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Aurora East USD 131 staff ask board to approve multiple new teaching positions and temporary overloads
Summary
District staff presented requests for new full-time positions at the high school and elementary schools to address enrollment and student support needs, and said 4.16 overloads for Cowherd Middle School will be brought for board action this evening to cover an FMLA leave.
District staff outlined requests for new teaching positions and temporary overloads during the Aurora East USD 131 board meeting, saying the additions respond to enrollment trends and growing student needs.
Staff presented a high school staffing package that would result in a net increase of roughly three full-time equivalents (FTEs) after internal scheduling reductions. The requests include three special education FTEs, two bilingual teacher FTEs, one NJROTC instructor (driven by enrollment), one art teacher FTE, one additional driver's education teacher FTE and one world language teacher FTE. Staff said the high school reduced four FTEs elsewhere through scheduling changes but that paying overloads this year equates to roughly 13 FTEs’ worth of pay, so hiring permanent staff would be more cost-effective in some cases.
District staff said the NJROTC instructor request is tied to the program’s contract requirement with the U.S. Navy: once enrollment exceeds 451 students the district is required to add an instructor. Staff reported current NJROTC enrollment at about 480 students and said that triggers the contract threshold.
In addition to high school positions, staff requested two FTE teachers for the newcomer center at Bardwell Elementary School and three social worker FTEs to address growing social-emotional needs and a rise in families identified under the McKinney-Vento definition of homelessness. Staff said one social worker would be assigned to Calvert Middle School, one to Bardwell Elementary and one split 0.5/0.5 between Hermas Elementary and Brady Elementary.
Board members asked whether the staffing requests reflect temporary needs tied to block scheduling or represent ongoing changes. Staff said the requests are intended to “right the ship” for the coming year and that they do not anticipate all positions becoming permanent annually; staffing needs could change with future scheduling and program development.
Separately, staff said there is a request for 4.16 overloads at Cowherd Middle School to cover an FMLA leave through the end of the school year. Staff stated those overload positions will be brought for board action this evening and emphasized a desire to post them quickly.
No formal votes on these staffing items appear in the provided transcript; staff said the staffing items will be presented for action either this evening or at a subsequent meeting.
