Dieringer board swears in Dr. Paula Dawson as acting superintendent

Dr. Paula Dawson was sworn in as acting superintendent at the Dieringer School Board meeting, taking the oath of office before board members and family in attendance.

Dawson, who has served as the district’s executive director of student services for several months, told the board her early priorities will be visibility in school buildings, regular communication with staff and families, and listening sessions to gather feedback. “My goal has been since being here, since January, really to be in buildings, to be in meetings, to be in classrooms,” she said, adding that she intends “to be a listener, to be visible, present at district functions ... and to build trust.”

Dawson outlined several initiatives she is pursuing in the coming weeks: ongoing DCPEA bargaining for classified staff (paras, office professionals, nutritional services and LPNs), continued review of assessment data and classroom reading supports, and use of a common behavior data tool (SWIS) across the district. Citing state legislation, she said the district adopted the SABRE screener (Social, Academic, Emotional, Behavioral Risk Screener) to collect student voice about social-emotional well-being and that teacher screening will follow next year.

She also described plans to pilot a transition-to-kindergarten classroom at Dieringer Heights Elementary and said staff have identified roughly 14 children to be screened toward a target cohort of about 15 (with flexibility up to 18). On transfer waivers, Dawson said the district has taken 22 waivers to date but is pausing eighth-grade waivers because the grade is near capacity and the district will reassess in August.

The board and audience congratulated Dawson after the oath; she introduced her husband and thanked staff and families for a warm welcome. The board did not take further formal action on the superintendent post at the meeting.