The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
By David Grimes, Quill Correspondent
Stronghurst - The new West Central School District has five more faces to add to its identity.
The School Board voted to hire junior high and elementary principals as well as three staff posts during a special session at the Southern gym Wednesday following a 30-minute closed session.
The board voted 5-to-1 to hire current Southern High School and Elementary School principal Dale Buss as elementary principal at the recommendation of superintendent Ralph Grimm and board members Bill Allaman, Oquawka, and Brad Arnold, Media.
Mark Torrance, Biggsville, cast the one dissenting vote.
Without comment, board chairman Lonnie Brent abstained.
At the recommendation of Grimm, Allaman and Arnold, board members also voted 5-to-1 to hire current Southern Junior High principal Jeff Nichols as West Central Junior High School principal, with Kathy Bavery, Stronghurst, voting no and Brent again abstaining without comment.
In other new hires, the West Central board hired current Southern Athletic Director Jay Blender on a part-time basis for the new district's junior and senior high school athletic director, current Union special education/psychologist Teresa Adair for the same position she holds now, and Jeanne Serven, St. Augustine, as part-time curriculum director.
Grimm said four candidates were interviewed earlier in the day for the two administrator posts.
Union elementary principal Jill Colley and Union elementary art teacher Deb Martin as well as Buss and Nichols met with school officials Wednesday morning to interview for both principal positions.
Grimm said terms of each of the new hires' contracts - including length of the contract and salary - will be determined at a later date.
Grimm and current Union High School Principal Karen Rima were hired by the district earlier this year as superintendent and high school principal, respectively, also with contract terms to be determined at a later date.
The West Central School Board next meets at 6 p.m. March 30 at Union Schools in Biggsville.