’s currently in motion?

00:17:11.941 –> 00:17:18.441
Any bond projects or new builds, um, especially things that you’re especially- Sure … excited about, but anything that you wanna share.

00:17:18.451 –> 00:17:18.881
Matt Wark: Sure.

00:17:19.151 –> 00:17:26.961
Um, now that we’re wrapping up our five-year SPLOST and going into a new one, and I know a lot of people outside of Georgia don’t know what the SPLOST is.

00:17:27.260 –> 00:17:33.800
the SPLO- ESPLOST, Education SPLOST, is w- a penny sales tax for anyone that shops in our county.

00:17:34.060 –> 00:17:38.360
A penny of that goes to the school system, and it can be used for capital projects.

00:17:38.360 –> 00:17:40.656
We do not use it for any, people.

00:17:40.736 –> 00:17:46.006
We don’t pay salaries out of it, uh, which I think is a great thing because it’s tangible.

00:17:46.336 –> 00:17:50.486
And people can always say, “Oh, well, Matt got a raise this year. They passed the SPLOST.” It doesn’t work that way.

00:17:50.886 –> 00:17:53.036
Um, it’s only used for capital projects.

00:17:53.066 –> 00:17:55.486
Now, we buy computers with it, we buy buses with it.

00:17:55.816 –> 00:17:59.346
Um, I can selfishly say that majority of it comes to facilities.

00:17:59.646 –> 00:18:03.596
Um, but it’s great because it’s tangible, and our community sees that.

00:18:03.846 –> 00:18:07.596
So that ESPLOST is really, we’re wrapping up this five years.

00:18:07.666 –> 00:18:12.716
Our voters just passed that, uh, this past November, a new five-year ESPLOST.

00:18:12.726 –> 00:18:14.346
It comes around every five years.

00:18:14.676 –> 00:18:19.256
So we just voted it in last year, and the new revenues will start come January 1st.

00:18:19.776 –> 00:18:21.746
Um, there’s a lot of exciting things.

00:18:21.746 –> 00:18:24.236
I w- uh, my superintendent, Mitch Young, Dr.

00:18:24.236 –> 00:18:31.866
Young and I were out, uh, publicizing this to our community as it was coming to our voters, and there’s so many exciting things in there.

00:18:31.866 –> 00:18:34.956
For example, we’re, um, looking at doing additions.

00:18:34.956 –> 00:18:43.876
We’re kinda changing our mindset a little bit, uh, instead of just automatically building new schools ’cause ultimately, you know what happens with new schools, you have to redistrict.

00:18:44.874 –> 00:18:52.474
And that’s a very big curse word, um- Yeah … in any community across the country because parents and families and kids just love their schools.

00:18:52.609 –> 00:18:53.619
Now, that’s a good thing.

00:18:53.979 –> 00:19:00.619
Uh, our superintendent says, “I love it when people don’t wanna leave. They’re angry to leave. That because we’re doing the right thing inside the building.”

00:19:00.889 –> 00:19:04.139
If everyone’s standing up voting to leave, that’s a problem, right?

00:19:04.139 –> 00:19:04.449
Right.

00:19:04.449 –> 00:19:08.754
So, with that, we’re gonna be moving into, in this current SPLOST, it’ll start in January.

00:19:08.754 –> 00:19:14.151
Over the next five years, we’re looking at building, three additions at our three largest high schools.

00:19:14.671 –> 00:19:20.548
Um, those are gonna be about 30, between 30 and 35 classroom additions, at three of our high schools.

00:19:20.618 –> 00:19:28.265
We’re also gonna do roughly 30, 35 classroom additions at three of our middle schools that are growing, uh, or well over capacity.

00:19:28.555 –> 00:19:32.095
We’re also designing another elementary school, a new elementary school.

00:19:32.335 –> 00:19:38.955
Uh, we’re gonna continue to look at our growth and see what our enrollment numbers are before we make a final decision about which one goes first.

00:19:38.955 –> 00:19:43.235
We’re currently designing one middle, one high, and the new elementary.

00:19:43.535 –> 00:19:44.875
And then we do our projections this year.

00:19:44.875 –> 00:19:47.395
We’ll kinda look and see, okay, hey, this is where our growth is.

00:19:47.535 –> 00:19:48.735
This is our biggest need.

00:19:48.915 –> 00:19:51.265
So it goes back to your previous question about priority.

00:19:51.665 –> 00:19:52.585
We look at everything.

00:19:52.595 –> 00:19:58.485
We go down to the, the final child that we’re predicting and, and going from there, which also is done through my department.

00:19:58.915 –> 00:20:01.785
Um, and we do a great job of doing projections.

00:20:01.785 –> 00:20:05.025
We’re always off here and there, um, but we’re very proud of that.

00:20:05.335 –> 00:20:06.955
So that’s important for us.

00:20:06.955 –> 00:20:09.045
So we have a lot of additions, some bump-outs.

00:20:09.045 –> 00:20:10.825
We’re looking, always looking at our fine arts.

00:20:10.825 –> 00:20:16.405
Another thing that Forsyth County has great going for them, especially in the facilities world, is our CTA programs.

