August meeting: H1N1 virus, test results, enrollment information

We got important information last night about the H1N1 virus. Dr. H. "J.R." Servies Jr., the public health officer for Boone County, gave a presentation on what is anticipated and plans for response. Keep an eye on local media as this situation develops. There should be vaccine available by the end of October, but not for everyone. Vaccines will be free, and will be available only at local health departments. Priority groups will include pregnant women and children ages 6 months to 18 years. Here's a web site where you can track this information:
http://boonecounty.in.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=130

Among the "good news," Dr. Taylor reported that Lebanon students passed the state-mandated Algebra I test (called an End of Course Assessment or ECA) at a rate much higher than the state average. The statewide pass rate was 41%; in Lebanon, 84% of LMS Alg. I students and 75% of LHS Alg. I students passed the test! LHS students also exceeded the state average in the pass rate for English 10, but fell short of the state average in Biology.

We got information about enrollment figures for the new school year. The official state count, which is crucial to determining funding, will take place Sept. 15. Dr. Taylor estimates this "ADM" count will come in at about 3320, which is down about 84 students from last year. Analysis shows most of that loss coming in the high school age students, rather than in the elementaries. Of course we're concerned about this trend, although it's not dramatic. I asked Dr. Taylor if we know how many students who had been enrolled at the Academy left the corporation. He said 11 of these students have left, along with a few more siblings of these students. George Piper told me at the end of the meeting that his count for the total with Academy ties who haven't enrolled at LCSC this year is 14.

I asked Dr. Taylor to clarify where we are with numbers of teachers. Last spring 15 teachers were notified that their positions were in jeopardy due to budget constraints. As of yesterday, all 15 of those teachers have been hired back into the LCSC. The net number of teachers is down no more than two or three from where we were last year. (Four teachers were let go for "cause," last year, that is they didn't measure up to expectations and would have been let go regardless of budget concerns.)

The corporation is in the final stages of selling the home built by the LHS building trades program last year. The house is in the Clear Vista addition, is being sold at a modest profit, and the sale should close by the end of August. The building trades students and teachers have begun another house already this school year.

If you'd like to watch the board meetings they're broadcast live on local cable channel 19; they are also rebroadcast several times during the month on channel 19.