The Platteville School District changed two of its school principals and created two new school district positions in November.
The Platteville School Board approved more changes to the district’s administrators Monday night.
While the November changes were in response to a complaint from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, most of the changes that take effect for the 2014–15 school year are in response to the retirements of two of the school district’s Information Technology staff and one resignation.
One of the changes undoes a change made in November, when Westview Elementary School principal Don Shaw, who was also the principal of the fourth and fifth grades at Platteville Middle School, became the principal at Neal Wilkins Early Learning Center as well as Westview. The School Board Monday approved hiring a new Neal Wilkins principal for next school year.
“The changes in November were to some extent to get us through the school year,” said superintendent Connie Valenza. “Having a principal split between Neal Wilkins and Westview isn’t the optimal scenario.”
Lisa Finnegan, who started the school year as PMS principal, and then became Platteville High School assistant principal and the school district’s assessment and instructional technology coordinator in November, will have the IT and assessment position full-time next school year.
The school board voted to hire a high school associate principal and athletic director, and a school district network manager, for next year. The associate principal position will replace Alan Minter, who resigned effective at the end of the school year.
The board also voted to shift high school administrative assistant Mary Weigel to a full-time technology administrative support position effective immediately. Weigel’s position had been split between technology and library assistant.
Valenza said Weigel’s new position is effective now so she can work with Information Technology Manager Bill Grutz and assistant manager Dan Steinbach, who are retiring at the end of the school year.
The school board also voted to post a six-hour-per-day library assistant position at PHS.
The November changes included naming PHS science instructor Jason Julius PMS principal, and naming Neal Wilkins principal ReNah Reuter the school district’s director of student achievement and intervention services. Those changes came with the resignation of Pupil Services Director Robin North effective Oct. 31.
The November changes also included hiring Julie Walter as Home to School/Early Intervention Services Coordinator, principally at Neal Wilkins.
