PARKERSBURG - Wood County Schools gifted programs will again be a topic of discussion for the Wood County Board of Education.
The board meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the district's 13th and Plum street offices. The meeting is open to the public.
Listed as a discussion topic on Tuesday's agenda is "board goals for gifted education."
"What the board wants to do is talk about what they really want to see out of gifted education, what they want our program to look like," said Superintendent Pat Law.
The school system's middle school gifted program has been a topic of focus for the board in recent months after reports surfaced of irregularities with the program. The program at Edison Middle School was a particular focus after parents complained the program was almost non-existent and families were encouraged to remove their children from gifted classes.
Last month Jefferson Elementary Center Principal Christie Willis, who oversees the elementary gifted program which is housed at Jefferson, suggested the board hire a full-time gifted director as well as support staff to oversee both the middle and elementary school programs, a suggestion which met with mixed reactions from board members.
Law said Friday the school district has no immediate plans to hire a director for the program. At this point, the middle school program is being overseen by Secondary Schools Director Mike Winland and Special Education Director Yvonne Santine. Gifted classes fall under the district's special education department.
"The gifted teachers work with the principals at those schools. They don't have a central site like with the elementary program," Law said. "Mike is the boss of those principals and will be making sure they are doing what they are supposed to, and Yvonne will be making certain the requirements for special education are being met."
The board will receive updates on test scores, the opening of school and summer construction projects at Tuesday's meeting.
"I will be going over things like the number of students enrolled, number of teachers, number of buses," Law said. "all of those kinds of numbers for the first day."
The board will begin the meeting by honoring two outstanding employees. Julie Gibson, a teacher at Fairplains Elementary School, has been named the Wood County Teacher of the Year. Ruth Collins, a retired cafeteria manager, has been named Wood County Service Person of the Year.
