Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

New GMS Still Possible (cont)

f the year.

It will cost about $63,000 to fund all personnel needs, Smithson said. The district has $50,000 not budgeted, which will remain if no students are lost. Because of this, he said, these positions could be added, but the board needs to examine its options.

"If we hire a PE teacher," he said, "it will free up others with a period of nothing to do.

"We'll hold up on the band until we clear up other areas. The band is important to me and I believe to the community. I think the satellite program will take care of an English teacher."

Agri instructor Stacy Stone had a bone to pick with the board about its absentee policies and exemption program.

He said students with "A" averages can only miss five days due to extracurricular activities, while eight days can be missed due to illness.

This, he told the district's governing body, punishes those students who are the highest achievers.

In the meantime, those students with "C" averages, who miss no more than eight days, can be exempt from semester tests, while "A" students who miss more than five days because of their activities must take these tests.

Stone said a "C" is too low for a student to be exempt from tests anyway.

He pointed out Act 245 of 1981 excuses the absences of students in the Future Farmers of America and 4-H. Stone said the district could be violating the law by making these students take the semester test while exempting others.

This policy affects more than FFA and 4-H students, he said. Parents of students in the Close Up program are concerned about their children being able to go to Washington, D.C., which would use up the entire five days allotted.

"We need to encourage those students who are active," he said. "They'll be the civic leaders later on."

Stone also said the student handbook requires students to participate in two activities, but the policy sends the message they aren't to be good members.

Gill said students who participate in activities can do so without being gone an excessive number of days.

Stone pointed out it takes four days for his FFA students to attend the national convention.

He also said there should be no limited guidelines for these students because they tend to make up the work they miss. It is up to the teachers to enforce deadlines for these students.

Stone said he and Gill disagree on how this should be handled, with Gill stating the need for a set number of days for absences, because students will take advantage otherwise.

This policy can also affect students playing spring sports who have to leave at fifth period for out of town games.

"The students in clubs aren't doing this to get out of school," Stone said, "but because they have goals.

"It's wrong to punish them for missing school. They also have to do a lot of work on their own time when they're not in class."

He reminded the board students in FFA and 4-H must tend to their animals daily and finish their schoolwork when they get home from shows.

No decision was reached at the meeting, with the topic to be discussed at the Oct. meeting.