MAY GREENE: STEPCHILD OR SUCCESS STORY?

PADUCAH, Ky. - Is May Greene Elementary School Cape Girardeau's stepchild or is it the city's educational success story?

At the Cape Girardeau Board of Education retreat Saturday, board members expressed concerns that perhaps pupils attending May Greene were getting less service than students at other city schools.

While the long-range plans for building needs and program changes earned top billing at the retreat, board members and administrators hope to make enhancement of May Greene a short-range goal.

Superintendent Neyland Clark said, "May Greene has taken on the stepchild role when in fact it may well be the success story.

"I find it a little insulting that parents feel their children get less of an education at May Greene than at Alma Schrader. We have some really good teachers down there (at May Greene)."

James Englehart, director of secondary education, said test scores show that students from lower socio-economic areas of the city achieve less than students from higher socio-economic areas.

But Clark said district administrators need to collect data about specific progress and achievement of students at May Greene and at other schools.

"It may be that students at May Greene are gaining faster than students at Alma Schrader," Clark said.

Board member John Campbell said, "You may find a change in students at May Greene, but that change could be a whole lot more than what it is now."

Clark said: "What happens if we really focus on this school? We could make a real commitment to the children of that school. We should have kids coming out of that school ready for anything despite all odds."

Friday night Clark suggested the board consider opening school libraries to the public in the evening.

"Here's a perfect place to try that," he said Saturday. "We know if we can get parents involved, kids do better. And, if some of these parents can't read, we can help them too."

Board member Carolyn Kelley said teachers and students at May Greene deal with situations that don't occur at other schools. For example, she said, crime is often just a few blocks away from the school.

Campbell said the children attending that school change residences often.

Even the school building is less than perfect, said board member Gwen Bennett.

The board members stated they hated to single out May Greene for its socio-economic troubles, but they felt it was necessary.

Kelley said, "We have some of the same problems at some of our other elementary schools, but not in the concentration that we have at May Greene."