Atlanta Public Schools this week will begin reassigning teachers to balance enrollment. But the process, referred to as “leveling,” has upset some parents who worry class sizes will be too large as a result.
The district is using a headcount taken on Sept. 2, a month into the school year, to determine which schools have too many teachers and which have too few. Teachers are moved based on performance and seniority. The process is expected to be completed by Oct. 4.
This year, Atlanta Public Schools and other districts asked for a waiver to increase class sizes in order to save money. APS received permission to increase class size by up to five students per classroom for the current school year only. But the district is also having to make changes to fill vacancies left by the cheating scandal. More than 100 educators who were named in a state cheating investigation were place on administrative leave and are awaiting a due process hearing.
Because of incorrect numbers handed out by human resources, many schools in the Buckhead community were told this week they would lose several positions, according to District 4 Representative Nancy Meister. Those schools may still lose teachers and paraprofessionals, along with others across the district, but not as many as originally thought.
Even though they will not lose as many staff people as they originally thought, some parents such as Kevin Wade, whose three children attend Morris Brandon Elementary, are concerned how any staffing decreases would affect students. Wade said the district should be able to find other areas to save money.
“We have as a PTA over the last 15 years worked to give [our children] a premium education without going to a private school," he said. "We’ve worked too long and too hard for this to have it destroyed.”
Moving teachers to match student enrollment isn't an uncommon practice. Districts use enrollment projections to figure out how many teachers will be needed at each school, and then must make changes depending on how many actually show up.
"Newly reassigned teachers and paraprofessionals will report to their new locations by next Monday," said APS spokesman Keith Bromery.
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