District board mulls realigned administration

The school board Monday night agreed to advertise for one administrative post and delay a decision on a second so it could discuss it more during its March 12 work session.

The district begins advertising for a 7th-through-12th-grade principal this week, one that would take charge of the new grade lineup for the new school.

Delayed was a decision on hiring a full-time dean of students, activities director and associated student body advisor, all rolled into one position.

Brandon Byers is currently principal of Lake Roosevelt High School and is ending his one-year provisional appointment. He is expected to apply for the position.

Byers filled out part of a year as interim principal at the Grand Coulee Dam Middle School before being named as head administrator at Lake Roosevelt.

Advertising for the position is a normal function after an administrator serves out his initial one-year trial period, Superintendent Dennis Carlson noted.

The new position takes in the seventh- and eighth-grade middle school classes, which are grouped in the same wing of the new school as the grades 9-12.

Carlson told the board Monday night that he felt the construction was on target to hit a mid-September move into the new school. He stated that the overwhelming number of staff prefers to move into the new school at the beginning of the school year, perhaps delaying its opening date.

Carlson said the board would have to make a decision on this sometime this spring.

The delay in making a decision on the dean of student administration position was prompted by the board’s reluctance to fill another administrative position.

Currently, the several parts of a new position are being handled by a variety of people.

Carlson stated that the position was necessary because principals in both the elementary wing and secondary wing will have more students to manage and because of new district educational guidelines for administrators. The current middle school students will be split and fall into the two administrative wings of the new school, eliminating one principal position.

The elementary administration, now headed by Lisa Lakin at Center School, is not being advertised.