By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA – The Massena Central School District Board of Education voted unanimously to reinstate six positions for the upcoming school year at its Thursday night meeting.

The board decided to bring back Joseph Mittiga as a half-time high school social studies teacher at a $21,962 salary; Van Alexander as a guidance counselor at a salary of $58,474; and an eighth-grade Spanish teacher that wasn’t named.

The district will also hire a second keyboard specialist in the human resources department in lieu of making current keyboard specialist Claudeen Watkins a human resources specialist, and reinstated two two-hour per day food service workers.

The vote came after a 50-minute executive session that board president John Boyce said “was to discuss the employment of a particular person.”

Acting Superintendent Steven Putman said the reinstatements are necessary to keep staff in proportion with the student body.

“You’re going to have sections of 35-plus students trying to learn French or Spanish in their first year,” he stated. “There’s nearly 900 kids in the high school and only three guidance counselors … I’ve never seen an educational system where that can possibly be effective.”

Putman said the issue with the Spanish position is the first educator in line for callbacks is certified in French and has to get Spanish certification before the school year kicks off.