NEWPORT - A plan passed by the Newport Board of Education July 16 will reshape the city's school system over the next five years.

The district will spend approximately $1.5 million over five years on a strategic plan aimed at changing public perception of Newport schools and helping revitalize the area.

"We are in a position to focus heavily on academic achievement," said Bill Shamblin, director of communications for the school district.

Students Left Behind

Shamblin said that the Newport community has come a long way in recent years, but the schools haven't kept up.

"The community changed so much after the '70s. When they kicked the mob out of Newport, it became all rental houses. All of a sudden you've got a transient population," Shamblin said.

Because of constant student transfers, some schools have seen annual enrollment turnover rates of 60 percent.

Those numbers don't look good to parents of school-aged children. The Newport Independent School district needed help.

It came in the form of Superintendent Michael Brandt, former superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools who just completed his first year in charge of Newport schools. Brandt pulled the Cincinnati district out of its multi-million-dollar debt during his tenure.

Now he's looking to new challenges.

"We're terribly excited about the plan," Brandt said. "I think it will have a huge impact, educationally, in the city of Newport."

School Match, a group out of Westerville, Ohio that specializes in auditing a school district by comparing it to top performers with the same demographic characteristics evaluated as the Newport district.

"The idea is measuring apples to apples," Shamblin said.

Start at the Beginning

Results found low expectations among students and teachers, something that Shamblin said added to the overall perception of the schools.

There was also a problem at the beginning of the educational process.

"We've got kids coming into kindergarten that are two years behind developmentally," Shamblin said.

In an attempt to remedy insufficient student preparedness for kindergarten, preschool services will be offered to Newport children from birth to 5 years of age.

Some students enter kindergarten at a learning level two years behind where they should be, and they lag behind for the rest of their education, Brandt said. That deficiency increases the risk that students will fail one or more grade levels, which in turn increases the likelihood they will eventually drop out of school. Students who fail one grade are at a 35 percent risk of dropping out. Failing twice doubles that risk.

First, visits will be made to homes of children up to age 3 by representatives of the Brighton Center, an organization promoting self-sufficiency. Employees will make house calls to set parents up with tools to start their children's education process early.

Starting at age 4, children can be enrolled in all-day preschool, with the additional hours run by Children Inc., a non-profit child-care organization based in Covington.

"It's play with purpose," Shamblin said. "It will provide the stimulation these kids need to get ready (for school)."

At-risk families, those with a lower socioeconomic status, are given state funding for daycare and generally pay $15 a week.

"This program will not cost any more," Shamblin said. "This is high-quality, instruction-based preschool."

Welcome Center

A more rigorous school curriculum will also be initiated through teacher development, along with a drive to get more parents involved with Newport schools by way of a new welcome center.

The center, located in the old Newport High School building at 30 W. Eighth St. is being renovated with the help of students, giving them a paying job over the summer.

The preschool, a health clinic, family resource center and adult education center will be housed in the building.

One centralized location, according to Shamblin, should help in getting parents involved with their children's school by providing an easily accessible place to enroll their children, receive free immunization shots and educate themselves if they would like.

Driving through the west side of Newport, Shamblin said one of the school district's goals is to help the people living in the city by providing free programs and opportunities to anyone interested. Shamblin said the Newport School District tries to empower residents through education in an area in which 22 percent of students live under the poverty line.

Helping with the renovation, Zach Bartel, a Newport senior football player, said he thinks the development will help the whole city.

"I think it's going to be good for the community now and it's going to be good for the community in the future," Bartel said. "It's going to make us a better place and maybe it will change everyone else's outlook on Newport too."

High Five

Newport Schools' strategic plan focuses on five areas of improvement: 

* Increased rigor in core subjects.

*  Preschool services for Newport children from birth to age 5. 

*  Developing district capacity in teaching. 

*  Redesign of curriculum and services at Newport High School. 

*  Development of community engagement programs.