Reducing class size at Templeton Middle School, hiring a guidance staff member for expansion of PLAN and EXPLORE test requirements and adding a technology-assessment coordinator were recommendations that need “urgent and immediate attention,” according to members of the district’s Community Budget Advisory Committee. Speaking on behalf of the committee, Pauline Wasser identified the group’s priorities […]
March 6, 2001
In a move characterized as a difficult, tough decision, Hamilton School Board members voted to eliminate the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) coordinator position. Deborah Briggs was the only board member voting against the position elimination. The position reduction was spurred by dwindling AODA state and federal grants. From 1993 to 2000, the district […]
February 19, 2001
Some 21 Hamilton High School students were approved for early graduation in January 2002, but School Board members have differing views on whether that’s a good thing. The students who applied for early graduation met the requirements of district policy, but School Board President Gerald Schmitz suggested changing the policy to encourage more students to […]
February 6, 2001
Changes are in store for Templeton Middle School students as a result of a proposal approved Feb. 6 by the Hamilton School Board. The board accepted a 15-point recommendation from the Middle School Analysis Committee that studied the school’s structure and developed a proposal to support increased student achievement. Among the changes recommended by the […]
January 2, 2001
Eight new courses designed to challenge upper level students were added to Hamilton High School’s course catalog as a result of School Board action. Additional Honors Program, Advanced Placement (AP), integrated and research seminar courses were added to the 2001-2002 school year course catalog. Participants from the one- or two-credit research seminar will form the […]
December 18, 2000
District second-graders will no longer take the TerraNova standardized achievement test after School Board members voted to replace it with district reading and mathematics grade level benchmark assessments. Instructional Services Supervisor Dee Bauman, Ph.D., presented the rationale for eliminating the standardized test. “There is significant educational research which suggests that standardized tests are not a […]
December 15, 2000
The Hamilton School Board approved a proposal to add high school honors courses beginning next fall. For some School Board members, the proposal was three years in the making. School Board member Debbie Briggs said offering honors courses to challenge high ability students was discussed more than three years ago when School Board members asked […]
November 20, 2000
The School Board approved $32,500 in staffing allocations for music and gifted & talented programming and clerical support. The allocations, which are effective in the second semester, will provide an additional high school band instructor for one block, one-quarter of a teaching position to begin providing an elementary ensemble, coordination of parent-paid lessons through a […]
November 7, 2000
Recognizing the potential value of a community center for residents and students, Hamilton School Board members clarified the role the school district could legally take if asked to participate in the Village of Sussex’s plan to create a community center. The Village of Sussex convened a task force to study building a community center. School […]
October 16, 2000
The Hamilton School Board approved a budget and a tax levy that will decrease residents’ mil rate by 63 cents. The drop in mil rate is an especially welcome surprise for Hamilton taxpayers because school officials had predicted that their mil rate would decrease by only 31 cents. The equalized tax rate for school purposes […]