GENTRY — School board members, on Monday, renewed the contracts for 115 teachers for the 2011-2012 school year by a vote of 6-1.
After an executive session of more than an hour to consider renewing of the non-administrative certified contracts, the board approved the contracts with a single vote. David Williamson was the lone board member in opposition to the rehiring, with no reason for his vote given in open session. Board members Jim Barnes, Dani Cypert, Ted Dorn, Coye Cripps, Gary Dunlap and Scott McCollum voted in favor of the new contracts.
Approved unanimously by the board, at the recommendation of a screening committee chaired by Gentry Middle School principal Larry Cozens, was the hiring of Jason Barrett as transportation director to replace Shiera Wilson, who is retiring at the close of the current school year after 32 years of service to the district.
A policy change was also passed on its first reading outlining duties of the transportation director - something not contained in current school policy. A similar policy change was recommended to outline duties of the bus mechanic position. Both policies will be reviewed by the district’s personnel policy committee and brought back to the board for final consideration.
Other policy revisions recommended by the classified personnel policy committee and passed on first readings by the board were changing cafeteriacooks from hourly wages to yearly pay based on hours; an addition of step 20 in the classified employees pay scale; a 3 percent increase to all Step 0 beginning salaries; and a $1,500 stipend for duties as athletic director secretary.
The recommended change from hourly pay to yearly was prompted by the numerous snow days missed and the resulting lack of pay during those pay periods. The recommended change would not increase pay, but simply set the pay on a regular pay schedule during the school year. Should snow days add days to the end of the school year, no additional pay would be given at the end of the year because cooks would have been paid for the days when they were missed.
The addition of a step 20 in the pay scale would reward employees who have been with the district for 20 or more years with additional longevity pay. The 3 percent increase for Step 0 would affect all pay steps.
The $1,500 stipend would be a flat rate of pay for duties as athletic director secretary rather than paying the high school secretary overtime for the extra duties.
Gentry School District superintendent Randy Barrett told board members he would bring back numbers to show the impact theproposed policy changes would have on the district’s overall finances. He said he would recommend the policy changes if the district can afford them.
The school board unanimously approved a calendar for the 2011-2012 school year with some corrections made to the copy printed and enclosed in the school board packet.
The new calendar sets the first day of classes on August 15, with the final day on May 16, 2012. The calendar includes a week off for spring break and has numerous conditional clauses in place to make up for snow days before cutting into spring break or adding days on to the end of the school year.
News, Pages 1 on 04/20/2011