Dooley Noted

The Rock Island-Milan School District will unveil its first completed building project in its “Building Excellence” plans next at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday during a ribbon cutting ceremony at Longfellow Elementary School, 4198 7th Ave., Rock Island.

The building will house the district’s new liberal arts-based program beginning this school year. Educators partnered with Augustana College to build a new curriculum for the school.

Improvements to the building included a new cafeteria and library, classroom additions and a new front entrance. The addition allows Longfellow to increase its enrollment to 250 students.

Jim Widdop received a promotion today when he was sworn in as the new Rock Island County Regional Superintendent. He replaces Joe Vermeire, who held the post for 18 years.

Widdop,46,  served as the assistant superintendent for the last three years.

He is wasting no time in getting adjusted to the new position. He outlined a series of new goals and priorities Wednesday for his office that include the following:

• Maintaining a high level of educational services for schools in Rock Island County.
• Helping schools meet the increasing demands of No Child Left Behind.
• Creating a better understanding among the public about the demands schools face.
• Better informing residents of the services available to their children.
• Keeping people up-to-date on legislation, legal issues, cooperative management and research.

The County board approved Widdop’s appointment last month. He will run in the February primary for the elected office.

Construction is underway at the site of Pleasant Valley School District’s fifth elementary school. After delays caused by wet weather, district officials turned the site over to construction workers this week.

The school is expected to open August 2010.

Good news is on the way for college students who get federal financial aid.

As of July 1, students will see lower loan rates and a new repayment option that caps monthly payments at 15 percent of the borrower’s earnings once they graduate.

In addition, more money is available for students whose family incomes fall below $50,000. The threshold qualifies them for federal Pell Grants. The maximum students can receive under the program will increase $600 to total $5,350.

Loan rates for subsidized Stafford loans will drop from 6 percent to 5.6 percent. The loans typically go to students whose family income is under $80,000.

So this experiment caught my eye today as I was reading through education headlines.

A 32-year-old Yale graduate is opening a new charter school on the East Coast called the Equity Project. And it isn’t just any charter school, according to an article in the New York Times.

Among those who will teach at the school when it opens next year? An accomplished violist, two graduates with Ivy League degrees and Kobe Bryant’s former personal trainer. They, and other teachers, will earn $125,000 a year. Plus, they could also potentially receive a $25,000 bonus.

The school is premised on the idea that excellent teachers are the critical ingredient for success.

North High School could soon be getting a new addition: a cell phone tower.

Davenport school board members postponed a vote during their Monday night meeting to approve a contract with US Cellular, because district administrators had not yet shown it to them.

The contract would allow the company to build an 80- to 85-foot cell phone tower at North High School by the school’s tennis courts.  The addition would generate money, which the district and North High School would split.

Several years ago the school board shot down a similar proposal to add a tower at West High School. If it approves the one at North,  the school would become the district’s first to have a cell phone tower on its property.

Board members will most likely take the issue up again at their June 22 meeting.