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Teachers, students warn board that cutting 1 FTE science position will hurt lab safety and access to electives
Summary
Science teachers told the Sparta Area School District board that eliminating one full‑time equivalent science position at Sparta High School will increase class sizes above national safety recommendations and limit student access to electives such as meteorology.
Science teachers and department representatives urged the Sparta Area School District Board of Education on April 14 to reverse or reconsider a decision to eliminate one full‑time equivalent (FTE) science position at Sparta High School.
The speakers said the staffing change follows an initial non‑renewal that later became an elimination due to attrition. Jacob Anderson, a Sparta High School science teacher, said enrollment in science courses has grown “by over 10 students,” and electives “have grown by nearly 50 students compared to last year,” and that many students name labs and hands‑on work as the most valuable parts of science classes.
The concern centers on lab safety and instructional quality. “Science labs involve chemicals, equipment, and open flames,” Anderson said, and he cited the National Science Teaching Association’s recommendation to cap science classes at 24 students to reduce lab accidents. Anderson said several advanced electives — AP biology, anatomy and physiology, and biochemistry — already exceed that recommended limit and that typical sections of biology and chemistry average about 23 students, meaning many sections likely exceed 24.
Chelsea Schultz, another SHS science teacher, said the district recently approved a new science elective, meteorology, for 2025–26 and that eliminating the position will limit student access to electives the board previously supported. Schultz noted that science holds the highest average ACT scores at Sparta High School and that recent gains were reinforced by purchases from a DoDEA STEM grant. She also said limitations on professional development further reduce the department’s ability to meet growing STEM expectations.
Board members did not take an immediate vote on staffing during the public comment period. The speakers requested the board reconsider the position elimination to preserve lab safety, elective access and the department’s instructional gains.
The district’s board agenda moved on to its regular items after public comment.
