The Shawano School District has reversed a decision that eliminated the dean of students positions for Hillcrest Primary School and Olga Brener Intermediate School in 2022, following the resignation of a behavioral coach.
Two years ago, the dean positions were eliminated after the district made moves to cut staff and more to plug up what was called at the time a $2 million deficit for the 2022-23 school year. As it turned out, the district ended that year with a $2.6 million surplus; later, the district decided to bring back a single dean position alternating days between Hillcrest and Olga Brener.
Superintendent Kurt Krizan said he has met with Brandie Genske, special education coordinator, about how best to refill the behavioral coach position, which was also labeled a student success coordinator who worked among all four schools. Krizan said they figured the best approach would be to bring back the second dean of students position instead, reducing the need for the principals to spend so much time dealing with disciplinary issues.
“As Brandie and I have looked at some of the different services that we provide for our students and our buildings, there are needs that continue to come up, and having a more consistent person would help our pupil services staff and also our administrative staff be able to do things that are parts of their jobs,” Krizan said in a presentation Nov. 11 to the Shawano School Board. “Having a full-time person there who would be able to support behaviors is one of the other pieces we looked at.”
Krizan noted that behavioral issues are already being handled at the middle and high schools by the associate principals, so having a behavioral coach geared toward all four schools is less necessary. He added that the behavioral coach position was never well defined.
Genske said it was important to have behavioral support at the “local level,” meaning at specific schools.
“This will be supporting students where they need it at that moment,” Genske said.
Board member Christine McKinnies heralded the measure but noted it would not be necessary if the positions had not been eliminated in the first place.
“This makes me sad, because four or five years ago, we did have two dean of students — one in each building — and the district at that time decided that they were not needed,” McKinnies said. “Now we know that they were needed. I’m all for this, because there’s not really a financial impact necessarily, but we know the need was there when they were eliminated. We know the need is there still.”
Board member Tim Renard expressed concern when he heard the behavioral coach position was funded through a grant, but Krizan and Genske assured him that the grant was flexible in what position it funded.
“I support what you are moving towards, but if we already have a position that was based upon a grant, that typically means there was an application process and that we need this person for this reason,” Renard said. “Now we’re backtracking. I just want to make sure we’re not stumbling over something that gets us in trouble.”
Krizan said there would be no financial impact to altering the position. He hopes to have the position filled by the time schools reopen from their Christmas break, but added that if the district hires from within, it will require looking for external candidates for other positions.
lpulaski@newmdia-wi.com
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