The Les Cheneaux Community Schools Board of Education approved a three-year contract to sign Amy Scott as the district's new superintendent. Mrs. Scott will split her duties as superintendent, K-12 principal, and chief academic officer. She was appointed to the position July 27, three weeks after outgoing superintendent Rod Goehmann announced he was leaving the district at the end of August.

The duties of the superintendent will be shared between Mrs. Scott and district business manager Kris Hill. Mrs. Hill will extend her duties as district facilities manager to take over business and operations duties performed by Mr. Goehmann, and Mrs. Scott will be responsible for the academic and curriculum duties of the superintendent.

The contract offered to Mrs. Scott was approved contingent upon language approval from the school district's attorney.

"Basically it's the same contract we gave to Rod [Goehmann]," said board president Kate Ter Harr.

In her duties as superintendent, Mrs. Scott will advise to the school board on matters pertaining to school administration and the district and make recommendations concerning policies and programs.

She will be paid an annual salary of $95,000 and keep her current health benefits, which are the same as benefits provided to all full-time district employees. She will also receive 20-days of paid vacation days, 12 sick days, and three personal days leave. She will receive a performance evaluation each year before the end of February.

Mrs. Scott joined the district staff last year as K-12 principal.

Mr. Goehmann is leaving the district to return to teaching middle school and has accepted a position in Rogers City. He has been superintendent since 2001, and for the past three-years shared his administrative duties with DeTour Area Schools District.

Mrs. Hill, who's employment agreement was extended until July 2010 last May, will receive an additional $5,000 stipend for her additional duties as district facilities manager.

Donation for textbooks

In other business Monday, the board accepted a $2,500 donation from the Law-White VFW Post 7958 of Hessel to purchase new high school economics textbooks, for which the board will contribute another $378.92.

Middle and high school social studies teacher Gretchen Storey will use the new books this fall to teach economics to Cedarville High School students.

"What I really like about this textbook," she said, is that "it has a foundation component for students that struggle with reading. It has a lower reading level. It's high school content, but it's sixth grade level reading."

She said that lower reading level aspect will help students who may struggle with reading or lean at a different pace.

The economic textbooks are being replaced for the first time more than 10-years. The VFW post, which annually sponsors $1,000 scholarship for seniors related to an active or veteran member of the military, felt it could contribute more to the financially struggling district.

"Once they had decided that economics was a focus of theirs and realized that our textbooks were over 10 years old, they voted as a post to fund those," new texts, Mrs. Scott said.