Mt. Vernon Register-News

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March 8, 2010

MVTHS seeking to improve test scores

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — It will take three to five years to “adequately address” student test scores at Mt. Vernon Township High School, according to Superintendent Dr. Michael Smith.

Smith presented information about the year of planning to improve test scores, address the organizational structure and develop a system to monitor and measure progress of students to the city council on Monday, and when asked about the facilities, Smith admitted his first goal is to improve the test scores and implement responses to intervention.

Councilman David Wood questioned Smith about the facilities and his opinion that the existing high school campus is “the number one thing holding back Mt. Vernon.”

“I have heard that opinion, and heard it since I arrived,” Smith said. “I have been here seven or eight months, and been approached numerous times about my opinion. There are those who express the opinion the campus is fine, those who want to build new, those who want to renovate and those who want a combination of a new campus and renovate the existing campus.

“The facilities are adequate where we are at now, with the finances and strategic planning and getting our academic planning up and running,” Smith continued. “Once we go a good degree to getting those fish fried, then we can look at vocational areas, and 21st Century classrooms. Then it’s a topic for discussion for what happens beyond what is adequate but preparing our students for making better than adequate preparation for the future. That would be a topic of discussion for the community in the future.”

Smith said the main goal at this time is to address the curriculum and learning needs of the students.

“It will be a minimum of a three to five year process to adequately address the issues of significant improvement of student test scores,” Smith said. “...The time will come for the discussions. If the state has construction money available for us later this year, that discussion may come sooner, since we would only have one year to put together our match or lose the money to someone else.”

However, finances at the school are another major area of concern, with the district in its first year of filing a mandatory three year deficit reduction plan with the Illinois State Board of Education and the state falling short on making its payments to school districts.

“Our district will lose $400,000 to $500,000 in state aid this year,” Smith reported to the council. “Now we will have to make $950,000 in reductions.”

Smith said there is a “very real potential for reductions in staff and teachers” due to the shortfall. The school has 156 full-time employees, with 95 certified staff, not including administrators.

“And, who knows where the (ISBE) financial profile will put us,” Smith said. “I don’t know if they will penalize us when it’s the state withholding the funds.”

The high school board will be meeting tonight in special session to discuss action regarding a reduction in force of certified personnel tonight at 6 p.m.

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