City Government Runs Charter-School System
Pembroke Pines, Florida - Pembroke Pines has found a unique
solution to the problem of overcrowded classrooms. They have created the
first city-operated K-12 charter-school system in the nation. Serving
4,250 students selected countywide by lottery, the campus operates on less
than half the money used to run district schools. All the books are new.
Each classroom has at least six computers All teachers have their own room
and class size is capped at 25. The school system is operated by the city,
which saves administration fees. The city comptroller oversees their
budget and the city payroll department takes care of paychecks. The
savings that result from using city departments that are already in place
to run school departments makes this system more cost effective than its
district counterpart. Amalia Pares-Pomerantz, principal of the system's
high school, predicted that her school will one day be tops in the nation.
February 2003
District Revamps Summer School
Barrington, Illinois - District 220 plans to
improve their summer program by adding more courses and attracting quality
teachers. Summer school principal John Roncone said that he plans on
including courses that were requested last year that were not available
such as honors physics, psychology, introduction to business and
marketing, film criticism and Spanish II. The improvements depend upon
being able to attract teachers to create these courses. Teachers will be
recruited from inside district as well as from neighboring districts.
February 2003
High School May Divide Into Smaller Units
Warren, Ohio - A plan is being considered to
divide Warren G, Harding High School into four smaller high schools.
Principal William Mullane has been appearing before civic organizations to
ask them to participate in determining what the new public schools should
be like. The end result is to turn this large, impersonal school into a
number of smaller, more personalized ones.
February 2003
Reading Aces Win Courtside Seats
Desert Sands, California - Students in the Desert
Sands Unified and the Palm Springs Unified School Districts as well as the
Marywood Country Day School in Rancho Mirage are participating in a
Reading Aces program. This program encourages children to read outside the
classroom by providing free tickets to the Pacific Life Tennis Tournament
for any student who reads two books by February 28th. Vince Downey,
headmaster at Marywood, said that it was another way to reward students
for reading as well as a way to expose children to
February 2003
Bringing The Generations Together
Bonne Terre, Missouri - North County's Family,
Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) hosted an
intergenerational lunch for Bonne Terre High School students and their
grandparents. The fifth hour advanced meals class prepared and served the
food. Principal Ron McCutchen said that FCCLA was one organization that
promoted community involvement and didn't exclude students because of
grades or activities.
February 2003
Make Earth Day Every Day
Toledo, Ohio - Students in Waterville Primary
School are involved in program to learn about paper recycling which is
part of the school's effort to make students aware that Earth Day should
be every day of the year. Principal Amy Miller said the children were
truly passionate about the program because it was their initiative.
Students in each classroom will place paper that can be recycled in bins
that are positioned in every classroom. On Thursday of each week, the
student council makes the rounds of the classrooms and empties the bins.
February 2003
Unlocking Hope
Golden, Colorado - Metro Academy houses 203
teenage boys doing time for crimes ranging from burglary and armed robbery
to sexual assault and attempted murder. Having spent most of their time
behind bars, these students attend classes, workshops and sessions with
therapists and caseworkers. The staff has now added a sports program to
the school in an attempt to create as normal a high school environment as
possible. I t is the belief that putting these students in this type of
setting will encourage them to rekindle some of their lost dreams and
ambitions and keep them from returning to jail.
February 2003