District hires two new administrators

The Glenwood Community School District has formally hired two new administrators to fulfill the duties of Kelly Berke, the district’s former Director of School Improvement and Special Education.

Berke resigned her position June 13 to accept a elementary principal position in the Bellevue (Neb.) School District. Jacqueline Wills was hired as the district’s new Director of Special Education in June while the Glenwood Board of Directors approved the hiring of Sandra Burk as the district’s new Director of School Improvement at last Monday’s monthly board meeting.

Wills assumed her duties July 1.

Burk, according to Glenwood Superintendent Devin Embray, had already begun work in the district as of last week.
Embray said the hirings – and the splitting of Berke’s former duties into two administrator positions – was always the plan for the district. The timing of the hirings, however, was quicker than anticipated, Embray said.

“The plan was to have a contingency plan in place for next year to get Kelly some help for next year and we had a timeline to split the position then, for the start of the 2017-2018 year,” Embray said. “But when she accepted her new position in Bellevue, we looked at our timeline and moved it up a year.

Wills and Burk will both each be paid $80,000 (combined, about  $67,000 more than Berke’s closing salary of $93,000). Embray said those added financial costs are “manageable.”

“We’re very diligent financially,” Embray said. “We’re financially sound. It doesn’t mean we have fluff on the table. We’re lean. But we are depending on seeing continued growth to make that happen. With a little supplemental state aid and amount of new money and negotiated contracts, we’re always tight but it shouldn’t impact that.”
Embray did say the district will seek alternative funding sources for Wills’ position among at-risk and special education state monies available to help offset the additional salary costs.
“While the position (Berke’s former) is being split, we’re hoping two-thirds or more of one of those will be categorical funding from the state,” Embray added.

Wills comes to Glenwood after eight years working in special education at Green Hills Area Education Agency and nearly 20 years prior to that in the Omaha Public Schools.

Embray said Wills background, with experience in both the classroom and in administration, and ability to advocate for students and programming stood out among applicants for the special education position.

“Anytime you come from that area and then lead that area, it’s a good thing,” Embray said of Wills. “It happens around the state but sometimes you’re thrown in that position and you’ve never really taught in that area when you get there and you find you can’t facilitate it or lead it. The fact she has experience in the classroom and in special education administration does lend to her credibility.”

Burk, as head of school improvement, will oversee the district’s curriculum, instruction, assessment, accreditation and professional development. 

Burk is a Des Moines native who worked for 21 years in the Millard (Neb.) Public Schools, the Council Bluffs School District for six years and the Green Hills Area Education Agency the last 10 years.

“She comes with a wealth of background in school improvement,” Embray said. “We’ve been really fortunate with the lateness of the year and the decision to move our timeline up, to be able to land two high quality people like them in our district. We’re very fortunate.”

The Glenwood job opening immediately attracted Burk after long admiring the district’s work.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with teachers and administrators at West (Elementary) and Northeast (Elementary) and a little bit at the secondary levels and I have been impressed by their goals and what they want to accomplish for kids,” Burk said. “There’s a great work ethic here and all the teachers are continually working for kids. The opportunity came up here in Glenwood and I’m very excited.”