With the closing of Levelland’s Intermediate school, the district has had to make major changes in the location of school personnel. Superintendent Rebecca McCutchen said the principals of each school worked together to discuss the best transitions for their staff.
“The principals basically got together and started discussing all that and obviously, if it was a first-grade teacher, we needed to consider moving them down to the ABC campus because that’s where our first grade was going to be,” McCutchen said. “Fourth grade teachers pretty much were split between Capital and South because fourth grade was moving there as well. And then fifth grade, for the most part, moved up to middle school.”
McCutchen explained that these changes were not utilized throughout the district and gave an example of a fourth-grade science teacher being moved to a middle school science position because that is where the need was.
Office staff, custodians and cafeteria staff were also relocated to other campuses as the need arose. McCutchen explained that Intermediate Principal Terri White filled the position of district testing coordinator after the previous left the role.
“For office staff, we moved them to where the needs were and the custodial cafeteria of course, we’re always shorthanded in those areas, so they were kind of dispersed out as needed,” McCutchen said. “For the administration, ABC needed an additional assistant principal. So, the Intermediate assistant principal went there and then for the principal Terri White, we had a cabinet member and then our district testing coordinator that are retiring or leaving us and Terri White was moved into the district testing coordinator with additional duties.”
McCutchen emphasized that no jobs were created or lost during this transition.
“No jobs were created, and nobody lost their job,” McCutchen said. “There were some folks that were planning on leaving anyway or weren’t going to be here next year, so those folks aren’t here but other than that, it was kind of organized chaos, but a lot of work was involved.”
McCutchen addressed a myth she had heard that jobs were being created by sharing that 13 jobs across the district have been absorbed during her time as superintendent.
“There’s been some myths that we’ve created jobs for individuals,” McCutchen said. “We actually have not. In the year and a half since I’ve been here, as of June 30, we will have absorbed five positions just at central office. Across the campuses we have absorbed eight positions. So, we’re working really hard to be fiscally conservative. We were just talking about ‘is there any additional person that could help here’ and right now we don’t have any additional folks that are already doing something and incredibly busy. On the personnel side, we have to be careful to not absorbed to the point where we’re not able to be efficient, but we did absorb where we felt like there were some areas that could be absorbed.”
McCutchen said there will be six portable buildings on the ABC campus to add additional office and instructional space for the influx of students.
“We’re finding there is a little bit of space constraint at ABC and one of the things that we’re going to have to do there is some portables,” McCutchen said. “We’re looking at enrollment at ABC at about 500 kids. They’ve been that high before and they did at one point have 3 portables out there I’m told.”
McCutchen explained that the additional portable buildings are also due to the increase in special educational classrooms.
“Now, what we’re looking at is six portables and the reason being is back to that 500. The three that pretty much we could expect and then the other three are to cover the difference now than previously,” McCutchen said. “Previously, two classrooms were used for special education services and now we have 5 classrooms being used for special education services.”
McCutchen explained music and art class will be in moved to a portable building and three portable buildings will also be used for instructional classrooms.
“Mrs. Howard has been working with her staff,” McCutchen said. “I know music and art will be in a portable so they can do all kinds of fun things and be as loud as they want. Then one of the other portables will be kind of a catch all office for the instructional coach, the ace coordinators, just people that need an office and then the other three will be instructional classrooms.”
ABC Principal Ashley Howard took volunteers to decide which teachers would be placed in the portable buildings. McCutchen explained the buildings will be remodeled and secured before the beginning of the upcoming school year.
“She took volunteers for that,” McCutchen said. “Three of the teachers volunteered and so we’re working on getting those all in and set up and secure. They’ll be in a fence. Portables are not always the prettiest so, we’re going to reskin them, reroof them, try to make them look as nice as possible.”
McCutchen said the middle school also has spacing constraints, but it is being combated by having teachers rotate classes. She did not have additional information about the specifics of the rotating classrooms.
“At middle school, there’s a little bit of spacing constraints,” McCutchen said. “A couple of teachers will be rotating and won’t have their own set classroom. I know Mr. Eunice is working on that. I don’t have an exact number, but it’ll be a couple.”
McCutchen believes the maintenance department is relieved that the Intermediate school is closing due to the constant maintenance issues.
“We feel like it’s been great. The staff has been supportive and understanding that this is what we need to do and we’re making a change,” McCutchen said. “Now the maintenance department is working very, very hard to get everything set up, moving furniture, taking care of things. They are very I think relieved that the campus is closing just given the regular maintenance issues that they have to deal with. Everything from plumbing to electrical to water leaks to HVACs wearing out. So, for that department it’s a whole lot of work, but they are relieved that we’re making the change.”
McCutchen said there is currently a high school assistant principal opening. She shared that there are a few people that have shown interest, but no one has been hired yet.
“We do have an opening for a high school assistant principal,” McCutchen said. “Michelle Stuart was a high school assistant, and she has taken the principal job at Petersburg, so she’ll start there in July. We currently do have an opening for an assistant principal at the high school.”