School board approves salary increases for administrators
The USD 408 Board of Education approved administrative salary increases from 3 percent to 3.4 percent and hired Laura Baldwin to teach fourth grade at the regular monthly meeting Monday night.
After an executive session which lasted more than one hour, board member Susan Robson made a motion which included among other items a 3 percent raise for all administrators. Superintendent Gerry Henderson was granted an executive session with the board, and Robson's motion was not acted on. When the board returned to open session after approximately 25 minutes, Robson withdrew her previous motion.
Robson's second motion included
— funding steps on the support staff salary schedule, a 25 cent hourly raise for support staff who have "maxed out" on the salary schedule and $305 per month fringe benefit not to exceed a single policy.
— a 3 percent raise for Superintendent Gerry Henderson, Clerk Martin Tice, Dick Maggard, and Mike Fruechting.
— 1,840 hours per year for all school secretaries.
— approval of summer school staff and Missy Stubenhofer as summer school coordinator.
— a 3.4 salary increase for high school principal Ken Arnhold and middle school principal Todd Gordon.
— appointment of Myrta Billings as FCCLA sponsor.
— hiring of Laura Baldwin of Marion as fourth grade teacher. Baldwin taught first grade at Marion during the 1995-96 school year.
— extension of Deanna Thierolf's contract by one hour.
— health insurance fringe for administrators and salaried support staff of $305 per month but not to exceed a single policy.
The motion was seconded by Roger Hannaford and passed 6-1 with Keith Collett dissenting.
The salary increase for administrators is a $1,077 to $2,262 increase plus a defined benefit package of not more than $305 per month.
Curriculum director Missy Stubenhofer was at the board meeting to revisit some assessment scores that the district staff felt needed some clarification. According to Stubenhofer's presentation, student scores on state reading assessments are improving or staying the same. The reading assessments are given to fifth, eighth, and eleventh grade students.
Scores on the state math, science, and social science assessments were mixed. The tenth grade students made significant gains on the math assessment, while the seventh grade scores were down a little from 2001.
There was some discussion about what the district does for students who score 35 percent or lower on the assessments. According to Stubenhofer, those students are recommended for summer school. The high school also has added a class for students to get help in reading and math.
"I live for the day we can graduate everyone reading at an eighth grade level and doing math at the Algebra I level," said Henderson.
According to Henderson some of the problem lies in the fact that "We have no tolerance for going beyond 13, 182 day years" in Kansas public education.
Stubenhofer said that a complete picture of the data will be available in the fall.
Three senior girls, Carla Carlson, Megan O'Dell, and Shawna Hett, attended the board to request open lunch for juniors and seniors. The board approved 7-0 the 2001-02 open lunch policy for the coming school year.
Changes in the student and faculty handbooks were approved 7-0. One change in the dress code is that all shirts must have sleeves.
"We battle this every year," Collett said. "How much time do you [administrators] spend fighting the dress code every day?"
Both Arnhold and Gordon said that they make the final call as to whether students are violating the dress code.
The board approved the following:
— support staff handbook, 7-0.
— the purchase of a 2002 IHC school bus from Allied Bus Sales for $47,815, 7-0.
— end-of year meeting for June 26 at noon, 7-0.
— use of three vehicles and three drivers for transportation for Prairie View's summer day camp, 7-0.
The board expressed their appreciation to elementary principal Terry Slattery for her work in the district. Slattery has resigned to take a job in the Piper school district.
In closing comments, Henderson said that the district has interviewed one candidate for the elementary principal position with five more interviews to conduct.
