Teachers Reject Title I Schoolwide Program Option

At the PTA meeting on April 17th, the parents once again voted overwhelmingly (in fact, unanimously) to approve a change in MCSM's Title I program that would convert the program from Targeted Assistance to the Schoolwide Program option. As explained on this blog on April 2, the Schoolwide Program option would give our school administration much greater flexibility in applying our $875,000 in annual Title I funds to assist students at academic risk. It would also virtually ensure that MCSM would no longer face the prospect of having to return Title I funds unused back to the Federal government.

Conversion to the Schoolwide Program option is also favored by the school administration. At both the School Leadership Team and PTA meetings on April 17th, Principal Corinne Vinal outlined a thoughtful program for how the Title I funds would be used if the parents and teachers both voted to change from Targeted Assistance to a Schoolwide Program. A few days later, a petition with 60 parent signatures asking the teachers to follow our wishes and adopt the Schoolwide Program option was delivered to Principal Vinal to be presented to the teachers.

During the week of April 23rd, MCSM faculty members and paraprofessionals held their vote on the same question. Regretably, slightly less than half of those who voted chose to stay with the Targeted Assistance option. As a result, MCSM will once again be a Targeted Assistance school for 2007/2008.