The College Station school board Tuesday night voted to give employees a 1.5 percent pay raise for the 2012-13 school year.
The vote was 6-1, with Kimberly McAdams voting no. McAdams says “I would love to be able to give a raise, but I feel that with the 9% revenue cuts from the state that the district is already facing, a 1.5% increase only adds to our problems. To me, it means we’ll now have to find more ways to cut elsewhere, generally meaning more of a burden on the teachers. I didn’t think the 1.5% was worth that burden. The underlying problem continues to be the cuts to public education from Austin!”
The board awarded no pay raise for this year and one percent the year before.
And as part of $1.8 million in budget reductions planned for next year, some elementary teachers will have more students next year and high school instructors in core subjects will teach six period.
CSISD Superintendent Eddie Coulson says “it seemed to be a middle ground for the board to come to in terms of what’s the best use of our resources in light of all of the other issues that we have working with the budget.”
Coulson says there are no plans to increase the district’s share of paying employee health insurance next year.
WTAW’s Bill Oliver visits with CSISD Superintendent Eddie Coulson.
In other business at Tuesday night’s board meeting, courtesy of CSISD:
Dr. Clark Ealy, Deputy Superintendent for Administrative Services, gave a presentation on the upcoming renovations to A&M Consolidated High School. The renovations will be paid for with 2009 bond funds. Phase 1 of the renovations will take place this summer, while Phase 2 will happen next summer. The renovations include CATE and special education classroom improvements, creation of a multi-use gathering area outside of the library, enhancement to the exterior entrance, library renovations, and the creation of an opened=space gathering and seating area at the entrance of the building. More information, complete with architectural renderings and a video fly-through, can be found at the following link: AMCHS Renovations.
Since 2012-13 budget discussions began, there has been a focus on the responsible use of three areas: (1) taxpayer resources, (2) budget reductions, and (3) the CSISD fund balance, or savings account.
Taxpayer Resources (Tax rate): The 2012-13 proposed budget includes raising the maintenance and operations tax rate $.04 per $100 or evaluation, while reducing the interest and sinking tax rate by $.04. It is expected that CSISD taxpayers will not see an overall tax rate increase.
- Budget Reductions: The 2012-13 budget will be reduced by $1.8 million via operational efficiencies and reducing staffing, both at central office and on campuses. All staff reductions will be realized through attrition and reassignment. Proposed reductions for the 2012-13 school year include: some central office vacancies will not be filled, elementary schools will be staffed as close to the 22:1 teacher-student ratio as possible, high school core teachers will teach six-out-of-seven classes instead of five-out-of-seven, operational efficiencies through a managed printing and copying system, and the elimination of the Jump Start program.
- Fund Balance (Savings Account): The 2012-13 proposed budget has a planned $4.6 million deficit for the opening of College Station High School. The deficit will be offset by using a portion of the district’s $33 million fund balance.
Organization of the Board Executive Committee: The board unanimously decided to change the selection of its executive committee from May to November. Previously, the board president, vice-president and secretary have been selected at the meeting immediately following elections in May. CSISD recently changed its school board elections from May to November.
REGULAR MEETING
Employee Recognitions: More than 50 CSISD employees were recognized as campus or department employees of the year or for retiring.
Each campus and department nominated employees for the different award categories and the following individuals were selected as district-level winners.
- Auxiliary Employee of the Year: Mavis Idehai, Child Nutrition at Southwood Valley
- Paraprofessional of the Year: Melissa Guerrero, Special Education Aide, Creek View
- Elementary Teacher of the Year: Jennifer Luther, Creek View
- Secondary Teacher of the Year: Laura Scott, College Station Middle
Luther and Scott will represent CSISD in the Region IV Teachers of the Year competition.
District Improvement Plan: The board unanimously approved the 2012-2013 District Improvement Plan. Prior to board approval, the plan was unanimously approved by the Districtwide Educational Improvement Council (DEIC), which consists of parents, community members, teachers and administrators. The plan will guide the district in regards to students performance, educational practices, parental involvement, and providing safe learning environment for the upcoming school year. The plan can be read in its entirety by clicking the following link: District Improvement Plan.
Resolution for Paying Employees for Missed Instructional Day: The board unanimously approved a resolution authorizing payment to employees for work time missed caused by a power outage on April 4 at A&M Consolidated High School.
Purchases: The board unanimously approved the following purchases.
- CSHS athletic trainer equipment from Alert Services, Inc. for $89,181.80 from 2009 bond funds.
- CSHS library books from Follett Services for the amount not to exceed $350,000 from 2009 bond funds.