Because of a decrease in student enrollment, the Wilton Public School District is proposing to decrease staff next school year and also add new positions.
During the Board of Education’s Jan. 8 budget review and study session, Assistant Superintendent Charles Smith explained how staffing changes could save the district $131,850 if the superintendent’s proposed budget of $79,956,024 — 78% of which is allocated to employee salaries and benefits — were approved as is.
Miller-Driscoll
Miller-Driscoll would lose two classroom teachers and one paraprofessional, as well as a part-time teacher for the hearing-impaired, a language arts resource teacher and science resource teacher. In return, the school would gain a part-time speech pathologist and media specialist, and add one more instructional leader to its current two.
According to the job description, the instructional coach serves as a “transformational teacher leader” and “provides leadership in teaching and learning by supporting and advancing the district’s strategic priorities.” Instructional leaders report directly to the assistant superintendent and are assigned to specific schools.
Cider Mill
Two classroom teachers, one language arts resource teacher and a part-time clerical staff member would be eliminated at Cider Mill, while one instructional leader would be gained.
Dr. Smith said the elimination of two teachers is seen as “an opportunity to transform those positions into instructional coaches without significantly impacting the size of the classrooms.”
Middlebrook
One full-time and one part-time special education paraprofessional position at Middlebrook would be transformed into one teaching position.
“We will be trading paraprofessional positions to teaching positions because our belief is we want our students to be taught by the most highly qualified teachers,” said Dr. Smith, “and we believe we can do that by eliminating two paraprofessional positions and adding a special education teacher.”
Middlebrook would also gain two instructional leaders.
Wilton High School
The high school would eliminate a full-time and part-time classroom teacher, a full-time and part-time AV technician and one copy center aide. The number of campus supervisors would also decrease, from six to four, as the result of the school’s security changes.
“Any day now, we’re scheduled to put in the new security booth right at the front of the high school,” said Principal Robert O’Donnell, “so we’re cutting two campus supervisors with the idea that we have that increased supervision there.”
Wilton High would gain a part-time speech pathologist and two instructional leaders.