$4.1 Million Staffing Plan on Agenda for Special Ankeny School Board Meeting Monday

The Ankeny school board will mull over a possible final staffing plan for both the elementary and secondary levels at a special meeting Monday night.

The board decided at its last meeting March 5 that it wanted more time to ask questions on a recommended $4.1 million staffing plan for the 2012-13 academic year before approving it. The recommendation was brought to members at last week’s meeting.

The special meeting will be held at 5 p.m. on Monday, March 12, in the board meeting room at the .

The plan being reviewed by the board will meet all staffing needs at the elementary and fifth through sixth-grade level, including full staffing of Prairie Trail Elementary School when it opens in August 2012.

The plan also will come close to relieving overcrowding at the eighth and ninth-grade level, but classrooms at the high school level likely will still see overcrowding for another year.

“In a perfect world, we would have a $6.1 million staffing plan,” said Dr. Bruce Kimpston at Monday’s board meeting.

The staffing plan as it stands now includes close to 35.5 new positions at the elementary level for a cost of $2.6 million, which includes benefits and salary for each staff member.

The plan also calls for just over 16 positions at the secondary level for a total of almost $1.3 million. It also includes 15 coaching positions for just over $50,000.

Part of what the board will talk about Monday are its priorities in terms of class size and whether the $4.1 million plan will address them.

“I think the board has to make the decision whether its goal is to take care of overcrowding at the elementary level and wait on high school, or if it a total go for K-12,” board member Pat Cahill said at last Monday’s meeting.

Also at last Monday’s meeting, board member Brad Huss expressed concern regarding the staffing plan on behalf of teachers with who he has spoke.

“The teachers are very alarmed by some of these plans, but they should know we’re very mindful of the loads teachers have and are very focused on class sizes and how they can be lowered,” Huss said. “It’s a priority. I don’t want to speak for everyone, but I think it is.”

Do you think this staffing plan is sufficient for the 2012-13 school year? Tell us in the comments.