A large number of incoming first grade students is causing the Mid-Prairie School District to hire another teacher.

Mid-Prairie East Elementary Principal Robin Foster told the school board Monday that 118 students will be in first grade next year, and 111 students are registered for kindergarten. Currently there are five sections of first grade and six of kindergarten. Foster and Superintendent Mark Schneider asked for the board’s authorization in keeping six sections for kindergarten and adding a sixth section for first grade, with the hiring of an additional teacher. Foster addressed space concerns in the school building, giving two cost-effective options of putting the new section in the music room. The first option would be to put music in the library, with the teacher librarian going to the classrooms for instruction and creating a separate check-out time for books. The second option is to put the music teacher on a cart that travels to classes.

Board Vice President George Schaefer asked about a third option of using a trailer, for which Foster and Schneider said that is a more costly and long-term option. Schneider commented, “We are putting together a facilities committee at the end of this month. Not that they will be able to do their work really quickly, but I would imagine this would be part of that discussion, would be space in all of the buildings and how to best utilize space.”

The board authorized adding a sixth first grade section, no action was taken on classroom arrangements.