Soccer Parents Convince Boards Soccer League Worth Pursuing

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Two local soccer parents have convinced the Du Quoin Community Unit Dist. 300 board that a cooperative high school soccer program is worth pursuing.

John Alongi and Craig Williams representing the Perry County Soccer Association made a presentation to the Board regarding the potential formation of a cooperative high school soccer program between DHS and PCHS.. The board Thursday authorized the administration to begin discussions with the PCHS administration. Complete details next week.

Paul Lunsford, the District Architect shared an update with the board on the various phases of the high school construction project. Artificial turf is being installed on VanMetre Field. New seating is being installed in Anders gymnasium. The new concourse is almost finished. Demolition continues on the back of the high school.

Preliminary district test scores show that overall, 76.4% of the district's students are meeting or exceeding state standards in the area of reading, with 83.4% of the students meeting or exceeding state standards in math. The results include the ISAT given at grades 3 through 8 and the PSAE administered to all high school juniors. The district also met the state standards in every subgroup area with one exception. The Elementary School results saw the greatest growth from the previous year with overall reading scores climbing 6.5% and overall math scores increasing 7.1%

The board also heard budget and state funding updates as well as operational updates on things like the transportation contract. The board meets in special Monday,August 8, 2011 at 5 p.m. to consider staffing needs.