The start of this school year has brought along many changes, one of them being the influx of seventeen new teachers. This was an unexpected number, as the current changes within Douglas County school board has created certain anxiety around losing staff from the school.  However, Mr Goings, school principal, commented that he feels great about our new teachers.

  After losing the annual trend of 10 members at the end of last school year, HR welcomed 17 new staff members to the school. “We have never lost to another district. However, this year we lost two personnel to the phenomenon we are calling the ‘Bleeding of Douglas County’,” said Goings. No doubt that this is due to the recent changes occurring within Douglas County.

  According the The Denver Post, the race for the four seats on the Douglas County school board highlighted critical divisions among how the district is run. One of the most notable changes being the change from a traditional pay scale to a market-based system. This scale “weighs educator evaluations and places positions in certain salary tiers based on whether they are tougher to fill.”

  Regardless of these changes, HR had a 4% increase of new staff members, according to Goings. The Math and Science departments acquired most of these new staff. Bonnie Matticks is just one of these new teachers, who joined teaching Biology and Earth Science. “It’s been good but also an adjustment,” said Matticks. “Things are different, but I think this is a very well run school, and I really feel all the support from everyone.”

  Students have also noticed the changes all the new teachers bring. “I think it’s interesting what the new people are bringing to the school, and I like the change in teaching styles,” said Grace Dant, sophomore. It seems that maybe the new members to our school can help bring a new element to our environment.

Lara Mathews, Staff Reporter