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200-U Making Up That Snow Day
By Jeff Vorva
Two new part-time positions have been added to the Beecher School District 200-U roster and will be filled with current full-time employees.
Kerry Pikal will serve as a dean at Beecher Junior High, and Paul Vogel will serve as the technology coordinator for the district, starting next school year.
Both will continue to work their regular staff jobs but will pick up these new responsibilities with added compensation.
Pikal will work closely with Principal Michelle Kwasny at the junior high school.
“The dean would be an assistant principal who handles behavior,” Board President Ashley Belt said. “When something does come up, it takes over (Kwasny’s) whole day.
“She can no longer do her job, because she is dealing with behavior. Hopefully this opens it up where she can be in the building with the students doing what she needs to do other than dealing with misbehavior issues.”
“That building does not have a second administrator,” Superintendent Jack Gaham added. “Michelle is kind of always there by herself. This gives her additional support.”
Vogel will help Technology Director Joe Duncan with his duties.
“Joe does a lot, and we have Joe stretched very, very thin. Right now we are in a world where everything is technology based,” Gaham said. “It’s a new position, but we’re not hiring a new person. It’s taking a person who we have and giving him additional responsibilities.”
Gaham said Vogel already is working on consolidating 15 different curriculum technology programs and already has saved the district “significant money.”
Using the emergency day
The district gave students two days away from school during a mid-January snow and ice storm and one was a virtual learning day while the other was a traditional snow day. The snow day will be made up on March 1, which was designated an emergency day to be used in case a makeup day was needed.
Gaham was not a fan of using both days as virtual learning days.
“Putting two in a row does not feel right, and we have that emergency day built in at the beginning of March,” he said. “With Pulaski Day on that Monday, they will still get a three-day weekend rather than a four-day weekend.”
Comings and goings
The board acknowledged the imminent retirement of elementary school aide Joy Walker and the resignation of junior high cross country coach Nick Kapchinske.
It also approved the employment of Lauren Garza as a kindergarten special education teacher.
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