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Board discusses new "program administrator" role for standalone academies; compensation to return later
Summary
Board members questioned overlap and authority of a proposed program administrator job description, which staff said would run smaller, independent programs and academies; compensation guidance will come back to the board.
The Agua Fria Union High School District governing board on Dec. 11 discussed a proposed job description for a program administrator intended to run smaller, standalone programs and academies that operate independently of comprehensive high schools.
A board member pulled item 7.11 from the consent agenda for questions. The pulled item was a draft job description for a program administrator. Board members asked whether the new role would duplicate existing positions, how the role differs from an assistant principal or a teacher on assignment (TOA), and whether certified coordinators would be moved into the new classification.
A staff member explained the job is meant for programs that are not large enough to be a comprehensive high school yet still require a site-level administrator who can operate autonomously. Staff named examples: Coal Bar Learning Center, New Directions and the Trades Academy. The staff response stressed that the program administrator would have duties similar to an assistant principal at a smaller scale, including handling site discipline and supervising staff, tasks a teacher on assignment cannot perform because a TOA lacks the same site authority.
Board members pressed for specifics about documentation and professional development. Staff said program administrators would participate in similar professional-development activities as comprehensive campuses (collaboration days, small-team Wednesdays) but in a smaller environment. The district also emphasized it was seeking board approval of the job description for planning purposes only; no program administrator hire or compensation schedule was approved at this meeting and compensation details will be returned to the board for review.
The consent agenda, which contained the job description as item 7.11, was approved later in the meeting after discussion. The board recorded the vote as: Terry (yes); Colton (yes); Landis (yes); Atkins (yes); DeCoast/DeCoste (yes).
Clarifying details from the staff discussion - Intended use: standalone programs not attached to a comprehensive high school (examples discussed: Coal Bar Learning Center, New Directions, Trades Academy). - Distinction from other positions: Assistant principals typically oversee larger comprehensive campuses; teachers on assignment do not have the same site-level authority to evaluate staff or handle certain discipline actions. - Hiring/compensation: No hires approved; compensation guidance to be presented to the board at a later date.
The board did not finalize a compensation schedule or confirm specific reclassifications of existing certified coordinators during this meeting; staff said further review and delineation between certified coordinators and program administrators is underway.
