Fayetteville School Board hears updates on staffing, computer science

FAYETTEVILLE -- District administrators are adjusting staffing in preparation for shifting grade levels for the 2015-16 school year.

Ten classified employees, such as classroom aides, hired on one-year only contracts will not return to those positions in August because of the shifts, said Kim Garrett, associate superintendent for secondary education for Fayetteville Public Schools

Garrett discussed the changes expected for classified staff during Thursday's School Board meeting.

The School Board also received an update on computer science courses offered in 2015-16 for high school students.

Eliminating 10 classified positions is expected to save the district about $200,000, Garrett said.

In August, fifth grade will move from elementary schools to middle schools. Seventh-graders will no longer attend middle schools but instead will be junior high students. Freshmen will no longer attend classes at junior high schools, but will be Fayetteville High School students.

"We don't need as many as we did previously," Garrett said. "We've identified some areas where we could make some cuts and be a little more fiscally responsible while still serving all of our needs."

Changes in the grade levels will affect enrollments in campuses, Garrett said. Changes in enrollment impact money that flows to schools because state and federal money for schools are distributed on a per-student basis.

"It's a domino effect," Superintendent Paul Hewitt said.

Most federal money for low-income children is spent at the elementary level, and the district is moving a grade level out of those campuses, Hewitt said.

The district must notify classified staff members by the end of May of changes in their employment, Garrett said.

"We want our services to follow our students," Garrett said. "We have some one-year only contract employees. They're rock stars. They have been doing great work. We don't want to lose great staff members."

The district makes adjustments to staff as student needs change, Garrett said.

"Our hope is as we have attrition, as we have openings, we can get those outstanding staff members back at Fayetteville Public Schools," she said.

Fayetteville High School will offer a new computer science course for students who want an introduction to computer programming and coding, said Kay Jacoby, executive director of curriculum and instruction for the district.

The Legislature passed Act 187 mandating that every public high school and public charter high school offer a computer science course, she said. Fayetteville High School offers Advanced Placement Computer Science.

The law prompted the district to add a new essentials of computer programming course, she said.

The Advanced Placement course is suited for college-bound students who plan to pursue degrees in computer science and engineering, said Emery Faulkner, who teaches the course.

Computer coding applies to almost every devices from pacemakers to cars, Faulkner said. The new course will be intended for students interested in coding but need a platform for learning the basics, he said.

The course will allow those students to build applications for cell phones, he said.

NW News on 05/29/2015

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