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Affton Lakeland principal reports reading gains, warns multilingual learners need more staffing
Summary
Principal Gina Doe told the Stillwater Area Public Schools board that Affton Lakeland Elementary’s reading proficiency has climbed but remains below the district target; multilingual enrollment has grown to about 7%, and the school lacks flexible staffing to provide ML students daily instruction, she said.
Gina Doe, principal of Affton Lakeland Elementary, told the Stillwater Area Public Schools board the school has seen steady enrollment and steady reading gains but remains short of the performance she wants.
"Reading proficiency, as a building, is at 68%. That's not where I want us to be," Doe said, noting the school’s enrollment of 463 and a building capacity of roughly 500. She credited strong family engagement, an active volunteer program and data-driven practices for recent improvement.
Doe said the building is using the BAR (Building Assets Reducing Risk) system, Collaborative Action Teams and progress monitoring to identify instructional needs and target interventions. She described volunteers organized through a community coordinator and the use of LETRS-trained staff and in-house trainers to build teacher expertise.
Despite those gains, Doe raised two persistent issues: a rising population of multilingual learners and a lean behavioral/mental-health staffing model. She said district records show 2.6% ML students historically but that day-to-day enrollment at Affton Lakeland is about 7%, and that the school’s allocated ML staffing has not kept pace. "My level‑1 and level‑2 students should receive ML instruction five days a week," she said; current staffing allows fewer days of direct ML instruction in some grades.
Doe also described the school's "green room," a short-duration behavioral check-in facility used for scheduled and unscheduled breaks. "No more than 10 minutes" is the typical stay, she said, and staff review green-room data monthly to identify trends.
On targeted supplements, Doe said Affton Lakeland is piloting an online program called Read Theory through a partnership‑plan grant and is using ReadWorks to add leveled comprehension and vocabulary practice for students who fall in the district’s "bubble" (FastBridge percentiles roughly between the 40th and 60th). The pilot will provide data on student progress, she said.
Board members asked about class targets for early grades and whether buildings had capacity to add sections if class sizes rose. Doe said her building could add a second‑grade section within existing space if needed but reiterated that smaller primary‑grade ratios and more flexible staffing would better support literacy work.
She concluded that Affton Lakeland is moving in the right direction but that consistent staffing for ML supports, behavioral interventions and resources targeted to the bubble group are needed to keep improving outcomes.
Next steps: the board and administration will consider districtwide implications for staffing models and the pilot Read Theory results as data become available.
