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Norfork board reviews plan to restore English teacher, add coordinator and start pre-educator pathway
Summary
The Norfork School District discussed restoring a third English teacher and a full-time curriculum coordinator to create strategic reading classes and launch a CTE pre-educator pathway that could help students earn merit/distinction diplomas and provide a certified teacher-assistant credential.
The Norfork School District board on Thursday discussed a proposal to restore a third high-school English teacher and a full-time curriculum coordinator to expand strategic reading instruction and to pilot a CTE pre-educator “H2” pathway.
Mr. Chapman outlined two staffing scenarios and said adding a third English teacher would allow the district to offer strategic reading classes for seventh through 10th grades, a yearbook class, and an introductory “pre-educator” course that would begin a three-course certification pathway. He said the pathway could earn students a certified teacher-assistant credential and contribute points toward merit and distinction diplomas.
“If we had three English teachers…one of them would be strategic reading for seventh graders,” Chapman said, describing the program’s scheduling and the potential to identify and support the bottom 25% of readers.
Chapman and other speakers argued strategic reading helps students decode non‑fiction prompts that appear on state tests, improving performance not only in ELA but also in math and science. The district presented numbers showing different class-size scenarios and the projected scheduling impacts of adding staff.
Chapman also flagged a startup grant available for new CTE pathways that could fund equipment such as computers and printers if the program begins next school year. He emphasized that the pathway’s level‑one course would be sufficient to start certification work for future cohorts.
Board members discussed the role of a curriculum coordinator to mentor teachers, manage 504 plans and examine student data. One board member said a coordinator could identify small groups of students for targeted interventions, noting that improving students in the bottom 25% yields added growth points on state metrics.
No formal hiring vote was recorded in the transcript. Board members agreed to hold a personnel discussion in executive session before any final decision on staffing.
The district said it has identified candidates for the English opening and expects to continue interviews and committee review before returning to the board with recommendations.
