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Chelsea Board of Education meets new student liaison; hires high school social worker

Photo by Crystal Hayduk. North Creek elementary students demonstrate the district’s literacy program at the school board meeting on Oct. 14.
Photo by Crystal Hayduk. CHS Principal Mike Kapolka (left) and junior Peggy Smith, who is the newest student liaison to the Chelsea School District Board of Education.

By Crystal Hayduk

The North Creek Elementary School Media Center was abuzz with the voices of young children during the school board meeting on Oct. 14. Nine kindergarten and first grade students, with the help of their teachers, Amy Proos and Jennifer Tracht, described how they read in class. Students and board members split into small groups for a read-aloud demonstration.

Nicole Milks, North Creek’s literary interventionist and instructional coach, said that the literacy program is part of the Units of Study Series for teaching reading, developed by Lucy Calkins and others at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. This is the district’s second year using the program in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Chelsea High School (CHS) Principal Mike Kapolka introduced Peggy Smith as the new eleventh-grade liaison to the school board. Kapolka said that Smith stood out among the three candidates as someone who is “…loved equally by all the stakeholders. Not a Chelsea-lifer, Smith’s family moved to the district when she was in sixth grade.”

Board member Tammy Lehman, who participated in the interview process, said Smith has “… touched many people in her years here. She nailed it out of the park.”

Both Kapolka and Lehman believe that Smith will complement the senior student liaison to the board, Thea Higgins.

With member Jason Eyster absent, the board approved the hiring of Courtney Haroney as the CHS social worker. The position was posted in late August after the resignation of Christa Lindemer.

Photo by Crystal Hayduk. The Chelsea School District Board of Education approved the hiring of Courtney Haroney as the new social worker at the high school.

A Chelsea graduate of 2010, Haroney obtained her master’s degree from the University of Michigan. She’s worked in both clinical and school settings in the Jackson area. The principal of the Hanover-Horton School District, where she most recently worked for three years, said she is a “phenomenal young lady” with strong potential.

The board continued their discussion regarding possible paraprofessional pay raises. Marcus Kaemming, assistant superintendent, provided information the board had requested at the Sept. 23 work session, which included annual rates of retention. Kaemming said that paraprofessional retention has dropped, although some have also retired. “There were 42 turnovers during the last two years,” he said. “Some positions were filled two or three times within the same year, and several spots were unfilled the entire year.”

The board continued to examine the issue of hiring a school resource officer (SRO), as they looked at data of other schools in Washtenaw County. Board members had additional questions, including concerns about continuity, lines of reporting, and job descriptions. 

Information about the school board’s work session can be found here.

Superintendent Julie Helber said, “We still have a lot to think about and to talk about.” Decisions will have to wait until the district gets final word on the annual budget from the state. 

In other board news:

Helber said that teachers’ professional development on Oct. 14 focused on helping students improve their critical thinking skills, as well as nurturing the social and emotional health of staff as they care for students.

If community members have unanswered questions about the bond proposal on the Nov. 5 ballot, they can call the school district at (734) 433-2208. (Related story here.)

The school board thanked Principal Kimberly Gillow and the staff of North Creek Elementary School for hosting the board meeting.

Upcoming date:

The next school board meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 28 at the Washington Street Education Center. 

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