This new Administration has done nothing but destroy PVRS and remove past Administrations teachers .
To state you will be reducing the Vice Principals pay but not Bacons or Millers or other Admins, shows they are not serious about the betterment of the school.
They have stated lower enrollment , OK, than why not move the Superintendents office to one of the schools? Why pay all this money ? Tax papers smarten up , this is not about the school its about Miller keeping her sanctuary .PERIOD! If there concern was really about the school than this would not be a question but actually done. Demand the Superintendents office is moved.Thousands of dollars between rent, electricity, phone etc.. would be saved and that would be a 40,000.00 plus savings . Watch the numbers . This would show an effort on their part of saving money for the school not eliminating teachers from past administrations .
Unlike what Bacon thinks, alot since this new administration has come aboard has been detrimental to the students.
We also must ask how many students will be involved in these new on line classes? How many are now ?
How many classes like the arts and sports will be removed?
Its bluntly clear that Miller nor Bacon have any idea of what PVRS is or stands for . This school has gone from a superior school to a barely get by and its not the teachers its the Admins destroying it .
Feb 2 and 6 are vital dates to attend these meetings . They are hoping you don't show up . This is how they are able to pass these .
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6az_Rkk2vEcU1FPbTJOanlXLXc/view
Pioneer expected to reduce staff by 13 percent; enrollment decline cited
Recorder Staff
Friday, January 27, 2017
NORTHFIELD — Due to a 25 percent drop in enrollment at Pioneer Valley
Regional School over the past eight years, administrators are proposing
a roughly 13 percent reduction in staff for next school year.According to Pioneer Principal Jean Bacon, 10 full-time positions are being cut, as well as one administrator, and one districtwide technical support staff member will be reduced to half-time.
Currently, Bacon said, there are 88 staff members at Pioneer. While it is currently unclear which positions will be affected, Bacon said the administration will consider what individual teachers offer, as well as how the layoffs would affect class size and diversity of programs.
“It’s never easy to lose some staff,” Superintendent Ruth Miller said during a Pioneer Valley Regional School District budget subcommittee meeting. “It’s really the only way we’re going to right-size this budget at all.”
Between a nearly $55,000 reduction to the assistant principal’s salary, and the reduction in staffing, the cutbacks would save the district more than $360,000.
Miller said that at the elementary level, staffing levels have decreased gradually over the years. As staff retired, their positions were eliminated and classes were consolidated accordingly. However, Miller said no such adjustments have been made at Pioneer, until now.
Bacon said that in just the past five years, Pioneer’s enrollment has declined by 140 students. As of the start of the 2016-2017 school year, Pioneer had 409 students.
“There’s a big misalignment,” Bacon said. “We just don’t need as many teachers to deliver education to a population that’s 140 less.”
Bacon said School Council has endorsed the proposal.
Although 11 full-time positions and one half-time position are being cut, the reduction in staff will not be quite so dramatic. Two of the affected staff members have plans to retire, and Bacon intends to add four new full-time positions and one half-time position, ones that she believes better fit the needs of the school.
“It’s shifting the positions to support the goals of the school,” Miller explained.
The new positions include: an online learning facilitator, who will supervise students in a lab environment while they work on online classwork; a districtwide science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) facilitator; a college and career readiness facilitator; a Tier II interventionist to give small group or individualized instruction to students who require extra support; and a half-time instructional assistant supervisor to oversee instructional assistants and ensure they receive necessary training.
Miller said the dean of students’ position will be eliminated, leaving only Bacon and Assistant Principal Jennifer Albert Perry as administrators.
Regardless, Bacon said she doesn’t feel the changes will be detrimental to the students’ education.
“I think we can reduce this many teaching staff and still offer the diverse programming we’ve been offering. That’s what makes Pioneer special,” she said. “I don’t think less resources mean a drop in quality.”
Bacon added the changes would mean condensing classes, but said it would even out class numbers. Some classes currently have as few as six students.
“My goal is to have class sizes between 17 and 22,” she said. “Talking to the other principals in the region, it seems fairly typical.”
The school district’s fiscal year 2018 budget will be voted on by the school committee during a Feb. 9 meeting, following a Feb. 7 public hearing. The public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. in the Pioneer auditorium.
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