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Board approves additional first‑grade teacher at John Stewart to reduce class sizes
Summary
The Kaneland CUSD 302 board voted 6–0 to add 1.0 full‑time equivalent first‑grade teacher at John Stewart Elementary; the district said the hire will come from the district’s pool of reduced‑force staff and reduce three large sections to class sizes comparable to other elementaries
The Kaneland CUSD 302 Board of Education voted unanimously to approve an additional 1.0 full‑time equivalent first‑grade teacher at John Stewart Elementary during the board’s May 12 meeting.
The motion, made by Dr. Lawler and seconded by Mr. McCauley, passed on a 6–0 roll‑call vote. Superintendent Dr. Brian Rolling and district staff said the extra teacher responds to recent enrollment shifts: John Stewart had three first‑grade sections with 25, 25 and 26 students, which the district said is “too high” for first grade. Adding the teacher would lower those sizes to about 19 per class, bringing Stewart in line with other district elementaries and creating capacity for anticipated additional enrollments during home‑buying season.
Director of human resources (presentation provided by district staff) said the district will first offer the position to qualified district staff who were released earlier in the year under reduction‑in‑force (RIF) procedures. The district noted it has already rehired four or five staff from previous RIF lists in recent personnel reports; for this position the district intends to recall trained employees rather than recruit externally.
Board members framed the change as a response to current enrollment patterns and welcomed the move to align class sizes across elementary schools. The approved staffing change will be posted and processed through the district’s recall/hiring procedures.
Ending: The board’s vote reduces immediate class size pressure at John Stewart and gives the district an additional hiring step to restore staff from earlier reductions.
