Endeavor Elementary School Proposal

Endeavor Elementary school has 99 students, 4.5 students for a 22:1 student to teacher ratio for grades 4K through 5th grade. The student to teacher ratio in grade 4K through 3rd grade of 15:1 and in grade 25:1 for grades 4th and 5th grades; these ratios are exactly in line with EBAA. Odden and Picus (2014) state, “Prototypical schools with class sizes of 25 in grades 4-12 and class sizes of 15 for grades K-3 with these class sizes, a K-5 elementary school would have an average class size of 17.3” (p. 84). Hence, the class sizes used at Endeavor Elementary school are adequate as research by Oden and Picus (2014). Endeavor uses a multi-grade level approach by combining grades 5th and 4th, 3rd and 2nd, 1st and Kindergarten; the 4K class is

Therefore, the EBAA recommendation of one ELL teacher for every 100 ELL student equals 0.13 FTEs at Endeavor. Accordingly, Endeavor exceeds the EBAA recommendation with a 0.2 FTE ELL teacher that comes one day per week; again, a shared position throughout the district to equate 1 FTE for this position. Endeavor does not provide any extended day program either before or after-school as suggested by the EBAA. However, the neighboring community center offer before or after service free of charge to the community.

Endeavor Elementary offers a very robust summer school program, in fact research was recently done to investigate the possibility to provide year-round school at Endeavor. While it was determined that the community ultimately did not want year-round schooling; Endeavor does employ 3 FTEs during the summer. Grades are combined, as they are during the school year, Kindergarten and 1st grade, 2nd and 3rd grades, as well as 4th and 5th grades. The summer school fair exceeds the EBAA recommendation of slightly less than a half-time

First, the level of professional development funds ($1,500) are equal to fifteen percent of the EBAA recommendation of $9,900. The district uses a $15 per pupil professional development ratio for each teacher. Part of these funds must be used to cover the substitute teacher and transportation to the professional development program. Secondly, technology funding falls is twelve percent ($3,143) of the EBAA recommendation of $24,750. Accordingly, the school rotates grade levels using the funds every year to ensure technology is up to date. Additionally, instructional materials funding per student is $62 at Endeavor Elementary; well below the $165 recommended by the EBAA. Finally, student activity funding at Endeavor is strictly through fundraising done mostly by the PTO; nothing compared to the EBAA recommendation of