The Mascenic school board hammered out details for the 2018-19 school year during a regular meeting Monday night.
A document that board members received reads there are 12 classes that have enrollments under nine students next school year.
The school board voted on Monday night to cancel three courses, including Drawing II, Ceramics II, and Marketing II. Right now, only four students have enrolled in environmental science, and four enrolled for an AP English II class. There are six students currently signed up for a Principles of Technology course. If the Environmental Science or Principals of Technology courses are canceled, the teacher is slated to instruct two health classes instead, the document reads.
John Barth, the principal at Mascenic Regional High School, said during the meeting that although some courses are being canceled due to low enrollment, no teaching positions are being eliminated as a result.
Russell informed the board that the district has recently “firmed up” a director of school guidance position job description.
Russell said the person who previously filled the roll resigned a few months ago and that the seat is currently open. He said the district has recently reorganized the priorities of the job, which shifts responsibilities from the K-12 levels and places a greater emphasis on the high school. Russell said the person who is hired for the job would be expected to spend 70 to 75 percent of their time at the high school. He said placing a larger emphasis on the high-school level would bring about “some of the needed improvements that have been pending for a while.”
Russell said, right now, about half of its students don’t immediately go on to a two or four-year college after graduation. He said the school guidance counselor who is hired for the spot would need to strengthen the link between school life and the working world. He said some of the responsibilities will include supporting students reach out to employers to get pre-job training and experience.
“That’s going to be a real challenge for the director of guidance,” Russell said in a phone interview on Wednesday.
Russell said the district will send out the job description to employees within the district in the next couple of days, and then open it up to the greater community after that.
Two board members have been designated to take part in a future superintendent search.
Chairman Steve Spratt and Vice Chairman Rachel Anderson have been named to help with the process.
Russell, who was hired as the interim superintendent last June, said he has committed to holding the position through the 2018-19 school year, which buys the district some time as they try to fill the role.
He said the naming two school board members is an effort to keep the superintendent search on its radar, although no other work has gone into the process yet.
Marion Saari, principal of Highbridge Elementary School, told the board during the meeting that there are 75 students enrolled in kindergarten so far.
She said that number is higher than the district has seen in a number of years, and will likely continue to climb throughout the spring and summer. Saari said she has seen a number of new faces during registration, which could be an indication that new families are moving into the district.
Russell said the district has experienced a multi-year decline in enrollment, and that this jump in young students might be an indication that the trend is starting to reverse.
Abby Kessler can be reached at 924-7172, ext. 234 or akessler@ledgertranscript.com.