The Culver School Board has approved a plan to separate the athletic director position from the middle/high school assistant principal position. The approval came during a special session Monday, following a discussion during a work session.
Superintendent Karen Shuman explained that the goal is to have a full time athletic director who could oversee programs across all grade levels. “We have seen great efforts,” she said. “For example, our elementary volleyball has really kicked off. We see that program growing. We would like to see that program growing in our boys basketball and our girls basketball and our football. So we feel the concentrated effort of a K-12 athletic director would be a good opportunity for us.”
School officials say the change would also free up more time for the assistant principal to focus on student discipline. Shuman said the multi-tiered approach being put in place at the middle school level will require a lot of time and energy. “It is about doing universal programming so that all students understand the expectations,” she explained. “It’s creating some reward systems so students are rewarded for meeting those expectations. Then, it’s also looking at data to see who’s not quite making those expectations, what kind of services do we need to do for those kids, organizing those services. And then there’s even a level three to that, of kids that really need wrapped-around and a one-on-one mentor.”
Shuman projects that the full-time athletic director’s salary would be between $55,000 and $65,000 depending on qualifications and experience. That cost would be covered, at least in part, by funds made available through last year’s property tax referendum.
No decision has been made yet as to which role the current middle/high school assistant principal and athletic director, Mike Zehner, would keep. Shuman noted his contract will have to be adjusted, since it was already renewed.
As part of the move to full-time athletic director, the position of athletic secretary will be eliminated. But Shuman said current athletic secretary Tammy Shedrow will likely be given the chance to fill a vacant secretary position at the middle/high school.
