The Westerville City Schools Board of Education approved a personnel consent agenda on May 19 that included administrative restructuring, a one‑year administrative salary scale, one‑year extensions of two negotiated agreements and a memorandum of understanding to extend insurance for certain retiring teachers.

Board members approved consolidating deputy‑level duties into a new chief personnel and policy officer position that administration recommended Scott Reeves fill; the board also approved renaming existing tiers and recommending Mark Cooper for the chief academic officer role. Administration said the deputy superintendent position will not be refilled and some executive‑level responsibilities will be absorbed into the chief roles.

Carrie Dennis and other administrators described further reorganizations in curriculum and enrollment: the district will combine two director positions (elementary and secondary curriculum) into a single director of curriculum and roll the coordinator of student enrollment into the director of state and federal programs and enrollment. Anne Baldwin is the listed candidate for that combined role. The agenda included the recommendation of Kate Toma for the director of curriculum position.

Administration and Human Resources outlined broader staffing changes: the district identified over 30 position reductions for the next school year, with projected savings of more than $3 million. Officials said most reductions come through retirements and other attrition; they emphasized district efforts to prioritize staff choice in placements and to post openings for which displaced employees may apply. Administrators also said they are not planning reductions to categories where shortages are ongoing — for example, bus drivers.

The board approved administrative guidelines for one year that implement a salary scale for administrators (a 1% base increase and step increments of 1.5% per additional year up to a cap). The board also approved one‑year extensions to WEA and WESSA negotiated agreements providing a 2.7% base increase and approved an MOU to extend insurance benefits for certain employees who became eligible for retirement under a recent STRS change.

Superintendent Hamburg and other leaders described how teacher reassignments are handled under negotiated agreements: the district seeks volunteers and allows employees to apply for posted openings; when open positions remain, HR may place staff to meet operational needs, and displaced employees are prioritized for placement. The district said it will finalize some placement decisions as enrollment numbers settle through June and July.

Why it matters: The approvals put in place a leaner district office and short‑term compensation structure intended to reduce expenses while preserving prioritized instructional services. Staff and board acknowledged the changes will require careful communication and monitoring over the summer to place affected employees and to ensure student services continue.