00:20:16.955 –> 00:20:23.195
Our high schools, I’m t- I’ve never seen anything like it, uh, that goes all the way down to our middle and our elementary.

00:20:23.515 –> 00:20:30.155
But our high schools are just so, uh, diverse in the opportunities that every child has.

00:20:30.295 –> 00:20:33.205
One of our high schools has a full functioning veterinary clinic.

00:20:33.745 –> 00:20:33.885
Katie Jubenville: Oh my goodness.

00:20:34.205 –> 00:20:41.835
Matt Wark: So it’s like, you know, uh, y- we have, uh, Alliance Academy, which is another school that just all is focused on is CTA.

00:20:41.875 –> 00:20:43.955
We have, uh, courtrooms.

00:20:43.955 –> 00:20:46.585
We have, um, ambulances.

00:20:46.865 –> 00:20:49.145
We have fire- firefighters.

00:20:49.145 –> 00:20:50.155
We have police departments.

00:20:50.155 –> 00:20:53.075
We have so many different things at every single school.

00:20:53.075 –> 00:21:04.263
So that’s the, the passion that I have going back to my original story I would have loved to have gone to school in Forsyth County because there’s something for everybody one way or another.

00:21:04.597 –> 00:21:07.777
That’s a very big draw for us, so that’s important.

00:21:07.807 –> 00:21:18.207
Um, the other exciting thing that’s going on in Forsyth County is we are moving forward with turfing our baseball and softball fields, which is a different path.

00:21:18.427 –> 00:21:24.123
We see that now in the southeast as becoming more, relevant, mainly because it’s a cost saver.

00:21:24.133 –> 00:21:35.393
So going back to talking about how do we manage things, um, looking at what we spend on trying to maintain these type of facilities, uh, we want the highest end for our kids and our community to be proud of.

00:21:35.403 –> 00:21:39.073
So we’re gonna, looking at, we’re gonna start turfing in January.

00:21:39.073 –> 00:21:43.863
We have the contract ready to go, um, have a vendor ready to go, so that’s gonna be exciting.

00:21:44.233 –> 00:21:48.243
And also, we’re gonna put, start turfing some of our playgrounds in the elementary schools.

00:21:48.333 –> 00:21:52.443
Um, not all of them because 2,000 acres, that’s gonna cost a lot of money.

00:21:52.443 –> 00:21:52.813
That’s a lot,

00:21:52.903 –> 00:21:53.263
Katie Jubenville: a lot.

00:21:53.293 –> 00:21:53.703
Matt Wark: Right.

00:21:53.843 –> 00:22:00.113
But each elementary school gets an allotment, um, of dollars that we’re gonna let them kind of make their decisions what’s best for them.

00:22:00.383 –> 00:22:05.633
Again, going back to that community piece, uh, of what’s, what’s their biggest need and where they wanna do that.

00:22:05.643 –> 00:22:10.873
So there’s a lot of exciting things going up, plus we have all the, the non-sexy things.

00:22:10.873 –> 00:22:13.993
We have more HVAC renovations, furniture upgrades.

00:22:13.993 –> 00:22:17.963
We love to upgrade our furniture throughout the district whenever we can.

00:22:18.003 –> 00:22:24.573
Our media centers, our cafeterias, office spaces, and even classroom furniture, um, it’s always changing.

00:22:24.903 –> 00:22:28.693
And we have, uh, a little over 53,000 kids.

00:22:29.433 –> 00:22:33.423
Y- Furniture gets beat up quite a bit, so we’re always improving every year.

00:22:33.423 –> 00:22:38.509
So we always allocate those, a set of dollars for furniture, new buses.

00:22:39.029 –> 00:22:42.479
So a lot of exciting things and non-sexy things that are going on, too.

00:22:47.606 –> 00:22:52.386
You know, when we work with schools at K12, it’s not just about furniture or design, it’s about impact.

00:22:52.626 –> 00:22:56.796
Our radically student-centered approach puts students at the center of every decision.

00:22:57.106 –> 00:23:05.186
From that first conversation to the final walkthrough, we’re focused on creating spaces that actually work for the kids, the teachers, and the community.

00:23:05.466 –> 00:23:09.236
So if you’re looking to do more than just check a box on your next project, let’s talk.

00:23:09.486 –> 00:23:19.456
Visit k12.com, that’s K-A-Y-T-W-E-L-V-E.com, and see how we’re helping schools transform learning one student at a time.

00:23:19.796 –> 00:23:23.836
Because at K12, it’s not just about projects and furniture, it’s about purpose

00:23:29.088 –> 00:23:35.728
Katie Jubenville: With all these wonderful things on the horizon, there’s challenges always that come into play.

00:23:35.738 –> 00:23:36.038
Mm-hmm.

00:23:36.038 –> 00:23:44.508
So what’s the biggest challenge in planning for a district that’s growing this quickly or who, that has experienced this much growth?

00:23:44.908 –> 00:23:48.448
Um, and then, you know, how far ahead do you have to kind of think-

00:23:48.528 –> 00:23:48.808
Matt Wark: Yeah

00:23:48.908 –> 00:23:51.378
… Katie Jubenville: to, to plan for, for that?

