3 TEACHERS HIRED FOR OVERFLOW AT JACKSON

JACKSON -- The late enrollment of 144 students has forced the last-minute hiring of three teachers to ease class sizes in Jackson elementary schools.

Assistant Superintendent Fred Jones said there was an unexpected influx of students enrolled last week between Wednesday and Friday. The late-arrivals pushed already large class sizes to a point administrators were uncomfortable with, he said, so three elementary teachers were hired over the weekend.

In all, three classes were added to handle the new students. An additional kindergarten and first-grade class were added at the Primary Annex, and a new second-grade class was added at Orchard Elementary. The new teachers will enable class sizes to average a more manageable 23 students per class, Jones said.

One of the new classes at the Primary Annex superseded space that had been set aside for an art and music classroom. The art and music teachers in that building will rotate to each classroom, Jones said, because the extra class was a priority.

"We were getting over 25 students per class in our kindergarten, first and second grades, and we just felt that wasn't something we could approve," he said. "Now it's at least more manageable than it would have been."

Jones said all of the new teachers have experience in other districts. Administrators interviewed teachers during the spring and kept track of some candidates in case they needed to contact them.

"We think all were real good teaching candidates," he said. "We wanted to start school with teachers in place, because it's difficult to get students in a teacher's class and then later pull them out at the primary level. We're going to confirm their employment at the board meeting next week. "

Enrollment could swell even more next week. There's a flu bug going around at the elementary level, Jones said, and class sizes always grow after the beginning of the school year.

"These were the children that actually showed up," he said. "We're expecting some more."

Jackson Schools Enrollment

Total Enrollment -- 4,311

Enrollment by building

Primary Annex -- 377

Gordonville Elementary -- 70

Millersville Attendance Center -- 87

North Elementary -- 270

Orchard Drive Elementary -- 593

West Lane Elementary -- 540

Jackson Middle School -- 651

R.O. Hawkins Junior High -- 713

Jackson High School -- 1,010