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Waunakee committee approves posting for part-time district safety coordinator to study needs
Summary
The budget committee authorized staff to ‘go to market’ to recruit a 0.5 FTE district safety coordinator (or contracted equivalent) after administrators presented an initial position description and said principals and district leaders are requesting a dedicated safety role.
The Waunakee Community School District budget committee on Jan. 7 authorized district administrators to post a position to fill a part‑time district safety coordinator role, after administrators and the superintendent described current safety management as distributed among facilities and building leaders.
Administrators presented a 50% FTE position description as an initial proposal and told the committee the role could expand to 0.75 FTE or full time depending on district needs and available options. The posting will be used to determine whether candidates would prefer a half‑time role, a full‑time role, or whether the district could partner with other local districts or the village to share staffing. The committee approved moving the position to market (motion seconded and approved; committee recorded five votes in favor).
Why it matters: administrators said safety responsibilities have shifted over time through retirements and reassignments and that current staffing places many duties on facilities and building administrators. A dedicated coordinator, administrators said, would centralize responsibilities such as safety rounds, grant applications (mapping grants and DOJ connections were cited), training coordination, and review of extracurricular event security.
Discussion and board comments
Superintendent Dr. Brown (as referred to in the meeting) described a history in which a single employee previously managed districtwide safety, later shifted into facility supervision after retirements, and said the district now needs a clearer point person. Board members raised alternatives including a contracted specialist, a retired law-enforcement professional working part time, or a shared position with neighboring districts or the village. One board member suggested adding a part‑time police liaison in addition to the coordinator; another asked the administration to explore contracting options.
The committee asked Human Resources to post the position and to return with options and candidate responses before the next board meeting so the board can decide whether to fund the role and, if appropriate, pursue shared funding or village partnership. The motion to allow staff to go to market was approved (committee recorded five votes in favor).
