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I-SS school board gets up to speed
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Published: December 2, 2008
Iredell-Statesville Schools administrators brought Board of Education members up to speed on a number of issues, ranging from scores on end-of-grade reading tests to the need for mid-year budget cuts during a meeting Monday night.
Reading Scores
Chief Academic Officer Melanie Taylor provided details of test scores.
In third through eighth grade, 63.8 percent of I-SS students scored proficient while the state average was 56.7 percent.
Opportunities for improvement include reaching the 36 percent of students who didn't score proficient, bringing up the 12 schools that scored below state average, and two schools that didn't make Adequate Yearly Progress because of reading scores, she said.
Board member Bill Brater said there are things to celebrate and also things to work on.
"I'm just kind of sideways with the feds putting expectations on us without getting into the trenches and seeing what's reasonable and what's not reasonable," he said.
Budget Cuts
As reported last week in the R&L, Superintendent Terry Holliday has created a list of possible budget cuts. This was done in an effort to address a directive from the state to return $859,400 to Raleigh because of a projected state budget shortfall.
A few of those items include the elimination of summer school, returning funding for 16 positions to the state or some variation there of, and putting a freeze on spending.
Brater said eliminating summer school next year is a good idea.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for saving," he said. "We haven't carved anything in stone, but we're doing what we have to do for now."
The board will vote on the proposed cuts, including the removal of summer school, during Monday's Board of Education meeting at 6 p.m. at the County Government Center.
Holliday asked board members to consider the suggestions or to come up with alternative ideas.
"If we don't do something now, next year's budget will be even harder," Holliday told the board.
Whatever route the school board and administrators choose, Holliday vows classrooms will not be disrupted.
"We don't anticipate any layoffs and we will not negatively impact the classroom," he said.
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