Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Curriculum And Jobs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee debates need for curriculum director and updates to teacher job descriptions
Summary
Members questioned whether to refill the curriculum director role or distribute duties across administrators, and asked the personnel committee to build clearer, role-specific job descriptions (including for emotional-support and special-education teachers) to align with certification and salary comparisons.
The personnel committee discussed whether to replace the curriculum director and whether the district should adopt more specific teacher job descriptions.
John (committee member) said he did not think the district needed another curriculum director and argued "let the teachers that are teaching the kids. They know what the kids need." Staff responded that the curriculum director historically handled other district-level duties and that a review would clarify which responsibilities would need reassignment if the position were not refilled.
Members raised concerns about using a general teacher job description for specialized roles such as "emotional support" teachers. Elizabeth noted the district's current form of listing those roles under a generic teacher title makes external salary comparison difficult because the Pennsylvania Integrated Management System (PIMS) classification shows "other" when a district invents titles. She recommended gathering job descriptions from other districts and considering role‑specific titles so that pay comparisons and certification alignments are clearer.
Dr. Barnhart explained that emotional-support teachers are certified special-education teachers who provide academic instruction and social-emotional and behavioral supports, not counselors: "Our emotional support teachers teach direct instruction and executive functioning. They help students self regulate. They teach them all of those coping skills." Committee members agreed to begin revising job descriptions gradually and to bring options to future personnel meetings.
The committee asked Justin and staff to start a phased review of job descriptions (for example, beginning with pupil-support roles) and to circulate proposed revisions in advance so members can prepare questions without prolonging meetings.
