Link to Original Story

Illinois Targets Struggling Schools With New Program

By: Andy Waterman

PULASKI COUNTY -- For years, the Meridian School District has been known as one of the worst performing districts in the state. On several websites they receive a two out of ten rating, landing them at 786 out of 842 schools in the state.

"The high school has been ranked in the lowest of five percent of all the schools in the state of Illinois," said Meridian Superintendent Dr. Yvonne Bullock.

However, Bullock says the district is slowly getting better. Over the last year, they've raised their reading scores by seventeen points, and math by twelve points. And now a new program called 'The Partnership Zone,' could give Meridian hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to continue their upswing.

"We need to see some turnaround activities, where we need to see student achievement turnaround significantly," said Matt Vanover, a spokesman for the Illinois State Board of Education.

Vanover says the partnership zone is a three year, seventy-five million dollar project spanned across six states. And about four districts in Illinois could see 750 thousand dollars a year, which Bullock says would greatly help Meridian.

"It will help us to maintain highly qualified teachers," Bullock said. "It will allow us an opportunity to enhance the salaries that teachers make."

Bullock says Meridian is the only school district in southern Illinois that qualifies for the program. And her schools are in much more of a need for the funding than others.

"We're in a very rural area, and we need all the resources that we can get," said Bullock. "We don't have the support, the economic support base that other school districts have in the northern area, so this would mean a lot to Meridian."