Little Miami board hears program plan: net staffing change of -1 teacher, requests for specialists and transportation hours

The Little Miami Local Board of Education on Dec. 9 reviewed a program plan and staffing proposal that the superintendent said is based on an enrollment snapshot taken Oct. 24.

Superintendent (Speaker 5) told the board the district added 144 students last year but so far this year has added 41 students, a slower pace that affects how the district allocates teachers. She presented building-level counts and proposed reassignments to keep class-size ratios near targets.

The plan as presented would remove two second‑grade teacher positions at the Primary Building (a net -2 there), add two teachers at the high school, and produce an overall net change of -1 teacher across the district at this moment. Speaker 5 said the two Primary‑building teachers would be reassigned to other roles rather than laid off: "They will be used elsewhere, so we're not riffing, we're not taking away, we are just moving people around." (Speaker 5).

The presentation included specific grade-level figures: first grade at 413 students and second grade at 467 students, and an explanation of target ratios (Speaker 5 said the district aims not to exceed 25:1 in grades 1–4 and noted fifth‑grade maximums are higher). At the high school, Speaker 5 said scheduling causes section sizes to vary, and adding both a math and a science section would reduce some classes that exceed 30 students.

The superintendent also asked the board to approve several program additions: an education specialist at the middle school to support the RAMPS reading‑improvement work, a special‑education teacher on assignment to handle IEP compliance for scholarship or out‑of‑district students, and 2 additional hours daily for the transportation router (increasing that role from 4 to 6 hours per day). Speaker 5 explained the requested kitchen staff position would be paid from the food‑service enterprise fund (Fund 006), not the general fund.

Board members questioned staffing assumptions and supports. One member (Speaker 4) asked how many students would require RAMPS interventions; Speaker 5 said the district expects about 30 fifth‑grade students currently below benchmark who could carry into sixth grade and emphasized teachers will still deliver the bulk of interventions. A second board member asked about classroom‑management supports for newer teachers; the superintendent described PACS training, behavior‑interventionists and mentorships already in place.

Speaker 5 asked that the board place the program plan on the Jan. 6 organizational meeting for formal approval so the district can proceed with early hiring. After discussion, the board agreed to move approval to Jan. 6. The superintendent said HR will perform a broader departmental review later in the year and that the district is trying to remain conservative given state funding uncertainty.

Votes at a glance - Motion to adopt the meeting agenda: moved by Speaker 4; seconded by Speaker 5. Roll‑call vote: Grace — Yes; Horvath — Yes; Elmer — Yes; Seibert — Yes; Wallace — Yes. Outcome: approved. - Motion to approve personnel items (as presented under superintendent reports): moved by Speaker 1; roll‑call vote recorded as all members 'Yes'. Outcome: approved. - Motion to schedule program‑plan approval on Jan. 6: board agreed to move that approval to the Jan. 6 organizational meeting; no formal numeric vote recorded in the materials other than consensus to reschedule.

What happens next The board will consider formal approval of the program plan and the personnel actions at its Jan. 6 meeting. The superintendent invited board members (named Dan and Mandy in the presentation) to follow up with questions before then.