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Ann Arbor Public Schools opens year amid staffing recalls, classroom rebalancing and new COVID guidance
Summary
Superintendent Jazz Parks told the board the district has hired 121 staff over the summer and recalled all but seven teachers on the layoff list; leaders described co-seating and other staffing strategies, updated COVID guidance that ends a separate five-day isolation rule, and reiterated a special-education millage renewal that funds about $40 million of special-ed services.
Superintendent Jazz Parks delivered a comprehensive back-to-school update, saying district teams welcomed students this week and worked through staffing and facilities challenges in the first days of the 2024–25 school year.
“It's been a real treat to be able to be in schools this week and experience the excitement firsthand of all of our students coming back to school,” Parks said as she introduced new principals and summarized district supports. Human-resources staff reported hiring 121 employees over the summer to replace retirees and resignations, and that all but seven teachers previously listed on layoff have been recalled.
Human-resources director (Langford) told trustees the hiring included replacements across roles and that open positions include four preschool, two elementary, two K–8, four high-school and nine special-education openings. She said some offers are pending because candidates requested customary two-week notice to current employers.
Trustees pressed staff on classroom sizes and staffing strategy. District leaders described “co-seating” in some low-enrollment courses—combining two smaller sections into one—to preserve course offerings (for example, advanced language classes) while balancing staffing and student access. Parks said that while percentages may rise, class sizes are being kept under established maximums.
On health guidance, the district announced it will align COVID policy with other communicable-disease guidance used for flu and RSV: there is no longer a separate mandated five-day isolation for COVID; students and staff may return when fever-free for 24 hours without antipyretics, symptoms are improving, and they feel well enough for a full day. The district will continue monitoring trends and communicate when outbreaks or unusual spikes require action; it has school-nurse guidance and a threshold-based notification plan.
District staff said they ordered 750 rapid COVID test kits for distribution, will host staff flu clinics and can temporarily close individual classrooms if outbreaks make operations untenable. The district also said it has contracted with CareSolace, a care-coordination service that performs intake and referral—not in-district therapy—helping families find multilingual and culturally matched mental-health providers and offering navigation support for scheduling.
Special-education staff reported expanded supports and highlighted the coming special-education millage renewal, which they said brings in roughly $40 million annually to the district and would otherwise have to come from the general fund. Trustees were told a fuller briefing on the millage will be provided at an upcoming September meeting.
Why it matters: staffing, health guidance and special-education funding determine students’ access to services and the district’s operational stability as the year begins. The district pledged ongoing communications to families as enrollment settles and as outbreaks or staffing changes occur.
