As one school year draws do an end, Carbon School District Board members look forward to next year by making major decisions which will impact many students.
During the school board’s monthly meeting on May 14, it was decided that personal laptops called Chromebooks would be installed in Carbon High, Lighthouse and Mont Harmon Middle School by the beginning of next school year. Since the implementation of Chromebooks at Helper Junior High this year, the district has been looking at ways to equip every secondary school with the same technology.
According to school officials, they have not heard anything negative about the laptops at Helper and that the transition ran smoothly. The main hurdle the district faces is adding proper technology in each school prior to the students return this fall. The school board is determined to make this happen even if that means hiring a contractor to assist with the installation.
If everything runs according to plan, students at Carbon secondary schools will have access to a Chromebook early in the 2014-15 school year.
In another matter, Sally Mauro Elementary Principal Ryan Maughn, along with Beverly Martinez the district’s pre-school coordinator, approached the board to recommend the placement of a pre-school at the Helper elementary. Currently, pre-school classes are offered at Creekview, Wellington and Castle Valley Center only. Martinez feels that by offering the program in Helper, then every area within the district will have access to the course.
Right now, each district pre-school is full and a long waiting list exists. Although four sessions are taught at each school, demand is still high. In an effort to answer this demand, district officials agreed that the addition of a pre-kindergarten program in Helper would help.
“When the sixth graders moving to the middle school next year, then there will be room at Sally Mauro for the program,” explained district special programs director Robert Cox. “I believe we can do this without going over budget as well.”
Board members agreed that a pre-school program at Sally Mauro would benefit many children. The board moved forward and approved the request to implement the pre-school program beginning this fall.