Jaunita Walter, Jamestown Public Schools district clerk, retired Wednesday after more than two decades. She began her career as the secretary at Persell Middle School before moving to the administration building in 2016. Submitted photo

Jamestown Public Schools recognized its district clerk who retired this week.

During their meeting on Tuesday, school board members praised Juanita Walter for her 24 years of work. A reception for Walter in recognition of her retirement was held earlier in the week.

“It’s well-deserved,” said Dr. Kevin Whitaker, Jamestown Public Schools superintendent. “You’ve been an incredible asset to the school district, to this board and to multiple superintendents including myself.”

Walter began her career as the secretary at Persell Middle School before moving to the administration building in 2016. In addition to being the district clerk, she also served as the superintendent’s secretary.

Paul Abbott, school board president, told Walter she made his job “exponentially easier.”

“You are literally the most pleasant person I think I have ever met, even in the face of difficulties that the board puts on you sometimes,” he said. “We’re not always an easy crew to track down. You are definitely going to be missed — I can’t overstate how much you will be missed and what a pleasure it’s been to work with you. … Thank you for everything that you’ve done.”

Patrick Slagle, school board vice president, also commended Walter.

“You’ve been a positive face to this board and everyone enjoys interacting with you,” Slagle said. “We’re going to miss that. Thank you.”

Walter responded, “Thank you very much. It’s been my pleasure, to be very honest.”

Her last official day was Wednesday.

In other news:

¯ Abbott inquired about the number of open positions leading up to the first day of classes next week. Whitaker noted the district recently hosted “dozens upon dozens of new hires” over the course of a couple of days last week.

“Lots of hiring has happened,” he said.

Renee Garrett, district director of human resources, said JPS is “trying to draw down to zero” the number of open positions. “We are actually at the critical point where we need to start hiring long-term substitutes to fill,” she said.

District staff also will take part in local and regional job fairs to recruit potential employees.

“We will continue to recruit all year, every day, as much as we can,” Garrett said.

¯ the board approved a District Comprehensive Improvement Plan and the 2023-24 School Comprehensive Education plans for Washington and Jefferson middle schools.

In January 2019, the state Department of Education identified 370 schools in need of academic improvement along with 106 school districts as target districts. The first designations were meant to ensure New York’s compliance with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

The state Department of Education had designated JPS as a target district, though at present only two schools remain on the list.

“While we still remain a target district … this represents an improvement over the course of the past three years,” Whitaker said. “I want to make sure that I give credit to those folks who have been working hard.”