The STARS I after-school program grant for Wicomico County Public Schools was not renewed this year, and the absence of this grant funding will force the school system to close the STARS I program.
The school system learned recently that the STARS I (Students Targeting Achievement & Reading Success) grant it has received from the Maryland State Department of Education for the past nine years was not renewed. Wicomico’s grant application was for $1.14 million over three years, and would have served approximately 340 students in eight schools.
Students grades 1-8 who participate in the program have the opportunity to engage in extended learning, receive homework assistance, participate in enrichment activities, and spend after-school time in a safe, productive place. With a nine year history in these schools, the STARS program has become part of the fabric of the school with students asking to stay and parents relying on the safe place for homework and academic enrichment for their students. Throughout the years of the program, 15% more STARS students become proficient in reading than non-participating students. It is a huge loss in many ways.
All 500 student slots for the STARS I program have been cut, along with 70 contractual staff positions. Schools that will no longer have a STARS program in 2012-13 are:
Beaver Run Elementary
Charles H. Chipman Elementary
Delmar Elementary
West Salisbury Elementary
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This is mostly tax-paid babysitting.
ReplyDeleteLet them take care of their own kids-- they've come to expect the taxpayers to feed their kids 2 or 3 times a day (even in the summer) and babysit them after school (and in the summer) till they get home.
It's time for some reality therapy. THEY had the kids-- let THEM take care of them.
I agree 12:06.
ReplyDeleteWOW @12:06 & 1:57. Are you guys serious? I would rather pay taxes to help these children anyday of week. These kids are our future generation and it's ashame that some parents don't do these things at home, but, if we turn a blind eye to it and gripe about it, it is sure not going to make the children any smarter or help them have a better future against all the adversities they face. So think about it from this stand point....the kids that benefit from this program may well be taking care of you someday in some capacity.
ReplyDeleteThis program also keeps them off the streets and from getting into trouble or joining gangs to fill the void of what they are not getting at home. I don't have kids and I'm guessing you guys don't either but at the end of the day it benefits all of us to HELP OUT OUR FUTURE GENERATION So stop being so negative and selfish!!!!!
We do spend tens of millions but there is very little result in the short term or the long term. Maybe families need to consider not having lots of children they can't support because the rest of us can't support them either any more.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to say one thing this program is not for babysitting or anything like that, this program helps children with learning disabilities such as ADHD like my daughter has and provides the one on one time they cannot receive in the classroom. My daughter was in this and from the extra help her grades improved and was able to deal with her ADHD better during classroom time.
ReplyDeleteI think I had ADHD before it was actually named.In 1967 when I was in the 9th grade my high school hired a teacher for students like myself who were in that "gray area".Out of 97 kids in my grade around 10 of us were slow learners.Following that year and the special attention, all of us did a great deal better.We all graduated.No straight A students among us mind you but we graduated.For the aforementioned reasons I can see the merit of this program.
ReplyDeleteHey 5:41. Good idea. Now maybe the Right should stop trying to ban abortion and contraception so there wouldn't be so many kids for the taxpayers to take care of.
ReplyDeleteWhat really bugs me about this program is that they get bus rides home at 530 (or around that time). That is crazy expensive!
ReplyDelete