Work to do: Parshall Schools plan for future
By Jerry W. Kram
Oh the times they are a changing, so the old song goes, and the Parshall School District will change along with it.
The Parshall School Board held its biennial planning and public input meeting Tuesday. Every school is required by state law to create a three to five year plan and gather public input every other year. The school board will approve the plan at its June meeting and the plan will then be made available to the public.
Superintendent John Weidner outlined the draft report for the board. He said the school district’s curriculum is in compliance with state law. The school did miss its Annual Yearly Progress goal set by the No Child Left Behind law and will have to take some steps required by the law. Weidner said he has been talking to a consultant currently working with the Solon school district about doing professional development with Parshall’s teachers next fall. He said her work was having a positive impact in the Solon school.
Despite missing the AYP goals, Weidner said the district could be proud of its 90 percent plus graduation rate. He added that the figure doesn’t include students who transferred to other schools and then dropped out. He described the number of programs the school uses to help students recover credits they failed including the schools power hour program. He also described this year’s summer school program that will actually pay students to attend.
"They will get $10 an hour for three hours a day for four weeks," Weidner said. "The summer school will be held in Stanley and will concentrate on STEM classes – Science, Technology, English and Math."
The summer school is operated by the area Regional Education Agency and is open to any student who wants to participate.
