The start of school might be over a month away but the planning is underway for the move to bring Sheffield into Warren for several core classes each day.

Superintendent Amy Stewart provided an update on that effort during Monday night’s board meeting.

She said meetings have been occurring with the guidance counselor in Sheffield and students with summer work requirements for honors courses have been consulted.

Stewart said the aim will be to pair Sheffield teachers with Sheffield students where possible.

She said that WAHS Principal Josh Vicent is approaching scheduling “with the same goals that the board had, minimizing teacher preps, leveling those out.

Stewart acknowledged that might result in frustration for some teachers but stressed that the effort has “been a real overhaul to the schedule.”

Looking around the district, Stewart said that Jen Hobbs is “settling in” as the new principal at Beaty-Warren Middle School and that “things seem to be going well.”

She called that change a “reboot” and added that “things are looking optimistic.”

The board doesn’t often meet for the regular meeting in July but did this month because approving staffing was “one of the major tasks we need to get done tonight.”

Stewart told the board that there are 29 staff positions open but six were funded pandemic-related ESSER dollars so the district will only be looking to fill 23. On the instructional side, there are 16 teaching openings as well as an opening for an administrator.