Ledyard - Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Byars on Wednesday presented the Board of Education with a request for the 2015-16 school year curriculum and instruction budget, which included an increase of approximately six full-time staff members.

Byars and Superintendent Cathy Patterson proposed hiring two computer science teachers, a part-time speech language pathologist, a part-time certified nursing assistant course teacher and the equivalent of 3.5 full-time math interventionists.

Some of the changes, said Byars, should be viewed as "program restoration" rather than enhancements. The district had cut elementary-level math interventionists and a speech pathologist, she said, and is in need of those services again.

Although the personnel budget calls for a staff increase, it is - at approximately $348,000 - actually slightly down from last year's request. Byars told the board that she eliminated some contingency funds and emphasized that this means finances will be less flexible in the upcoming school year.

The two computer science teachers and the math interventionists - some of whom will work at the high school level, which is new for Ledyard - will help fulfill the board's commitment to improving the district's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) offerings, said Byars.

Computer science, she said, teaches essential skills for today's economy and will help prepare students for higher education and a career. She told board members about a young man who informed her that he was attending a magnet school because the district does not offer computer science.

She also said the additional electives may help decrease the number of high school students who sign up for study halls.

What kind of teachers will be hired will depend "in part on what the program is," said Byars, who will need to talk with Ledyard High School Principal Amanda Fagan and others before deciding what kind of computer curriculum would be offered. These additional teachers, she said, also may be able to teach business or mathematics, depending on what skills the district is looking for.

k.catalfamo@theday.com

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