KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffEducation leaders hope community support can curb drop out dilemma

Education leaders hope community support can curb drop out dilemma

By Kathy Sweeney - bio | email

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KFVS) - Ever go to a Cape High School football game? What about watching the junior high team give its all on a muddy, rainy field?

"We have to build that culture, that climate, that school is important and we as a community support that," said Cape Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim Welker.

Bringing Tiger pride to the entire community could help keep more students in school, according to members of the United Way's Education Solutions Team.

United Way Executive Director Nancy Jernigan says it's doable, but clearly a challenge.

"We need to accept and acknowledge that there are a lot of people in this community that don't feel a part of this community," Jernigan said. "And I think if you really could do this, you'd find that...their kids are the ones who are failing."

At the team's monthly meeting held Tuesday morning, members placed colored dots next to the most affective strategies for curbing the district's drop out dilemma.

Those include readiness on the pre-school level, attendance in the grade schools, community involvement at the middle school and junior high, and better support systems at the high school.

"As they come up with ideas," Superintendent Welker said, "of course one of the things I'm always, in the back of my mind, trying to think about is in terms of what it's going to cost, because we have some budget issues we're dealing with too."

But, Jernigan says money doesn't have to be a stumbling block.

"One of the reasons we, the United Way, is facilitating this (Education Solutions Team) is to give us more direction as to what the real strategies are that will make a real change in what we think is a real important community issue of graduation rates so we have better information to make our investment decisions with campaign dollars."

The team will meet again in January and February, before presenting its final proposal in March of 2010.

Copyright 2009 KFVS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.