CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Extended contracts with teachers have been important for students who need some extra class time as well as for successful students looking for more challenges, local educators say.
But those state-funded contracts are expected to come to an end after the current school year.
Dan Glasscock, director of secondary education instruction for Bradley County Schools, said the county has $151,000 for extended learning. That plus some reserves from last year will fund 67 contracts this year, he said.
At one time the system was allocated $250,000 annually.
Extended contracts allow teachers to spend extra time coaching students after the normal classroom day. They also fund extra classes for enrichment programs, from a wide variety of topics, for students seeking more challenges.
"Unfortunately, next year extended contract money will run out unless there is a miracle from the state, which we don't anticipate,'' Glasscock told Bradley County school board members.
Local educators hope that extended contracts will come back if the economy improves. But there are no guarantees.
School board Chairman Troy Weathers said the system should keep reminding the state how important the program is for some students.
That's just what school superintendents across the state plan to do, said County Schools Director Johnny McDaniel.
"It is something that, as a group, superintendents will be pushing for," McDaniel said.