NHS balances priorities, reduces staffing

Newberg High School administrators announced a reduction in staffing for the coming school year this morning.

Principals explained that district-wide efforts to reduce class size at the elementary level and balance teacher planning time will result in a loss of 3.5 full time equivalent (FTE) teaching staff at the high school. This represents an increase in student to teacher ratios from 24:1 to 25.5:1. Typical high school class ratios are between 28-30 students to one teacher.  Newberg primary student-to-teacher ratios are at 26:1 and will reduce to 25:1

The challenge remains to graduate all students’ college or career ready, explained Yellow School Principal Stafford Boyd. “Our job is to continue to improve and provide students a high-quality, well-rounded educational experience that is engaging, rigorous and culturally relevant.”

The reduced staffing has forced principals to carefully examine student course requests and priorities for graduation, eliminating the achievement gap, developing science, technology and math (STEM) programs and 21st century skills, and maintaining visual and performing arts.

Changes include:

• Elimination of freshmen inquiry classes and tutorial study hall classes and an increase in support classes for math, language arts and ELL students. Advisory programs in all small schools remain unchanged.
• Small school leadership classes have been eliminated; enrollment opportunities in Associated Student Body (ASB) leadership will increase.
• Some upper level elective courses in PE, visual arts, marketing/business, ag sciences, drafting and computer aided design (CAD) have been combined.
• Increase in courses offering dual-credit and/or college-credit
• Computer programming and electronics classes have been replaced with updated STEM course offerings, including Introduction to Engineering Design.
• Spanish and business/marketing classes have been reduced according to course requests.
• Visual arts classes have been reduced by two periods; performing arts programs remain unchanged.

Changes in how services are delivered to students in special education or on individual education plans will also be implemented at the high school and throughout the district next year. Numbers of personnel remain the same but educational assistant positions will be redistributed through district schools to ensure a better alignment of services. The level of specially-designed instruction will remain the same.

Counselors and small school staff members will work with students whose forecasting may be impacted by changes.

Information on the new Introduction to Engineering Design classes will be available to students and parents on Thursday, May 15th at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the high school  West Commons. Students interested in the new course must submit a request form obtained from their school office by Friday, May 16th