For those of you actively following my school committee campaign, I sent out my second press release today. I will be putting one out a week from now on. The local papers will only print one per candidate a week. This week, I did one on the drop out rate in town. Anyway, here it is:

COUTU TO FOCUS ON HIGH DROPOUT RATE
BURRILLVILLE – Aaron J. Coutu, school committee candidate, will call for the formation of a subcommittee focusing on the town’s high dropout rate once elected. The proposed subcommittee would include committee members, teachers, administrators, parents, and community leaders.

According to a report presented to the school committee in May, the town’s 2006 graduation rate was 75 percent. “This means we are failing 1 in 4 students in our schools. We need to rise to the occasion and address their needs so they can graduate. A high school diploma is necessary if they are going to succeed in today’s world,” says Coutu. “Outside of the unresolved teachers’ contract, the dropout rate is the biggest challenge for the district.”

Based on interviews with students who recently dropped out, district teachers, and current students, the report identified the causes of the high dropout rate and recommended ways the district could keep students in the classroom. Such recommendations included suggestions for increased support for struggling students and bringing in the community to create a more supportive environment for student success.

“Our children are the town’s greatest asset. We took a good step in having this report drawn up, but now it is time to take the results and apply the best recommendations. With today’s challenging economic climate, our students need all the necessary tools to succeed and the first should be a high school diploma,” says Coutu. “Five months have passed and no action has taken place. It is time we address this issue. The more we put it off, the more students we fail.”