After attending Redcliffe Elementary School for so long, Jaycie Ward readily admitted she's a little nervous about starting sixth grade at Jackson Middle School.
But she had absolutely no anxiety about singing a rousing version of "Over the Rainbow" to some 200 educators at an induction luncheon at LBC Middle School on Monday. The teachers and administrators gave Jaycie a standing ovation.
"Singing is like breathing to her," said her mom, Cathy Ward, with a smile.
The induction ceremony welcomes teachers new to the district and first-year teachers. The turnout this year reflected the economic issues facing the Aiken County School District. The school currently has 74 new teachers, about 25 of them teaching for the first time.
In past years the district has employed as many as 200 new educators. But budget woes led the Board of Education to increase class size at all grade levels, resulting in the eliminating of teaching slots. Teachers displaced by that action were moved into other slots, some of them created by not renewing contracts of working retirees.
However, some retirees have been recommended to return and fill critical needs positions, said human resources director Joyce Stanley. The board will act on those recommendations tonight.
"It's been a different summer," Stanley said. "We've looked at every teacher allocation to save on the budget. But we're still meeting all the regulations and kids will be educated. We've got some good new folks in the classrooms."
The financial woes facing school districts nationally are creating some turbulent times, said district teacher of the year Gaye Pappas, the keynote speaker at the luncheon.
"But our children can't wait," she said. "We have to teach them to dance in the rain."
Pappas asked the new teachers to sign a petition that is calling for a change to the state constitution, which since 1895 has mandated only that children receive a minimally adequate education.
"How can we begin to have a future if we only require a minimum education?" she asked. "I see this as a moral issue as much as a political one. Our children should be guaranteed a high-quality education."
The district has one mission and that's about student achievement, said Superintendent Dr. Beth Everitt.
"We know we can help kids be productive," she said. "One thing that is mandated is continued improvement. You will be involved in professional development. No one is such a good teacher that she can't be better, and that goes for all of us."
The induction ceremony also included teacher/mentors, who are assigned to teachers new to the district. In recent years, mentors received their own formal training to assist the new teachers.
Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.
Notice about comments:
AikenStandard.com is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. AikenStandard.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not AikenStandard.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Comment Title: The real story has not been told!
All Aiken County teachers were told today that there will still be a furlough for up to five days. It's great that these people have jobs, but for how long? Looks like they would cut the staff at Brookhaven instead of making the teachers carry the burden. Many of the teachers who were forced into retirement were not given the opportunity to renegotiate a salary. They let some stay and told others they had to go. We lost some of our greatest teachers because they weren't as popular as others. They let a seasoned educators go to bring in others with the same experience from out of state. Many of the special education teachers are from Romania, how does that save our local jobs when they could have placed these teachers in these positions? How can ACPS say they care about their employees when they drop them by the road when financial times are tough and they refuse to cut the fat. We still have five area offices with full staffs. That is no right no matter how you slice it. It is nothing but politics and a few top cabinet members who refuse to do anything different. The students of Aiken County and the teachers will be the ones who suffer. I feel sorry for those new teachers, they are being fed a line of bull that many of them will believe.
Report Abuse
