The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

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July 15, 2008

Search begins for new principal

District 118 officials want spot filled quickly

BY ANNA HERKAMP

DANVILLE — This week, Danville District 118 begins searching for a new middle school principal.

The vacancy was created after Oakwood school officials announced that Jason Bletzinger has taken a position as Oakwood Junior High School principal.

Bletzinger resigned from his post as principal at South View Middle School, where he’d served in the role since fall 2006.

The South View position is available immediately, and District 118 officials are eager to get interviews for the job underway.

“We’re looking for a dynamic individual who can step in and work with a staff that is geared up and ready to go,” said District 118 Human Resources Director Dianna Kirk.

The new administrator must be ready to train teachers, which is part of the restructuring plan Bletzinger helped put into place this year. The approach aims to boost student achievement on test scores.

“We’d like to have a person in place when school starts,” Kirk said.

She’s confident the school will have its new leader soon.

“We will fill it ... If people take time to investigate South View and all the groundwork that’s been laid, they’re going to say this is something I want,” she said.

Superintendent Nanette Mellen said she and other officials were surprised by Bletzinger resignation.

“When he talked to me, he kept saying, ‘I’m not unhappy,’” she said.

He just wanted to go in a different direction, she added.

“The good part is, because he was so good, he left things in excellent shape. He has everything really well organized. He worked some additional days this summer to prepare for the changes as part of the restructuring plan,” she said.

“The staff is hired. Everything is done and ready.”

Meeting

School board members will examine several issues this week facing the district in the upcoming year.

One item the board will vote on is an architectural study that will identify significant maintenance issues at East Park Elementary School and South View and North Ridge middle schools, such as heating/air conditioning, replacing windows and roofs.

The architectural study is in addition to another study of the Bowman Avenue Walgreens property, which could be used as an interim site for the district if major renovations are taking place at one of the three other buildings.

The fees for both architectural studies are $15,000.

The board has agreed to pursue more information about the property whose owner wants to donate it to the district.

At this point, no decision about accepting the property has been made.

“We’re not accepting the Walgreens property until we’ve seen that study,” he said.

The board also will vote on the ratification of a new three-year contract with food service workers.

The contract includes a 30-cent pay increase each year of the contract.

COMNG UP

The next regular meeting of the Danville District 118 board of education will be at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Jackson Building, 516 N. Jackson St.

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