OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Fredonia Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox defended the district’s decisions regarding staffing at a recent Board of Education meeting.

Superintendent Dr. Brad Zilliox responded to a recent criticism in the opinion section of the OBSERVER at the district’s latest Board of Education meeting to reaffirm the district’s position on its staffing needs.

Zilliox addressed how the district was deemed susceptible to fiscal stress by the State Comptroller’s Office, which spurned an opinion piece in the Jan. 24 OBSERVER’s View, titled, “District has time to fix finances.”

Zilliox did not disagree with the facts laid out in the OBSERVER’s View, but took exception to the statement, “Once additional aid came, thanks in part to the COVID monies, new hirings were taken on with not a lot of thought about consequences.”

Zilliox responded, “It is not accurate that there was not a lot of thought about the consequences.”

The district utilized American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to add a variety of positions, such as a social worker, a speech therapist, a school counselor, a Special Education teacher, an Elementary STEM teacher, and a Hispanic outreach coordinator. Zilliox said the positions “became invaluable” to the district once they were established.

“They definitely helped us get through that initial phase of the pandemic, however, we recognized that the educational issues and challenges created by the pandemic did not end just because the (ARPA) funding ended,” Zilliox said. He highlighted the work that each position does to address the increasing needs of the student population.

“We decided to continue to provide these experiences and opportunities for our students and for our families. Yes, this has created some challenges for us … in terms of budgeting, and thinking of how we approach the budget this year and into the future,” Zilliox said.

Zilliox reiterated the district’s mission of helping “individuals become their greatest selves,” as well as its vision of being innovative, dynamic, and global in its educational experiences. He also emphasized the district’s core beliefs as student-centered and inclusive.

Board of Education member Sheila Hahn responded to Zilliox’s comments later in the meeting.

“I’m so grateful that we have, for example, a Hispanic outreach coordinator with our changing demographics in our district. That position is invaluable,” Hahn said. “Our Special Education enrollment just keeps increasing, and it’s important that we’re staffed there. We’ve heard from our faculty and administrators about the need for speech therapists, and with regard to mental health issues, they are not going away anytime soon.”

Hahn added, “We did plan to revisit when the funding ended, we did revisit, and we need the positions.”