Kenwood Principal Search Under Way; Board OKs Line of Credit

Superintendent Cheryl Rogers has received 35 applications for the principal vacancy, and the school district has begun the screening and preinterview process for candidates, Rogers announced Monday at a school board meeting.

The Clawson School District is "hopeful to have further information as the process moves forth," Rogers said.

Parent and staff input for principal attributes will be considered in the hiring process, Rogers said. However, the school district will not be able to honor a request by some parents to hire a nonretired principal because it is a violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations, she said.

The selection of a Kenwood principal among many parents in June when to appoint Principal Patricia Pell to lead both Schalm and Kenwood.

The previous Kenwood principal, Virginia Mantela, retired this year. Parents accused Rogers of violating school policy by not posting the job opening at Kenwood or initially considering parent input. Rogers said she did not violate anything stated in Policy 3120: Employment of Professional Staff.

Rogers after Pell declined the position.

Action Items

• The Clawson school board approved PNC Bank and the Michigan Liquid Asset Fund as the official depositories for all school district fund accounts for the 2011-12 school year.
• The board approved the appointments of legal firms Clark Hill, P.L.C., and Lusk & Albertson to serve as the general legal counsels to the Board of Education for the 2011-12 school year.
• The board approved a resolution to obtain a line of credit from private institutions to secure funds for school operations at the beginning of the school year. The district said there is a need for this since the state runs on different fiscal year than the school year. The state's fiscal year begins Oct. 1, and the district's fiscal year begins July 1. A line of credit will allow the district to avoid borrowing money at high interest rates.  
• The board also approved an action item to rescind a $550 stipend for each board member. The stipend can be used for board-related expenses; however, the board has voted to rescind it each year since 2004, said Linda Gould, Clawson Schools executive assistant.