By Stacie N. Galang
PEABODY — School Committee member Beverley Dunne wants to hire a part-time secretary to work for the board.
Before the School Department hires a "recorder of minutes" for its twice-monthly meetings, Dunne hoped to broaden the responsibilities beyond just taking meeting minutes. Her suggested position would require more hours although wasn't proposed as a full-time job.
The board's current secretary, Marjorie Macarelli, works for Superintendent C. Milton Burnett and has been taking minutes at committee meetings. She will continue to work daily in the administration office.
Though the position was posted Oct. 22, the district had not received any applicants as of last week, said Louise Genualdo, who oversees human resources.
Dunne hoped to have a secretary who answered to board members and picked up tasks like creating a document control system. A similar position was eliminated years ago for budget reasons, she said.
"I can see instances where the committee should have someone responsible only to the School Committee," Dunne told her colleagues last week.
Committee members Brandi Carpenter and David McGeney said present-day budget woes made Dunne's suggestion unlikely.
"We're very unlikely to fund a position in light of all the other decisions we have to make," McGeney said.
