School Board Retreat Would Violate FOIA Laws

A School Board “retreat” that has been in the planning stages since May, 2010 appears to be in jeopardy according to school sources.  Specific reasons for why the retreat, which was schedule for next week, will be allowed to die Tuesday night were not given.
The meeting, to be held approximately 60 miles west of Clarke [...]

Inadequate Progress Spurs School Plan

When the Virginia Department of Education released its School Report Cards on August 12th detailing which schools made “Adequate Yearly Progress” (AYP) under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the scores didn’t place Clarke County Public Schools in a favorable light.
Do Clarke County’s AYP scores provide reason for concern? Do the scores reflect a [...]

School News Round-Up – No Guitar Heroes At CCPS

Clarke County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Murphy told the Board of Supervisors that with the school budget in the “black” he hopes to continue financial reforms both in the budget planning cycle and by establishing a “carry-over” allowance that will provide the school division with greater control over its annual spending.  In [...]

Ag Education Wakeup Call – Meeting Transcript

On August 17th School Board chairperson Robina Bouffault told the Clarke County Board of Supervisors that consolidating CCPS’s vocational and agricultural education buildings on the new high school campus was “not an option”. Bouffault’s announcement has since stirred surprise and controversy with many people in the community who believed that consolidating the agriculture program into [...]

Class of 2014 Begins High School Journey

The Clarke County High School graduating Class of 2014 took their first step toward graduation today as Principal John Werner and his staff welcomed the new students at high school orientation and sought to drive away any lingering nervous butterflies as summer vacation officially ends on Wednesday.
“What was the mascot that you had at Johnson [...]

Opinion – Greenhouse and Ag Program Belong at New School Site

“Agriculture generates some 22 million jobs in the United States, and most are located off of farms. Actually, fewer than 2 million Americans are actively engaged in farming. Today’s farmers are efficient enough to produce 16% of the world’s food supply. However, the task of keeping all these people fed is complicated by environmental, scientific, [...]

Snow-Damaged Awnings Replaced at Boyce Elementary

On Wednesday, February 10, 2010 Boyce Elementary School and Clarke County were smacked by the second of two snowstorms. Following the second storm, Boyce Elementary principal Susan Catlett and CCPS Central Office staff made their way to the school to inspect for damage.  Today, thanks to CCPS’s insurance policy with the Virginia School Board Association, [...]

Horticulture: Pet Project or Life’s Necessity?

By Beth Novak, CCHS Horticulture Instructor
Is a hamburger a plant?  That’s a question I ask my students who always reply “no” until they break down the parts and realize – well a hamburger isn’t a plant, but it is an end product of plants – a fact that often comes as a surprise to them [...]

Updated: Ag Education Supporters Get Wakeup Call

CDN Editor: In an electronic mail message to CDN today (August 19, 2010) School Board Chairman Robina Bouffault said:
“You perhaps misunderstood me when you quoted me as saying: ”Last year horticulture had 65 students” Bouffault said. “This year there are only 45.” I said that two years ago horticulture had 65 students, while this past year there [...]

New School Construction Testing Cost Nears $500K

The Clarke County School Board approved $225K to Gannett Fleming, Inc. (GF) for building commissioning at the new Clarke County High School. The amount is in addition to $247K approved last month for quality testing services on a wide range of construction deliverables. The board also reviewed potential capital costs for retrofitting existing school buildings, [...]

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