HOPEWELL, Va. -- Hopewell Schools have a decades long tradition of excelling in sports, but now they plan to make drastic cuts so they can improve academically.
"We need to be successful, the school system cannot fail," says Chris Reber, Vice Chairman of the Hopewell School Board.
It is going to take funding for programs to change the reading scores of Hopewell's elementary students, said Superintendent Dr. John Fahey.
Right now, only 50 percent of third graders are reading at a third-grade level and Fahey said that has got to change.
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The school board's proposed budget was discussed at a packed public hearing Tuesday night. A vote is expected next week.
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Like most school divisions across the Commonwealth, Hopewell Schools operate on a tight budget, but to get five schools fully accredited and test scores higher, the school board said they need 2.8 million dollars additional funding.
Without the extra funding, the board said they will have to find ways to cut expenditures.
"Drastic cuts will mean we'll have to cut back on athletic participation," Fahey said. "We would have to look at our gifted programs, whether we can afford to send our students to various governors schools."
"These are the things that don't help our elementary kids in reading," he added. "This is a critical crossroads for us" because without drastic changes in test scores and student abilities, the State Board of Education, could take over.
"This is a critical crossroads for us," Reber said, because without drastic changes in test scores and student abilities, the State Board of Education could take over.
Hopewell students face other challenges as well.
"Seventy-six percent of our kids live in poverty, the best six hours of their day is in school," Reber said. "The best meal that they will get likely comes from school."
"They need an academic grounding," he added.
The school board's proposed budget was discussed at a public hearing Tuesday night.
A vote is expected next week.
