By Tara Brandl
Declining enrollment at Tracy Area Public Schools led the District No. 2904 School Board to approve a Resolution Discontinuing and Reducing Education Programs and Positions.
The resolution approved Monday night included the following programs and positions, or portions thereof, to be discontinued: art education position, elementary education position, coaching position, summer custodial position, summer technology days, full time nurse changed from a four year degree (teacher contract) to a two year degree (hourly) and FFA summer days. The resolution passed 5-0.
More details as to the specifics included in each area will be brought to the March school board meeting.
“The reason all of this came to fruition, as we look at enrollment at the very beginning, we’re decreasing enrollment and we have been over the years so it isn’t a surprise,” Superintendent Chad Anderson said. “And we’ve talked to the staff about this for the last couple years, more in-depth at the beginning of the year. We had a meeting for community, parents, staff and board members in November and then in January the board passed a resolution for administration to give recommendations for reduction in services. I asked Mr. Munson, Mrs. Vondracek and Mr. Tauer to give me recommendations for areas of reductions and they did that. Then we met with the finance committee and went through all of our recommendations.”
“The reason all of this came to fruition, as we look at enrollment at the very beginning, we’re decreasing enrollment and we have been over the years so it isn’t a surprise,” Superintendent Chad Anderson said. “And we’ve talked to the staff about this for the last couple years, more in-depth at the beginning of the year. We had a meeting for community, parents, staff and board members in November and then in January the board passed a resolution for administration to give recommendations for reduction in services. I asked Mr. Munson, Mrs. Vondracek and Mr. Tauer to give me recommendations for areas of reductions and they did that. Then we met with the finance committee and went through all of our recommendations.”
One area of reduction would be an elementary education position. This would break down the elementary schedule to TK – one section as it is currently, Kindergarten – three sections of 15, first grade – three sections of 14, second grade – three sections of 17 or 18, third grade – two sections of 22, fourth grade – two sections of 20 or 21, fifth grade – three sections of 15, sixth grade – two sections of 23 or 24.
“Fifth grade would remain three sections mainly because it is nice to have the different curriculum areas being departmentalized,” Anderson explained.
See this week’s Headlight Herald for more on this article.