Moran
Submitted photo
By Amantha Garpiel
TIPP CITY — The Tipp City Board of Education approved the contract with Aaron Moran for the position of superintendent of the Tipp City School District and discussed potential changes in the requirements for substitute teachers in the district.
Following an executive session during the Board of Education meeting on Monday, March 20, the board unanimously voted to approve the finalized contract with Moran for the position of superintendent.
Moran’s contract is a three year contract set to begin on August 1, 2023 and expire on July 31, 2026. The agreed upon salary is an annual rate of $165,000 per year and will be paid in installments, the same way other 12-month administrators are paid.
“I think Mr. Moran’s tremendous success at the Versailles School District speaks for itself. I think that our school will greatly benefit from his expertise and what he’s been able to accomplish there, I look forward to seeing what he can do here. It’s going to be great.” said President Simon Patry.
During the meeting, the board was presented with a recommended action to approve a change in the current degree requirements for substitutes in the district. The change would allow individuals that hold associate degrees to be substitute teachers in Tipp City schools rather than only allowing those that hold a bachelor’s degree.
“I understand that we’re having a substitute crisis. I mean it’s all across the United States, not just Ohio, not just Tipp City, not just the Midwest, it’s the whole nation. I appreciate thinking outside the box, but to me I am opposed to this and there’s a reason why you need a bachelor’s degree, there’s a lot of things you learn. And the teachers are always saying ‘we’re not glorified babysitters,’ which they’re not, and I just think it’s disrespectful to the ones who already have a bachelor’s degree,” said Board member Theresa Dunaway.
Dunaway also pointed out that with the approval of this change the district might have substitutes with associate’s degrees that are 19 to 20 years old and close in age to the high school students they might potentially end up teaching.
Patry noted his hesitance to the change due to the recently raised substitute rates and that a bachelor’s degree requires more dedication and a larger skill set that are not necessarily developed by someone who holds an associate’s degree. He also pointed out that it could be beneficial to the district to hold off on this change until the district can see how the rate increases have effected the substitute crisis in the district.
“We have a couple of people who have applied and they would be very good candidates. They just have their associate’s but are working towards their bachelor’s and I think they would do a really good job in the classroom. Right now I put them on hold until we figure out whether or not this is something that’s viable for us,” said Dr. Lisa Tuttle-Huff.
Tuttle-Huff also noted that about half of the current substitutes in the district, while they have a bachelor’s degree, they do not hold a bachelor’s degree in education. She raised the question of, what is the difference between having a substitute with an associate’s degree that is on their way to a bachelor’s degree and a substitute with a bachelor’s degree in any subject other than education.
It was determined by the board to table this decision until the regular meeting in June to allow Tuttle-Huff to collect more information regarding out the substitute rate increases effect the substitute crisis in the district.
