School Superintendent Alan Reed released the following letter to members of the press Friday afternoon in response to community rumors that an ag teacher position at the high school is being eliminated:
Members of the media:
Some misinformation is circulating regarding a replacement for an upcoming retirement in our Vocational Agriculture program at Adair County High School. I want to clear things up as much as possible.
The site-based decision-making council at Adair County High School will decide whether three (3) teachers are required in the Vocational Agriculture program, or whether two (2) will work in order to add a foreign language instructor, fine arts teacher, or a some other teaching position in the state assessed areas.
This decision shall be driven by the school’s CSIP (Comprehensive Schoolwide Improvement Plan). The council will have to balance their “needs” against their “wants” in any department, given test scores and rigorous state expectations. Proposed federal and state budget cuts of around 8-10 percent will also impact every school in Adair County over the next five years requiring school councils to maximize every instructional dollar. While no one likes budget cuts, there are now opportunities for whole departments to reinvent themselves.
Under statute, the ACHS school council and its principal decide staffing issues within the school, based on relevant data as it pertains to school success. Under board policy, each school is provided with allocations based on the district’s staffing formula.
This issue and other topics will be addressed at the Adair County High School monthly Site-based Council meeting on August 20, 2012 at 3:15 p.m. The meeting will be held at 3:15 in the ACHS library, and as always is open to the public.
Finally, here are some comparison numbers from surrounding counties that also have highly successful programs in Vocational Agriculture:
TEACHERS VS. STUDENTS IN AREA VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS
End of 2012
Note: Several are duplicate students taking more than one class, thus counted two or more times
Adair 3 847
Russell 2 885
Taylor 2 888
Green 1.5 520
Metcalfe 2 460
Cumberland 1 250