Laurens Central Board approves teacher mentor, multiple staff hires and substitutes

The Laurens Central School Board on Sept. 17 approved a slate of personnel actions for the 2025-26 school year, including the appointment of Scott Bolton as a Teacher Mentor with a $750 stipend under the LTA contract. The motion to approve Bolton's appointment was made by P. Bush-Allen and seconded by T. Francisco; the board voted 3-0-0 to carry the motion.

As part of broader personnel approvals, the board confirmed substitutes for the year (non-certified teachers at $105 per day; teacher aides at $15.50 per hour) and appointed Madison Himes, Dina Bray and Mike Tracy to the substitute lists. The board also approved an agreement with Lindsey Gifford, Director of Instructional Support Services, executed jointly with Morris Central School District.

The board approved the retroactive appointment of Shiloh Chickerell as an After-School Certified Wellness Center Monitor (one hour per day, retroactive to Sept. 4, 2025) at $30 per hour, and a provisional appointment for Dawn Wood as Keyboard Specialist/Confidential Secretary to the School Counselors effective retroactive to Sept. 15, 2025. The district records show Dawn Wood's 2025-26 salary as $37,336 (pro-rated); the board also authorized pay for two conference days, Sept. 2 and 3, 2025.

Extracurricular appointments were included in the approvals; the board listed Michael Fenton as a co-advisor for the Class of 2031 among other advisor assignments. All personnel motions on the consent agenda were approved by motion of T. Francisco and seconded by P. Bush-Allen, with a unanimous 3-0-0 vote.