Field Elementary families who mobilized to save the full-time coordinator of their International Baccalaureate program won a partial victory.
In a recent tweak announced by Springfield Public Schools, Field will still have to share its IB Primary Years Program coordinator — which was part of the initial change — but that individual will no longer have to do that work plus perform the duties of the data-driven instructional specialist or DDIS for both schools.
Field families argued splitting the time of the PYP coordinator between different sites and adding the extra duties would make the position untenable.
The Springfield Public Schools Kraft Administrative Center, at 1359 E. St. Louis St., on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024.
They worried it would undermine students’ education and weaken an academic program only offered at Field, Rountree and Boyd elementary schools.
“It’s still shared support, it just separates the support. The focus of the PYP coordinator will focus on the PYP coordinating responsibilities for Field and Rountree and the the DDIS will be shared between Field and Rountree and will also provided some support at Boyd,” said Crystal Magers, executive director of academics.
“But, that will focus solely on the DDIS role instead of combining duties of the PYP coordinator and the DDIS position.”
In mid-November, the district announced plans to cut the equivalent of 142 positions for the 2025-26 year, some of which have been vacant for part of this year or were going to be empty due to planned resignations or retirements.
It was part of $10.5 million in proposed cuts, including nearly $8.6 million in salary and benefits and $1.9 million in purchased services and supplies.
Crystal Magers
After the cuts were announced, Field parents and educators spoke at the school board meeting and contacted district officials.
“We always listen to input from parents, from stakeholders,” Magers said. “We are constantly listening to feedback and adjusting plans.”
Asked what prompted this change, Magers said the district felt it was the right move to “ensure the longevity of the IB program and to ensure integrity of the PYP continuum.”
The IB program, which is internationally recognized, was designed to develop students’ knowledge in academic areas and improve their confidence, self-motivation and resilience. The program uses an inquiry-based approach that allows students to take ownership of their learning.
As part of the K-12 continuum for IB, the PYP is offered at Field, Rountree and Boyd elementary schools, the Middle Years Program is at Pipkin Middle School and Central High School. Central is home to the IB career-related and diploma programs.
More: Teachers will soon be able to search for vacancies on new Missouri Educator Job Board
Stephen Hall, chief communications officer, said while this year’s budget cycle looks different — the steep cuts announced in the fall have not been common — the development of next year’s spending plan remains a work in progress.
“It is not unusual for budget plans to evolve through the spring because the final budget is not presented to the Board of Education until June and approved before the end-of-June deadline,” Hall said. “We also know that there are a number of shifts that continue to happen from a funding standpoint and so it’s necessary to continue to evaluate our plans.”
For example, school police officer Mark Sears asked the board to reverse a plan to cut two school police officer positions.
Sears addressed the board during the December meeting, arguing the two positions — which have remained unfilled for months due to a lack of qualified applicants — are needed for school safety.
Hall said funds for those positions were protected in the budget even though they remained unfilled for more than a year.
He said by cutting the positions, the district will be able to “balance the budget” and remove the hold on those funds for the coming year. If cut, he said the funds may be returned in the future.
“While we moved the dollars that had been allocated but were unexpended from next year’s budget, should we receive a request from school police services and should we have qualified candidates that apply, we would make the very best decision in real time,” Hall said. “That’s always the case and that commitment continues.”
Hall noted that recent bond issues, including the $220 million request approved by voters in April 2023, allocated funds to make safety upgrades. The changes in recent years have included cameras, alarms, secure vestibules, storm shelters, protective glass film, and more.
He said Superintendent Grenita Lathan has also advocated for more staff. He said there are three more school police officers in place than two years ago.
“We have more school police officers than we’ve ever had and those additional resources have been added since Dr. Lathan joined the district,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield district rethinks change to Field IB coordinator’s role