A Cherokee County School District leader was recently named to a National advisory committee

Bobby Blount, Assistant Superintendent of Accountability, Technology and Strategic Planning, is a member of the 2016 RTM National K-12 Advisory Committee.

The New York-based RTM Business Group provides innovative and strategic platforms that allow senior business executives from the world's leading companies and select vertical markets to engage, network and exchange knowledge. RTM Education events are made up of school system senior administrators and superintendents responsible for making decision for the operations, technology and instruction at the District level. Annual forums bring industry peers together to discuss and address some of the most critical issues facing the K-12 community and public education today.

Assistant Superintendent Blount was one of 20 K-12 education professionals (who included chief information officers, chief technology officers and superintendents) invited to attend the 2016 RTM National K-12 Advisory Committee meeting in New York City earlier this month. The RTM Business Group paid the travel and lodging costs for participants.

Representatives from Washington State, Oklahoma, Florida, North and South Carolina, Nebraska, Colorado, Louisiana, Texas, Maryland, Arizona, California, New York and Washington, D.C. all participated and engaged in a full day of sharing successes, challenges and strategies in K-12 education technology, strategic planning and teacher skills development.

Its refreshing to gain a national perspective on not only technology trends, but also how technology is transforming the classroom through the adoption of digital content, and to hear how different districts are approaching this movement, said Mr. Blount, who has served in CCSDs Technology Department for 18 years.

Cherokee, Cobb and DeKalb counties represented Georgia at the conference.

This speaks volumes when you have 20 spaces nationwide, and three of the seats are taken by our State; it demonstrates that Georgia is being noticed as a State that is serious about preparing our children for a future where technology skills and knowledge will be just as important as the ability to effectively communicate, collaborate and strategize, Mr. Blount said. Our District is recognized nationally as a leader in effective technology use, integration and innovation, and the Cherokee County community, along with the Board of Education, have been vital in supporting the Education SPLOST, which completely funds the technology infrastructure our students and teachers utilize daily in the classroom.