District enrollment is trending downward
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
The current school year might be winding to a close, but Waterford Union High School officials are close to assembling a draft financial operating plan for the next school year – and the plan could include laying off three teachers.
District officials have cited overall enrollment figures and, more specifically, course enrollments as the reason behind the layoffs.
One of the staffers receiving a preliminary layoff notice, art teacher Frank Korb, became publicly known last month when a Change.org petition was created in the hopes of preserving Korb’s position. At press deadline, 1,720 persons signed the petition.
Samantha Mayer, who created the petition, lauded Korb for the influence he has made at the high school. Korb teaches a number of visual arts courses, including painting, drawing and AP-level classes within the department.
“Art is a class that teaches valuable lessons that can’t be learned in math or science,” Mayer wrote in the online petition. “With your support, hopefully we can save the arts at WUHS.”
The board issued the preliminary layoff notices a month ago after meeting in closed session. Korb, however, has decided to leave the district. He tendered his resignation, which the School Board approved at its May 21 meeting.
In March, Superintendent Keith Brandstetter and Principal Dan Foster discussed the fate of a number of “on the bubble” courses as a precursor to the preliminary layoffs issued in April. Some of the high-level specialized courses were under the microscope because of single-digit attendance numbers.
In addition to looking at enrollment figures in the upcoming school year, WUHS officials also are taking a long-range look at projections.
To read the complete story pick up the May 25 edition of the Waterford Post.
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