Standards raised for disciplinary schools
By LESTER MURRAY news2@kilgorenewsherald.com

Billy Gillum, principal at Elder School, on Tuesday told the Kilgore school board about proposed standards for Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEP). Elder Cooperative Alternative School is governed by those standards.

Gillum told the board that Texas Legislation, specifically House Bill 426, requires changes in operating conditions at Elder.

The state, Gillum said, wants to change the way it evaluates alternative schools. "The state is looking at how to monitor DAEPs electronically on their performance and a system to review the evaluation," said Gillum. "This is being considered by the state but nothing is in writing at this time."

The state also wants better schools to be more careful about sending students to alternative campuses. "They want school districts to look at reasons why they are sending to student to a DAEP and for how long," said Gillum. "The sending school makes the determination on how long the student will stay at the DAEP and for what reason the student goes. The DAEP has no say so-on when the student goes back or why they are there."

Texas education agency now requires a pre-test assessment and a post-test assessment for students when they enter the DAEP, said Gillum. "Besides the testing, the state is looking at whether the student is in the DAEP for a mandatory reason, discretionary reason and studying recidivism."

Elder is directly affected by the new hours required by the state for students to attend school. "We have been on a sixhour day and the state now says we must have students in school for seven hours," said Gillum. "We have had to rearrange our schedule and make one parttime teacher now full-time, but we are ready to meet those standards at the beginning of the 2008/2009 school year."

The state is now also monitoring the distance from a students' home to the alternative school. If the student lives more than ten miles from the DAEP campus, the sending school must pick up that student and take him or her to school.

Gillum said the DAEP at Elder is set up to handle up to 105 students and now serves ten school districts. "Each school district is assigned slots for students and they pay for each slot," said Gillum. "The cost is $6600 per slot."

Elder school is handling students from age seven to 21, has a staff of seven teachers, one secretary, one student aid and the principal. "We are currently filling about 75 slots and are capable of accommodating other school districts," said Gillum.

"We treat all students the same. Our staff is concerned about each student and what they are there for - continuing their education and not falling behind because of some disciplinary problem."

"Once students settle in a DAEP setting, they see progress. Some students have said to me they prefer to stay at the DAEP," said Gillum. "The main thing the state wants is to ensure that each student's graduation plan continues and cannot be changed just because the student goes to a DAEP."

Gillum told the board that Elder meets all the requirements proposed by the state in House Bill 426 and is prepared for the new school year.