MOUNT VERNON — The Mount Vernon school board on Monday promoted Matt Cox to the position of middle school principal. Cox, who is currently the assistant principal, will assume the duties of retiring middle school principal Bill White, effective Aug. 1. Superintendent Steve Short said the assistant principal position will be filled at a later date because a school with 900 to 1,000 students needs to have two people in charge.
Behind the Scenes awards went to Mary Samuell and Larry Hall for their work with the Power of the Sixth program at the middle school, and to Larry Waltman, a daily volunteer in the Columbia Elementary kindergarten and first-grade classes for the past three years.
Regarding personnel, the board granted the retirement requests of Columbia Elementary teacher Kathy Mapes, high school Spanish teacher Geraldine Risner, middle school teacher Barbara Stricker-Spitzer and Pleasant Street kindergarten teacher Diane Thomas. Also retiring are Education Management Information System coordinator Judy Frazee and Wiggin Street Elementary secretary Sue Woolison.
The board accepted letters of resignation from Kathy Belcher, aide at St. Vincent de Paul School, effective June 30; and from Todd Allen, coordinator of transportation/buildings and grounds and special projects, retroactive to May 2. It subsequently hired Dan Humphrey as interim director of transportation and maintenance, effective May 10 to June 24, not to exceed 14 days.
New two-year administrator contracts were approved for Margy Arck, principal of Dan Emmett Elementary; Karen Boylan, Pleasant Street Elementary principal; and Sam Shuman, assistant principal at the high school. Short said the salaries are to be determined, as the board has not yet negotiated a master contract with the administrators.
The board also approved a list of summer school teachers and aides contingent upon enrollment, to be paid through student fees, and summer lunch program personnel, to be paid with grant funds. The salaries of teachers and aides for the summer boost program will be paid with general fund money, as Summer Boost is required by law for at-risk third-grade students.
