NV leaders pleased with hiring process

The Nodaway Valley school board heard updates on resignations and hires at their Wednesday, May 10 meeting in the high school media center.

Superintendent Paul Croghan said he estimates the district is over half way through the process of securing hires for the 2023-24 school year.

The number of open positions has been greatly reduced due to recent hiring efforts. Positions recently filled include teaching positions at the elementary and secondary level, special education and head football coach. An adjustment for next year makes the art teacher position a shared middle/high school position.

“Our list got a little longer, and I told you it would, with a lot of these things happening Monday and Tuesday of this week,” Croghan told the board. “We’ll keep getting people we need and keep working through it. There are prospects out there, and good prospects for our positions so far.”

Teaching positions still needing to be filled are a Talented and Gifted Coordinator, a high school math instructor and a high school English instructor. Some of the 22 positions that were on the Educate Iowa job board for Nodaway Valley as of last Thursday had already been filled.

Specific hires approved at the May meeting were Ashley Bauer, elementary teacher; Allen Marnin, middle school baseball coach; Danielle Klobnak, student council sponsor; Jeremiah Crow, assistant middle school baseball coach; Laura Britten, sixth grade teacher; Kerri Strode, high school special education teacher; Jennifer Reed, high school science teacher; and Ryan Kissell, high school special education and head football coach.

Specific resignations included Jodi Baudler, kindergarten teacher; Nick Eshelman, high school custodian; Cole Reiman, agricultural edcuation teacher; Jeremy Blake middle school special education teacher and high school boys basketball coach; and Debra Sickles, middle school cook.

In other action, the school board approved a budget amendment, an e-rate with Green Hills AEA, a master social worker contract with Green Hills AEA, a career and academic planning plan, 300 series policies and a bus lease for fiscal year 2024.

Graduation week activities have been announced. In addition to these, fifth grade graduation will be 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 31 in the elementary school gym with eighth grade graduation at 12:45 p.m. the same day in the middle school gym.