Tells PTA In State Of The Schools That Upping Graduation Rate Is High Priority
posted October 14, 2009
Hamilton County School Supt. Dr. Jim Scales said Wednesday that it will be difficult to further consolidate smaller county schools.
"We have done almost as much as we can" with consolidation, Dr. Scales said in the annual State of the Schools Address to the Hamilton County Council of PTAs.
He said some of the schools may be small, but he said, "Generally they are filled with students and you wouldn't have any place to move them to."
Dr. Scales said he favors a program of building new, larger, more efficient schools to replace the small, outdated ones.
The superintendent also said that improving the graduation rate is a high priority.
He said the current county school rate is 71, which he said is higher than the national average but not by much.
Dr. Scales said with standards continuing to rise, the county schools need to reach a 90 percent rate. But he indicated that "will be very challenging for us to reach."
He said one problem school officials are working on is the fact that some students are already 16 or 17 when they reach high school.
The superintendent said the schools "won't get into social promotions," but he said the schools may no longer allow students to take kindergarten over.
He said a student who does so and then may have to repeat another grade gets on a track not to graduate until age 20 or more.
Dr. Scales said the school system may face another large budget deficit next year - around $12.5 million. He said, "We will find a way to deal with it," though he said the system can't afford to continue cutting personnel, including teachers and those left in the central office.
He said county writing scores are at the highest level ever.
Dr. Scales said the school system is offering a guaranteed teaching job to any student in the top 10 percent who chooses to come back to the system after college.
He said two math majors have already indicated they plan to take him up on the offer.
| Dining Out | Business | Movies | Focus | About Us |
| Church | Living Well | Memories | Outdoors | Real Estate | Student Scene | Travel |
