The annual school budget vote is just around the corner and I would like to highlight several aspects of next year’s spending plan that address staffing. The Board of Education and our administrative team have spent the past few months developing a staffing plan that supports students by:
- Enhancing our Student Support Services Model through the addition of prevention counselors and centers at the secondary level (New York State requirements);
- Enhancing academic support at the elementary level through the addition of a shared guidance counselor (New York State requirements);
- Re-shaping how our talented staff are utilized to support program & continue to provide engaging learning opportunities for students;
- Strengthening our District-wide approach to safety, security, and compliance through the re-structuring of an existing supervisory FTE; and,
- Using data and data structures to inform instruction, measure results, and comply with ESSA requirements through the addition of a data coordinator.
On the whole, we will be maintaining the existing levels of staff that we use to deliver a traditionally high-quality level of instruction to our students, by keeping class sizes at their current levels and by providing appropriate services that students need to feel safe and supported. Over the past few weeks, I have heard of rumors suggesting that we are eliminating large numbers of teachers and increasing class sizes. These rumors are not accurate. In fact, we have slightly increased instructional staff in next year’s budget and class sizes remain at current levels in accordance with our Board of Education guidelines.
If you would like to learn more about what the proposed 2019-2020 school budget supports, please visit the Budget page on our website.
Thank you and please remember to vote on Tuesday, May 21. Voting information and polling site locations can be found here.