Sorry, applicants. Pasco schools superintendent Heather Fiorentino has decided to go another new direction for the district's communications than the one she initially proposed.

Sort of.

Rather than name a new director of communications from among the dozen applicants, Fiorentino has chosen to freeze the director's job — and its salary of $75,017 to $114,143 — and instead create a supervisor on assignment post to do the work. The supervisor in question is Jeff Morgenstein, who has run the district's ESOL programs and makes $67,997.

Between salary and benefits, the district will save tens of thousands of dollars, Fiorentino told the Gradebook.

John Mann, who directs the district leadership development department, will then take control of the communication and government relations department, too. Fiorentino will replace Morgenstein in ESOL, as well, with another supervisor in the $63,591 to $96,758 range (most likely at the low end).

"We're looking to streamline our already lowest administration," Fiorentino said. "We're doing everything we can to save money without cutting programs."

School Board vice chairwoman Joanne Hurley, formerly a government spokesperson herself, has pushed Fiorentino hard to do right by this role, which has seen at least four people in it during the past three years. Hurley told the Gradebook she hopes to see some stability in this new direction.

"The problem lately has been that whoever has been in that position has not had adequate support," Hurley said. "I would like to see whoever is going to be in that position set up for success. ... I know how valuable a strong communication department is, especially now, for school districts."

The School Board is scheduled to consider the administrative change request on Tuesday.