Board hears proposals to convert high‑school media roles, cut paraeducators and add athletic trainers as in‑house positions

The board and staff discussed specific school-based and non-school-based personnel changes proposed to help balance FY26.

Proposed school-based changes summarized by staff included: converting one of two high-school library media specialist positions to a paraeducator role (staff said the remaining high-school media specialist would continue to provide certified media services while a paraeducator would provide support), elimination of elementary media paraeducator positions (42 positions noted in the presentation), reduction or conversion of some middle-school paraeducators, and reductions in program offerings such as third-grade strings, diminished elementary gifted-and-talented (GT) resource-teacher services and reductions to dual enrollment sections. Staff said reductions to GT resource teachers would shift some services and instructional seminars and maintain curriculum extension units for grades 3-5 and GT math classes in grades 4 and 5 but would reduce the "talent development" work in K-2 and some seminar offerings.

Athletic trainers and contractor considerations: the board asked whether athletic trainers would be brought in-house or remain contracted. Staff said current contracted athletic-trainer costs are roughly $557,000; converting to 13 in-house trainers (to address recruitment/benefits competition) would cost about $1.5 million in salary and benefits but the net add after removing the contract would be roughly $970,000. Staff said the existing contract with the vendor (identified in discussion) renews July 1 and they would follow up on contract termination windows and obligations.

Teacher secretaries and central-office positions: staff identified reductions proposed to non-school-based positions totaling about $1.4 million (affecting about seven positions). In the comprehensive high-school cohort staff said 37 teacher-secretary positions exist; proposed reductions would be a half-time reduction in 12 of the 13 comprehensive high schools (netting the 6 FTE reduction described in the presentation). Staff said those reductions produce pressures in front-office operations but not a direct classroom cut.

Impacts and mitigation: HR said it would attempt to absorb reductions through attrition where possible and place certificated staff into vacancies when certifications align; where not possible, staff said they would consider provisional placement, training, or reduction-in-force processes. Board members pressed for specifics about how many identified positions were vacant and how many reductions could be handled administratively; staff agreed to provide vacancy lists and projected absorptions.

Ending: staff asked the board to prioritize which school-based reductions it could accept and said costed alternatives and trade-offs would be produced for June deliberations.