The Chadron School Board has approved adding a half-time history teacher at the high school to help deal with issues that include some class sizes growing uncomfortably large and reductions or elimination of some offerings.
Teacher Craig Nobling told the board the district hasn’t filled some half-time positions in Social Sciences after they became vacant, leaving just him and Mike Sandstrom to teach certain courses.
Nobling said things would be even worse this fall since Jonn McLain has been helping out, even though math is his primary subject. The solution they recommended was to make middle school para-educator Andrew Smith a half-time high school social sciences teacher.
School Board President Tom Menke says with a total compensation increase of less than $11,000 it’s a solution that works for everyone.
Menke also appreciated the way that Nobling, assisted by Middle School Principal Nick Dressel and High School Principal Jerry Mack, helped the board understand how the problem had developed over time.
The school board also approved an out-of-the-box solution for filling McLain’s high school math position. Caleb Haskell will not only be a teacher, he’ll be a student-teacher.
While Haskell doesn’t have his teaching certificate yet, he is close enough to be able to get a conditional certificate for the coming year.