Plans to create a new principal position in the Pleasant Valley School District and the subsequent domino effect of appointments were put on hold at the school board meeting Thursday night.

The items were removed from the agenda at the beginning of the meeting.

Superintendent James Konrad had requested the creation of a principal position for the district’s cyber school, the Bears Academy. The online school currently has 232 students enrolled in it.

If the position had been created, then the next step for approval was to reassign two principals and one assistant principal already working in the school district.

Middle school principal Jason VanVoorhis had been selected to become the first Bears Academy principal with a salary of $111,353. Current intermediate school principal Kendal Askins would have moved to the middle school to become its principal at a salary of $105,000. And elementary school Assistant Principal Sabrina Albright was poised to become the principal at the intermediate school with a salary $99,000. All positions would have become effective on July 1.

The school board and superintendent did not say why the plans were removed from the agenda, or if the plans will be revisited at a later date. The idea has been questioned by the public and Konrad addressed that in his answer to public questions.

Konrad said that since the beginning of the school year, 32 district students have chosen to attend outside charter school. As a way to combat the expenditure the school district incurs in paying outside charter schools per student from the district, he thinks a principal for the district’s cyber school would not only help “to continue the excellent education” available there, but also “to promote the success of the program.”

“There’s efforts and discussions being had with the board and also with our administration team to figure out what are the resources that are necessary to reduce the $6 million going out of the district, that is actually tax payer money, going to charter schools,” he said.

Konrad also said he hopes that promoting the Bears Academy would help to bring back students that have left for outside cyber charter schools. The Bears Academy started the school year with 127 students and now has 263 students.