Beaver Dam Unified School District board members discussed the fate of an elementary school program that has been part of the district for more than a decade.
SAGE, or Student Achievement Guarantee in Education, is a state program designed to support achievement in lower grades through lower class sizes. It is used in three of the elementary schools.
Superintendent Donald Childs said the board has to decide whether to continue the program, modify it or to make other arrangements to serve the students in need.
“We’re presuming the program will continue,” Childs said. “That is not at altogether clear.”
There is a small movement in the state legislature to end the SAGE program, Childs said.
Childs told the board that if they do away with SAGE altogether this year, the district would lose about $168,000. But if they would retain it at Jefferson and Lincoln schools, but eliminate it at Prairie View, then the district would gain revenue.
There is also the option of making early learning centers for students in kindergarten through second grade that would have smaller class sizes.
“There are downsides to that, like the community’s longstanding commitment to neighborhood schools,” Childs said. “I’m not recommending reorganization right away.”
Board member Kim Darst asked for information about the performance of students who went through SAGE to determine how much it helps them.