BEREA — The frustration was evident in the voices of a number of Berea Community School parents who spent more than an hour Monday night addressing the Berea Independent Board of Education.
The parents spent most of the evening talking directly to middle school/high school principal John Masters about a lack of communication with school personnel and asking for answers about how the district intends to correct a number of deficiencies identified by the state in a December audit.
The discussion with parents came after guidance counselors Wayne Robertson and Eef Fontanez presented the district's results from the eighth-grade EXPLORE and 10th-grade PLAN exams.
Berea Community Middle School's eighth-grade students fell “significantly” below the state averages for each of the four content areas on the EXPLORE exam, Robertson told the board.
The English score for the district was 12.8, which trailed both the state average of 14 and the national benchmark score of 13. The math score was 13.5, lagging behind the state average of 14.9 and the benchmark of 17.
The reading score was 13.9, narrowly under the 14.2 state average. The national reading benchmark score was 15. Berea's science score was 15.4, trailing both the state average of 16.1 and the benchmark score of 20.
Berea's composite score was 14, while the state average was 14.9. Robertson said that Berea's scores exceeded state averages in 2008.
Berea's 10th-grade class performed above state averages in all four content areas, but trailed the national averages in all categories except for science, Fontanez said.
When compared to college readiness benchmarks, however, the district did not fare as well. While 62 percent of students were at or above the English benchmark, only 24 percent of students met or exceeded the benchmark for math. Even fewer students met or exceeded the science benchmark, with 19 percent of students reaching the goal.
On both exams, a majority of students indicated they needed additional help in study skills, a fact that parents referred to repeatedly when talking to Masters and board members.
Many parents indicated that attempts to contact teachers at the middle and high school went unanswered, and some parents told administrators that teachers gave confusing or incomplete responses, particularly about grades.
Parents also were upset to learn that administrators had conducted meetings with each grade level at the high school earlier in the day, meetings where district director of pupil personnel Donna Lovell said students indicated their concerns with the school's culture, food service, communication and academic standards.
Superintendent Gary Conkin committed during the meeting to conduct a public forum for parents and students after spring break to discuss the issues at length.
“We need to work together to make Berea as great as it once was,” Masters told the crowd.
The board took care of some administrative business during the meeting, elevating vice-chairman Van Gravitt to chairman following the resignation of Deena Jones effective Feb. 28.
Jackie Burnside was elected vice-chairwoman in a separate vote.
The board also adopted an amended calendar that will put students in class on Monday, March 29, and Tuesday, March 30, which originally were scheduled as the first two days of spring break for the district.
The amendment was necessary to make up days missed earlier in the year because of inclement weather and the swine flu, according to the board.
The change also closes school on Friday, March 19, a day that students were scheduled to be in class. The closure was the result of state education officials telling the district that state law requires school to be closed that day.
In the event of future inclement weather, Monday, May 31 would be the district's next make-up day, while a second missed day would result in a Saturday school session on May 15.
The board also approved spending $99,780 in federal funds to purchase a bus for transporting disabled students. The funds were granted to the district through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Brian Smith may be reached at bsmith@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694. For breaking news, follow Brian on Twitter at twitter.com/RR_BSmith.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Berea Community Middle/High School principal John Masters addresses a group of parents, students and educators in attendance at Monday's Berea Independent Board of Education meeting. Parents spent more than an hour talking to Masters and board members about several concerns at the school. Brian Smith
Parents upset about test scores, deficiencies
- Local News
-
-
Measuring education
Brent Ray, a local contractor, helps Kit Carson Elementary third-graders Nathan Buck and Anijah Rembert measure an outside wall Thursday morning during a class project to determine the perimeter of the school. The third-grade class broke into groups to measure sections of the outside walls which they used to find the perimeter.
-
Kiwanis auction Saturday at City Hall
The annual Richmond Kiwanis Club auction will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. until about 5 p.m. with proceedings carried live on TimeWarner Cable Channel 12 and WEKY 1340 AM Radio.
“We have lots of great stuff, as we always do,” said Amanda Stepp, the auction coordinator.
“We have gift cards for almost every restaurant in Richmond as well as two pickup trucks that will be sold,” she said. -
Man pleads guilty to voyeurism charge
A man accused of taking pictures of a woman showering at a Berea truck stop was sentenced to probation Wednesday in Madison District Court.
Paul S. Byrd, 41, of McKee, was arrested Oct. 29 by the Kentucky State Police after a woman reported the incident at the 76 Truck Center off Interstate 75. -
Berea one of state’s first five cultural districts
The Kentucky Arts Council on Thursday named Berea one of the state’s first five certified cultural districts.
Although the legislature designated Berea the state’s Arts and Crafts Capital in the 1990s, this newest designation will draw even more attention and tourism to the city, said Belle Jackson, Berea’s tourism director. -
LRC plans to appeal judge’s HB1 ruling
The leadership of the General Assembly announced Thursday it plans to appeal Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd’s ruling that the legislature’s plan to re-draw state legislative boundaries is unconstitutional.
-
Facebook post leads to arrest
A post on the Richmond Police Department’s Facebook page led to the arrest of a man suspected of stealing two Blu-Ray players from Walmart.
Walmart employees reported to police Jan. 25 that a man had concealed the electronics under his coat and attempted to leave the store without paying, said Richmond Police Chief Larry Brock in a news release. -
Four indicted in Berea murder case
The death of a Berea man and the attempted murder of another came at the hands of four people, according to indictments handed down Wednesday by a Madison grand jury.
-
Friday at library : Lecturer to portray founder of Berea
John G. Fee, abolitionist and founder of both Berea and Berea College, will be portrayed Friday night by performer Obadiah Ewing-Roush as part of Kentucky Humanities Council Chautauqua performance series at the Madison County Public Library. There is no charge to attend the 7 p.m. event.
As the son of a slave-holding father, Fee witnessed firsthand the benefits of having slaves and the profits that could be made from their labor. When he graduated from college and enrolled in Lane Theological Seminary, he began to understand the inherent wrong and destructiveness of slavery. -
Berea woman dies Tuesday in Laurel County crash
A Berea woman, Tommie Johnson, 60, died Tuesday evening in a Laurel County crash, according to the the Laurel Sheriff’s Office.
The accident took place about 7 p.m. at the junction of Maple Grove Road and KY 363 south of London, as Johnson was attempting to turn onto the state highway.
Laurel County Chief Deputy Eddy Sizemore said Johnson’s Chevrolet Cavalier pulled out in front of a Dodge Durango driven by Charles Joseph, 19, that was traveling south on KY 363.
After being extricated from her vehicle, Johnson was transported to St. Joseph-London hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Joseph also was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries, according to the accident report. -
Finally February
Ian Rosser, an Eastern Kentucky University student from Lexington, clears snow from his car parked on campus Wednesday
morning after about an inch of snow fell in Richmond. Temperatures are forcast to be in the upper 40s today. Kentucky has seen a lot of rain in the past few months, as was predicted by the Farmer's Almanac, but very little snow has fallen. - More Local News Headlines
-
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
