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Posted on Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 4:05 p.m.

Ann Arbor schools get increase in Great Start funds; new computers approved for Pioneer High School lab

By Kyle Feldscher

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Five members of the Ann Arbor Board of Education give the oath of office near the end of Wednesday night's meeting.

Kyle Feldscher | AnnArbor.com

Ann Arbor schools will receive more than $421,000 in funding to participate in the Great Start Readiness Program this year, allowing the program to serve 51 additional students over last year.

The program can now have a maximum of 124 students, 94 of which are already enrolled with 10 more waiting to join, said Lee Ann Dickinson-Kelley, AAPS interim assistant superintendent of instruction told the school board Wednesday night. The funding is provided by the state of Michigan.

She said the district had actually expected to lose funding for this program, which is meant to provide preschool programs for 4-year-old children who are from “at-risk” backgrounds.

“The revenue is always redistributed among districts that can support the program and we were delighted when we discovered a greater allocation than anticipated,” she said. “We expected the opposite; we actually inquired whether or not the state had made an error. They said the pot of money isn’t greater but the amount of districts receiving it is lower.”

Board members sworn in

Five trustees on the Ann Arbor Board of Education took their oath of office at Wednesday’s meeting after being re-elected in the November elections.

Board president Deb Mexicotte, trustees Susan Baskett, Simone Lightfoot, Andy Thomas and Christine Stead all stood near the end of the meeting and gave their oath.

All the trustees ran unopposed in the November elections.

Baskett and Stead were both elected to four-year terms, Mexicotte was elected to a two-year term and Lightfoot and Thomas were both elected to a one-year term.

Computer purchase for Pioneer High School approved

Also at Wednesday night's meeting, trustees unanimously approved the purchase of 25 Dell computers for $28,382.50.

The computers being replaced at Pioneer High School were seven years old and needed to be upgraded, district officials said. The new computers will be in the C302 Business lab.

The computers will be purchased with funds from a grant for vocational and technical education.

Kyle Feldscher covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com.

Comments

Dr. I. Emsayin

Fri, Dec 10, 2010 : 9:19 a.m.

Pioneer's business program which includes a popular accounting class is a big hit with students. Maybe the old Dells could be used for another computer lab. The Macs that the kids use from the mobile carts don't hold a charge and the students find it frustrating that they can't complete an assignment (during an hour when the computers are in the classroom) due to dead batteries because the carts are used all day long. Maybe the BOE will spring for new batteries for the Macs so they can be used in the classrooms more successfully. Hearing that the classwork couldn't be completed because the battery wasn't able to charge makes me wonder if AAPS is up to snuff technologically.

proudparent

Thu, Dec 9, 2010 : 7:15 p.m.

This is great news. This is a wonderful program.