Parent warns of turnover as board hears expanded applied skills staffing plan

The Lake Central School Corporation board on April 20 heard a detailed report on staffing and classroom changes for its applied skills program and an emailed public comment urging the district to investigate high turnover.

Director of Student Services Mrs. Grama told the board the applied skills program serves students with significant disabilities at the elementary, middle and high school levels and that the district is adjusting staffing to match enrollment. "At the elementary level this school year, we have 92 students and 8 teachers in this program. For next year, we are projecting 98 students," she said. At the middle school, she reported 55 students this year and a projection of 66 next year and said the district will add a middle-school teacher and relocate one classroom from Hohman to Watson to avoid isolated staffing. At the high school she said the program has 51 students and 6 teachers this year and is projected to fall to 49 students, resulting in a reassignment of one high-school position to the middle school.

Mrs. Grama explained how the district trains paraprofessionals and new teachers: staff receive an additional 30 minutes of paid weekly time for training, related service providers and contracted partners (Project Success) provide coaching and curriculum mapping support, and the district plans early summer professional development for newly hired teachers.

Miss Kelly read an emailed public comment from parent Eric Melnichenko, who said, "As of today, 04/10/2026, there are currently 5 vacancies posted for applied skills positions throughout the corporation with 3 of them being at the middle school level," and urged the board to direct administration to "review the applied skills program including staffing, supports, and program structure." The comment also recounted what it said was high turnover at Kahler Middle School: "six different teachers in the 2 applied skills classroom positions since 2023," a figure the writer said amounts to a 67% turnover rate and that classrooms had been without a permanent teacher since early February.

Board members asked whether Project Success had worked at the high school and about building accessibility at Grimmer; Mrs. Grama said Project Success participated in curriculum mapping with high school teachers but has not provided on-site classroom coaching for that level and that Grimmer’s building age and accessibility pose space constraints for some students.

Mrs. Grama said the district has posted five applied skills teacher openings and that principals have interviewed applicants. "We have applicants for all of our positions," she said, adding that the applicant pool is smaller than in prior years but that the district is conducting interviews.

The public comment and the staffing briefing prompted requests from board members for further review and for follow-up information in upcoming meetings, including staffing stability and program supports for students who rely on consistent routines. The board took no additional formal action at the meeting beyond approving routine personnel motions already on the agenda.