00:23:51.571 –> 00:23:53.961
Matt Wark: Honestly, it’s keeping up with everything.

00:23:54.011 –> 00:24:00.381
And we have such a, a diverse group of families in our community, trying to make sure that we’re meeting all needs of our community.

00:24:00.881 –> 00:24:03.261
Um, we’re extremely high-performing district.

00:24:03.261 –> 00:24:06.021
We’re one of the highest, uh, if not… I know we are.

00:24:06.021 –> 00:24:10.751
We’re the highest graduation rate in the state and have been for years, highest SAT, ACT.

00:24:11.021 –> 00:24:14.501
So we have a lot of pride in that, and it takes a village to do that.

00:24:14.521 –> 00:24:16.021
Everyone plays a role in that.

00:24:16.361 –> 00:24:25.421
But the challenges come into is when we were building so many new facilities, it was trying to keep up and make sure that our older ones were staying relevant.

00:24:25.781 –> 00:24:33.941
Um, and it’s, and it’s fair to our community members that, “Hey, we, we want that shiny penny as well.” So that balance has been difficult.

00:24:34.251 –> 00:24:37.691
But at the same time, we’re very proud of every school that we have.

00:24:38.091 –> 00:24:41.581
Uh, I would tell you another challenge is, is, uh, rising costs.

00:24:42.671 –> 00:24:49.261
Uh, just to get anything done these days is extremely expensive, and dollars just don’t go as far as they, they used to.

00:24:49.777 –> 00:25:04.177
We are very much under a microscope from a community that tries to do the best we can with taxpayer dollars, try to stretch them as far as we can and, and a lot of that burden falls in my department because everything I do is normally pretty expensive.

00:25:04.599 –> 00:25:09.689
But what we try to do is I balance every time, is every year we look at what we do, and can we do it better?

00:25:10.009 –> 00:25:11.719
Um, do we bring things in-house?

00:25:12.029 –> 00:25:21.518
Do we try to buy things off a state contract or a national co-op, or do we go out and get a, a third-party company to do that, or can we do it cheaper, this way?

00:25:21.878 –> 00:25:30.897
But at the same time, it, it is very important that the quality of what you get goes so much further, with your community members.

00:25:31.167 –> 00:25:34.127
Just because it’s cheap, sometimes that’s what you get- Right … is cheap.

00:25:34.367 –> 00:25:39.307
So that balance is very much a challenge that we go through in so many aspects.

00:25:39.717 –> 00:25:42.187
Uh, we just do the best we can to kind of balance that.

00:25:42.187 –> 00:25:54.047
So I think to me, that is one of our biggest challenges, is just trying to m- give everyone they want what they want, but trying to keep that budget to where we’re, we’re being smart with our tax dollars.

00:25:54.227 –> 00:25:55.847
Katie Jubenville: And you mentioned community.

00:25:55.944 –> 00:25:59.754
So obviously, that’s a huge piece here, um, to your role.

00:25:59.774 –> 00:26:09.044
So what role does the community play in shaping some of these facilities decisions, you know, especially with bond votes and public input?

00:26:09.094 –> 00:26:09.454
Matt Wark: Yeah.

00:26:09.674 –> 00:26:13.784
And, and they do, uh, to the extent of, uh, bond inputs.

00:26:13.794 –> 00:26:21.394
Uh, we’re very proud, uh, the last SPLOST that we did, all the projects that we had in the last five years, we did no bonds.

00:26:21.579 –> 00:26:28.939
So we’re building as you go, uh, which is outstanding because we were growing so fast prior to me getting here about eight years ago.

00:26:29.269 –> 00:26:34.019
We started… We had to do bonds because we just couldn’t bring in the revenues fast enough.

00:26:34.269 –> 00:26:42.449
But we’re excited to say that hopefully by, I believe it’s 2032, I hope my superintendent doesn’t get mad at me if I said the wrong date, but we will be debt-free.

00:26:43.329 –> 00:26:47.479
So for a metro district- That’s- … in the state of Georgia, that’s phenomenal.

00:26:47.489 –> 00:26:47.709
Impressive.

00:26:47.749 –> 00:26:53.039
So but that brings its challenges to where we can’t do everything right now.

00:26:53.049 –> 00:26:57.889
The beauty of bonds is you have all your money up front, all your cash is in the bank, go ahead and do your thing.

00:26:58.309 –> 00:27:09.642
Um, with w- pay as you go, it’s awesome because we wait on that revenues, we don’t need bonds, but people have to be patient as those revenues come in, we have to prioritize what projects go first.

00:27:10.042 –> 00:27:16.732
If someone in one school doesn’t get their project early enough, we have to navigate those conversations, and we do a great job of it.

00:27:16.732 –> 00:27:17.892
Our community trusts us.

00:27:17.922 –> 00:27:23.792
I think that’s a huge factor, um, when your community trusts us in how we spend dollars and they see things.

00:27:24.076 –> 00:27:25.206
And just be transparent.

