Mars Area School Board members approved the hiring of nine curriculum leaders while explaining to parents the positions are required.

Two parents at Tuesday’s meeting asked the board to reject the curriculum leaders’ stipends. Each leader receives a $1,733 stipend.

The board said a contract with the teachers’ union requires the district to hire 10 leaders. However, the board plans to hire 11. The other two positions were not on the agenda.

The board also said it will explore hiring a curriculum director. Currently a curriculum director’s responsibilities fall under the role of the assistant superintendent.

Prior to the current superintendent’s arrival in 2020, the school board had a school director. No reason was given as to why that role doesn’t currently exist; however, the board said the plan for the current curriculum leaders is to give them a more hands-on approach to the role.

“It was more of a representative model in the past,” superintendent Mark Gross said. “So we worked with the (teacher’s) association to be more of an action model. So rather than have a representation of this department, individuals that can be actively involved.”

Gross went on to say that the curriculum’s standards haven’t changed, and any new curriculum director would be more concerned with identifying new resources to help improve the established curriculum.

In addition to the curriculum leaders, the school board approved stipends for several supplemental activity positions including 22 athletic coaches, two weight room supervisors, a jazz band instructor, and a musical teacher.

The stipend amounts vary, depending on the position with the total being $98,233 for an average of $3,778.19 per position. The school board is still looking to hire four coaches for the softball team and assistant coaches for the boys and girls lacrosse teams, as well as the girls track and field team.

The school board also approved hiring several employees, including Steven Liston for a school police officer position and 12 student teachers.

The school board also reorganized on Tuesday and re-elected John Kennedy as president, Sallie Wick as vice president, and Anthony DePretis as treasurer. Nicole Thurner was named alternative representative on the Mars Planet Foundation Board.