“The demographer’s projections were very low this time,” board President Sheri Mills noted during the meeting.
Trustee Matt Bryant voted no for adding the positions. He said in light of the current economic instability with the coronavirus, there may be more students coming to the district. He recommended waiting before making an employment decision.
“A lot has changed in the last two weeks,” he said.
Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Matt Miller said some teachers have already turned in resignation letters, and that the district would be behind in hiring employees for the next school year if it deferred too much.
After some deliberation, the positions were approved 5-1, with Bryant voting no and trustee Bradley Taylor absent. The positions will carry a budget impact of $477,883. Three additional banked teaching positions were also approved to accommodate changes in class sizes during the upcoming school year, according to meeting documents. Altogether, the estimated cost for all positions is $682,690.
