MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Ninth Grade Academy instructor Adam Simpson (left) helps Lyric Williams with a problem.

MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Instructor Adam Simpson (right) and Bradley Jenkins teach Ninth Grade Academy at Christiansburg Middle School. The academy asks students to spend 12 half-days at school so they'll be ready for high school fall courses, such as Algebra 1 and English 9.

Although middle-schoolers who failed classes didn't get the option to take summer school this year, a group of rising ninth-graders who passed is voluntarily hitting the books through a first-year Montgomery County program.

This summer's Ninth Grade Academy, designed to help struggling math and reading students pick up the skills they'll need in high school courses, asks students to spend 12 half-days at school so they'll be ready for fall courses, such as Algebra 1 and English 9.

"It's basically a boost-up program to get the kids ready for their high-school math classes," said math supervisor Jonathan Schultz.

School administrators asked selected students to participate. Some performed poorly on Standards of Learning exams, while others didn't do well in their classes -- but everyone did pass to the next grade level.

Bradley Jenkins, one of two math instructors for the academy, said he plans to personally track how well the academy works. That means staying in touch with students' teachers and periodically checking their grades. Jenkins works at Shawsville Middle School.

The academy is just one more effort the county hopes can help with lagging graduation rates.

"If we can get these kids excited here, then we don't have to do as much remediation" when school starts, said Shannon McClellan, a math teacher at Auburn who works as assistant principal of summer school.

The kicker to this program is that students aren't required to attend, but they attend anyway. Of the 18 students enrolled, at least half showed up to math class for its first week. Students end their academy on Thursday.

A group of about 25 rising ninth-graders will take part in a reading courses starting Monday.

Caldwell will launch write-in campaign

Mark Caldwell says he will run write-in campaign for the District C seat on the Montgomery County School Board.

“I think I’m definitely going to do that,” he said last week. He said he’s been talking with other residents who could help run his campaign.

If elected, Caldwell would replace David Dunkenberger, and could represent parents with children in special education classes.

Caldwell’s son, Clay, a Christiansburg graduate, has Down syndrome.

Dunkenberger, who has been on the board since 2005, is not running for re-election. Caldwell filed to run for the position earlier this month, but county election officials disqualified his petition because of invalid signatures.

Auburn Elementary earns high mark

Auburn Elementary School is considered one of the Virginia Board of Education’s Distinguished Title 1 schools for 2009.

The school made adequate yearly progress, the federal government’s yardstick for progress under the No Child Left Behind Act, for two consecutive years.

It’s praised mostly because it didn’t use the federal “safe harbor,” which allows a school to make AYP if one student group (such as special education, blacks or whites) that missed AYP the year before shows a 10 percent drop in the number who are not considered proficient in a subject. The school also exceeded the federal objectives for English and math scores by scoring within the 60th percentile on the state’s Standards of Learning exams.

“Clearly Auburn has demonstrated excellence in academics,” said Lois Graham, the county’s director of elementary education.

School system joins health consortium

Montgomery County school employees could see lower health insurance premiums in the coming year now that the school board has joined the New River Valley Health Consortium.

Under the school system’s negotiated rates with Anthem for 2009-10, employees plus one child or spouse would pay $3,267 a year, a $202 decrease from the current rates. Those on a family plan would pay $9,457.40, a $585 decrease.

Employees on an HMO plan fare better, with a $552 decrease for employee plus child and employee plus spouse and $1,598 annual decrease for family coverage.

The school board picks up 100 percent of the cost of employees who insure only themselves. That rate is $6,450.40 a person. Prescription drug coverage would increase by $5 on some drugs for everyone, though.

The consortium does mean the school system will need to pay an extra $30,507 in administrative and consulting fees, but the savings it gains otherwise will make up for it, said Walt Shannon, assistant superintendent for operations.

The consortium was organized in 1998 as a way to curb insurance rates. The school board can opt out of the consortium at any time. Other county governments in the valley are members, including Montgomery and Pulaski counties.