Roanoke Co. school board appoints director of elementary instruction and technology

The Roanoke County School Board approved three personnel measures Tuesday, including appointing a new director of elementary instruction and technology.

Penn Forest Elementary School Principal Linda Wright was named the system's new director. She takes the place of Rebecca Eastwood, who was tapped earlier this summer to become the system's director of human resources. Eastwood fills the spot of Carol Whitaker, the system's assistant superintendent of personnel. Whitaker plans to retire in September.

Wright has been principal at Penn Forest since coming to Roanoke County in 1995. She previously worked for Roanoke City Public Schools as a teacher, supervisor and principal.

"Thank you for the trust you've shown in me today," Wright told board members.

School board members also approved two assistant principal placements. Fort Lewis Elementary School teacher Kathy Foley will be assistant principal at Glen Cove Elementary School. Mount Pleasant Elementary School teacher Dana Stevens will be assistant principal at W.E. Cundiff Elementary School.

In other news, the board:

• opted to increase the number of contract days for elementary assistant principals from 210 days to 230, meaning those administrators will once again work during the summer months.

Whitaker said the time was cut a few years ago during the economic downturn, but officials have found there's significant administrative work to be done in the summer, making the time needed. Whitaker estimated adding the days will cost about $50,000.

• received an update on the federal Affordable Care Act and the impact it may have on the system moving forward. Penny Hodge, assistant superintendent of finance, said the most pressing issues the system faces as a result of the law are additional costs, the number of legally required notices the system must give staffers and dealing with the stipulation requiring insurance for part-time employees working more than 30 hours per week.

Hodge said the latter is particularly difficult when it comes to long-term substitutes. If those substitutes average more than 30 hours a week during a six month period the school system must offer them health insurance.

"That's a cost we've never incurred," Hodge said, adding tracking how much people are working will be an "administrative nightmare."

On top of that she said the number of notices staffers must now receive pertaining to insurance is not user friendly. She said there will be so many communications it will be difficult to discern what's important.

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