LEWISTON — The School Committee on Monday voted 6-3 to have a second district clinical supervisor and pay for it with $90,000 from the state subsidy emergency fund.
There was disagreement among the committee about whether the emergency fund should be used to finance it.
The district clinical supervisor is a special education position, but their responsibilities entail overseeing special education and general education.
Lewiston’s director of special education, Pam Emery, said that means overseeing 13 clinicians, building administrators and community providers.
When the position was created five years ago, it was manageable for one person.
Now, according to Superintendent Bill Webster, the special education population in the district has increased over 40 percent, with major increases in the general education population as well.
“There is a high level of need in our city,” Assistant Superintendent Shawn Chabot said. “This type of support is necessary for our students and staff.”
Committee members Matthew Roy, Luke Jensen and Ben Martin voted against using emergency funds to pay for the second supervisor.
“The argument isn’t the need,” Jensen said. “It’s the funding.” He argued that this need should have been brought up during budget talks.
Emery said it was brought up, but was cut from the budget.
Webster said that at that time, he was “putting tremendous pressure on Pam to keep her budget down as much as possible.”
Emery held the clinical supervisor position for three years before being promoted.
The person who took the job after her resigned in August, after just one year.
Having a second supervisor means the job will be split: one will oversee special education; the other will oversee general education.
With the committee voting to approve the new position, the new state subsidy emergency fund balance is $640,763.
“I find it concerning that in the short time this money has come in, we keep finding ways to spend it,” Chairwoman Linda Scott said. “But this is a need that needs to be filled.”
Also at the meeting, the committee unanimously voted to change a vacant McMahon school guidance counselor position to a science, technology, engineering and math teacher.
McMahon Principal Amber Eliason said the STEM program wouldn’t replace the current science curriculum, but would add to it, especially with experiments.
“This will make a really awesome engaging opportunity for the students,” Eliason said.
She said the school already has a lot of materials for this type of program and it will be good to put them to use.
Eliason explained that when the school initially requested two guidance positions, they didn’t have Tom Hood, who helps with social and emotional needs. His position eliminates a lot of the need for a second guidance position, Eliason said.
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