Parents Lobby For New Primary School
...At Commission Meeting
BY TERRY POPE
Parents say Lincoln Primary
School in Lcland is so overcrowded
thai students arc distracted and can't
learn.
Their request lor a new northern
elementary school sparked a positive
response from one Brunswick
County commissioner at the board's
meeting in Bolivia Monday night.
District b Commissioner Donald
Shaw of Lcland asked his fellow
board members to "explore on their
own" the conditions at Lincoln
Primary and to "try to find the mon
ey to build this school".
Earlier in the day, Shaw ux>k a
tour of the school, w hich has an en
rollment of 760 students but was
built for about 5(X).
Glenda Browning and Tina Child,
Parent Teacher Association mem
bers, presented the board a petition
with about 1 ,2(X) signatures from
residents who want a new school.
I hey blame die county's overall low
test scores on pwr student perfor
mance at Lincoln.
"I was really embarrassed and
ashamed," said Shaw. "I had not
been through that schixil before."
Shaw said he saw overcrowded
classrooms.
"It was more like a confinement
really," said Shaw. "The students
were in a state of confusion."
A new elementary school, Ms.
Browning said, would allow north
cm Brunswick County to have a true
middle school. Presently. Lincoln
houses grades K-3. Fourth and fifth
graders attend Lcland Middle
Schtxil.
Elementary schcxils normally
house grades K-5. Citing a report ti
ded, "The Best Last Chance," Ms.
Browning told commissioners that
education experts proclaim the mid
dle school concept as the best way
ol making sure fifth graders have the
tools to perform well academically.
"If we don't reach them by that
point, we've lost them," said Ms.
Browning.
The Brunswick County Board of
Education has a new elementary
school for the area near the bottom
of its five-year list of construction
needs. A new elementary school is
currently under construction in
Supply.
"They said if they had the money
they would build the school sooner."
said Ms. Browning.
By law, counties are required to
fund education, but the priority ol
projects is determined by die
schools, not commissioners, said
Board of Commissioners Chairman
Kelly Holdcn.
One-half cent of sales taxes col
lected in a county are used to fund
school capital projects, said County
Financc Director Lithia Hahn. In
Brunswick County, that amounts to
SI. 6 million this fiscal year, money
that can be used to cither build new
schools or to upgrade existing build
ings.
District 3 Commissioner Gene
Pinkerton agreed dial it is still a lo
92-93 Calendar Reflects
Nine -Week Grading Period
BY MARJORIE MKGIVERN
A move to a ninc-wcck grading period and scheduling all high school
graduations on the same day were the only changes in a 1992-93 calendar
lor county schools approved Monday by the Brunswick County Board of
Education.
Board member Polly Russ explained the new features. "A nine-week
grading period was highly recommended by administrators and teachers,"
she said.
The schools arc presently operating with a six-week grading period.
Bill Shoemaker, principal of Waccamaw Elementary School, said the
three six-week periods were simply "too close together." Particularly since
the advent of the stale's Student Information Management System (SIMS)
involving additional paper work. Shoemaker said. "We're sending out
progress reports and report cards on top of each other."
tie pointed out that parents would nevertheless receive information
about their children's academic work more often than every nine weeks.
"We're sending home an interim report at five weeks," he said.
Mrs. Russ reported that graduation ceremonies for the three county
high schools can be scheduled next year on the same date, June 12. 1993.
"Now that we will have the auditorium at Brunswick Community
College, we have the space to hold exercises at 10 a.m.. 2 p.m., and 6 p.m.
High school principals asked that graduation be delayed to the 12th so all
students can take final exams on the same day, and teachcrs would have
time to do all the necessary grading and other paper work."
She added that students will have exams on the last three days hclbrc
the Christmas holidays, "so they can enjoy Christmas and coinc back to
school refreshed."
Another feature noted on the new schedule is that the 10th day of
school falls after Labor Day. "That's an important day, because it's when
the enrollment figure is used by the state as a basis for making allocations
of tcachers," she said, "so we need a maximum attendance that day, and
have found it must be alter Labor Day." September 9, following the
September 7 Labor Day holiday, will be the 10th day of enrollment.
