An assistant principal will be hired at Mansfield Senior High School for the coming school year.
The board of education voted to reinstate the position during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday.
The two Senior High assistant principal positions were eliminated a year ago in favor of naming two teachers on special assignment to serve as deans of students. However, Superintendent Brian Garverick recommended reinstating one assistant principal position because of increasing administrative demands, particularly new time-consuming teacher evaluations.
“The assistant principal would handle discipline issues and teacher evaluations that are required by Ohio law,” Garverick said. “Teacher evaluations will take up a lot of time.”
The Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES), developed by the state, uses students’ test results plus a detailed evaluation by an accredited administrator to assess teacher performance.
Treasurer Rosetta Stephens echoed Garverick’s remarks.
“Teacher evaluations cannot be done by a teacher on special assignment. They must be done by an administrator. That’s the law. The principal doesn’t have the time to do them,” Stephens said.
Board member Monica Hubbard, an elementary school principal at Mount Gilead, said it took her four months to complete evaluations of her teaching staff.
Board approval will allow the assistant principal position to be advertised and applicants interviewed. The deans of students will remain in place.
The board also voted to reinstate the auto technology paraprofessional in Senior High’s Career Tech program. That position will be funded by a grant.