Board Votes To Hire Roberts to Lead Desert View

Michael Roberts will be the next principal at Desert View Elementary School.

The Hermiston School Board of Education unanimously approved Roberts’ appointment on Monday evening during its regular meeting.

“Whew,” Roberts said with a grin after the vote.

Roberts, assistant principal at Housel Middle School in Prosser, Wash., replaces Mike Scott, who will leave the district at the end of the school year. Roberts will take over at Desert View on July 1.

“Welcome to the district,” Hermiston School Superintendent Fred Maiocco told Roberts. “We’re proud to have you.”

As the board welcomed one new employee to the Hermiston School District, it also said good-bye to several longtime employees.

Board members begrudgingly accepted the resignation of eight employees, who represent a combined total of 237 years of experience:

Joanne Richardson, first-grade teacher at West Park Elementary; Peggy Martin, also a first-grade teacher at West Park Elementary; Alan Wellman, wellness teacher at Hermiston High School; Jack Johns, district special education facilitator; Louise Ables, special education assistant at Sandstone Middle School; Sylvia Fernandez, ELL assistant at Sunset Elementary; and John Lauck, math teacher at Hermiston High.

The meeting was also the last for student representative Michael Potts. Each year, one Hermiston High School leadership student attends board meetings and speaks about events and activities at the high school.

“It’s been a great opportunity and learning experience,” Potts said. “When I first came, I was really nervous, but I got used to it.”

Potts ended his one-year term on Monday, and board member Jason Middleton, who facilitated the meeting, presented the student with a plaque in honor of his service.

“Thanks for being here, sticking it out with us all year long,” Middleton told Potts. “We’ll look forward to meeting your replacement.”

In other business:
• The board adopted the 2013-14 school year calendar and a district-wide modification. The change allows for a 45-minute early release for elementary students and a 45-minute late start for secondary students every Wednesday during the school year. The extra time on those days will be used for professional staff development.

• The board accepted a new teacher evaluation system based on “resources to be a better teacher” rather than a “rubric to punishment.” Deputy Superintendent Wade Smith said the system was built from the ground up in Hermiston.

• Maiocco presented an award the district received on behalf of the National Guard. Hermiston School District was named “Patriotic Employer” by the service for its support of those in the National Guard and Reserve.