Spencer Daily Reporter: Local News: School board expected to ratify agreements reached (05/23/09)

A portion of the Spencer school board meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening will have board members contemplating approval of tentative agreements reached with the district's teachers, administrators, non-union staff members and supervisors for next school year.

Certified staff in the Spencer Education Association ratified a tentative 2009-10 contract agreement last Thursday for a 3.1 percent total package increase, which is estimated to carry a $319,939 price tag.

"We're very pleased that the teachers stepped forward and took that settlement," Superintendent Greg Ebeling said Friday afternoon. "I'm now able to recommend to the board to restore two additional budget packages back in that were right below the cut line (during 2009-10 budget reduction discussions held this winter and spring)."

The two positions the board will consider adding back Tuesday night include a middle school music and elementary band combination package, which would have reduced Deb Jepson's elementary vocal music position and caused middle school vocal music instructor Denise Reit to also teach at the elementary level next year. The second position board members will contemplate restoring is the one held by Sarah Riedemann, who currently teaches Spencer High School math classes and at Spencer Central Academy.

"Those were the two (budget packages) right below the cut line, and that's about $100,000 worth of additional expense. Because of the lower settlement (with the SEA), which is about $90,000 less than what we would have expected to settle for in a typical year, this is kind of a wash for us," Ebeling said.

The SEA, which represents the district's full- and part-time teachers, had initially proposed a 6.86 percent, or $616,754 increase for 2009-10. The district, in turn, proposed a 2.01 percent increase, or a total package worth $180,295.

Spencer school board members are also anticipated to act on administrator salaries for next year. The tentative settlement reached on the 1.5 percent total package increase covers the salaries of Joe Mueting, Jade Beehler, Roger Johnson, Steve Barber, Lucas DeWitt, Cindy De Vlaeminck and Steph Anderson.

The board will also be asked to approve a 2 percent, or $20,929 increase for non-union supervisor and staff salaries for 2009-10. If authorized, this would affect the salaries of Julie Nemmers, Sharon Slawson, Jolynne Eiltes, Laura Wakefield, Ronda Mortenson, Jim Kerns, Laurie Lawson, Sheri Knipe, Dixie Orthel, Darrel Stoll, Michael Conway and Brett Vanderhoff.

Spencer school board members ratified a two-year contract on April 30 with the district's support staff. The 1.71 percent, or $45,090 total package increase approved for members of Local 821 of the United

I uess it is hard for me to understand cutting a teacher or class from the courses offered and yet raising the administrator salaries. What part of that makes no sense?

-- Posted by omaopa101 on Sat, May 23, 2009, at 8:28 AM

What doesn't quite make sense to me is how a secretary at the central office got "moved" into a supervisors position in the kitchen, where she has absolutely no food experience????? The school never even interviewed the 100's of applicants who actually had the experience. Talk about your internal politics. Why?????

-- Posted by gettin rich and into spencer on Thu, Jun 4, 2009, at 8:32 AM