In June the district welcomed Scott Johnson, who serves as the new Director of Food Service. Prior to joining JPS, Johnson served as Director of Food Service and Nutrition for the Warren County School District via The Nutrition Group since 2015. In Warren, he oversaw food service for 4,000 students at seven sites. He also previously served as manager of food service at Hadley House, kitchen manager at Wing City Grill, executive chef at the Bemus Point Inn, and kitchen supervisor at Tanglewood Manor.

Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Jamestown Business College and a master’s of business administration with a concentration in finance from Gannon University.

“I am very excited to join the Jamestown Public Schools food service team,” said Johnson. “I believe we can make a great impact on improving school meals and increasing meal participation as a team. Breakfast and lunch is an important part of our students’ day providing them with key nutrients they need to grow and support their educational development. My goal is to make each cafe a fun experience for all students to enjoy by providing new menu items while offering several exciting promotions throughout the school year.”

JPS also welcomed Ericka Alm as the new Principal of Washington Middle School. Alm, a 2002 Jamestown High School graduate, currently serves as a principal in the Warren County School District.

Ericka Alm

Since joining the Warren County School District in 2015, Alm has served as both Assistant Principal and Principal at Eisenhower Middle/High School, before serving in a districtwide role as virtual learning and elementary curriculum coordinator this past school year. Prior to her time in Warren County, she served as a social studies teacher in the Frewsburg Central School District for seven years.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this opportunity to come home to the district I was raised in to work with the students, families, and staff of Washington Middle School in the best way I know how,” said Alm. “Together, my hope is to continue to make our community the best it can be. My kids are students in the district and my husband and I are both JHS graduates — it’s an honor to be able to help continue the great tradition that we both grew up in in our city and in our schools.”

Alm holds a bachelor of art and sciences degree in Adolescence Education and History from the State University of New York at Fredonia and a Master’s Degree of Science in Special Education from Mercyhurst College. She also received her New York State School Building Leader and School District Leader certifications from Gannon University.

Alm succeeds Melissa Emerson as Washington’s Principal. In August, the district announced that Emerson, a longtime Jamestown Public Schools administrator, will serve as principal of the Innovation Center at R.R. Rogers School.

At the Innovation Center, Emerson will help oversee the development of the center’s programs as well as the classroom space that will be temporarily occupied by students and staff from M.J. Fletcher Elementary School.

Scott Johnson

“I look forward to working and collaborating with district officials, parents, and community members to make the Innovation Center a place for students to learn and thrive,” said Emerson. “I also look forward to working with the Fletcher students and staff during this temporary relocation.”

JPS recently announced the first phase of a planned reopening of the Innovation Center, located in the former Rogers Elementary School building, beginning in September. The building will temporarily host three classrooms of students from Fletcher Elementary School for the duration of the 2023-24 school year, due to capital project work that will impact the school’s instructional space. Phase Three of the center’s opening will include career and technical education programming that is slated to begin during the 2024-25 school year.

First opened as the second incarnation of R.R. Rogers Elementary School in 1976, the building closed as a full-time elementary school in 2013. Since then, it has housed several programs including the Success Academy program in 2019 and the T.E.A.M. program until the 2022-23 school year.

Finally, in July Dr. Kevin Whitaker announced an administrative restructure that includes the return of two assistant superintendent titles.

“A number of these changes are in name only to help provide clarity for the positions these individuals currently serve,” Whitaker said. “The most noteworthy of these is a change from three ‘chief’ positions to two assistant superintendent titles.”

In this new structure, Tina Sandstrom will now serve as Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and School Improvement. In this role, Sandstrom will continue to oversee the district’s principals and will now oversee the district’s curriculum coordinators, curriculum development and instruction.

Brittnay Spry will now serve as Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, overseeing the district’s finance and budget, food service, buildings and grounds, and transportation functions.

Jessie Joy will now serve as Executive Director of Information and Student Services and continue to oversee the district’s technology, student services, and special education programs. Joy has served the district for 29 years, holding roles as math department chair, math curriculum coordinator, and Director of Instruction, Curriculum and Assessment before becoming Chief Information Officer in 2018.

Existing positions filled by the following people will be modified to better suit their new duties: Kristin Alexander will be Assistant School Business Executive, Denise Pusateri will be Coordinator of STEM, Maureen Kessler will serve as Coordinator of Pupil Personnel Services and Tamu Reinhardt will now serve as Coordinator of Community, Family Engagement, and Inclusivity and continue to oversee the community navigators. The two currently unfilled Coordinator positions will support Arts and Humanities, and School Improvement and Innovation.

“We are fortunate to have an incredible team of educators and professionals at JPS,” Whitaker said. “I am pleased that we can continue to do great work and hopefully put them in a position to be successful so as to best support our students, staff, and families.”