MCS looking to add to central office
Licensed administrator will help with teacher evaluations
BY COURTNEY FLYNN
cflynn@chronicle-tribune.com
Published: Monday, May 3, 2010 1:07 AM EDT
Marion Community Schools is looking to update its central office with three new employees.
The district is looking to hire an assistant principal at Justice Thurgood Marshall Middle School, a business manager and a chief academic advisor. All positions are posted on the Indiana Department of Education Web site, www.idoe.gov.
With the closing of Lincoln Elementary at the end of the school year, the current middle schools, Justice and McCulloch, will be restructured. Grades five and six will be at Justice, with current McCulloch Principal Kelley Bowyer becoming principal. Grades seven and eight will be at McCulloch, with current Justice Principal James Fox becoming principal.
McCulloch will keep its current assistant principal, Jeff Brandes, and Justice will be adding one. Currently, there is an administrative assistant at Justice, Jerry Freshwater, but he is not licensed to for the assistant principal position.
Fox said he thinks a licensed administrator is important so teacher evaluations can be completed. With the current evaluation system, up to 20 teachers may need to be evaluated a year; but with the push for yearly teacher evaluations from Indiana Superintendent of Instruction Tony Bennett, that number may very well climb in the coming years.
Marion Community Schools Superintendent Steve Edwards said he thinks this position is necessary to help with duties to keep the staff and students on track to show what a great middle school, and district, Marion has.
Bowyer also said an assistant principal is needed for these reasons, but not just anyone will be qualified for the position.
"I absolutely want a people person and someone who works well with the community, teachers association and students," she said.
No applicants have been interviewed for the position yet.
Just as Edwards believes the assistant principal position is necessary, he also said he believes the business manager position is important.
The business manager position will require the hired applicant to have knowledge in employee confidentiality practices, all business personnel functions, budget development, human resources and customer service, according to the IDOE Web site.
The district has been looking for someone to fill the position since earlier this year, and while candidates have been interviewed, Edwards said they have yet to find someone with the knowledge and experience fit for the job.
"Marion is in a good financial position currently, but we need a good business director to stay that way," Edwards said.
As of Jan. 31, the district had a cash balance of just above $22 million; however, there are fears from educators across the board that the state will continue to make cuts into school districts’ budgets.
Even if the state does make more cuts, MCS board members and administrators find it necessary to use funds to pay a chief academic advisor in the district; that is, if the state or grants don’t help in paying for the salary.
The chief academic advisor position, which was discussed long before its approval April 14 because of its need to help the ailing schools, will focus on strengthening the curriculum and developing relationships with the teachers so there is no curriculum isolation. Other duties will include grant writing and dealing with graduation requirements and school improvement methods, according to the IDOE Web site.
Edwards has said that as soon as the right candidate is found, that person would be hired, but no interviews have taken place yet.
Edwards said he hopes all positions will be filled before the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year.
