Board Adds PRESS Positions for Primary Readers

Post date: Jun 12, 2015 12:32:36 PM

On June 11, 2015 Dianne Martinez, the Executive Director of Elementary Instruction, presented a plan to hire six half-time classified persons to assist with primary reading instruction. This was in response to a board request at its previous meeting when it adopted a budget cut eliminating the six Primary Reading Teachers at each elementary school.

The new Primary Reading Education Student Support (PRESS) positions will not be highly qualified instructors, so they will be working with various K-3 students identified at each site as needing extra help, most likely using existing guided reading libraries under the direction of the instructional coach at each site. In some cases, a PRESS position might be filled by a former teacher with appropriate experience and skills to use the previous PRT curriculum. The focus of the program, like the former PRT program, is to help students reach grade level for promotion from third grade.

The board voted to adopt the plan, which is projected to cost $60,000 versus the $283,800 projected cost of the six teaching positions which had been eliminated. Thus the net cost reduction is projected to be $223,800.