Board debates secondary curriculum supervisor, staffing trade'offs amid tight budget
Summary
District staff proposed a secondary curriculum supervisor focused on science and math coaching at the 9'12 level; board members debated prioritizing classroom teachers vs administrative/coaching hires and asked staff for concrete cost comparisons before decisions.
Speaker 4 outlined a proposed secondary curriculum supervisor (working title) to focus on science (NGSS) and math instruction for the high school and to provide coaching and some evaluation capacity, saying the role would mirror elementary coaching work. "This would be a counterpart to what Azra and I are doing here at central office," Speaker 4 said, describing responsibilities that include classroom coaching, curriculum supervision and partial evaluation duties.
Board members raised budgetary and timing concerns. Several members argued classroom teachers should take priority over adding an administrative or supervisory position while others supported phased growth of coaching capacity ("grow it, go from 2 to 4 over the course of 2 years"), and some suggested delaying the STEM coordinator in favor of hiring additional teachers. The board discussed part'time arrangements and the importance of finding the "absolute right person" if hiring for a specialized instructional post.
Staff committed to supply cost scenarios at the next meeting: estimates for an assistant principal, the proposed secondary supervisor, and alternative packages such as additional teachers or a multi'person coaching team. Speaker 4 noted a planning figure used for budgeting of roughly $80,000 per teacher and said cost'benefit materials would be provided for the board to review.
What happens next: district staff will provide detailed budget comparisons and a cost'benefit analysis at an upcoming meeting so the board can weigh hiring priorities against an 8.4% budget pressure and enrollment projections; no hiring decision or vote was taken at this session.
