Cape Girardeau School Board to consider salary freezes, changes to stipends

Staff in the Cape Girardeau School District will be asked to do more for the same pay as the district works toward balancing its budget in an uncertain financial climate.

The Cape Girardeau School Board will meet at 6 p.m. today to consider salary freezes and changes to the stipend system, which will save more than $66,000.

"We definitely are asking our staff to do more to save money," district superintendent Dr. Jim Welker said.

About 30 stipends, compensation for extra duties, would be eliminated. The list includes extra pay for meal supervision, grade-level chairpersons and security. Welker said many of the duties will be absorbed by staff who will take on the extra responsibilities on a rotating basis.

"In attempting to balance the budget, we had to look at ways that we could absorb some of these costs," he said.

The stipend schedule will be frozen and there will also be other changes to compensation for bus monitors and department chairs. The stipend cuts will save the district $66,177, said Misty Clifton, director of finance.

When Welker took over the superintendent position in 2008, he was charged with reviewing the stipend system. A committee of teachers has been working on the review, which includes application processes and job descriptions.

The proposed eliminations and changes, which were determined by administrators, became part of the budgeting process.

"We had to do some things there to be able to get the budget to balance," he said.

The board will also consider a plan to freeze salaries for administrators, teachers and staff. Starting pay for teachers with a bachelor's degree will remain $29,463. Years of experience for new employees would be capped at 10 years.

Last year, the board approved a 2.29 percent raise for teachers months before using reserve funds to balance the budget. The move prompted criticism from board members and promises from the administration to balance the budget for the upcoming fiscal year without using reserves.

The board has since received regular updates on the budget, which included negative changes in the state financial climate.

Like districts across the state, Cape Girardeau faces state funding cuts in transportation and basic aid. As a result, districts are losing positions through attrition and looking at ways to trim their budgets.

Cape Girardeau is expected to lose about 20 positions, mostly through attrition. Personnel for its Parents as Teachers program, which serves 338 families, will be cut in half.

The school board will have a special work session at 5 p.m. to receive an update on school construction from McCarthy Building Cos., the construction management firm working on projects included in the recently passed $40 million bond proposal.

The regular meeting begins at 6 p.m. in district administrative offices, 301 N. Clark Ave.

abusch@semissourian.com

388-3627

Pertinent address:

301 N. Clark Ave. Cape Girardeau, MO