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HANCOCK -- The Hancock School Board held a special meeting on Wednesday evening to address two vacant board seats as well as to consider three resignations and approve four new hires. During the half-hour meeting, the board welcomed Taylor Paul and Emilie Lancour, as well as new teachers and staff members Brian Nordmark, Krisha Pennala, Eli Luoma, and Danielle Thoune
Paul and Lancour were chosen from eight applicants. School Board President Catherine Jordan read highlights from the applications of each, which had also been available to the board members beforehand. Each board member then wrote down their two favorite applicants.
Of the eight applicants, six were shortlisted by the board members and of those six, four were apparent favorites. The board then conducted a ranked-choice vote of the four finalists to decide on Lancour and Paul. Lancour will be filling the seat that was recently vacated by Dale Kero, while Paul will be filling the seat recently vacated by Steve Koskela.
Paul is a young mother and an alum of Hancock Public Schools. Lancour has over twenty-five years of experience as an educator, is an alum of the Hancock Public Schools, and sent her children through the school system. Board member and secretary Michael Lancour is the son of Emilie Lancour, but Jordan reported that both of them serving is not prevented by the Michigan Association of School Boards.
"Just from the years of working in this building she can be a voice for the district," commented board member Charles Klein.
The board also approved the hiring of Brian Nordmark as facilities manager, who comes with twenty years of experience in the role at Dollar Bay schools. Also joining the school district are a slate of freshly credentialled educators. Pennala will be teaching kindergarten, Luoma will be teaching middle school special education, and Thoune will be teaching high school special education.
There were also resignations. Carol Impola resigned as the Middle School Special education teacher after coming out of retirement last year to temporarily fill the role for Hancock. The music program's long-term substitute Amanda Plumber also resigned to take a job with another district. Elementary teacher Heidi Knuuttila also resigned, which Interim Superintendent Chris Salani called a "tough loss."
"She's going to the ISD, so we're going to continue to have her as a colleague and we have a great applicant coming in to fill her seat," said Salani.
The next meeting of the Hancock School Board is a regularly scheduled meeting 5 p.m. tonight in the Hancock High School Cafeteria.