First Posted: 3/11/2012
The Dallas School Board on Monday approved changes to course offerings at the high school and middle school for the 2012-13 school year.
At the high school, major changes include the addition of several classes to accommodate the opportunities made available since the completion of the new high school building last September.
Board President Catherine Wega said the school was designed to include facilities for more elective courses, such as electronics, prototyping, food preparation and others.
Wega also said the high school has fostered a relationship with the West Side Career and Technology Center in Pringle enabling Dallas students to take elective classes part-time at the institution.
“Traditionally if students wanted to take classes at the technology center, they would have to remove themselves from Dallas and enroll there,” Wega said. “Now, if a student wants to take one or two technology courses at the technology center that we don’t offer, they can do that and still remain Dallas students.”
Wega said transportation arrangements already have been made. There will be discussion as to whether the relationship will be reciprocal for Dallas students attending the West Side Career and Technical Center.
At the middle school, two foreign language courses offered in eighth grade – conversational French and introductory French – will be eliminated, said Principal Thomas Duffy.
He said this is part of aligning the curriculum with the high school foreign language department, which is in the midst of restructuring.
The following four courses in the foreign language department will be offered to seventh grade: exploration of word origins, introduction to Spanish, cultural geography and exploration of critical and contemporary world languages.
Duffy said these courses would not require a change in staffing at the middle school.
In other news, the board also hired Paul Dumond as assistant high school football coach with a stipend of $3,976, and Rich Dumond as middle school assistant football coach with a stipend of $2,725.
The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the administration building.
