Split seen on contract extensions

Jay School Corporation administrators won a vote of confidence Monday night.
But it was a split vote.
School board members voted 5-2 to approve contract extensions coupled with a salary freeze for the 2011-2012 contract year.
The move extends superintendent Tim Long’s contract to June 30, 2015. Contracts for assistant superintendent Wood Barwick, business manager Brad DeRome, and special education director Dave Chastain were extended to June 30, 2013. And school principals’ contracts were extended to June 30, 2012.
It’s not uncommon for school administrators to receive multi-year contracts on a rolling basis, but the length of the extensions drew fire from two board members.
“I think it’s the wrong way to handle it,” said board member Jim Sanders. “I think it’s the wrong thing to do.”
“I agree,” said board member Jay Halstead. “Normal superintendents’ contracts are three years in length, and many boards are not rolling them over.”
Pointing to the length of Long’s contract, Halstead added, “That’s too long. I think the people on this board need to think of their commitments … Those contract lengths are too long.”
“I think both of you (Sanders and Halstead) have valid points,” responded board member Greg Wellman. “But it’s a vote of confidence in Dr. Long and our administrators.”
Board member Mike Masters agreed with Wellman.
“I think it would be wrong to the people of Jay County not to maintain continuity,” he said. “We have some of the best administrators any corporation has. … I’m not interested in tying another board’s hands, but I want continuity.”
Under the plan adopted Monday, school administrators would receive the following salaries in both the current 2010-2011 contract year and the 2011-2012 contract year: Long $118,861, Barwick $92,117, DeRome, $90,102, Chastain $92,117, Jay County High School principal Phil Ford $87,362, JCHS athletic director/assistant principal Bob Lutton $67,000, East Jay Middle School principal Lee Newman $80,231, technical director Dennis Green $65,373, Redkey Elementary School principal Tom Jerles $76,490, Bloomfield Elementary School principal Dan Hoffman $77,259, JCHS dean of students Chad Dodd $70,304, West Jay Middle School principal Mike Crull $71,710, General Shanks Elementary School principal Craig Campbell $66,595, East Elementary School principal Andy Schemenaur $69,640, Pennville Elementary School principal Larry Wilson $69,708, Westlawn Elementary School principal Jeff Davis $71,910, Judge Haynes Elementary School principal Trent Paxson $71,910, East Jay assistant principal Robert Phelps $62,402, food service director Bill Bussear $54,081, director of transportation Teresa Myers $52,500.
The board was unanimous in approving a one-year memorandum of understanding which keeps in place a “step scale” pay increase for years of experience. That, DeRome told the board, amounts to about a two percent increase in pay. But recent increases in employee health insurance have been shared with support staff, which affects their take-home pay.
“Overall our salaries are still down because we have lost so many support staff positions over the past two months,” DeRome said.
Rising health insurance costs continue to be an issue for the school corporation and will be the focus of study by a committee appointed by Long over the next several months.
“Historically we have had an increase each and every year,” said Masters, who chairs that committee. “There’s no silver bullet here.”
Masters noted that it usually boils down to two choices: Changing benefits or raising the costs to employees.
Long also appointed Wellman to serve on the insurance and negotiations committee Monday.
In other business, the board:
•Hired Chris Krieg on a three-year contract as JCHS girls’ varsity basketball coach.
•Welcomed Chinese teacher He Yen Xin, who will be teaching this year at West Jay and Westlawn.
•Told Long that the issue of Central Time, which is being pushed by some school corporations, is not a pressing matter locally.
•Heard Long say there would be a survey taken among students during registration to see if more activity buses should be added.
•Approved a number of stipends for coaches and personnel. Those include $8,500 to Craig Teagle as varsity boys basketball coach, $8,500 to Chris Krieg as varsity girls basketball coach, $8,500 to Steve Boozier as varsity football coach, $1,500 to Dan Hoffman as expulsion officer, $5,900 to Trent Paxson as Title 1 coordinator, $950 to Jeff Davis as elementary basketball coordinator, $1,000 to Andy Schemenaur as gifted and talented coordinator, $5,000 to Bev Arnold as assistant to the athletic director, $1,000 to principals whose schools meet average yearly progress targets, $1,000 to principals whose schools reach 4-Star status, $1,300 to Trent Paxson as elementary textbook adoption coordinator, $1,300 to Lee Newman as middle school textbook adoption coordinator, and $8,500 to Shane Hill for the final year of his contract as varsity football coach. Hill was removed from that position after the 2009 season.
•Hired Lucas Tetrault as a graphic arts teacher at JCHS, Abby Champ as a temporary physical education teacher at Westlawn, Martin Ballard as a special education teacher, and Holly Tonak as a mild interventions teacher.
•Approved a contractual agreement with the School Psychology Partnership Program to have Ball State University provide special education services.
•Accepted the retirement of graphic arts teacher Steve Marsh.
•Accepted the resignations of Lucas Cummings as a teacher and coach, Cheryl Guises as assistant JCHS band director, Caroline Aschliman as a special education teacher, Tammy Overton as secretary, and Rachel Stultz and Megan Bilbo as instructional assistants.
•Approved a leave of absence for Donna Haffner at Bloomfield.
•Approved extra-curricular assignments for Greg Garringer as head boys varsity track coach, Tom Leonhard as assistant boys varsity track coach, Alan Bailey as head boys soccer coach, Violet Current as eighth grade volleyball coach at West Jay, Diana Hill as seventh grade volleyball coach at West Jay, Andrea Hines as sixth grade volleyball coach at West Jay, Kristen Selvey as sixth grade cheer coach at West Jay, Linda Brackman as seventh and eighth grade cheer coach at West Jay, Denise Selvey as volunteer cheer coach at West Jay, James Roberts as seventh grade football coach at West Jay, Paul Scott as assistant seventh grade football coach at West Jay, Kelly Bricker as assistant cross country coach at West Jay, Larry Stultz as head cross country coach at West Jay, Derek Mills as varsity soccer assistant coach at JCHS, and Randy Rigby as assistant volleyball coach at JCHS.
•Accepted the extra-curricular resignations of Bill Saxman as eighth grade football coach at East Jay and Laura McCollum as sixth grade girls basketball coach at West Jay.[[In-content Ad]]