The additional staff will help the district keep elementary class sizes at or below the 22-1 ratio, according to district documents. AISD will spend $340,000 from its maintenance and operations budget on these positions.
Diving deeper
Superintendent Courtney Carpenter said three of the five positions approved in June have already been allocated.
“We’re to a point where we need to have some contingency positions,” Carpenter said. “We are continuing to grow. Some of our class sizes are creeping up to 21 already, and school starts next week.”
Depending on enrollment needs, some of the positions may be assigned to Argyle West Elementary and Jane Ruestmann Elementary, Carpenter said.
The seven contingency teaching positions allows AISD to be prepared as district growth is not slowing down.
Going forward
Chief Financial Officer Liz Stewart said district staff are looking into how quickly they could get portables and working out the logistics of that process.
Trustee Josh Westrom said portables are not ideal, but they are a part of fast growth.
“If it comes to it, do we have to add them this year,” Stewart said. “If we’re out of space and the students still show up, we need a place to put them.”
A new elementary school is expected to open in the 2027-28 school year to help address growth, but until then portables may be required.
