Staff moves were top concern at the Harrisburg School Board meeting
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Staff moves topped the very light agenda at the Harrisburg School Board meeting Tuesday.
School Board Vice President Tom DeNeal presided over the meeting in the absence of President Todd Fort, who is jailed.
Gina Herring was employed as a high school science teacher to fill a vacant position; heather Wiggins was employed as district nurse to replace Alexa Barton, who resigned; and Kristen Phelps successfully bid on a vacant fourth-grade job.
A resignation was also accepted from fourth-grade teacher Sue Vickery.
The retirement of Title I reading teacher Cindy Mitchell was accepted, effective at the end of the 2012-2013 school year.
Several non-certified staff were moved because of reinstatement of pre-kindergarten and other faculty reinstatements last month. Linda Sperling was moved to East Side Title I reading; Gail Alvey was named West Side pre-kindergarten parent coordinator; Kim Wilson was moved to West Side pre-kindergarten aide; Kathleen Riggs was moved to Even Start aide; and Beth Nugent and Vickie Smith were named pre-k teachers' aides.
Some positions that were recalled last month after a deal between the board and the Harrisburg Education Association have to be posted because the affected teachers took other jobs. The positions include fourth grade teacher, fifth grade teacher and agriculture.
The deal included a callback of teachers laid off in the spring in exchange for a one-year wage freeze by the HEA.
East Side Principal Bryce Jerrell asked board members to consider bringing back prevention specialist Allyson Ryan since about $100,000 was freed up by a retirement, an aide being moved to a grant position and the elimination of the Herman Reading program. The board could not vote on the proposal last night, but it may go on the agenda for a special meeting set Aug. 3 to make some more personnel moves before the upcoming school year.
Superintendent Dennis Smith told board members General State Aid is expected to be on time in the upcoming school year, but the State Board of Education is warning other payments by the state will be just as late or later than in the last fiscal year.
The district is still owed $1 million in late state payments, Smith said.