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Superintendent proposes Director of English Language Learners role (swap of vacant post); announces $230,000 grant and expanded recruitment
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Spence told the board the district serves more than 52 languages and proposed creating a Director of English Language Learners by swapping a vacant elementary education director position to avoid new budget impact; he also noted a $230,000 Wattis Foundation grant for intramurals and expanded hiring outreach.
Superintendent Dr. Spence told the Utica City School District board he will recommend creating a Director of English Language Learners to give the district a designated administrator focused on its multilingual population, and said the recommendation would not increase the district’s budget because it would repurpose a vacant elementary education director position.
"I'm recommending that we... swap the elementary education director position in lieu of this because this deals with a particular population, and we need to make sure that we are providing our teachers, administrative, and staff with the support," Dr. Spence said, arguing the district’s more-than-52-language population requires a dedicated administrative structure.
Why it matters: Dr. Spence told trustees that without a designated ELL administrator the district lacks centralized guidance for a large English learner population; the proposed swap would move existing position capacity rather than add a new budget line.
Dr. Spence also highlighted student and community news. He recognized a student athlete, Joshua Martinez, who "recently signed a national letter for his intent to play division 1 baseball at Stetson University," and he announced that an administrator worked to secure a Wattis Foundation grant "amount of $230,000 to support intramural programming for the district." He described the grant as seed funding to develop intramural programming intended to strengthen athletics and student resilience.
On staffing and recruitment, Dr. Spence described a mobile recruitment team that conducts on-site application help at city gatherings, city billboards advertising vacancies, a stronger digital hiring presence, and ideas for career-fair style outreach to attract diverse candidates. "We are going to create a more strategic, concerted effort to galvanize the people that are out there and bring them into the organization," he said.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the proposed position swap, including whether abolishing the elementary education director post would require board action; Dr. Spence said the elementary director position is currently vacant and that any formal action would be taken at a subsequent meeting. The meeting record shows no immediate vote on the proposal.
The superintendent closed by recognizing staff who organized veterans assemblies and by thanking a community member, James Paul, for receiving an NAACP community award. A short time later the board later moved back into executive session on a separate motion.
