School Board votes to hire social worker
The Glencoe-Silver Lake (GSL) School Board approved a motion to end the service provided through Southwest Central Service Cooperative (SWCS) and hire a school social worker through the district because of changing social work needs at the elementary level.
With the change — which is recommended by Superintendent Chris Sonju — the position would increase from an eight-tenths to a full-time position.
“We, for many years, have contracted with Southwest West Central Service Cooperation (SWWC) for our social work at .8. When we started looking at our needs, we said, ‘Hey, this is one way to address some of those needs down there (at the elementary level), to increase this time.’ If we are going to ultimately have a 1.0 person why not have it be us as opposed to contracting through Southwest West Central,” said Sonju.
Sonju continued by saying that this option may also decrease the cost of social work for the school district since GSL would no longer be required to pay administration costs through SWWC.
Sonju also said that SWWC needs to know by March 1, otherwise the district will be stuck with the contract for another year.
For more from the School Board meeting, see the Feb. 14 print edition of The Chronicle.