With absenteeism a major concern of schools throughout Rhode Island, Newport School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain discusses how the school system is trying to improve attendance and turn around a poor showing by pupils in recent statewide testing when she joined What’sUpNewp for a live virtual video conversation o nWednesday.
Recent independent reports have identified absenteeism as a significant problem statewide, with many students characterized as chronically absent. In Newport, Jermain, in her community update, said that some students in Newport have already missed 14 days of school.
Absenteeism, coupled with poor testing for pupils in grades 3 to 8 in the Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System testing has raised concerns for Jermain, who is working with other school administrators to implement programs to improve pupil performance.
Meanwhile, the school committee has allocated surplus funds to help fill the construction budget shortfall for the Rogers High School project. We hear from the superintendent how that will fill the budget gap and how much more money is needed to ensure all aspects of the project are completed.
We also discuss several other issues, including staffing and whether the schools are fully staffed, not only in the classroom but in other areas, including bus drivers and maintenance staff.
Watch our conversation below;
