Cary School District 26 Hires Two Assistant Principals

With the addition of sixth grade to , there will be 40 students per classroom for the 2011-2012 school year. 

To alleviate some of the workload, Cary School District 26 Board of Education approve the employment of two assistant principals at the junior high, with a 4-2 vote.

Eric Larson, who previously taught seventh grade in Buffalo Grove, district 102 and Sara Elfering, who also taught seventh in Vernon Hills, district 73 will be assistant principals at Cary Junior High School for the 2011-2012 school year.

Board members' Kevin Carrick, Scott Coffey, Floyd Myers and Chris Spoerl voted in favor of the assistant principals, with Board members Julie Jette and Chris Jenner casting dissenting votes. Vice-president Jason Larry was not present to cast a vote.

"I think that we are all asking any adult that is employed by the district to work at a super high level, board member Julie Jette said. "But I think we need to get any possible person we can in the classroom to bring down class sizes." 

Jette said our biggest goals for students are to increase their math scores, ISAT scores and get students ready to face the next grade.

Jette added, "When you look at seventh grade with 40 [per class] I think adults need to learn how to think outside the box, readjust their jobs somehow."

but in doing so, had a staffing plan in place that included the addition of two principals' at the junior high level.

T. Ferrier, director of finance and operations said the two principal positions are included in the fiscal year 2012 budget.

From an administrative standpoint, Jennifer Thomas, director of special services said with adding sixth grade to the junior high, the district needed to add another administrator.

"We’re talking about nearly 1100 students who will be here at the junior high next year at sixth, seventh and eighth grade," Thomas said. It’s also the staff, we’re talking about 50 plus certified staff."

She said all of the staff has to be supervised and evaluated.

Board member Chris Jenner, echoed the same sentiments of Jette, saying at his place of employment, he's told to go figure how to do more with less.

"In the last six years our student population has gone down by 20 percent, at what point do you change the structure of the administration," Jenner said.

"We can't have everything just because we make the case for it," he said.    

The assistant principals positions is to replace an assistant principal who left the Cary Junior High last year and replace a principal position that was reduced at Prairie Hill School.