School district presents adequate yearly progress data

FCSD3 Superintendent Beth Wright presented the 2007 No Child Left Behind AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress)  data during the board of trustees meeting on Nov. 13 in Scranton Elementary School’s media center.

The AYP data consist of the successes, challenges and plans of improvement at the schools.

According to the data, Lake City Elementary School met percent tested in all areas and met the attendance rate.

LCE’s challenge is students need to improve academically in all areas and need to improve their attendance rate, the data says.

Ronald E. McNair Middle School successes consist of meeting the objective for percentage tested in mathematics and English/language arts.

REMMS’s challenge is to improve students meeting performance objectives in all sub-groups in mathematics  and English/language arts, according to the data.

Some of Lake City High School’s successes were graduation rate increased from 58.7 percent to 69.9 percent.

The white subgroup and Black subgroup met the performance objective in both mathematics and English/language arts, the data says.

Some FCSD3 successes show the the achievement gap between the subgroup of white students and black students, those students on subsidized meals, and students with disabilities is improving at the same rate in the categories of Below Basic and Advanced/Proficient, the data says.

Some of their challenges consist of not meeting performance indexes for K-8 schools and no school district in South Carolina met AYP as a benchmark to model, according to the data.

“Our target is to always meet AYP,” Wright said explaining Scranton Elementary School Principal Angelia Scott was upset when they missed it by one point.

In other new business, Director of Facilities and Information Systems, Jay Alexander along with  Hal Fuller of FW Architects in Florence gave an update on the facilities project team.

He said recently construction work at Lake City High School such as new lighting, ceiling and fire alarm.

Fuller said he will report findings of the study to the board of trustees in January.

Senior Director of Finance, Donna Sullivan presented the meal request which was approved.

Communications Coordinator Brian Huckabee later said the price was $2.75 for an adult lunch, but were told by officials from the South Carolina State Department of Education to charge a minimum of $2.85.

A field trip was approved for Lake City High School ensemble to travel to Boston, Massachusetts on April 10-13 where students are planning to perform and see historical sites, according to a memorandum from Wright to the Board of Trustees.

The Lake City Community Theater requested to use the Blanding Street auditorium for the production of “The Whiz” on Feb. 28-29 and March 1-2., according to a letter from President Reveley W. Thomy to Wright.

Huckabee later said the request was approved.

Ronald E. McNair Middle School Assistant PrincipalJeanette Altman gave board members a flyer informing them of the school’s Academic and Character Awards Day on Nov. 16.

Altman said they will also have a Thanksgiving Dinner on that day as well.

In public comments, Barbara Shaw said she turned in a letter requesting a meeting to the Board of Trustees and did not get a response.

“You will hear from us,” McIntosh said.

The next Board of Trustees meeting will be Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. at the District Office on Blanding Street.