As enrollment declines at Woodland District 50, so will the number of teachers employed in the district, according to a proposed staffing plan for the 2012-13 school year.
The school board is expected to vote Feb. 28 on a final version of the staffing plan, which would cut seven teaching positions and one aid. The proposed staff reductions are expected to save $377,000.
The current proposal calls for eliminating two of the 10 physical education positions at Woodland Elementary School and reducing one of three applied practical arts positions at Woodland Middle school.
Other proposed changes include eliminating one teacher each in third, fourth and fifth grade, as well as moving one second-grade teacher to a bilingual classroom. The early childhood teaching staff would be reduced to four from five as would the program aid. The district would hire more staff midyear if the need arises.
The district’s 2012-13 staffing plan also calls for reducing the position of assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and accountability to the title of assistant director, which is expected to save $13,000.
School officials say declining enrollment is driving the staff reductions. Annual enrollment peaked around 7,000 between 2003 and 2008. Enrollment in the current fiscal year is 6,600 and is expected remain stable in 2012-13.
Several members of the district’s physical education staff urged the school board at a Jan. 31 meeting not to eliminate their positions.
“As physical education teachers, we play a unique role in the school,” said Ashley Conway. “We are the only teachers who have contact with all students.”
The cuts in the physical education staff would mean a reduction in planning time for gym teachers. Physical education teacher Sharon Auday said the district’s estimates for planning time do not take into account responsibilities such as bus duty and setting up and cleaning the gym between classes.
Ken Smith, a Woodlands Middle School physical education team leader, asked the board to reduce the physical education staff through attrition, noting that one physical education teacher is scheduled to retire in 2013 and another will retire in 2014.
While the district is mulling teacher cuts, the board recently approved a new position of certified nurse at Woodland Primary School at an estimated annual cost of $30,000. With the new position, each school in the district will have a certified nurse. Woodland Primary was previously staffed only with a health assistant.
“We have more and more students coming into our district with complex medical issues,” said Superintendent Joy Swoboda.
The board also continued discussion of a social media policy, which would govern how the district might use accounts such as Facebook. The administration has been using Twitter to communicate news about the district since December 2009.
Woodland School District 50 serves all Gages Lake, Wildwood and parts of Gurnee, Grayslake, Park City, Third Lake, Old Mill Creek, Wadsworth, Lake Villa, Waukegan and Libertyville.
