Kelsey Baker Named Unit 40 Assistant Superintendent

The Effingham Unit 40 Board of Education Monday named Kelsey Baker as assistant superintendent for the school district. 

Baker has been working as assistant junior high principal. She was given a three-year contract that runs through the 2025-2026 school year.

Baker succeeds Rem Woodruff, who worked as interim assistant superintendent since the departure of Jason Fox from the district during the past school year. The Board tabled action on a contract with Woodruff for the services he provided.

The Board named Jordan Andruch to succeed Baker as assistant junior high principal. Andruch has taught at the junior high school over the past several years.

In other administrative moves, the Unit 40 Board named Jennifer Fox as Early Childhood Director, hired Lacy Althoff as Dean of Students, and hired Jessica Reeder as South Side Principal. 

The Board also hired several staffers who will work at the Little Hearts Early Childhood Center. They include Julee Heuerman and Stacey Weeden as teacher assistants, Beth Grupe as an instructor, Tina Gordon as a teacher assistant, Chelsy Pontious as a lead instructor, Kelsey Whitehead as an instructor, Danielle Colclasure as a lead instructor, Courtney Hybarger and Renee Smith as instructors, Carli Fritcher and Brenna Fearday as lead instructors, Kaley Tolch and MiQuelle Stewart as instructors, Barbara McGuire as lead instructor, Jaelyn Poston and Natalie Fearday as teacher assistants, Lisa Wagner as instructor, Amanda Hudspeth as lead instructor, Rachelle Childress as teacher assistant, Kiley Tolch as instructor, Whitney Yocum as teacher assistant, DeAnna Bowlin as lead instructor, Katelin Roedl as teacher assistant, Stephanie Pontious as food coordinator, and Denise Pitcher as program director.

The Board also approved a leave for Jackie Mette, accepted resignations from Angela Ingram as nurse parapro and Mark Middleton as a four-hour bus driver, and approved a retirement from John Taylor as a bus driver, correcting an action from the previous meeting.

Also Monday, Superintendent Andy Johnson reported that the district is now CEP eligible, meaning all Unit 40 students will receive free breakfast and lunch for the next four years, the exceptions being ala carte items and extra milk. 

The Board also contracted with Darren Feldkamp as a security consultant for the district until July 15, 2023 at an amount not to exceed $5,000. Feldkamp is a retired county sheriff's deputy and school resource officer in Unit 40. Also, the Board approved a tentative amended budget for the current fiscal year with final action at the June meeting. 

The Board approved health insurance at a 4.4% premium increase with an additional option for employees utilizing the coverage. Also approved was the purchase of curriculum and instructional materials for the Grades K-5 ELA program for $613,112.08, and the purchase of campus lunch software. Also, Jane Willenborg and Steve Bone were again named district delegate and alternate to the Eastern Illinois Area Special Education co-op board, and the board approved paying staff a unit of work or hour to work on the Teens with Tools program involving the district and Lake Land College this summer.

Board members Steve Bone and Scott Volpi were not present for Monday's meeting.