Jim Thorpe Area School District's board of education members clarified some elements of the open assistant superintendent position at Monday's meeting as a response to several questions from the public.

When asked about the current status of the hiring process, board members said that while they have received several applications, they are looking for a specific skill set to match the needs of the district."If you look at the job description, it really places emphasis on human resources," Pearl Downs-Sheckler said. "Right now we're still in the application process, to see what's coming through."Superintendent Brian Gasper said that the applicants can expect the majority of the position to focus on elements of a human resources position, with some duties based in student services."Just to give you some basis, the position, when it was first discussed, was a human resources position," he said. "Looking at our knowledge of human resources and things of that nature, the district does not necessarily need a full-time HR person."Gasper said it was suggested to the board that if they were seeking a candidate who would work around 65 to 70 percent of a full-time human resources position, it would be beneficial to round out the workload with student services responsibilities in order to justify salary and benefits.The difficulty in the hiring process stems from the requirements of both elements of the job, including a degree or certification in human resources, along with a letter of eligibility to work as a superintendent or assistant superintendent."There aren't that many people who navigate through that sort of career," Gasper said.The board has invested in advertisements for the job opening, along with postings on career websites.Gerald Strubinger introduced a motion to halt the hiring process and explore a plan to combine Carbon County's school districts central offices toward the end of the meeting. Strubinger said that utilizing a shared human resources employee between the districts would be an excellent cost-cutting measure, but without support, the motion died on the floor."Right now, the board is very interested in looking for someone with HR experience and certification. That is a must for the board for this position, and I support the board in that," Gasper said.