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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