GHS English teachers, students urge board to reconsider proposed staff reductions

Three Greeley High School English department teachers and the department chair used the board's public-comment period to urge the MSAD 51 Board of Directors to reconsider proposed reductions and a planned involuntary reassignment of a high-school teacher.

Katie Dexter, an English teacher speaking for the GHS English department, said the proposed staffing cuts would reduce electives and choices for students while increasing class sizes in required English courses. "Cutting electives is really about cutting choices and increasing class sizes for non AP and IB students, which will undermine our efforts to meet student needs," Dexter said.

Susan Inman, chair of the GHS English department, told the board the reduction of one teacher would increase preps, collaboration loss and class sizes, diluting timely feedback to students. Inman said the high school expects 177 ninth-graders next year, up from 150 this year, and that the department had already provided over 700 meetings with students in the English lab this year.

Alicia Goldblatt, a 23-year district teacher and advisor to the high school literary magazine, said she had been abruptly told she would be reassigned to the middle school and described the reassignment as distressing to her career and to students who value her work. Goldblatt said she had a master's degree and argued her record and service justified reconsideration.

Student speaker Sofia, the junior student representative, urged the board to "take another look at the budget while we might still have time," citing a student letter about Goldblatt's impact and student support for retaining high-school English staff.

Board members heard the remarks during the public-comment portion of the meeting; no formal action or vote on staffing was taken during the meeting. Finance and personnel implications of the staffing proposals were discussed in committee meetings referenced elsewhere in the meeting agenda.