Highlights of the 2008-09 budget include the following.

• Expand foreign language to fifth and sixth-graders to provide them with an opportunity to develop a basic foundation of language skills and cultural understandings in an elementary language exploratory program. Add two elementary foreign language staff positions to accommodate the new program.
   

• Add 2.8 additional staff at the high school to address programmatic needs in foreign language, family and consumer sciences, technology education, physical education, special education and English.
   

• Add two bus drivers to accommodate Maplewood students, one district-wide occupational therapist to serve an increasing number of students in need of Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) and one physical education teacher at the elementary level to comply with state mandates.
   

• Add elementary building assistant staffing so that each elementary school has a full-time building assistant. By expanding the current part-time level of staffing at each school, each principal will be able to fully engage in instructional leadership.
   

• Establish a new Human Resources Department to handle all facets of personnel, including collection of data for analysis, monitoring and decision-making. Currently, all functions related to human resources have been delegated and administered by the offices of the superintendent and two assistant superintendents, as well as their respective staff. This centralized approach would allow these operations to work more efficiently and effectively without spreading the burden across three offices.
   

• Establish a new Systematic Regular Education Intervention (SREI) program at the senior high school to assist students who require more intensive regular education intervention in order to increase the likelihood of promotion and graduation.
   

• Increase the technology budget by $317,000 to commence a four-year computer replacement schedule.
   

• Begin offering a new computerized parent notification system to contact the school community about emergency notifications, early releases and absence tracking through phone calls to homes, cell phones, e-mail and text messages.
   

• Upgrade the district's outdated telephone system in all buildings to allow for more cost-effective repair and maintenance.