Coordinators of MPCSD talented, gifted program say more staff needed

Coordinators for the talented and gifted program at the Mt. Pleasant Community School District are having the program audited to find ways they can improve the program and ensure they are meeting the state's standards.

Jennifer Stater and Karen Kauffman, coordinators for the talented and gifted program (TAG), spoke to the Mt. Pleasant Community School District (MPCSD) school board during a regular meeting on Monday, Jan. 14, about TAG and their needs and concerns to continue and expand the program.

TAG is a state-mandated program that ensures all students have access to a challenging and rigorous education, Stater said. Kauffman oversees 135 students and Stater oversees 175.

'We'd love to have more of us,” Stater said.

Stater said they requested data from the Department of Education to look at the staffing needs of TAG programs at like-sized school districts. While they are still waiting on that information, Stater said she looked at it informally on other district's websites and found staff raged from two to five employees.

With more staff for the TAG program in the MPCSD, there would be the potential for more students, both Stater and Kauffman agreed.

Stater and Kauffman began putting together the TAG program during the 2014-2015 school year. Approximately 3 to 5 percent of students districtwide have characteristics and abilities that can be identified as 'gifted,” Stater said. There are 155 elementary students, 80 middle school students and 96 high school students served through the MPCSD TAG program.

To continue improving TAG services, the coordinators would like to be able to assist teachers more with meeting the needs of their high-ability students; offer personal development to help teachers and administrators better understand gifted students and TAG; bring back out-of-level testing to identify potential TAG students in the elementary schools; implement more technology in the elementary schools; and have more opportunities to meet with students during the day at the middle and high school.

'Working with peers of like-ability is so important,” Kauffman said. 'It's always good for a student to tell you they wish they could have a group like (TAG) every day, but it speaks to their hunger for those kinds of activities. We don't want to lose that spark of learning that keeps them really motivated and intrigued.”

In other news, the school board approved hiring Scot Lamm, the activity director, as the girls track and field coach. In a December meeting, the board discussed whether Lamm could take on the responsibility of coaching with his current position.

The former high school girls track coach resigned in the spring. There were no other candidates for the position.

The past two activities directors before Lamm served as both activities director and head football coaches.

The school board also gave the go-ahead to proceed with the hiring process for an agriculture education program at the high school. So far, there are 11 applicants and the deadline to apply for the job is Jan. 31.

There has been just shy of $200,000 raised for the agriculture education program, board member Jennifer Crull said.

'We're at the two-thirds mark for fundraising and we still have two and a half years to go,” Crull said.

The agriculture education program will begin at the high school for the 2019-2020 school year. The program will be run on a trial basis for three years. At that time, the school board will reassess whether they want to move forward with the program.

The next MPCSD school board meeting is Monday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m.