D-12 board says hold off on new administrative position

From the Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 edition of the Northwest Herald:

D-12 board says hold off on new administrative position
By DIANA SROKA - dsroka@nwherald.com

JOHNSBURG – Although District 12 officials and the school board agree there's a need for a full-time curriculum director, the plan to add another administrator to the district will have to wait.

District Superintendent Dan Johnson formally recommended the school board convert the part-time curriculum director position to a full-time spot in a memo to the board earlier this month. However, the board said the request was untimely.

"It makes sense. It's the best thing for the students," said Mike Wolf, board vice president. "It's just the wrong time."

Wolf said the board supports the idea, but declining enrollment, a deficit budget and the overall uncertainty of the economy made the request untimely.

"We've asked the administration to keep this on the back burner, periodically bring it back to our attention," he said. "But the way the district is going at this point, it just makes no sense."

Last month the board approved a $27.8 million budget for the 2008-09 school year, which included an anticipated $300,000 in deficit spending. The district also released statistics last month showing 93 fewer students are enrolled for the 2008-09 school year than were enrolled during the 2007-08 school year.

Derek Straight currently works as a part-time principal at James C. Bush Elementary School and part-time curriculum director for the district.

In the memo, dated Oct. 10, Johnson also recommended the full-time curriculum director be hired in time for the 2009-10 school year.

"The demands of the job have developed as such the district cannot grow in the area of curriculum as needed," Johnson wrote in the memo.

The memo also suggested an office location for whomever fills the position, and what procedure would be followed to hire a new principal if Straight chose to fill the position.The cost of adding the position would be about $100,000, according to the memo.

Johnson said he understood and accepted the board's reservations.

"We understand many people are having a hard time with things and we want to make sure we're being fiscally responsible," Johnson said. "This will have to be put off a few years."