Unit 40 School Board Acts on Summer Hirings, Other Personnel Moves

The Effingham Unit 40 Board of Education Monday took action on a number of personnel matters.

The Board hired Chloe Larimore and DeAnna Bowlin as general education teachers for the coming school year, hired Brooke Overbeck as a paraprofessional for the coming school year, and hired Heather Batson and Lexie Boggs as LBS1 teachers for the coming school year.

The Board hired Mackenzie Koester as a nurse paraprofessional.

Appointments were approved including Megan Tylka as high school Student Council sponsor; Sarah Wyckoff as high school Scholar Bowl sponsor and senior class sponsor; Sidney Donaldson as high school yearbook sponsor; Tracie Riley as high scchool Drama Club sponsor, high school spring musical director and high school fall play director; Melissa Habing as assistant Scholar Bowl sponsor and junior class sponsor; Jean Cornell as high school community service hours coordinator and junior prom spsonsor; Jackie Haarmann as FHA sponsor and Pep Club sponsor; Norene Ault as sophomore class sponsor; Ty Totten as freshman class sponsor; Becky Wilson and Lynsie Hoffman as junior high co-Student Council sponsors; Stephanie Mitchell as junior high Yearbook sponsor; Jeni Phillips as junior high Literary advisor; Stacey Walk as junior high assistant Scholar Bowl coach; Donna Walls as junior high Drama sponsor; and Haley Brown as junior Mustang Outreach sponsor.

Angie Byers was transferred to secretary at the junior high school; leaves were approved for Jeffery Habing, Josie Westendorf, Janelle Schuette, Elizabeth Budde, Katie Beckman and April Karpus-Weddle; and resignations were accepted from Miranda Burk as paraprofessional at the junior high school, from Amy Donaldson as secretary at the junior high school, Tommy O'Brien as health and PE teacher at the junior high school and assistant track coach at the high school as of August; Natalie Boldt as teacher assistant at Little Hearts Early Childhood Center; Delaney VanDoren as a teacher at South Side as of August; and Stephanie Mitchell as junior high Scholastic Bowl coach at the end of the school year.

Retirements were accepted as of the end of the 2026-2027 school year from teachers Angela Denoyer, Jeff Schafer, Nicole Wear-Maloney, Rene Green and Marina Zaring.

The Board also acted on summer hirings. They included AJ Lybarger, Andrew Lotz and Braden Verdeyen for summer maintenance; Megan Adkins, Jason Eirhart, Katrina Eirhart, Jared Hammer, Andrew Donaldson, Landon Wright, Kyle Webb, Braden Kiser, Sean Mahaffey and Lindsey Storm for summer technology; Missy Donaldson, Karla Greenwood, Jennifer Hall, Christin Hartke, Amy Hewing, Shanna Lewis, Erica McNeely, Angie Moeller, Jeni Phillips, Nita Romack, Joy Rubin, Kristen Runde, Elizabeth Russell, Denice Tarin, Delaney VanDoren and Abra Woomer as K-5 summer bridge teachers; Diane Arnold, Diana Brown, Ronda Flowers, Pam Freeman, Darlene Krietemeyer, Glynnis Leftwich, Ana Macias, Lisa Miller, Lisa Probst and Brandy Simmons as K-5 bridge paraprofessionals; Kristy Rutledge as K-5 summer bridge secretary; Courtney Mathews, Erica McNeely and Jim Whittier as summer ESL staff; Lisa Beck, Jill Feldhake, Stephanie Mitchell, JaLana Robison and Shayna Scott as junior high summer school teachers; Becky Daugherty and Rene Green as ESY LBS1 teachers; Jenny Castillo and Emily Lotz as ESY SLPs; and Angie Dust, Amy Wernsing, Allison Bowen, April Hardiek, Katherine Batley, Barbara Jamison, Kristi Lee, Seth Hinson and Diana Brown as ESY paraprofessionals.