DATE: Saturday, August 30, 1997             TAG: 9708300406
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER  

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   73 lines

LAST-MINUTE MOVES UPSET SOME PARENTS AND TEACHERS 19 BEACH SCHOOLS SEE CHANGES AS OFFICIALS REACT TO ENROLLMENT.

Eight elementary school teachers learned Thursday that they will begin the school year in a different building and, in some cases, teaching a different grade than planned.

To adjust for enrollment and staffing, division administrators notified the teachers Thursday that they would be transferred to another school. District officials said they have always made such moves based on changes in enrollment and that they were made in advance of the beginning of classes to help offset complaints last year when changes were made in late September.

But some parents and teachers are upset, particularly at North Landing Elementary School, where staffing changes also took place last school year. Five North Landing teachers were transferred this year.

``It's extremely upsetting. I'm very concerned,'' said Carol Ellingwood, a parent of two North Landing students. ``There seems to be a pattern of late notice.''

One of Ellingwood's children was in a kindergarten class last year where the teacher was transferred. This year, the teacher he was expecting for first grade was moved, she said.

``I know (the teachers) are going to give 100 percent and do their best,'' Ellingwood said. Still, she wondered if teachers transferred to a different grade level would have enough time to prepare.

Sonya Rutledge, a third-grade teacher at North Landing, lost her teaching partner of three years. She said they were notified Thursday at noon of the transfer to Bayside Elementary School.

``They have two or three days to prepare, and they don't even have their rooms set up,'' she said. ``They don't even know the (grade-level) curriculum.''

School officials said, however, that the moves were unavoidable due to greater numbers of students than expected at some schools and fewer at others, as well as staffing changes. The transferred teachers will have a chance to work with grade-level leaders at their new site in the coming days to develop lesson plans, they said.

Teachers divisionwide returned to the classroom on Monday to prepare for the new school year, although some had begun setting up their classrooms before that.

In all, 19 schools were affected and eight regular classroom teachers were moved. In addition, eight other classroom teachers were notified earlier this week that they would leave the classroom to work in a special, intensive reading remediation program. All of those staff members had applied for the job and knew they faced a transfer if they were selected, however.

Eddie Antoine, coordinator of human resources for the Beach schools, said all school divisions make such adjustments as enrollments fluctuate over the summer. He said every effort has been made to keep teachers as close to their previous grade level as possible in their new schools.

``We're trying to minimize the disruption once school starts by moving them now,'' he said.

George Raiss, spokesman for the Norfolk schools, said the district would make adjustments as needed after September 10. While he could not say if changes had been made this week, he said it has happened in the past.

``That's not unheard of in Norfolk Public Schools,'' he said.

In Chesapeake, schools spokesman Tom Cupitt said staffing transfers are usually made after school starts.

Beach officials were criticized last year for transferring teachers after school started. Antoine said the district has transferred teachers during the summer as much as possible in the past.

Parents and teachers worry that the changes' coming so late will be upsetting for children.

``It's not healthy for them,'' said North Landing parent Maxine Williams. ``It's just so unorganized.''

But school officials say they're trying to start the school year off as smoothly as possible for everyone.

``Certainly we recognize that for teachers and parents, this can be a very emotional and personal issue,'' said Beach schools spokesman Joe Lowenthal. ``But obviously, as a school system, we have to make the numbers fit.''

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