District 63 to hire Nelson School’s first assistant principal

• Reprints

Updated: February 20, 2012 3:03PM

Nelson School, the largest of East Maine School District 63’s six elementary schools, is hiring its first assistant principal.

The Board of Education approved the new position Feb. 1.

“I’m thrilled that the district has recognized that this was something important,” Nelson School Principal Jean LeBlanc said.

District officials looked at the size of the school and its ratio of students to administrators when making its decision.

Superintendent Scott Clay said that when school populations near 500 students, it’s common to have more than one administrator.

Nelson School has about 611 students.

Apollo School, the second-largest elementary school after Nelson, has two administrators to serve 583 students, making its students-per-administrator ratio 291 to one.

Gemini School, the district’s junior high, has three administrators and a student body size of 777.

The number of special-education students was also taken into account.

Nelson now enrolls 48 of these students.

At the district’s other schools there is one administrator per 16 to 30 special-ed students.

LeBlanc said adding a second administrator will help her free up time to focus on student and parent interaction, and engage in more conversations with faculty about curriculum and instruction.

Over the course of the school year LeBlanc estimates she spends about 150 hours doing teacher observations, and at least another 60 hours at special-education meetings.

Teachers in the first four years of their career are formally observed twice a year.

“That is time that is really well spent,” she said. “But (meetings and evaluations) do take time and there is no administrator out there during those conversations.”

LeBlanc said she has not yet decided the particular duties she would pass along to the assistant principal.

“My thought in general is to expose him or her to all the duties (of the principal) and see where their strengths are,” she said. “That’s a great place to start.”

LeBlanc aims to have a slate of final applicants by spring break, which this year is the week of March 26.

Parents, teachers, and district administrators and officials will have the opportunity to meet candidates and weigh in on their preferred qualities and strengths.

“I strongly believe that in hiring a teacher, you need other teacher input,” she said. “It’s good to have more than one eye looking to see if this person will be a good fit with our culture.”

The cost of the position will be partially offset by the retirement of Director of Technology Judith Satkiewicz at the end of the current school year and reductions in the staffing of the Early Childhood Center.

The assistant principal at Nelson School is expected to start July 1.