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LYON COUNTY online program staff say 510 enrolled, warn current staffing of 3.5 teachers is unsustainable
Summary
Online program teachers and staff told the board the district's Y Online program has grown to 510 students with the same small staff that was planned for 350, producing caseloads they say are unsupportable and putting course completion and graduation measures at risk.
Program staff and an online teacher told the board the district's Y Online distance-education program has exceeded its planned capacity and needs additional staff. Presenters said historical enrollment and current semester numbers show rapid, sustained growth that the program's existing staffing cannot manage.
"This semester, we have 510 students so far," an online program representative told trustees during public comment, saying the program had planned staffing for 350 students and that enrollment has risen each semester. The speaker said the program currently has "over 3,038 classes for our 510 students to manage between our staff of 3.5 certified teachers and 1 classified teacher." The presenter warned the program may not meet its usual course-completion and graduation targets if staffing is not increased.
The presenter gave a breakdown of current caseloads by teacher: one 12th-grade teacher at 146 students with a reported "808 classes" workload; another teacher at 125 students with 786 classes; a third teacher at 125 students with 766 classes; a half-time teacher handling 75 students and 502 classes; and a full-time classified teacher with 39 students and 176 classes. The speakers said those numbers exceed the model used when the program was staffed for 350 students and urged the board to add staff based on multi-year enrollment trends.
The online program staff noted that in the previous year the program served 466 students and had already accumulated a waitlist for the coming term. They said student outcomes have historically been strong but cautioned that individualized outreach and tutoring will be impossible at current staffing levels. The presenter said many online students come from one campus (Burnley High School) and that "the money stay at the school" while the program bears the staffing burden.
Trustees and district staff asked follow-up questions and indicated they had already begun steps to analyze staffing needs; Superintendent Logan and others acknowledged receipt of the program's historical data and said the district would review options. The LCEA representative also raised recruiting and retention items in the same public-comment segment and praised other insurance and benefit proposals before the board.
Ending: Online program staff left trustees with detailed caseload figures and a clear request for additional staffing. District leaders said they would review the program's multi-year enrollment trends and consider staffing or funding adjustments in upcoming budget and staffing discussions.
