Kristina Rathbun was going to quit school.  A straight A student whose grades sank because of problems with other students, she thought the only alternative was to leave.  Instead, she landed in a little-known district program for students with poor grades, attendance or behavior.  She and many of the nearly two dozen other students in the program are in the midst of remarkable turnarounds.

Fulton’s Board of Education meets tonight.  The board will discuss its budget for next school year, will hear an update on the district-wide construction project, consider approving two new high school courses, and more.

You can read the entire Board of Education meeting agenda at this link (pdf).

The draft reviewed Tuesday night by a committee of district administrators, Board of Education members and several members of the public raises spending 3.4% but requires a 6.6% increase in the tax levy. That’s down from a 7.8% tax levy increase in the first draft of the budget, reviewed two weeks ago.

Superintendent of Schools Bill Lynch stresses that this is just a draft, and that the increases in the current draft are not acceptable.

Superintendent Mike DiFabio explains, “The board is working to understand the current language in the contracts to prepare for contracts that will be (nearing their expiration).”

A committee is looking at all aspects of how the Fulton City School District spends its money, helping to build a budget for the next school year.

“The committee is starting to get really in depth,” said Superintendent of Schools Bill Lynch this week. But the outlook for the new budget is pretty bleak.

Kayli and Meghan Laux, who are college students, volunteered time to talk and present to the children in the Phoenix-2 Head Start Preschool/UPK/Day Care all about the viola and violin.

Members of Fulton’s Board of Education voiced their frustration with the architectural firm handling their district-wide building project, while a longtime board member offered a more optimistic view.

Gov. Paterson’s plan to fill a massive hole in the state budget consists, in part, of blowing holes in thousands of smaller budgets across the state.  His plan to cut education aid, for example, just about doubled the size of the deficit the Fulton City School District is trying to fill.

Fulton’s Board of Education tonight holds its second workshop on its budget for the next school year. The public is welcome to attend. The board and district officials are working to build a budget for the 2010-11 school year.  It’s the budget that taxpayers will vote on in May during the statewide day of school budget voting.

Two new courses may be coming to G. Ray Bodley High School next year, as teachers propose ways to keep top students engaged in their senior year.
Science teacher Nate Murray is proposing a science elective on meteorology, while math teacher Penny Downing is proposing a course called applied trigonometry.
The teachers told the Board of Education [...]

The Fulton District Wide Storytelling Festival was held and storytellers from throughout the district showcased their talents in telling a wide variety of stories. Participants told a folktale, fairytale, myth, legend, tall tale or fable. The stories ranged from spooky legends to hilarious tales and many had a useful moral attached that provided a bit [...]

Parents: Get your social life back on track! Go out “guilt-free” and have fun knowing that your children are not just waiting for you by the TV — but are having fun too!

Happy New Year to all of our readers in the tri-county region!
While our Richland facility is closed until April, the society is still active with Friday afternoon hours at the Barclay Court House in Pulaski (2nd floor over DMV, 2pm until 5) or by appointment. We got off to a rocky start following our [...]