SLE School Board hires new teachers

SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Elementary School Board hired three new teachers, appointed a new board trustee and approved a parent request for a student to enter kindergarten at a special meeting July 10.

Since SLE has not hired a new superintendent, Missoula County Superintendent of Schools Erin Lipkind worked with a hiring committee to offer the board hiring recommendations. The committee recommended candidates for four different positions at SLE. The board only approved three of the four recommendations.

The board approved Susan Bracha to fill the full-time library media specialist position at SLE. Bracha previously worked as the kindergarten - second grade teacher at Swan Valley Elementary. According to Lipkind, Bracha has multiple endorsements, including library media, elementary education and administration.

“I do feel that this candidate is highly qualified in this area, I think she will make a stellar librarian,” said Lipkind. “I asked really hard questions and she nailed them.”

The board asked Lipkind if there were any other applicants for the library media position. According to Lipkind, there was one other applicant who she did not interview due to “red flags” on their application.

The board approved hiring Kelsey Kerney for the available second grade teaching position at SLE. Kereny previously worked at a school in Culbertson, Mont. and is currently working on completing her masters.

“We [the committee] were all really excited about her, she knows second grade and I think she has a lot of new ideas to bring to the district,” said Lipkind while recommending Kerney. “I feel like she is a candidate who can take limited resources and provide a very full and rich program.”

The board also approved hiring Zoe Mohesky to fill the advertised third grade teaching position. According to Lipkind, Mohesky previously worked as a paraeducator for Missoula County Public Schools and has her Masters in curriculum instruction.

Mohesky will team teach with Kristy Pohlman until she takes maternity leave in the fall.

“Those kids will get a very solid year,” said Lipkind of Mohesky. “I think you’ll be thrilled.”

Lipkind recommended Chris Mauldin be considered for a .5 full time equivalent (FTE) special education position and .5 FTE Title 1. Mauldin was already hired for a .2 FTE special education position at SLE but the committee recommended that the position be increased due to the high special education caseload with only one special education teacher at SLE. This was not a position the board had previously considered hiring.

According to Lipkind, the Altacare program has not hired therapists for next year. According to the Altacare of Montana website, the program provides “comprehensive in-school mental and behavioral healthcare services” to more than 100 elementary, middle and high schools across the state. A special education teacher could help lift the burden on Altacare services.

“I think you need more [special education] teachers, I think you’re seriously going to overwhelm your new teacher,” said Lipkind who pointed out that there are currently 40 children at SLE that would require some services. “It came to my attention that he already had been hired .2 so it seemed logical to increase that. I recognize that I may have overstepped my authority in that regard because that was not a position that you had authorized me to advertise.”

According to Lipkind, Mauldin originally interviewed for the vacant junior high position, but offered him a .5 special education position and .5 Title 1 position based on the needs of the school.

“He has his provisional license, he is very enthusiastic about special education. That is where he wants to be is special education,” said Lipkind. “If you have a community member who is qualified and who you feel can be mentored into that position, I think it is a good hire.”

After a motion and a second was on the table to hire Mauldin for .5 special education, trustee Gary Wayne said he wasn’t comfortable hiring the position because of funding questions and other needs of the district that have yet to be resolved.

After further discussion, Trustee Todd Johnson pulled his motion and the board voted to table the recommendation and revisit it later since Mauldin has already been hired by the district.

According to SLE Business Manager Heather Mincey, the district cannot afford a full-time teacher. She said that they may be able to afford hiring a para position. The board discussed the district’s needs of having an additional full-time junior high teaching position. The district is still advertising for a junior high teaching position on the Montana OPI job search website. The position was first listed on June 25 and is described as a junior high social studies and English teacher, music instructional ability is preferred. It is considered “open until filled.”

“Where you [the district] sits right now you don’t have the man-power, or woman-power, unless you were to hire Chris [Mauldin] to teach junior high,” said Lipkind.

The hiring committee presented ideas of how to circumnavigate hiring a music teacher for the time being. Technically, all K-8 certified educators are qualified to teach music. The committee also suggested local musicians volunteer their skills and work alongside K-8 teachers at SLE.

In addition to discussion about staff additions, the board appointed Jenna Boltz for the vacant trustee position.

In a letter to the board, Boltz wrote that she feels qualified for the responsibility of being a board member and is passionate about education and its impact on the community. According to her letter, Boltz has served on several boards and committees.

“I believe in the strength and power of efficient communication between stakeholders and want to create a lasting impact,” wrote Boltz. “I would love to serve alongside like-minded individuals with the ultimate goal of establishing favorable, and even meaningful, relationships between teachers, students, parents and administrators.”

The board approved a parent request for a student to enter kindergarten. According to a letter written to the board by the parent, Janina Bradley an incoming special education teacher at SLE, her daughter missed the cut-off by a matter of weeks with her late September birthday.

The board takes requests of this matter on a case-by-case basis and ultimately agreed that the prospective student was prepared for the upcoming school year based on information in Bradley’s letter.

The board will meet for its next meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30 at SLE.