GLENVILLE -&160;Budgeting needs are driving the possible acceleration of a planned elementary school reorganization plan in the Glenville-Emmons School District, the superintendent said.

Wednesday, February 06, 2002

GLENVILLE -&160;Budgeting needs are driving the possible acceleration of a planned elementary school reorganization plan in the Glenville-Emmons School District, the superintendent said.

The plan will cut one staff position but will allow the district to offer an all-day, every-day Kindergarten program, said superintendent Todd Chessmore.

The district is trying to carry out its responsibilities while dealing with limited or no increases in funding from the state and declining enrollment, he said. The uneven distribution of elementary students between the buildings in Emmons and Glenville also creates imbalances in class sizes.

&uot;We want to be able to utilize staff more effectively and be able to reduce one teaching position without significantly affecting students’ education,&uot; Chessmore said.

According to him, the reorganization reflects the commitment the board and administration have made to smaller class sizes in the elementary schools. The plan would hold teacher-student ratios at 18 students to one teacher, he said. Currently, class sizes range from just under 30 students to 10.

Shifting students in that way will help with staffing discrepancies between buildings in art and physical education, according to Chessmore. Staff involved in the district’s music program will also be able to work more efficiently, as they go from building to building.

Under the plan, all K-3 students would attend school in Glenville, while grades 4-6 would be in Emmons, which also has the junior high. The high school is located in Glenville.

The plan is not without controversy and opponents, but Chessmore says that people on all sides are still talking to each other.

&uot;Both communities need each other. No matter what side of the issue they’re on, the kids are always everyone’s priority,&uot; he said.

Having all the kindergarten students in one building may also allow the district to begin moving toward an all day, every day program. That change has been under discussion for some time, said Chessmore. The current situation, with kindergarten students split between two buildings, makes an all-day program extremely difficult, he said.

The school board will be voting on the reorganization plan at the next regularly scheduled board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.