MONROE - School board member Cheryl McGuire objected to the board hiring a district administrative secretary and receptionist after the district made a switch to a web-based automated substitute teacher calling system.
The board voted 6-1 to hire Ashley Curtis as the new district secretary and receptionist Monday. She replaces a previous secretary who, before resigning to take a new position, did the bulk of the district's substitute teacher calling to book assignments.
"Since we have a new web-based sub calling system, I don't think we should have filled this position," McGuire said. "It has nothing to do with who we hired."
Hiring Curtis was on the agenda as part of the consent items, but McGuire requested to have it pulled from there so the board could discuss the decision.
The board in October agreed to spend $13,400 for the Frontline Absence Management System, a program that will send prospective subs automated phone calls and text alerts about jobs starting in January. Curtis is a Monroe graduate who is working as a personal banker for First National Bank in Monroe.
"I thought the majority of the job was sub caller, and we spent money on it (the Frontline Absence Management System)," McGuire said.
Monroe District Administrator Rick Waski said the job duties of the district's secretary and receptionist will be to answer phone calls, complete substitute teacher log checks with schools, file Wisconsin immunization records and other health records, monitor and file St. Victor School's 4K records, run background checks on potential employees and volunteers for field trips.
Waski said there are other job duties for the secretary position, but they had been switched to the school building level because the previous secretary didn't have time for them.
"I very much feel like we can maximize this person and increase our customer service," Waski said. "Having that person on the phone so much in the past didn't really mesh with customer service."
Waski said he would not have requested the position if he didn't think it was needed.
"The reality is we evaluate the need for positions on an annual basis," Waski said.
Curtis will make $15.57 per hour.
Two other duties administrators have considered for the position are serving as the go-to person for technology passwords for district employees and making food service deposits, Waski said.
The board voted 6-1 to hire Ashley Curtis as the new district secretary and receptionist Monday. She replaces a previous secretary who, before resigning to take a new position, did the bulk of the district's substitute teacher calling to book assignments.
"Since we have a new web-based sub calling system, I don't think we should have filled this position," McGuire said. "It has nothing to do with who we hired."
Hiring Curtis was on the agenda as part of the consent items, but McGuire requested to have it pulled from there so the board could discuss the decision.
The board in October agreed to spend $13,400 for the Frontline Absence Management System, a program that will send prospective subs automated phone calls and text alerts about jobs starting in January. Curtis is a Monroe graduate who is working as a personal banker for First National Bank in Monroe.
"I thought the majority of the job was sub caller, and we spent money on it (the Frontline Absence Management System)," McGuire said.
Monroe District Administrator Rick Waski said the job duties of the district's secretary and receptionist will be to answer phone calls, complete substitute teacher log checks with schools, file Wisconsin immunization records and other health records, monitor and file St. Victor School's 4K records, run background checks on potential employees and volunteers for field trips.
Waski said there are other job duties for the secretary position, but they had been switched to the school building level because the previous secretary didn't have time for them.
"I very much feel like we can maximize this person and increase our customer service," Waski said. "Having that person on the phone so much in the past didn't really mesh with customer service."
Waski said he would not have requested the position if he didn't think it was needed.
"The reality is we evaluate the need for positions on an annual basis," Waski said.
Curtis will make $15.57 per hour.
Two other duties administrators have considered for the position are serving as the go-to person for technology passwords for district employees and making food service deposits, Waski said.