Last week Plymouth Community School Superintendent Mitch Mawhorter requested the School Board to hire additional positions for the 2022-2023 school year. He said, “Each year different teaching needs for the corporation arise and I would like to address those needs with the positions presented.” Mawhorter then made a recommendation to approve the certified positions presented.
He was asked by the school board to explain the needs behind the requests. In the high school, there was a temporary position for a math teacher last year and he said they need to make it a permanent full-time position. The superintendent said there are lots of kids taking PE and the Athletic Performance Instructor will take over the weight training in the weight room throughout the school year and not just during the season. There is also a need for an Ag teacher. This is also a CTE course which means it is reimbursable by the state. Mawhorter said, “We see it growing and want to get ahead of it rather than wait because of the lack of agricultural teachers.”
At Lincoln Junior High there is a need for a half-time PE teacher to reduce class size and dovetail with the high school Athletic Performance Instructor. They also need to hire a Social Studies teacher at the junior high.
To be eligible for future grants as required by the state, the corporation needs to hire an EL Facilitator-ESSER II position. There are caps on the number of students for the teacher of record and this will assure the schools have enough teachers for the growing number of students.
In the elementary, if kindergarten numbers continue to trend higher than usual there will be a need for a kindergarten teacher, a Pre-kindergarten Special Education Teacher, an EL Teacher of Record, and a Special Education Teacher of Record.
After hearing the explanations to hire the new positions for the next school year, the Plymouth School Board unanimously approved Superintendent Mawhorter’s request.
