The Homer School District 33C board has hired two new administrators and moved to redefine others’ roles.
Michael Portwood, principal of Troy Middle School in Plainfield, will earn $110,000 a year as human resources director. He replaces assistant business manager D.J. Carroll, who’s leaving the district to become a math teacher.
Charla Brautigam, assistant director of community relations for Lincoln-Way High School District 210, will be paid $70,000 a year as District 33C’s first communications manager.
Superintendent Kara Coglianese said Brautigam will “be pivotal in helping us share with the community more about the types of programs we’re working on to get our students ready for the 21st century.”
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Coglianese said the district plans to launch a new website and boost its social media presence in concert with a newly created charitable foundation that will seek donations of items such as smartboards and other classroom technology.
The school board this past week also approved offering $1,500 stipends for staff willing to serve as “differentiation facilitators” — promoting lesson plans that better comport to individual student strengths and learning styles. Coglianese said each of the district’s six schools will have at least two facilitators.
The board also agreed to revised job descriptions for media center professionals and their assistants that stress technology management over traditional library skills. There was no discussion of whether the change would lead to new hires.
Kathy Motykowski, assistant superintendent for instruction, relayed welcome news that Illinois plans to consolidate next year’s standardized testing to one April session. The move eliminates an initial testing round held in March in the inaugural year for PARCC, or Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers.
“I know that our teachers will be cheering from their classrooms when they hear that,” Motykowski said.
Schools now will have 30 days to administer the test, Motykowski said, but the task should only take a week or two.