Meigs gets $25,000 grant to lower dropout rates

DECATUR, Tenn. — Meigs County Schools has received a $25,000 AT&T grant to help reduce the county’s high-school dropout rate.

The grant money will be used to provide computers and software to help with remediation and language arts in the Meigs County Middle School.

Director of Schools Don Roberts accepted a check last week from Mary StewartLewis of AT&T.

Assistant schools director David Brown said a similar program is in place at the high school where students can use the computers to develop communication skills and focus on academic subjects they find challenging.

Middle school director Chris Ziegler said the program will help give middle school students a head start on high school.

Secondary schools supervisor Milburn Harmon wrote the grant for the program. He said the equipment and software will allow students to log into the computer and complete lessons assigned by the teacher.

“It gives more individual instruction,” Mr. Harmon said. And the computers can be used with computerized whiteboards that are in each classroom at the high school.

The program will allow the staff to try to prevent academic problems rather than recover after they have happened, Mr. Harmon said.

Meigs County’s graduation rate has climbed from 70 percent seven years ago to 90 percent this year, and officials believe that number will increase with the programs.

County Mayor Ken Jones said the program “allows us to offer students a more flexible, alternative approach to their academic success that helps meet individual needs.”

Ms. Lewis said the AT&T foundation has given more than $500,000 in grants over the next four years.