School board begins selection process for new high school principal
By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times Editor
The MFL MarMac School Board accepted the resignation of high school principal Josh Mallicoat Monday night and prepared to meet for an extended period in closed session to discuss the selection process for a new principal.
“The process of hiring the new principal will be done with integrity, objectivity and fairness,” explained Superintendent Dale Crozier in a previously-released statement. “The goal of this event will be to hire the best possible candidate among a pool of applicants whose skill-sets match our needs. The board and I will meet in a closed session under Chapter 21 of the Code of Iowa and review all applicants. During this meeting, the board will select the candidates and number to be interviewed. Interviews will be done at a later time with three committees representing staff, community and administration, as selected by the board. One board member will serve on each committee. The committees and I will meet after the interviews and reach consensus on the best candidate or candidates. If one clear candidate is not recommended, then final interviews will be conducted with a process as determined by the officers of the board. The tentative timeline will be to complete the process by the end of May. The above plan is subject to change by the will of the board.”
“The people who applied have to be protected,” Crozier said, explaining why no applicant names can be publically-released. He said there were 37 applicants for the position.
Crozier said it’s up to the board to determine the selection timeline, addressing concerns from an audience member that the decision might be made too hastily.
“We will address the timeline as we go along,” noted school board member Sharon Greener. “It’s not set in stone.”
Air conditioning
Crozier said air conditioning units will be installed in 12 rooms in the lower elementary for the next school year. He said the units, which will cost around $2,000 each, will also have heating capabilities. That will be helpful for cool fall or spring days that aren’t cold enough to warrant using the boiler system, he said. Once it’s seen how well the units work, he said the district can consider installing them at the McGregor Center and eventually the high school.
TAG
Crozier said there are plans to expand the talented and gifted (TAG) program into the elementary school next year, although it is not yet determined which staff member will take on the duties.
McGregor Center parking
Although plans had been made to create a small parking lot between the school building and the playground at the McGregor Center in order to lessen the number of people parking along the road during busy events, Crozier said those plans have changed. He said he’s realized that would cut too much into the playground area and instead said the school will extend diagonal parking from the current parking lot all the way along the fence line, facing the road. This should create at least 12 spaces, he said. Crozier said he wants to wait and see if creating an actual lot will be necessary.
“People are adjusting,” he said, mentioning that people have found other places to park other than on both sides of the road in front of the school. “We may not need to do anything.”
Additional surveillance
Crozier said additional cameras and surveillance will be added to school grounds next year. He said fobs, which are used to get into the buildings when doors are locked, may also be needed to access the locker rooms so there’s more of a record on who is coming and going.
