…as teachers ask for 4.49 percent pay increase
The Greene County Schools board approved several measures intended to trim expenses at its regular meeting March 16. Those measures include reducing the teaching force by 1.33 positions, sharing the contracts of the curriculum director and the elementary media specialist with nearby districts, and refinancing bonds sold in 2007 for the addition on Jefferson Elementary.
The savings in staffing will be seen in the general fund budget, while the savings in the refinance will be seen in the debt service budget line item.
School superintendent Tim Christensen in February alerted the board of a need to cut expenses by $500,000. Not filling positions left vacant during the year, as well as those of four employees who applied for the district’s early retirement incentive, are part of that cost reduction. Early retirement applications came from one teacher and three support staff.
The board approved by a 5-2 vote issuing reduction in force notices, commonly called “pink slips,” to middle school physical education teacher Ryan Eberly and one-third time family and consumer sciences teacher Lisa Hansen. A third, unnamed teacher was also given notice of the recommendation to terminate but filed a request for a board hearing. Christensen was specific that their termination was not related to job performance. Board members John McConnell and Mike Dennhardt voted against the motion to approve terminating the contracts of Eberly and Hansen.
The board approved sharing the services on curriculum director Karen Sandburg with the Southeast Webster-Grand school district for one day per week. SEW-Grand will pay 20 percent of Sandberg’s contract, including benefits, and the district will receive a financial incentive from the state equal to funding for three students.
The board also approved sharing the services of media specialist Jenny Fisher for one day a month with the Ogden school district. Ogden will pay the equivalent of 10 days’ salary and benefits, as well as the cost of a substitute in the Greene County district and a $500 stipend for Fisher.
The board approved refinancing bonds that were sold in 2007 with repayment from anticipated school infrastructure sales and service tax (formerly known as SILO) funds. The bonds were sold at 4 percent interest and the money went to the addition on the elementary school. The bonds are 20-year bonds with interest locked in at 4 percent for the first 10 years. The refinance rate may be as low as 1.75 percent, for a savings to the district of an estimated $106,000 over the 10 years remaining on the bond.
At the same meeting Christensen reported receiving the first contract proposal from the Greene County Education Association for the new contract. That proposal is for a 4.49 percent increase in the base salary.
