THE SUPERINTENDENT’S CORNER

I am sure that everyone has heard about the Federal Stimulus Package and the money that is being funneled into schools and other public projects. Public schools are getting their money in two particular areas: Title I and Special Education. These funds are coming to us for one year so we have to figure out how to get the most “bang for our buck”. Our administrators and staff have analyzed the impact that this money can have on student achievement and have decided that the best use of the funds is for personnel who will directly affect the students. Although the money is only guaranteed for one year, the positions that will be created can only be guaranteed for one year too. One area that has been a concern is the increase in enrollment expected for kindergarten for the 2009/10 school year. Ideally we would add an additional kindergarten teacher to address the larger enrollment, but there is no classroom to house an additional teacher. So, the next best thing is to hire an additional Title I aide for every kindergarten classroom (4 additional for a total of 7). That will be put two people in every kindergarten classroom; a certificated teacher and a classroom aide to assist with the students who need the most help. Although class sizes will be larger, there will be two people to provide the educational support that these students need. Another staff person that will be added to assist the students will be in the special education department. Again, there is no space to add another classroom so a special education teacher has been added who will implement a push-in program in grades 4 and 5. This teacher will actually go into the regular classroom and provide special education support to those students who need this service. This gives the student the extra help right in the regular classroom instead of pulling them out into a special classroom. There will still be pull-out services for the students who need them but the new model will provide extra support for the students who may not need the intensive help available in a pull-out program. This will certainly help them to transition to the middle school and high school where less pull-out is encouraged. The ultimate goal is to help the special education student become less dependent on special services. This will be a great way to help those students transition into a regular education program and still be successful. The Board of Education is committed to providing the best education possible for our students and agrees with the administration and staff that people have more impact on student achievement that “things”. Instructional materials are wonderful but a committed teacher will always make a greater impact on student learning.