Tonasket School District board members accepted the resignations of High School Resource Room Teacher Kassie Pruitt, Second Grade Teacher Brittany Lawrence and Elementary School Title 1 Paraeducator Kari Alexander at the June 29 meeting.

Alexander was hired as a Tonasket Middle School Math Teacher. The school board also approved the hiring of Stephen Sacchi as a Middle School Humanities Teacher, James Caddy as a Middle School Science Teacher and Janine McCormick as a High School CTE Business Teacher. Elizabeth Dell was hired as a School Bus Drier. Azucena Depaz and Michele Lawrence were hired as Migrant/Bilingual Summer School Para Professionals.

The Board also approved the annual contract review and renewal for Robine Whiteley (Taylor) for special education services 2015-17 to support a broader base of special education services and IEP writing for next year.

Tonasket School District is currently below the state average in students qualifying for special education services.

“When we started the Response to Intervention process, we knew we would see a reduced number of Special Education Students, and this is a reflection of that,” said Special Education Director Liz Stucker.

The Board approved 2014-15 National Board Certification Bonuses for Jackie Glidden, Joyce Fancher and Michelle Silverthorn.

Payroll for June was $894,635.57.

The meeting was led by School Board Chair Jerry Asmussen in the absence of Superintendent Paul Turner. Steve McCullough, who plans to move to the area in mid-August, said he spent part of the day in the office “getting some things done” in preparation for the start of his contract as the new Superintendent, prior to attending the school board meeting. McCullough’s contract began July 1.

McCullough asked if documents could be projected onto a big screen “for when board members are all looking down at their screens reading documents that are being discussed” at the public meetings.

North Central Washington Educational Service District External Business Manager Trisha Schock, attending the meeting via phone call, reported that the school district’s expenditures and revenues were both ahead of schedule. She said one large expenditure was the purchase of chrome books used for state testing. Schock said the “rough numbers look like I might be able to get a couple additional teachers and pay raises for administrators.”

“I think we’re going to have a pretty solid budget,” said Schock.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 13 at 7:30 p.m. A budget hearing will be held prior to the July 27 meeting, at 7 p.m.