6 April 2023
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (KSNW) — Teacher shortages across Kansas are forcing school districts to come up with solutions. Garden City’s school district (USD 457) revealed its solution on Wednesday, leaving many concerned.
The school district decided that it is moving certified staff in intervention positions, such as at-risk, English as a Second Language (ESL), and elementary science teachers, to full-time classroom openings in the district.
Many teachers and people in the community say they’re upset about the decision.
The superintendent sent a letter to staff and KSN saying they are not cutting positions. You can view the full letter below. He says no programs are losing services, and all students with at-risk, English as a Second Language or special education needs will be met.
Teachers and community members say it’s not going to be the same.
“I’d go from teaching exclusively science to teaching everything but science because now a random long-term sub would be getting my science job,” Lead Elementary Science Teacher Neil Lundgren said.
Joshua Hinde has many friends and family who use the ESL program.
“I feel like it’s extremely important to have an actual ESL teacher,” Hinde said. “I don’t know if they’ll be able to provide the proper education in ESL that somebody that has actually studied and educated in that field.”
The Kansas Department of Education Director of Teacher Licensure, Shane Carter, says this is something they have seen many districts across Kansas do to overcome teacher shortages.
“It’s a pretty standard practice across the board,” Carter said. “From our perspective, that employment aspect of it and utilizing the staff as needed, we leave that up to the district.”
Lundgren says the reason he moved to Garden City 10 years ago was to teach science. So
although he understands the shortage issue, science is his passion, and he wishes the district could find a different solution.
The superintendent would not agree to do an interview.
Superintendent Mike Dominguez forwarded the following email to staff and KSN:
Staff:
Over the last 24 hours, there has been a growing presence of misinformation being shared about staffing changes for the upcoming school year through current analysis of staffing needs for buildings and the ever-increasing teacher shortage throughout the state and the nation; Leadership and Building Leadership made the collective decision to reallocate certified staff to classroom teaching positions. The district has discussed this topic for four years with options to address the growing need for the teacher shortage and the long-term substitute situation. After much consideration, the district believes this decision is the least disruptive to current services to current students. This decision is aligned with our KESA goals, BOE strategic plan, and best practices for having a solid Tier 1 instructional program. Therefore, the certified staff currently in the intervention (at-risk and ESL) positions and elementary science teachers will be reallocated to positions of full-time classroom openings presently available in the district.
We are not cutting or eliminating positions for staff certified or classified. No federal, state, or local programs are losing services, and all students with At-Risk, ESL, or SPED needs will be met. We are reallocating staff to allow for the highest leverage practices to increase student achievement, including certified teachers in the classroom with students. At the same time, we will utilize our strong Tier 2 programs and online Science curriculum with long-term subs to provide high-quality interventions and support during science. This decision best suits students’ long-term academic success, which is our highest priority.
The increasing shortage of certified staff has created a situation where we must allocate our resources to maximize our success. We believe whole-heartedly that the staff serving as interventionists and science teachers are some of our highest quality staff and feel that their skills can be best utilized in front of all students as classroom teachers. We fully acknowledge the sacrifice this staff is making in helping us achieve our long-range goals of student academic success. With that being said, as the staff shortage can be mitigated and we can reallocate certified staff into those positions again, those that sacrificed this year will be given the first opportunity to move back in the future. We have had great success with this in multiple buildings this year as some interventionists volunteered to move back to the classroom, and the academic achievement increased significantly.
In closing, we understand the concern and some hurt feelings for the multiple years of having these services as they have been. We know the changes have an impact, but putting certified staff in front of all children in the classroom for a full day will have more significant benefits than the short-term loss. We also understand that changes and adjustments will need to be made in terms of how the Office of Learning Services and Supplemental Office at the ESC will assist long-term subs in the delivery and success of the support programs in the buildings. We are actively working on solutions for Tier 2 and ESL services to train and have long-term subs prepared to serve those students.
Mike Dominguez, USD 457 Superintendent