Busy summer at Webutuck Central School District

WEBUTUCK — The Webutuck Central School District will try out a new summer school program this year, targeting middle school students whom staff have noticed falling behind their classmates.

Addressing students who have “fallen between the cracks� has been a topic of discussion for the Board of Education and administration for some time, and at the board’s June 7 meeting it was announced by district Superintendent Lee Bordick that the parents of selected students at the Eugene Brooks Intermediate School will be contacted and asked to make a commitment to the summer school program.

“We’ve met with staff and are talking about the different ways to approach this problem in the short term,� Bordick said.

“The problem has been that we keep trying to fix things at the high school level,� school board President Dale Culver said, acknowledging that the root of the problem often begins in middle school and by the time a student reaches the high school level it may be too late to effectively intervene.

The program will run concurrently with the school’s Summer Success ESL Program, from July 12 to Aug. 6, four mornings a week. Busing is already in place for the ESL program and will accommodate students in both programs.

The intermediate school classes will act as the template for similar programs looking to address academic issues in the long term.

Webutuck also agreed on a summer maintenance workers program, which is usually staffed by students. The board decided to post four positions at $11 an hour, from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. The commitment will run from June 28 through Sept. 3 and the deadline to submit applications will be Friday, June 18, in the district office.

The board clarified that in the wake of past problems with student workers (two were arrested for stealing property including computers and technology equipment last summer after using a stolen key), there will be stricter supervision including the distribution of access keys.

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