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Rendezvous Jackson principals outline reconfiguration, staffing and space plans
Summary
Rendezvous Jackson school leaders told the board they expect one consolidated campus next year with roughly 390–400 students, changes to class sections, co-teaching plans for fifth grade, and adjustments to special education and support staffing while a state-led Mercer study on facility options remains pending.
Nicole Hernandez, head principal at Rendezvous Jackson, and colleagues told the Fremont County School District #25 board the school is preparing for a full consolidation next year and detailed staffing and space decisions intended to reduce crowding and preserve options while the district awaits a state facility study.
"For reconfiguration, looking forward to next year, Rendezvous will have around 390 to 400 students, and we will all be in one school," Hernandez said. She said fifth grade will be located across all three elementary schools next year and that this year the campus had 176 fifth graders.
The principals said they will use co-teaching models for two of the three fifth-grade sections at Rendezvous and maintain a mix of specialized staff. "We'll continue with two SLPs, our speech language pathologists. We'll have two school social workers, two behavior teachers next year," Hernandez said. She noted some reductions are likely for paraprofessional (PARA) positions in general education and learning resource positions will drop from five to three as buildings are consolidated.
Nicole Kelly, a principal at Jackson/Rendezvous, spoke about changes to class sections and family outreach to manage class-size increases. Kelly said staff identified families potentially willing to transfer students to balance third-grade class sizes; all contacted families agreed to transfers. "I reached out to those families and actually 100% of the families that we have identified as possibilities for transfers were supportive of the transfer," Kelly said.
Assistant principal Blaise Sam said leadership is prioritizing three goals for the merged campus next year: a refined mission and vision, focused team building to align staff from two buildings, and strengthened professional learning community (PLC) practices to improve student outcomes.
Hernandez said the district is continuing work with the state and district staff on a Mercer facilities study; the school's planned large bathroom remodel has been deferred to conserve district funds while the study and other options are considered. She said modest fixes and operational changes will be used to reduce pressure on restroom access during the transition.
The principals outlined expected classroom counts by grade: kindergarten and first grade four sections each, second grade three sections, third grade three sections across all three elementaries, and an anticipated increase in boost (preschool/early childhood) capacity from nine to up to 12 next year. They also discussed retirements and resignations that are affecting teacher assignments and hiring.
Board members asked questions and thanked the principals; the presentation closed with the administration pointing to ongoing work on staffing and facilities in preparation for next school year.
