In last week’s meeting, the Winslow Unified School District Governing Board went into executive session to discuss a contract with Superintendent Connie Gover. Following the session, the governing board voted unanimously to extend Gover’s contract for another year beginning with the 2023-24 school year. Last April, Gover was awarded a two-year contract expiring in April of 2023. Gover stepped into the role of superintendent as interim in March 2021 following the sudden departure of former Superintendent Kathryn Zanin.
The governing board also unanimously approved the continuance of a one-year contract in the amount of $4,950 with Dr. Nancy Alexander of Alexander Consulting as a mentor to Gover. Gover explained, “She has been a great mentor to me, but she also has helped our leadership team to improve. We have young administrators, and her guidance has been helpful in navigating the education system as we face a loss of learning due to the pandemic and other situations.”
Board member Dodie Montoya was not in agreement with the extension, noting, “Our administrative team is very knowledgeable, and I think they are doing a fantastic job. We approved this contract for one-year last year and I just kind of think it is a slap in the face to the leadership team and don’t think it’s really necessary.”
Gover responded, “I want to disagree with you. This is not a slap in the face, this is not downplaying the administrators. They are young, but like I said we have a direction that we want to go in with our students and this extra push and extra help is going to get us there. This is nothing against our administrators.”
Winslow Junior High School Principal Deb Lopez added, “I am one of the senior administrators here and I can say every year has been different and there are always more mountains we have to climb. Without knowing where education is going, the more guidance we have the better.”
In other business, the governing board:
* Approved the retire and return to work policy changes for next year. Changes include allowing part time employees to retire and return to work at 100% of their rate of pay as opposed to the previous 95%, and continuing benefits for full time returning employees at the same payment rate.
* Approved employee insurance rates for the 2022-23 school year. The staff insurance plans will remain the same though a 5.9% increase will be incurred. The district intends to cover the cost of that increase so that it is not passed on to staff members.
* Approved the moving of a governing board work session from April 22 to 1 p.m. on Friday, May 13 in the board meeting room, located at 800 N. Apache Ave.
* Heard the financial report for the month of March in which Business Manager Shirley Lomeli explained 75% of the school year had elapsed with 59.87% of the budget spent.
* Accepted a donation in the amount of $500 to the Bonnie Brennan Robotics Team from Moonshot.
* Accepted a donation in the amount of $129 to the Bonnie Brennan Robotics Team from Rosemarie Natseway.
* Accepted a donation of school/office supplies valued at $200 to Jefferson Elementary School from Heather Francis and Stephanie Lugo.
* Approved the hiring of Coretta Agnew as a Focus Zone paraprofessional, Amanda Candelaria as a paraprofessional, Paige Murray as an elementary school teacher and Gabriella Muse as an elementary school teacher all effective in the 2022-23 school year.
* Approved the transfer of Briana Conaster and Megan Lymer-Reynoso from high school teachers to academic coaches and Tracy Turley from paraprofessional to high needs paraprofessional all effective in the 2022-23 school year.
* Approved Gary Roland as a volunteer for WJHS track.
* Accepted the year end resignations of Autumn Burress and Katherine Turley, each Jefferson Elementary School teachers. * The next meeting of the Winslow Unified School District Governing Board will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4, in the board meeting room, located at 800 N. Apache Ave.
