The change was approved Monday by the school board in a special meeting. The schools are less than a mile apart.
The district said the reconfiguration would save around $400,000 in personnel costs.
The change also would allow for more teacher collaboration, provide more balanced class sizes and and make possible better services for gifted and special needs students, said Superintendent Chris Piper.
“This will be a big change for many of our families, and we understand that change can sometimes be unsettling,” Piper said. “We feel very strongly, however, this move will benefit children both at Forest and Kyle, regardless of their grade level. This reconfiguration will allow us to provide the best possible learning environment for our students.”
The reconfiguration was proposed, and approved, following “extensive meetings” between administrators and teachers along with board feedback, said David Fong, district communications coordinator. There were no meetings with parents.
The district has compiled a list of frequently asked questions about the reconfiguration. It is posted on the district website at www.troy.k12.oh.us.
Mark Barhorst, district business manager/director of HR, said Tuesday that the savings will come from teacher salaries and benefits. The reconfiguration results in five fewer teaching positions.
The average teacher salary in Troy is approximately $68,000 and benefits are approximately $23,000 per employee or $91,000 total. With five positions, the savings would be around $455,000, Barhorst said.
“We always want to under-promise and over-deliver, so we say $400,000 in savings,” he said.
District officials said the move will have a positive impact on student learning by increasing opportunities for collaboration among teachers. The plan will create teams of at least three teachers at each grade level, rather than the current two, or even one teacher per grade, per building now.
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