00:27:25.226 –> 00:27:27.466
We’ve always been very transparent with our community.

00:27:27.718 –> 00:27:29.798
That’s how the community starts on the front end.

00:27:30.318 –> 00:27:37.015
Um, as for going into building a new school, we do have public meetings that parents could come in and see floor plans.

00:27:37.445 –> 00:27:41.697
They could come in and review that of a new school, just to get some immediate feedback.

00:27:42.017 –> 00:27:48.347
But we are under a lot of, uh, restrictions, I’ll use that word, from our Department of Education from the state.

00:27:48.597 –> 00:27:55.267
There’s requirements of how big classrooms have to be, how many square footage you have for a cafeteria or a media center.

00:27:55.627 –> 00:27:57.907
Um, we always have so many fire codes.

00:27:57.907 –> 00:28:01.637
You gotta have a certain parking lot this size based on the enrollments.

00:28:02.007 –> 00:28:05.387
Um, so that’s always put some handcuffs on things.

00:28:05.397 –> 00:28:05.417
Yeah.

00:28:05.427 –> 00:28:12.207
But we definitely have public hearings, and we have public meetings to where our community of that area can come and provide us feedback.

00:28:12.517 –> 00:28:14.627
Some of the feedback comes out very positive.

00:28:14.796 –> 00:28:16.406
They’ll always give us their opinion.

00:28:16.566 –> 00:28:19.926
Uh, that’s the beauty of living in a very, uh, transparent time.

00:28:20.335 –> 00:28:23.945
They’ll give it to us one way or another, either online or face-to-face.

00:28:24.255 –> 00:28:26.945
Uh, but we do ask for as much as we possibly can.

00:28:26.985 –> 00:28:31.065
You know, when we’re looking at… Especially that comes into fact when it’s a new school.

00:28:31.075 –> 00:28:37.092
Mm. Because you’re creating a new, landing point in a community to where now families really wanna bond.

00:28:37.092 –> 00:28:49.432
So we do a lot more with community involvement, with choosing mascots, choosing, uh, colors for the school, uh, the name of a school, the way it’s laid out, different features of that community that it’s in.

00:28:49.722 –> 00:28:52.062
So it all depends on what we’re doing.

00:28:52.462 –> 00:28:55.698
You know, we always get feedback from schools, cause their needs.

00:28:55.728 –> 00:29:04.698
“Hey, what, what works? What doesn’t? What layout do you like, what doesn’t?” They tell us about the safety standards that they just really wanna look at and see in these new facilities.

00:29:05.208 –> 00:29:13.518
Some additions we have, we’re just kinda hamstrung on some things to where we don’t have a lot of options, but we definitely get that feedback, and our community loves to give it to us.

00:29:13.789 –> 00:29:24.702
Katie Jubenville: As we talk about that, you’re obviously having to also consider, some different trends and things in, in design with the learning environments that you’re working with.

00:29:24.712 –> 00:29:34.402
So are there any specific design trends or learning environment shifts that you’re incorporating into newer Forsyth County builds that you’re excited about or that you’re-

00:29:34.602 –> 00:29:34.972
Matt Wark: Sure

00:29:34.982 –> 00:29:36.423
Katie Jubenville: you know, noticing and-

00:29:36.443 –> 00:29:37.133
Matt Wark: Yeah … um.

00:29:37.133 –> 00:29:42.913
Um, the biggest thing is, is, uh, safety and security, rightfully so, is so high on everyone’s priority.

00:29:43.123 –> 00:29:48.563
So everything we do is geared around the first conversation we have is with our safety department or our sheriff’s department.

00:29:48.573 –> 00:29:53.743
We have one of the best, uh, relationships I’ve ever seen in a county with our sheriff’s department.

00:29:54.113 –> 00:29:58.383
We’re lucky to have an SRO in every single one of our schools and two in every high school.

00:29:58.589 –> 00:29:59.759
and that’s just outstanding.

00:29:59.769 –> 00:30:02.319
But everything always starts with safety and security.

00:30:02.709 –> 00:30:07.219
Uh, so that’s always, I wouldn’t say that’s even a trend, it’s just a, it’s a non-negotiable.

00:30:07.259 –> 00:30:07.489
Katie Jubenville: Yeah.

00:30:07.519 –> 00:30:08.939
Matt Wark: So that always starts with that.

00:30:08.949 –> 00:30:15.899
The other thing is, is very different the way the learning environments have changed is, uh, specifically talk about media centers.

00:30:16.319 –> 00:30:18.879
Now our kids are handed Chromebooks every d- every year.

00:30:19.435 –> 00:30:22.815
They’re not carrying around 50 books or b- you know, things of that nature.

00:30:22.965 –> 00:30:25.255
So our libraries and media centers look differently.

00:30:25.505 –> 00:30:26.975
They’re more communal spaces.

00:30:27.265 –> 00:30:52.545
So what we’re looking at now when we do additions or new schools, things of that nature, we look at way to create those communal spaces to where kids can come out of the classroom, sit in a small area in the building, in the hallway,
we build that in, and have the great furniture that sits there and, and kind of engages our kids in the hallways and, uh, in courtyards or anywhere, trying to find those other learning environments, learning spaces in that building.

