By Samantha Wright
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Eight of the 21 students entering their senior year at Ouray High School this fall have failed at least one required class and without intervention, won’t have the credits they need to graduate.
At its regular meeting in July, Ouray School's Dean of Students Di Rushing outlined a plan to remedy this problem.
Rushing reported that she has been working closely with Superintendent Scott Pankow to enroll these at-risk students in the online Apex Credit Recovery Program. Students have until Aug. 29 to complete their course work. The school district spent $200 for each recovery class license, but Pankow stressed that the licenses can be re-used as necessary throughout the school year. Pankow also noted that in the future, he is considering instituting a fee-based summer school for students who need to recover class credits.
In other news, the Ouray School Board approved, on third reading, policies regarding truancy, drug and alcohol testing and school volunteers. (WEB REFER)
The board also approved a new salary schedule for the coming school year which freezes teacher salaries while still recognizing teachers’ yearly step increases for retirement benefit purposes only. The salary freeze is in response to a half-billion dollar cut to public education spending from the State of Colorado over the past two years, which has had a dramatic impact on the Ouray School’s coffers.