At a special meeting last week, the Keota School Board voted to reduce the size of the elementary school’s teaching staff. The decision to cut two teaching positions was made to help address a decline in the district’s unspent balance.

According to board president Scott Flynn, restructuring the district’s administrative staff was also approved. Currently, the high school principal spends 80% of his time at Keota and 20% of his time at Mid-Prairie, while the part-time elementary principal also serves as curriculum director. The restructuring will consolidate the principal positions into one full-time role that oversees all grades. Flynn says they have not decided how the duties of the curriculum director will be handled next year.

The final measure approved by the board was to offer an early retirement incentive in the form of a one time payment of $8,000.