NCSD Board to consider 2 percent raise for all staff

Employees with the Newton Community School District could be getting a little extra next year. The district’s Board of Education will vote Monday night on a proposal to provide district-wide raises for all classified staff members.

The raises, which range from a two percent increase for all staff members, would take effect July 1, 2018.

District supervisors and managers will be in line for a five percent increase, with principals, administrators, secretaries, head custodians and specialists in line for a two percent increase. Under the proposal, every employee in the district will receive at least a two percent increase in their overall compensation package.

Administrative staff members could receive their first raises in two years, after NCSD Superintendent Bob Callaghan recommended forgoing those raises to help the district make ends meet.

“Our budget was extremely tight last year,” Callaghan said.

The proposed raises represent one of the final pieces of the puzzle for school board members to sort out as they look to put the finishing touches on the district’s budget for the 2018-19 school year. The superintendent said cutbacks across the district have given board members the ability to continue to invest in people. Salary costs make up the bulk of the district’s budget.

“Finding a way to provide an increase in those compensation packages is important to our organization,” Callaghan said. “The minimal impact of the compensation packages is still twice what we’ll receive in Supplemental State Aid next year.”

With the district set to receive a one percent increase in supplemental state aid, Callaghan said administrators have worked diligently to cut costs in order to be as efficient as possible. By accessing sectional rebates, tapping into the district’s management fund and offering an early retirement package, the district was able to cut costs without impacting students. By encouraging older teachers to participate in the early retirement program administrators are able to fill those roles with less experienced teachers who command a much lower salary.

On Thursday, Callaghan said the district had instituted a compensation cap on new teacher hires to ensure replacement teachers can be brought in at a lower cost than their predecessors.

“We tried to make reductions to the highest degree possible without impacting the students,” Callaghan said.

Despite the cuts, Callaghan said finding a way to give staff members an across the board increase was a priority for the district.

“These people are critical to the operation of our schools, including the principals,” Callaghan said.

The district’s certified staff will enter the second year of a two-year contract when the 2018-19 school year begins next fall. The contract, which includes a two percent raise for all certified staff members, will increase wages for the district’s teachers across the board. The starting salary for a first-year teacher in the district is $37,564 annually. That number is higher than the median income for males in Jasper County, who earn an average of $36,001 annually, compared to $24,770 for women.

Callaghan said the district was able to make staffing reductions without laying off any employees, something he’s proud of. Last year, building principals identified potential staffing reductions across the district, but those reductions were handled by attrition and retirements, rather than layoffs.

“The mantra I’ve tried to hold onto since I’ve been here is that we’ll continue to provide employment for the people who want to stay here,” Callaghan said.

With lower than expected SSA, the district has been looking for ways to save money. On Monday, the board will consider a proposal to allow district administrators to move funds from one account to another. Typically, those funds are “siloed,” meaning they can only be used for the projects they were originally earmarked. However, several bills passed in the last year, including HF 564, 565, and HF 2411, which was passed this year have given administrators wider leeway to disburse funds within the district.

“This gives us the opportunity to take funds that have been sitting in our accounts for a long period of time that have not been expended, the board now has the ability to allocate those funds,” Callaghan said.

With more than $60,000 sitting in the district’s Home School Funding, Callaghan said it’s likely board members will target that fund first. Spending for home school expenses has typically cost the district less than $2,000 annually, administrators would like to use some of that money to fund hiring an additional teacher for the summer school program. State funding covers the cost of summer school for elementary students via an Early Literature Intervention Grant, but the district would have to pay out of pocket to hire a teacher to work with older students.

“This will cover the cost of additional staff,” Callaghan said. “We’re only talking about transferring a couple thousand dollars.”

In order to transfer the funds from one account to another, the district will need to hold a public hearing and follow strict guidelines set by the state of Iowa. Callaghan said this is the first time the district has attempted to transfer funds from one account to another. By using this “soft” money, Callaghan said the district can fill some gaps in the summer program.

“We’ve tried to avoid using soft money for recurring positions,” Callaghan said. “It goes away when it’s expended.”

Contact David Dolmage at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or ddolmage@newtondailynews.com