School District Prepares for Booming Student Population, Set to Hire New Staff

As school districts across the country continue to cut positions in light of budget crunches—an estimated 294,000 jobs in the education sector have been lost since 2008, according to the Associated Press—the is eying 50 new staff members in anticipation of a booming student population.

The school district will add as many 50 new staff members during the 2012-13 school year, when district officials anticipate more than 600 students will join the school system district-wide.

School officials say the hirings will help maintain current class sizes—and in some cases, even make them lower—and help meet the academic needs of the district.

Of those positions, 40 will be certified staff—15 in the elementary level, 22 in the secondary level and three in special education.

Here's how the rest breaks down:

• One new elementary assistant principal for ; 
• Three custodians to accommodate added square footage from new classroom and building space; 
• Two paraprofessionals; 
• One secretary for the district's director of accounting, who currently stands as the only director-level position in the district without an administrative secretary and was first recommended in 2006; 
• One technology position—now, the district has more than 3,800 district computer systems and just six technicians who travel between district buildings to support the systems; 
• Two new bus drivers in anticipation of any new routes because of projected enrollments or changes to school assignments—the district in January approved new zones that will .

Some of the new positions will be added on an as-needed basis, meaning the district won't hire the positions right away. However, if the need arises, the board has already given the green light to hire.

The new assistant principal at was needed to satisfy state law, which requires more administration when an elementary school reaches more than 600 students—the school is projected at 603 for next year.

Information on how much payroll the board's action was not available as some positions pay based on the experience of the candidate and other positions are hired on an as-needed basis.