9 May 2023
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KSNW) – School leaders in Hutchinson say they may be 14 teachers short next school year.
Some concerned parents in Hutchinson took to the board meeting Monday to listen.
“And we don’t want that to be moved,” said South Hutchinson Parent Courney Postier.
Postier wants to fight to keep her local elementary school, Lincoln, open.
“Yeah, we are not there yet. There are just solutions that are being thrown out there,” said Postier. “But we want to make it clear to the board that this is not a possible solution.”
Board members on Monday said it is way too early to talk about school consolidation as a solution to a teacher shortage.
“First of all, I love it that we have concerned parents. That’s a great thing,” said Hutchinson USD 308 School Board President Kail Denison. “At this point, I believe it is way too early to talk about any of that. We don’t have the information that we need at this point or a recommendation to go forward on.”
Denison said the board has asked the school administration to come up with creative solutions to the anticipated teacher shortage of at least 14 teachers needed for next year.
“We do want to be really transparent with our community and our students and our families about that,” said Denison. “We are looking at a lot of options. We’re having lots of conversations.”
Denison said there is a study on several fronts being conducted right now, with no definitive solutions being offered.
Some data points to consider being offered by the school administration will be available to board members at a special board meeting coming up on May 15th in Hutchinson at the school career tech center at 6:00 p.m.
Some parents hope school consolidation will not be part of the mix.
“This school is the heart of our neighborhood,” said Postier. “If they close our elementary school, there are just so many questions.”
Meanwhile, Denison says the hard part about being on a local school board is balancing what is best for taxpayers and parents who want the best for their children.
“There’s two main things that factor into a lot of decisions that are being made in education these days,” said Denison. “One has to do with declining enrollment, and that is hitting Hutch hard. And in addition to that, the teacher shortage. And so when you look at both of those things, we need to be really responsible with what we’re doing for our students and also for our taxpayers to make sure we’re doing the right thing.”