Caledonia Argus

School district will hire new principal

Posted: 5/20/03

by Jane Palen
Managing editor

The school board agreed Monday evening to advertise for a new secondary principal and to reassign current secondary principal Brian Doty to several different positions.

Superintendent Jim Tool made the recommendation to the school board Monday evening. He said the recommendation was based on several factors, including a lack of applicants for an administrative assistant position that was approved earlier.

With the new arrangement, Doty will be a half-time special education coordinator, and split the rest of his time between duties as middle school principal and school to work program coordinator. The change will reduce Dotyís salary from about $83,000 to $72,000.

Almost $25,000 of Dotyís salary will be paid through special education aid from the state.

Tool noted that in addition to special education, Doty is also licensed in guidance, counseling and psychology, which offers the district more options in staffing in the future.

Doty is just finishing his first year as principal of both the middle school and the high school, a total of 630 students.

Board member Chuck Schulte, who was the only board member opposed to the plan, said he didnít feel he had enough information to make a decision, and was interested in seeing a job description for the position of school to work coordinator.

ìCan we afford the things that we are putting back into our program?í he asked.

Superintendent Tool responded that the change would actually cost the district less than what the district proposed to do if the referendum passed.

Board member Suzanne Roesler said that she felt the proposal was a good match for Doty and the district.

The board will begin advertising for a secondary principal immediately.

Softball proposal strikes out

In other business, board members indicated that they would not be interested in Caledonia having its own softball team. Currently, Caledonia girls interested in softball play with the Spring Grove team.

ìI would like to see money put back in academics before softball,î said Roesler.

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