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| Graduation date sticks despite make-up days |
By: Sara Reid, Special to The Press
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Posted: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 9:03 pm
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Despite missing multiple days of school due to snow, high school graduation will take place at May 14 as originally planned.
During February’s meeting of the Weakley County School Board, Director of Schools Randy Frazier recommended tabling the issue of the graduation date as snow days still needed to be made up.
During the March monthly meeting held Thursday at Martin Elementary School, Frazier recommended a graduation date of May 21.
That recommendation, at the request of Weakley County School Board member Lindell Roney, was amended to keep graduation on May 14 as long as part-time support staff could make up the hours they missed in order to receive pay.
The amended motion carried unanimously.
“In my 22 years on the board, there have been only three instances of missing days like this,” Roney explained.
“I make a motion to forgive these three snow days and include a graduation date on May 14.”
Roney added that most teachers count on spring break days to plan for the next year and the days should not be taken away.
Numerous school board members agreed, but expressed concern in support staff being paid for the missed days.
Unlike the teachers, support staff workers are not paid for missed hours.
“I want to ask the board to allow part-time workers three days in which to make up the missed hours,” Frazier stated.
“I want to request doing productive things to help out support personnel. They are not paid for these days missed.”
In other business, the board voted to approve the school calendar for the 2010-2011 school year.
With few changes, including moving a parent teacher conference to Sept. 30 and adding a staff development day in October, the calendar stays close to the previous year.
Board member Steve Vantrease reported that a planning session will take place from 8 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, March 24, at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Jesse Bryant and Daniel Wolford, Greenfield High baseball; Adam Bennett, Gleason baseball and Colin Lester, Westview baseball were hired as volunteer coaches.
Congratulations were extended to a number of SCOPE participants, Teacher of the Year winners and the school board for being named a board of distinction.
Additionally, congratulations were extended to Marvin Flatt for being named 2010 Career and Technical Education Director of the Year by the state.
Aside from the agenda, Frazier shared that a rough draft is in the works for a proposal for a more standardized dress policy.
Community meetings will be held during the month of March to further discuss ideas for local middle and high schools. No meeting dates have been set.
Finally, State Rep. Mark Maddox announced that the state of Tennessee has been named one of 16 finalists in the federal Race for the Top program for education.
The states are competing to receive a portion of $4.35 billion aimed at boosting underperforming schools.
The finalists are Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee.
A second round will take place in the summer.
The next meeting of the Weakley County School Board will take place at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 1 at the Weakley County Adult and Continuing Education Center.
WCP 3.09.10
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