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.