News Article
Posted on Wednesday, November 1st, 2000 at 12:01 am.
 | By Staff Reports |
By Staff
November 3, 2000
District 4 Lauderdale County School Board candidate Scott Sollie said the district’s children need more preparation courses for college. Incumbent Michael Spidle agrees, but says the board is already on its way to accomplishing that task.
“I’d like to pursue the distance learning concept, a network of schools where a teacher anywhere in the country can teach over an interactive type television,” Sollie said.
“It would help develop the kids for college. When they just take the general courses, when they get out to the junior or senior college, it’s a pretty big step in the level of difficulty in the courses.”
Spidle said board members discussed advanced prep courses at an April retreat.
“We’re going to have to offer a more advanced placement curriculum and some remedial courses where needed. We need more foreign languages and college prep courses such as advanced math courses,” Spidle said.
Sollie said he decided to run for the school board seat to enhance the education of his children at Clarkdale Attendance Center and to provide support to the school and to the district.
“We’ve got some optimism now that we haven’t had for a while. We’ve got a new administrator. I want to be a supporter to help Clarkdale get going in the right direction,” he said.
Sollie, a BellSouth project manager, said raising the accreditation level is the district’s biggest challenge. The Lauderdale County School District is rated a Level 3 on a five-point scale.
“We’ve been level for the last few years, and we need to start moving up to a 5,” he said. “To cut to the chase, every decision that the school board makes affects two things that are very important to people, and that’s children and money, and I pledge to be fair and honest in every decision that affects voters’ children and money.”
Spidle said if re-elected, he will continue to work toward goals board members established during their April retreat.
Spidle was appointed in March 1998 to fill the shoes of a resigning board member, and later fulfilled a state requirement to run for office. He was elected to the position in November 1998.
Spidle said in addition to addressing prep courses, board members have ordered a physical needs assessment on all campuses.
“We want to provide a place that we’re proud of, a place that is a safe environment for our children and is also an area that is conducive to learning,” he said.
Spidle said a challenge will be to get more parental support. He is in favor of holding school board meetings at various campuses in order to solicit more parental involvement.
Spidle said he also supports Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck’s initiative to banish severely disruptive students from classrooms and place discipline back in the hands of teachers.
“I would back her 100 percent on that,” he said. “You have got to give the teachers a little more leeway there. We’ve got the teachers so suppressed that they’re really afraid to do anything. They’re afraid there will be a lawsuit.”
Spidle has two children who have graduated from Clarkdale Attendance Center and one child currently enrolled. He is a maintenance supervisor for The Solar Group.
Marianne Todd is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at mtodd@meridianstar.com.
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