The Washington Community School Board voted to move ahead with the grade level center organization plan at last night’s meeting.
The proposal would place Pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and 1st grade classes at the Griffith elementary building. Grades 2 and 3 would be at the Lena Dunn building, and grades 5 and 6 would be at the Northside building. Veale Elementary would continue as a standalone K-4 building, however, families in the Veale area would have the option to have their children attend the grade level centers.
The complete plan can be found on the Washington Community Schools website. Board members and administrators have looked at nearby schools, like Jasper and North Knox, as well as similar sized systems in the state who have implemented grade level buildings.
Discussing the proposal, Randy Bouchie pointed to the ability to balance class size, expand STEM instruction, expand Title I grants to all elementary students, and provide teachers the ability to collaborate and provide consistent instruction throughout each grade level.
The Board voted unanimously to proceed with the plan.
Superintendent Dr. Dan Roach discussed the schools’ finances and said the proposal would not affect the schools funding or raise the tax rate. Dr. Roach did say it would allow for the more equitable use of federal Title 1 grant dollars, which can presently only be used at Lena Dunn and Griffith.
