BVUSD Trustees Appoint New BBHS Secretary, District Psychologist, and Bolster Technology Department

Big Bear High School has a new secretary to fill the post vacated by Sue Merritt, who retired in December after 13 years at the high school, and 20 years with Bear Valley Unified School District. High school employee Leoma Smith, who has been with the district for 16 years and was the 2007 Classified Employee of the Year for both BVUSD and San Bernardino County, was named Merritt’s replacement during the school board meeting held on January 13. Smith tells KBHR that she’s very excited about her new position, and happy to remain at BBHS, where she has loved working with students in the counseling office.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the Board of Trustees also approved the appointment of Coordinator of Special Education/Psychologist John Egnor. In his new position, he will oversee all school sites, as did psychologist Jacque Williams, who left the district on January 8. As Director of Personnel Tim Larson tells KBHR, “John Egnor is from Palmdale, and we are very excited to have him on board; he will be a solid addition to our district.”
BVUSD Trustees also approved the creation of a new, third position within the district’s technology department, for a technology technician. Despite tough financial times for BVUSD and all California school districts, Larson explains, “Over the years, we have made such tremendous investments in technology, it would be irresponsible not to keep those technologies running efficiently and effectively for students.” He notes that the contributions of this new position will be far-reaching, adding, “It is more than just computers, it is anything that is technology based throughout the district.”
BVUSD is also in the screening process to hire a Student Attendance/Safety Officer, which is to be funded not by the district, but through already appropriated federal funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Of the just-created position, Larson says, “The whole purpose of the Student Attendance/Safety Officer, funded through ARRA, is to increase the attendance from students, which then directly increases revenue from the state.”