McGuffey OKs new agreement to aid students
McGuffey School Board on Thursday approved an agreement between the school district and the state Department of Labor and Industry’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation that will provide transition services for students with disabilities.
The school district will receive as much as $641,970 in funding over a five-year period – $128,394 for the 2017-18 school year with four additional, one-year renewals if agreed upon by the district and the state – which will be used for community-based and school-based vocational programs for 80 McGuffey High School students.
The agreement covers the salary and benefits for two paraprofessional staff members, who will serve as job coaches for students with disabilities who are hired to work at local businesses.
The funding also provides partial coverage of contracted fees for other special education services related to vocational opportunities for the students.
Director of Special Education Megan Van Fossan said the program will better help ready students with disabilities for the workforce.
“This really is just a great program. The earlier we intervene with kids, the higher probability they’ll be workforce-ready when they finish school,” said Van Fossan. “This provides lots of opportunities to practice real-world skills, like following directions, showing up on time, having good relationships with co-workers, and learning job skills.”
Van Fossan said the business community has been supportive.
“The businesses in our community are so amazing,” she said. “They’re enabling our kids to work in an authentic environment, and the kids love it. They look forward to it. We want every kid at McGuffey, all kids, to feel valued, so this is one of the programs that supports that belief.”
In other business, the board hired Kaitlyn Campbell as a social worker and Shadia DeVitto as a school counselor, and accepted the resignations of Spanish teacher Jacob Stone and music teacher Logan Orange.
Also Thursday, school district resident Betty Shingle asked the school board not to fill the position of assistant superintendent, which is vacant since Laura Jacob resigned from the position earlier this month. Jacob had served in the position since March 2014.
She had been with the district since 2006, as an English teacher, educational technology coach and assistant principal.
In June, the school district furloughed nine teachers and three support personnel. Cut were 2 ½ elementary instructors; one teacher each in computer, technology education, music and social studies; a part-time Spanish teacher; a full-time secondary librarian; the supervisor of transportation; a full-time secretary and the security guard. The cuts resulted in a savings of nearly $1 million in salaries and benefits.
Shingle said because of declining enrollment and the elimination of faculty and support personnel positions, the assistant superintendent position should be eliminated and the job duties should be absorbed by other administrators.