Governing Board approves large personnel memorandum as district nears start of school year

The Governing Board of the Catalina Foothill School District on Thursday approved the district's personnel memorandum, a large hiring packet covering the final hires before the start of the school year.

"We do have a very large personnel memo. It is our last, big hire personnel memo prior to the start of school," Associate Superintendent Mindy Westover said while presenting the item. "We have very rigorous hiring, process. And our administrators at the sites have really been working hard along with our HR department, to get these hires taken care of."

Westover told the board one educational assistant (EA) had been filled on the preceding Thursday and that principals and HR had been steadily filling positions since March. She described the candidate pool as mixed — some brand-new educators, some out-of-state candidates and some internal veterans — and said new hires were starting orientation this week.

Board members asked about remaining openings and how the district will cover them at the start of school. Westover said site leaders had plans for coverage: options include long-term substitutes or combining sections temporarily. Open positions listed in the memorandum included part-time English roles at Orange Grove and Espararo Middle School (together comprising a full-time position), a part-time math position at the high school and a speech-language position.

Board members praised staff for near-full staffing ahead of the term. "This is probably the lowest number of openings that we've had as we're approaching the beginning of the school year," one member said.

The board approved the personnel memorandum by a 5–0 vote.

The approval allows the district to complete onboarding and start the year with the hires and interim coverage described; staff said they will continue recruiting for remaining part-time and specialist positions.