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Board hears data‑driven staffing plan; public disputes 'budget neutral' claims
Summary
Superintendent described replicating a successful middle‑school math specialist role with an ELA specialist and shifting some elementary tutor staffing; members of the public and union leaders disputed whether those changes are budget‑neutral and reiterated calls to restore interventionist positions voted for by the public.
The Oyster River Coop School District superintendent laid out a multi‑year staffing plan that emphasizes teacher leadership and expanded intervention through MTSS (Multi‑Tiered System of Support), but several public commenters and association leaders disputed whether the proposed changes would be budget‑neutral and urged faster restoration of interventionist positions the community voted to fund.
Dr. Shaps described a math specialist role at the middle school that he said increased direct contact with students—"98 students or roughly 17% of the middle school"—and proposed creating a parallel ELA specialist at the middle school. Board materials and the superintendent framed the middle‑school change as budget‑neutral by converting an existing interventionist position into a teacher‑leader post. The superintendent also recommended, as part of broader staffing alignment, changes to the elementary tutor model that were presented as a reduction in the proposed budget, with a plan to use May assessment results to re‑deploy tutors based on student eligibility.
Union representatives and community speakers pushed back on the budget neutrality claim. Chris Lee, representing the Oyster River Interventionist and Tutors Association, told the board that at the deliberative session and in the March vote, voters had restored funds specifically to preserve interventionist positions and that the district presentation listed $519,000 as covering salaries and benefits for six positions. "Unless you intend to spend it on something it was not intended for, it is available to reinstate those positions," Lee said.
AAIA (spelled in the record as the interventionists' association) and a public commenter who identified pay figures said that interventionist salaries are below teacher starting steps and that replacing those interventionist roles with higher‑paid specialist or teacher‑leader positions would not be budget‑neutral. "The top step for the interventionist is about $45,000, which is not yet the first step for teacher salary—the specialist position will pay more," a public commenter said during the meeting.
Administrators and the superintendent emphasized the district's MTSS eligibility and caseload data, describing standard intervention blocks (tier 2: 30 minutes daily for small groups; tier 3: 45–60 minutes for 1–3 students) and saying the May assessments will be used to determine eligibility and whether to reinstate tutors. "We will use the May assessment to determine the number of students who are eligible for academic support by each elementary school," the superintendent said.
Why it matters: The staffing choices affect direct student support in reading and math, and they intersect with budget decisions the community voted on. The board signaled it intends to consider May assessment results and caseloads before changing tutor allocations but received strong public pressure to restore the interventionist positions immediately.
