Dist. 308 Board OKs More Staff to Accommodate Growing Student Population

A swelling kindergarten population in has school officials bracing for an increase at the upper levels.

Associate Superintendent Todd Colvin told board members that for the past four years the district has averaged about 1,420 kindergartners.

“These large classes have finally reached our junior highs and high schools,” he said.

To accommodate the future growth, board members approved 7-0 Monday night the hiring of up to nearly 40 new teachers to help staff the district’s schools for the 2011-12 school year.

School officials project in the coming school year there will be about 170 more students in the district’s junior high schools and 360 more students in the high schools.

“The class of 2012 will be the last class under 1,200 students,” Colvin said.

Officials said there are also increases in both the district’s dual language and special education populations.

Monday night’s approval will allow the district to hire 12 elementary school teachers, nine junior high school teachers, 12 high school teachers, one speech pathologist and four special education teachers.

School officials said they will be working on hiring the teachers at the same time they are supposed to hear back from the state regarding what level the state will fund the district next school year.

“We will take the state information, compare it to our staffing needs, make any necessary budget reductions, and then determine how many of the teachers we will be able to hire,” said Kristine Liptrot, the district's communication's director.

Tim Neubauer, assistant superintendent for business and finance, said the state of Illinois “is continuing to keep us mystified as to what revenues we can expect for the 2011-12 school year.”

“That’s a real concern,” he said. “It’s hard to gauge what we can do. If the state pays what it owes, we will be fine.”