Vernon Board of Education to decide fate of SAT program

VERNON — The Vernon Township Board of Education has been debating the fate of the high school's SAT prep program since last winter and is expected to make a decision at Thursday's meeting.

After a presentation by faculty member Chuck McKay, the board agreed to fund the spring SAT program, and the class, which normally costs $400 per student, was filled to capacity. Approximately 25 students met after school and on Saturdays to prepare for the test. Now the fall has come, and the board has been given a variety of options as to how the program might be run.

The first option is full funding by the district, at a cost of $7,000 per season. This plan is supported by board member Lori LaPera, who doesn't understand why the district is charging for academic programs but not sports programs.

“It doesn't process for me,” she said. “Both are extracurricular programs.”

She also pointed out that the SATs are a huge thing for seniors-they make a huge difference in what school a student attends and how much grant money they get.

Board member Robert Hughes asked if making the program free would mean it would be overrun, to which board president David Zweier commented, “that would be a great thing.” McKay agreed, saying that the program could be expanded, which would be a great thing too. He pointed out that for every $1 given in athletic scholarships, there is $97 in academic scholarships, which should make it a priority for any parent or board member.

Zweier pointed out that good SAT scores can be the difference between getting into a school and not, and what kind of school a student goes to.

Another board member suggested that if need be, a cap could be put on the program as well.

The other popular suggestion for managing the program would be that students would pay enough to cover the cost of supplies, while the district would cover the cost of the staffing, which is two teachers. This view is supported by board member Ed DeYoung, who said that he feels that there should be a nominal fee. The district isn't required to provide it, he explained.

LaPera stated that she felt it was important to the district to provide the classes to students who wouldn't normally be able to afford it, especially with more families struggling. DeYoung said that he felt that parents would come up with the money for their kids.