Bedford school board shelves discussion on hiring

6/24/2013

TEMPERANCE — It doesn’t look as if Bedford Public Schools will be hiring new secretaries for the time being.

At its committee of the whole meeting last week, the board of education discussed hiring a part-timer for the instruction and student services office to reduce overtime costs, and revisited the question of hiring a new secretary for each of the three elementaries to improve service and help staff handle an influx of students from the closed Temperance Road Elementary.

The board declined to place either discussion item on the agenda for a vote at its year-end meeting Tuesday.

Members felt the timing was bad, given that a new superintendent was coming on board July 1 and teachers were being laid off as a result of the Temperance Road closing.

Board member Tim Brakel said he believed it would be prudent to wait until Mark Kleinhans, the new superintendent, was on the job. He noted that Mr. Kleinhans has spoken about “right-sizing” the district and believed the matter was best left to him. Board members Dee Ellsworth and Michael Smith agreed.

Mr. Manuszak recommended last month that the secretaries be added to the elementary schools. In addition to secretarial duties, they could also play a safety role as school entrance monitors, replacing the greeters who were being discontinued, he said.

But board members last week thought that, too, should be left to Mr. Kleinhans. Said Mrs. Ellsworth: “I don’t think we should rush into this right now.”