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Superintendent Warren Drake said due to newly passed House Bill 976, the opportunity has opened up for students to transfer to public, private or parochial A-rated schools in the 2012-13 school year.
Drake said that because of Zachary's standing as an A-rated school district, students who would normally attend C, D and F-rated schools will be accepted.
Drake recommended that 15 kindergartners and 15 first-graders be allowed. "We feel confident we can help students from wherever they're from," Drake said.
The students are chosen in July via a lottery-type drawing. The board accepted Drake's recommendation.
In addition, a budget was set and approved for the Ada Street project in the amount of $492,025. The low bid went to Industrial Enterprises for the work which includes street improvements and adding a turn lane, said Scott Swilley, facilities committee.
Ada Street is adjacent to the Zachary High School campus.
Honors and Recognitions
Several students and teachers were recognized by Zachary School Board members at the meeting:
• Zachary High's Taylor Jackson and Felipe Membreno were recently awarded the Gates Millennium Scholarship out of 24,000 students nationwide. The prestigious awards are made possible by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and are fully paid to any college or university of the student's choice.
All fees, tuition, books, meals, room and board, travel and other expenses through graduation will be fully covered for Jackson and Membreno.
• Zachary Elementary third-grade teacher Maegan Laborde was accepted into the 2012 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy at the Liberty Science Center.
Laborde will join 200 third-through fifth-grade teachers from across the nation in Jersey City, New Jersey, on July 22 for a one-week intensive, all expenses paid professional development opportunity.
• ZHS Art teachers Megan Bucerre, Mandy Bradley and Chloe Aguillard were on hand to help honor several of their art students whose work was recently entered into the Baton Rouge Gallery Art Show.
Of 150 art entries from throughout EBR, 60 were chosen to compete, and several ZHS students' work were part of the competition.
Morgan Dupre won first place in photography; Calyn Knight won second place for her photography work; and Timberlan Pike won third place for her sculptures.
Other artists honored April 26 included: Austin Croft, Madison Petty, Taylor Garig, Rachel Lamendola and Natalie Dupuy.
The Zachary School Board will meet again on Thursday, May 10, at 7 p.m.
If this is a scholarship program as the post states in the title of their article why is this being decided by lottery? Why not real criteria like high GPA / test scores. Give the kids & parents who have shown they understand the value of an education the chance at a better one in our schools if we have to do this at all. I'd rather see proven performers get priority. Anyone heard of a college scholarship program that decides its recipients by random drawing?
Accepting vouchers will have a negative impact upon the quality of education being provided to our students. It will increase class sizes and decrease the amount of time and educational resources available to educate our children. Accepting voucher students will also have a negative financial impact in that it will result in taxpayer money being used to educate kids who do not live within the district.
Ask the board and superintendent to consider the following questions in light of this decision. Do we have the optimal teacher to student ratio in our classrooms, particularly in kindergarten and first grades? Have student to teacher ratios increased or decreased over the last 5 years in each of these grades? Would it not make more sense to add additional teachers to decrease this ratio versus adding new students? Could this money be better utilized elsewhere by purchasing text books, improving curriculum, or providing additional educational opportunities for our students and teachers? And finally, have we provided everything we would wish for our children before we voluntarily decide to increase class sizes and educate children from outside the district?
Thank you,
Todd Cranford