Portage schools reorganizing support staff
By John Robbins Post-Tribune correspondent August 23, 2012 10:02AM
Updated: September 25, 2012 10:43AM
Portage Township School’s support services will be restructured under a plan presented to the School Board Wednesday night by Portage Township School Superintendent E. Ric Frataccia.
The plan places transportation, maintenance, custodial and food service departments under a new “executive director of support services.” David Harman, the current supervisor of transportation, will be named to this new position.
“The restructuring will aid the administration in keeping abreast of the situation, so we’ll know what’s going on before it becomes an emergency,” said Frataccia in explaining the restructuring.
Frataccia proposes directly supervising technology media staff rather than replacing a supervisory position at an annual savings of approximately $100,000. He will retain Alan Gardner, of Current Technology in Portage, as a consultant to help with the department. Gardner will be paid an hourly fee of $95 for his services. Gardner was instrumental in developing and installing the new information network for the school system.
The board is expected to decide on a date for the class of 2013 graduation ceremony at its next meeting on Monday. A high school committee recommended the evening of Wednesday, June 5. The board, however, appears to be leaning in favor of the evening of Sunday, June 9.
Full-day kindergarten is in full swing at Portage elementary schools. Earlier estimates for the number of kindergartners were low and a new kindergarten teacher at Saylor Elementary was hired to accommodate the extra enrollment. “We rolled the dice and missed by one,” said Frataccia.
