School Board gives 2% bonus to teachers, plus another half-step in pay

On Nov. 16 in a special board meeting the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education approved a 2% bonus for teachers, plus a half-step pay raise for them, taking a total of $749,468 from the budget.
The 2% bonus is an off-schedule payment for last school year, 2014-15, and will be given in a lump sum on Dec. 4. Total budget implication is $466,120.
The half-step pay raise for the 2015-16 school year has a budget implication of $283,348.
Human Resources Director Shonta Langford-Green said this half-step payment is in addition to the half-step increase ratified on June 3 between the district and Van Buren Education Association, so they are getting a full step this year.
She said the payout is retroactive from Aug. 28, the first pay of the 2015-16 school year, and will continue on the remaining checks. The back payment will be on the Dec. 18 paycheck.
“We’re still 2.6% down on their salary schedule,” Green said.
Trustee Sherry Frazier said the board is happy to honor its word. After salary cuts, board members said when it had the money it would try to get them whole again.
Trustee Kathy Kovach said she was glad the board was able to do this for the teachers since they are the ones who have to do all the new things that keep having to be done.
“We think it’s the right thing to do,” said School Supt. Michael Van Tassel.
“And, just in time for Christmas,” said board vice president Martha Toth.
“This is a lot more fun than that meeting where we had to take something from everyone,” Trustee Kovach said.
Green said once administrators got the budget amendments, they saw they could give the bonus right before Christmas. It won’t increase the salaries.
The board first approved the 2015-16 budget amendments presented by Director of Finance Shareen Barker for the general fund and other school funds.
The general fund amendments included a loss in revenue of $166,188 for the cut in state foundation allowance when there were 22 fewer students this fall than budgeted, at $7,554 each.
The salaries/benefits adjustments for contract changes, teacher coaches, and elementary interventionists totalled $617,000.
Carry overs from the 2014-15 budget were a $408,763 boiler, $132,127 BHS sound system, and $524,805 warehouse fire claim that were started in the last fiscal year and completed this year.
Also, the district bought two buses at $170,000.
The total additional expenses were $1,508,652, so the fund balance was reduced from $8,089,544 in June to an estimated $6,580,892 on June 30, 2016, 13.17% of the total budget.
Barker said the auditors recommend a 15% fund balance and the state recommends from 10% to 15%.
Revenue in the amended budget is $46,491,189, down from the actual $47,687,305 in the audited 2014-15 budget.
On Monday, the board also heard reports from Director of Instruction Jeff Moore on math power standards and a vision of how the district supports students in overcoming obstacles to reaching academic achievement goals.