Education
Schools seek funds to hire additional staff
As the enrollment of Waccamaw Elementary School grows, principal Ashley Cameron needs more teachers.
Cameron asked the Georgetown County School Board this week for money in next year’s budget to hire another special area teacher to handle music, art and physical education.
“This is about opportunity for the kids [so] they get all those experiences other than just math, ELA classes and social studies,” she said.
Waccamaw Elementary’s enrollment is 553. The school has three special area teachers and seven classes so Cameron has a guidance counselor and the media specialist help out.
“That’s really tough. That’s a tough decision to make,” Cameron said. “They have been gracious and they share the load.”
In addition to teaching classes, the media specialist also has the responsibilities as of her own job. The school also shares one of its guidance counselors with Waccamaw Intermediate School.
“There’s great things that go along with those people being part of the rotation of the special area opportunity for our students, I just think it would be great if they had more time to do their primary responsibilities,” Cameron said.
Cameron is concerned about taking care of her students and her staff.
“Work conditions really matter and we’re in a situation where we’re really stretching people, especially when it comes to ‘unencumbured’ time,” she said.
District policy requires teachers to have time during the school day with no responsibilities.
Cameron has also expanded the duties of her front office personnel.
“We have to be creative,” Cameron said. “We are using every person available in our building.”
Cameron’s request was part of the yearly presentation principals make to the school board before it starts to work on the budget for the next year.
A request by Cameron for another special area teacher last year did not make it into this year’s budget.
“Asking for this special area teacher is going to open up some flexibility within our master schedule,” she said.
Cameron and the other elementary school principals in the district also asked the board to keep an interventionist who works with students on academics, and a Rehabilitative Behavioral Health Services counselor who works with students on social and emotional needs.
All the schools have both positions and would like to keep them, Waccamaw Intermediate School principal Travis Klatka told the board.
Klatka presented the requests to the board on behalf of his fellow principals.
