Published: March 19, 2008 03:36 pm            

Committee makes latest report on county schools

An updated Department of Education report on Fayette County’s secondary schools provided findings on progress made thus far and proffered advice on where to go from here in extricating the county from its emergency status and avoiding a takeover by the state school board.

A three-member team from the state schools superintendent’s Center for 21st Century Schools — composed of Chuck Heinlein, David Price and Donna Peduto — visited all six Fayette County high schools between Jan. 24 and Feb. 7 to reach its conclusions. The report was issued last week.

Approximately 60 teachers, 90 students and all building administrators were interviewed, and observations took place in over 40 classrooms. The visits were intended to ascertain progress made by the county since last November and report back to the state Office of Education Performance Audits.

According to the March report, the November follow-up report noted progress in achievement, curriculum, teacher and principal internship, and leadership. Little progress was noted in the graduation category.

This time, the team focused its efforts on achievement, graduation, curriculum, professional development, personnel and leadership.

“The will and desire to implement these recommendations is present at the central office administrative level as well as the building level administrators,” the team concluded.

But the report went on to chastise Fayette school board members for placing “their personal agendas and biases” above “the improvement of the Fayette County school system for all children.” Central office leadership, the report added, “is committed to improving education for all children in Fayette County schools.”

As the report noted, political will must be present to address the issues facing educational infrastructure.

“When reviewing staffing needs and personnel over formula, it is clear that resources at the secondary level are spread very thin among six high schools.”

The team also urged action to “adequately address personnel staffing needs in guidance, special education and math. Professional development must receive adequate attention. In essence, many needs are present at the secondary level with inadequate resources to address them due to the allocation of funds at numerous sites.”

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In the area cited by OEPA as showing little progress last November — graduation — the team offered short-term and long-term recommendations. The former included encouraging parental involvement, clarifying expectations at each level and reducing anxiety for developmental change.

The suggestion was offered that schools develop attendance incentive programs targeted at the middle-school population in secondary schools that have middle school grade levels. The scheduling of regular meetings with counselors was also advised.

Long-term recommendations entailed defining the responsibilities of the school administration regarding attendance procedures, establishing accountability protocol at the district level, identifying middle school students who are at-risk of dropping out and establishing adviser-advisee programs at each school.

“Mathematics performance was significantly low,” the report observed, in the area of achievement. It emphasized principals and county office staff “must be visible” in the classrooms and in schools.

Regarding professional development, “evaluate the remaining professional development schedule to assess the number of days that instructors (particularly math instructors) will be out of the classroom.”

Schools should also “incorporate leadership training into a summer county program.”

The findings showed that only two high school principals in the county have more than two years’ experience. Most of the assistant principals, it was demonstrated, have less than two years’ experience.

Guidance counselors should have the opportunity to visit other schools in the state “to address graduation rate, college readiness, college enrollment rate and AP class promotion.”

Under the category of personnel, the team advocated the termination of the position of facilitator at county schools, citing the potential for placing the county school board “in a position of liability” when principals assign administrative and disciplinary duties to them.

The report noted six mathematics teaching vacancies at the secondary level. While recommending those be filled, it advised that all substitutes for those positions should be “mathematics-certified.”

The possibility exists that there could be 13 open math positions in the county next year. Recruiting efforts in that realm “must be stepped up by enlarging the area that Fayette County recruits potential teachers.” In addition, “any consolidation of guidance services would be beneficial.”

In terms of curriculum, AP and honors classes have increased in number. Enrollment for college-bound students decreased in English but increased in math. “Overall, the percentage of (college-bound) students enrolled in all developmental courses was at 49.4 percent.”

According to the team, the “rigor of instruction and the expectations for student achievement must be present pervasively throughout the school in order for increased student achievement.”

When it comes to the county school board itself, OEPA recommends members receive training in meeting management, “especially in terms of effective corporate board operations, county board executive sessions and how to handle personnel issues that may arise in meetings or which may be placed on the county board agendas.”

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Fayette Superintendent Chris Perkins issued a statement Tuesday regarding the March 11 OEPA report.

“The system will be able to implement many of the recommendations in the short-term, while others will take some time,” he stated.

“Central office and school administrators look forward to working with the Fayette County Board of Education, schools, parents, students, community and the (state Department of Education) as we move Fayette County’s schools forward.”

For more information or to obtain an electronic copy of the report in its entirety, contact the state Department of Education’s communications office at 558-2699.

— E-mail: mhill@register-herald.com

        

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