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Board approves new high-school student-services dean position, restructures counseling functions
Summary
Trustees unanimously authorized a restructuring at Churchill County High School that creates a dean of students/student services role to centralize counseling, care-team and MTSS coordination; staff said the change reassigns existing budgeted positions rather than adding new recurring costs.
The Churchill County School District board unanimously approved a restructuring at Churchill County High School on March 26 to create a dean of students (student services) role intended to coordinate counseling, MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support), care teams and outside partnerships.
The change matters because high-school staff said the counseling department has been stretched thin by scheduling, crisis response and wraparound work; administrators argued a single administrative lead could coordinate services and free assistant principals to focus more on instructional leadership.
Principal Tim Spencer told trustees the proposed dean would "be an umbrella over our counseling department and MTSS programs" and would coordinate care teams, mental-health stakeholders and community providers so students can get a consolidated menu of supports. Spencer said the role is intended to reduce siloed work, speed service delivery and allow counselors to focus on clinical and student-direct counseling duties.
Administrators said the proposal does not add net new FTE cost to the district budget because the district plans to repurpose an existing vacant counselor position and a vacant half-time woodworking/classified position to fund the new administrative role. The board approved a motion to permit restructuring and to include the position in FY26 budget planning; staff will post and recruit and return the final job description and budget treatment in the upcoming budget documents.
Trustees discussed licensure and qualifications: the dean role will be an administrative position requiring appropriate administrative certification; counselors remain necessary for licensed clinical services and the district will continue recruiting licensed counselors. Several trustees emphasized that principals and vice principals should retain instructional-leadership time and said they will monitor the impact of this change.
The board passed the restructuring motion unanimously; staff noted the hiring process will prioritize candidates with skills in systems coordination and student support.
