By John R. Schirmer
Leader staff
Coach Chad Hutson of Woodlawn High School was named the new head coach of the Nashville Scrapperette softball team Monday night during a special meeting of the Nashville School Board.
Hutson coached at Woodlawn for 10 years after coaching five years at Foreman. He was an assistant coach on the East squad at the Arkansas All-Star softball game last month at the University of Arkansas in Conway.
In 2014 he was named Southeast Arkansas Coach of the Year by the Pine Bluff Commercial after his Lady Bears compiled a 26-8 record and won the District 7-2A East championship. “I’ve been blessed with a good group of kids,” Hutson said of Woodlawn’s success.
Hutson and his wife Jennifer have two children. Jennifer was hired Monday to teach at Nashville Primary School.
“I’m excited for that opportunity to become a Scrapper,” Hutson said Monday night. “My wife is too.”
Superintendent Doug Graham said softball is Hutson’s “number one sport. He considers himself a softball coach first. He will go the extra mile to get his girls in team camps in the summer to give them an opportunity to showcase their talents.”
Hutson’s contract at Nashville takes effect the last week of July. In addition to his softball coaching duties, he will teach at Nashville Elementary School.
Hutson was among 15 applicants who were interviewed for the Scrapperette position.
The Nashville School Board Monday night also hired three other staff members for the 2015-16 academic year during a special meeting.
They include the following:
Andrea Pinegar, special ed teacher at elementary.
Tasha Fant, dyslexia interventionist.
Jennifer Hutson, primary teacher.
Graham said a special ed aide position remains open at primary and likely will be filled at the July 20 regular meeting.
Before the staff members were hired, Assistant Superintendent Joe Kell discussed the dyslexia interventionist position, noting that it is required by legislation passed two years ago and updated in January.
Fant will work three days per week at Nashville and two days at Mineral Springs.
She will be enrolled in the dyslexia therapist program to become a certified therapist, according to Graham.
All students in grades K-2 are required to be screened under Arkansas law. Any student in third grade or above who has reading difficulty may be screened at a teacher’s request.
The most recent screening showed about 15 percent of students in grades K-2 show dyslexia characteristics, Graham said.
The salary will be paid by NSLA funds, Graham said.
