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Gloucester board reviews Program of Studies changes, defers drone course and moves to gather grant details
Summary
The Gloucester County School Board reviewed proposals to add a middle‑school Career Investigations course (contingent on a $60,000 Go Virginia grant), compress middle‑school science into two years for earlier high‑school credit, and add several high‑school courses; the board agreed to research a proposed FAA/drone offering and deferred final action until January.
The Gloucester County School Board on Dec. 10 reviewed a package of Program of Studies proposals that would add career‑exploration and technical course options for middle and high school students and authorized staff to return in January with additional details, including enrollment and fiscal impacts.
Director of Secondary Instruction Dr. Ladoux presented the package, saying the division is proposing a standalone middle‑school Career Investigations course and is applying for a Go Virginia grant to help fund a technology‑enhanced version. “If we do get the $60,000 grant, then it will be taught as a Go Virginia course,” Dr. Ladoux said, and staff noted that without the grant the course could still be offered using existing personnel with a cost‑neutral staffing model.
The proposal would also compress three years of middle‑school science into two, allowing eighth‑grade students to take a high‑school science (for example, environmental science or earth science) and earn credit earlier. Dr. Ladoux said the change is intended to support gifted students and could help the division’s middle‑school accountability metrics; staff estimated the re‑sequencing would affect perhaps 20 students per school and that curriculum work could cost an estimated $2,000–$4,000 depending on teacher hours.
High‑school proposals in the package included establishing a Criminal Justice II sequence, adding four levels of dance technique, offering AP African American Studies, moving driver’s education into the PE10 elective so students could access the course earlier, and reinstating the WISE financial‑literacy certification and test for students in economics and personal finance.
Board members asked about minimum enrollments and staffing. Staff advised a 15‑student minimum for courses to be financially viable. “Fifteen is the minimum for any course to go,” Dr. Ladoux said, adding that driver’s education is required as part of PE10 and would not face the same enrollment barriers.
Several board members pressed about a frequently requested drone course. “I’m shocked to know why there’s no drone course recommendation on the list,” one member said, noting community emails. Staff replied that an FAA drone certification is available through NJROTC but that no separate community submission requesting a standalone drone class was received this year. The board requested that staff check whether a drone course was submitted and to analyze equipment, instructor certification and ongoing fiscal impacts. Members agreed to defer any vote on adding new courses until January to review that information.
The board did not take a final vote on the Program of Studies package on Dec. 10; staff said they would bring updated enrollment data, curriculum‑writing cost estimates and any grant award notifications to the January meeting.
Next steps: staff will report back in January with grant application status for the Go Virginia request, enrollment projections for proposed courses (including criminal justice and any drone requests), and more precise budget implications for curriculum development and equipment.
