LEWISTON — In a brief message Friday, Superintendent Jake Langlais warned that staffing levels in some city schools are low enough that a school could be closed or move to remote learning in the coming days.
“We share this only so people can be thinking about contingency plans if we do have an unexpected interruption,” according to early morning social media posts from the school department.
In a note to the Sun Journal, Langlais said staffing at McMahon Elementary School is the most concerning at this time. Twenty-eight staff members were absent Friday, and there aren’t enough substitute teachers to cover as much as school administrators would like, he said.
Good morning. Bus 28, 14, and W3 will not be running today. Also, we continue to watch numbers at schools that have been close to needing to be closed or remote for the day due to staffing levels. We share this only so people can be thinking about contingency plans.
— Jake Langlais (@kjlanglais) November 4, 2022
Follow up on staffing: We are all set for today. We have plans for coverage today. Some are asking why we are short. . . . Labor shortage, sickness, personal days, appointments, and others. We anticipate it being better Monday.
— Jake Langlais (@kjlanglais) November 4, 2022
The reasons for absences across the district vary.
“There’s no big spike in any particular areas, (it’s) just a combination of things,” Langlais wrote, noting that preexisting staffing shortages, call outs, personal days, illness and appointments are all factors.
Langlais said administrators are keeping an eye on staffing numbers and will evaluate the situation day to day, however he anticipates an improvement for Monday.
Administrators are not considering sending students home early Friday, he confirmed. All schools are operating as scheduled.
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