Teachers, pupils will see changes

Changes are on the way for Columbia County's middle schools, Deputy Superintendent Sandra Carraway says:

• Photos

Jim Blaylock/Staff

Sixth-graders Jalen Jones (left) and Joshua Hiers enter a portable classroom at Evans Middle. The rezoning is expected to eliminate the units from county middle schools next year.

THE PROJECTIONS

- Enrollment is projected to increase by only 45 pupils in 2008-09.

- Columbia County school officials expect overall enrollment to grow by 484 in 2008-09. According to school system documents, the total enrollment in all schools is projected at 22,256.

TEACHER SHIFT

- Stallings Island and Grovetown middle schools are expected to have the largest influx of new positions. Stallings Island should need 22 teachers, and Grovetown should add four. Stallings Island also will need a media specialist and six career-connections slots in: band, chorus, art, technology, Spanish and family and consumer science. There will be only seven new teaching positions overall.

- Riverside and Greenbrier middle schools, which will lose the most pupils under the rezoning plan, are projected to lose 11 and nine positions, respectively.

THE EFFECT

l The opening of Stallings Island will balance enrollment at the county's middle schools and eliminate the use of portable classrooms for instructional purposes.

THE MONEY

- About 90 percent of the school system's budget, which totaled $166 million for the current school year, consists of salaries and benefits. With the approval of the middle school projections, administrators are working on next year's budget.

WHAT'S NEXT

- The school board will approve high school enrollment projections in February or March. High school teacher allotments are based on scheduling, and advance registration takes place in February.

-- Betsy Gilliland, staff writer