Trigg County school board members narrowly approved action during Thursday night’s meeting to allow some school staff to go on an out-of-state trip to attend a Summit Learning training session.
The item, which was originally on the board’s consent agenda, was taken off and moved to be the last action item during the over two-hour public meeting.
Next Generation Instructional Coach Mary Jones explained to the board that six teachers, along with herself and high school Principal Shannon Burcham would be going on the trip. Jones adds the spring training has typically been held in-state, but due to some recent changes, the training will be held in Baltimore, Maryland.
Jones notes the training really provides an in-depth look at all the Summit Learning program has to offer for their teachers and students.
The training session is free to the school district, except for the cost of substitute teachers.
Board member Clara Beth Hyde did not support the idea of sending six teachers to the training so close to spring break and the student testing window.
She adds that many of the high school teachers have been to at least one training session since the inception of Summit.
Board member Jo Alyce Harper says the teachers should be given the opportunity to go and receive the training to help improve their understanding of the program.
After a nearly hour-long conversation, board members voted 3-2 to allow Principal Burcham, a Next Generation Learning instructional coach, and an instructional supervisor to go on the training trip in early April. Harper and Rufli voted against the motion. Once the three return, they will share the information from the conference during professional development days during the upcoming summer break.
The high school is currently the only school in the district that utilizes the Summit Learning program, as the other schools have dropped out in recent years. The decision to continue using the program is made by each school’s site-based decision-making council, as they are the body that makes changes to the curriculum.
