Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Homewood SD 153 approves three hires, formalizes retirements and adds Churchill Rainbows Club
Summary
The board approved the employment of three staff members effective Aug. 18, recognized retirees, approved a small EL stipend assignment and added a Rainbows Club at Churchill with no net cost to the district.
The Homewood School District 153 Board of Education on June 9 approved employment for three individuals and accepted personnel updates that included retirements and program changes.
The board approved hiring Sarah Lynn Lopez (media center assistant), Mary Lynn Wolfford (conversion from contracted services to district employee) and Nancy Sulek (cashier at Churchill), effective Aug. 18, 2025, contingent on satisfactory criminal-background checks and proof of qualifications. The motion was recorded as approved on a roll call.
In reports, the superintendent recognized long-serving staff: Kathy (curriculum director) will retire June 30 after 13 years leading curriculum; Patty Callahan, a Churchill teacher with 29 years in the district, announced retirement at the end of the school year. Administrators also noted district staffing needs that remain open, including elementary orchestra, middle-school math, psychologists, social workers and speech pathologists.
Under the consent agenda the board authorized the chief school business official to pay routine July bills and approved a small stipend assigning additional English Learner (EL) responsibilities to Colette Malott; district staff presented the stipend as cost-neutral. The board also approved adding a Rainbows Club at Churchill — described by staff as a program already used at Willow to help young students “cope with some of life’s challenges” — and said adding the Churchill club will not increase overall costs because another club will not meet next year.
Why it matters: the hires convert some contracted services to district employees (saving higher contractor fees) and fill front-line positions; retirements remove experienced staff from the workforce and create near-term recruiting needs. District leaders emphasized difficulty recruiting specialized positions (psychologists, speech pathologists) and warned that temporary contract agencies are more expensive if direct hires are not secured.
Board discussion: board members thanked retiring staff and praised administrators for hiring and staffing work. No public objections were recorded on these personnel items.
Next steps: administrators will complete background checks and qualification verification for the new hires and continue recruiting to fill remaining vacancies before the 2025–26 school year.
