Farmington School Seeks Assistant Superintendent

POSITION HAS BEEN VACANT ONE YEAR

FARMINGTON — Farmington school officials will interview candidates for an assistant superintendent’s position next week, following Spring Break, according to Bryan Law, superintendent.

A new assistant superinten- dent will fill a position vacated last summer when former Assistant Superintendent Clint Jones resigned to accept a superintendent’s job at Huntsville School District. Jones served as an assistant superintendent for two years, coming from County Line School District, east of Fort Smith.

The school district has adver- tised the position for two weeks and applications had to be postmarked by March 20. By the end of the day Friday, the administration office had received six applications. Two of the applications are from

Farmington: Stephanie Pinkerton, principal of Folsom Elementary School, and Budd Smith, assistant principal for Lynch Middle School.

Other applicants are Matthew Brunk of Stilwell, Okla., Floyd Fisher with Mansfield School District near Fort Smith, John Crowder, principal of West Fork High School, and Michael Shane

Hampton, assistant principal of Leverett Elementary School in Fayetteville.

“We definitely will interview our in-house people and check references and follow up with the others on whether we interview them or not,” Law said Friday.

Law said he has somewhat changed the responsibilities for the assistant superintendent. Farmington has two assistant superin- tendent positions and previously, one assistant, Terri Strope, was responsible for the younger grades and the other was responsible for middle school/ high school grades. Law said the elementary grades tend to require more reports and work than secondary grades.

According to the job description on the school’s website, duties for the new assistant superintendent will include district test coordination, “504” supervision, dyslexia implementation and oversight, and other duties as assigned. Qualifications include a current license as an assistant superintendent and preferred experience as a principal or assistant superintendent.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires school districts provide a plan for students who need temporary intervention. For example, Law explained, a student who is right handed and breaks the right arm may need help with writing skills.

The 504 program is a short-term intervention to help students through hardships, Law said.

Dyslexia implementation and oversight will depend on the details to implement a law for students diagnosed with dyslexia. Act 1294, enacted in 2013, requires all school districts to meet the needs of students with dyslexia by the 2015- 16 school year.

Law