Price's Legacy

Mercy, did Price leave a poor legacy when he finally left......Journal story

Middletown students committing fewer crimes at high school

MIDDLETOWN —
School officials credit a 77 percent drop in student arrests at Middletown High School to an improvement in school climate and attitudes.

The high school — with about 1,760 students — recorded 223 arrests during the 2008-09 school year, ranging from assaults and thefts to truancy and smoking violations. The rate has significantly dropped each year since, now at about 50 arrests for the current year, according to Officer Philip Salm, the school resource officer

Salm said the high school had “a very adversarial climate” when he first joined in 2008. He said it wasn’t until a change in leadership — with the hire of superintendent Greg Rasmussen three years ago and promotion of Carmela Cotter to principal — that students began behaving better.

“It was like changing a general manger and head coach but keeping the same players; it was night and day,” Salm said. “There was a downward flow of negativity from disgruntled teachers that wanted to quit. And kids mirror what they see.”

The Rev. Greg Tyus, school board vice president, said the results from recent teacher surveys at the high school “speak for themselves.”

“The surveys done at the district show the behavior supports implemented have improved the climate,” Tyus said.

Between 2011 to 2012, significant increases were recorded when teachers were asked if they believed student behavior initiatives are having a positive impact (11 percent up to 34 percent); if the teachers morale is positive (25 percent up to 77 percent); and if there’s an atmosphere of trust in the school (7 percent up to 63 percent), according to the district

IT IS SAD TO SEE A SUPER, WHO WE TOLERATED FOR SEVEN YEARS BEFORE REALIZING HIS NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE DISTRICT, LEAVE A SCHOOL SYSTEM IN SUCH POOR SHAPE, BOTH ACADEMICALLY, MORAL-WISE AND WITH SUCH A POOR IMAGE. PERHAPS THAT IS WHY HE FAILED AT ALL HIS SUBSEQUENT JOB ATTEMPTS SINCE LEAVING. JUST TOOK THEM LESS TIME TO REALIZE THIS GUY WAS BAD NEWS. KUDOS TO RASMUSSEN AND OTHERS FOR SHOWING PROMISING RESULTS WITH THE NEW CHANGES. SOUNDS LIKE MS. COTTER HAS TAKEN CONTROL ALSO. GOOD EFFORT.

enough is enough wrote: This does sound like good news. But playing devil's advocate, maybe the numbers have improved because of the kinder gentler approach to discipline. Trying to make things seem better than they are with a levy looming in the near future.

Never have seen kinder/gentler work in controlling discipline. Kids tend to react to being nice to them by taking advantage of the kindness and having no respect for authority, viewing it as weak at best. Have seen hard line military style methods used to control people from all walks of life, all with different attitudes, all with different mentalities and transform them into one cohesive unit. Gotta be a happy medium there someplace.

They can ask for their levy. Never stopped them before. Doesn't mean they'll get their money though. Levies have failed in the past when people have had enough rootin' around in their wallets and see no value added in approving more money. The increase in the super's pay won't help their cause either. The performance to date doesn't justify the money spent to date. Awful lot of money spent over the years just to be below average. JMO