6 more teaching jobs may be added

Six more teaching positions could be added next school year in the Brainerd School District.

The Brainerd School Board's Curriculum Committee voted 2-1 Thursday to recommend to the full school board to add three full-time equivalent kindergarten teachers; one FTE fifth-grade teacher; one FTE seventh-grade reading teacher; a .6 FTE world language teacher; and a .4 Brainerd High School career development position.

Curriculum Committee members Ruth Gmeinder and Kent Montgomery supported the administrative recommendations and committee member Ruth Nelson was against the recommendation because she wanted to see the positions added equally through all the grade levels, not just in one grade as it was for kindergarten.

Brainerd Assistant Superintendent Steve Razidlo said the addition of the three kindergarten positions was designed so the district could offer all-day, everyday kindergarten at all elementary schools.

Razidlo said adding a fifth-grade teacher will reduce class sizes at that grade level and increase the number of classrooms from 15 to 16. Razidlo said there are 482 fourth-graders and an extra teacher will reduce class sizes from 33 to 30 students per class.

A seventh-grade reading teacher was being recommended to assist in the Read 180 program that helps students in seventh- through 12th-grade, who are struggling with reading.

Razidlo said the .6 FTE world language position and the .4 career development position would be filled by one teacher. Razidlo said the world language position would add French II and German II for the students who took their first year of French and German classes.

"This would allow these students to fulfill their world language commitment," said Razidlo.

The administration also recommended that the committee add a .6 FTE position in career and technical offerings and a .4 FTE Area Education Center mathematics position. However, the committee decided not to make a recommendation to add these positions because the positions would only be possible if the school district would receive additional federal revenue.

JENNIFER STOCKINGER may be reached at jennifer.stockinger@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5851.