Some Richmond Community Schools administrators, teachers and office staff are changing their employment status. Nearly 50 departures, hires and changes of assignment are taking place in the weeks before RCS students return Aug. 5.
And, a new state-mandated change in teacher employment law impacts 32 RCS educators’ contracts.
Temporary teaching contracts
At their July 15 meeting, RCS’ board unanimously voted to cancel contracts for all of its 32 teachers and counselors employed under an emergency teaching permit and convert them to temporary teaching contracts for the 2026-27 school year. No explanation was given then for the vote.
Steven Hensley, RCS’ director of human resources, shared more information about the conversion with WWN after the meeting.
He said no changes are occurring to pay or benefits to any employee being converted from a regular teacher contract to a temporary teaching contract, and it’s not a notification of a possible position reduction.
This contract conversion was unrelated to RCS’ June reduction in force employment cuts to reduce district expenses.
Hensley said this year’s Indiana House Enrolled Act 1004 established that, beginning July 1, a teacher working under an emergency permit (emergency teaching license) may be placed on a temporary teacher contract rather than a regular teacher contract.
He called it a significant change because a regular teacher contract continues indefinitely unless it is canceled through a teacher’s resignation or the statutory cancellation process. A temporary teacher contract, in contrast, ends on its expiration date.
This conversion process impacts 28 teachers and four counselors across multiple buildings and grade levels. While unnamed, they are listed by employee number, role and building in the July 15 meeting documents posted on RCS’ website.
The number of affected employees is expected to decrease, Hensley said.
As teachers have been notified by the Office of Human Resources, they have indicated they’re now prepared to finish and will have their updated licenses to HR staff.
“RCS is committed to employing licensed educators in every classroom as we strive to provide ever-improving educational services to our students,” Hensley said.
Personnel changes
Resignations approved at the school board’s July 15 meeting include those of Richmond High School’s athletic director Robert Lee (effective July 31) and Joseph Anderson, assistant principal (effective June 24). Anderson’s hiring was announced in January 2025.
Lee became RHS’ AD in July 2024. The former athletic director for Gary (Indiana) Community Schools also has athletic and coaching experiences at Butler, Eastern Michigan, Valparaiso and Miami universities, Earlham College and NFL’s Chicago Bears. WWN attempted to reach Lee for comment but didn’t receive a response before press time.
Two Dennis Middle School assistant principals, Melissa Lawson and William Woodruff Jr., are moving to assistant principal roles at RHS, effective July 23.
In addition, Trent Pipes is moving from assistant principal at Test Intermediate School to assistant principal at Dennis.
Additional resignations at RHS include Monica Wright, counselor; Leigh’andra Moore, Secretary III; and Ronald Sanders, ISR liaison.
Changes in assignment include two RHS administrative assistants for student behavior, Chris Dykes and Jedacia Moore. They’re assuming those roles at Test and Dennis, respectively.
New hires at RHS include band teacher Dylan Shane, English teacher Kayla McMahan, and counselor Alyssa Wysong. LaCinda Stoltenberg is transitioning to Secretary II from office clerical at RHS.
The contract for Carrie Wolfe, RCS’ director of exceptional education, changed from 215 days to 260 days, effective July 20.
The board also accepted the resignation for William Wright as a social studies teacher at Dennis, effective Aug. 3. Wright, brother of RCS Superintendent Curtis Wright, previously served as middle school athletic director. His athletics position was cut during the district’s June reduction in force.
Additional personnel updates include:
Hires
Shannon Binford and Genesse Funk, applied skills paraprofessionals, Hibberd Program Building
Anton Miles, inclusion paraprofessional, RHS
Jeremy Spiers, environmental services II-191 Day, Dennis
Haylie Barton, applied skills paraprofessional, Hibberd
Jeremy Brinkley, environmental services II-260, Dennis
Riley Hampton, permanent substitute teacher, RHS
DawnMari Holloway, environmental services II-191-day, Hibberd
Amanda Ogle, applied skills paraprofessional, Hibberd
Change in assignment
Sabrina Benner from interventionist at Crestdale, Adria Thomas from educational diagnostician at Hibberd, Brittney White from special education teacher at Test and Melody Williams from kindergarten teacher at Crestdale, all to school psychology interns for the district
Erin Faatz from preschool instructor to library paraprofessional at Crestdale
Daniel Redmond from environmental services II 191-day at Dennis to operations support service at Warner Maintenance
Broc Wilburn from environmental services II-191 day at Hibberd to environmental services II-260 day at Test
Michelle Barton from Early Head Start infant/toddler teacher to Early Head Start center supervisor
Brendan Evans from district substitute teacher to RHS permanent sub
Laurel Salazar-Jenkins from exceptional student education paraprofessional at Test to preschool instructor at Charles Elementary
Natalie Blakely from executive secretary for exceptional student education to executive assistant for exceptional student education at Central Office
Departures
Vanessa Bellar, kindergarten teacher, Fairview Elementary
Amy Gard, first grade teacher, Fairview
Mikayla Kirk, fourth grade teacher, Vaile Elementary
Kristen Morefield, Head Start teacher
Jerail Poole, environmental services II-260 day, Test
Miranda VanCamp, third grade teacher, Crestdale Elementary
Olivia Willoughby, applied skills paraprofessional, Crestdale
Nicole Worley, applied skills paraprofessional, Hibberd
Linda Allen, third grade teacher, Westview Elementary
Tylenia Oliphant, fourth grade teacher, Fairview
Policy discussion
The public is invited to attend a 4 p.m. Monday, July 27, policy meeting at the administration building, 300 Hub Etchison Parkway.
The board had considered voting on a policy related to whether private school or homeschooled children can participate in RCS activities at the July 15 meeting. However, they postponed that vote after hearing from Becky Dimick Eastman, Richmond Friends School’s head of school, during public commentary, and will resume that conversation at the policy meeting.
She said eight of nine RFS eighth-graders intend to enroll in RHS in the fall, and that even as a private school, RFS doesn’t take vouchers that take away money from public schools. She hoped RCS would consider allowing exceptions or discussing whether families could pay to participate in RCS middle school sports.
A version of this article appeared in the July 22 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
