Next year, if current predictions hold true, the Abilene Independent School District will see a sharp decrease in the number of specialists who teach physical education, music and library skills on elementary campuses. Overall, the AISD forecasts that it will eliminate less than 9 percent of all elementary teaching positions. It has not extended the promise to the younger primary grades. Some children in the primary grades may receive P.E. and music instruction from their regular classroom teachers or a supervised aide instead of from a specialist. Administrators do not yet know on which campuses this will occur.
Elementary librarians see every class on every campus on a regularly scheduled basis.
Administrators say they'll make every attempt to ensure this continues, but won't know for sure until school starts. How the delivery of these specialized or non-core subjects will fare in coming years remains an open question. What doesn't appear to be in doubt among those who study these subjects is their importance in the overall learning and development of young children. Healthy bodies Mark Gregory has taught at Fannin for the past 11 years. He explains that the school sometimes mixes grades in its P.E. classes because it allows younger children to mimic their older peers' behavior.