TIGHT FINANCES TAKE A TOLL ON SCHOOL CALENDAR

By Kathryn Purcell
Managing Editor

When Morgan County schools break from Monday, October 6 to Friday, October 10, school won’t be in session, at all.

For the past two years, schools have held a fall intersession during the fall break to help students who may “benefit from some re-mediation,” according to Superintendent Stan DeJarnett.

“They receive direct instruction from a certified teacher…They work on targeted reading, language arts and math content,” DeJarnett said.

Based on a decision made last week, the school system will have a fall break this year, but no intersession.

“We’re not going to have fall intersession because of the serious financial situation we’re in,” DeJarnett said. “We’re very reluctant to do this.”
While the cost of intersession depends on the number of students enrolled, fall intersession cost $35,000 to $36,000 in the past two years, and served around 250 students.

DeJarnett plans on working with the Madison-Morgan County Boys & Girls Club in an effort to “meet the needs of students” who would’ve otherwise been involved in intersession, he said.

As far as the re-mediation, there will still be after-school programs to further aid struggling students. At Morgan County High School, athletic teams will still practice and test preparatory classes will still be held over the break.

And, as far as he’s concerned, there are no plans to cut spring intersession from the calendar.
“We hope it [fall intersession] will return next year,” DeJarnett said. “It’s not permanent; it’s temporary.”