Cape school board passes teacher pay plan

Teachers and administrators in Cape Girardeau will get about a 2 percent pay raise next school year, the school board decided 6-1 Wednesday night. But the board split when it came to approving stipends for extra duties, narrowly passing an unchanged schedule from this year.

Members expressed concern about earlier reports from an extra-duty compensation committee that said some teachers are getting paid for duties they no longer perform. A member of the committee said Wednesday some teachers may be getting paid for leading a club that doesn't exist anymore but that the teachers have assumed other duties.

The motion passed Wednesday only set rates for stipends. It does not approve who will receive the extra pay.

The extra-duty compensation committee has met throughout the year but has been unable to reach an agreement. Members originally planned to present recommendations about stipends this year but have pushed the date back to next fall.

Interim superintendent Pat Fanger said administrators have asked staff members to fill out a form outlining their extra duties.

"Doesn't that sound a little like the fox watching the hens?" board member Paul Nenninger asked, later saying, "The assessment is being done by the employee. Does that sound like supervision to you?"

Fanger said a principal will review the self-appraisals, which will then be forwarded to the administrative office. When Nenninger asked why that hadn't occurred in the past, Fanger said, "I can't answer that."

The motion being discussed included approving stipends for supervising lunch or gym, setting travel allowances and outlining extra pay for department chairs. The extra-duty compensation committee is studying amounts teachers receive for coaching a sport or sponsoring a club.

Tony Smee, Kyle McDonald and Stacy Kinder voted in favor of the motion. Dr. Steve Trautwein also voted yes, saying, "I really want to say no, but I am going to say yes as a statement of faith about what is going to happen next year." Nenninger, Laura Sparkman and Charles Bertrand voted against the motion.

Bertrand also voted against the pay raises, saying afterward he would like beginning teacher salaries to be raised to $31,000. A new teacher on the approved schedule will receive a salary of $29,370 next year, an increase of $220 over what a beginning teacher made this school year.

Last year, the board raised beginning teacher's salaries by nearly $4,000, but Bertrand said the budget would have allowed for more.

Misty Clifton, the district's director of finance, said the district's fund balance is 24 percent and would decrease to an estimated 17 percent after the raises.

At the meeting, the board also approved a bid from Sides Construction Co. for $230,193 for the renovation of metal buildings at the junior high, which will house the district's maintenance department. A $266,343 bid from Sides Construction Co. was also approved for the construction of an industrial technology classroom at the junior high.

The board met behind closed doors for about an hour and a half before the open session, but did not make an announcement about activity afterward. The board has 72 hours to announce any vote taken.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

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