Officials postpone decision on contract for freshman program

By Lynn Hotaling

When Jackson County's Board of Commissioners agreed in June to fund approximately one-half of the $160,000 cost of Smoky Mountain High School's fledgling Freshman Framework program, commissioners stipulated that funding would be contingent on a signed agreement between county and school officials. Such an agreement should state that commissioners would not be obligated to provide funds to continue the program after this school year unless the freshman transition program results in "measurable reductions" in the county's dropout rates, board members said.

With a draft proposal in hand, members of the Jackson County Board of Education chose to postpone action rather than approve an agreement that sets forth measurable conditions - a decrease in freshman failure rate, decrease in freshman discipline referrals and end-of-course tests meeting expected growth - to ensure the program's continued funding.

School officials tabled the proposed contract after discussion that centered around the idea that many of the freshman transition program's aims are more intrinsic than measurable.

SMHS Principal Kenny Nicholson's example was a student who enters high school intending to mark time until he turns 16 and can drop out. If the Success Prep course, a key component of Freshman Framework, makes a difference and keeps that student in school, the program has achieved a goal but not one that can be quantified during its first year, Nicholson said.

"The key is going to be the students' additional one-on-one time with teachers," Nicholson said. "They'll have one teacher, then the other teacher and then both teachers together."

Freshman Framework will pair teams of teachers with students for a semester. English and civics teachers will teach Success Prep together as will math and science teachers. Freshmen will be enrolled in Success Prep all year and will have the class every other day. It will alternate with the students' health/physical education courses.

When school board member Ali Laird-Large asked Nicholson if he was "comfortable" with the draft proposal, the principal called it a "risk."

"We want to be successful, but some things aren't measurable," Nicholson said.

"(The proposed agreement) concerns me," said school board member Ray Trine. "(Commissioners) are saying 'We're going to give you some money but we're not sure you'll do a good job with it, so we'll have to come up with an agreement.'

"It's a bad precedent," said Trine. "If (commissioners) don't trust the board of education to use money wisely, then they shouldn't give us money."

Laird-Large agreed and suggested drafting a proposal that mandates a joint meeting of the two boards to evaluate Freshman Framework and discuss its first-year statistics, rather than signing an agreement that ties future funding to specific measures of the program's success.

"If (commissioners) are willing to do that, I think it would be great," said Nicholson of Laird-Large's proposal. "We could sit down with them and share information - we could show what worked and what needs improvement."

Commissioners pledged $82,500, contingent on a signed contract, to the SMHS freshman transition program, which necessitated the addition of four teaching positions at the 1,000-student school, said David Steinbicker, school system finance officer. A similar amount was appropriated from the school system's fund balance, he said.

In other business Monday:

- School officials tabled a decision on whether to continue on-site babysitting for teen mothers who are students at the School of Alternatives (The Hub), said Superintendent Mack McCary.

The Eclipse program at that school serves pregnant teens and teen mothers, McCary said. Before alternative programs were centralized at the old Scotts Creek School, teen mothers in the Eclipse program brought their infants to class with them, he said.

However, once all the groups were housed in the same building, it was less feasible for students to bring their babies, and an on-site babysitter was hired, McCary said.

Board members were concerned that the school system's liability insurance might not cover infants and toddlers, and agreed to discontinue the service until a determination concerning liability was made, McCary said.

In the meantime, the superintendent said late Tuesday that he had determined the schools' insurance would cover any children being cared for at the site.

Now that the liability question has been clarified, McCary said he intends to poll school board members to determine whether babysitting at The Hub could continue - at least on a temporary basis - in order to allow students with infants to return to classes.

Another concern is that only two infants can be cared for at any one time unless the school seeks and receives state day care accreditation, McCary said. Such a constraint limits the availability of child care for students at The Hub and could become a barrier for teen mothers seeking to continue their education, he said.

- School officials awarded a contract to run water and sewer lines to the old Scotts Creek School, which now houses the school system's alternative programs, to the low bidder, Jones Brothers Utilities Inc.

- In personnel action, board members approved the employment of the following:

Fairview - Andrea Smith, sixth-grade language arts; Lisa Dean, exceptional children: D'Ann Monge, after school assistant; and Natalie Knugly, art (part-time). Blue Ridge - Cynthia Wray, middle grade language arts.

Cullowhee Valley - Lori Wright, fifth-grade teacher.

SMHS - Brenda Bumgarner, health occupations; and Melissa Massey, English and SAT review (part-time).

School of Alternatives - Henderson Gilleland, cottage industry manager.

Countywide - Julie Ogletree, speech pathologist.

Approved as substitute teachers were Pat Newman, Sandra Deitz, Jamie Extine and Tom Dowell.

Approved as non-employee coaches were Stephanie Carson, soccer, Fairview; Ken Brown, soccer, CVS; Cynthia Gallinger, soccer, Scotts Creek; and Masashi Enomoto (intern), soccer assistant, Scotts Creek.

Approved as a bus driver was David Starr.

Resignations were accepted from: Frances Hess, health occupations, and Dorothy Cagle, child nutrition, both at SMHS; Amber Cabe, middle grade, CVS; Jason Farr, sixth grade, and Suzanne Shuler, after school assistant, both at Fairview; and Angie Smith, bus driver, SMES.

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