Cory Schmuck of Luverne will become the new director of buildings and grounds at Luverne Public Schools later this month.
Luverne School Board members approved his hire at their March 25 regular monthly meeting.
Schmuck graduated from LHS in 1992 and attended South Dakota State University in Brookings. He was hired by the city of Luverne in 1995, starting in the refuse department.
Currently he is the senior public works worker.
He’ll start his new position no later than April 19.
“I’m really excited,” Schmuck said Monday.
As director of buildings and grounds, Schmuck will assist in the management of the district’s health and safety programs, overall maintenance, budgeting and improvement of equipment and facilities.
Schmuck will also schedule and supervise maintenance and grounds staff.
Board members discussed the director position at their March 11 workshop. They reviewed job duties and salaries of similar directors in other school districts.
The director position has been vacant since 2011. Since then, head custodians were appointed in the separate elementary and middle-high schools.
Currently construction is underway that will connect the buildings, with work slated to be complete in June.
“With the new construction, new systems in the remodeled portion, and the retirement of Todd Mann (head custodian at the middle-high school), it seemed like a good opportunity to look at this,” said Superintendent Craig Oftedahl.
The director of buildings and grounds position was first advertised last fall, but no one applied until the position’s reposting this spring, which yielded five applications.
Schmuck’s salary was approved at $70,000. Board member Jodi Bosch didn’t attend the March 25 meeting.
In other personnel matters, the board also:
•hired Angela Sneller as elementary administrative assistant beginning April 5; Connor Hoffman, volunteer baseball coach; Mike Buss, middle school baseball coach; Corey Stroeh, middle school boys tennis coach; and Danielle Kneip, middle school softball coach.
• accepted the retirements of Marcia Boeve-Alfano, activities office administrative assistant, effective June 30; and Diana Erickson, middle school computer and high school business teacher, effective June 2.