Employment and communication issues at Strath Taieri School have prompted the Ministry of Education to appoint a limited statutory manager (LSM).
Last Thursday, ministry sector enablement and support deputy secretary Katrina Casey appointed Timaru-based lawyer Nicola Hornsey to run some of the Middlemarch school's board of trustee operations.
Ms Hornsey has acted as LSM and commissioner at many southern schools over the past decade.
She has been asked to manage "all functions, powers and duties of the board as an employer (whether statutory or otherwise)" and manage the board's communications", the ministry announcement said.
"The board will retain its primary duty of care as a person conducting a business or undertaking, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, above and beyond all functions, powers and duties of the limited statutory manager."
Ms Hornsey said the issues had been identified by the board of trustees, and the board had asked the ministry for support to resolve them.
"I only really started on the ground on Wednesday and met members of the board and staff."
She could not say whether the employment issue(s) surrounded one person or several people.
"It's just in its infancy.
"I've got a four-week period to do a lot of listening and learning and come up with an issues report and a plan to resolve those issues."
