Economic uncertainty has forced many school districts to reduce staff, but at far northwest suburban Huntley High School, enrollment growth now means more teachers to keep classroom sizes down.
Consolidated School District 158 is poised to add as many as 10 new teachers at its high school next fall. Additional staffing is also being proposed in other areas of the district, including a middle school teacher and part-time assistant elementary school principal.
The move comes nearly a year after district officials eliminated several non-tenured elementary school teachers to help balance the budget, according to district officials. The district also put new hires on hold the last few years.
“We’ve had significant growth now for the last three or four years and not added any staff,” said Mike Moan, chief academic officer. “This won’t decrease class sizes, but rather stabilize them.”
The potential hires would cost the district $1.1 million.
Enrollment throughout the district has increased by about 600 students over the last three years to 9,300 this year from 8,700 in 2009-2010. Officials expect another increase next year if the majority of the 714 children in kindergarten enter the district’s elementary schools.
There are 546 seniors at Huntley High, an increase of about 150 compared to last year’s class, according to Jessica Lombard, chief human resources officer. The district expects to see 668 freshmen next fall.
“We are seeing the most growth at the high school-level,” Lombard said. “The new positions will not only assist in keeping classrooms sizes down, but help meet expected growth.”
The district has also added a handful of new classes to its high school curriculum next fall to provide more variety for students and better prepare them for college and the workplace. The courses come at no additional cost to the district.
The first of four health care classes at Huntley High will also be offered next year as officials work to establish a medical academy at the institution, and a partnership between the district and Northern Illinois University will put more student-teachers in district classrooms.
Growth at the high school has also forced officials to move the annual graduation ceremony from the cramped spaces of the gymnasium to the spacious confines of the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.
The additional hires are part of preliminary 2012-2013 budget discussions.
