By: Jeremy Handel, Staff Writer
jeremy@thewoodrufftimes.com
Students in Spartanburg County School District Four lead all schools in the county for career readiness and rank third in the state, according to a presentation to the Board of Trustees at their October meeting.
Director of Testing and Accountability Jennifer Turner gave a presentation about the District’s programs focused on career readiness in several areas, highlighting programs to make students college and career-ready throughout the district.
Turner explained the various ways a student can be considered career-ready, including completing coursework at RD Anderson, scoring high enough on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test, completing 40 hours of work-based learning, completing the South Carolina Employability program for disabled students, or earn a level 3 on the WIN Ready to Work Career Assessment given to all students in 11th grade.
College readiness is based on students earning a 20 or better on the ACT exam, a 1020 or better on the SAT, a 3 on the AP exam, or six credit hours in dual enrollment.
Based on these criteria, Turner said the students at Woodruff High School ranked third among all districts in the state and first in Spartanburg County.
In what was a short agenda, Trustees heard the first reading of an item proposing revisions to several board policies relating to paid parental leave, graduation requirements, admission of homeless students, and use of life-saving medications. These policy amendments will be brought back to the board at the November meeting for consideration and a vote.
Superintendent Dr. Rallie Liston reported to the board that progress on the new school construction is on target and that they expect to start pouring footings for the new foundation by mid-November.
Liston also reminded board members that the current members would continue to serve at the December meeting until new members were sworn in after the election. New members will be sworn in at the December meeting.
Facilities Director and Assistant Business Manager Clark Simpkins reported that the district is looking into installing a generator to provide backup power for the District’s computer server room. With the number of power outages the area has seen recently, he said it’s important to maintain power to the servers to avoid loss of data and equipment. The District is obtaining bids and projects the cost to be approximately $50,000.
In-school reports:
Woodruff Primary School reported that students will collect canned goods and non-perishable food items for the Woodruff Soup Kitchen in October and November.
Woodruff Elementary School reported the school has its largest number of SOAR students this year, with 86.
Woodruff Middle School reported they will administer the PSAT on October 18 to help guide students and parents on course selection for ninth grade. The school also shared that several students have their artwork on display at the Chapman Cultural Center through November 12.
Woodruff High School reported the Beta Club induction ceremony welcomed 45 new members, bringing the total current membership to 168. The school also hosted a DRIVE to Zero event to address unsafe driving behaviors and highlight the consequences of distracted and impaired driving.
The District Four Board of Trustees meets in the district office on the first Monday of each month at 6 p.m. The meetings are open to the public. Due to the election, the next meeting will be held on the second Monday, November 13.
Author: Tracy Sanders
