District 99 presents staffing, course‑sectioning and special‑services changes; board approves notices of honorable dismissal for several part‑time positions

District 99 administrators provided the board with the annual staffing and curriculum overview, including certified and non‑sectioning full‑time‑equivalent (FTE) allocations, course section decisions, and changes to special services. The board later adopted a resolution authorizing notice of honorable dismissal for non‑tenured teachers affected by reduced part‑time FTE.

Key staffing numbers and course decisions The administration reported sectioning (classroom‑tied) certified staffing of 311.3 FTE and non‑sectioning FTE (positions such as social workers and psychologists) of 103 FTE. District presenters described an overall staffing increase of 1.5 FTE compared with last year. The transcript recorded a prior staffing total of 412.8 FTE last year and an expected 414.3 FTE for the coming year (an increase of 1.5 FTE).

Administrators said they received more than 18,000 course requests from 2,011 students that produced 409 course offerings across departments. The district identified courses with enrollment under 20 and is recommending not running some sections; presenters said there is a net decrease in low‑enrollment courses compared with the prior year. The administration noted statutory exceptions that require running some low‑enrollment courses (for example, English learner and special education classes).

Program trends highlighted in presentations - AP courses remain popular; AP psychology increased to allow one additional section compared with the prior year. - English learners (EL) support is expanding, with dedicated EL science courses (biology and earth and space science) and notable increases in EL course requests; South High reported a rise from 214 to 432 EL/bilingual course requests over two years. - Career and technical education (CTE) internship requests rose at both high schools (North and South), with South describing a jump from 19 to 92 internship requests year‑to‑year. - Special services: North High will expand multi‑needs classrooms from three to four (administration reported a 2.1 FTE increase at North), South High will see a 0.5 FTE increase, and Transition Center T99 will show a net decrease of one teacher. The district will share psychologist time across sites (0.6 FTE at T99 and 0.4 FTE at North), according to the presentation.

Honorable dismissals and personnel renewals The administration said the reductions prompting honorable dismissal notices are not based on economic necessity but on course selections and resulting reduced part‑time FTE. The board voted to adopt a resolution authorizing notice of honorable dismissal for non‑tenured teachers (part‑time positions and a teacher on leave). The motion passed on roll call; board members recorded their votes as aye.

Why it matters: course availability, special services and staffing The staffing and sectioning process determines which courses run, how students’ course requests are honored, and where special‑education services and EL supports are provided. Changes to low‑enrollment sections affect students’ elective opportunities; expansions in multi‑needs classrooms and EL supports affect service capacity for students with IEPs and multilingual learners.

Ending The board accepted the staffing recommendations for review, approved renewal lists and personnel actions on the consent agenda, and adopted notices of honorable dismissal for the affected non‑tenured staff. The list of employees recommended for tenure will be presented at the next workshop meeting in April.