Burrell administrators shift for upcoming school year

New initiatives and administrative staffing changes are planned as the Burrell School District prepares for the upcoming school year.

Brian Ferra, formerly the principal at Charles Huston Middle School, will be the principal at Stewart Elementary. Travis Welch, Huston’s assistant principal, will be the building’s new principal, and Krista Pisano will become dean of students at Huston.

Jim Croushore, Stewart’s principal, will join Bon Air Elementary School’s principal, Amy Lenart, to have two principals at Bon Air.

“There is a need for more support at our primary elementary school, Bon Air,” Welch said.

Welch said the reassignments are a “collective effort” among administrators to best serve students. He said the new positions were voluntary. Having two principals at Bon Air will also support student well- being and their education, he said.

The district also hired Meghan Grantz for learning support at Bon Air and Sarah Olszewski for intensive learning support.

Welch said Sara Schwartz was hired as a speech and language pathologist serving students districtwide. Megan Sadecky will work as an emotional and behavioral support teacher at Huston.

The four new hires aim to strengthen the district’s multitiered system of supports. He said students and families have faced more challenges recently, mostly because of the covid-19 pandemic.

“We have invested heavily in the MTSS model. It’s a more tiered, more targeted support for students,” Welch said.

New teachers also include Alexandria Malits, a long-term substitute technology teacher at the elementary schools; Trisha Donnelly, an art teacher at the elementary schools; Krystal Kuhn, a long-term substitute life skills teacher at the high school; Cody Wolfe, a long-term substitute fifth grade math teacher; and Brandon Daughtry, a middle school technology teacher.

Another academic initiative this year is aligning the district’s positive behavior intervention and supports program from kindergarten to eighth grade.

“We’re trying to create a positive vibe back in the schools,” he said.

Welch also said the district will have a clothes closet event at the Huston Middle School gym from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 19. All clothing items are free. The closet has a selection of gently used clothes from sizes 10-12 to adult. It is also accepting donations of clothes.

Initiatives

The district will hold its “Fall Fireside Chat” from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 26 in the Burrell High School student lot.

“It’s an opportunity to engage in conversations with our families,” said Autumn Turk, Burrell’s director of curriculum and development.

English teachers will undergo professional development for LETRS, or Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, which Turk called the “gold standard” for reading professional development.

Burrell is in its second year of implementing the program. Third to 12th grade science and technology teachers will train on new state STEELS — science, technology and engineering, environmental literacy and sustainability — standards.

All teachers in the district will receive training on trauma-informed practices “to help our staff better know strategies in supporting students and families,” Turk said.

Kindergarten to second grade English teachers will have development focused on improving reading practices and implement a new resource called ECRI, enhanced core reading instruction.

“It provides our teachers with structured, research-­based literacy and practices,” Turk said.

The district also is working through a rewrite of its curriculum and will offer a “reimagined senior year” for near-graduates to get real-world experience in occupations they are interested in.

“Our focus is really to ensure student learning,” Turk said.

The first day of school in the district is Aug. 30.

“We’re excited to have our kids, staff and families back,” Turk said.