By Jennifer Moody, Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Friday, November 6, 2009 9:30 am
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LEBANON - The Lebanon Community School District is wading back into
a human resources hiring decision that caused a tangle of
disagreements this summer.
The district is seeking applicants for one new half-time director
of human resources and is considering hiring a second half-time
director specifically to oversee classified employees.
Superintendent Rob Hess said this morning the half-time position
posted was already part of the district's organizational chart. He
said administrators are still deciding whether a second position is
necessary, and if they determine it is, the new structure will be
presented to the Lebanon School Board for approval.
Human resources became an area of some dispute after Interim
Superintendent George Lanning changed the department before leaving
in June.
Assistant Superintendent Steve Kelley, who took a job elsewhere in
April, had overseen human resources duties as part of his
duties.
Lanning eliminated Kelley's position and promoted human resources
specialist Kim Collins to "director of human resources," a position
that did not exist under Kelley's tenure. But while the board
authorized the new structure, it never approved Collins for the
job.
When new board members took office in July, Chairman Russ McUne
said district policy requires openings to be posted and applicants
reviewed by a screening committee. And, board members noted,
district policy required an administrative license for a director
of human resources, which Collins did not possess.
Collins went back to her specialist position and the district hired
Dale Koger in September as a half-time administrator who would
oversee human resources. The new half-time position will eliminate
those duties from his roster.
If administrators, and the board, move forward on the idea of a
classified director, Collins would be eligible to apply for it,
Koger said. And, he said, it would be possible for her to act as a
half-time director and a half-time specialist to keep her full-time
position.
The licensed half-time position is advertised at $48,000 to
$51,000. No salary determination will be made for the classified
until it is approved, Hess said.
Hess said the district will be able to pay for both positions
because overall salaries and benefits are under budget for the year
and the district received 112 more students than predicted in the
spring. That means an additional payment from the
state.
"Our final audit will be occurring next week. When that audit is
complete, we will have additional information about where we are
financially," he said.
Collins said she believes a classified director would be better
able to support classified employees, and that she'd be delighted
to apply for the job.
"I love my job and I believe in Lebanon, and that's why I keep
coming in, saying, hey, I know human resources and I know human
resources law," she said. "I'm not afraid of competing for a
position."
