By Louie Graves
News-Leader Staff
Mineral Springs School Supt. Curtis Turner says that the school should have little trouble meeting whatever is recommended by the State Board of Education committee after its site review of the school in September.
Mineral Springs, fresh off the state’s fiscal distress list, was placed on the state’s academic distress list last summer.
The state department committee met with MS teachers, administrators, students and parents earlier in the fall to determine what is needed to pull up scores.
Turner told the ‘News-Leader’ Monday that he did not yet know the specific mandates, but “I’m comfortable we’ll get this corrected.” He said that many improvements at the school were already showing results.
Part of the on-site evaluation included meeting with students who were having trouble, and with their parents. The students contacted included some who had ‘a history of misbehavior referrals,’ as well as students who had a history of compliance with school rules.
The review team’s letter to the State Board of Education noted the cooperation of the school: “The ADE Review Team concluded that the district and the school were actively seeking to address the challenges ….”
Recommendations made by the committee become mandate after adoption by the State Board of Education. The letter included several pages of both recommendations and goals. The school and school board will meet with the Department of Education committee quarterly to review progress.
Turner said that during their September visit, he felt the evaluation team “recognized what we’re doing.”
Construction of a new K-12 school is underway at Mineral Springs.
