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Keystone Central SD to reduce instructional coaches from five to three; coaches present their work to board
Summary
Administrators told trustees the district plans to reduce instructional coaches from five to three next year through attrition; the coaches described their daily work—co-teaching, data review and professional development—and trustees asked for side-by-side descriptions and funding sources.
Keystone Central School District administrators told trustees at a May 19 meeting that the district currently employs five instructional coaches but plans to reduce the number to three next year through attrition.
An administrator said the present configuration places three coaches at the elementary level and two at the secondary level; next year the district proposes one coach at each level. The administration invited its instructional coaches to explain typical duties, and multiple coaches described a mix of classroom collaboration, co-teaching, lesson modeling and data-driven intervention work.
Courtney (instructional coach) said coaches often serve as a bridge between administration and teachers because they are not in evaluative roles, giving teachers a collaborator for practice refinement. Leslie Skirdage, an instructional coach at Robb and Winova Elementary, said coaches support MTSS processes and ongoing professional development.
Trustees asked staff to explain cited research effect sizes in plain language; staff referenced John Hattie’s meta-analytic work and said an effect size of about 0.4 is a commonly used hinge point for policy decisions, with the district’s summary showing 0.49 for coaching on instructional practice and 0.18 on student achievement.
Administrators also clarified funding distinctions: DPL stipends come from Title IV grant funds, while instructional coaches are funded through the teacher contract and general fund. Trustees asked staff to prepare a comparative one-page chart that lists each role and funding source side-by-side for board docs and public posting.
The board did not take a formal vote during the public session; staff said they would provide follow-up materials and consider whether the three-coach model should be revisited based on evidence and budget priorities.
