By Tim Mandell
Register News Writer
RICHMOND —
Madison County Schools superintendent Tommy Floyd was the keynote speaker Thursday morning at the Richmond Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs and Issues event.
Speaking to an audience of about 40 community and business leaders, Floyd highlighted many of the district’s accomplishments over the past year, while detailing plans for the future.
“We finished a very successful school year last year,” he said. “We finished the year in the black in a difficult financial time.”
Madison County Schools is in the final stages of forming a new partnership for its school clinics, Floyd said.
The hope is to recommend the new partnership this month, he said.
Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center ended its partnership with the district at the end of the 2009-10 school year.
As part of the partnership with Pattie A. Clay, one clinic was set up at Madison Central High School and the other at Madison Southern High School.
On days that school was in session, students whose parents had signed a permission form were allowed free of charge to visit one of the clinics when given a nurse’s referral.
Clinics were designed to offer treatment to every student in every school in Madison County from kindergarten through high school, from public to private school.
The purpose of the clinics is to serve the uninsured and under-insured, Floyd said.
Madison County Schools also is working towards a program called Middle College.
Middle College is designed to help students who are academically capable, but at-risk, to stay in school and earn their diplomas, Floyd said.
“It’s going to change the future of some kids,” Floyd said. “These kids feel like they’re taking control of their future.”
As part of the program, students will be taken out of public school classes and enrolled in classes at Eastern Kentucky University.
In addition to graduating high school, they also will earn 18 college hours.
“Our graduation rate is higher than the state average, but it’s not good enough for us until it’s 100 percent,” Floyd said.
Floyd detailed another joint program with EKU that helps high school juniors in reading and math.
If juniors score low on the ACT, they will have to take non-credit level classes in college just to qualify for the credit courses, Floyd said.
As part of the reading and math program, students will be able to take transitional classes during their senior year that will eliminate the need for the non-credit classes.
When those students are college freshman, they will be ready to take the for-credit math and reading courses.
The program has saved $200,000 in college tuition, Floyd said.
Floyd also highlighted current programs, such as Madison County Early Childhood Alliance, the African American Male Focus Group, the Superintendent Teen Task Force and the Renaissance programs.
The Madison County Early Childhood Alliance is a community partnership between pre-school, kindergarten and daycare that helps children better prepare for kindergarten.
The African American Male Focus Group partners students with a mentor, the Superintendent Teen Task Force is a group of students who take a leadership approach to improving the district and the Renaissance program encourages and rewards middle school and high school students for things such as good behavior and attendance.
All the programs rely on help from community volunteers and donations from businesses.
The 2010-11 school year begins Wednesday.
Tim Mandell can be reached at tmandell@richmondregister.com or 623-1669 ext. 6696.
