Dropout rate is topic of meeting

A meeting Monday night at the Shelbyville Central High School theater is designed to enlist local businesses in improving the county's graduation rate.

According to state report card figures released this month, Bedford County's 2010 graduation rate was 79.3 percent, far below the state goal of 90 percent.

"That's one of our areas in which we are struggling," said Ray Butrum, school superintendent.

Low ranking

Graduation rate was one factor cited in an educational analysis of mid-sized Tennessee cities, published last month by the parent company of Nashville Business Journal, which ranked Shelbyville dead last in Tennessee.

The meeting, scheduled to run from 6-7:45 p.m. Monday, will include presentations from the school system's graduation coaches, United Way, Shelbyville and Bedford County government leaders, the Chamber of Commerce and the local Wendy's franchise. It's open to anyone with an interest in the graduation rate issue.

How to help

Butrum said employers can help improve graduation rates in numerous different ways. For example, those who employ current high school students as part-time workers can be supportive and can offer rewards for student employees who maintain good grades and stay in school.

Employers of adults can be encouraged to hire only high school graduates, Butrum said, taking away some of the incentive for students to drop out of school early.

Butrum said he's meeting with several large local employers over the next month to discuss the issue. Window decals may be developed for display by businesses that have agreed to support the project.

Many factors

According to a flyer promoting Monday's meeting, factors that cause students to drop out include:

1) Students feel alienated at school and feel that no one notices their absence;

2) Students are not doing well academically;

3) Students feel that they have a job and no longer need an education;

4) Teen parents may need to stay home for various reasons; and

5) Teen parents may need to work to provide for their dependents.

Butrum said the project is an initiative of the graduation coaches and the instructional staff at the school system central office.