The Westerville City Schools Board of Education approved another organizational move to meet the district’s succession planning needs at its Feb. 22 board meeting.
Tami Santa now serves as the director of Mental Health & Wellness, assuming some of the responsibilities of Debbie Meissner, director of Health and Safety, whose retirement is effective July 31.
Santa previously served as coordinator of Student Well Being/Mental Health, overseeing the district’s school counselors, social workers and clinicians and leading mental health initiatives and programs across the district.
As director of Mental Health & Wellness, Santa will maintain her current responsibilities and assume several of Meissner’s duties, which include supervising the district's school nurses and managing the district's employee wellness initiatives. This position will report to the Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning.
Superintendent Dr. John Kellogg first announced the restructuring of his district-level leadership team in January, which allows for the transition of various responsibilities and mentoring of individuals in their new roles throughout the remainder of the school year.
Though some aspects of the restructuring plan require Board approval due to the creation of new positions and salary adjustments based upon increased responsibilities, others do not. For example, with supervision of the Technology Department transitioning to Operations, the Office of Communications and Technology has been renamed the Office of Communications and Family Engagement. The job title held by Charlie Boss has been changed from Coordinator of Community Engagement to Coordinator of Family Engagement to better reflect her role and responsibilities within the department.
The restructuring plan does not grow the size of the district’s leadership team or require the hiring of additional administrative personnel. The plan is also expected to pay for itself over the next few years as veteran administrators retire from the district and salaries are adjusted accordingly.