According to the calendar, teachcrs will report to work August 14 and
the students' first day of school will be Aug. 26 and their last day will be
June 8. Thanksgiving holidays will occur Nov. 26-27, Christmas holidays,
Dec. 22 through Jan. 1, which includes six annual leave days. The Easier
holiday will be on April 12, followed by annual leave days, April 13-16.
Olher holidays arc Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Martin Luihcr King Jr. birthday,
Jan. 18, and Memorial Day, May 31.
In addition, students will not report lo school on teacher workdays:
Oct. 30, Nov. 25, Dec. 21, Jan. 22, March 29, and June 9-1 1. Schools will
also dismiss for students at noon for staff development on Sept. 23 and Dec
4.
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SPOTLIGHT SPECIAL
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? SJAf> PMOIO BY !t??y POPt
IJNCOiJS I PRIMARY parents Tina Child (left) and ( ilenda
Browning ask Urunswick County Commissioners Monday for
funds to build a new elementary school in the Inland community.
cul sch(H)l board matter.
"As lar as gelling the priority
changed, we can't do that." he
added.
Number one on the sch<x>l
board's priority list now is a new
central oi l ice, said Holdcn The
schools may build an office complex
at the Brunswick County Govern
ment Center and move from its cur
rent center 111 Soulhport. a building
which once served as a nursing
home and is in need of repairs.
"One thing I want to see before
discussing buildings," said Holdcn,
"is what are the goals and how do
you (school board) plan to improve
the educational environment in
Brunswick County's schools. I
havcn'l heard ihcin. The only thing
I've heard is thai they want a new
headquarters."
Kindergarten students enter
Lincoln Primary at lower learning
levels because there is no preschool
program, said Ms. Child. Of ISO
kindergarten students, 50 percent
still function at an age 3 level, 28
percent at an age 4 level and 22 per
cent at average or above.
"We know there are real problems
in the Lcland area." said Ms. Child.
"Lincoln Primary is already so over
crowded that in seven to eight years
we're probably going to have a trail
er park out back."
For Leland Area
.At School Board Meeting
BY MARJORIK MK.CIVKRN
Parents ol children in the northern
eiul ol Brunswick County are agi
tating in two educational directions.
They want an elementary school
built in that area as soon as possible
and they see an urgent need lor a
pre school program.
Polly Grady, president ol Lincoln
Primary Parent leat her Association,
told the Brunswick County Board ol
Eiducation Monday tluii there are
more than I. (MM) names on a petition
circulated in I. eland to get a new
school there.
"We understand that the Supply
school is a priority and must come
lirst," she said "We don't want to
set anyone back, bin our petition is
to the stale to increase the percent
age ol sales tax coming back 10 the
count) to build schools
One-hall cent ol the county's
sales lax- a projected SI. 6 million
this year is returned lor use in
school capital improvement projects.
"I hope other county residents
will also sign petitions to increase
this amount," Vis. Grady said, "so
we can build our other school."
She also reported on the need lor
a pre-schtwl program. "We test all
our kindcrgartncrs at Lincoln Pri
mary School," she said, "and ol the
150 attending tins year. 50 percent
function test at the 3-year-old level:
2X percent test at 4-year-old level,
and 22 percent are average or below.
We have live students who arc
above average."
Grady added thai hall (he 78 stu
dents recommended for remedial
work function below grade level.
"By their fourth year, they're one
year behind," she said. "We have
day care and Head Start, but we
need the preschool program. The
YWCA is excited about helping us
set it up. and we've located a church
where we can have it."
School board member Robert
Slockett assured her. "The board has
been considering this lor a long
tune, and we're behind you."
Hoard member Polly Kuss added.
"Public education is pushing lor 4
ycar-olds in the schools. As a
preschool teacher. I shrink from
that, but we do need to put our mon
ey into Head Start or the V for this
purpose."
A new elementary school lor the
[.eland area is included in the sc In h >1
board's live-year capital improve
ment plan. However, parents in the
north end ol the county said
Monday the new schix>l should be
given higher priority.
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