Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 18, 1991 TAG: 9103180186
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ROCKY MOUNT LENGTH: Medium
The School Board is considering a proposed alternative-education center, where students could stay in school by spending less than five hours each week in the classroom.
Some students even could receive a small stipend for staying enrolled in a proposed school-work cooperative.
William Owings, principal at Franklin County High School, said the center would enable staff to consolidate all dropout-prevention programs under one roof.
"While Franklin County public schools currently address this problem, it has been somewhat of a shotgun approach," Owings wrote in a 19-page program presented to the School Board last week.
The dropout problem is woven into the fabric of Franklin County, where industries such as agriculture, textiles and furniture traditionally have placed little importance on a high school diploma.
Some 150 children quit school every year, costing the county several hundred thousand dollars in state education aid.
The proposed Individually Designed Educational Alternative Center would seek to keep up to 125 potential dropouts, taking them out of the classroom and placing them on one of three alternative-education tracks.
Students would learn rudimentary math and English, gain vocational skills or get work experience.
School Superintendent Len Gereau said that while some students may not be cut out for a high school diploma, the IDEA Center could give them knowledge and training for a productive life.
"School is not for all kids," Gereau said. "What we've got to do is to find alternatives that fit the children."
The IDEA Center - patterned after programs in Lynchburg, Pulaski County and Henrico County - would offer three tracks:
Alternative classes. This program would be similar to Franklin County High School's current night school program in which students who already have left school can earn credits for a diploma or study for the General Educational Development exam. Flexible hours would be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Basic vocational classes. This program would be aimed at students whose attendance record and poor achievement suggest they may drop out of school. Students would take two hours of basic academic classes each afternoon and vocational classes from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Performance-based classes. This program is designed for students with the most chronic attendance, behavior and achievement problems. Students would take two hours of basic courses in the morning, followed by three hours of work experience in the afternoon.
The third track would encourage students to stay in school by paying them a small cash stipend. Students would be paid up to $15 a week for working in jobs in the school system, community groups or local industries.
"While the stipend is small, it is designed to promote and encourage needed job skills, such as dependability and reliability," according to the IDEA Center proposal.
Gereau has included $15,300 in the proposed 1991-92 school budget to cover the stipends.
The program, however, would more than pay for itself through state education aid that is tied to a school division's enrollment.
For example, 15 co-op students could earn up to $9,112 next year. But the school system would receive an extra $36,000 by keeping the 15 students in school - a net revenue gain of $26,887, according to the center proposal.
Owings said the key to success is making sure that the IDEA Center is not seen as a "dumping ground" for disruptive students.
Students who want to get into the center will have to fill out an application and go through an interview process. Gereau said applications will give students the feeling that the center is a special opportunity.
"I want it to have a little class to it, where the child is going to have to be accepted," he said.
Gereau said he is negotiating to lease a building off campus to give the center a "community college-type atmosphere."
The curriculum will be tailored to each student. For instance, a boy learning plumbing will be given reading assignments involving his chosen trade.
Students will learn at their own pace on computer-aided programs. If they master skills quickly, they can earn credits without spending the entire year in class, Gereau said.
Gereau said the county could finance the program with existing resources, grants and $80,000 in dropout-prevention money from the state.
The program could be run by three teachers, who would be reassigned from other duties. Owings said two teachers already have expressed an interest in the program.
The School Board is expected to make a decision about the IDEA Center at a special meeting scheduled today.
Gereau will recommend a site and current programs that could be scaled back or eliminated so resources could be reallocated to the center.
"We think it will bring about success for kids not having much success," he said.
by CNB