Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

school staff cuts

School district approves administrative cuts By Andy Stonehouse While staff and students of the Howe Sound school district are happily settling into their summer vacation, at least one district administrator will be taking an even longer time off as

School district approves administrative cuts By Andy Stonehouse While staff and students of the Howe Sound school district are happily settling into their summer vacation, at least one district administrator will be taking an even longer time off as part of a cost-saving measure. As part of internal restructuring at district headquarters, a decision has been made by school board members not to renew assistant superintendent Dr. Judith Knapp's contract past June 30, 1999. In the meantime, the board has granted Knapp an educational leave which begins immediately and continues until the end of her contract. At the same time, the board has also decided to eliminate a personnel manager's position within the district, effective Dec. 31 of this year. Nancy Edwards, secretary-treasurer for the school district, said the duties of the assistant superintendent will be blended with whose of superintendent Mike Fitzpatrick and district principal Alex Marshall. Edwards said both will be required to pick up a considerable chunk of additional responsibilities, but said what may initially be an added burden should help cut costs throughout the district. "Somebody will have to take on additional duties, and there are some things we simply won't be able to do with less staff," she said. In a release from the district, administrators say that assistant superintendent Knapp intends to continue on in education and they wish her the best. The administrative cutbacks stem from a decision made at an April school board meeting for district staff to launch an operational and administrative review of the district. The cuts are also part of the district's bigger move toward decentralization, which has allowed room for additional savings.