Dillon District 3 board approves restructuring plan for schools

The development of a restructuring plan for Latta Middle and Latta High schools has been approved by members of Dillon School District 3 Board of Trustees.

During its most recent regular meeting, the board of the Latta-based school district gave authorization for the administration to draft a proposed restructuring plan for both the middle and high school levels.

The restructuring plan itself has not been approved yet.

Superintendent Dr. John Kirby said district officials are looking at combining the administrations of the middle and high school levels in an effort to provide better programming at the schools.

“Our focus is going to be looking at the possibility of restructuring our guidance services, so they can spend more time on careers for our students, and with our parents,” Kirby said. “(We’re) also looking at combining library services to improve them so we’re doing more to turn those media specialists into resource specialists.

“With the anticipation of receiving our IB (International Baccalaureate) certification next year, we’re looking at also (increasing the rigor) across the curriculum, particularly 7-12,” he said. “We think it might be better if it was under the leadership of one administration rather than two separate ones.”

The plan would call for the district to move away from a middle school concept to a junior high school concept, Kirby said.

“The philosophy of a junior high school is we’re going to do everything to prepare every student (in the seventh and eighth grade) for high school. We have come to the realization that, for us, the middle school model is not working as well as folks had hoped it would,” he said. “That’s not a reflection on any of the staff, but it’s a reality that all middle schools in South Carolina and all middle schools across the nation just don’t seem to be working when you look at test scores.

“We think it’s an opportunity for us to improve programming. Anytime that we see where we think we can improve programming for students and make it more efficient and effective, we have to present
that to our board for consideration.”

That means the structure for all the schools, in two years, would be 4K through second grade at the early childhood center, grades 3 through 6 at the elementary school and grades 7 through 12 at the high school.

The high school principal would be the administrator for the 7-12 high school and the middle school principal would become the director of the district’s International Baccalaureate program.

Both schools are on the same campus and are separated by a gymnasium.

Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students also take courses at the high school. Those courses would include such electives as band, chorus, dance, drama and art.

Kirby said the district’s goal is to increase the rigor, which school officials have been doing, particularly at the early childhood and elementary levels.

The administration has been planning for the restructure for the past four or five years, he said.

Additional staff were added to all school levels a few years ago. Now, it has come to the point where additional resources are needed at the early childhood center.

Kirby said restructuring the middle and high schools would allow for some of those staff members to work at the early childhood center.

If the plan is approved, the 2009-10 school year would be a pilot or transition year. Grades 6 through 8 still will be grouped together, but under one administrator.

The year after that, sixth grade would move to the elementary school and the new early childhood center should be completed.

The restructuring might save the district some money, but the focus is on improving programming, Kirby said.

The board’s next regular meeting is 6:30 p.m. April 7 at Latta Middle School, 602 N. Richardson St., Latta.