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District plan trims high‑school electives and arts staffing as core class sizes rise
Summary
High-school leaders said rising average class sizes and a six-period day forced reductions in low-enrollment electives and some fine-arts staffing, with choir and certain Minaps pathways among the items proposed for reduction.
PRIOR LAKE-SAVAGE AREA SCHOOLS — High-school administrators told the board that increasing average class sizes and scheduling constraints have forced hard choices: low-enrollment electives and some specialized pathways are slated for reductions to preserve core instruction.
Dr. Biz, who outlined high-school impacts, said the district tries to avoid under-enrolled courses but is being pushed to consolidate sections because core-class averages are rising toward the mid-30s. “I had to make some tough decisions that are kind of ripping my heart out as well,” Dr. Biz said, describing reductions to Minaps pathways, some elective sections and proposed reconfiguration of the trades pathway from a three-hour to a two-hour model to improve average sizes.
Arts programs drew particular scrutiny. Administrators noted choir enrollment fell from roughly 300 students when the high school ran a seven-period day to about 150 now under a six-period schedule; some board members argued choirs and theater — which are heavily supported by volunteers — already operate on a shoestring and cannot absorb further cuts without program damage.
Scheduling trade-offs were central to the discussion: moving from a six- to seven-period day would require additional FTE restoration before it would yield more elective capacity, administrators said. The district emphasized that many staffing changes reflect seniority and contractual placement and that no final personnel actions were taken during the study session.
Board members asked staff to continue exploring administrative efficiencies and to provide clearer disaggregation of headcount and FTE so trustees can compare administrative versus instructional staffing levels in detail.
