PRINCETON — The Mercer County Board of Education could soon ask county taxpayers for a total of $51,187,005 over the next five years to pay for expenditures to help the local school system to thrive.

According to a motion that went before the Board Tuesday, “The maximum levies for current expenses…will not provide sufficient funds for the payment of current expenses of the Board of Education, including expenditures for the purpose or purposes set forth in the levy call.”

That levy call, intended to supplement the school system's budget, outlined 12 general areas of spending where levy money would be spent if county residents vote 'yes' at a special levy election next year. Superintendent Deborah Akers requested recently that the County Commission approve a special election on Jan. 30, 2010, since the primary election is not until May of next year, months after the Board is required to present their budget to state officials.

“The Supreme Court requires that we be specific in this levy call as to how we will spend the money, but I also think that, recognizing the way a school system works, they know there has to be some flexibility there,” said Board President Greg Prudich. “Tonight, we're just voting to approve this levy call for review by a law firm, so that then if they say it's legal, we can finalize it and approve it for the election.”

Expenditures itemized on the Levy Call include several with the purpose of helping to keep salaries within the school system competitive with counties across the state, in order to “employ and retain” qualified teachers, coaches, substitutes and service and auxiliary personnel. Those requested monies are $2,277,618 per year for the hiring and retention of qualified teachers, substitutes, coaches and employee supplements; $750,000 per year for the “continuing maintenance of a fair and adequate salary schedule for all service and auxiliary personnel”; and $669,783 per year to continue to provide fair and competitive fringe benefit packages to employees.

Additional items that would be financially supported by the Levy Call include free textbooks for students; necessary instructional supplies, materials and equipment; utility and operational costs of all school facilities; and the “maintenance and renovation of existing school facilities”, among others.

In other business Tuesday, the Board heard a brief presentation by Mercer County School's Information Specialist, Kellan Sarles on the school system's new five year strategic plan. In addition to a continued focus on such basics as staff development and implementing updated technology into all schools, Sarles told the Board that the top priorities of the plan are to address the issues of inadequate test scores and high dropout rates within the county.

“The county did not make AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) standards last year based on our test scores, and our ACT scores improved, but they're still below the state and national averages,” she said. “Also, we are placing a strong focus on our dropout rate, because we're not at all pleased about having the eleventh highest dropout rate in the state, and the fourth highest for special needs students. That is one of the front banner items with us, to show that we're very serious about addressing that dropout rate.”

In accordance with that focus, the Board discussed major revisions to the county Dropout Prevention policy, Tuesday. Presented for a first reading in preparation for a future vote, the policy would overhaul the current dropout procedure, implementing a new system which would attempt to recognize potential dropouts early in their educational careers and identify the proper action to keep those students in school. With a firm focus on the disengagement factor that has been proven to be an overwhelming cause of dropout, the policy would provide kindergarten through 12th grade teachers with paperwork to identify students that might be at risk for dropout. Based on the student's behavior, the forms would then lay out a series of actions that Board members hope would ease the individual's risk factors and motivate the child to remain in school.

“We know that part of the issue is disengagement at all levels, and the dropout issue is not just a high school issue; it can begin as early as kindergarten or first or second grade, as far as that disengagement starting,” said Tom Chaffins, Supervisor of Middle and Secondary Education and author of the new policy. “Our committee has developed a system, here that would really address the target behaviors of dropouts, and what type of interventions would help these kids hopefully do better and stay in school.”

Chaffins is set to make a presentation on the county's dropout rates at the Oct. 27 MCBOE meeting.

In other matters of business this week, the Board approved resolutions with the West Virginia Department of Transportation that will provide $121,687 and $81,030, respectively to Princeton Middle and Bluewell Elementary Schools through the Safe Routes to School Program. The purpose of the grant money is to encourage students to walk to school by improving sidewalks and other walking areas and instructing children on safe pedestrian habits.

Also Tuesday, the Board heard from representatives of each of the county's four high schools, as well as the Mercer County Technical Education Center at one of several annual Local School Improvement Council sessions. Each year, the sessions give school administrators, teachers and students the chance to interact with Board members about recent successes and the policy and facility improvements or changes that could help the county provide better educational opportunities for students.

“In all my time on the Board, I have never done one of these sessions where I haven't learned something,” said Prudich. “We can only be as effective as you let us be, so if we're doing something we ought not do, tell us, and, if we're not doing something that we should, tell us that, too. I know that I speak on behalf of the entire Board when I say that we're proud of all the hard work you are doing, and we know that you are doing everything you can for our students.”

— Contact CharLy Markwart at cmarkwart@ptonline.net.