00:30:52.805 –> 00:30:55.925
But that’s definitely where things are moving now.

00:30:56.175 –> 00:31:02.265
Um, the old days of the, the media centers and all the bookshelves, and now the bookshelves move.

00:31:02.265 –> 00:31:03.335
Right, right.

00:31:03.875 –> 00:31:04.062
You know what I mean?

00:31:04.062 –> 00:31:06.455
Bec- And the reason is people say- Yeah … well, why do they need them to move?

00:31:06.895 –> 00:31:08.725
Because the, the learning changes.

00:31:08.735 –> 00:31:08.765
Right.

00:31:08.945 –> 00:31:09.755
In every space.

00:31:09.835 –> 00:31:11.315
You know, look at your desks now.

00:31:11.625 –> 00:31:14.695
When we were in school, or at least when I was in the hallway at school- Yeah.

00:31:15.265 –> 00:31:16.875
… um, the desks were very different.

00:31:17.245 –> 00:31:19.275
You were either in a row or that was it.

00:31:19.405 –> 00:31:20.625
There was no other way to go.

00:31:20.925 –> 00:31:23.485
Now, you know, look at every single classroom.

00:31:23.485 –> 00:31:27.655
You can turn it into a square, a rectangle, a, a trapezoid or whatever you wanna look at.

00:31:27.725 –> 00:31:27.745
You

00:31:27.745 –> 00:31:28.105
Katie Jubenville: can be standing.

00:31:28.265 –> 00:31:29.045
Matt Wark: Exact- exactly.

00:31:29.105 –> 00:31:29.305
Right?

00:31:29.505 –> 00:31:30.265
Oh, yeah.

00:31:30.265 –> 00:31:33.903
High, high tables, low tables- Yeah … uh, couches, all kinds of things.

00:31:33.966 –> 00:31:51.688
it’s exciting because the, the walls haven’t changed, but what happens inside of them has, and it’s, it’s neat to see that evolution and be a part of that, from, like
I said, now, all these teachers, it, it’s amazing to go in a classroom and see all these SMART Boards and things of that nature and, and, and welcoming that technology.

00:31:52.048 –> 00:32:00.398
Uh, but at the same time, it, it does my heart good every once in a while when the power goes out and teachers, we all have to work back in the olden days of paper and pencil.

00:32:00.408 –> 00:32:00.428
Yeah.

00:32:00.648 –> 00:32:03.148
It brings us back to it’s still learning.

00:32:03.208 –> 00:32:06.288
But those kind of things we see changing a lot.

00:32:06.318 –> 00:32:14.328
I mean, the way they set up cafeterias, things of that nature, you know, hey, we have the box, but it’s awesome to see what, what people are doing differently.

00:32:14.578 –> 00:32:17.068
Um, and it even goes into, like, flooring and lighting.

00:32:17.148 –> 00:32:17.418
Katie Jubenville: Yeah.

00:32:17.738 –> 00:32:19.638
Matt Wark: Every piece now matters.

00:32:19.988 –> 00:32:22.568
Um, the flooring just changes the way the room feels.

00:32:23.008 –> 00:32:28.878
Uh, you know, the lighting, uh, we try to move to a more of an LED lighting, and we’re always reminded that now it’s too bright.

00:32:29.238 –> 00:32:32.508
So now we’re looking at putting dimmers in, you know?

00:32:32.508 –> 00:32:36.878
And, and those are small things that we learn by making mistakes- Right … and always getting better.

00:32:37.218 –> 00:32:40.018
But the value of a dimmer to a teacher is shocking.

00:32:40.258 –> 00:32:40.618
You know?

00:32:40.618 –> 00:32:43.828
It’s like, but they can bring the mood down, and they, and they change that.

00:32:43.828 –> 00:33:00.692
And I think me being an, uh, an educator- You know, uh, in the classroom and, and administration, I think that’s helped kind of understand from a facility side, these small things just may be not thought about from a, brick-and-mortar side.

00:33:00.702 –> 00:33:02.922
But from an educator, it actually really matters.

00:33:02.952 –> 00:33:02.972
Yeah.

00:33:02.982 –> 00:33:04.872
It, it matters, those small details.

00:33:04.942 –> 00:33:09.072
Katie Jubenville: And those, those small changes can make really large changes- Huge

00:33:09.072 –> 00:33:09.422
Matt Wark: difference

00:33:09.442 –> 00:33:12.492
… Katie Jubenville: and then for the learning that goes on in that room.

00:33:12.502 –> 00:33:13.702
Matt Wark: But go back to what you said.

00:33:13.702 –> 00:33:13.722
Yeah.

00:33:13.732 –> 00:33:19.582
It also matters what teachers wanna come to Forsyth is because, hey, look, look what the opportunities I have.

00:33:19.592 –> 00:33:21.152
Look what I get as a teacher here.

00:33:21.152 –> 00:33:28.892
Look at the, look at the way they allow me to be my own teacher and set up my classroom the way I want, and things of that nature.

