(Atlantic) The Atlantic School Board met on Wednesday, and one of the action items was to discuss and vote on whether to advertise hiring a Director of Student Services. During the previous meeting, the board had tabled the proposal to gather more information on the individual’s role in the district.
At last night’s meeting, the School Superintendent, Dr. Beth Johnsen, shared the results of a teacher survey in which 67.5% of the 57 teachers surveyed favored the hire. Johnsen explained that the need for the Director of Student Services arose because classroom instructors have to manage several responsibilities in addition to teaching due to the demands and expectations from state and federal requirements for reporting. Therefore, the Director of Student Services would handle many of these responsibilities.
To qualify for the position, the individual must have an administrative certification with a background in Special Education.
Moreover, the salary for this position would not equal that of a building principal but twice that of a beginning teacher. The Director of Finance, Lisa Jones, explained that the salary would come from several categories. School Board member Gini Jordan says the concern she heard from teachers was the cost to the district.
After a unanimous vote, the board approved the creation of the Director of Student Services position.
In other business, the board approved the bids from Western Tornado for a Salt Spreader and the bid from Yard King for a portable ramp. Furthermore, the board approved the resignations of special education paraprofessionals, including James Brauer, high school English teacher, Tori Wood, Makayla Lucero, and Kaitlyn Geib. Additionally, the board approved contracts for Trinity Christensen, a Special Education Paraprofessional, Hannah Misner, a High School Science Teacher, and Stephanie Kelley, a High School Social Studies Teacher.
