Vol. 39, No. 13
May 27 , 2005
| CONTACT: JIM MORRIS Director, Public Information 573-751-3469 |
State Sets Public Hearing on Wellston School District
State education officials will hold a public hearing June 11 in the Wellston School District to discuss the district’s accreditation status and options for the district’s future.
The hearing will be held Saturday, June 11, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the Metropolitan Education and Training (MET) Center, 6347 Plymouth Ave.
The district has been unaccredited by the State Board of Education since June 2003. It is the only unaccredited district among the state’s 524 public school districts.
Under state law, unaccredited school districts have two full school years to regain provisional or fully accredited status. Otherwise, the district may be forced to "lapse," or close. The State Board of Education may appoint a special board to operate a lapsed district on an interim basis or attach a lapsed district to another school district.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently notified school district officials that they have until June 15 to submit updated or corrected data to show that the district has made sufficient progress to qualify for provisionally accredited status.
The hearing is required under state law. At the hearing, DESE officials will present a brief overview of the district’s accreditation history. Wellston School District officials will have an opportunity to outline their plans for improving the district’s academic performance. The remainder of the hearing will be devoted to receiving comments from residents of the school district.
Persons who wish to provide public testimony will be asked to provide their names and addresses and to limit their remarks to five minutes.