School Board may add two key positions in district

The Luverne School Board will meet in special session Thursday, May 9, to discuss adding an elementary teacher and a middle school-high school administrator.
Elementary principal Stacy Gillette and middle-high school principal Ryan Johnson outlined their requests at the April 25 school board meeting.
At the March 28 meeting, Gillette first proposed adding a student support and behavior interventionist and she provided more details at the April meeting.
The interventionist would address behavior needs within the K-5 facility, assisting the 549 students to be successful academically and socially in school.
A recent screening of third- and fourth-graders revealed three-fourths of the students reported feeling sad, anxious and withdrawn in school. The data revealed more students are at risk emotionally than previously noted.
“This is an area we need to be more forward in addressing,” Gillette said.
The interventionist would be a licensed teacher who would pilot the “check-in/check-out” program.
Staffing limited inclusion in this program to 15 third- through fifth-grade students.
Gillette said a staff member checked with each student before and after school, inquiring how their day went and if they have everything for the following day of school.
One student shared that he was unable to get to school on time because no one woke him up in the mornings. The student was provided with an inexpensive alarm clock.
As a result, the student attended school on time every day. Staff noticed the results of his regular attendance.
“You should have seen his test results,” a proud Gillette said.
Middle-high school principal Ryan Johnson requested reinstating an assistant principal position to work directly with student behavior.
The middle school principal position was eliminated about 15 years ago.
“For the most part we have maintained staffing within the increase of enrollment numbers we have,” he said.
For the 2018-19 school year, the 7-12 enrollment is 689 students.
Johnson provided board members with a snapshot of his daily duties.
Staff observations, individualized educational plan meetings, detention monitoring, alternative school, test coordination, extracurricular oversight, student schedule counseling, and student discipline were among the duties Johnson listed.
“It’s just a lot,” he said. “You’re pulled in so many different directions.”
To accommodate the extensive meeting schedule, Johnson said he meets in the evenings or an occasional Saturday.
An additional administrative position could assist Johnson in completing more of the job duties during the school day.
Cost for an additional administrator is estimated at $95,000 plus benefits.
Specific budget estimates weren’t provided at the April 25 meeting for the licensed teacher in the elementary interventionist position.
However, a percentage of the interventionist position would be covered by a two-year grant the school recently received.
Last fall the board asked principals to provide input on staffing needs, and the interventionist and administrator were the result of that discussion.
Instead of a school resource officer, as was discussed on Sept. 25, the board focused on counseling staff and principals to assist with social and emotional needs of all the students.
Thursday’s special board meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by a workshop session.
The meeting is open to the public.