AVONDALE, AZ — A new school in Avondale is opening its doors for the very first time on Wednesday.
Lakin Prep Academy is in the Littleton Elementary School District. The district's superintendent, Dr. Roger Freeman, says for the start of the school year, there will be about 400 students enrolled in K-5. The school will eventually enroll through 8th grade.
The school was built to accommodate the roughly 3,600 homes being built within the area near Broadway and El Mirage roads.
Back in February, ABC15 reported on how some parents had concerns about how a new school would fit amid the ongoing teacher shortage. It's an issue schools across Arizona are facing, mainly due to teacher pay.
"We're probably about 10 short right now," said Freeman. "We're still recruiting, hiring, but we also have people who want out of their contracts this week as well so it's a huge challenge."
But Freeman said he's feeling more optimistic now that they've put some new staffing innovations in place. He says the district has open enrollment at all of its schools, so they place teachers at certain schools based on demand. They've also moved away from hiring only fully certified teachers, and instead have programs allowing teachers to earn degrees and get compensated for it while in the classroom. He says for the very first time, they've also hired teachers from all over the world, including three from Spain who will teach at Lakin Prep Academy this year.
"The thing that's really amazing is how appreciative our foreign teachers are of having the opportunity to come here and work, even in 116 degrees," said Freeman.
Freeman says they're also paying teachers more who have to take on larger class sizes. He says the average class size remains at around 27-28 students. As parents, teachers, and students do their best to navigate it all, he's asking for the community's support.
"If we abandon our schools, I think we're abandoning a lot more than that in our society," Freeman said. "That's my final message is an ask for people to rally public schools in the long term. It's going to be in everyone's best interest."
