BUTLER TWP — All students who wanted to take Latin this year through the Butler School District will get the chance.

The Butler School Board has hired a part-time Latin teacher to deal with the more than 40 students who were not scheduled to their requested Latin class this fall.

Patricia Hay, a full-time paraprofessional for the district who also has her teaching certificate, will now be a half-time teacher and a part-time paraprofessional for the upcoming school year, after board approval during a special meeting on Monday night.

Hay will receive $23,600, which is half of the full-time teacher salary for a teacher with a master’s degree, and she will be paid $9.44 per hour for her work as a paraprofessional, according to Superintendent Dale Lumley.

The district received 365 requests for students to take Latin, but with two teachers and a class size cap, the district could only accommodate 336.

By hiring Hay as a half-time teacher, every student who requested Latin is now scheduled for the class, according to Brian Slamecka, assistant superintendent of secondary education.

Hay will be part of two professional contracts, one that governs the teachers and another for the paraprofessionals. An agreement with the union is being drafted by district solicitor Tom King to provide Hay full benefits under the teacher contract and none under the paraprofessional contract, to avoid giving her double benefits, he said.