THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEEK OF APRIL 20, 2008

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Seek More Time On Hiring Of More Teachers

Glenview Elementary School Dist. 34 school board members began wrestling with a demographic challenge pitting consistency in class size with consistency in programs between Springman and Attea middle schools.

Assistant Supt. for Academic Achievement Phil Collins and Supt. Gerald Hill presented the board with a recommendation to hire two additional teachers at each school to bring all the teaching teams to five teachers at a cost of about $200,000.

In an effort to keep class sizes consistent, disparities in the programs between Springman and Attea have been created.

Teachers are set up to teach students in teams of four or five.

In cases where teaching teams have five teachers for four subjects, Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies, a second section of language arts has been taught.

Teams of four teachers, without double blocks of Language Arts, exist at Springman in eighth grade and at Attea in sixth grade. All other teaching teams consist of five teachers.

Parents criticized the move stating that it created inequities in the quality of education of their children. The challenge is then how to schedule them.

Four plans were presented to board members that would cause a disparity in class to teacher ratios ranging from 22 to 1 through 28 to 1.

The plans would cause increases in some areas of instruction while lessening them in others.

Board members requested more time to study the four recommendations and will discuss the subject again at their Monday, May 5 meeting.

Hill said he needs a decision by the Monday, May 19 meeting to hire teachers for the 2008-2009 school year.

---Tom Robb