An in-house promotion is having riffle effects for some building principals in the Warren County School District.
Gary Weber, most recently the principal at Eisenhower High School, was approved by the school district's board of directors during Monday night's meeting as the new Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment.
Weber replaces Amanda Hetrick, whose resignation was formally accepted on Monday as well. Last month, Hetrick was selected as superintendent of the Forest Area School District.
In welcoming Weber to his new position, Superintendent Brandon Hufnagel said, "Because of that move, there are slides and transitions for folks across the district."
At Eisenhower, Erik Leamon, the assistant principal under Weber, was bumped up to principal and approved by the board on Monday. To fill the assistant principal position vacated by Leamon, the district "will be bringing Jim Falvo on as a substitute to cover that building," according to Hufnagel.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, Nicole Peterson questioned whether the district proceeded through the interview process appropriately given the small time frame in which the position was filled.
Board President Arthur Stewart said the district administration conducted the process with the utmost integrity. He added that the process, at the board level, played out in executive session as personnel matters typically do.
Later in the meeting, former board member Kim Angove asked whether there was a job description approved for Weber's position. Hufnagel said that the current director of secondary education job title will cover the new hire.
He explained the administration is involved in an evaluation of the organizational chart within the central office. He said that the chart and updated job titles and descriptions will be presented to the board in the comings months. Stewart said that he expects those updated titles and descriptions to be presented "towards the end of the academic year."
The staffing situation throughout the district is complicated further by, according to Hufnagel, a central office administrator who will be on intermittent leave in the coming months. Russell Elementary School Principal Patricia Horner is "picking up some of the job functions of that individual," Hufnagel said.
Because that move will leave a hole at Russell it was announced that Sugar Grove Principal Marcia Madigan will serve as the principal of both buildings and, once approved, an assistant will be brought on board as a substitute to serve as the assistant principal at Russell.