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Teachers urge board not to cut sixth English position, citing 20% workload increase
Summary
Several Sparta High School English teachers and supporters told the board that a planned non‑rehire would push remaining teachers’ workloads up roughly 20%, weaken literacy supports and risk further attrition; speakers challenged administration’s use of a projected 14‑student drop to justify the cut.
Cheyenne Hullberg, an English teacher at Sparta High School, told the board the English department was notified in late April that a recently vacated position would not be rehired and urged the board to reverse that decision. “You are telling us the administration is cutting the sixth English position down to five teachers simply because of 14 students,” Hullberg said, adding that the change would shift an average of 30 more students per teacher and raise grading and feedback loads by about 20 percent.
Several colleagues echoed that point. Kylie Bame, the department’s most senior teacher, said the district’s projected enrollment decrease—942 students next year versus 956 this year—does not account for online SVLA students or incoming military families, and warned that workload could rise beyond the administration’s estimate. Brianna Moore urged the board to consider the cumulative effect of attrition and burnout, saying teacher exits over recent years have forced repeated schedule reshuffles and reduce the district’s ability to sustain recent gains in state testing.
Administrators referenced district budget pressures and a failed operating referendum earlier in the year as factors informing staffing decisions. Board members pressed staff for data during later agenda items examining the preliminary 2026–27 budget, including enrollment projections, fund‑balance assumptions, and the tradeoffs between using reserves and making staffing reductions.
Why it matters: English is a required sequence of courses in the high school curriculum; teachers said stronger literacy instruction supports graduation and long‑term outcomes and argued that larger class sizes would disproportionately reduce individualized writing feedback. Cost context: speakers referenced an estimated $1.2 million multiyear deficit and said a single teacher salary would represent a small portion of that amount.
What’s next: The staffing decisions referenced in public comment were discussed during the district’s preliminary budget review; administration presented proposed reductions and a multi‑year outlook and the board debated whether to adopt the preliminary budget. The board did not adopt the preliminary budget at this meeting and directed further analysis; any final staffing actions will be reflected in subsequent board motions and the official budget adopted in October.
