Teachers to have less lunch duty, more teaching time

DECATUR — Teachers at Decatur Northside Elementary school will be spending less time on mundane tasks like lunch duty and more one-on-one time with students.

Jeff Gravette, the school's new principal, shared his plans to give teachers more time withstudents in need of extra help at the Aug. 20 school board meeting.

Gravette said he was organizing the staff’s schedules so that tasks such as recess and lunch duty will be covered bythe principal, school counselor and gifted and talented teacher, allowing classroom teachers an additional 30 minutes a day to work with students that are falling behind in the grades directly above or below them.

Gravette told boardmembers that many of the schools who have implemented the plan have seensuccess in improving student achievement.

While the school held a Benchmark Boot Camp after school last year to help boost students, it can be difficult to get all the students who need extra help to attend. Gravette pointed out the school needs to make the most the time they have with students between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.

“During the day we need to use teachers to do what they do best,” he said. Gravette said he realizes that the new plan will add to the responsibilities of the principal, counselor and gifted and talented teacher but said he hopes the scheduling changes will help the school see growth in achievement test scores.

Superintendent Larry Ben commented that he liked the focus on results and academic achievement Gravette’s plan promoted.