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Principals tell KCKPS board staffing and class size are top barriers; retention and creative supports raised
Summary
Principals across elementary, middle and high schools told the board that hiring and retaining certified teachers, reducing class size and providing coaching are the district’s top needs. Board members and principals discussed retention strategies including pay, daycare pilots, central supports and the district’s use of temporary contractors.
Principals representing elementary, middle and high schools told the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools board on May 1 that staffing shortages, large class sizes and teacher retention are the district’s most pressing barriers to student progress.
Elementary representative Brett Bernard told the board, “Three of the top barriers identified by elementary schools are staffing and class size, meeting the diverse needs of our students, and finding more time to provide teacher and staff collaboration to support differentiated instruction.”
Why it matters: Principals said certified classroom staff are the most important lever for improving student outcomes and that when class sizes rise, teachers have less capacity for small-group instruction, coaching and differentiated lessons. Multiple principals urged the board to prioritize staffing and retention in the budget.
Discussion highlights: Elementary principals described investments they’ve made to hire intervention teachers and reduce small-group ratios during literacy instruction. Jerry Cunningham, Whittier Elementary principal, described using budget funds to “lower class sizes during small group intervention” and to hire intervention teachers focused on foundational reading.
Middle- and high-school principals echoed those priorities and added that support staff (ESL aides, behavioral staff and career-technical teachers) are also needed. Dr. Ashford Collins, Eisenhower Middle School principal, listed “student behavior and restorative practices,” increased SEL resources, targeted professional development and staffing allocations for new electives and CTE pathways among middle-school needs.
High-school principals said staffing decisions also affect elective offerings and diploma-plus career pathways. Rick Malone, principal at Sumner Academy, said staffing reductions force tradeoffs that can shrink elective choices and reduce time available for job-embedded coaching that helps teachers implement new curricula.
Retention and creative supports: Board members and principals proposed several retention ideas. One principal suggested piloting on-site daycare and raising starting pay to retain early-career staff; a principal said, “If we provided daycare and we just increased our starting pay to $60,000, we would have a fighting chance of keeping our best and brightest.” Board members said the district should explore models used by other districts.
The district also described its use of temporary contract teachers (referred to in the meeting as Proximity contractors) as a last-resort staffing tool: principals said the district uses contractors when vacancies cannot be filled, and district staff said those contracts end when a full-time certified hire is available.
Non-policy follow-up: No board action was taken beyond the general budget discussion. Board members asked principals and central staff to submit specific suggestions on retention, and district staff asked for any prioritized, line-item requests so they can incorporate them into the budget timeline.
Ending: Principals urged that staffing and class-size reductions be a top budget priority; the board and staff agreed to consider retention strategies in upcoming budget planning and to share follow-up detail on costs and implementation.
