Those present at the meeting were Jim Mammen,
board president; Darrel Vermeire, board vice president; Reatha Owen,
board secretary; board members Jim Allen, Mark Aughton and Marianne
Krusz; Robert Bagby, LCHS superintendent; Rhonda Hyde, vice
principal; and Bret Hitchings, LTEC director.Title I: A
federal school improvement plan
Bagby elaborated on his goals for the Title I plan. The first is
to see a 5 percent increase in Prairie State Achievement Examination
scores in mathematics. The second goal is a similar increase in
reading scores. The third is to work toward providing greater aid
for homeless students.
There is a new requirement for schools receiving Title I
assistance. This year, LCHS has to begin offering supplemental
educational services, or SES classes. There are businesses around
the country that provide tools and classes to help districts
increase test scores, and a list of those businesses is provided to
the school.
A problem arises concerning SES classes. They are not
transferable in any way, nor do they provide credit toward
graduation. This is not a school decision; federal law prevents the
courses from counting for anything. As a result, students will not
be so willing to take these courses. The classes focus more on study
skills and test-taking rather than specific areas of study.
It was suggested that the school take advantage of the new
wireless computers in the school and use the money from the grant to
keep the computer labs open before and after school. This could also
benefit students taking online credit recovery courses.
Another problem comes from the smaller amount of funds available.
The school will not be able to cover all of the students who could
benefit from SES. A screening process would have to be put in place
to determine which students would benefit the most.
The discussion concerning Title I came to a close with the last
goal of the board.
"We are going to review the plan this year and bring it back for
approval," said Bagby.
On a final note, Reatha Owen said that some school districts are
turning down the Title I funds because of the strings that come
along with the money. Bagby said LCHS will not be doing that, as it
would affect other grants as well.
Updating policies
The board approved a document on athletic code violations. This
was the second reading, and little was said other than an approval
of the revisions.
On the topic of revisions, several small changes were made to
various policies at LCHS. "In some cases, one word," said Bagby when
asked what the changes were. The updated policies were made in
regard to a variety of small items. "Everything from food service to
movable soccer goal safety to bus conduct to student records --
things like that," said Bagby.