Rumor Mill-5697

Published May 21, 2014

The purpose of this section is to answer any questions parents, teachers or community members might have regarding the school district and to set the record straight in regards to any rumors that might be circulating.

If you have a question or have heard a rumor that you would like for us to address, simply SEND US your questions and we will respond to them in upcoming issues of InFocus. Below are some of the questions we have received since our last issue.

Is it true elementary schools will no longer be teaching science and social studies classes next year under the new curriculum model?

There is no truth to this rumor.

I love the fact that each school in the district has a School Resource Officer on duty. Will this continue throughout the 2014-15 school year?

Yes, the Williamson County School Board voted May 19 in favor of an addendum to its Memorandum of Understanding with the Sheriff's Department for use of School Resource Officers (SRO's) at WCS schools, extending the agreement for SRO services through the 2014-2015 school year.

Have school fees been decided yet for the 2014-15 school year?

The Williamson County Board of Education established course fees and fees for extra-curricular activities for the 2014-15 school year at its May 19 School Board meeting. The Board adopts the fee schedule annually for the upcoming school year.

Fees at the elementary school level will remain the same at $25 with an additional $5 recorder fee.

At the middle school level, basic academic fees will be a maximum of $100. Major sport fees are $100 per student, per sport with minor sport fees $80 per student, per sport. Cheerleading is $220; dance is $220; golf is $300; and strings/band is $200 per student.

At the high school level, fees vary by class and by activity.

Extra-curricular fees are not optional. After the fees have been collected, the students and student groups may also continue to fundraise above and beyond to cover additional expenses as many of these activities cannot be done at the level participants desire with these fee amounts. Revenue collected through fundraising must be used to cover additional expenses for the group.

Is it true the district has approved new textbooks for next school year?

The Williamson County School Board approved new social studies textbooks for grades K-12 at its May 19 School Board meeting.

As per state law, all district teachers, administrators and community members were given the opportunity during the 2013-14 school year to review and offer feedback on the state approved textbooks up for adoption. Teachers voted to adopt texts for use in social studies courses for 2014-15. The local textbook committees were charged with representing the input received from teachers. The recommendations were then presented to the School Board for approval.

Textbooks are adopted annually in Williamson County on a rotating basis based on content areas.