School administrators get 2.85 percent raises

 

Worthington administrators received a 2.85 percent salary increase and a "goody bag" in the same evening as school board members approved a new contract and declared Monday, Oct. 27 "Worthington Administrators' Day."

The board approved the contract at its meeting that night.

The new contract is retroactive from Aug. 1 and will end July 31, 2011.

Similar to the negotiated teachers' contract that was approved earlier this month, administrators are required to pay higher health insurance deductibles to help offset the raise in salary.

Effective Jan. 1, 2009, the deductible amount will change from $1,100 to $1,500 for single coverage and from $2,200 to $3,000 for family coverage.

Administrators' monthly health insurance premiums will be $44.14 for single and $119.18 for family coverage under the new contract.

The high deductible itself is offset somewhat by the board's contribution to each participating administrator's Health Savings Account. The board will contribute 65 percent of the deductible during the first year of the contract, 60 percent the second year and 55 percent the third year.

Board member Marc Schare made a motion for a language change in the contract before voting to approve it.

The last clause in the contract states, "During the 2008-09, 2009-10 and the 2010-11 school years, the district will use a balanced scorecard to determine the incentive increase for administrators based upon the attainment of specific and measurable goals."

Schare said the language in that clause of the contract was "too open-ended" and might lead to larger incentive increases than board members might approve.

Superintendent Melissa Conrath explained the "balanced scorecard."

"We sit down and look at data from the preceding year and progress completed to make up the balanced scorecard," she said. "We're letting administrators know this is what we expect to accomplish. The compensation at the most is usually about 1.4 percent."

Schare wanted the words board approved added to the clause. Board member David Bressman was the only board member of the five who voted "no" to the change, but it passed by majority vote. Shortly after, the contract was unanimously approved.

Schare said he wanted the majority of board members to be given a chance to discuss the next contract, instead of having it sent to them.

"I think as a matter of policy, boards should be able sit down and discuss this contract ahead of time, just as our regular employee contracts," he said.

Best said recommendations for administrative contracts have always been the duty of the superintendent, who discusses the contract changes with the board president.

"I sat down with the superintendent and looked at the current contract and we talked about the types of things she would like to offer administrators and what she felt they might be looking for," she said. "I feel it is the superintendent's job to come up with those details. I sent the current contract to board members and they received the completed contract (Thursday, Oct. 23), with the changes we had come up with.

"The administrators are not a bargaining unit and I think the superintendent's recommendations are good for this contract," she said. "If there are items that bother a board member, they need to talk to the superintendent to get her idea of why it is in the contract."

The goody bag portion of the evening came when Schare started reading a resolution that had Conrath and her administrators leafing through their agendas -- because it was purposely not listed.

The resolution recognized the hard work of the administrators and declared Oct. 27 "Administrators Day."

Board members then handed out bags of goodies that included Halloween candy and a photograph of the "Worthington Schools" sign in front of one of the buildings, among other items.

The next school board meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Worthington Education Center, 200 E. Wilson Bridge Road.