Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Albert Lea principal says staffing losses have narrowed electives, strained CTE and EL programs
Summary
Principal Sean Gaston told the task force that a 3.1 FTE reduction, unfilled positions and reduced overload capacity have cut elective sections, constrained scheduling, and increased class sizes at Albert Lea High School, threatening student choice if cuts continue.
Sean Gaston, principal at Albert Lea High School, told the task force that staffing reductions and unfilled positions over the past year have narrowed elective options, strained career and technical education and English‑learner programs, and pushed class sizes higher.
Gaston said the building serves grades 8 through 12 with about 81 licensed staff, roughly 160 total staff and 1,178 students at the time of his remarks (he said enrollment was as high as about 1,210 at the start of the school year). He said the school reduced full‑time equivalents by 3.1 positions in the last year and managed much of that gap by relying on teacher overloads, assigning staff to the alternative learning center and online academy, and electing not to fill some openings.
The reduction in overloads, Gaston said, has had the greatest operational effect by reducing the number of sections the school can offer and by limiting scheduling flexibility. The principal described how overloads allowed teachers to pick up an extra instructional hour beyond the standard five hours in a day, which previously let the school add sections to accommodate students’ requests for electives, music and College in the Schools (CIS) classes.
Gaston highlighted programs feeling the strain. He said the agriculture program—where leaders sought a dual‑licensed hire—lost a posted opening, limiting growth in both ag and industry coursework. He also said the English‑learner program currently operates with two full‑time equivalents though staffing levels would support three to four, a shortfall Gaston described as resulting from hiring challenges rather than a deliberate cut.
On career and technical education, Gaston named instructors Jeff Jensen, Mike Leistee and Crystal Victoria and said the three can be scheduled for about 10–12 courses each per year (roughly 36 combined offerings), which still falls short of demand. He said industry and ag instructors take heavy preparatory loads—multiple unique preps across the year—which limits the ability to expand offerings without added staff.
Gaston called CIS a financial asset for families and the district. He said Riverland‑credentialed teachers deliver college‑level classes in the high school and estimated the district cost to run a CIS course at about $30,000 versus substantially higher costs for PSEO alternatives.
The music program received particular praise; Gaston named Suzanne Mauer, Rebecca Christinger, Eric Zinter and Mary Beason as staff running band, choir and orchestra. He said those programs are heavily populated and require schedule placements that create "log jams" when other students seek electives at the same times.
Regarding class sizes, Gaston told the task force that thresholds have crept upward: the school treats about 30 as a target for eighth and ninth graders, has bumped some tenth‑grade classes to 32 and caps many upper‑level classes near 35; by contrast some industry labs are capped lower (about 16–18) for safety. He warned that continued reductions would force the school to shift FTE from elective and specialty offerings into core courses tied to graduation requirements, produce more study halls and supervisory hours, and leave students with fewer choices.
Gaston closed by asking the task force to consider those tradeoffs when prioritizing resources and offered to continue participating in future meetings.
