Ways to Save Money in a Trimester

1. Teacher’s who teach 13/15 blocks are more efficient than even a 6/7 schedule. For every 12 teachers who do that you save a teaching position. A $45,000 teacher plus FICA, retirement and insurance is about $75,000 per year. Even if a teacher were paid $2500 per extra block including FICA and retirement, 12 blocks would only be $38,000. Teachers tend to like doing additional blocks in a trimester because it’s only 12 weeks and can easy not be an additional prep. Teachers near the end of their career especially like doing this as a way to boost their annual average, which is the gift that keeps on giving in retirement. Examples of easy classes to do this in would be ACT Prep and Guided Academics which can be taught by anyone. Special Education teachers could also do a co-teaching assignment which would be a less stressful additional class.

2. The ultimate efficiently would obviously be having all teachers teach 5 period during all the terms with prep time provided either before or after school. If a district does this the math above is the same per every 4 teachers who go all 5 all year. This would be a much better schedule than doing it in a 6 or 7 period day. A district would most likely be compensating the staff additionally to do so.

3. If a district does not have a college lecture class they should put one in for academic reasons as well as efficiency. A 120 student lecture class is 4 periods of instruction at once. If your school has a lecture class already, make it go two terms or get a second type of lecture class started.

4. Reduce the number of credits necessary to graduate. A senior could go on a reduced schedule and graduate early.

5. Assign every student to an on-line class such as KeyTrain for MME prep as well as saving teaching time. For example: each year 1^st hour in the winter trimester they would have a different on-line class. (Applied Math, Reading for Information, Locating Information, and Writing as a senior). This would allow all teachers in the winter to have prep first hour.

6. Institute a co-op education program and pay the staff trough a Schedule B stipend to document and supervise it. Students could have a summer job and have the co-op credit monitored and placed in their fall trimester.

7. Use PLAN and ACT scores as testing out credit for students to reduce their requirements but also to hold them to a high standard.

8. Make the 3^rd term of an AP class into a large group setting for test prep.

9. Grant credit for Driver’s training for student to lessen their class load.

10. Consider PE credit for athletics especially if the coach is a PE teacher.

11. Marching Band, Musicals and Plays can be used as fine arts credits for students.

12. Create a Senior Seminar class where the student must complete some of the following criteria: Resume, Cover Letter, career research paper, accumulate community service hours, college transitions, etc. Administration or Guidance can check to see if they receive CR or NC.

13. Yearbook can be taught as a before or after school class.

14. Rotate out expensive electives such as ceramics, foods, and woodworking.

15. Computer literacy classes can be done through direct on-line instruction.

16. ACT practice tests can be used to test out of ACT Prep class and allow the students to take independent study work in the media center.

17. Have an athletic team meet during 5^th period. For example: Fall trimester varsity football would meet for a PE or an elective credit. Normally, this would be a very large class. All girls basketball meet 5^th period for PE or elective credit.

18. Zero hours classes taken could be used as part of their 5 required classes during a term.

19. Assign upper classmen who are skilled in math, English or science to Guided Academics and use them as tutors.

20. Allow students to take a placement based on-line class such as Keytrain and be a teachers aide as they complete the course. I would have a set of high standard requirements for students to do this.