Carroll County public schools will get a new reading specialist after all.

Superintendent William H. Hyde announced yesterday that he is creating another elementary school supervisor position -- a post he proposed this year. The position was rejected by the school board last month during a budget-trimming session. The board voted to use the money instead for an additional classroom teacher in the 1999-2000 budget.

The supervisor will assess reading performance in elementary schools and explore ways for teachers to improve reading skills -- jobs now shared by four other supervisors.

The job is expected to pay $55,000 to $74,000.

Hyde said he is using a vacancy to restore the position. The school board is not required to approve the change because it involves no new money. "We're one of the top performing systems in the state, but we still have 20 to 30 percent of kids at the elementary level not reading at acceptable levels," Hyde said. "You've got to focus energy in that area."

Board member Susan Krebs, who voted to eliminate the position, said she supports Hyde's move. The board's intent in canceling the job last month, Krebs said, was to ensure that as much newly budgeted money as possible was spent on hiring teachers.