EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
On Tuesday, EVSC Superintendent David Smith gave the district's annual State of the Schools address, touching on EVSC's successes and some new ideas for the future.
One of the main points was a new program called Response to Intervention that would be working with students to increase behavioral and educational performance. That program will take three to five years to put in place.
Another focus was early education, and how it can positively impact a student's success throughout life.
"Parents are the first teachers of their kiddos, so it's critically important that parents help us in educating their children," said Dr. Smith.
In front of a packed crowd at Tuesday's Rotary Club meeting, Smith stressed the importance of early education.
"Not everybody comes to us with the same background and not everybody knows what they're supposed to do when we say we want you to behave," said Marsha Jackson, the chief communications officer with the EVSC. EVSC superintendent touches on successes during State of Schools Address
EVSC says sending kids to the office when in trouble doesn't teach them to behave. That's why the district is rolling out the Response to Intervention or RTI Program, and working with community partners to serve student needs in and out of the classroom.
"If we have children that have some type of emotional issue or social issue, we may be looking at counselors from these organizations to help them," said Jackson.
Dr. Smith says next school year, the old North High School building will be used to increase EVSC's alternative education programs, and making sure every student gets the education they need to grow.
"We do know that students are interested in a variety of activities, so we want to align their interests with educational outcomes," said Smith.
Smith says the district is in the process of figuring out what the $2.4 million cut from EVSC's budget through tax caps in April will affect. But he says they have some back up funds and will make sure to keep what matters most to students.
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