Midway ISD board approves 15.5 staff positions; district posts annual report

At its March board meeting, Midway ISD’s board of trustees voted to approve 15.5 new staff positions for the next school year, district leaders said.

The approval, district officials said, adds to five elementary-level positions the board approved in February. Dr. Ashley Knutson, assistant superintendent of human resources, said the hires are intended to meet student needs, support program growth and reduce teacher workload. “Our board meeting last night, we had an incredible show of support from our school board members who voted to support our needs in personnel by approving 15 and a half positions for next year. This is in addition to the 5 they already approved at the elementary level in February. This is gonna help student needs, program growth, and it's gonna help teacher workload, which we hear from our teachers is necessary,” Knutson said.

Chris Allen, superintendent with Midway ISD, said most of the new positions are classroom-support roles. “One of the things I want you to know is almost all of these positions are directly related to classroom support. This is gonna allow our teachers to manage the work more effectively, and our kids are gonna be the ultimate benefactors of all that,” Allen said. He also noted the district released its annual report, which covers seven sectors of district data, including academic achievement, financial integrity and CCMR outcomes; Allen said the report is available on the district website.

Officials encouraged the community to consult the district’s Panther Nation news for more details and to share posted job openings. “Check out Panther Nation news if you've got additional questions, and please point your friends to our job openings on the website. More are coming soon,” Knutson said.

The transcript did not include a formal vote tally, motion mover, or seconder for the action to add positions; those details were not specified in the remarks provided.