Published: July 19, 2008 11:22 am         

Chouteau hires Director of Ops

A new position in administration at Chouteau Schools was filled during a special meeting of the Chouteau School Board.

The board hired Stan Horn as Director of Operations at a salary of $89,000 per year.

“It’s not a make work position,” said Wayne Markiewicz, board member. He admitted hiring Horn as the Director of Operations may look like a position was created for the superintendent’s husband, but he said the school needed the position and board members selected Horn out of three submitted applications. Markiewicz said Horn is qualified and has experience as a principal, teacher and administrator. If after some time the board discovers the position isn’t needed, Markiewicz said changes will be made.

Markiewicz said the Chouteau schools have “slipped a little” on interior maintenance in the past, since it falls on the principals to hire and fire custodians and approve work orders for construction, among other duties.

He said the Director of Operations would act as a liaison between teachers and principals and principals and the superintendent.

Markiewicz explained in the past, if a teacher needed supplies, the order was given to the principal, who passed it to the superintendent, who approved or denied the order. The whole process could take weeks. With a Director of Operations, teachers have only one person to go through to ask for supplies and it gives the school board and superintendent a person to hold accountable.

Markiewicz said hiring a Director of Operations will keep the superintendent from having to “micromanage” everything and free her time up to write grants for the school district. He said the position will help principals by allowing them to focus on academics instead of building maintenance and other logistical issues.

Although the position is new for Chouteau schools, it isn’t a new position in education, said Superintendent Dr. Lisa Horn.

Dr. Horn said Chouteau’s administration consists of a superintendent and four principals. She said duties normally performed by assistant superintendents, technical directors and maintenance managers will be combined in the Director of Operations position.

Duties include maintaining purchasing, overseeing custodial duties, electrical work, carpentry and other construction contracts, overseeing bond issues, technology and infrastructure. The Director of Operations will be responsible for submitting the capital improvement plan for the school and handling Title 9 finances.

Dr. Horn said the Director of Operations position should cut down on waste and improve

efficiency, streamlining requests for products.

“You cannot be effective and run a school district without efficient help,” said Dr. Horn.

No jobs were cut to find money for the $89,000 salary of the Director of Operations according to Dr. Horn.

Dr. Horn said she worked with the school board to make cuts where needed without cutting the quality of education students receive. She said some positions left open when an employee retired or resigned were not filled and the board consolidated duties in other positions.

“There was a lot of extra that did not need to be there,” said Dr. Horn. “Being cost efficient is what we’re doing.”

     

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