The number of students at Bancroft-Rosalie School has increased this year. Last year there were 44% of students qualifying, and in 2009-10 exactly 50% of the students qualified for free or reduced meals. Is this a sign of the economy in rural Nebraska, or are more people choosing to apply who may have qualified previously?
The increase of low income students is both good and bad. It is unfortunate that so many families are not making a decent income, but the school benefits financially from increases in federal and state aid. The projected increase in state poverty funds could be as much as $30,000. This money needs to be tied in to programs for poverty students that we would not provide otherwise. This year, poverty money is used to pay for the Reading/Math Coach position- Mrs. Vogt. She is responsible for monitoring the progress of students who are not at grade level in reading and math. She also provides some interventions for these students.
One thing I am considering is having a nurse in the school every day for 1/2 of the day. They would be available to check ill or injured students and teach CPR classes, both of which are currently done by the Superintendent. The nurse could also teach CNA classes, which we added this year and contract with Elkhorn-Logan Valley Health Department for an instructor. The half-time nurse (probably an LPN with an RN from the Health Department supervising) would probably cost around $20,000.
Any thoughts on the nurse idea?
