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Parent urges board to split combined bus‑driver/teaching‑assistant posts to address TA shortages
Summary
A parent from Brinson Memorial Elementary described persistent vacancies in combined bus driver/teaching assistant positions and said one TA is covering three kindergarten classrooms; the parent urged the board to separate roles, allow long‑term subs or volunteers, and prioritize hiring to avoid classroom burnout and score declines.
Elena Hubert, a parent of two Brinson Memorial Elementary students and the school's volunteer coordinator, told the board on Sept. 18 that combined bus‑driver/teaching‑assistant positions are contributing to a shortage of TAs in early‑grade classrooms. "This is something that's been a consistent issue where we're having TA positions that have not been filled," Hubert said, adding that at her school one TA is assigned to three kindergarten classrooms.
Hubert said the district's hiring freeze prevents filling vacant positions even when candidates are available and urged the board to consider separating bus‑driver duties from TA assignments so applicants can choose one role. She proposed using long‑term substitutes or a volunteer program for kindergarten lunch supervision as temporary relief, and warned that testing scores can decline without adequate classroom support — she said her school's grade fell from a B last year to a C this year and attributed part of the drop to fewer in‑class assistants.
Board members acknowledged the longstanding nature of combined positions and said other districts also struggle to fill standalone bus driver roles. The board did not vote on hiring policy changes or on exceptions to a hiring freeze at the Sept. 18 meeting but said the issue would continue to be discussed with staff.
Hubert asked the board to prioritize hiring and salary considerations for RTAs (paraprofessionals) and to ensure the next superintendent understands the staffing challenges; board members said stakeholder input on the superintendent search is forthcoming.
