Sweeping Administrative Reorganization Approved by Board of Ed. (Video)

Thirteen supervisor positions will be eliminated from the school district and replaced with assistant principals as part of a sweeping reorganization plan the Board of Education approved Thursday night.

The supervisors of special services, special programs, health services, guidance and health and physical education will be eliminated. All supervisors of curriculum and instruction and the middle school guidance program will also be eliminated. 

The positions will be replaced with nine assistant principals to help better “streamline coordination, communication and accountability within the district,” officials said in a statement released after the meeting.

Three assistant principals will be shared between the nine elementary schools and two will be shared between the three middle schools. Four additional assistant principals will be hired to work at Wayne Hills and Wayne Valley high schools.

Each high school will have 12 non-supervisory department heads that will “provide additional content and program expertise,” Superintendent Ray Gonzalez said. 

Several residents, teachers, and administrators spoke out about the possible negative impact these aspects of the plan could have on the district. They said that having experts and department heads who are familiar with the subjects they teach is crucial to the continued success of the district. 

A new lead nurse will be hired to work at the district level and there will be two coordinators of student support services.

Gonzalez said the changes would have “no negative impact on the budget.”

Several parents, teachers, and administrators expressed their disapproval of Gonzalez’s plan before a vote was taken.

The board approved the plan 6-2. Trustees Kim Essen and Michael Bubba voted against it. Don Pavlak Jr. abstained from voting due to a perceived conflict.

“I feel further discussion is necessary before implementing these changes. I need to be certain that there is no impact to student achievement, to teachers, to supervisors [and] that our teaching staff is provided with all of the details as to who they will go to with any problems regarding lessons and students,” Essen said as she addressed Gonzalez.

“I can’t support this wholeheartedly and it really pains me to not be able to support you, but this plan, I don’t think it’s right for our district.” 

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