Letter to the editor: Gateway School Board makes wrong decision in move to hire administrative position

I am hoping folks will begin attending the Gateway School Board meetings starting on Aug. 10 and Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. Check with, or call, the administration office for the location, which can change.

Did any of you get a tax bill recently with an increase?

Our kids in the district have had a challenging time, given the impact from covid-19. As someone who has worked with all kinds of young children, and someone who has read and written about educational research and trends, I continually reached out to the board for weeks bringing forth ideas about positions and staff in the district that would have a direct, daily one-on-one impact in meeting the individual needs of the children.

Instead, some on the board took an end run around the administration before they even provided the board with the budget and the staffing recommendations in June, and approved another administrative position (which has not happened in decades) without knowing the actual job description or the associated costs of the position.

Do they have any intention of providing the public with data on the effectiveness of this position and program?

Personally, I would like to see this administrative position scrapped and the money used for positions that have a daily impact on the needs of every individual student.

I finally had a chance to see the job description but that should always come before any job is placed on the agenda for a vote.

Cheryl Boise

Monroeville