00:33:28.892 –> 00:33:33.472
You know, I know that’s cliche, but those things matter- Uh, right … when people come to an interview.

00:33:33.582 –> 00:33:33.942
Katie Jubenville: Yeah.

00:33:34.240 –> 00:33:41.090
That’s a probably a, a deal breaker for some- Sure … you know, whether they’re gonna choose Forsyth or another district.

00:33:41.580 –> 00:33:51.452
So on top of all of this that you’re, juggling and managing, you also are the president of, um, Georgia A4LE chapter.

00:33:51.872 –> 00:34:00.282
And from that vantage point, what trends are you seeing across the state in how districts are approaching facilities and learning environments?

00:34:00.735 –> 00:34:03.195
Matt Wark: and like I said before, I love being the president.

00:34:03.195 –> 00:34:04.905
I just love being a part of this organization.

00:34:04.905 –> 00:34:08.670
I have been for years, and I’m just very grateful to be part of the board.

00:34:09.084 –> 00:34:14.854
and, and being in the president role hasn’t changed my view at all about how things are, are done in the organization.

00:34:15.254 –> 00:34:21.584
It’s just an amazing partnership between business partners and school systems, because we all are different.

00:34:21.764 –> 00:34:26.884
Just like we talked about how school systems and teachers and everyone’s different, so are districts around the state.

00:34:26.884 –> 00:34:32.956
Like I mentioned before when I was in Baldwin County, their SPLOST over five years only brought in roughly $30 million.

00:34:33.296 –> 00:34:40.466
So that’s, over a five-year period, that sounds like a l- a lot of money, but it’s very m- small compared to some of the metro districts.

00:34:40.848 –> 00:34:46.468
but my passion about being, uh, the president of this organization is to reach all districts.

00:34:47.078 –> 00:34:49.538
180 districts, we all have needs.

00:34:49.618 –> 00:34:53.728
They’re all different, but they all mean the world to that district.

00:34:54.008 –> 00:35:01.638
I wanna be the type of person that helps business partners understand how to get in the door with a lot of districts.

00:35:01.638 –> 00:35:08.691
Since I have been in small districts and I’ve been in large districts, I think I bring that extra, piece to starting a conversation.

00:35:09.021 –> 00:35:17.851
Because a lot of our smaller districts, they have those needs and they’re terrified to talk to larger vendors or huge architects and things of that nature.

00:35:17.861 –> 00:35:17.881
Yeah.

00:35:17.891 –> 00:35:19.631
And what are your needs?

00:35:19.631 –> 00:35:22.321
Well, I just go up and talk to a furniture person.

00:35:22.971 –> 00:35:24.641
Like, what, how do I approach that?

00:35:24.911 –> 00:35:34.621
Because a lot of times in smaller districts, when I was the deputy superintendent, I oversaw teaching and learning, food and nutrition, transportation, special education, technology.

00:35:34.621 –> 00:35:35.651
I was over all of it.

00:35:36.008 –> 00:35:38.578
Tribunals, I did tribunals as the deputy superintendent.

00:35:38.608 –> 00:35:38.628
Yeah.

00:35:38.808 –> 00:35:43.098
And so again, those people are very limited in their resources.

00:35:43.118 –> 00:35:54.061
I am extremely blessed here in Forsyth County that I have, architects that know that avenue, and I have construction managers that know that avenue, and they just, they really take that on and that ownership.

00:35:54.411 –> 00:36:06.431
But as part of Georgia 4LE chapter is, that’s the avenue that we can have to build those bridges and help small districts, um, high poverty districts, d- you know, even metro districts.

00:36:06.751 –> 00:36:11.931
You know, I, I rag my neighboring counties a lot that if I had their SPLOST dollars, I could do so much.

00:36:11.941 –> 00:36:11.961
Yeah.

00:36:12.441 –> 00:36:12.911
You know?

00:36:13.211 –> 00:36:20.231
Like, the Gwinnett counties and the Cobbs and the Fultons, but they have 150 schools, 100 and some thousand students.

00:36:20.251 –> 00:36:26.991
So everyone’s needs are very relative to what they, what they need as a partnership.

00:36:27.331 –> 00:36:34.005
But most importantly my piece about Georgia 4LE is I want people to be resources.

00:36:34.625 –> 00:36:38.745
It’s not about getting a job or I got this contract.

00:36:39.175 –> 00:36:43.725
I can tell you right now, I have built such amazing relationships with the vendors that we work with.

00:36:44.025 –> 00:36:48.015
I can pick up the phone at any point in time and call them, and it’s not even their job.

00:36:48.675 –> 00:36:56.300
And I can say, “Hey, what do you think? Give me an opinion.” To me, those vendors that just wanna help school systems are the ones that get the work.

00:36:56.620 –> 00:36:56.730
Yeah.

00:36:56.770 –> 00:37:05.620
And, and it’s important to me to build those relationships, and I tell them, you know, school systems and hospitals don’t have, you know, recessions.

00:37:06.280 –> 00:37:08.010
So we’re al- kids are always coming.

