Greater Johnstown School Board approves new teacher positions, talks comprehensive plan
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Several new teacher positions as well as support professional and secretary roles were created at the Greater Johnstown School Board meeting Tuesday.
Superintendent Amy Arcurio said the jobs were approved both out of need and because additional state funding allowed it.
'We were able to use adequacy dollars to fill positions that we had not had for years,' she said.
Greater Johnstown got $2.9 million in adequacy funding for the 2024-25 school year with a total of more than $26 million to be received in the next seven years as a result of the historic Fair Funding Lawsuit, which the district was one of the original petitioners.
The board approved the positions for a fourth-grade teacher, two special education support teachers, a gifted support teacher and a behavioral intervention specialist at the elementary school; a sixth-grader teacher at the middle school; and a mathematics teacher and a business, computer information technology teacher at the high school.
Arcurio said the elementary gifted support teacher is an example of a long-vacant position.
Until Tuesday, it been an additional responsibility of a teacher, and before that, a standalone role 12 years ago.
These jobs will be advertised and filled for the 2025-26 school year.
For the same period, the group created five paraprofessionals and a 10-month secretary at the elementary school; a 10-month secretary at the middle school; two paraprofessionals at the high school; and one paraprofessional at the Park Avenue School.
Additionally, the school directors eliminated two vocational paraprofessionals at the high school, as well as a third-grade teacher at the elementary school and a biology teacher at the high school.
Arcurio noted that no teachers are being furloughed, but responsibilities have been adjusted due to these changes.
Board member Anthony Belskey commended the additional positions and efforts to bolster staff at the schools as 'well-needed.'
'We have great teachers in there already,' he said. 'We just need to fill some more positions.'
Belskey said the district's goal has always been providing students a great education, and it's important to build up the staff to achieve that objective.
Arcurio also addressed the board about the comprehensive plan that they passed Tuesday.
The superintendent said a group of administrators, board members, residents and staff cultivated the plan, which will guide Greater Johnstown through 2028.
Top priorities moving forward are attendance, academics, and recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers.
'You can see some overlap of our three priority goals,' Arcurio said. 'But the community members – the stakeholders at those meetings felt that those three goals were the best representation of the vision and the mission of the school district moving forward over the next three years.'
In a related matter, the group hired Jen King as the new attendance officer and reengagement specialist, who will be tasked with addressing attendance matters.
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