MONROE - Two familiar faces will be in new roles for the Monroe school district when school resumes this fall.
Beth Ableman-Bernet, Title 1 math teacher at Parkside Elementary School, will serve as Dean of Students/Lead Teacher for the Monroe Virtual School. She is a long-time teacher in the district, working in both special and regular education.
The school board approved the new position, and hiring Ableman-Bernet for that position, Monday.
The new position came about as the result of shuffling administrative duties this summer.
Cory Hirsbrunner, who serves as Virtual School principal, was named Director of Curriculum and Instruction in June to replace Jennifer Thayer. Thayer left the district for a position with the state Department of Public Instruction.
Hirsbrunner said Monday that her new duties will make it difficult to be on site at the Virtual School. While other Virtual School teachers travel extensively to meet with students from around the state, the lead teacher position will work primarily with Monroe students enrolled in the school. Therefore, that position can maintain a more visible presence at the Virtual School.
An increase in enrollment justifies having the additional position, according to school officials. While numbers aren't final, Hirsbrunner is expecting about 450 students this school year, which is up from about 400 in 2008-2009.
There are currently nine teachers at the school; ideally, there would be 10 to handle that number of students, Hirsbrunner said. The addition of Ableman-Bernet will bring staffing to a satisfactory level, she said.
The position was not included in the proposed budget for the coming year, but it was one being looked at carefully to see if it would be needed as Virtual School enrollment numbers became more concrete, Superintendent Larry Brown said.
Additional state aid from the increased numbers of Virtual School students is expected to offset the cost of the position.
Three candidates, all internal, were interviewed for the position.
Another long-time teacher, Robin McLeish, has been hired as assistant principal at Monroe High School.
McLeish will replace Nick Shultek, who resigned his position after just one year, citing personal reasons.
McLeish was one of seven candidates interviewed for the position. Of those, two were internal candidates. She is a business education teacher at Monroe High School. The school board approved a one-year contract for McLeish and granted her a one-year leave of absence from her teaching position.
Beth Ableman-Bernet, Title 1 math teacher at Parkside Elementary School, will serve as Dean of Students/Lead Teacher for the Monroe Virtual School. She is a long-time teacher in the district, working in both special and regular education.
The school board approved the new position, and hiring Ableman-Bernet for that position, Monday.
The new position came about as the result of shuffling administrative duties this summer.
Cory Hirsbrunner, who serves as Virtual School principal, was named Director of Curriculum and Instruction in June to replace Jennifer Thayer. Thayer left the district for a position with the state Department of Public Instruction.
Hirsbrunner said Monday that her new duties will make it difficult to be on site at the Virtual School. While other Virtual School teachers travel extensively to meet with students from around the state, the lead teacher position will work primarily with Monroe students enrolled in the school. Therefore, that position can maintain a more visible presence at the Virtual School.
An increase in enrollment justifies having the additional position, according to school officials. While numbers aren't final, Hirsbrunner is expecting about 450 students this school year, which is up from about 400 in 2008-2009.
There are currently nine teachers at the school; ideally, there would be 10 to handle that number of students, Hirsbrunner said. The addition of Ableman-Bernet will bring staffing to a satisfactory level, she said.
The position was not included in the proposed budget for the coming year, but it was one being looked at carefully to see if it would be needed as Virtual School enrollment numbers became more concrete, Superintendent Larry Brown said.
Additional state aid from the increased numbers of Virtual School students is expected to offset the cost of the position.
Three candidates, all internal, were interviewed for the position.
Another long-time teacher, Robin McLeish, has been hired as assistant principal at Monroe High School.
McLeish will replace Nick Shultek, who resigned his position after just one year, citing personal reasons.
McLeish was one of seven candidates interviewed for the position. Of those, two were internal candidates. She is a business education teacher at Monroe High School. The school board approved a one-year contract for McLeish and granted her a one-year leave of absence from her teaching position.