00:37:08.256 –> 00:37:10.296
you know, you’re ready or not, here they come.

00:37:10.690 –> 00:37:13.910
So it’s very important that you build a relationship of resources.

00:37:14.420 –> 00:37:23.010
Sometimes, I’ll just use as the flooring contractor may be happy that they got a job and didn’t get this one or got the next one, but I can pick up the phone.

00:37:23.170 –> 00:37:26.750
Everyone that I work with is so happy and say, “Hey, what’s new in your world?

00:37:26.790 –> 00:37:40.030
Can you tell me?” Or, “I have this problem with moisture,” or, “I have this problem with this.” They say, “Well, let us come look and
just take, and just give you an opinion.” To me, that’s what Georgia 4LE is all about, is creating those partnerships and those resources.

00:37:40.390 –> 00:37:43.430
School systems are there to teach kids.

00:37:44.120 –> 00:37:46.170
So when it comes to facilities, we need help.

00:37:46.260 –> 00:37:52.130
99% of the time, it’s probably a little high, but 99% of the time, those are educators.

00:37:52.540 –> 00:37:56.250
They’re all about teaching kids, teaching them different things, you know, about life.

00:37:56.270 –> 00:37:59.150
They don’t know what flooring and lighting is available.

00:37:59.160 –> 00:37:59.280
Yeah.

00:37:59.710 –> 00:38:07.550
So if you’re not building new schools, Georgia 4LE provides that avenue that says, “Hey, I haven’t built a new school in 25 years.

00:38:07.810 –> 00:38:11.570
What are you talking about there’s new flooring?” Or, “Wait a minute, what is this new furniture?

00:38:11.590 –> 00:38:12.910
Like, there’s a high top table.

00:38:12.910 –> 00:38:13.480
Are you crazy?

00:38:13.520 –> 00:38:22.400
I don’t know what that is.” So again, Georgia 4LE is that bridge to say, “Hey, here’s an avenue to say, ‘See what’s out there.'” See what’s, you know, you can always visit.

00:38:22.410 –> 00:38:23.920
We love to visit each other.

00:38:24.056 –> 00:38:27.916
that’s my favorite part about my position, is we call each other every single day.

00:38:28.316 –> 00:38:37.026
We talk to each other, “Hey, who was your vendor for this? How did they do? Um, did they disappear after they got done?” Those kind of conversations are who we wanna work with.

00:38:37.329 –> 00:38:40.869
I love that part of Georgia 4LE because it just kind of spreads that wealth.

00:38:40.869 –> 00:38:43.149
Even though you may not be growing, you still have needs.

00:38:43.749 –> 00:38:44.179
Katie Jubenville: For sure.

00:38:44.179 –> 00:38:49.279
And it’s, you touched on this a little bit, but if you… I’m gonna ask you to pull one thing out of all that.

00:38:49.279 –> 00:38:49.679
Mm-hmm.

00:38:49.679 –> 00:38:57.779
So if you could give one piece of advice to another facility leader in a district that maybe hasn’t seen the kind of growth- Mm

00:38:57.779 –> 00:39:05.219
that you’ve seen, but they’re starting to really see some growth in their district, and what would that piece of advice be to, to that person?

00:39:05.450 –> 00:39:05.630
Matt Wark: Patience.

00:39:05.680 –> 00:39:06.253
Honestly, just take your time.

00:39:08.594 –> 00:39:11.204
I’ve learned that the hard way in a l- a lot of things that I’ve done.

00:39:11.341 –> 00:39:19.062
it’s so easy to just pull the trigger and make a decision because it, it stops your brain from fixating on it for that minute.

00:39:19.682 –> 00:39:28.182
Long-term, though, you may be solving problem A, but you’re creating problem B, C, and D. So in my op- my opinion, just have patience with it.

00:39:28.232 –> 00:39:39.842
I mean, I could tell you that, you know, so many things I would, I would wanna teach somebody, but, but ultimately just think through decisions about what will happen in over here if I make this decision.

00:39:39.842 –> 00:39:49.842
You know, especially for a school system like mine, if I make the decision for one elementary school, I’ve got 22 other ones that are gonna say, “What about me?” So you have to kind of bridge that a little bit.

00:39:49.916 –> 00:39:54.756
but that is the first thing I would tell someone new in facilities is just be careful.

00:39:54.796 –> 00:39:56.036
Just take your time.

00:39:56.396 –> 00:39:57.186
Think through.

00:39:57.456 –> 00:40:01.146
It’s okay to tell somebody, “I’ll get back to you on that.”

00:40:01.566 –> 00:40:01.716
Katie Jubenville: Yeah.

00:40:01.756 –> 00:40:02.576
Matt Wark: That’s okay.

00:40:02.626 –> 00:40:06.346
Now, don’t take a week or two to get back with them or research things.

00:40:06.746 –> 00:40:13.866
But patience will help you survive, uh, in this, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a metro district or a small district.

00:40:14.326 –> 00:40:26.379
Just patience, because you will have to answer to your community, to your teachers, to your staff, to everyone, your taxpayers, ’cause believe it or not, you have people living in your community that don’t have kids in the district.

