Antioch teacher cuts opposed

Dozens of Antioch Elementary District 34 parents packed the gymnasium at Petty Elementary School Tuesday night to oppose a district plan to cut some teaching positions and increase class sizes.

After more than an hour and a half of public comments the school board decided to defer its decision on eliminating four teaching positions at three schools in the 2008-09 academic year until its April meeting.

The staff reductions were recommended by the administration because anticipated enrollment growth did not materialize this school year and likely won't increase in the near future.

Officials are considering eliminating two teaching positions at Antioch Upper Grade School and one each at Petty and Antioch elementary schools.

If the board approves the plan, only one existing teacher from Antioch Upper Grade School would lose her job, said District 34 Superintendent Scott Thompson.

"Unfortunately, we don't have enough kids to really fill the (teaching) spots this year, Thompson said.

Thompson said the district's total enrollment is going down by 20 students next year and its sixth-grade class is smaller by 30 students.

The staff and changes also would result in higher class sizes with some class sizes at 27 or 28 students , while most classes will fall within the 24- to 25-student range.

Thompson said, though higher class sizes are not ideal, it's manageable.

Rachel Hewitt, who spoke on behalf of the Antioch Elementary Education Association, said the increased class sizes will negatively affect the children.

"Our numbers may not be changing dramatically for next year, but our class sizes this year were not as low at several grade levels, so an increase in class sizes does adversely affect our students," Hewitt said.

The teaching staff reshuffle is part of an annual year-end review of staffing levels based on enrollment that all school districts undergo. The district is legally required to notify a teacher being released 45 days before the end of the school year if the teaching position is being eliminated.

"We did the same thing last year," Thompson said. "We released a teacher, she was rehired when things were taken care of and we put her in a spot. This is not the end all."

But the greater uproar from parents was because the staffing shift would deal a blow to some Antioch Upper Grade School students.

The middle school would lose its "Blue Team" established for a group of students who are taught at a higher level than two other teams at the school.

Those Blue Team students are supposed to have the same teachers for all three years of middle school. The possibility of the team's elimination touched off a barrage of complaints from parents and students, many of whom pleaded with the board to reconsider splitting up students and teachers.

Parent Kathy McIlhany of Antioch said her daughter, who is a seventh-grader at the middle school, "feels like the carpet is being pulled from under her feet to lose the Blue Team."

McIlhany also vehemently opposes the higher class sizes.

"Twenty-seven or 28 kids in a classroom is really unacceptable to me," she said. "Those kids are not going to get the attention they need to perform in the way we want them to perform as parents and the way you say you want them to perform in the highest quartile on the ISATs."

Another parent suggested if district officials decide to have classrooms with 28 students they should provide teacher aides for each of those classrooms.

The district administration will revise its staffing plan for next year and present an alternate plan at the April 15 school board meeting.