NO RAISE: TEACHERS' PAY FROZEN BY JACKSON BOARD

JACKSON -- There will be no pay increase for teachers in the Jackson School District next year. The school board voted Tuesday to freeze the salaries of its certified staff because there won't be enough money in the teachers fund next year.

However, teachers will be allowed to continue to advance through the new salary schedule adopted Tuesday. The 1991-92 schedule is identical to this year's pay schedule.

Superintendent Wayne Maupin said even without a pay increase, the board will still have a $270,000 budget deficit to contend with at the end of 1991-92 school year.

Maupin said the salary freeze was caused by the continued lack of adequate state funding for the teachers fund.

In working with the local Community Teacher's Association on the pay schedule, Maupin said, "Our task was not an easy one in that we ... do not really have good, firm, solid numbers to work with. It was felt this schedule was the best that we could do with the current finances available to us."

Howard Lewis, CTA spokesman, agreed that under the current financial situation, there was no other choice.

"We tried to find monies here and there," he said, "but because of a lack of funding, it does seem like what we are looking at is the best that can be worked up at this time."

Lewis said it is discouraging to see next year's salary schedule frozen while the cost of medical insurance goes up 15 percent and dental insurance eight percent.

Board President Jack Knowland acknowledged the teachers' disappointment.

"We're not happy about it either," he said. "It's frustrating to be on the school board and want to do more, but not able to do more for the teachers and the students."

Knowland expressed the board's appreciation to the CTA for its cooperation with the administration in preparing the new salary schedule. "We know what is coming next year. There will be no new money in the new fiscal year," he said. "It's not a good situation in our district and in other districts in the state."

On another matter, a delegation of parents of students at the North Elementary School at Fruitland discussed some concerns about school bus transportation, including the amount of time students spend on the school bus going to and from school each day.

They are also concerned about the amount of time students must wait before school starts in the morning, and the time they must wait after school is dismissed before their school bus arrives to take them home.

Speaking on behalf of the parents, Sharon Schuessler, mother of one of the students at North Elementary, said some students spend as much as 1 hours on the school bus each day. Because of the wide age differences (from kindergarten through 12th grade), Schuessler said there have instances of older students abusing younger students on the long bus ride to and from school each day.

Schuessler said some students arrive at school as early as 7:15 a.m., and must wait another 45 minutes before school starts. There are also long waits after school is out before they can board their buses for the trip home, she said. She said some students spend at least 10 hours away from home.

School District Transportation Coordinator Jean Kurre told the parents there is not a lot that can be done to resolve the problem. "It just takes time when you have schools as far-flung as our schools are," she said.

Kurre reviewed the bus schedules with the parents, who were not aware of what Kurre must contend with.

The Jackson school district has the largest fleet of school buses, and operates over more miles of routes than any other school district in Cape Girardeau County. The district operates schools in Jackson, Fruitland, Millersville, and Gordonville.

Kurre said she is doing everything possible to get the school buses out to North Elementary as soon as possible. "Safety is our first concern and speed second," she said. "We have 20 buses servicing these outlying schools. The majority of our bus fleet services theses schools out in the county."

Knowland asked the parents to submit their list of concerns to Kurre and the school board.