00:40:26.659 –> 00:40:28.859
So they have skin in the game as well.

00:40:28.879 –> 00:40:30.939
So they’re always gonna wanna ask questions.

00:40:31.159 –> 00:40:32.379
So take your time.

00:40:32.379 –> 00:40:34.409
So to me, patience is that word that I would

00:40:36.535 –> 00:40:36.595
Katie Jubenville: push on anybody.

00:40:36.595 –> 00:40:39.785
That, that’s, it sound, seems like perfect advice.

00:40:39.795 –> 00:40:43.035
So Matt, this has been such a great conversation.

00:40:43.115 –> 00:40:52.865
Um, before we wrap up, is there anything happening in Forsyth County that you want our listeners to keep an eye on, or that we haven’t touched on that you wanna share?

00:40:53.165 –> 00:40:53.595
Matt Wark: Sure.

00:40:53.635 –> 00:41:03.415
Um, you know, we kinda touched on a few projects that are coming up for us, but honestly, I would love for people to know that we’re always here for them, to come and see our facilities.

00:41:03.415 –> 00:41:11.235
We’re extremely fortunate to have so many newer facilities, um, because of the, because of our growth over the fa- past few years.

00:41:11.585 –> 00:41:14.705
Um, so I would love for people to know that about Forsyth.

00:41:14.705 –> 00:41:25.295
A lot of people see our graduation scores and things of that nature, SAT, ACTs, but look at our overall, you know, our facilities and our makeup of all of our schools.

00:41:25.685 –> 00:41:27.755
Like I talked about the veterinary clinic, you know?

00:41:27.765 –> 00:41:27.785
Yeah.

00:41:27.795 –> 00:41:34.015
Those, those are things that people just don’t see in a public education, uh, setting.

00:41:34.255 –> 00:41:46.874
So I would say we may not be growing as fast as we always have, but we have so much to show and be able to offer other communities and around the state, or anywhere across the country.

00:41:46.904 –> 00:41:49.444
Our CTA department presents across the country.

00:41:49.804 –> 00:41:53.914
Uh, we’re always, we’re part of different consortiums across the country to go and see.

00:41:54.254 –> 00:41:55.774
Uh, I think that’s a huge value.

00:41:55.774 –> 00:42:00.834
I love to be a part of those, ’cause I love to go to other states and see what we’re missing.

00:42:00.844 –> 00:42:00.864
Yeah.

00:42:00.874 –> 00:42:03.134
Because is this only in the southeast, you know?

00:42:03.134 –> 00:42:05.014
We’re kinda down in a corner down here.

00:42:05.314 –> 00:42:07.484
Um, is, is someone doing something better?

00:42:07.814 –> 00:42:11.584
Uh, so it’s always important, but to me, that’s what I would tell people, is come see us.

00:42:11.874 –> 00:42:13.074
We have a lot to offer.

00:42:13.114 –> 00:42:17.004
Uh, we would love to show you around and, you know, get your feedback as well.

00:42:18.014 –> 00:42:20.064
Katie Jubenville: Thanks so much for being here, Matt.

00:42:20.074 –> 00:42:27.578
For our listeners, if you want to learn more about Forsyth County Schools or connect with Matt, you definitely can reach out to him.

00:42:27.618 –> 00:42:31.088
And uh, Matt, what’s the best way for people to reach you if they want to- Uh

00:42:31.088 –> 00:42:31.708
to reach you?

00:42:31.868 –> 00:42:37.318
Matt Wark: The best way is go on our website, uh, Forsyth County Schools, and just make sure that w- you’re dealing with Georgia.

00:42:37.318 –> 00:42:42.118
There is a Forsyth County, uh, in North Carolina, but we’re in North Georgia.

00:42:42.171 –> 00:42:45.031
And I would love for people to reach out to me through email.

00:42:45.211 –> 00:42:46.591
My phone number’s on there.

00:42:46.621 –> 00:42:48.771
Um, anything you wanna do, leave me a message.

00:42:49.091 –> 00:42:52.441
I take pride in calling people back, ’cause I love to tell our story.

00:42:52.471 –> 00:42:56.151
I love to walk people through that, um, and love to hear from you.

00:42:56.151 –> 00:42:56.501
I

00:42:56.571 –> 00:43:05.417
Katie Jubenville: mean, and your, your passion and your dedication to your district is clearly, obvious and evident just through the, our short conversation today.

00:43:05.427 –> 00:43:11.737
And again, I’m so thankful to be able to spend the afternoon learning more about Forsyth County and your role here.

00:43:12.207 –> 00:43:17.827
And thank you for tuning in, listeners, to the Better Learning Podcast, and we’ll see you next time.

00:43:18.027 –> 00:43:18.447
Thank you.

00:43:20.340 –> 00:43:24.800
The Better Learning Podcast is produced by Matt Rogers and edited by Kelly Jones.

00:43:25.480 –> 00:43:34.850
The views and opinions shared on this podcast are those of the individuals speaking and do not necessarily represent the perspectives of their affiliated companies, organizations, or associations.