CAPE TEACHERS MAY LOSE ONE PREP PERIOD

The Cape Girardeau school board will consider whether to continue a second class preparation period for secondary teachers during a meeting March 15.

Board members requested the item be added to the next meeting's agenda during a half-day study session Saturday. A decision must be made about the preparation periods before mid-April because it could impact the number of secondary teachers rehired for next school year.

April 15 is the deadline to offer contracts to probationary teachers.

Since August, a committee has considered eliminating of the second preparation period of secondary teachers. The board became interested in the issue last spring after it was recommended the additional period be eliminated as a means of easing the district's financial crunch during the 1998-1999 school year.

Elementary teachers in the district have only one preparation period, as required by law.

Assistant superintendent Bill Biggerstaff said committees charged with reviewing programs and curriculum recommended the second preparation period be kept at the secondary level. He said committee members based their recommendation on annual student performance in areas such as the National Merit program and on college assessments like the ACT and SAT.

The committee, which consisted of parents, teachers and administrators, also supported continuing the second preparation period because teachers are able to work with students needing additional help on a one-to-one basis. They also are able to complete grading and class preparation during the additional period, said Biggerstaff.

"The program committee looked at the instructional aspects and the extracurricular assignments and community expectations," Biggerstaff said. "We felt that Cape was offering a competitive package that was acceptable to the community."

Most school districts in the area offer teachers only one preparation period, which means teachers are scheduled to teach or supervise students six of seven periods a day. Webster Groves and Farmington school districts have course offerings and student-teacher ratios similar to Cape Girardeau's. However, both schools also have at least 20 fewer teachers at the secondary level.

If Cape Girardeau schools went to a single preparation period, eight to 12 secondary teaching positions could be eliminated. That reduction in faculty could result in a financial savings of $369,000 to more than $500,000 next year. However, an increase in class sizes and a possible decrease in course offerings might result.

Board members asked administrators to prepare budget projections based on the elimination of the second preparation period for secondary teachers. It's important to develop a plan that is equitable to teachers districtwide and that does not affect the quality of instruction to students, they said.

"I know we have to make budget decisions, but because we want the kids to have qualified teachers we've got to do a better job," said board member Mark Carver. "There's got to be a way we can offer better starting salaries and do a better job to help our elementary teachers, who are pulling their fair share of the load."