The Liberty County Board of Education approved a three-page list of recommendations Tuesday to offer contracts to central-office and school-level administrators and district staff for the 2014-15 school year.
The school board also approved a number of additions to certified and classified staff and accepted several employee resignations.
Liberty County School Superintendent Dr. Valya Lee said these recommendations to renew contracts are made once or twice each year to determine which administrative personnel should be asked to stay on with the district.
Two assistant superintendents, Dr. Debbie Rodriguez and John Lyles, appear on the list of recommended contract renewals under the headings of senior administrator and executive director of operations, respectively. Lee said each category “denotes the nature of their work for the next year should they decide to remain.”
Lee reorganized senior-level staff last summer as part of her first 100-days entry-level plan to improve the system’s operational efficiency. The deputy-superintendent position was downgraded, and an assistant superintendent for operations position was created. The title of executive director for curriculum and instruction was changed to executive director for teaching and learning.
Rodriguez was appointed in June to oversee the teaching and learning division on an interim basis. Her position was made permanent shortly after. She manages curriculum and instruction, professional learning, federal programs, testing and assessment, and special programs such as gifted and the Early Intervention Program.
Lyles came on board with LCSS in late August and was appointed to head the operations division in a permanent capacity last September. He is responsible for transportation, facilities and maintenance, communications and public relations, food services and athletics.
Other major categories on the contract-renewal list include human resources, technology, teaching and learning, student services, division of exceptional learning, alternative education, special programs, principals, assistant principals and director of high-school programs at Liberty College and Career Academy.
Lee said the specificity of where recommended staffers would serve had not been finalized at the board meeting, and that position titles likely would be determined during the next several days. She stressed that administrators’ job titles may or may not change.  
The superintendent said she hopes the individuals up for contract renewal will opt to stay with the system.
“Once (contracts are) issued, they have 10 days to sign,” she said.
The school board also approved hiring a guidance counselor, an art teacher, a school nurse and five special-education paraprofessionals. Five teachers, one paraprofessional, two cooks and a bus driver resigned.