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Boardman teachers will be notified Friday of their 2019-2020 assignments
BOARDMAN
School officials say the work needed to complete the district’s realignment plan by June 30 is on target.
The Boardman school board met in special session to be updated on the preparations for the 2019-20 school year.
Unlike a recent meeting attended by hundreds of concerned residents at which the board approved the realignment plan, no members of the public attended Tuesday.
The realignment plan calls for the closing of Market Street Elementary at the end of the school year, and changing the district’s other elementary schools – Robinwood Lane, Stadium Drive and West Boulevard – into K-3 buildings to accommodate the Market Street students. All fourth-graders will move to Center Intermediate School on Market Street, making Center a fourth- to sixth-grade building.
The closing of Market Street is expected to save $500,000 a year. The district’s annual general-fund budget is about $45.9 million.
Also Tuesday, officials said teachers will receive their building and classroom assignments in envelopes as they leave work Friday.
Market Street teachers were given their first- and second-placement assignment choices in individual meetings. That information was used in assigning them their new teaching positions, and the “vast majority got their first pick,” said schools Superintendent Timothy Saxton.
He noted that every teacher listed on an assignment chart is needed, and the hope is to reduce the staff by two positions through attrition by retirement.
Matt McKenzie, supervisor of buildings and grounds, said officials plan to advertise for bids on the Boardman Center project March 1, close bidding March 15 and open bids March 25. The project involves converting offices back to classrooms to transform the building into Boardman Center Intermediate School.
“June 30 is the completion date we want in order to avoid as much disruption as possible. The classrooms have to be ready to accept students,” Saxton said. He noted that the current building capacity under the realignment is about what is required, as there are several empty classrooms available, if needed.