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News BIT pushing for wireless broadband by next year09/09/10 - 7:31 am
Supervisors heard a brief report Tuesday evening from Mickey L. Sims, General Manager of Buggs Island Telephone Cooperative (BIT), who discussed the company’s push to extend wireless broadband throughout Halifax…
Passenger in pick-up injured09/09/10 - 7:30 am
A 19 year old passenger in a pick-up truck was injured and transported for treatment early Tuesday morning after the driver of the 2004 Ford F150 ran off the right…
Highway safety better over holiday09/09/10 - 7:29 am
Virginia’s highways proved to be considerably safer over the 2010 Labor Day weekend than in 2009. Last year over the holiday weekend 14 people lost their lives in traffic crashes…
Sports Richmond critical to Hamlin’s Chase bid09/08/10 - 1:51 pm
Denny Hamlin will walk through the gates at Richmond International Raceway Friday morning locked into NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup title and currently 10th in the standings.
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News Halifax County school class sizes slated to rise
SoVaNow.com / March 11, 2010
The Halifax County School Board agreed Monday to expand classroom sizes next year in tandem with new state rules that allow more students per classroom.The trustees also received a final report on the success of the H1N1 vaccination effort made through the school system and approved a request for the pre-Labor Day early opening of schools for the 2010-2011 school year. But it was the revised classroom sizes that brought out the most debate Monday. According to the code of the Virginia School Board Association, the pupil-teacher ratio in kindergarten classes will be allowed to go as high as 24 to 1, with no classes of more than 29 students. Currently, K-1 class sizes in Halifax County schools range from 18-21 students. If the average daily membership in any kindergarten class exceeds 24 pupils, a full-time teacher’s aide will be assigned to the class. In grades one, two and three, pupil-teacher ratios will be allowed to rise to 24 to 1, with no class larger than 30 students. The current pupil-teacher ratio in grades 2-3 is 19-23 students. In grades four through six, the classroom ratio will be allowed to rise as high as 25 to 1, with no class of more than 35 students. Currently, grades 4-6 have classroom size limits of 20-25 students. The pupil-teacher ratio in English classes in grades 6-12 will allowed to rise to 24 to 1 under the new guidelines. In addition, the School Board will assign instructional personnel in such a manner as to produce higher school-wide pupil-teacher ratios at the middle school and high school level. The new target is 21 students out of the average daily membership for every one full-time equivalent teaching position. The School Board will consider adding teacher aides or additional teachers when class sizes exceed targeted levels. That continues a policy that was adopted on November 11, 2002. Trustees adopted the VSBA code revisions on a 7-1 vote, with ED#6 member Fay Satterfield opposing the change. Satterfield, a retired teacher and guidance counselor, said after the Monday night meeting that she felt the larger classroom size could be very detrimental to both the students and their teachers. Another VSBA Code amendment that raised concerns on the School Board deals with staff hiring procedures. Satterfield and ED4 Trustee Joe Gasperini said they need assurances that current employees of the division will be given an opportunity to apply for positions for which they are qualified. Satterfield and Gasperini also asked that vacancies within the division be advertised on the internet, in each school and in the central office. They were assured by Deputy School Superintendent Larry Clark that the VSBA Code calls for such procedures. The Board also voted to drop the retirement age from 58 to 55 if employees have sufficient years of service. In other business, Clark praised the efforts of Dr. Charles Devine of the local Health Department for his emphasis on providing the free vaccinations for all Halifax County students and school employees. Clark said almost 44 percent of the county’s elementary students received at least one dose of the influenza vaccine, with 929 elementary students receiving a second dose. Nearly 30 percent of middle school students — about 400 overall — received the vaccine. A total of 435 high school students, about 24 percent, participated in the vaccine program. Devine pointed out that the Halifax County public schools were the first to enter into an agreement with the Health Department to carry out the vaccinations, and he was “overwhelmed with the cooperation of school officials and employees. “We made much progress,” Devine said, noting that the rate of absenteeism showed a definite decline as the shots were administered. “But I’m still advising people to get the vaccine which is given without charge at the local Health Department.” He thanked Melanie Stanley, who coordinated the schedule for the shots along with Nurse Manager Sylvia Briggs-Judkins, who along with staff nurses, carried out the inoculations. In requesting the pre-Labor Day opening for the schools, Clark said assistant superintendent Joe Griles, who headed the scheduling calendar committee, has assured him that teachers wanted the early August opening day. He explained that the school system must average 8 or more instructional days missed in five of the past ten years due to inclement weather, energy shortages, power failure or other emergency situations. in order to qualify for the early openings. He noted that Halifax County schools are averaging nine missed days over five of the past ten years. Tell-a-Friend | Submit a Comment Halifax News
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