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Newton Falls board adds new position

Principal becomes director of business operations, other moves coming

NEWTON FALLS — The Newton Falls Board of Education has created a director of business operations and will move junior / senior high school Principal John Crowder to the position.

The move, effective Sept. 20, also will lead to moves of other administrators.

Rachael Rankin, the current assistant junior / senior high school principal, will move into Crowder’s former position.

Teacher Robert Bauman will move to the assistant junior / senior high school principal. He has been in the district 15 years.

Bauman, Crowder and Rankin said they all look forward to “hitting the ground running” and help move the district forward.

Superintendent Rocco Adduci said the job description for the director of business operations is being finalized and contracts with the three administrators will be finalized Oct. 1 and be retroactive to Sept. 20. The new position will handle business operations, transportation and other district tasks such as planning for a new athletic complex.

Adduci said as part of his duties, Crowder will handle the transportation supervisor duties as Terri Pigg, the current transportation supervisor, will retire Oct. 31. He said that position will not be replaced.

“The director of business operations is needed. The changes needed to be made now,” Adduci said.

Officials said the district had a similar position in the 1970s.

Crowder said he already has been addressing issues as some bus drivers have been off sick or injuries, dropping the staff of nine drivers and four substitutes to just six drivers and one substitute.

Because of fewer staff, busing of students has been challenging.

“It has been difficult with less bus drivers and substitutes,” he said.

Crowder said people are applying to be bus drivers, but the training takes six weeks .

Adduci said it has been challenging with transportation.

“This has been the worst I have ever seen in transportation in my 47 years in education. It has been totally embarrassing,” he said.

Also, elementary / middle school Principal Justin Christopher said the district began the year in August with masks optional, but students needed to be quarantined immediately.

“It turned into a domino effect. Despite our best efforts to keep children apart in the classrooms and the cafeteria and have them wear masks, we had to begin quarantining because of the cafeteria setup,” Christopher said, noting children take off masks to eat.

He said the school gymnasium was turned into a second cafeteria with 80 students in each area to keep them 6 feet apart.

Christopher said last Friday 24 percent of the students were out with some quarantining and others with colds or allergies.

He said as of Thursday 13 percent of the students were out, although many are expected back Monday.

“There was a big COVID learning gap when we went remote last year; it was so devastating to the elementary students’ learning. Our teachers and families are asking to keep the doors open,” he said.

Rankin said the junior / senior high had 21 percent of students out last week and 17 percent out this week. She there is also a rotation each week of what grades eat in the cafeteria and what grades eat in the classrooms to protect students. Additional seating and tables were added for the lunches.

Adduci said the school nurses have been overworked with ill students.

In other business, Adduci said the Tiny Tots Tigers preschool and daycare is set to open this month with an open house 5 p.m. Sept. 22. The contract with Crystal Vincent, owner of the preschool, is one year from Sept. 17 to Aug. 31, 2022.

Adduci said 40 children already are enrolled, 15 of which are children of staff members.

He said the playground and fencing for the preschool has been completed.

“We are extremely excited about this. It will help our kindergarten program as the preschoolers become prepared to move to the K-5 building,” Adduci said.

The board hired Kenneth Hrenko as a four-hour custodian for the preschool effective Sept. 21.

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