By Gerri Miller
Elmore/Autauga News Staff Writer
The Elmore County Board of Education signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Wetumpka Tuesday to coordinate use of land and properties in the city primarily for athletic use.
“We are partnering with the City of Wetumpka in a way similar to the agreement we signed with the City of Millbrook for the 17 Springs project,” said Elmore County School Superintendent Richard Dennis. “We’ve got properties used for recreation, parking, servicing of buses and other activities that we want to reallocate as well,” he said. The agreement must still be signed by the City.
17 Springs will be a large multi-sport sports complex in Millbrook with sports fields and a large indoor fieldhouse. That facility will provide tournament quality sports fields for soccer, tennis, pickleball, cross country, track and field, baseball, softball, wrestling, and basketball. The new municipal stadium/Sportsplex in Wetumpka sits on 175 acres that will be used for sports and recreation.
Dennis said some of the benefits of the agreement will be that students will be able to use the tennis courts at the new Sportsplex in Wetumpka. He said the school system is looking to partner with the City to develop Hohenberg Field as a soccer complex.
That field was used for Wetumpka football before the construction of the new stadium. Hohenberg Field, which opened in 1909 was last renovated in 2002.
In other news, Dennis told the Board that 767 students will graduate from high school this week in Elmore County.
The largest number of those students comes from Wetumpka High School, which had 256 graduates. Next is Stanhope Elmore High School with 236 graduates. He said 119 students will graduate from Holtville High School on Thursday and 105 will graduate from Elmore County High School,
The first class from the county’s virtual school program, E.D.G.E. included 54 graduates, Dennis said.
On Tuesday, Dennis also made a recommendation that only Alabama High School Athletic Association –sanctioned sports be made available to eligible homeschool students. Homeschool students who are currently participating in band are grandfathered in and may finish the program through high school as long as they maintain participation requirement and are eligible.
Dennis also made a recommendation for an Elementary Alabama Literacy Act Summer Reading Camp. The camps will be conducted on each elementary school campus for grades K-3.
Dennis said the primary focus for the camps will be on literacy with additional activities to include math remediation, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), art and music.
Students performing below grade level reading proficiency on one of the approved assessments must qualify to attend the summer reading camps
The summer camp, which will be held June 1 through July 1,will be offered at no cost to students. Teachers will be compensated $50 per hour from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day of the camp. Paraprofessionals will be compensated $25 per hour.
Summer school will be held at middle schools as needed for grades 5-8 utilizing the Edgenuity/Pathblazer platform. Redland 5th and 6th grade students will attend summer school at Wetumpka Middle School.
Middle school summer school dates are June 1 through July 15. Classes taught will include English Language Arts, Math, Accelerated Math, Science, Social Studies and Career Prep A. Teachers will be compensated $35 per hour for a maximum of 140 hours
High School summer school will be held June 1 through July 20. Teachers also will be compensated $35 per hour for a maximum of 140 hours. The program will be conducted on each high school campus utilizing the Edgenuity platform.
Classes will include Algebra 1A, 1B and 1, Geometry, Algebraic Connections, Algebra II, Algebra II with finance, Physical Science, Biology, Environmental Science, Earth and Space Science, Chemistry, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Physics, World History, United States History, Government, Economics and Career Preparedness A and B.
Bus drivers will be compensated $25 an hour and nurses will receive $35 an hour.
Dennis also made the recommendation to allow credit advancement courses to be offered through the EDGE for high school students at a cost of $200 per course. Teachers will be compensated $35 per hour for a maximum of 140 hours. These courses will run June 1 through July 16.
