CITY SCHOOLS Assistants' jobs grow; principal is chosen
One of the assistants will oversee the early college program.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The new superintendent of the Youngstown city schools has expanded the responsibilities of two top administrators and announced the appointment of a new Wilson High School principal.
Karen Green and John Tullio have expanded duties as administrative assistants to the superintendent, and Melvin Lars has become principal of Wilson High School, according to Wendy Webb, who became school superintendent Aug 1, succeeding Benjamin McGee.
Green's new title, as approved by the board of education Tuesday, is administrative assistant to the superintendent for externally and generally funded academic programs, staff development (continuing education for teachers), community support and public relations.
Her previous title was administrative specialist for externally funded programs and staff development. She will continue to earn about $72,000 a year.
Green will work closely with Treasurer Carolyn Funk to monitor the cost of programs and the results they achieve, Webb said.
Externally funded programs are paid for by federal grants, and generally funded programs are paid for by the board's general fund.
Duties
Tullio's new title is administrative assistant to the superintendent for school reform in the middle and high schools and grant writing.
One of the areas he will oversee is the new early college program for high school students, which is housed at Youngstown State University. Another is athletic budgeting and scheduling.
His previous title was administrative specialist to the superintendent. He will continue to earn about $83,000 a year.
Lars, who will earn about $83,000 in his new job, was most recently principal at Garrett Morgan School of Science in Cleveland. At Wilson, he replaces Hubert Watson, who returned to the Cincinnati area.
Formal resolutions for Tullio's expanded title and Lars' appointment have not yet come before the board.
There is no assistant superintendent now that Wendy Webb has been promoted to superintendent, and other administrators are taking over the assistant superintendent's duties, said Germaine Bennett, executive director of human resources.
Bennett announced that the board will be able to recall this fall 16 of the 19 teachers it laid off last spring, partly because of a new state grant for literacy specialists and partly because some teachers have gone on special assignment as administrators and need to be replaced in the classroom.
A new position of ombudsman has been created to communicate with parents, handle parent complaints, and mediate conflicts but nobody has been hired for it yet, Webb said. The ombudsman will report to Green.
The board approved creation of the first Youngstown City Schools' Library Foundation, to which Webb will donate all her honoraria from weekend community speaking engagements. So far, she has contributed $345 to the foundation, which Webb said would likely fund book and periodical acquisitions.