Chadron School Superintendent Dr. Sherlock Hirning says the district received a very positive visit last week by state officials from the Reading First elementary reading improvement program.

A single Chadron class last year failed to meet a 55% proficiency goal last year, giving the district stiffer goals this year and requiring all the district's K-3 classes to spend more time each week on Reading First.

Hirning says last week's visit leaves him confident the district will meet the required thresholds at the end of the first semester in January.

This fall's stiffer requirements and what administrators and teachers consider micro-managing and a lack of guidance from the state Reading First office led to a faculty recommendation to drop out of the program, but the school board decided to keep it, citing the $117,000 in teacher training and support funds it would get this year.

That and comments by board members led to an emotional session at last month's board meeting in which teachers complained about being put down and their input ignored. By the end, relations had been patched up and the district moved forward with the program.